Verses On The Perfection Of Wisdom (Prajnaparamita-Ratnagunasamcayagatha)
a prose translation: JW
pdf
[1]
Hail to all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas!
Thereupon the Blessed One, to gladden the hearts and minds of the four assemblies, and to further give light to this prajnaparamita, preached at that time the following words:
Call forth as much as you can— of love, reverence, and faith! Abandon the obstructing defilements, and clear away all taints! Listen to the prajnaparamita of the gentlest Buddhas revealed for the welfare of the world. Hear the prajnaparamita, wisdom beyond wisdom.
Only for the brave at heart.
[4]
Behold all the rivers' waters flowing through Rose Apple Island that bring forth flowers, fruits, herbs, and trees. All flowing from the boundless power of the King of Nagas, from his dragon, the magical talisman, dwelling in the pure waters of Lake Anavatapta.
Out of this flowing, whatever Dharma the Tathagata's disciples bring forth, whatever they teach, whatever they reveal concerning the practice, a practice that springs with joy & love along with all its fruit is the Tathagata's outpouring.
Know this, from direct experience the Dharma springs, flowing out from the Tathagata's all-knowing. The Tathagata's teaching flows along the path, and the path is Dharma. All disciples who are well-taught and pure-- flow from the Tathagata.
[5-18]
No wisdom, no perfection, no bodhisattva’s path, no awakening.
Upon hearing this, if not perplexed and anxious-- a bodhisattva is fearless and ready to go forth, homeless in the Tathagata's wisdom. The same is true of the skandhas, ungraspable: no form, no feeling, no perception, no fabrication, and no consciousness. A bodhisattva flows without a home in the skandhas. Homeless, a bodhisattva wanders and goes forth, not grasping at dharmas-- and in turn, dharmas cannot grasp a bodhisattva. In this way, a bodhisattva goes forth in prajnaparamita, the perfect wisdom
Like Shrenika, the wanderer, who knew there was no home in any of the skandhas, wandered in the skandhas freely, faithful solely to the Tathagata's teaching. Just so, a bodhisattva, upon discerning the true nature of all dharmas does not take residence anywhere, not even in the Blessed Rest, but goes forth, flowing in prajnaparamita.
Investigating prajnaparamita, the bodhisattva flows & dwells. What is the nature of this prajnaparamita? How is it so? Indeed, the bodhisattva is fearless in the face of what is ungraspable: the emptiness of all dharmas.
What is the bodhisattva? Bodhi is awakening, and a bodhisattva is a bodhi-being always nearing awakening. However, if a bodhisattva falters and retreats to a skandha: in being form, in being feeling, in being perception, in being fabrication, or in being consciousness, the bodhisattva errs in deepest insight. Even if the bodhisattva conceives the skandhas as being empty, the bodhisattva errs in deepest insight. This bodhisattva is caught up in signs-of-being-and-not-being; therefore, this bodhisattva falls back from the signless uncaused (non-originated) prajna.
However, for the bodhisattva who flows & dwells beyond form, feeling, perception, fabrication, and consciousness, who wanders like Shrenika, wandering freely, remaining homeless, this is a bodhisattva gone forth in prajnaparamita, wisdom beyond words.
This is a bodhisattva's samadhi, flowing & dwelling in the uncaused— calm and steady. Here the bodhisattva is free and faithful, assured of the path laid down by earlier Buddhas, assured of Buddha-to-be. And so whether absorbed or not, the samadhi is beyond, minding not what is or what is not.
Dharmas (thought-things) as they are or not, a bodhisattva knows their original nature, knowing there is no original nature. A bodhisattva dwells & flows free in prajnaparamita, this wisdom of the Tathagatas, not grasping any dharmas. This way of dwelling-flowing, the bodhisattva knows is no dwelling-flowing. This is the practice of prajnaparamita, the supreme wisdom
Again, a bodhisattva falls short when conceiving existence and non-existence. The ignorant fabricate existence and non-existence as dharmic objectivities and neither are real.
A bodhisattva goes forth in prajnaparamita only when a bodhisattva is wise to this, knowing the nature of things. The bodhisattva abides in a bodhisattva's samadhi, knowing the skandhas as illusion without getting caught up in the unreal and real of the skandhas. Free of dueling notions, the bodhisattva flows in peace and gentleness. This is the practice of prajnaparamita, the supreme wisdom.
Practitioners with good teachers who possess deep insight will not be anxious discerning this prajnaparamita. It is like a lost child hearing her Mother's voice calling, the loving voice of Mother's prajna! But those with bad teachers, who mislead, and divide, will break apart like an unbaked pot when in contact with wetness!
[18-24]
Again, what is meant when we say "bodhisattva"? Indeed, there is the path where attachment is extinguished, cut off, and abandoned. But then there is the path of supreme non-attachment: the awakening of the Tathagatas, who call forth a timelessness, beyond any future ended.
The bodhisattva is the one who strives always nearer awakening.
Why are bodhisattvas called forth? They are called to ascend upwards to a high place and behold the great throb of beings, the great mass of suffering, and with a sword, not flinching, bravely cut off all wrong-headedness! This is why we speak of them as the maha-bodhisattvas or "great bodhi-beings."
Great in generosity, great in understanding, this bodhisattva ascends the supreme Dharma-Chariot and armed with the bodhisattva-sword, goes forth to subdue Mara, the conjurer of ignorance. This is why the maha-boddhisattva, the "great bodhi-being" is called forth!
Flowing in the vast crossroads (of time), a bodhisattva hears and sees the conjurer of ignorance cutting to pieces men, women, children— and all the rest of beings! The bodhisattva sees the conjuror's bloody sword and hears the cries. Fearless, the bodhisattva stays calm, knowing this whole world is a show, an illusion. Seeing beyond, a bodhisattva goes forth in compassion, going forth in prajnaparamita.
The same is true of the crossroads of the skandhas: form, feeling, perception, fabrication, and consciousness. They are illusions—never attached to anything, therefore never unattached to anything. Seeing beyond, the bodhisattva flows free and fearless, going forth in bodhi-awakening. This supreme Dharma-- prajnaparamita, is the only sword and armor worthy of great bodhi-beings!
But what is this vehicle the bodhisattva mounts, this chariot that leads to awakening? It is the one-vehicle of the Mother's prajna-- a vow that guides all beings to awakening! Great is this chariot, vast and inconceivable like the whole boundlessness of space! Those who travel in the one-vehicle are carried into refuge, where all may dwell free of suffering, in happiness and ease.
[24-31]
What is the nature of nirvana? A flame extinguished. What is that? Does nirvana leave marks or traces? The Blessed Rest? Who is resting? Gone beyond the crossroads of the world, a bodhisattva stays clear of all desire.
Pure, independent, and unhindered is the bodhisattva's path. The never-ending bewilderment of time's three arrows nowhere touches a bodhisattva. Past, future, and present-- the bodhisattva is ungraspable, flowing & dwelling in prajnaparamita.
