大智度論 十無品之上Dazhidulun — Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa · The Ten Non-existents, Part 1 of 2

The previous chapter has just reconciled the Mahāyāna with prajñā; in this chapter, the moment Subhūti opens his mouth, he takes apart the very one the teaching is addressed to until nothing can be found: the bodhisattva's prior limit cannot be found, the later limit cannot be found, the middle limit cannot be found; because form is boundless the bodhisattva too is boundless; that form is the bodhisattva, this too cannot be found; sought in every kind and every place the bodhisattva cannot be found; the bodhisattva has only a name; as with the name ‘I’, I am ultimately non-arising; what is ultimately non-arising is not called form; a dharma ultimately non-arising, whom then is one to teach prajñā; apart from ultimate non-arising there is no bodhisattva practising the path; and a bodhisattva who hears all this has a mind that does not sink, does not regret, is not startled, not terrified, not afraid. Ten layers in a single breath, and so the chapter is named The Ten Non-existents. Śāriputra then asks layer by layer and Subhūti answers layer by layer, from ‘because beings are without anything existent, because they are empty, because they are separate, because their nature is non-existent’, sifting all the way through the six perfections, the eighteen emptinesses, the four foundations of mindfulness up to omniscience of all kinds, and the closing sentence of every gate is the same sentence: the bodhisattva's prior limit cannot be found. Why must the meaning of emptiness be spoken ten times over? The treatise-author answers with utter plainness: the emptiness of the bodhisattva is not attained at one telling, just as a deep-rooted great tree cannot be felled with a single stroke of the axe, and only with many strokes is it cut through. And why take ‘I’ as the simile? Because for everyone it is easy to know for oneself that there is no self and hard to believe in the emptiness of dharmas; those who have attained the path witness selflessness for themselves, while those who have not hear emptiness spoken with their ears yet see reality constantly with their eyes; and so the self is refuted first and dharmas afterward, using the small as a simile for the great, as rock sugar is a simile for ambrosia. The answers that follow unfold gate by gate: form is like space, its edge cannot be found and its middle cannot be found, without edge and without middle, and it is merely called space; form cannot be found within form, form cannot be found within feeling, sifted through self and other, and on to ‘within prajñā there is no instruction, within instruction there is no bodhisattva’; the bodhisattva has only a provisional name, like a conjured person, a name set up further within provisional names; I am ultimately unfindable, how then could there be arising? In the latter half of the chapter the edge turns to dharmas themselves: because all dharmas arise from a coming together they are without self-nature, just as eye-consciousness arises from the coming together of eye, form, light, space, and the mind that wishes to see, and sifting each one no seeing can be found in it, nor should there be seeing within the coming together; the seeing dharma is ultimately empty, like an illusion, like a dream. Again it says that all dharmas are impermanent and yet not lost: impermanence refutes the inversion of permanence, not being lost refutes the inversion of annihilation, and these five characters are exactly the gate of entry into the real mark. And ultimate non-arising? Ultimate non-arising is the real mark of all dharmas, the real mark is prajñāpāramitā, how could one teach prajñā by means of prajñā: the one who teaches and what is taught are without duality and without difference. To hear so thoroughgoing a non-existence without fear is not forced endurance; it is like a person who sees terrifying things in a dream and, once awake, has no fearful mind: knowing that all dharmas are false and deceptive like an illusion, there is from the start no real thing to fear. So the chapter's end returns to the place of practice: the bodhisattva contemplates all dharmas, does not receive, does not display, does not abide in, does not cling to, and does not say ‘this is form’, the five right contemplations, because within the five aggregates there is the fire of impermanence that can burn the mind, and because an empty village is where bandits lodge, and the wise should not stay there long. And the close falls exactly on non-duality: before form is refuted, love and clinging to form arise; after form is refuted, wrong view arises, clinging to the emptiness of form; first the clinging to existence is refuted, then the clinging to emptiness, both are set down, and form on to omniscience of all kinds, apart from these two, is called non-dual, and all enter the count of non-dual dharmas. The ten non-existents are not ten negations piled up but ten gates opened by one and the same ultimate emptiness; the contemplation of prajñā may enter by one gate, by two, and on to immeasurable gates. The place where everything has been sifted through and nothing is attained is exactly the place where prajñā is practised, and exactly the reason a bodhisattva hears it without being startled or afraid.

