大智度論 行相品Dazhidulun — Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa · Modes of Practice

The previous chapter, Gathering and Dispersal, broke the existence of dharmas by the ‘gate of emptiness’; this chapter goes on to break the marks of dharmas by the ‘gate of signlessness’. Subhūti first sets before the Buddha the fault of practising prajñā ‘without skilful means’: if a bodhisattva lacks skilful means and, regarding form, feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, grasps their marks of permanence, impermanence, pleasure, suffering, self, no-self, separation, and quiescence and practises accordingly, this practising by grasping marks is called ‘practising marks’; even to think ‘I am practising prajñā, I have something attained’ or ‘only if I can practise thus does it count as cultivating prajñā’ is still practising marks. To practise thus by grasping marks is to lack skilful means, and one cannot get out of birth, old age, sickness, death, grief, and sorrow, cannot even realise the stage of śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha, how much less unsurpassed awakening. What, then, is ‘having skilful means’? Subhūti's answer is utterly simple: it is ‘not practising’: not practising form, feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness, not practising their marks of permanence and impermanence. Why can one not practise and not grasp? Because ‘form is emptiness, emptiness is form’; form and emptiness are never apart to begin with. So this passage is gathered into the most important sentence of the whole chapter: when a bodhisattva practises prajñā, he does not receive practising, does not receive not practising, does not receive both practising and not practising, does not receive neither practising nor not practising, and does not receive even that ‘not receiving’ itself. Śāriputra asks why nothing at all is received, and Subhūti answers: the own-nature of prajñā is unfindable to begin with, and therefore it is not received; this is called ‘the samādhi in which no dharma is received’, the great working of prajñā that is not shared with śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha. When the four propositions, practising, not practising, both, and neither, have been dismissed, a fifth dismisses the very mind that dismisses; dismissing and dismissing again, only then is it this prajñā that receives nothing. Coming to the commentary, Nāgārjuna lays bare the method of the whole chapter: the previous chapter used the gate of emptiness to break dharmas, and this chapter is to use the gate of signlessness to break dharmas. He first resolves a doubt: the world plainly must grasp the marks of good and evil results in order to practise the path; how can it be said that dharmas are without marks? He answers: grasping marks is taught for beginners, signlessness for those walking the path; first grasp the mark of good to break the mark of evil, then use signlessness to break the mark of good, and at the last let signlessness break itself as well, as hail smashes the grain and the hail itself melts away at once. He sets several similes in a row to wake us to the fact that dharmas have no fixed mark: this body with its nine orifices always flowing is impure to begin with, yet through ignorance people force it to count as pure, like a small child taking a mark of purity in something impure and making it a pleasure, at which grown-ups only laugh, knowing it to be false; dharmas are like a crystal that changes with the colour before it and has no fixed colour of its own, like foam on water, like an illusion, like a dream. So even the thought ‘I can perform this contemplation of signlessness’, even the clinging to ‘separation and quiescence’, still falls within marks; such a person, however great his merit, cannot leave old age, sickness, and death, and because his practice of the path is mixed he cannot attain even the small vehicle. In the second half Śāriputra asks: besides this samādhi of receiving nothing, is there any other samādhi that lets a bodhisattva swiftly become a Buddha? Subhūti then lists a long series of samādhi beginning with the śūraṃgama. Nāgārjuna explains: when one is near nirvāṇa only one road remains, the three gates of liberation, emptiness, signlessness, and non-action, and all other samādhi enter these three gates, as a great city has many gates and every gate leads into the city, or as the ten thousand rivers and all their streams flow home to the sea. A bodhisattva can practise these hundred and eight samādhi and receive the prediction of the Buddhas of the ten directions precisely because, though he obtains the samādhi, he truly has none of that discriminating thought of self, ‘I shall enter, I am entering, I have entered’; prajñā, samādhi, and the bodhisattva, these three, are not different and cannot be grasped by marks or distinguished, and so it is said, 「不異故無授記」 tr. "because they are not different there is no receiving of prediction"; this does not deny the prediction, but screens off the misreading that ‘one receives the prediction by grasping the mark of samādhi’. The Buddha then praises Subhūti as foremost in the practice of the samādhi of non-contention, which accords exactly with this meaning of receiving nothing. In the final section Śāriputra asks: does training thus count as training in prajñā? The Buddha answers: it does, precisely because the dharmas trained in are all unfindable. Which dharmas are unfindable? Self up to knower and seer are unfindable, the five aggregates, the twelve sense-fields, the eighteen elements, up to the Buddha, are all unfindable, all because of ‘ultimate purity’. What is ultimate purity? Not coming forth, not arising, no attainment, no making. Nāgārjuna pushes on: because on the side of causes nothing arises it is called ‘not coming forth’, and because on the side of conditions nothing arises it is called ‘not arising’; not coming forth and not arising, therefore unfindable; unfindable, therefore no making and no rising; all these made dharmas are false and deceptive, and to be apart from this mark of falseness is called ‘ultimate purity’. The ordinary person's sickness lies in insisting on existence at the very place of ‘nothing whatever’: dharmas have no existence to begin with, yet the ordinary person insists on taking there to be something where there is nothing, like an empty fist with nothing in it used to fool a small child, who really believes there is something inside. Or like a man pointing at the moon with his finger, while the fool only stares at the finger and does not look at the moon, and the wise laugh at him for not understanding what the pointer means; the finger is only the means for you to recognise the moon, yet you only look at the finger and do not see the moon; the Buddhas and sages teach the Dharma for ordinary people, and ordinary people only cling to sounds and words, do not take the sage's meaning, and do not get at the real meaning; failing to get at the real meaning, they give rise to attachment again within what they take for real dharma. So it is said that ordinary people who train in prajñā in this way fail to train in it and do not attain omniscience. How, then, should one train rightly? The Buddha's answer is decisive: when training in prajñā one does not see prajñā; one does not see prajñā, does not see the one who practises, does not see the dharma taken as object, and does not see even that ‘not seeing’. Śāriputra presses on what the cause of this ‘not seeing’ is, and the Buddha answers: this bodhisattva does not see because he has entered the eighteen emptinesses, not because he lacks wisdom. Read through, this chapter does one thing only: the previous chapter broke the existence of dharmas, and this chapter breaks the marks of dharmas; practising marks is practising by grasping marks, without skilful means one falls into marks, with skilful means one neither receives nor clings. With the five propositions of receiving nothing as its pivot, the three gates of liberation gathering in all samādhi, and ultimate purity as its home, it comes to rest at last on the sentence ‘not seeing because he has entered the eighteen emptinesses’. This is the prajñā, practised with nothing received and nothing attained, that the Chapter on Modes of Practice wants you to train in.