Flowing bodhisattvas in samadhi contemplate deeply the timeless, the uncaused, and while deep in samadhi pervade love for all beings— pervading love in all directions, unceasing, everywhere, while free of any notion of beings. Such is the bodhisattva's path flowing & dwelling in prajnaparamita.
Take heed! The practice of the perfect wisdom is wanting, when a bodhisattva thinks, "I will take away the sufferings of the world; I will save all beings." This bodhisattva is tripped up in an erroneous fantasy of the self, who saves the world of beings. This bodhisattva is entangled in concepts and notions.
Wise bodhisattvas know all beings are uncaused as all bodhisattvas are uncaused. The bodhisattva knows the bodhisattva does not exist, nor does any being or anything exist. The uncaused is not different from the caused. Such is the bodhisattva's path flowing & dwelling in prajnaparamita, the highest perfection.
The bodhisattva knows all words and things, must be abandoned, let go. The bodhisattva knows all things caused must be gone beyond— and from this, the wise bodhisattva receives the deathless, the unconditioned. Such is the all-knowing. Such is the flowing & dwelling of prajnaparamita.
On the path, patient, free from doubt, the bodhisattva flows & dwells. Wholesome in wisdom, the bodhisattva flows & dwells, and where the bodhisattva goes forth homeless, the bodhisattva knows all dharmas are empty. To open to this wisdom is the bodhisattva's path. The bodhisattva hears our Mother’s prajna, the prajnaparamita.
[35-37]
Whether form, feeling, perception, fabrication, or consciousness--a bodhisattva does not stand in any skandha. Through the Dharma's truth alone, the bodhisattva flows & dwells, and this is the understanding of prajnaparamita.
Whether permanence and impermanence, self and not self, beauty and ugliness, or any duality, there is only suchness and nothing extra. And so whether it be the fruit of an arhat, the fruit of pratyekabuddha, or the fruit of a Buddha fully enlightened, the fruit is extra, and a bodhisattva in right understanding has no stance there.
As the Tathagata is upright in a realm beyond the conditioned and the unconditioned, freely wandering without a home, beyond even homelessness, a bodhisattva goes forth, not standing on any ground. A positionless position is the stance taught by the Tathagata.
[38-42]
To those who listen to this supreme Dharma-- the arhat, the pratyekabuddha, the disciple, who strive for the far shore, who look to attain the end goal of nirvana, the Tathagata teaches even the goal of nirvana is illusion.
In light of this, nirvana, outside of the deep cultivation of patience, is a lost cause. It is like a drowning man who desperately swims to a far shore to save himself and becomes more confused and dizzy.
Truthfulness, persistence, purity, and having a wise teacher-- are the preparations that allow a bodhisattva to have patience and not become anxious from the Tathagata's teaching that the goal of nirvana is illusion.
Flowing & dwelling, the bodhisattva trains in patience, resolved in the all-knowing, where no training is training, where "no one" is trained-in-training— flowing thus, the wise bodhisattva trains in the Buddha-dharma itself.
As such, the discernment of the arising and passing away of dharmas is not the core practice of the bodhisattva's training, nor is the striving for ever higher levels of wholesome dharmas. It is the gnosis of all-knowing— to this alone, the bodhisattva trains, going forth in faith, delighting only in this patient-gnosis.
[44-47]
Form is not prajna, nor is prajna in form; feeling is not prajna, nor is prajna in feeling; perception is not prajna nor is prajna in perception; prajna is not fabrication, nor is fabrication in prajna, consciousness is not prajna, nor is prajna in consciousness. Like luminous space, prajnaparamita, without crack or break, is boundless, infinite overflowing.
Boundless is the essence, and original nature of each and every object; boundless is the essence and original nature of all beings. As the original nature of space is without limit, the gnosis of the all-knowing is boundless. All dharmas are empty and boundless—infinite overflowing.
The Tathagata teaches perceptions are like words, and those who abandon perceptions like words, dropping them into silence, go forth into the beyond— flowing. This is the prajnaparamita, wisdom beyond wisdom, wisdom beyond words.
For countless aeons, the Tathagata continuously pronounces the-incantation-that-vibrates-being-itself-into-beings, potent and pure in every sounding, and wondrously, no being ever takes hold. Such is the prajnaparamita.
At this point, the Blessed One said these words: "Here and now, received from the Buddhas before me, all of what I have spoken fulfills the loving promise of prajnaparamita. Here & now, I pass on to you: awake and free, you shall all a Buddha-be."
[49-70]
It is so, after a Buddha's parinirvana, devotees, in homage, build a stupa. In an outpouring of faith, they go forth, building endless fields of stupas, countless as the sands of the Ganges, all built from the seven most precious materials: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, seashell, agate, pearl, and carnelian. All wholeheartedly offered,
Along with this flowering of stupas, endless lines of devotees, refrain from worldly involvements, gather and worship with complete concentration, offering candles, flowers, and incense. Such dedication will be counted for aeons throughout the three realms.
But there is an offering greater than this: the copying of these words of the prajnaparamita by the devotee who recollects them, who recites them, who reveres them with offerings of flowers and incense.
This devotee will be remembered by the Mother of the Tathagatas.
Such dedication, even an infinitesimal portion of its merit, is as great as all the merit received from the making of stupas.
Anyone who takes up the prajnaparamita, delving deep into its understanding and disciplined in its study, is protected and safe and cannot be harmed by fire, poison, water, or the sword, for this is how the saviors flow and dwell. Mara, the jealous one who delights in destruction, finds no entrance to this stupa of prajnaparamita, finding no host or relic to steal.
[73-74]
This prajnaparamita is the most ancient medicine. This prajnaparamita heals the unwholesome dharmas that cause illness and sorrow in this world of beings. Buddhas in the past, Buddhas in the future, and those now in the ten directions are trained in this ancient medicine. All Buddhas are supreme physicians, saviors of the world of beings.
Happiness, whether conditioned or unconditioned, pours out from this ancient medicine. Bodhisattvas thoroughly trained, dwell and flow in its practice, offering love and compassion for all sentient beings, and in this outpouring of wisdom, the saviors go forth in awakening.
[81-82]
Gem-like seeds exist dormant, scattered across all the lands, and when conditions are favorable, they grow in great variety: all the qualities of awakening in the six perfections grow from the Mother's prajna.
And wherever we see even a glimpse of the Dharma's royal scepter, the seven armies of the awakening factors follow. And so when we see the prajnaparamita of the Tathagata, wholesome and skillful dharmas are never far behind.
[94-99]
Indra, Lord of the Devas, responds to the Blessed One: "Truly, even if I who was offered power over as many Buddha-fields as there are sands of the river Ganges, each one replete with Buddha hosts and relics, I would still wholeheartedly surrender all this for prajnaparamita, the supreme perfection."
"Indeed, I have profound reverence and understanding for Buddha hosts and relics, but sincerest devotion and faith is cultivated only in prajnaparamita, the supreme perfection. Just as a child born in a king's province is raised not as the king but as a subject of the king, so it is with sacred hosts and relics."