Subhūti Sets Out the Ten Points Together: From the Unfindability of the Three Limits to Hearing This without Being Startled or Frightened

The venerable Subhūti said to the Buddha: ‘World-Honored One! The prior limit (the limit of the past) of the bodhisattva-mahāsattva is unfindable, the later limit (the limit of the future) is unfindable, the middle limit (the limit in between) is unfindable. Because form is boundless, know that the bodhisattva-mahāsattva too is boundless; because feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness are boundless, know that the bodhisattva-mahāsattva too is boundless. To say that form is the bodhisattva-mahāsattva—this too is unfindable; to say that feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness are the bodhisattva-mahāsattva—this too is unfindable. In this way, World-Honored One! when the bodhisattva is sought in all kinds and in all places, he is in every case unfindable. World-Honored One! What kind of bodhisattva-mahāsattva should I teach prajñāpāramitā? World-Honored One! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva has only a name. It is like speaking of the name “self”: the “self” is ultimately non-arising; as with the “self”, so too all dharmas are in this way without self-nature. What form is it that is ultimately non-arising? What feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness are they that are ultimately non-arising? World-Honored One! This ultimate non-arising is not called form; this ultimate non-arising is not called feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness. World-Honored One! If it is a dharma that is ultimately non-arising, to whom should prajñāpāramitā be taught? Apart from ultimate non-arising, there is also no bodhisattva who practises anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi (unsurpassed, right, and complete awakening). If a bodhisattva hears a teaching such as this and his mind does not sink, does not regret, is not startled, is not frightened, and is not afraid, know that this bodhisattva-mahāsattva is able to practise prajñāpāramitā.’

Śāriputra Asks in a Linked Chain: For What Cause and Condition Are These Ten Statements Made

Śāriputra asked:

‘Subhūti! For what cause and condition do you say that the bodhisattva-mahāsattva's prior limit is unfindable, the later limit is unfindable, the middle limit is unfindable?

‘Subhūti! For what cause and condition do you say that because form is boundless, know that the bodhisattva too is boundless; because feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness are boundless, know that the bodhisattva too is boundless?

‘Subhūti! For what cause and condition do you say that form is the bodhisattva—this too is unfindable; feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness are the bodhisattva—this too is unfindable?

‘Subhūti! For what cause and condition do you say that in all kinds and in all places the bodhisattva is unfindable, so what kind of bodhisattva should be taught prajñāpāramitā?

‘Subhūti! For what cause and condition do you say that the bodhisattva-mahāsattva has only a name?

‘Subhūti! For what cause and condition do you say that it is like speaking of the name of the self: the self is ultimately non-arising; as with the self, so too all dharmas are in this way without self-nature? What form is ultimately non-arising, and what feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness are ultimately non-arising?

‘Subhūti! For what cause and condition do you say that ultimate non-arising is not called form? That ultimate non-arising is not called feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness? Subhūti! For what cause and condition do you say that if it is a dharma that is ultimately non-arising, to whom should prajñāpāramitā be taught?

‘Subhūti! For what cause and condition do you say that apart from ultimate non-arising, there is also no bodhisattva who practises anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi?

‘Subhūti! For what cause and condition do you say that if a bodhisattva hears a teaching such as this and his mind does not sink, does not regret, is not startled, is not frightened, and is not afraid—if he is able to practise in this way, this is called the bodhisattva-mahāsattva practising prajñāpāramitā?’

Subhūti's General Answer: The Gate of Beings and the Gate of the Five Aggregates, Passing through All Four Aspects

At that time Subhūti answered Śāriputra, saying: ‘Because beings are nothing at all, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable; because beings are empty, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable; because beings are apart, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable. Śāriputra! Because form does not exist, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable; because feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness do not exist, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable. Because form is empty, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable; because feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness are empty, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable. Because form is apart, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable; because feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness are apart, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable. Śāriputra! Because the nature of form is non-existent, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable; because the nature of feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness is non-existent, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable.

The Gate of the Six Perfections: Emptiness, the Bodhisattva, and the Prior Limit, without Duality and without Difference

‘Śāriputra! Because dānapāramitā (the perfection of giving) does not exist, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable; because śīlapāramitā (the perfection of keeping the precepts), kṣāntipāramitā (the perfection of patience), vīryapāramitā (the perfection of vigour), dhyānapāramitā (the perfection of meditation), and prajñāpāramitā (the perfection of wisdom) do not exist, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable. Why is this? Śāriputra! Within emptiness, the prior limit is unfindable, the later limit is unfindable, the middle limit is unfindable; emptiness is not different from the bodhisattva, and the bodhisattva is not different from the prior limit. Śāriputra! Emptiness, the bodhisattva, and the prior limit—these dharmas are without duality and without difference. By this cause and condition, Śāriputra! the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable.

