Then the venerable Subhūti asked the venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, why would bodhisattva great beings have a view concerning physical forms, have a view concerning feelings, have a view concerning perceptions, have a view concerning formative predispositions, and have a view concerning consciousness; have a view concerning the eyes, have a view concerning the ears, have a view concerning the nose, have a view concerning the tongue, have a view concerning the body, and have a view concerning the mental faculty; have a view concerning sights, have a view concerning sounds, have a view concerning odors, have a view concerning tastes, have a view concerning tangibles, and have a view concerning mental phenomena; have a view concerning visual consciousness, have a view concerning auditory consciousness, have a view concerning olfactory consciousness, have a view concerning gustatory consciousness, have a view concerning tactile consciousness, and have a view concerning mental consciousness; have a view concerning visually compounded sensory contact, have a view concerning aurally compounded sensory contact, have a view concerning nasally compounded sensory contact, have a view concerning lingually compounded sensory contact, have a view concerning corporeally compounded sensory contact, and have a view concerning mentally compounded sensory contact; have a view concerning feelings conditioned by visually compounded sensory contact, have a view concerning feelings conditioned by aurally compounded sensory contact, have a view concerning feelings conditioned by nasally compounded sensory contact, have a view concerning feelings conditioned by lingually compounded sensory contact, have a view concerning feelings conditioned by corporeally compounded sensory contact, and have a view concerning feelings conditioned by mentally compounded sensory contact; have a view concerning the earth element, have a view concerning the water element, have a view concerning the fire element, have a view concerning the wind element, have a view concerning the space element, and have a view concerning the consciousness element; have a view concerning ignorance, have a view concerning formative predispositions, have a view concerning consciousness, have a view concerning name and form, have a view concerning the six sense fields, have a view concerning sensory contact, have a view concerning sensation, have a view concerning craving, have a view concerning grasping, have a view concerning the rebirth process, have a view concerning birth, and have a view concerning aging and death; have a view concerning the perfection of generosity, have a view concerning the perfection of ethical discipline, have a view concerning the perfection of tolerance, have a view concerning the perfection of perseverance, have a view concerning the perfection of meditative concentration, and have a view concerning the perfection of wisdom; have a view concerning the emptiness of internal phenomena, have a view concerning the emptiness of external phenomena, have a view concerning the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, have a view concerning the emptiness of emptiness, have a view concerning the emptiness of great extent, have a view concerning the emptiness of ultimate reality, have a view concerning the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, have a view concerning the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, have a view concerning the emptiness of the unlimited, have a view concerning the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, have a view concerning the emptiness of nonexclusion, have a view concerning the emptiness of inherent nature, have a view concerning the emptiness of all phenomena, have a view concerning the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, have a view concerning the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, have a view concerning the emptiness of nonentities, have a view concerning the emptiness of essential nature, and have a view concerning the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities; have a view concerning the applications of mindfulness, have a view concerning the correct exertions, have a view concerning the supports for miraculous ability, have a view concerning the faculties, have a view concerning the powers, have a view concerning the branches of enlightenment, and have a view concerning the noble eightfold path; have a view concerning the truths of the noble ones; have a view concerning the meditative concentrations, have a view concerning the immeasurable attitudes, have a view concerning the formless absorptions, have a view concerning the liberations, and have a view concerning the serial steps of meditative absorption; have a view concerning the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation; have a view concerning the extrasensory powers; have a view concerning the meditative stabilities and have a view concerning the dhāraṇī gateways; have a view concerning the powers of the tathāgatas, have a view concerning the fearlessnesses, have a view concerning the kinds of exact knowledge, have a view concerning great loving kindness, have a view concerning great compassion, and have a view concerning the distinct qualities of the buddhas; have a view concerning the beings to be matured; have a view concerning the buddhafields to be refined; have a view concerning enlightenment; have a view concerning the Buddha, have a view concerning the Dharma, and have a view concerning the Saṅgha; have a view concerning the turning of the wheel of the Dharma; and have a view concerning the attainment of final nirvāṇa?”