[96-99]
The prajnaparamita is like a gem resting in a basket, deeply luminous. But the basket itself, to hold such a gem, is eyed with wondrous mystery, such that when the gem is removed, there is no change, even though the basket itself is empty. Such is the supreme perfection.
Behold the profound luminousness that transfers reverence and devotion far and wide to all Buddha hosts! Behold the glow of the Tathagata's withdrawal! Let those who aspire to this prajnaparamita know the luminousness of the heart's release!
[100-101]
Then the Blessed One spoke: "From the Mother's prajna, the other perfections stream: generosity, virtue, patience, energy, and samadhi. She takes hold of and protects all wholesome dharmas, so they are never lost. Beyond this, the Mother's prajna alone reveals all dharmas."
[101]
Jambudvipa, the Island of the Jamu Tree, has many trees, all different shapes and sizes, and in the day's sun, they cast an endless array of shadows, but one speaks of these many types of shadows as part of one defining notion called a "shadow," born of a single shining-- the light of the sun.
The same is true with the perfections issuing from a single perfection. When the five perfections are dedicated to the Mother's prajna, the whole of the perfections are cultivated. This is prajnaparamita.
[112-13]
If a bodhisattva teaches the skandhas are impermanent and implicitly claims they can be undone, this bodhisattva is in error, offering false wisdom. As such, this bodhisattva is not flowing in prajnaparamita because the wise ones know in the fullness of wisdom the undoing of dharmas cannot happen because the dharmas are never done.
Concerning the skandhas, the wise ones know there is nothing to apprehend, and further, all dharmas through the touchstone of emptiness are thought through in emptiness. This is the practice of prajnaparamita, wisdom beyond wisdom.
[122-23]
An arhat who trains arhatship to as many beings as there are the sands of the River Ganges cannot be compared in merit with one who studies and writes down the words of this prajnaparamita, who then offers this teaching to just one other being.
And why is this? Bodhisattvas, trained in prajnaparamita, make all dharmas discernible through emptiness, and from this knowing-emptiness a boundless gift flows-- awakening of the disciples, awakening of the pratyekabuddhas, awakening of all Buddhas— from Mother's prajna all awakening is her gift outpouring through all.
Where there is no growth, there can be no tree, and if there is no tree, how can there be branches, leaves, fruits, and flowers? And without aspiration for awakening, how can there be the growth of a Buddha in the world? If there is no Buddha in the world, how can there manifest Brahma, Indra, and devas, and still more, the path and its fruit?
When the orb of the sun sends forth its rays of light, living creatures wake up, exert themselves, and get to work, and so it is, with the aspiration of awakening. Awakening is luminous for the sake of knowing the world, and through this luminosity, all wholesome dharmas wake up and are summoned to work.
Again, without the dragon's boundless flowing through the waters of Lake Anavatapta, how can the Rose-Apple Island's rivers and streamlets flow? If there are no rivers and streamlets, there can be no fruits and flowers, and if there are no fruits and flowers, there can't be glowing jewels in the oceans.
As such, if there is no aspiration for awakening, there can't be the all-knowing Tathagata in the world. And if there is no all-knowing, there can be no awakening, no growth of virtues, nor the boundless dharma gates of the Buddha.
[135]
If all the fireflies of night's past, present, and future would smash together in a collision of firefly light, know this, a single ray emitted from the day's sun outshines all, reducing the firefly light to a tiny flicker.
However much merit arhats and their disciples may cultivate in generosity, virtue, and samadhi, know that it does not compare to even one bodhisattva rejoicing in a single thought of prajnaparamita.
[135-38]
Glorious it is to behold the flowing of one stream of merit: the merit of all past awakened Buddhas, the merit of all now-Buddhas who dwell in countless Buddha-fields, with the merit of all future Buddhas. All for the sake of the cessation of suffering.
Wondrous are the endless waves of merit arising from going forth in faith and wisdom. Wondrous is the arising and passing away of all the wholesome dharmas, including the Dharma-Vinaya of every epoch.
Wondrous is the merit of all the Buddha's children: the disciples, whether monks, nuns, or laypersons, with defilements or without. And if we figure the total sum of this stream's merit, the sum of its wholesomeness, and finally behold the embodiment of it as a Dharma-Jewel, we see a Blissful-Flowing-Bodhisattva, who turns over merit-- turns over joy, turns over goodness, turns over love, above all into the salvation of all sentient beings.
[142-58]
Discerning the true nature of turning over (merit): all existent dharmas, including the self-existent dharma are empty, and therefore all turning over is empty because it never began and, therefore— never is dharma turned over into a dharma.
When one's self turns over the merit of awakening grounded in the self-conception of one becoming awakened-- this conceit-- this conceptual apprehension or grasping, is standing on the false view of a dharma-existence: a dharma being turned over into a dharma.
A wise bodhisattva does not turn over dharmas into awakening. A wise bodhisattva only turns over the emptiness-of-dharmas into awakening. This is like a skillful cook who can turn poison into wholesome food.
There is only one Dharma-root from which the wholesome or pure merit grows— emptiness. A bodhisattva trains in emptiness, and thus does the Tathagata rejoice in this essential Dharma-root-- emptiness. This is the way of turning over wholesome merit; this is the bodhisattva going forth in prajnaparamita.
[172]
How can countless thousands born blind, who cannot see the path, bereft of a guide, find an entrance into the city? It is the same with the five perfections: generosity, virtue, patience, vigor, and samadhi. Without the guidance of prajnaparamita, they are lost, cut off from awakening.
But comprehended by prajnaparamita, there is the perfection of generosity, the perfection of virtue, the perfection of patience, the perfection of vigor, and the perfection of samadhi. It is like a painter hired to paint a deity or saint-- only when the eyes are painted is the figure recognized and the painter paid.
[172-75]
When a bodhisattva cultivates prajnaparamita, withdrawn and not clinging to any dharma, especially concepts like "darkness versus light" or "hidden versus visible," then the bodhisattva realizes a fluency in the realm of prajnaparamita, which is like space, where no thought of being can take hold.
On the other hand, if a bodhisattva thinks: "I abide in the prajna of the Blessed One, I will set free the countless thousands of suffering sentient beings," this bodhisattva is deluded, thinking in concepts like beings. This is not the practice of prajnaparamita; this is wisdom bound up in words.
[176-79]
With each rebirth, a bodhisattva who repents and again sees the glimmer of Dharma, recognizes the Tathagata as the teacher of Dharma, and instantly hears the blissful calm of the prajnaparamita. This bodhisattva who hears the Dharma, recollects in faith the Dharma-- always fresh, never giving up, going forth in prajnaparamita.
But if a bodhisattva in past lives, who has served countless millions of Buddhas, for whatever reason, gets lost and loses faith in the Tathagata's words, unable to recollect prajnaparamita, deaf and dumb, this bodhisattva will be tossed about, gone to hell, far from help.