Subhūti States: If a Bodhisattva Lacks Skilful Means, Whenever He Practises Form, Feeling, Perception, Constructions, and Consciousness, or Even Gives Rise to Views of Permanence, Impermanence, and the Like, All of It Becomes Practising Marks

At that time Subhūti said to the Buddha: ‘World-Honored One! If a bodhisattva-mahāsattva is without skilful means and yet wishes to practise prajñāpāramitā, then if he practises form, this becomes practising marks; if he practises feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness, this too becomes practising marks. If he sees form as permanent and practises, this is practising marks; if he sees feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness as permanent and practises, this too is practising marks. If he sees form as impermanent and practises, this is practising marks; if he sees feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness as impermanent and practises, this too is practising marks. If he sees form as pleasure and practises, if he sees feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness as pleasure and practises, all of it is practising marks. If he sees form as suffering and practises, if he sees feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness as suffering and practises, all of it is practising marks. If he sees form as existent and practises, if he sees feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness as existent and practises, all of it is practising marks. If he sees form as empty and practises, if he sees feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness as empty and practises, all of it is practising marks. If he sees form as self and practises, if he sees feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness as self and practises, all of it is practising marks. If he sees form as not-self and practises, if he sees feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness as not-self and practises, all of it is practising marks. If he sees form as separation and practises, if he sees feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness as separation and practises, all of it is practising marks. If he sees form as quiescent extinction and practises, if he sees feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness as quiescent extinction and practises, all of it is practising marks. World-Honored One! If a bodhisattva-mahāsattva is without skilful means, he practises the four foundations of mindfulness and takes it as practising marks, and so on up to practising the eighteen unshared dharmas and taking it as practising marks. World-Honored One! If, when a bodhisattva-mahāsattva practises prajñāpāramitā, he gives rise to this thought, “I am practising prajñāpāramitā; this is a practice in which something is attained,” this too is practising marks. World-Honored One! If a bodhisattva-mahāsattva gives rise to this thought, “Only practising like this is cultivating prajñāpāramitā,” this too is practising marks. In this way it should be known that this bodhisattva-mahāsattva practises prajñāpāramitā without skilful means!’

Subhūti Tells Śāriputra: Without Skilful Means One Falsely Receives and Fixes the Mind on Form and Makes Constructions for the Sake of Form, and Cannot Attain Even the Realisation of the Two Vehicles, Let Alone Awakening

Subhūti said to Śāriputra: ‘If, when a bodhisattva-mahāsattva practises prajñāpāramitā, he falsely gives rise to receiving form and fixing his mind on it; once he falsely receives form and fixes his mind on it, he makes constructive activity for the sake of form; once he makes constructive activity for the sake of form, he cannot get free of birth, old age, sickness, death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, and distress, and of the suffering of later lives. If a bodhisattva-mahāsattva is without skilful means when he practises prajñāpāramitā, he falsely gives rise to receiving and fixing his mind on the eye and so on up to the mind; on forms and so on up to dharmas; on the eye-consciousness element and so on up to the mind-consciousness element; on eye-contact and so on up to mind-contact; on the feeling born with eye-contact as its cause and condition and so on up to the feeling born with mind-contact as its cause and condition; on the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas; and he makes constructive activity for the sake of the eighteen unshared dharmas. Once he makes constructive activity for the sake of dharmas, this bodhisattva cannot get free of birth, old age, sickness, death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, and distress, and of the suffering of later lives. A bodhisattva such as this cannot attain even the fruit realised on the ground of the śrāvaka or the pratyekabuddha, let alone attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi! There is no such possibility at all. Śāriputra! It should be known that this bodhisattva-mahāsattva practises prajñāpāramitā without skilful means.’

Śāriputra Asks: How Is It Known That a Bodhisattva Practises Prajñā with Skilful Means?

Śāriputra asked Subhūti: ‘How can it be known that this bodhisattva-mahāsattva practises prajñāpāramitā with skilful means?’

Subhūti Answers: Having Skilful Means Is Not Practising Form, Feeling, Perception, Constructions, and Consciousness and Not Grasping Their Various Marks; Form Is Emptiness and Emptiness Is Form; and So On to Not Receiving Practising, and Not Receiving Even Not-Receiving

Subhūti said to Śāriputra: ‘If, when a bodhisattva-mahāsattva wishes to practise prajñāpāramitā, he does not practise form, and does not practise feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness; does not practise the mark of form, and does not practise the marks of feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness; does not practise the permanence of form, feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness, and does not practise the impermanence of form, feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness; does not practise the pleasure of form, feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness, and does not practise the suffering of form, feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness; does not practise the self of form, feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness, and does not practise the not-self of form, feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness; does not practise the emptiness of form, feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness, does not practise the signlessness of form, feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness, and does not practise the non-action of form, feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness; does not practise the separation of form, feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness, and does not practise the quiescent extinction of form, feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness. Why is this? Śāriputra! The emptiness of this form is not itself form; apart from emptiness there is no form, and apart from form there is no emptiness; form is emptiness, and emptiness is form. The emptiness of feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness is not itself consciousness; apart from emptiness there is no consciousness, and apart from consciousness there is no emptiness; emptiness is consciousness, and consciousness is emptiness. And so on up to: the emptiness of the eighteen unshared dharmas is not itself the eighteen unshared dharmas; apart from emptiness there are no eighteen unshared dharmas, and apart from the eighteen unshared dharmas there is no emptiness; emptiness is the eighteen unshared dharmas, and the eighteen unshared dharmas are emptiness. Just so, Śāriputra! It should be known that this bodhisattva-mahāsattva practises prajñāpāramitā with skilful means; this bodhisattva-mahāsattva, practising prajñāpāramitā in this way, is able to attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi. When this bodhisattva-mahāsattva practises prajñāpāramitā, he does not receive practising, does not receive not practising, does not receive both practising and not practising, does not receive neither practising nor not practising, and does not receive even not-receiving.’

Śāriputra Asks: When a Bodhisattva Practises Prajñā, for What Reason Does He Not Receive?

Śāriputra said to Subhūti: ‘When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva practises prajñāpāramitā, for what reason does he not receive?’

Subhūti Answers: Because the Own-Nature of Prajñā Cannot Be Found, He Does Not Receive; This Is the Vast Function of the Samādhi of Not Receiving Any Dharma (Close of the First Sūtra Section)

Subhūti said: ‘The own-nature of this prajñāpāramitā cannot be found at all; therefore he does not receive. Why is this? The nature of having nothing is itself prajñāpāramitā. Śāriputra! Precisely because of this, when a bodhisattva-mahāsattva practises prajñāpāramitā, he does not receive practising, does not receive not practising, does not receive both practising and not practising, does not receive neither practising nor not practising, and does not receive even not-receiving. And why is this? Because the nature of all dharmas is fundamentally that of having nothing; he does not go along with dharmas in practising, and does not receive the marks of dharmas. This is called the vast function of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's 「諸法無所受三昧」 tr. "samādhi of not receiving any dharma", which the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas do not share. This bodhisattva-mahāsattva, practising this samādhi and never parting from it, is able to attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi swiftly.’

What follows is the treatise's commentary.

The Treatise-Author Opens the Explanation: The Previous Chapter Refuted Dharmas by the Gate of Emptiness; This Chapter Will Refute Dharmas by the Gate of Signlessness

The treatise-author explains: The previous chapter used the ‘gate of emptiness’ to refute dharmas; this chapter will use the ‘gate of signlessness’ to refute dharmas. If a bodhisattva contemplates form without skilful means, he falls into marks; because he falls into marks, he loses the practice of prajñāpāramitā. Why is this? Because all dharmas are empty, there is not a single mark that can be grasped.

Question and Answer One: Only by Grasping the Marks of Good and Evil Recompense Can People Discriminate, Take Up, and Reject, and So Practise the Path; Why Then Is It Said That Dharmas Are Signless?

Question: People know the recompense of good and evil; only by grasping the marks of recompense can they discriminate good and evil, receiving the good and rejecting the evil, and so cultivate the path. How then is it said that dharmas have the mark of signlessness?

The Treatise-Author Answers: Grasping Marks Is Taught for Beginners and Signlessness for Those Practising the Path; First the Good Mark Is Grasped to Refute the Unwholesome, Then Signlessness Refutes the Good, and Signlessness Also Refutes Itself (the Simile of Hail Falling and Harming the Grain)

Answer: Speaking of grasping marks is for the sake of people who are beginners in training; speaking of signlessness is for the sake of those who practise the path and abide within the gates of liberation. One should not raise objections by bringing up crude matters! Now the practitioner of the path first grasps the mark of the good to refute the mark of the unwholesome—that is, the causes and conditions of clinging to marks such as male and female, which give rise to all kinds of afflictions—and then uses the mark of signlessness to refute the mark of wholesome dharmas. If one only refutes the unwholesome and does not refute the mark of the good, the good instead becomes a calamity, because it gives rise to all kinds of clinging. When the mark of signlessness is used to refute wholesome dharmas, this signlessness in the end also refutes itself. Why is this? Because signlessness too is a part included among wholesome dharmas. It is like hail falling and ruining the grain: the hail itself also melts away immediately.