‘Śāriputra! Because dānapāramitā is empty, because dānapāramitā is apart, because the nature of dānapāramitā is non-existent, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable; śīlapāramitā, kṣāntipāramitā, vīryapāramitā, and dhyānapāramitā are likewise; because prajñāpāramitā is empty, because prajñāpāramitā is apart, because the nature of prajñāpāramitā is non-existent, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable. Why is this? Śāriputra! Within emptiness, the prior limit is unfindable, the later limit is unfindable, the middle limit is unfindable; emptiness is not different from the bodhisattva, and the bodhisattva too is not different from the prior limit. Śāriputra! Emptiness, the bodhisattva, and the prior limit—these dharmas are without duality and without difference. By this cause and condition, Śāriputra! the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable.

From the Eighteen Emptinesses to Omniscience of All Kinds: Gate after Gate Pressed Through, One and the Same Conclusion

‘Furthermore, Śāriputra! Because inner emptiness is nothing at all, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable; and so on up to: because the emptiness of non-existent and existent dharmas (the last of the eighteen emptinesses) is nothing at all, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable. Because inner emptiness is empty, because inner emptiness is apart, because the nature of inner emptiness is non-existent, and so on up to: because the emptiness of non-existent and existent dharmas is empty, because it is apart, because its nature is non-existent, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable. The rest is as said above.

‘Furthermore, Śāriputra! Because the four foundations of mindfulness are nothing at all, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable; because the four foundations of mindfulness are empty, because they are apart, because their nature is non-existent, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable. And so on up to: because the eighteen unshared dharmas are nothing at all, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable; because the eighteen unshared dharmas are empty, because they are apart, because their nature is non-existent, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable. The rest is as said above. By this cause and condition, Śāriputra! the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable.

‘Furthermore, Śāriputra! Because all the samādhi gates (gates of concentration in which the mind abides on a single object) and all the dhāraṇī gates (gates of total retention) do not exist, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable; because the samādhi gates and the dhāraṇī gates are empty, because they are apart, because their nature is non-existent, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable. The rest is as said above.

‘Furthermore, Śāriputra! Because dharma-nature does not exist, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable; because dharma-nature is empty, because it is apart, because its nature is non-existent, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable. The rest is as said above. Furthermore, Śāriputra! Because suchness does not exist, because it is empty, because it is apart, because its nature is non-existent; because the limit of reality does not exist, because it is empty, because it is apart, because its nature is non-existent; because the nature of the inconceivable does not exist, because it is empty, because it is apart, because its nature is non-existent, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable. The rest is as said above.

‘Furthermore, Śāriputra! Because the śrāvaka does not exist, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable; because the śrāvaka is empty, because he is apart, because his nature is non-existent, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable. Because the pratyekabuddha does not exist, because he is empty, because he is apart, because his nature is non-existent, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable. Because the Buddha does not exist, because he is empty, because he is apart, because his nature is non-existent, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable. Because anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi does not exist, and so on up to because its nature is non-existent, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable.

‘Furthermore, because omniscience of all kinds does not exist, and so on up to because its nature is non-existent, the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable. Why is this? Śāriputra! Within emptiness, the prior limit is unfindable, the later limit is unfindable, the middle limit is unfindable, the bodhisattva is unfindable. Śāriputra! Emptiness is not different from the bodhisattva, nor is it different from the prior limit; emptiness, the bodhisattva, and the prior limit—these dharmas are without duality and without difference. By this cause and condition, Śāriputra! the bodhisattva's prior limit is unfindable; the later limit and the middle limit are likewise.’

What follows is the treatise's explanation.

Why Say It Again and Again: Foremost in the Practice of Emptiness, a Broad Discrimination in Ten Ways

Question: Above it has already been said, ‘the bodhisattva and the name of the bodhisattva are unfindable—for whom is prajñāpāramitā to be spoken?’ Why now is it said again?

Answer: You should not ask in this way! Subhūti is foremost in the practice of emptiness and always delights in speaking of emptiness; whenever he says anything, he always benefits beings through the gate of emptiness.