Therefore, to experience prajnaparamita, one must, above all, not lose faith— always going forth in faith in the Mother of all Tathagatas.
Faith is like a merchant who has traveled to a treasure island and finds a great treasure, but upon his return, loses the treasure-- if given a choice, would doubtless, forever say yes and do it again.
[186-95]
A action's purity is known from the purity of its fruit. And where there is pure action and pure fruit, there is the pure purity of the all-knowing. This all-knowing purity is like space; it can't be divided, broken, or cut apart.
Gone beyond the triple world, impurities removed, free from aging, sickness, and death, the bodhisattva inconceivably exhibits this aging, sickness, and death! Such is the inconceivable purity in which all bodhisattvas flow is prajnaparamita.
This world clots and clings to name-&-form. This world is covered in the mud and mire of name-&-form. Indeed, the wheel of birth and death, the wheel of suffering, turns like a whirligig. But a bodhisattva discerning this twisted world as a deadly trap has recourse and roams free like a bird in the sky of boundless space.
Pure is a bodhisattva flowing, never flowing in form, feeling, perception, fabrication, or consciousness. All clinging abandoned, a bodhisattva flows free in prajnaparamita, wisdom beyond words.
[200-201]
Like a sun bursting forth released from its eclipse or a single spark let loose on dry grass, a bodhisattva cuts through all clinging and flows free of the world.
The bodhisattva flowing sees the original nature of all dharmas as pure, seeing the perfect purity of prajnaparamita. Such seeing is ungraspable as all dharmas are ungraspable.
[211-13]
Indra, King of the Devas, asks the Buddha: "Blessed One, how is the bodhisattva, the one who flows, joined in prajnaparamita?" The Buddha answered: "Who do you speak of? Who is joined with any dharma, whether the skandhas, the senses, or the elements? Only suchness joins a bodhisattva-- flowing in prajnaparamita."
A bodhisattva goes forth in faith, engaged in the one-vehicle of the Mother's prajna through the countless ages of Buddhas. Even knowing all dharmas are an illusion, a dream, the bodhisattva does not flinch but remains steady and fearless, resolved in the prajnaparamita.
[215-16]
If a man emerging from a dark and threatening wilderness sees cowherds, fences, and roads, he knows these are signs of a village or city nearby. He then finds his breath, becomes calm, and the fear of darkness recedes-- he goes forth freely.
It is the same for the bodhisattva who returns from darkness again and again, who each time recollects the prajnaparamita and goes forth strengthened, breath lightened, fear dropped-- including even the fear of losing one's way again.
[216]
There is a young man, who has gone forth to behold the wonder of the great ocean, but along the way, only sees endless dark forests ascending into the mountains. Realizing he is far from the ocean, he turns and changes his way. Gradually he no longer sees these dark signs but discerns in the distance a blue clearing and becomes free of doubt.
It is the same for a bodhisattva, who sets out for the supreme awakening, patiently cultivating prajnaparamita. Although this bodhisattva does not instantly come face-to-face with the Tathagata, this bodhisattva discerns the path and beholds a wondrous clearing, hearing the words: "keep faith, before long, you will experience the Buddha-awakening."
[217]
In springtime, when one sees the tree's branches, stalks, and leaves first appearing, one knows before long, there will be flowers and hanging fruits in the warm sun. It is the same for a bodhisattva taken in hand by the Mother's prajna. Before long, the bodhisattva will attain the fruit of the Buddha-awakening.
[218]
When a pregnant woman, absorbed in pain, cries out, one knows that the time is near for her to give birth to her joy. It is the same for a bodhisattva. Upon hearing the voice of Mother's prajna, the bodhisattva hears within her voice the imminent sound of wonder and joy and knows awakening is near.
[219-20]
How does one dwell in prajnaparamita? Dwelling in prajnaparamita, a bodhisattva does not perceive dharmas, nor does the bodhisattva perceive the absence of dharmas, nor even a Dharma-element. A bodhisattva's perception goes beyond even the Blessed Rest, and then and only then does the bodhisattva dwell in prajnaparamita, the supreme wisdom.
And a bodhisattva dwelling in prajnaparamita, the bodhisattva no longer conceives a Buddha-dharma. The bodhisattva does not conceive of any power, nor does a bodhisattva conceive of non-power. The bodhisattva dwelling in prajnaparamita dwells free of discrimination-- free of all fabrication.
[232]
At one point, Subhuti asked the Buddha: "Blessed One, what are the obstacles to the prajnaparamita that need to be heeded? The Buddha answered: "Many obstacles there will be. Of them, I will speak of a few."
[232-33]
The obstacle of papanca: in desiring to make answers along the path-- thoughts and conceptions proliferate, flash up like lightning, blinding-bright, only to vanish, disappear and reappear, leading the mind astray, leaving one dumb-tired without any benefit to the suffering world.
Another obstacle involves a crescendo of doubts in the desire for attainment: "I don't see myself in this, I don't recognize this, I don't have any familiarity with this, I'm not up for this." Here a disciple may turn away from the path and be dumb. This is certainly Mara's doing.
[234-39]
Another obstacle is one who, in ignorance, sacrifices the root of a tree, delighting only in its branches and foliage. Or one who possesses a living elephant but wants an elephant's foot instead. Or one served with superior food of many tastes but greedily wants more-- and turns to inferior food. This describes the bodhisattva who seems to be abiding on the path but turns to a lower-level path. Always desiring something more to see-- even after seeing the noble path. This is delusion, and this is Mara's doing.
[242-43]
There are obstacles for teachers who seek fame and gain, their minds full of secret desire, needing recognition from the sangha. Spurning what is right, they will do what is wrong. Abandoning the right path, they look for treasure down the wrong road. At first, their disciples cultivate faith, mindful of hearing the most excellent teaching, but once a teacher is discovered heedless, an obstacle is created, causing disciples to go away heart divided and sad. This is Mara's doing.
[248-52]
When these obstacles happen, together with many other obstacles, the sangha will be troubled and will neglect the prajnaparamita.
Know this, the prajnaparamita is the perfection of the Tathagatas, and where there are rare, priceless jewels, those who possess these jewels have many foes. The prajnaparamita is the Dharma-Jewel, hard to find and surrounded by trouble.
A disciple who newly sets out on the path full of desire but narrow in understanding will never receive the Dharma-Jewel. Truthfully, it is hard to find. Along the path, the disciple is the focus of Mara's schemes, always causing trouble. But have faith and go in faith. Know all the Buddhas in the ten directions will be watching and intent on helping.
[253-57]
Born from prajnaparamita are all the saviors of the world.
Prajnaparamita is the Mother of all Tathagatas, an inconceivable source who reveals the world as it is— suchness.
Prajnaparamita is the Mother of the Tathagatas, shining, luminous, and clear-- no beginning and no end.
It is true that if a mother with many loving children falls ill, her loving children go to help their mother. It is the same for those who know the prajnaparamita, the supreme wisdom. They hear the cries of the world and go to help their Mother.