Only the Signlessness of All Dharmas Is Real: The Similes of the Impure Body, the Child Taking Something as Pure, the Sphaṭika Crystal Changing with Colours, and Hatred and Love Turning with the Mind

Furthermore, only the mark of signlessness of all dharmas is real. It is like this body: it is full of impurity, its nine openings constantly flow with filth, and there is no mark of purity in it at all; yet because of ignorance people insist on taking it as pure, and so they give rise to afflictions and commit all kinds of wrongdoing. Again, it is like a small child who, amid impure things, grasps a mark of purity and takes it as something to delight in; grown people laugh when they see it, knowing it to be false. Grasping marks of every such kind is entirely false. It is like a sphaṭika crystal, which changes with the colours in front of it and has no fixed colour of its own; dharmas are also like this: they have no fixed mark, but appear different only according to the mind, now showing a mark of permanence, now of impermanence, and so on. It is like looking at someone with a mind of anger and seeing this person as detestable; once the anger has subsided and a mind of sexual desire arises, one sees the same person as lovable. If a mind of arrogance arises, one sees this person as base; hearing that he has virtue, one gives rise to a mind of respect. Hatred and love of this kind, whether with reason or without reason, are all false recollection; if these deceptive marks are removed, then even the mark of emptiness, the mark of signlessness, and the mark of non-action are all gone as well, because there is no longer anything to be refuted.

Form Exists Only Through the Coming Together of Various Causes and Conditions, Like Foam on Water, Like an Illusion, Like a Dream; Clinging to a Single Mark Loses Prajñā

This form exists only through the coming together of various causes and conditions; it is like foam on the surface of water, like an illusion, like a dream. If a bodhisattva clings to a single mark within form, he loses prajñāpāramitā on the spot, because the nature of form is precisely the mark of signlessness. Having received the mark of form, people see form scatter, decay, and wear away, and say it is impermanent; if they see it come together and abide briefly for a moment, they say instead that it is permanent.

Permanence Is of Two Kinds: That Which Abides Long and Then Returns to Extinction, and That Which Abides Permanently Without Decay; Not Extinguishing Extreme and Wrong Views but Clinging to a Real Permanence Is Being Without Skilful Means

‘Permanence’ is of two kinds. One kind, though it abides for a hundred years, or for a thousand myriad koṭi years, and even for one kalpa or eighty thousand kalpas, must in the end return to decay and extinction; the other kind abides permanently without decay. If a bodhisattva has extinguished extreme views and wrong views, he no longer contemplates any real permanence; even if he contemplates permanence, he knows only that it is called permanent because it abides long, and that it is not real permanence. If he does not extinguish extreme views and wrong views, but contemplates form as really permanent and gives rise to this thought: When grass and trees wither they return to earth; there are merely seasons of separating and seasons of coming together—precisely for this reason it is said that this bodhisattva is without skilful means.

Impermanence Is Also of Two Kinds: Perishing Moment by Moment, and the Decay of a Continuum; The Beginner Contemplates the Break of the Continuum, the Long-Practised Contemplates Perishing Moment by Moment

Sometimes the bodhisattva contemplates form as impermanent, and impermanence is also of two kinds. One kind is perishing moment after moment: every conditioned dharma abides for no more than a single moment. The other kind is called impermanence because a continuous dharma decays—like a person's lifespan coming to an end, like fire burning grass and trees, like boiling water until it is boiled dry. If he is a bodhisattva at the first arousing of the mind, he practises this contemplation of the continuum and cuts off the coarse impermanence, because his mind gives rise to revulsion; if he is a bodhisattva who has practised long, he is able to contemplate the impermanence of dharmas arising and perishing moment after moment.

Both of These Bodhisattvas Fall into Grasping Marks, Because the Mark of Permanence and the Mark of Impermanence of Form Cannot Be Found

Both of these kinds of bodhisattva in fact fall into grasping marks. Why is this? Because the mark of permanence and the mark of impermanence of form fundamentally cannot be found, as was said before.

Feeling, Perception, Constructions, and Consciousness Are Likewise, and So Are Suffering and Pleasure, Self and Not-Self

Feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness are likewise. Suffering, pleasure, self, and not-self are all the same as well.

Question and Answer Two: Since the Five Aggregates Can Be Contemplated as Permanent, Impermanent, and So On, Why Is It Said That They Have the Mark of Quiescent Extinction and Separation?

Question: Since these five aggregates can be contemplated as permanent, impermanent, and so on, how is it also said that the five aggregates have the mark of quiescent extinction and of separation?

The Treatise-Author Answers: Because the Practitioner Does Not See Marks of Permanence or Impermanence in the Five Aggregates, He Knows That They Are Separate from Their Own Marks; Being Separate from Own Marks Is Quiescent Extinction, Like Nirvāṇa

Answer: Because the practitioner of the path does not see a mark of permanence or a mark of impermanence in the five aggregates, he knows that these five aggregates are separate from their own marks; once he knows that the five aggregates are separate from their own marks, that is quiescent extinction, like nirvāṇa.

Question and Answer Three: Since Dharmas Are Fundamentally Signless, Why Is It Said That One Without Skilful Means Falls into Marks?

Question: If that is so, dharmas are signless from the very beginning; how then is it said that one without skilful means falls into marks?

The Treatise-Author Answers: A Bodhisattva of Dull Faculties Barely Leaves Clinging to the Five Aggregates, Then Turns to Cling to Separation and Quiescent Extinction, Giving Rise to Clinging Again Within Signlessness

Answer: This bodhisattva's faculties are slow and dull, and he does not notice it himself: his mind has only just left clinging to the five aggregates, yet he turns round and clings to separation and quiescent extinction, and so within signlessness he again gives rise to clinging.

The Thirty-Seven Limbs of the Path, up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, Should All Be Discriminated According to Their Meaning in the Same Way

The thirty-seven limbs of the path, and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, should all likewise be discriminated according to their meaning in this way.

Contemplating Outer Dharmas as All Signless Yet Thinking, ‘I Can Make This Contemplation’: Because the Mind of Self Remains, He Also Falls into Marks

If a bodhisattva contemplates outer dharmas as all signless, yet says, ‘I am able to make such a contemplation,’ then because the mind of that ‘I’ still remains, he too falls into marks.

Even Practising True, Pure, Signless Wisdom, If He Thinks, ‘I Can Practise Purely Within and Without,’ He Still Falls into Marks—This Is Called Being Without Skilful Means

If a bodhisattva is able to leave this non-path of clinging to marks and practise true and pure signless wisdom, yet gives rise to this thought, ‘Only practising purely like this, within and without, is cultivating prajñāpāramitā,’ this person too still falls into marks. Why is this? Because he clings where there can be no clinging and grasps where there can be no grasping. This bodhisattva is called one without skilful means, because he relies on craving and views and clings to wholesome dharmas.

Such a Bodhisattva, Though He Has Merit, Does Not Get Free of Old Age, Sickness, and Death; Because His Practice Is Mixed He Does Not Attain Even the Small Vehicle, Let Alone the Great Vehicle

Although this bodhisattva has merit, he still cannot get free of old age, sickness, death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, and distress; because the path he practises is mixed and impure, he cannot attain even the Small Vehicle, let alone the Great Vehicle!