“Venerable Subhūti, in this regard, bodhisattva great beings who practice the perfection of wisdom without skill in means apprehend physical forms and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend feelings and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend perceptions and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend formative predispositions and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, and without skill in means apprehend consciousness and develop a view of it by way of apprehending; without skill in means apprehend the eyes and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the ears and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the nose and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the tongue and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the body and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, and without skill in means apprehend the mental faculty and develop a view of it by way of apprehending; without skill in means apprehend sights and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend sounds and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend odors and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend tastes and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend tangibles and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, and without skill in means apprehend mental phenomena and develop a view of them by way of apprehending; without skill in means apprehend visual consciousness and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend auditory consciousness and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend olfactory consciousness and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend gustatory consciousness and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend tactile consciousness and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, and without skill in means apprehend mental consciousness and develop a view of it by way of apprehending; without skill in means apprehend visually compounded sensory contact and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend aurally compounded sensory contact and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend nasally compounded sensory contact and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend lingually compounded sensory contact and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend corporeally compounded sensory contact and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, and without skill in means apprehend mentally compounded sensory contact and develop a view of it by way of apprehending; without skill in means apprehend feelings conditioned by visually compounded sensory contact and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend feelings conditioned by aurally compounded sensory contact and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend feelings conditioned by nasally compounded sensory contact and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend feelings conditioned by lingually compounded sensory contact and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend feelings conditioned by corporeally compounded sensory contact and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, and without skill in means apprehend feelings conditioned by mentally compounded sensory contact and develop a view of them by way of apprehending; without skill in means apprehend the earth element and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the water element and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the fire element and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the wind element and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the space element and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, and without skill in means apprehend the consciousness element and develop a view of it by way of apprehending; without skill in means apprehend ignorance and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend formative predispositions and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend consciousness and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend name and form and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the six sense fields and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend sensory contact and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend sensation and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend craving and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend grasping and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the rebirth process and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend birth and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, and without skill in means apprehend aging and death and develop a view of them by way of apprehending; without skill in means apprehend the perfection of generosity and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the perfection of ethical discipline and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the perfection of tolerance and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the perfection of perseverance and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the perfection of meditative concentration and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, and without skill in means apprehend the perfection of wisdom and develop a view of it by way of apprehending; without skill in means apprehend the emptiness of internal phenomena and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the emptiness of external phenomena and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the emptiness of external and internal phenomena and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the emptiness of emptiness and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the emptiness of great extent and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the emptiness of ultimate reality and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the emptiness of conditioned phenomena and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the emptiness of the unlimited and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the emptiness of nonexclusion and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the emptiness of inherent nature and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the emptiness of all phenomena and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the emptiness of nonentities and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the emptiness of essential nature and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, and without skill in means apprehend the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities and develop a view of it by way of apprehending; without skill in means apprehend the applications of mindfulness and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the correct exertions and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the supports for miraculous ability and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the faculties and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the powers and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the branches of enlightenment and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, and without skill in means apprehend the noble eightfold path and develop a view of it by way of apprehending; without skill in means apprehend the truths of the noble ones and develop a view of them by way of apprehending; without skill in means apprehend the meditative concentrations and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the immeasurable attitudes and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the formless absorptions and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the liberations and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, and without skill in means apprehend the serial steps of meditative absorption and develop a view of them by way of apprehending; without skill in means apprehend the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation and develop a view of them by way of apprehending; without skill in means apprehend the extrasensory powers and develop a view of them by way of apprehending; without skill in means apprehend the meditative stabilities and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, and without skill in means apprehend the dhāraṇī gateways and develop a view of them by way of apprehending; without skill in means apprehend the powers of the tathāgatas and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the fearlessnesses and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the kinds of exact knowledge and develop a view of them by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend great loving kindness and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend great compassion and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, and without skill in means apprehend the distinct qualities of the buddhas and develop a view of them by way of apprehending; without skill in means apprehend the beings to be matured and develop a view of them by way of apprehending; without skill in means apprehend the buddhafields to be refined and develop a view of them by way of apprehending; without skill in means apprehend enlightenment and develop a view of it by way of apprehending; without skill in means apprehend the Buddha and develop a view of him by way of apprehending, without skill in means apprehend the Dharma and develop a view of it by way of apprehending, and without skill in means apprehend the Saṅgha and develop a view of it by way of apprehending; without skill in means apprehend the turning of the wheel of the Dharma and develop a view of it by way of apprehending; and without skill in means apprehend the attainment of final nirvāṇa and develop a view of it by way of apprehending.