[270-74]
Whether it is the suchness of all the world, the suchness of arhats, the suchness of pratyekabuddhas, or even the suchness of Buddhas, there is suchness alone-- free from existence and change. This is the Tathagata knowing-- this is prajnaparamita, the wisdom beyond wisdom.
Whether bodhisattvas flow & dwell in the world or go to nirvana, what does not alter is conveyed in this sequence of words: the emptiness of all dharmas. Bodhisattvas go forth comprehending this emptiness of all dharmas. Bodhisattvas go forth-- tathata—suchness, and so it is-- all Buddhas have the name Tathagata.
Suchness: the blessed realm of the Tathagatas, the quiet groves of the prajnaparamita, from where the Tathagatas absorb and rescue suffering beings from the three planes of existence without any notion of being.
When a lion wakes up in his mountain cave and roars, all the other animals pause and listen, and so it is with the Lion of Men, who wakes up in prajnaparamita, calls out, and the people take pause and listen.
As the sun's rays move along the firmament-- breaking the stormcloud and drying the rain-soaked earth below, its light reveals the sparkling clarity of the world. It is the same with the King of Dharma, gone forth in the great vehicle, who stems the flooded rivers of craving and reveals the brilliant luminosity of the Dharma-Jewel.
This is the Tathagata's Dharma-eye: there is no seeing in form, no seeing in feeling, no seeing in perception, no seeing in fabrication, no seeing in consciousness-- and no conception of seeing.
A form seen in space is a being seen in space. But seeing, boundless without limit, like space, what is like this?
[281]
Who goes forth in prajnaparamita? The one who gathers and culminates the luminous (of all)-- from the great sweep of Buddha-action sweeping through the activity realm of all dharmas.
The one who sees suchness-- sees all-dharmas, sees the luminousness (of all).
The king, who has power over all, is clear-headed and with the sweep of his hand grants power to the minister to do everything.
A king does not ramble about villages or countrysides but oversees from his royal meeting place where the king assembles everyone and everything, and so it is with the Buddha-action-- it does not withdraw from the activity realm of dharmas but flows & dwells in prajnaparamita, bringing forth the wholesomeness of Buddhadharma.
[284-86]
Gone beyond the understanding of the arhats and the pratyekabuddhas, a bodhisattva, who has singular faith in the Tathagata, who is singularly devoted to and resolved in prajnaparamita, will be turned over unhindered, unobstructed to the supreme awakening of the Tathagatas. Free.
[286-87]
When a ship breaks up in the ocean, those who refuse to take hold of a corpse will drown before making it to the shore. But those who embrace a corpse will reach the shore safely.
There are those disciples who may be learned but decide to reject faith in the Mother's prajna. They are like those who tried to get to the shore but refused the corpse. They drown in the sorrow of drift and spoil, the breaking up of bodies and limbs--endless waves of birth and death.
But for those who have been received by the Mother's prajna, they are skilled in seeing the true nature of existence—an illusion, a dream. They are seers who see through the void. They are persons worthy of the supreme Dharma who have assembled a wealth of profound insight. They will experience the awakening.
[287-88]
Compare a servant who transports water in an unbaked jar with a servant who transports water in a perfectly baked jar. One is anxious as the jar cracks, and the other is calm, getting the water safely to its destination.
Although a bodhisattva may have faith, if the faith is not seamless with prajnaparamita, the bodhisattva's path will reveal cracks. However, a bodhisattva turned over wholly in faith, beyond any crack with the supreme wisdom, is a bodhisattva who has gone beyond, wholly in prajnaparamita, gone forth in awakening.
[288-90]
A ship in disrepair sailing the violent ocean is subject to destruction along with its passengers and goods. But when a ship is fit and well prepared, it remains intact and gets its passengers and goods to the other shore.
And so it is with a bodhisattva who may have faith, but if that faith is not at one with prajnaparamita, then the journey is doomed. When the bodhisattva's faith is fastened perfectly with the supreme wisdom, the bodhisattva goes unharmed, taken up in the awakening of the Tathagatas.
[290-91]
There is a frail old man troubled, unable to walk on his own. But when two men of goodwill, one on each side, take hold of him, he isn't afraid of falling, and he moves along with ease.
And so it is with an unwise bodhisattva who takes up the path of prajnaparamita, who has difficulty on the path of prajnaparamita. When this bodhisattva is taken hold of by faith and wisdom, then the bodhisattva does not falter, flowing & dwelling in prajnaparamita.
[292-93]
Having taken the precepts, novice bodhisattvas who are discerning and heedful, resolved to go forth in prajnaparamita, will always dedicate themselves to the Buddhas and, in light of this, will dedicate themselves to the wholesomeness of friendship, especially towards their teachers. Why is this? Only from the love of friendship comes the necessary qualities of the well-trained, and only in friendship can there be training in prajnaparamita, the supreme wisdom. Thus, the Tathagata teaches: "Between good friends depends all Buddha-dharmas."
And what are the qualities of the well-trained? Generosity, virtue, patience, vigor, samadhi, and wisdom are these qualities, and a novice bodhisattva learns to turn them over— transform them into awakening.
At the same time, a novice bodhisattva must not learn to grab at awakening, which turns these wholesome dharmas over to the skandhas.
[293-301]
Going forth in prajnaparamita, flowing in its timelessness, a bodhisattva shows the way of Dharma: a welcoming shelter— a refuge for all sentient beings. Flowing in the noble qualities of this supreme Dharma, the bodhisattva who desires the well-being of the world remains imperturbable. The bodhisattva is the light and torch of the world, the path of salvation for all beings.
A bodhisattva is heart-resolved to wear only the strongest and most durable armor. This bodhisattva flows through the battle in an inconceivable armor, beyond regression, free of obstacles and steadfast in virtue. A bodhisattva never takes cover behind the skandhas.
Again, endowed with this supreme Dharma, the bodhisattva is unhindered, undivided, free from doubt and fear, resolved only on what is good. Having heard the word of Mother's prajna flowing, the nectar of her sweet wisdom, a bodhisattva never despairs— incapable of being led astray.
[304-305]
Deep beyond deep is this prajnaparamita of the Tathagatas, and hard to understand, hard to realize because one must aspire to it, but one cannot grasp it. And for this reason, for one who realizes the supreme Dharma, goodwill and compassion are equanimity (peace).
Know this, beings who desire a home where they can eat and indulge the delights of sense objects, where they are endlessly bent on clinging to the caresses of home, are doomed in ignorance. Know this, the supreme Dharma is an ever-present no-home and is a refuge for all beings, welcoming all beings into-- no-home-- where there is nothing-to-grab onto.
A no-home that always runs against the grain of the world.
[306-8]
To the east, space is boundless, to the west, space is boundless; to the north, space is boundless, and to the south, space is boundless. Above, below, in the ten directions, and farther-than-going-even-farther, undifferentiated, where nowhere arises, where no difference arises, is the void.