Furthermore, above it was said in brief; here, in ten ways, it is broadly discriminated that the bodhisattva is unfindable.

If the practitioner contemplates all dharmas as all empty, he then accords with the signless and with non-action; because his mind is without making, he does not wish to do anything, and cannot even bring benefit to himself—how much less benefit others! If a person abides in a mind that holds a self, he can discriminate the marks of dharmas as good and not good, gather all kinds of wholesome dharmas and abandon dharmas that are not good; but now the Buddha says: ‘Within prajñāpāramitā one should not cling to the thought of a self, one should not discriminate dharmas, and one should simply practise all good.’ This matter is difficult.

The practitioner thinks thus: ‘If there is no self, for whom is good cultivated?’ Before, there was a self; now, because of prajñāpāramitā, it has become nothing, and his mind then gives rise to sorrow. Therefore Subhūti explains it once more: ‘The self, from the very beginning, is nothing; it is not that it existed before and only now does not.’ When the practitioner understands that it is thus, thus, originally of itself non-existent, then now he loses nothing, and so he has nothing to sorrow over either. It is like a great tree with deep roots, which cannot be felled with one stroke of the axe; only with much force of the axe can it be cut through. The emptiness of the bodhisattva is likewise: it cannot be received at a single telling, and therefore it must be broadly discriminated.

Examining by the Three Times and Examining by the Five Aggregates: Where Does the Bodhisattva Stand

When Subhūti questioned the Buddha, he thought thus in his mind: ‘If there were definitely such a dharma as a bodhisattva, it should exist throughout the three times. Now, in the former time there is no bodhisattva. Why? Because the former time has no beginning. The future time is likewise, because there are not yet causes and conditions. Only through the mutual dependence of former and later is there a middle; if there is no former and later, there is no middle.’

Suppose it is said that the five aggregates (the five heaps) are the bodhisattva; the five aggregates are boundless—as said before through all kinds of causes and conditions, the five aggregates, because they are ultimately empty, are immeasurable and boundless, and because they are immeasurable and boundless, they are the same as unconditioned dharmas.

If the bodhisattva is boundless, this matter cannot be established! By this cause and condition, the bodhisattva is unfindable; for whom should prajñā be spoken?

Constantly, in all places, in all kinds, and at all times, the bodhisattva is sought, and in every case he is unfindable; for whom should it be spoken?

Just as the ‘self’ is ultimately non-arising, empty, and nothing at all, the five aggregates too are in this way ultimately non-arising and nothing at all. Since there are no beings and no dharmas of the five aggregates, where is there a bodhisattva?

Is the One Who Understands the Dharma the Bodhisattva: In Ultimate Non-arising There Is No Such Discrimination

Question: Beings and the dharmas of the five aggregates are ultimately non-arising; then is the person who understands this dharma the bodhisattva?

Answer: ‘Ultimate non-arising’ is not called form, is not called feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness. Why? The five aggregates are the mark of arising; within ultimate non-arising there is no such discrimination.

The five aggregates are ultimately non-arising and cannot be used to teach and transform; apart from ultimate non-arising, there is also no bodhisattva practising the path—whom should one teach?

The bodhisattva hears these things and is not frightened and not afraid; this is being able to practise the bodhisattva path.

Why the Self Is Used as a Simile for the Bodhisattva: First Refuting the Self, Then Refuting Dharmas, as Rock Sugar Is a Simile for Ambrosia

Question: The self and the bodhisattva are one and the same thing; why use the self as a simile for the bodhisattva?

Answer: Within this prajñāpāramitā all dharmas are empty, but for a beginner one may not speak of emptiness right at the outset! One should first discriminate wrongdoing and merit for him, teaching him to abandon wrongdoing and to cultivate and gather merit; the fruit of merit is impermanent, and because it is impermanent it gives rise to suffering; therefore he abandons merit, turns away from the world in disgust, seeks the path, and enters nirvāṇa. At that time he should reflect thus: ‘Because there is a self, all kinds of afflictions arise; this self, sought within the six consciousnesses, is in every case unfindable; only because of inversion does one cling to there being a self.’ Therefore understanding non-self is comparatively easy, and one is readily transformed by it.

If it is said, ‘form is empty’, this is hard to understand; although the ears hear emptiness being spoken of, the eyes constantly see it as really existent. Therefore one first refutes the self within evil and wrongdoing, and only afterwards refutes all dharmas.