The Opposite of This Is Called Having Skilful Means: Not Receiving and Not Clinging to Any Dharma, Because Dharmas Arise from Conditions and Have No Own-Nature

The opposite of the above is what is called having skilful means. He does not receive and does not cling to any dharma, because dharmas are all born of causes and conditions coming together and have no own-nature.

Question and Answer Four: Earlier the ‘Samādhi of Non-Receiving’ Was Spoken of, Here the ‘Samādhi of Not Receiving’; What Is the Difference Between Them?

Question: Earlier the 「無受三昧」 tr. "samādhi of non-receiving" was spoken of; here the 「不受三昧」 tr. "samādhi of not receiving" is spoken of. What is the difference between these two?

The Treatise-Author Answers: The Former Is Spoken in Terms of Emptiness, the Latter in Terms of Signlessness

Answer: The former is spoken in terms of ‘emptiness’; this one is spoken in terms of ‘signlessness’.

Explaining ‘Not Parting From’: Practising Constantly Without Stopping or Resting, Out of the Mind of Great Compassion

What is called ‘not parting from’ means practising constantly, without stopping and without resting, because of the mind of great compassion.

Explaining ‘Swiftly Attaining the Buddha Path’: Entering This Samādhi There Is No Obstruction and One Can Leap over Kalpas in Attaining It, as Śākyamuni Leapt over Nine Kalpas Through Praising Puṣya Buddha (Close of the First Commentary Section)

What is called ‘swiftly attaining the Buddha path’ means that once one has entered this samādhi there is no longer any obstruction, and the wisdom one practises resembles the Buddha's; what should have been attained only after immeasurable asaṃkhyeya kalpas can be attained by leaping over one asaṃkhyeya kalpa, leaping over a hundred kalpas, and even leaping over sixty-one kalpas—just as, in the past, through the cause and condition of praising Puṣya Buddha, Śākyamuni Buddha leapt over nine kalpas.

What follows is the sūtra text.

Śāriputra Asks: Is It Only Not Parting from This Samādhi That Enables a Bodhisattva to Attain Awakening Swiftly, or Are There Other Samādhi?

Śāriputra said: ‘Is it only not parting from this samādhi that enables a bodhisattva-mahāsattva to attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi swiftly, or are there other samādhi besides?’

Subhūti Answers: There Are Other Samādhi, and a Bodhisattva Who Practises Them Can Also Attain Awakening Swiftly

Subhūti said to Śāriputra: ‘There are other samādhi besides; a bodhisattva-mahāsattva who practises these samādhi can also attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi swiftly.’

Śāriputra Asks: What Samādhi Are They, Such That a Bodhisattva Who Practises Them Can Attain Awakening Swiftly?

Śāriputra said: ‘What samādhi are they, such that a bodhisattva-mahāsattva who practises them can attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi swiftly?’

Subhūti Answers: Beginning from the Śūraṃgama Samādhi, He Enumerates More Than a Hundred Gates of Samādhi and Gates of Dhāraṇī; Practising Them, All Can Attain Awakening Swiftly

Subhūti said: ‘The bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have a samādhi named Śūraṃgama; practising this samādhi enables a bodhisattva-mahāsattva to attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi swiftly. There are also samādhi of every kind, named: the Jewel Seal samādhi, the Lion's Play samādhi, the Wondrous Moon samādhi, the Moon-Banner Mark samādhi, the Seal of All Dharmas samādhi, the Contemplating the Summit samādhi, the Consummate Dharma-Nature samādhi, the Consummate Banner Mark samādhi, the Vajra samādhi, the Entering the Dharma Seal samādhi, the King of Samādhi Firmly Established samādhi, the Emitting Light samādhi, the Power Advancing samādhi, the Bringing Forth samādhi, the Certain Entry into Eloquence samādhi, the Entering Names samādhi, the Contemplating the Directions samādhi, the Dhāraṇī Seal samādhi, the Unforgetting samādhi, the Ocean Seal Gathering All Dharmas samādhi, the Covering All Space samādhi, the Vajra Wheel samādhi, the Jewel Cutting samādhi, the Universal Illumination samādhi, the Not Seeking samādhi, the Abiding Nowhere samādhi, the No-Mind samādhi, the Pure Lamp samādhi, the Boundless Light samādhi, the Able to Make Light samādhi, the Universally Pervading Light samādhi, the Firmly Purifying All Samādhi samādhi, the Stainless Light samādhi, the Making Joy samādhi, the Lightning samādhi, the Inexhaustible samādhi, the Majestic Virtue samādhi, the Free of Exhaustion samādhi, the Immovable samādhi, the Adornment samādhi, the Sunlight samādhi, the Moon-Pure samādhi, the Pure Light samādhi, the Able to Make Light samādhi, the Making Practice samādhi, the Knowing Marks samādhi, the Like Vajra samādhi, the Mind Abiding samādhi, the Illuminating Everywhere samādhi, the Firmly Established samādhi, the Jewel Summit samādhi, the Wondrous Dharma Seal samādhi, the Dharma Equality samādhi, the Giving Rise to Joy samādhi, the Reaching the Dharma Summit samādhi, the Able to Scatter samādhi, the Destroying the Places of All Dharmas samādhi, the Equal Mark of Letters samādhi, the Free of Letters samādhi, the Cutting Off Objects samādhi, the Indestructible samādhi, the Without Kinds of Marks samādhi, the Practising Nowhere samādhi, the Free of Darkness samādhi, the No Going samādhi, the Immovable samādhi, the Crossing Beyond Objects samādhi, the Gathering All Merits samādhi, the Abiding in No-Mind samādhi, the Wondrous Pure Flower samādhi, the Limbs of Awakening samādhi, the Immeasurable Eloquence samādhi, the Equal to the Unequalled samādhi, the Crossing All Dharmas samādhi, the Discriminating All Dharmas samādhi, the Scattering Doubt samādhi, the No Abiding-Place samādhi, the One Mark samādhi, the One Nature samādhi, the Giving Rise to Practice samādhi, the One Practice samādhi, the Not One Practice samādhi, the Wondrous Practice samādhi, the Penetrating and Scattering All Existence to Its Bottom samādhi, the Entering Speech samādhi, the Free of Sounds, Letters, and Speech samādhi, the Lit Torch samādhi, the Pure Mark samādhi, the Breaking Marks samādhi, the Wondrous Sufficiency of All Kinds samādhi, the Not Delighting in Suffering or Pleasure samādhi, the Inexhaustible Practice samādhi, the Many Dhāraṇīs samādhi, the Gathering All Wrong and Right Marks samādhi, the Extinguishing Hatred and Love samādhi, the Against and With the Current samādhi, the Pure Radiance samādhi, the Firm samādhi, the Full Moon Pure Radiance samādhi, the Great Adornment samādhi, the Able to Illumine All Worlds samādhi, the Samādhi Equal to Samādhi samādhi, the Practice Without Contention samādhi, the Delight of No Abiding-Place samādhi, the Abiding in Absorption as It Is samādhi, the Destroying the Body's Decline samādhi, the Destroying Speech like Space samādhi, and the Free of Attachment, Undefiled as Space samādhi. Śāriputra! This bodhisattva-mahāsattva, practising these samādhi, is able to attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi swiftly. There are, besides, immeasurable asaṃkhyeyas of gates of samādhi and gates of dhāraṇī; a bodhisattva-mahāsattva who trains in these gates of samādhi and gates of dhāraṇī can also attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi swiftly.’