“Venerable Subhūti, for these reasons bodhisattva great beings have a view concerning physical forms, a view concerning feelings, a view concerning perceptions, a view concerning formative predispositions, and a view concerning consciousness; for these reasons they have a view concerning the eyes, a view concerning the ears, a view concerning the nose, a view concerning the tongue, a view concerning the body, and a view concerning the mental faculty; for these reasons they have a view concerning sights, a view concerning sounds, a view concerning odors, a view concerning tastes, a view concerning tangibles, and a view concerning mental phenomena; for these reasons they have a view concerning visual consciousness, a view concerning auditory consciousness, a view concerning olfactory consciousness, a view concerning gustatory consciousness, a view concerning tactile consciousness, and a view concerning mental consciousness; for these reasons they have a view concerning visually compounded sensory contact, a view concerning aurally compounded sensory contact, a view concerning nasally compounded sensory contact, a view concerning lingually compounded sensory contact, a view concerning corporeally compounded sensory contact, and a view concerning mentally compounded sensory contact; for these reasons they have a view concerning feelings conditioned by visually compounded sensory contact, a view concerning feelings conditioned by aurally compounded sensory contact, a view concerning feelings conditioned by nasally compounded sensory contact, a view concerning feelings conditioned by lingually compounded sensory contact, a view concerning feelings conditioned by corporeally compounded sensory contact, and a view concerning feelings conditioned by mentally compounded sensory contact; for these reasons they have a view concerning the earth element, a view concerning the water element, a view concerning the fire element, a view concerning the wind element, a view concerning the space element, and a view concerning the consciousness element; for these reasons they have a view concerning ignorance, a view concerning formative predispositions, a view concerning consciousness, a view concerning name and form, a view concerning the six sense fields, a view concerning sensory contact, a view concerning sensation, a view concerning craving, a view concerning grasping, a view concerning the rebirth process, a view concerning birth, and a view concerning aging and death; for these reasons they have a view concerning the perfection of generosity, a view concerning the perfection of ethical discipline, a view concerning the perfection of tolerance, a view concerning the perfection of perseverance, a view concerning the perfection of meditative concentration, and a view concerning the perfection of wisdom; for these reasons they have a view concerning the emptiness of internal phenomena, a view concerning the emptiness of external phenomena, a view concerning the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, a view concerning the emptiness of emptiness, a view concerning the emptiness of great extent, a view concerning the emptiness of ultimate reality, a view concerning the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, a view concerning the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, a view concerning the emptiness of the unlimited, a view concerning the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, a view concerning the emptiness of nonexclusion, a view concerning the emptiness of inherent nature, a view concerning the emptiness of all phenomena, a view concerning the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, a view concerning the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, a view concerning the emptiness of nonentities, a view concerning the emptiness of essential nature, and a view concerning the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities; for these reasons they have a view concerning the applications of mindfulness, a view concerning the correct exertions, a view concerning the supports for miraculous ability, a view concerning the faculties, a view concerning the powers, a view concerning the branches of enlightenment, and a view concerning the noble eightfold path; for these reasons they have a view concerning the truths of the noble ones, a view concerning the meditative concentrations, a view concerning the immeasurable attitudes, a view concerning the formless absorptions, a view concerning the liberations, a view concerning the serial steps of meditative absorption, a view concerning the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation, a view concerning the extrasensory powers, a view concerning the meditative stabilities, and a view concerning the dhāraṇī gateways; for these reasons they have a view concerning the powers of the tathāgatas, a view concerning the fearlessnesses, a view concerning the kinds of exact knowledge, a view concerning great loving kindness, a view concerning great compassion, and a view concerning the distinct qualities of the buddhas; and for these reasons they have a view concerning the beings to be matured, a view concerning the buddhafields to be refined, a view concerning enlightenment, a view concerning the Buddha, a view concerning the Dharma, a view concerning the Saṅgha, a view concerning the turning of the wheel of the Dharma, and a view concerning the attainment of final nirvāṇa. However, in this regard, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom with skill in means they teach the Dharma, without apprehending anything, in order that those views might be abandoned.