Among all the Buddha's disciples, those who have attained the path know and realise non-self for themselves; those who have not yet attained the path must believe that all other dharmas are empty, and they cannot believe this as easily as they believe non-self; therefore non-self is used as the simile.

Here Subhūti says that all dharmas are empty, and, searching, knows that there is no bodhisattva, using non-self as the simile; he uses the small as a simile for the great, as rock sugar (crystallised sugar) is used as a simile for ambrosia.

Why Śāriputra Asks about Each Thing: To Cut Off the Doubts of New Learners

Question: Śāriputra knows deeply the meaning of emptiness and of non-self; why does he still ask about each thing?

Answer: Subhūti is a śrāvaka person, whose merits do not equal those of a bodhisattva, yet before the Buddha he proclaims the most profound prajñā; in the minds of newly-learning bodhisattvas doubt may arise. Although the Buddha earlier said, ‘You speak the Mahāyāna, in accord with prajñā’, people might still think that the Buddha was merely humouring Subhūti. Śāriputra wished to cut off this doubt, and so he asked.

Furthermore, the Buddha wished to proclaim prajñā together with Subhūti right to the end; therefore Śāriputra questions him about each thing, causing Subhūti to discriminate the profound meaning well, so that the assembly might revere and believe.

Therefore he asks: from the bodhisattva being unfindable in the past time, all the way to being not fearful and not frightened.

The meaning of Subhūti's answer is this: self, being, and person are one and the same thing. When one has not yet attained the path, one is called an ordinary person; from first entering the path up to arhat, one is called a śrāvaka person; one who contemplates the dharma of causes and conditions, awakens to emptiness somewhat more deeply, and has somewhat more pity for beings is called a pratyekabuddha person; one who enters deeply into the dharma of emptiness, practises the six perfections, and is endowed with great kindness and great compassion is called a bodhisattva person—because the merits of each are different, the names too are different. Just as self, being, and person are one thing, because the eye sees things it is called the seer, because the mind attains something it is called the knower, because it receives suffering and pleasure it is called the receiver. This self, being, person, and so on have already been shown before, through all kinds of causes and conditions, to be non-existent; the bodhisattva too should be non-existent. Therefore Subhūti said to Śāriputra: ‘Because beings are non-existent, within the three times there is no bodhisattva.’

The Coming Together of the Five Aggregates and the Emptiness of the Five Aggregates: Neither Can Establish a Bodhisattva

Question: Only when the five aggregates come together is there a bodhisattva; then the bodhisattva should be non-existent, and the five aggregates should exist!

Answer: It is precisely to refute this matter that it is said, ‘there are no beings, there is no self’; because there is no self, the five aggregates belong to nothing; because they belong to nothing, they are empty; because they are empty, there is no bodhisattva.

Question: If the five aggregates are empty, then is emptiness the bodhisattva?

Answer: The emptiness of the five aggregates is not the bodhisattva either, because emptiness is nothing at all and without discrimination.

The five aggregates being apart, the five aggregates being without nature—there is also no bodhisattva. If it is said that there is no bodhisattva, then in all three times there is none.

Contemplating these worldly dharmas such as the five aggregates, and dharmas of the path such as the six perfections, is what is called a bodhisattva; because these dharmas are empty, the bodhisattva too is empty. Here the Buddha himself states the cause and condition: ‘The emptiness of all dharmas is not different from the bodhisattva, the bodhisattva is not different from emptiness; the emptiness of the bodhisattva and the emptiness of the three times are without duality and without difference.’

From the six perfections up to omniscience of all kinds—because one practises these dharmas, one is called a bodhisattva; because these dharmas are empty, the bodhisattva too is empty. As for this emptiness of dharmas here: śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas who attain this emptiness are called śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha persons; because śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha persons are empty, the bodhisattva is likewise.

The sūtra text starts up again, taking up Śāriputra's earlier questions one by one and answering them one by one.

Taking Up and Answering ‘Form Is Boundless’: Like Space, without Boundary and without Middle

‘As Śāriputra has said, because form is boundless, know that the bodhisattva too is boundless; because feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness are boundless, know that the bodhisattva too is boundless.—Śāriputra! Form is like space; feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness are like space. Why? Śāriputra! It is like space: its boundary is unfindable, its middle is unfindable; because it is without boundary and without middle, it is only called by the name space. In the same way, Śāriputra! the boundary of form is unfindable, its middle is unfindable, because this form is empty, and within emptiness there is neither boundary nor middle; the boundary of feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness is unfindable, their middle is unfindable, because consciousness is empty, and within emptiness there is neither boundary nor middle. By this cause and condition, Śāriputra! because form is boundless, know that the bodhisattva too is boundless; because feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness are boundless, know that the bodhisattva too is boundless. And so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, likewise.