Past suchness, future suchness, present suchness, arhat-suchness, dharmas-suchness, a Blessed-One's-suchness— all suchness-Dharma (is) difference non-difference, no there (here) to go there (now).
[309-11]
A bird flying a great distance, with even a small injury to the wing, will lose strength before the end-- and even more so if this bird were to fly off from a heavenly perch to earth. The bird will not make it.
And so it with a bodhisattva who, for the sake of the world's welfare cultivates the five perfections: generosity virtue, patience, vigor, and samadhi-- over countless aeons, but lacks wisdom (as skillful means), this bodhisattva is at risk of reversal and will not make it.
If a bodhisattva is resolved to go forth in the awakening of the Buddhas, free and clear of any mixed-up-dharmas, this bodhisattva needs to be practiced in wisdom as skillful means. Absent this, there is no awakening possible.
[321-22]
A bodhisattva who aspires to go forth in the awakening of the Buddhas must possess a friendly mind, be beneficent and truthful in all doings, be gentle in speech, and above all, must pervade love towards all sentient beings. This is not different from the bodhisattva cultivating equanimity (peace).
[323]
The elder Subhuti questions the Blessed One: "Teach us the noble qualities of those secluded in peace. How do they arrive at the supreme place beyond regression? Speak to us of this, even if briefly."
[323-38]
These are the qualities of wise bodhisattvas: they are free from divided perceptions, they always engage skillfully, they do not take refuge outside the supreme Dharma, and they have, from countless past lives, abandoned the three realms of existence, and they are trained in the ten wholesome paths of action:
1. Abstaining from killing living beings
2. Abstaining from stealing
3. Abstaining from sexual misconduct
4. Abstaining from false speech
5. Abstaining from malicious speech
6. Abstaining from harsh speech
7. Abstaining from gossip
8. Abstaining from coveting
9. Abstaining from ill-will
10. Possessing Right Understanding of the Dharma
Above all, they take delight in Dharma! They teach the Dharma to the world, free of any expectation of reward. They are always gentle in speech and action, and they are mindful whether standing, walking, lying down, or sitting.
They walk along the path with one yoke, attending to what is before them-- their thoughts do not wander. They wear pure robes, and they become pure through the foundations of mindfulness, not clinging to anything in the world. They display a majesty; they want not the slightest gain— for there is only Dharma. They have gone beyond Mara's realms, and they can't be led into error.
They are trained extensively in the jhanas, but they see the excellence of jhanas not as an end but as a sign of love pervading. They do not want fame, and their hearts are not overcome by bitterness. If a bodhisattva is a householder, the householder does not cling to anything in the world, completely unattached to any property. And never do they earn livelihood in an unwholesome way.
They are practiced in a calm and steady wisdom, the most excellent of the perfections, free from conflicts and disputes. Their thoughts always bend friendly. They aspire to the all-knowing as their thinking always turns over to the supreme Dharma, resolved wholly in prajnaparamita.
They avoid the intersections where the masses and hordes gather. They are faithful, free from doubt, and for the sake of the Dharma, they hold to their vows of renunciation.
These are the qualities of the bodhisattvas, who go forth flowing & dwelling, resolved in prajnaparamita.
[342-43]
Abysmal is form, abysmal is feeling, abysmal is perception, abysmal is fabrication, and abysmal is consciousness. Signless and uncreated is their essential nature. Like one who tries to reach the bottom of the ocean only to discover there is only more darkness, so it is with the skandhas. When one discerns these skandhas in the light of prajnaparamita, their essence is revealed as bottomless and dark.
As such, a bodhisattva flowing in the vehicle of the supreme wisdom discerns all dharmas are empty. Therefore, a bodhisattva knows to ask: if skandhas, sense fields, and elements are all empty, how can there be attainment through anything, including merit in any way?
[343-44]
Like a man during sleep who dreams of a beautiful woman, when he wakes up, he can't help but think of her, but he will never attain her since she is only a dream. And so it is for a bodhisattva, who strives endlessly to attain a goal through the vehicle of the skandhas.
[344-46]
Let us compare two bodhisattvas. One who for countless aeons is perfect in virtue and generosity, acquiring great merit over time, and the other bodhisattva who in a single day reveals the prajnaparamita. The merit of the former, derived from virtue and generosity, is small compared to that of the latter, devoted to the supreme Dharma, the prajnaparamita.
Indeed, when a bodhisattva deep in meditation on the prajnaparamita, absorbed in its luminosity, rises to teach the prajnaparamita-- turning over inconceivable merit for the welfare of all suffering beings, there is nothing so beautiful in the three realms that can compare to this.
Adrift are the self-merited.
But the bodhisattva who flows for the welfare of all suffering beings, flowing and dwelling in prajnaparamita, such a bodhisattva flows in inconceivable merit (empty merit).
[347-51]
All that the Tathagata has taught, practiced, and revealed are just words; words are dharmas, and dharmas are empty. And though the Tathagata may teach for countless aeons, the dharmas, being empty, never become more nor less.
Even the perfections: generosity, virtue, patience, vigor, samadhi, and wisdom-- taught by the Tathagata are dharmas, just mere words, therefore empty. And so, a bodhisattva flowing in prajnaparamita, who turns over (merit) beyond words, does not get caught up in words. This bodhisattva experiences the supreme wisdom beyond words.
[352-53]
The wick of the burning oil lamp is not burned away by the first instant of the flame, nor by the last instant of the flame, nor is it burned away absent the flame.
And so it is with wholesome thoughts. Awakening is not attained at the first wholesome thought, nor is awakening attained in the second, third, or final. At the same time, an awakening can not awaken outside the conditions of this wholesome thinking.
From a single seed come trees, fruits, and flowers. If this seed is obstructed or missing, there is no tree, fruits, or flowers. And so it for a single wholesome thought-- it is the path of awakening, and when it is obstructed or missing, there is no awakening.
A seed is the basis of the growth of grains like barley and rice, and their wholesomeness is in the seed, not vice versa. But know this, when the awakening of the Tathagata arises, what grows from this awakening seed is an illusion-fruit, without its own existence.
Drop by drop, from the first to the last drop, the drops gradually fill a bucket. Which drop fills the bucket in the end? And so it is with the wholesome thoughts that condition awakening. Gradually, one wholesome thought after another culminates in Buddhas, and that is all that can be known of this.
[356-61]
A bodhisattva doesn't flow in signs. A bodhisattva flows in empty dharmas, signless and uncreated. But neither does a bodhisattva experience a destination like a Blessed Rest. It is like a ferryman who goes from this shore to the other but does not dock on either shore-- and also does not get caught up and held in the middle of the main current.
Flowing, the bodhisattva does not think: "Predestined by those who have the ten powers, I will experience awakening!" Nor is a bodhisattva trembling that enlightenment is not to be.
The bodhisattva is flowing & dwelling in faith in the wisdom of the Buddhas.
[361-64]
Witnessing a world in upheaval, full of starvation and disease, a bodhisattva is fearless and will always put on armor. Free from doubt, a bodhisattva is always advancing in the direction of the front lines, which is always further still, boundless.