Then the venerable Subhūti said to the Blessed One, “Blessed Lord, I too am inspired to say why a bodhisattva is called a great being.”
“Subhūti, be inspired to speak of that!” replied the Blessed One.
Subhūti then explained, “Blessed Lord, they are without attachment even to such a mind as the mind set on enlightenment that is equal to the unequaled and is not shared in common with any śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas. It is for that reason bodhisattvas are called great beings. If you ask why, it is because the mind set on omniscience is free from contaminants and not part of the three realms. So, owing to its emptiness of inherent nature, they are not attached even to that mind—that mind set on omniscience that is free from contaminants and that is not part of the three realms. That is why bodhisattvas are reckoned to be great beings.”426
Then the venerable Śāradvatīputra asked the venerable Subhūti, “Venerable Subhūti, what is the mind of bodhisattva great beings that is equal to the unequaled, and that is not shared in common with the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas?”
“In this regard, Venerable Śāradvatīputra,” replied Subhūti,” bodhisattva great beings, starting from the time when they first set their mind on enlightenment, do not observe any phenomenon at all that is arising, and they do not observe any phenomenon at all that is ceasing, increasing or decreasing, coming or going, defiled or purified. Venerable Śāradvatīputra, in that [mind] that has no arising, no ceasing, no increasing, no decreasing, no coming, no going, no defilement, and no purification there is no mind of the śrāvakas, no mind of the pratyekabuddhas, no mind of the bodhisattvas, and no mind of the perfectly complete buddhas. Venerable Śāradvatīputra, this is the mind of bodhisattva great beings—equal to the unequaled, and not shared in common with all śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas.”
“Venerable Subhūti, you said, ‘They are not attached even to that mind—that mind set on omniscience, free from contaminants and not part of the three realms,’ so would it not be the case, Venerable Subhūti, that physical forms would therefore be without attachment,427 that feelings would be without attachment, that perceptions would be without attachment, that formative predispositions would be without attachment, and that consciousness would be without attachment; that the eyes would be without attachment, that the ears would be without attachment, that the nose would be without attachment, that the tongue would be without attachment, that the body would be without attachment, and that the mental faculty would be without attachment; that sights would be without attachment, that sounds would be without attachment, that odors would be without attachment, that tastes would be without attachment, that tangibles would be without attachment, and that mental phenomena would be without attachment; that visual consciousness would be without attachment, that auditory consciousness would be without attachment, that olfactory consciousness would be without attachment, that gustatory consciousness would be without attachment, that tactile consciousness would be without attachment, and that mental consciousness would be without attachment; that visually compounded sensory contact would be without attachment, that aurally compounded sensory contact would be without attachment, that nasally compounded sensory contact would be without attachment, that lingually compounded sensory contact would be without attachment, that corporeally compounded sensory contact would be without attachment, and that mentally compounded sensory contact would be without attachment; that feelings conditioned by visually compounded sensory contact would be without attachment, that feelings conditioned by aurally compounded sensory contact would be without attachment, that feelings conditioned by nasally compounded sensory contact would be without attachment, that feelings conditioned by lingually compounded sensory contact would be without attachment, that feelings conditioned by corporeally compounded sensory contact would be without attachment, and that feelings conditioned by mentally compounded sensory contact would be without attachment; that the earth element would be without attachment, that the water element would be without attachment, that the fire element would be without attachment, that the wind element would be without attachment, that the space element would be without attachment, and that the consciousness element would be without attachment; that ignorance would be without attachment, that formative predispositions would be without attachment, that consciousness would be without attachment, that name and form would be without attachment, that the six sense fields would be without attachment, that sensory contact would be without attachment, that sensation would be without attachment, that craving would be without attachment, that grasping would be without attachment, that the rebirth process would be without attachment, that birth would be without attachment, and that aging and death would be without attachment; that the perfection of generosity would be without attachment, that the perfection of ethical discipline would be without attachment, that the perfection of tolerance would be without attachment, that the perfection of perseverance would be without attachment, that the perfection of meditative concentration would be without attachment, and that the perfection of wisdom would be without attachment; that the emptiness of internal phenomena would be without attachment, that the emptiness of external phenomena would be without attachment, that the emptiness of external and internal phenomena would be without attachment, that the emptiness of emptiness would be without attachment, that the emptiness of great extent would be without attachment, that the emptiness of ultimate reality would be without attachment, that the emptiness of conditioned phenomena would be without attachment, that the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena would be without attachment, that the