Taking Up and Answering ‘Form Is the Bodhisattva—This Too Is Unfindable’: Each and Every Dharma Empty of Its Own Mark

‘As Śāriputra has said, form is the bodhisattva—this too is unfindable; feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness are the bodhisattva—this too is unfindable.—Śāriputra! Form: the mark of form is empty; feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness: the mark of consciousness is empty. Dānapāramitā: the mark of dānapāramitā is empty; and so on up to prajñāpāramitā, likewise. Inner emptiness: the mark of inner emptiness is empty; and so on up to the emptiness of non-existent and existent dharmas: the mark of the emptiness of non-existent and existent dharmas is empty. The four foundations of mindfulness: the mark of the four foundations of mindfulness is empty; and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas: the mark of the eighteen unshared dharmas is empty. Suchness, dharma-nature, the limit of reality, the nature of the inconceivable: the mark of the nature of the inconceivable is empty. The samādhi gates: the mark of the samādhi gates is empty; the dhāraṇī gates: the mark of the dhāraṇī gates is empty. Omniscience: the mark of omniscience is empty; knowledge of the kinds of paths: the mark of knowledge of the kinds of paths is empty; omniscience of all kinds: the mark of omniscience of all kinds is empty. The śrāvaka vehicle: the mark of the śrāvaka vehicle is empty; the pratyekabuddha vehicle: the mark of the pratyekabuddha vehicle is empty; the Buddha vehicle: the mark of the Buddha vehicle is empty. The śrāvaka person: the mark of the śrāvaka person is empty; the pratyekabuddha: the mark of the pratyekabuddha is empty; the Buddha: the mark of the Buddha is empty. Within emptiness form is unfindable, feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness are unfindable. By this cause and condition, Śāriputra! form is the bodhisattva—this too is unfindable; feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness are the bodhisattva—this too is unfindable.

Taking Up and Answering the Question of the Thorough Search: In Its Own Dharma and in Other Dharmas, Sought Everywhere and Not Found

‘As Śāriputra has said, for what cause and condition, in all kinds and in all places, is the bodhisattva unfindable, so what kind of bodhisattva should be taught prajñāpāramitā.—Śāriputra! Form is unfindable in form; form is unfindable in feeling. Feeling is unfindable in feeling; feeling is unfindable in form; feeling is unfindable in perception. Perception is unfindable in perception; perception is unfindable in form and feeling; perception is unfindable in constructions. Constructions are unfindable in constructions; constructions are unfindable in form, feeling, and perception; constructions are unfindable in consciousness. Consciousness is unfindable in consciousness; consciousness is unfindable in form, feeling, perception, and constructions. Śāriputra! The eye is unfindable in the eye; the eye is unfindable in the ear. The ear is unfindable in the ear; the ear is unfindable in the eye; the ear is unfindable in the nose. The nose is unfindable in the nose; the nose is unfindable in the eye and ear; the nose is unfindable in the tongue. The tongue is unfindable in the tongue; the tongue is unfindable in the eye, ear, and nose; the tongue is unfindable in the body. The body is unfindable in the body; the body is unfindable in the eye, ear, nose, and tongue; the body is unfindable in the mind. The mind is unfindable in the mind; the mind is unfindable in the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body. The six sense-fields, the six consciousnesses, the six contacts, and the feelings born from the conditions of the six contacts are likewise. Dānapāramitā up to prajñāpāramitā, inner emptiness up to the emptiness of non-existent and existent dharmas, the four foundations of mindfulness up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, all the samādhi gates and all the dhāraṇī gates, the dharmas of the ground of the stage of nature up to the dharmas of the pratyekabuddha, the first ground up to the tenth ground, omniscience, knowledge of the kinds of paths, and omniscience of all kinds are likewise; srota-āpanna up to arhat, pratyekabuddha, bodhisattva, and Buddha are likewise. The bodhisattva is unfindable in the bodhisattva; the bodhisattva is unfindable in prajñāpāramitā. Prajñāpāramitā is unfindable in prajñāpāramitā; prajñāpāramitā is unfindable in the bodhisattva. Within prajñāpāramitā, teaching and transforming is nothing at all and unfindable; within teaching and transforming, teaching and transforming is nothing at all and unfindable; within teaching and transforming, the bodhisattva and prajñāpāramitā are nothing at all and unfindable. Śāriputra! In this way, all dharmas are nothing at all and unfindable. By this cause and condition, in all kinds and in all places the bodhisattva is unfindable; what kind of bodhisattva should be taught prajñāpāramitā?’