Subhūti, Following the Buddha's Mind, Says: The Buddhas of the Past and Present All Confer the Prediction on the Bodhisattva Who Practises These Samādhi, Precisely Because He Neither Sees Nor Thinks of These Samādhi

The venerable Subhūti, receiving the Buddha's intent, said: ‘It should be known that the Buddhas of the past have already conferred the prediction on the bodhisattva-mahāsattva who practises these samādhi, and the Buddhas now present in the ten directions also confer the prediction on this bodhisattva. This bodhisattva does not see these samādhi, nor does he fix his mind on these samādhi; nor does he give rise to this thought, “I am about to enter this samādhi, I am now entering this samādhi, I have already entered this samādhi.” This bodhisattva-mahāsattva has no discriminating thought whatsoever.’

Śāriputra Asks: Having Abided in These Samādhi, Does the Bodhisattva Receive the Prediction from the Buddhas of the Past?

Śāriputra asked Subhūti: ‘After a bodhisattva-mahāsattva abides in these samādhi, does he receive the prediction from the Buddhas of the past?’

Subhūti Answers: No—Prajñā, Samādhi, and the Bodhisattva Are Not Different; Each Is the Other

Subhūti answered: ‘No! Śāriputra! Why is this? Prajñāpāramitā is not different from the samādhi, and the samādhi are not different from prajñāpāramitā; the bodhisattva is not different from prajñāpāramitā and samādhi, and prajñāpāramitā and samādhi are not different from the bodhisattva; prajñāpāramitā is samādhi, and samādhi is prajñāpāramitā; the bodhisattva is prajñāpāramitā and samādhi, and prajñāpāramitā and samādhi are the bodhisattva.’

Śāriputra Asks Again: Since Samādhi and the Bodhisattva Are Identical and Not Different, How Can the Bodhisattva Know the ‘Samādhi of the Equality of All Dharmas’?

Śāriputra said to Subhūti: ‘If samādhi is not different from the bodhisattva, and the bodhisattva is not different from samādhi, samādhi is the bodhisattva and the bodhisattva is samādhi, then how can the bodhisattva know this 「一切諸法等三昧」 tr. "samādhi of the equality of all dharmas"?’

Subhūti Answers: When the Bodhisattva Enters Samādhi He Does Not Think, ‘By This Dharma I Enter This Samādhi’; Therefore He Neither Knows Nor Thinks of the Samādhi

Subhūti said: ‘If the bodhisattva enters this samādhi, at that time he does not give rise to this thought, “By this dharma I have entered this samādhi.” Precisely because of this, Śāriputra, this bodhisattva, among the samādhi, neither knows nor thinks of them.’

Śāriputra Asks: Why Does He Neither Know Nor Think?

Śāriputra said: ‘Why does he neither know nor think?’

Subhūti Answers: Because the Samādhi Fundamentally Have Nothing, He Neither Knows Nor Thinks

Subhūti said: ‘Because the samādhi fundamentally have nothing, this bodhisattva neither knows nor thinks.’

The Buddha Praises Subhūti as Foremost in the Samādhi of Non-Contention and Urges Bodhisattvas to Train in This Way in the Six Perfections up to the eighteen unshared dharmas (Close of the Second Sūtra Section)

At that time the Buddha praised him, saying: ‘Good! Good! Subhūti! Just as I have said that you are foremost in practising the samādhi of non-contention, this accords exactly with the meaning here. A bodhisattva-mahāsattva should train in this way in prajñāpāramitā, in the perfection of meditation, the perfection of vigour, the perfection of patience, the perfection of morality, and the perfection of giving; and in the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, he should likewise train in this way!’

What follows is the treatise's commentary.

Question and Answer Five: Since the Buddha Has Said That Nirvāṇa Has Only One Path (Emptiness, Signlessness, Non-Action), Why Does Śāriputra Still Ask Whether Other Samādhi Can Make a Bodhisattva Attain Buddhahood Swiftly?

Question: Since the Buddha has said that nirvāṇa has only one path—namely emptiness, signlessness, and non-action—why does Śāriputra still ask again, ‘Are there other samādhi that can make a bodhisattva attain buddhahood swiftly?’

The Treatise-Author Answers: Before One Nears Nirvāṇa There Are Many Other Paths; On Nearing Nirvāṇa There Is Only One; All the Other Samādhi Are Gathered into the Three Gates of Liberation (the Two Similes of a Great City's Many Gates and Myriad Streams Returning to the Sea)

Answer: Before one has drawn near to nirvāṇa, there are many other paths; when one has drawn near to nirvāṇa, there is only one path: emptiness, signlessness, and non-action; all the various other samādhi return into these three gates of liberation. It is like a great city with many gates, through any one of which one can enter the city; again, it is like the many rivers and the myriad streams, which in the end all return into the great sea.

What Are the Other Samādhi—the Śūraṃgama and the Rest, Which the Buddha Himself Spoke of in the Mahāyāna Chapter; What Is Profound and Hard to Understand Is Left for Detailed Explanation in That Chapter

What are those other samādhi? They are the Śūraṃgama samādhi and the various other samādhi, which the Buddha himself spoke of in the Mahāyāna chapter; those among them that are profound and hard to understand are left to be spoken of in that chapter.

If One Can Practise the Hundred and Eight Samādhi and Such Gates of Dhāraṇī, the Buddhas of the Ten Directions All Confer the Prediction—Because the Bodhisattva, Though He Attains Samādhi, Has No Mind of Self Made of Recollection, Imagining, and Discrimination

If a bodhisattva is able to practise these hundred and eight samādhi and the various gates of dhāraṇī, the Buddhas of the ten directions will all confer the prediction on him. Why is this? Because, although this bodhisattva has attained these samādhi, he truly has no ‘I’-mind of recollection, imagining, and discrimination of any kind, and does not give rise to this thought: ‘I am about to enter this samādhi, I am now entering it, I have already entered it; I am about to abide in this samādhi; this is my samādhi.’ Precisely because this mind is pure and does not cling to the subtle and wondrous Dharma, the Buddhas confer the prediction on him.

Śāriputra Again Uses the Wisdom of Emptiness to Challenge: Does the Bodhisattva Abide in Samādhi and Grasp the Mark of Samādhi, and Receive the Prediction Thus?

At that time Śāriputra again used the wisdom of ‘emptiness’ to challenge Subhūti, saying: ‘Does the bodhisattva abide in this samādhi and grasp the mark of this samādhi, and is it thus that he receives the prediction?’

Subhūti Answers: No—Prajñā, Samādhi, and the Bodhisattva, These Three, Are Not Different; Only If the Three Were Different Could There Be Talk of a Prediction; Precisely Because They Are Not Different, There Is No Prediction to Be Grasped

Subhūti said: ‘No! Why is this? Because prajñā, samādhi, and the bodhisattva, these three things, are fundamentally not different: prajñā is not different from samādhi, and samādhi is not different from prajñā; prajñā is not different from the bodhisattva and samādhi, and the bodhisattva and samādhi are not different from prajñā; prajñā and samādhi are the bodhisattva, and the bodhisattva is prajñā and samādhi. If samādhi and the bodhisattva were different, then the Buddhas could confer his prediction; precisely because they are not different, there is no prediction that can be grasped.’

Śāriputra Asks Again: Put This Way, Are Samādhi and All Dharmas Equal and Not Different?

Śāriputra asked again: ‘If it is so, are samādhi and all dharmas equal and without difference?’

Subhūti Answers: Bodhisattvas Have the ‘Samādhi of the Equality of Dharmas’; Having Entered This Samādhi, Dharmas Are All Without Difference

Subhūti said: ‘The bodhisattvas have a 「諸法等三昧」 tr. "samādhi of the equality of dharmas"; having entered into this samādhi, dharmas are all without difference.’

Furthermore: Toward the Samādhi No Recollection or Discrimination of ‘Aware or Not Aware’ Is Made; Because the Own-Nature of Samādhi Has Nothing, He Neither Knows Nor Thinks

Furthermore, as was said before: toward the samādhi, he does not make the recollection and discrimination of ‘aware’ and ‘not aware’; because the own-nature of the samādhi fundamentally has nothing, the bodhisattva neither knows nor thinks.