emptiness of the unlimited would be without attachment, that the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end would be without attachment, that the emptiness of nonexclusion would be without attachment, that the emptiness of inherent nature would be without attachment, that the emptiness of all phenomena would be without attachment, that the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics would be without attachment, that the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended would be without attachment, that the emptiness of nonentities would be without attachment, that the emptiness of essential nature would be without attachment, and that the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities would be without attachment; that the applications of mindfulness would be without attachment, that the correct exertions would be without attachment, that the supports for miraculous ability would be without attachment, that the faculties would be without attachment, that the powers would be without attachment, that the branches of enlightenment would be without attachment, and that the noble eightfold path would be without attachment; that the truths of the noble ones would be without attachment, that the meditative concentrations would be without attachment, that the immeasurable attitudes would be without attachment, that the formless absorptions would be without attachment, that the liberations would be without attachment, that the serial steps of meditative absorption would be without attachment, that the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation would be without attachment, that the extrasensory powers would be without attachment, that the meditative stabilities would be without attachment, and that the dhāraṇī gateways would be without attachment; that the powers of the tathāgatas would be without attachment, that the fearlessnesses would be without attachment, that the kinds of exact knowledge would be without attachment, that great loving kindness would be without attachment, that great compassion would be without attachment, and that the distinct qualities of the buddhas would be without attachment; and that knowledge of all the dharmas would be without attachment, that the knowledge of the aspects of the path would be without attachment, and that all-aspect omniscience would be without attachment?”
“Venerable Śāradvatīputra, that is so,” replied Subhūti. “Physical forms are without attachment, feelings are without attachment, perceptions are without attachment, formative predispositions are without attachment, and consciousness is without attachment; the eyes are without attachment, the ears are without attachment, the nose is without attachment, the tongue is without attachment, the body is without attachment, and the mental faculty is without attachment; sights are without attachment, sounds are without attachment, odors are without attachment, tastes are without attachment, tangibles are without attachment, and mental phenomena are without attachment; visual consciousness is without attachment, auditory consciousness is without attachment, olfactory consciousness is without attachment, gustatory consciousness is without attachment, tactile consciousness is without attachment, and mental consciousness is without attachment; visually compounded sensory contact is without attachment, aurally compounded sensory contact is without attachment, nasally compounded sensory contact is without attachment, lingually compounded sensory contact is without attachment, corporeally compounded sensory contact is without attachment, and mentally compounded sensory contact is without attachment; feelings conditioned by visually compounded sensory contact are without attachment, feelings conditioned by aurally compounded sensory contact are without attachment, feelings conditioned by nasally compounded sensory contact are without attachment, feelings conditioned by lingually compounded sensory contact are without attachment, feelings conditioned by corporeally compounded sensory contact are without attachment, and feelings conditioned by mentally compounded sensory contact are without attachment; the earth element is without attachment, the water element is without attachment, the fire element is without attachment, the wind element is without attachment, the space element is without attachment, and the consciousness element is without attachment; ignorance is without attachment, formative predispositions are without attachment, consciousness is without attachment, name and form are without attachment, the six sense fields are without attachment, sensory contact is without attachment, sensation is without attachment, craving is without attachment, grasping is without attachment, the rebirth process is without attachment, birth is without attachment, and aging and death are without attachment; the perfection of generosity is without attachment, the perfection of ethical discipline is without attachment, the perfection of tolerance is without attachment, the perfection of perseverance is without attachment, the perfection of meditative concentration is without attachment, and the perfection of wisdom is without attachment; the emptiness of internal phenomena is without attachment, the emptiness of external phenomena is without attachment, the emptiness of external and internal phenomena is without attachment, the emptiness of emptiness is without attachment, the emptiness of great extent is without attachment, the emptiness of ultimate reality is without attachment, the emptiness of conditioned phenomena is without attachment, the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena is without attachment, the emptiness of the unlimited is without attachment, the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end is without attachment, the emptiness of nonexclusion is without attachment, the emptiness of inherent nature is without attachment, the emptiness of all phenomena is without attachment, the emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics is without attachment, the emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended is without