A bodhisattva vows action.
[370-71]
Understanding the skandhas as signless, uncreated, and empty, the bodhisattva flows in prajnaparamita, going beyond-- going beyond even the Budddha-dharmas -- flowing & dwelling in love alone-- for the world of beings.
[371-74]
A wise and skillful person endowed with many noble qualities, who is vigorous, restrained, and cultivated, is keen in eyeing trickery, faithful to the welfare of others, is destined to act on these qualities, leading family and friends through the hostile wilderness of life. Embodying a heroic spirit, the wise and skillful get others through danger safely to return home safely.
And so it is with a bodhisattva-- who passes through the Mara realm and all the different entangled realms, returning, again and again, to act in the world of suffering, waiving off the Blessed Rest, extending love and goodwill to the whole world.
This bodhisattva abides in skillful-means-samadhi.
It is said space supports the air, the oceans, and the earth, along with all its living beings. And so, if space is the foundation of all of this, including the desires of all living beings-- then what is space?
Just so, a bodhisattva's vow is a power that supports the boundless wholeness of other beings, always bringing forth good works for the welfare of others.
A bodhisattva is supported by emptiness and waives off the possibility of the Blessed Rest-- because emptiness is not a place for standing around.
A bodhisattva flows in the prajnaparamita. A bodhisattva flows calm and steady, deeply absorbed in emptiness, going beyond, never grasping for any sign, and never faltering in the signless.
[374]
A bird in flight has no footing in space, nothing to stand on, and yet the bird flows, doesn't fall to the ground, and so it is with the bodhisattva who flows in freedom, neither resting on any sign nor falling into the signless.
[374-375]
See the archer who shoots an arrow upwards, then reshoots other arrows in quick succession, keeping the first arrow from falling to the ground until he wishes otherwise.
And so it is with a bodhisattva who flows in the prajnaparamita, the supreme wisdom. As long as the wholesome roots of skillfulness and healing are cultivated, the bodhisattva holds off falling into the Blessed Rest.
A magical monk appears in the sky, performing twin miracles: constantly moving, coming and going, changing positions, never stopping, while mysteriously not experiencing any tiredness— no loss of energy.
And so it is with the wise bodhisattva who flows in the prajnaparamita, flowing in emptiness, endlessly homeless, wandering and working wonders, exhibiting a continuous stream of skillful means and healing, but is never wavering, never worn down through countless aeons, always vigorous.
A man who jumps off a high cliff with a parachute deployed, open and broad, falls very slowly, suspended as if he will never reach the ground.
And so it is with a bodhisattva who, out of compassion, jumps off a high cliff with the parachute of wisdom and skillful means deployed. This bodhisattva floats above all, ever discerning all dharmas are empty, signless, and uncreated. Such is the bodhisattvas' flowing, never reaching the absolute ground of the Blessed Rest.
There is a man who searches for paradise on earth, discovers paradise, but returns home despite knowing the blissfulness of this paradise. Why does he return home? He finds his heart is heavy from the thought of the family left behind, suffering in non-paradise.
And so it is with the bodhisattva who travels to the "Jewel Isle" of emptiness, shining throughout with exquisite Dharmic glow, and though this bodhisattva has the power to travel even further to the wondrous center of the Isle's bliss-- the Blessed Rest itself-- this bodhisattva turns back bearing in heart and mind the world of suffering.
A merchant who travels the world doing business encounters many beautiful lands but refrains from making a home in any of them. His path is to cultivate better skills that will be profitable, which causes him to always return home to care for his family and friends.
And so it is with a wise bodhisattva, who refrains from being caught up in schools of either/or views or any other confrontation of views. Wise and skillful is a bodhisattva who sees only the path of healing, the path of welfare for the suffering of beings.
Once a bodhisattva has gone forth in prajnaparamita, communes in goodwill and love for the world, flowing in skillful-means-samadhi, absorbing emptiness, absorbing the inconceivable-- it is inconceivable this bodhisattva would fall back into conditioned states or advance forward into the realm of the Blessed Rest.
As a magician can make himself invisible, defying all logic, so it is with the bodhisattva who flows through all the locked gates of freedom. No words can grasp this. Such is a bodhisattva flowing and dwelling in prajnaparamita, the supreme wisdom.
[379]
If a bodhisattva questioned about the way of a bodhisattva, fails to point to the nature of dharmas as traceless and empty, and further cannot articulate the dharmas that correspond to irreversibility, then this bodhisattva still falls short of one who is predicted to be a Buddha.
[380-84]
A bodhisattva who, in a dream, sees a horizon beyond the arhat, beyond the pratyekabuddha, beyond the triple world, who sees beyond-- the innermost image of Buddha-nature, the luminosity of the supreme Dharma-- the prajnaparamita-- it is such a dream that marks the prediction of irreversibility for a bodhisattva.
A bodhisattva who, in a dream, witnesses the great mass of suffering of beings, and from this dream, a vow is heard: "may I abolish all realms of suffering!" And through the power of this vow, the bodhisattva is seen extinguishing the flames of the suffering mass. Such a dream marks the prediction of irreversibility for a bodhisattva.
Moreover, it is through the aspiration of this loving and compassionate vow, a bodhisattva saves sentient beings, and never again does there arise in this bodhisattva the error of pride and conceit. It is such a pure vow that marks the irreversibility of the bodhisattva.
[385-91]
Beware of Mara, the instigator of pride, who whispers prideful thoughts to a bodhisattva: "I am predestined because of my attainments to have an unparalleled understanding of the Dharma." When a bodhisattva strives to climb up on a pedestal above other bodhisattvas, know this bodhisattva has fallen into conceit.
Beware of Mara, the instigator of pride who whispers: "Now you may be unknown but imagine how famous your name will be when you are a Buddha." The bodhisattva who believes this falls into conceit.
Beware of Mara, the instigator of pride who whispers these prideful thoughts: "Due to your devotion in your past lives, your practice is very deep, but think about what you will attain in future lives!" The bodhisattva who believes this falls into conceit and should be known as possessed by Mara.
[391-95]
Withdrawn from towns and cities, practicing in a mountain cave or an isolated wood, be heedful of a bodhisattva who looks down on others. Conceited, this bodhisattva should be known as caught up in Mara's whispers. Mara possesses this bodhisattva.
Even a bodhisattva who abides secluded for many years in the deepest mountain cave, cut off from the world, if any conceit remains, this bodhisattva does not know true detachment. Mara possesses this bodhisattva.
A bodhisattva withdrawn from the world, who has developed many powers, who has realized bliss at the highest level of jhanas but feels superior to those bodhisattvas who sincerely and wholly devote themselves to the welfare of suffering beings, of this bodhisattva the Tathagata declares-- dwells not in a forest but in Mara's cell.
On the other hand, a bodhisattva who is wholly and sincerely devoted to the welfare of all beings, even if this bodhisattva dwells in the most frenzied city, this bodhisattva is protected and removed from its tumult. This bodhisattva is secluded in the refuge of prajnaparamita.