Because Subhūti, Though He Had Not Himself Attained This Samādhi, Could Speak of It Well, and Neither Thought of Nor Clung to Anything Within Prajñā, the Buddha Praises Him as Foremost in the Samādhi of Non-Contention, Name Matching Reality (Close of the Second Commentary Section)

Because Subhūti, although he had not himself attained this samādhi, was able to speak skilfully of the subtle and wondrous samādhi and dhāraṇīs of the bodhisattva, and within prajñāpāramitā did not fix his mind on anything or cling to anything, the Buddha praised him, saying: ‘Good! I have said that you are foremost in attaining the samādhi of non-contention; it is just as I praised, and not false.’

What follows is the sūtra text.

Śāriputra Asks the Buddha: When a Bodhisattva Trains Like This, Is This Training in Prajñāpāramitā?

Śāriputra said to the Buddha: ‘World-Honored One! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva trains like this, is this training in prajñāpāramitā?’

The Buddha Answers: Training Like This Is Training in Prajñā, Because the Dharma of Prajñā Cannot Be Found; So Too the Perfection of Giving, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, up to the eighteen unshared dharmas—None Can Be Found

The Buddha told Śāriputra: ‘When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva trains like this, this is training in prajñāpāramitā, because the dharma of prajñā cannot be found; and so on up to training in the perfection of giving, also because this dharma cannot be found; training in the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to training in the eighteen unshared dharmas, all because these dharmas cannot be found.’

Śāriputra Asks: Put This Way, When a Bodhisattva Trains in Prajñā, Is This Dharma Something That Cannot Be Found?

Śāriputra said to the Buddha: ‘World-Honored One! Put this way, when a bodhisattva-mahāsattva trains in prajñāpāramitā, is this dharma something that cannot be found?’

The Buddha Answers: Just So—When a Bodhisattva Trains in Prajñā, This Dharma Cannot Be Found

The Buddha said: ‘Just so! When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva trains in prajñāpāramitā, this dharma cannot be found.’

Śāriputra Asks: What Dharma Cannot Be Found?

Śāriputra said: ‘World-Honored One! What dharma cannot be found?’

The Buddha Answers: The Self up to the Knower and the Seer; the Five Aggregates, Twelve Sense-Fields, and Eighteen Elements; the Twelve Links of Causes and Conditions; the Four Truths; the Three Realms; the Limbs of the Path; the Six Perfections; the Four Fruits and the Two Vehicles, up to the Bodhisattva and the Buddha—None Can Be Found, Because of Ultimate Purity

The Buddha said: ‘The “self” cannot be found, and so on up to the “knower” and the “seer”, which also cannot be found, because of ultimate purity. The five aggregates cannot be found, the twelve sense-fields cannot be found, the eighteen elements cannot be found, because of ultimate purity. Ignorance cannot be found, because of ultimate purity; and so on up to old age and death, which cannot be found, because of ultimate purity. The truth of suffering cannot be found, because of ultimate purity; the truth of origination, the truth of cessation, and the truth of the path cannot be found, because of ultimate purity. The desire realm cannot be found, because of ultimate purity; the form realm and the formless realm cannot be found, because of ultimate purity. The four foundations of mindfulness cannot be found, because of ultimate purity; and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, which cannot be found, because of ultimate purity. The six perfections cannot be found, because of ultimate purity. The srota-āpanna cannot be found, because of ultimate purity; the sakṛdāgāmin, the anāgāmin, the arhat, and the pratyekabuddha cannot be found, because of ultimate purity. The bodhisattva cannot be found, because of ultimate purity; the Buddha cannot be found, because of ultimate purity.’

Śāriputra Asks: What Is Ultimate Purity?

Śāriputra said to the Buddha: ‘World-Honored One! What is ultimate purity?’

The Buddha Answers: Not Emerging, Not Arising, No Attaining, No Making—This Is Called Ultimate Purity

The Buddha said: ‘Not emerging, not arising, no attaining, no making: this is called ultimate purity.’

Śāriputra Asks: If a Bodhisattva Trains Like This, What Dharma Is He Ultimately Training In?

Śāriputra said to the Buddha: ‘World-Honored One! If a bodhisattva-mahāsattva trains like this, what dharma is he ultimately training in?’

The Buddha Answers: Training Like This, He in Fact Trains in Nothing with Regard to Dharmas—Because the Mark of Dharmas Is Not as Ordinary People Cling to It

The Buddha told Śāriputra: ‘When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva trains like this, with regard to dharmas he in fact trains in nothing. Why is this? Śāriputra! The mark of dharmas is not the way ordinary people cling to it.’

Śāriputra Asks: Then How Does the Real Mark of Dharmas ‘Exist’?

Śāriputra said to the Buddha: ‘World-Honored One! Then in what way does the real mark of dharmas exist?’

The Buddha Answers: Dharmas Exist Just So, as ‘Having Nothing’; Not Knowing This ‘Having Nothing Existing Just So’ Is Called Ignorance

The Buddha said: ‘Dharmas fundamentally have nothing, and they exist just so; if this matter of such having-nothing is not understood, that is called ignorance.’

Śāriputra Asks: What Is This Having-Nothing, Not Knowing Which Is Called Ignorance?

Śāriputra said to the Buddha: ‘World-Honored One! What kind of having-nothing is it, such that not understanding this matter is called ignorance?’

The Buddha Answers: Form, Feeling, Perception, Constructions, and Consciousness up to All Dharmas Have Nothing; Ordinary People, Bound by the Two Extremes, Cling Falsely, and So Do Not Know and Do Not See, Do Not Emerge, Do Not Believe, Do Not Abide; They Are Called Ordinary People Like Small Children, and Clingers

The Buddha told Śāriputra: ‘Form, feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness fundamentally have nothing, because of inner emptiness and so on up to the emptiness of non-existent and existent dharmas; the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas fundamentally have nothing, also because of inner emptiness and so on up to the emptiness of non-existent and existent dharmas. Here, ordinary people, by the power of ignorance and because of thirsting craving, falsely give rise to views and falsely make discriminations; this is called ignorance. These ordinary people are bound by the two extremes of existence and non-existence; these people do not know and do not see that dharmas fundamentally have nothing, but recollect, imagine, discriminate, and cling to form and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas; because they cling, these people, with regard to dharmas that fundamentally have nothing, go and produce consciousness, knowing, and seeing; this is how these ordinary people do not know and do not see. What do they not know and not see? They do not know and do not see form, and so on up to not knowing and not seeing the eighteen unshared dharmas; and so they fall among the ranks of ordinary people, like small children. These people do not emerge. From where do they not emerge? They do not emerge from the desire realm, do not emerge from the form realm, do not emerge from the formless realm; and within the dharmas of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas they also do not emerge. These people also do not believe. What do they not believe? They do not believe that form is empty, and so on up to not believing that the eighteen unshared dharmas are empty. These people do not abide. Where do they not abide? They do not abide in the perfection of giving, and so on up to not abiding in prajñāpāramitā; they do not abide on the avaivartika ground, and so on up to not abiding in the eighteen unshared dharmas. For these reasons they are called ordinary people, like small children, and are also called “clingers”. What is called clinging? Clinging to form and so on up to clinging to consciousness; clinging to the eye sense-field and so on up to clinging to the mind sense-field; clinging to the eye element and so on up to clinging to the mind-consciousness element; clinging to lust, anger, and delusion; clinging to all kinds of wrong views; clinging to the four foundations of mindfulness and so on up to clinging to the Buddha path.’

Śāriputra Asks: If a Bodhisattva Trains Like This, Does It Also Not Count as Training in Prajñā, and Does He Not Attain Omniscience?