Taking Up and Answering ‘Only a Provisional Name’: Name and Dharma, Neither Is Found in the Other

‘As Śāriputra has said, for what cause and condition is it said that the bodhisattva-mahāsattva has only a provisional name.—Śāriputra! Form is a provisional name, feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness are provisional names; the name of form is not form, the name of feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness is not consciousness. Why? A name: the mark of the name is empty; if it is empty, it is not the bodhisattva. By this cause and condition, Śāriputra! the bodhisattva has only a provisional name. Furthermore, Śāriputra! Dānapāramitā has only a name; it is not that within the name there is dānapāramitā, and it is not that within dānapāramitā there is the name. By this cause and condition, the bodhisattva has only a provisional name. Śīlapāramitā, kṣāntipāramitā, vīryapāramitā, and dhyānapāramitā are likewise. Prajñāpāramitā has only a name; within the name there is no prajñāpāramitā, and within prajñāpāramitā there is no name. By this cause and condition, the bodhisattva has only a provisional name. Śāriputra! Inner emptiness has only a name, and so on up to the emptiness of non-existent and existent dharmas, which has only a name; within the name there is no inner emptiness, and within inner emptiness there is no name. Why? The name and inner emptiness are both unfindable. And so on up to the emptiness of non-existent and existent dharmas, likewise. By this cause and condition, Śāriputra! the bodhisattva has only a provisional name. Śāriputra! The four foundations of mindfulness have only a name, and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, which have only a name; all the samādhi gates and all the dhāraṇī gates, and so on up to omniscience of all kinds, are likewise. By this cause and condition, Śāriputra! I say that the bodhisattva has only a provisional name.’

Taking Up and Answering ‘The Name of the Self Is Ultimately Non-arising’: From the Self to the Buddha, Ultimately Unfindable—Where Could There Be Arising

‘As Śāriputra has said, for what cause and condition is it said that the name of the self is ultimately non-arising.—Śāriputra! The self is ultimately unfindable; where could there be arising? And so on up to the knower and the seer, which are ultimately unfindable; where could there be arising? Śāriputra! Form is ultimately unfindable; where could there be arising? Feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness are ultimately unfindable; where could there be arising? The eye is ultimately unfindable, and so on up to the feeling born from the condition of mind-contact, which is ultimately unfindable; where could there be arising? Dānapāramitā is ultimately unfindable, and so on up to prajñāpāramitā, which is ultimately unfindable; where could there be arising? Inner emptiness is ultimately unfindable, and so on up to the emptiness of non-existent and existent dharmas, which is ultimately unfindable; where could there be arising? The four foundations of mindfulness are ultimately unfindable, and so on up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, which are ultimately unfindable; where could there be arising? The samādhi gates and the dhāraṇī gates are ultimately unfindable; where could there be arising? The śrāvaka up to the Buddha are ultimately unfindable; where could there be arising? By this cause and condition, Śāriputra! I say: as with the name of the self, the self too is ultimately non-arising.’

What follows is the treatise's explanation.

How Can Form, Which Has Shape, Be Boundless: Four Explanations

Question: Mind and mental-factor dharmas (mental factors) are without shape and cannot be seen, so they can be said to be boundless; form has shape and can be seen—how can it be boundless?

Answer: There is no place where form is not, and its nearness and farness, lightness and heaviness cannot be reckoned. As the Buddha said: the four great elements (earth, water, fire, and wind) are present everywhere, and therefore they are called great; their limits cannot be known by the five faculties (the five sense-roots), and their quantity and weight cannot be measured with a bushel or weighed with a scale; therefore it is said, ‘form is boundless’.

Furthermore, when this form is in the past, its very first beginning is unfindable; when it is in the future, there is no number of kalpas, even as many as the sands of the Ganges, at which it can be said that form will come to an end, and so it has no later boundary; since there is neither a first boundary nor a later boundary, there is also no middle.