attachment, the emptiness of nonentities is without attachment, the emptiness of essential nature is without attachment, and the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities is without attachment; the applications of mindfulness are without attachment, the correct exertions are without attachment, the supports for miraculous ability are without attachment, the faculties are without attachment, the powers are without attachment, the branches of enlightenment are without attachment, and the noble eightfold path is without attachment; the truths of the noble ones are without attachment, the meditative concentrations are without attachment, the immeasurable attitudes are without attachment, the formless absorptions are without attachment, the liberations are without attachment, the serial steps of meditative absorption are without attachment, the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness gateways to liberation are without attachment, the extrasensory powers are without attachment, the meditative stabilities are without attachment, and the dhāraṇī gateways are without attachment; the powers of the tathāgatas are without attachment, the fearlessnesses are without attachment, the kinds of exact knowledge are without attachment, great loving kindness is without attachment, great compassion is without attachment, and the distinct qualities of the buddhas are without attachment; and knowledge of all the dharmas is without attachment, the knowledge of the aspects of the path is without attachment, and all-aspect omniscience is without attachment.”
“Venerable Subhūti, you said, ‘That mind set on omniscience is free from contaminants and not part of the three realms,’ so, Venerable Subhūti, in that case not only that, but also would the minds of ordinary persons be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to their emptiness of inherent nature? Would the minds of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, as well as the minds of the lord buddhas, also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to their emptiness of inherent nature?”
“They are, Venerable Śāradvatīputra,” replied Subhūti. “The minds of ordinary persons are also free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature. The minds of the śrāvakas are also free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature. The minds of the pratyekabuddhas are also free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature. The minds of the lord buddhas are also free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature.”
“Venerable Subhūti, in that case, physical forms would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; feelings would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; perceptions would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; formative predispositions would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; and consciousness would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature.
“The eyes would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; the ears would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; the nose would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; the tongue would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; the body would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; and the mental faculty would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature. Sights would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; sounds would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; odors would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; tastes would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; tangibles would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; and mental phenomena would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature. Visual consciousness would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; auditory consciousness would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; olfactory consciousness would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; gustatory consciousness would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; tactile consciousness would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; and mental consciousness would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature. Visually compounded sensory contact would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; aurally compounded sensory contact would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; nasally compounded sensory contact would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; lingually compounded sensory contact would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; corporeally compounded sensory contact would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; and mentally compounded sensory contact would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature. Feelings conditioned by visually compounded sensory contact would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; feelings conditioned by aurally compounded sensory contact would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; feelings conditioned by nasally compounded sensory contact would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; feelings conditioned by lingually compounded sensory contact would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; feelings conditioned by corporeally compounded sensory contact would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; and feelings conditioned by mentally compounded sensory contact would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature.
“The earth element would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; the water element would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; the fire element would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; the wind element would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; the space element would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature; and the consciousness element would also be free from contaminants and not part of the three realms, owing to the emptiness of inherent nature.