Śāriputra said to the Buddha: ‘World-Honored One! If a bodhisattva-mahāsattva trains in this way, does it also not count as training in prajñāpāramitā, and does he not attain sarvajñā?’

The Buddha Answers: Training Like This Indeed Also Does Not Count as Training in Prajñā, and He Does Not Attain Omniscience

The Buddha said to Śāriputra: ‘When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva trains in this way, it indeed also does not count as training in prajñāpāramitā, and he does not attain sarvajñā.’

Śāriputra Asks: Why Does It Thus Not Count as Training in Prajñā, and Why Does the Bodhisattva Not Attain Omniscience?

Śāriputra said to the Buddha: ‘World-Honored One! Why does it thus not count as a bodhisattva-mahāsattva's training in prajñāpāramitā, and why does he not attain sarvajñā?’

The Buddha Answers: Because Without Skilful Means He Thinks and Discriminates, Clinging to Prajñā, to the Six Perfections, the eighteen unshared dharmas, and the Omniscience of All Kinds, Discriminating and Clinging as Thoughts Arise; Therefore It Does Not Count as Training in Prajñā

The Buddha told Śāriputra: ‘Because the bodhisattva-mahāsattva is without skilful means, he gives rise to thinking and discrimination, clings to prajñāpāramitā, clings to the perfection of meditation, the perfection of vigour, the perfection of patience, the perfection of morality, and the perfection of giving, and so on up to clinging to the eighteen unshared dharmas and the omniscience of all kinds, discriminating and clinging as thoughts arise. For these reasons, a bodhisattva-mahāsattva who trains like this also does not count as training in prajñāpāramitā, and does not attain sarvajñā.’

Śāriputra Asks Again: Then If a Bodhisattva Trains Like This, Does It Also Not Count as Training in Prajñā, and Does He Not Attain Omniscience?

Śāriputra said to the Buddha: ‘World-Honored One! Then if a bodhisattva-mahāsattva trains like this, does it also not count as training in prajñāpāramitā, and does he not attain sarvajñā?’

The Buddha Answers: Training Like This Does Not Count as Training in Prajñā, and He Does Not Attain Omniscience

The Buddha told Śāriputra: ‘When a bodhisattva-mahāsattva trains like this, it does not count as training in prajñāpāramitā, and he does not attain sarvajñā.’

Śāriputra Asks: Then How, in the End, Should a Bodhisattva Train in Prajñā in Order to Attain Omniscience?

Śāriputra said to the Buddha: ‘World-Honored One! Then how, now, in the end, should a bodhisattva-mahāsattva train in prajñāpāramitā in order to attain sarvajñā?’

The Buddha Answers: When Training in Prajñā, He Does Not See That There Is a Prajñā—Only Training Like This Is Training in Prajñā and Attains Omniscience, Precisely Because It Cannot Be Found

The Buddha told Śāriputra, saying: ‘If, when a bodhisattva-mahāsattva trains in prajñāpāramitā, he does not see that there is a prajñāpāramitā—Śāriputra! only when a bodhisattva-mahāsattva trains like this is it training in prajñāpāramitā, and only then does he attain sarvajñā, precisely because it cannot be found.’

Śāriputra Asks: What Is Called ‘Cannot Be Found’?

Śāriputra said to the Buddha: ‘World-Honored One! What is called “cannot be found”?’

The Buddha Answers: Because of Dharmas' Inner Emptiness up to the Emptiness of Non-existent and Existent Dharmas (Close of the Third Sūtra Section)

The Buddha said: ‘Because of dharmas, from inner emptiness up to the emptiness of non-existent and existent dharmas.’

What follows is the treatise's commentary.

The Treatise-Author Opens the Explanation: Looking Back on the Three Passages Above—Śāriputra's Question, Subhūti's Answer, and the Buddha's Praise

The treatise-author explains: Above, Śāriputra asked: ‘Is it only this samādhi of non-receiving that can bring swift attainment of buddhahood, or are there other samādhi?’ Subhūti said: ‘There are other samādhi that can bring swift attainment of buddhahood. This bodhisattva does not fix his mind on these samādhi and does not cling to them, and the Buddhas of the past and present all confer the prediction on him.’ The Buddha praised him, saying: ‘Good! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva should train in this way in prajñāpāramitā, and so on up to all the Buddha-dharmas.’

The Doubt in Śāriputra's Mind: Prajñā Has the Mark of Emptiness, While the Samādhi Have Marks of Various Discriminations; How Can Training in Samādhi Be Training in Prajñā?—Hence He Asks

At this point Śāriputra had this thought: ‘Prajñāpāramitā has the mark of emptiness, while the samādhi have marks of various kinds of discrimination; how can training in the samādhi count as training in prajñāpāramitā?’ Therefore he asked.

The Buddha Answers: Training in Prajñā Like This Is Always Because It Cannot Be Found; the Marks of Prajñā's Pervading Savour Are All Within the Samādhi; One Who Can Train Like This Is Training in Prajñā, and the Buddha Then Approves

The Buddha answered Śāriputra: ‘Training in prajñāpāramitā like this is always because it cannot be found.’ Because the marks of the pervading savour of prajñāpāramitā are all within the samādhi, one who can train like this is training in prajñāpāramitā. And so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, which are likewise. The Buddha then approved him.

Śāriputra Asks Further: What Dharma Cannot Be Found?

Śāriputra asked further: ‘What dharma cannot be found?’

The Buddha Himself Says Here: Because Beings Are Empty and Ultimately Pure, the ‘Self’ up to the Buddha Cannot Be Found; Because Dharmas Are Empty and Ultimately Pure, the Five Aggregates up to the eighteen unshared dharmas Cannot Be Found

The Buddha himself says here: ‘Because beings are empty, because of ultimate purity, the “self” cannot be found, and so on up to the “knower”, the “seer”, the srota-āpanna, and so on up to the Buddha, none of which can be found. Because dharmas are empty, because of ultimate purity, the five aggregates cannot be found, and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, none of which can be found.’

The Treatise-Author Explains That ‘Ultimate Purity’ Is ‘Not Emerging, Not Arising, Not Attaining, Not Making’ and So On

What is called ‘ultimate purity’ is 「不出、不生，不得、不作」 tr. "not emerging, not arising, not attaining, not making", and so on.

Not Arising from the Side of the Cause Is Called Not Emerging; Not Arising from the Side of the Condition Is Called Not Arising; Because a Fixed Mark of Arising Cannot Be Found, It Is Called Not Emerging and Not Arising

Because nothing arises from the side of the ‘cause’, it is called ‘not emerging’; because nothing arises from the side of the ‘condition’, it is called ‘not arising’. Because a fixed mark of arising cannot be found at all, it is called ‘not emerging and not arising’.

From Not Emerging and Not Arising to No Making and No Rising: How This Chain of Ultimate Purity Follows Through

Because there is no emerging and no arising, it is called ‘cannot be found’; because it cannot be found, it is called ‘no making and no rising’.

All Dharmas of Rising and Making Are Deceptive; Being Free of Such Marks Is Called Ultimate Purity

All such dharmas of rising and making are entirely deceptive; being free of such marks is called 「畢竟清淨」 tr. "ultimate purity".

Śāriputra Asks the Buddha: A Bodhisattva Who Can Practise This Ultimately True and Pure Path—What Does He Train In, What Does He Attain?

Śāriputra asked the Buddha: ‘A bodhisattva who is able to practise the ultimately true and pure path in this way—what dharma does he train in? What dharma does he attain?’

The Buddha Answers: Being Able to Train Like This Is Training in Nothing and Attaining Nothing

The Buddha answered: ‘Being able to train like this is training in nothing and attaining nothing.’