Furthermore, what is called a ‘boundary’ is a mark of form; when this form is discriminated and broken apart and scattered, the boundary is unfindable, and there is no original mark.

Furthermore, because unconditioned dharmas neither arise nor cease, they are without number, without measure, and without boundary; when form is contemplated with the contemplation of the emptiness of dharmas, form is all empty, and is of one and the same mark with space and with unconditioned dharmas.

Within immeasurable, numberless, boundless dharmas, even a single mote of dust is unfindable—how much less a bodhisattva! Therefore it is said, ‘the five aggregates are boundless, and the bodhisattva too is boundless’. Just as form is boundless, so too up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, discriminated according to their marks, as said before.

Form Is Not the Bodhisattva, and Apart from Form There Is No Bodhisattva

Because these five aggregates are immeasurable, numberless, and boundless, it cannot be said that form is the bodhisattva; the remaining four aggregates (feeling, perception, constructions, and consciousness) are likewise.

Furthermore, if form were apart from mind and mental-factor dharmas, it would be like grass, trees, tiles, and stones—how could it be called a bodhisattva? If mind and mental-factor dharmas were apart from form, they would have no place to rest upon and could do nothing—how could they be called a bodhisattva?

Furthermore, the six perfections, the eighteen emptinesses, the thirty-seven limbs of the path, the ten powers up to the eighteen unshared dharmas, suchness, dharma-nature, the limit of reality, the nature of the inconceivable, the three gates of liberation, the dhāraṇī gates and the samādhi gates, sarvajñā (omniscience), path-knowledge, omniscience of all kinds, the three vehicles and the persons of the three vehicles—only when these dharmas are cultivated or contemplated is one called a bodhisattva. These dharmas are all empty through the emptiness of their own marks: that is, dānapāramitā, the mark of dānapāramitā is empty, and so on up to the Buddha, the mark of the Buddha is empty.

All Places and Omniscience of All Kinds: Distinguishing Names and Marks

What is called ‘all places’ is the five aggregates, the twelve sense-fields, the eighteen elements, and so on up to omniscience of all kinds.

What is called ‘omniscience of all kinds’ is the eighteen emptinesses and the three gates of liberation. Prajñāpāramitā contemplates dharmas as permanent or impermanent and so on, entering one gate, two gates, up to immeasurable gates and so on; this is called omniscience of all kinds. Seeking the bodhisattva within it, he is unfindable.

Again, within its own dharma there is no own dharma, and there is also no other dharma. As it is said here: ‘Form is unfindable in form; form is unfindable in feeling. Feeling is unfindable in feeling; feeling is unfindable in form; and so on up to: prajñāpāramitā is unfindable in prajñāpāramitā; and so on up to: within teaching and transforming, teaching and transforming is unfindable.’

Within Provisional Names, a Name Is Further Set Up

What is called ‘having only a name’ means that these five aggregates break down, scatter, and perish, and are no different from space. This bodhisattva has only a name, like a conjured person: within provisional names a further name is set up for him.

Subhūti said to Śāriputra: ‘Not only is the bodhisattva a provisional name; the five aggregates too are all provisional names; within provisional names, the mark of provisional names is unfindable, and all enter into the highest meaning. If it is empty in this way, it is not the bodhisattva.’

Furthermore, from the six perfections up to omniscience of all kinds—because one practises these dharmas, one is called a bodhisattva; these dharmas too are provisional names, the bodhisattva too is a provisional name, empty and nothing at all. These dharmas all have names set up for them by force; they exist only through the coming together of causes and conditions, and they have no real substance either.

The Substance of a Dharma Is Non-existent from the Start—How Could There Be Arising: The Close of the First Part

What is called ‘the name of the self is ultimately non-arising’ is as was already said at the opening of this chapter. Here Subhūti too, likewise, refutes the self by the emptiness of beings and the emptiness of dharmas, as it is said: ‘The self is ultimately unfindable, and so on up to the knower and the seer being unfindable; where could there be arising? The five aggregates are ultimately unfindable; where is there any arising of the five aggregates? And so on up to the feeling born from the condition of mind-contact, which is ultimately unfindable; where could there be arising? The six perfections are ultimately unfindable, and so on up to the dhāraṇī gates, the samādhi gates, the śrāvaka, the pratyekabuddha, and the Buddha, which are ultimately unfindable; where could there be arising?’

If a dharma existed first, then one could ask about its arising; the substance of the dharma is from the first of itself non-existent—where is there arising?