Question and Answer Six: Since the Bodhisattva Uses Ultimate Emptiness to Train in the Six Perfections up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, Why Is It Said That There Is No Dharma to Be Trained In?

Question: Since the bodhisattva uses this ultimate emptiness to train in the six perfections and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, how is it also said that ‘there is no dharma to be trained in’?

The Treatise-Author Answers: The Buddha Himself Says Dharmas Are Not as Ordinary People Cling to Them; Ordinary People's Minds Have Ignorance, Wrong Views, and Fetters, So What They Hear, See, and Know All Differ from the Mark of Dharmas; Even on Hearing the Buddha Teach They Give Rise to Clinging and Defile the Path

Answer: Here the Buddha himself says: ‘Dharmas are not the way ordinary people cling to them.’ In the minds of ordinary people there are fetters such as ignorance and wrong views; what they hear, what they see, and what they know all differ from the true mark of dharmas; and even when they hear the Buddha teach the Dharma, they give rise to clinging both within the noble path and within its fruits, and instead defile the path.

Śāriputra Asks: Since What Ordinary People See Is All Unreal, How Then Do These Dharmas Now ‘Exist’?

Śāriputra said to the Buddha: ‘If what ordinary people see is all unreal, how then do these dharmas now exist?’

The Buddha Answers: Dharmas Fundamentally Have Nothing, Yet Ordinary People Take Even Where There Is Nothing as Existent

The Buddha said: ‘Dharmas fundamentally have nothing, yet ordinary people take even this place where there is nothing as existent.’

Why?—Once Ordinary People Leave Ignorance and Wrong Views They Can Contemplate Nothing; Clinging to Having-Nothing Is Called Ignorance (the Simile of the Empty Fist Deceiving a Small Child)

Why is this? Once these ordinary people leave ignorance and wrong views, they are unable to contemplate anything at all; therefore it is said: clinging to having-nothing is called ignorance. It is like raising an empty fist to trick a small child: because the child clings, he thinks there is really something there.

Śāriputra Asks: What Dharma Has Nothing, Clinging to Which Is Called Ignorance?

Śāriputra asked the Buddha: ‘What dharma fundamentally has nothing, such that clinging to it is called ignorance?’

The Buddha Answers: Form up to the eighteen unshared dharmas—Within Them One Recollects and Discriminates Clarity and Ignorance, Falls into the Two Extremes of Existence and Non-existence, and Loses the Clarity of Wisdom; Clinging to Noble Dharmas Just as to Worldly Dharmas (the Simile of the Finger Pointing at the Moon: the Fool Looks at the Finger, Not the Moon, Clinging to Words and Missing the Real Meaning)

The Buddha answered: ‘It is form and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas.’ Within these, because of ignorance and craving, one recollects and discriminates, ‘This is clarity, this is ignorance,’ falls into the extreme of existence and the extreme of non-existence, and loses the clarity of wisdom; because one has lost the clarity of wisdom, one does not see and does not know that form has the mark of ultimate emptiness, of having nothing, and one gives rise to recollection and discrimination oneself and clings; and so on up to the aggregate of consciousness, the twelve sense-fields, the eighteen elements, and the twelve links of causes and conditions, which are likewise. Or one hears of wholesome dharmas—that is, the six perfections and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas—and treats them too as worldly dharmas, recollecting, discriminating, and clinging to these noble dharmas in just the same way. For these reasons one is said to fall among the ranks of ordinary people, like small children, and to be laughed at by others. It is like someone pointing at the moon with a finger: the fool looks only at the finger and does not look at the moon; the wise person laughs at him and says: ‘Why can you not grasp the intent of the one who is pointing? The finger is only a cause and condition for knowing the moon, yet you look at the finger instead and do not look at the moon.’ The Buddhas and the worthies and sages teach the Dharma for ordinary people, but ordinary people cling to the sounds and the words and do not receive the intent of the sages, and so do not attain the real meaning; because they do not attain the real meaning, they instead give rise to clinging again within what is real.

Here the Buddha Speaks of What Ordinary People Lose; Therefore He Says They ‘Cannot Pass Beyond the Three Realms, Nor Get Free of the Two Vehicles’

The Buddha now speaks of what ordinary people lose; therefore he says that they ‘cannot pass beyond the three realms, nor emerge from the two vehicles’.

Because They Do Not Grasp the Sages' Intent, on Hearing That Dharmas Are Empty They Do Not Believe; Not Believing, They Do Not Practise or Abide in the Six Perfections up to the eighteen unshared dharmas

Because they do not grasp the intent of the sages, they hear it said that dharmas are empty and do not believe it; because they do not believe, they do not practise and do not abide in the six perfections and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas.

Because They Lose These Merits They Are Called Ordinary People, Small Children; Because They Cling to the Aggregates, Sense-Fields, and Elements, to the Afflictions of the Three Poisons, and Even to the Six Perfections and Awakening, They Are Called Clingers

Because they lose these merits, they are called ‘ordinary people, small children’. These small children cling to the five aggregates, the twelve sense-fields, the eighteen elements, and the afflictions of the three poisons, and even cling to the six perfections, the eighteen unshared dharmas, and anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi; therefore they are called ‘clingers’.

Śāriputra Asks: If a Bodhisattva Practises Like This, Is This Called Not Practising Prajñā, and Therefore Not Attaining Omniscience?

Śāriputra asked: ‘If a bodhisattva practises like this, is this called not practising prajñāpāramitā? And not practising prajñāpāramitā, does he not attain sarvajñā?’

The Buddha Approves Śāriputra, Saying: Just So, Just So

The Buddha approved Śāriputra, saying: ‘Just so! Just so!’

The Buddha Then States Its Causes and Conditions: The Newly Practising Bodhisattva, Lacking the Power of Skilful Means, Seeks and Wishes to Grasp Prajñā and Falls into ‘Losing Both’; Again, with Various Views He Clings to Prajñā up to the Omniscience of All Kinds; Because He Trains in Dharmas with a Clinging Mind, He Does Not Attain Omniscience

The Buddha then set out the causes and conditions of this for him, namely: the newly practising bodhisattva lacks the power of skilful means; hearing of this prajñāpāramitā, he recollects and discriminates, and seeks, wishing to grasp it, giving rise to this thought: ‘I have given up worldly pleasure, and yet I do not attain prajñāpāramitā; this is losing on both sides!’ And so he single-mindedly pursues it, wishing to attain it. Some say that ‘emptiness’ is prajñāpāramitā; some say that ‘emptiness is also empty’ is prajñāpāramitā; some say that ‘dharmas as their real mark’ is prajñāpāramitā. In this way, with the afflicted mind of the sixty-two views and the ninety-eight latent tendencies, he clings to this prajñāpāramitā, and so on up to the omniscience of all kinds, which is likewise. Because he trains in dharmas with this clinging mind, he does not attain sarvajñā.

The Opposite Can Practise Prajñā and Can Attain Omniscience—Namely, Not Seeing Prajñā, Not Seeing a Practitioner, Not Seeing a Dharma That Is the Object, and Not Seeing Even ‘Not Seeing’

The person who is the opposite of this is able to practise prajñāpāramitā and also able to attain sarvajñā, namely: he does not see that there is a prajñāpāramitā, does not see that there is one who practises, does not see that there is a dharma that is the object, and does not see even this ‘not seeing’ itself.

Śāriputra Asks Further for the Reason of This ‘Not Seeing’

Śāriputra went on to ask further for the reason of this ‘not seeing’.

The Buddha Answers: This Bodhisattva Does Not See Because He Has Entered the Eighteen Emptinesses, Not Because He Lacks Wisdom (Close of the Third Commentary Section and of the Whole Chapter)

The Buddha answered: this bodhisattva does not see because he has entered the eighteen emptinesses, not because he lacks wisdom.