Whether a bodhisattva dwells in a city, a town, a forest, or a mountain cave, if a bodhisattva goes forth not falling into the conceit of Mara, not falling into the confusions of the world, and is singularly focused on prajnaparamita, the supreme wisdom, then this is the true seclusion and is always selfless.
[396-99]
A bodhisattva who resolved to go forth in the prajnaparamita and who has abandoned conceit is like a physician who lets nothing get in his way to aid a sick person.
Bodhisattvas, gone forth in prajnaparamita, cultivated in the six perfections are in the fellowship of Buddhas— this is called the friendly path. The love of friendship is behind everything, guiding all bodhisattvas through the different stages of the path of Buddha-awakening.
All past and future Buddhas, all Buddhas who dwell in the ten directions, who have prajnaparamita as their path and no other, have the Mother's prajna as their illumination—she is the light, the luminosity of their fellowship of love. She guides all in awakening.
A bodhisattva goes forth and discerns prajnaparamita through the mark-of-emptiness, and by that same mark-of-emptiness, the bodhisattva discerns the true nature of all dharmas, knowing all dharmas as empty and without marks. This is the bodhisattva flowing through the fellowship of Buddhas, going forth in love, in prajnaparamita, the supreme Dharma.
[400]
The empty notion of I & mine is the hungering path. Beings wander through birth and death, their minds endlessly craving and clinging. The self-being is a fool, endlessly grasping, fabricating, and conceiving new cells for a self.
Like someone who imagines himself poisoned, falling ill in the absence of poison, so it is with the fool who believes in the conceit of I and mine— an empty notion-- that multiplies in symptoms of sickness and disease.
Over and over again, the fool falls into the grip of birth and death.
Where one grabs a defilement-- there is a defilement. So, it follows, where a bodhisattva non-apprehends the notion of I & mine, there is a purification because there is no self defiled and there is no self not defiled. Knowing this, a bodhisattva goes forth in prajnaparamita.
[401-2]
If the whole world of beings aspiring in the prajnaparamita over countless aeons were to turn over merit in unison, dedicating this gift to the awakening of all sentient beings— this is the great offering.
At the same time, even for a single day, a bodhisattva who lives in harmony with the supreme Dharma, flowing in prajnaparamita, is no less a great offering.
Therefore, a bodhisattva should never give up,
should never feel defeated
but always go forth into blessings of prajnaparamita,
the supreme wisdom.
[402-4]
When a wise bodhisattva flows in prajnaparamita, the supreme Dharma, this bodhisattva pervades love and compassion free of any notion of a being. Only this bodhisattva is worthy of offerings, and these offerings will never go wasted. Initiated in prajnaparamita, this bodhisattva is devoted to the liberation of all beings trapped in the three realms of suffering. This bodhisattva flows & dwells day in and day out, tirelessly revealing the refuge of the ancient path.
[404-5]
There is a man devoted to finding a precious jewel who finds this precious jewel. And if he should lose the precious jewel, he will be very sorry. A lesson to the bodhisattva who receives the precious jewel of prajnaparamita: don't be heedless! Once received, the precious jewel grows in beauty, elevating the vigor of the bodhisattva, flowing forward in love and joy.
Always be heedful!
[413]
Take the light of a vast hive of fireflies, or the light of a great constellation of stars, or the radiance of a full moon on a pitch-black night-- only the morning light can dispel the whole of darkness, bathing the world in a light ascending through to its apex. Outshining all is the sun's light.
And so it is with a wise bodhisattva, gone forth in prajnaparamita, the supreme Dharma, who eclipses the whole world and all its vehicles, free of wrong views, flowing & dwelling solely in luminosity.
Take a prince of a great kingdom, who is generous and compassionate, the source of help for many, bringing well-being to many. How much more so when he rises to the throne and is king?
And so it is with a wise bodhisattva who flows & dwells in prajnaparamita, guardian of the deathless, beloved of gods and men. The bodhisattva's chief concern is the salvation of all sentient beings. How much more so when the bodhisattva receives the ultimate crown of Dharma?
[416-17]
The instant a bodhisattva goes forth, flowing in prajnaparamita, Mara feels the pain of the thorn in the flesh. Overwhelmed, Mara throws fireballs at the presence of wisdom, asking: "how can I cause trouble and make this bodhisattva's mind dark?"
Wise bodhisattvas go traceless like a bird in the sky. How could Mara begin to find them? Steady in body, speech, and mind, patient day in and day out, flowing & dwelling in prajnaparamita, the bodhisattva is ungraspable.
[420]
When two bodhisattvas get caught up in quarrels and disputes, Mara is happy, thinking: "these bodhisattvas remain far from the understanding of the Buddhas."
Conflicted, both bodhisattvas stumble into darkness like malignant demons, resulting in broken vows. Hateful and impatient with one another, both regress and Mara is happy.
[420]
Fixed on other bodhisattvas who have received a prediction, dark thoughts can arise in the bodhisattva who hasn't. The instants of time a bodhisattva is caught up in dark thoughts equal whole aeons of time that a bodhisattva will have to, again, put on the armor from which the light of Dharma shines.
The anecdote? Establish heedfulness and repent: "I have unwholesome thoughts that cause me to fall into conflict and darkness. May I make a turn and embody the perfection of patience from which all Buddhas experience awakening." Here the bodhisattva turns, withdraws, takes up restraint, and again resolves to cultivate the supreme Dharma, to go forth in prajnaparamita.
[424-30]
A bodhisattva trains in prajnaparamita by going beyond training.
A bodhisattva does not get caught up with a trainer or the dharmas that constitute training. A bodhisattva trains by not discriminating between training and non-training. A bodhisattva who knows this way of training knows no drawback in training, possessing the bliss of training. Gone beyond training and non-training, this bodhisattva flows in the way of the bodhisattva.
A bodhisattva who trains like this is luminous-- not a single ray of thought is unwholesome— like the sun going through the sky, no darkness can hold onto itself.
[430-31]
Training in prajnaparamita, all the perfections are comprehended in prajnaparamita. As in the life of an organism, all the parts of that life are comprehended in its life. Again, when the bodhisattva flows in prajnaparamita, all the perfections are comprehended in the flowing of prajnaparamita.
[432-33]
The bodhisattva's training comprehends the paths of the disciples and the pratyekabuddhas, but the bodhisattva does not get caught in one or the other. A bodhisattva trains flowing & dwelling in open possibility. This is how a bodhisattva trains in Buddha-dharmas.
[435-36]
Incomparable is the merit of bodhisattvas who are jubilant in going forth in the great vehicle, flowing & dwelling in prajnaparamita.
The boundless heart of a bodhisattva gone forth in the great vehicle joyfully embraces all beings who turn over merit, resolved on the wholesome, resolved on freedom, resolved to go forth fearless in prajnaparamita for the sake of all beings-- bringing an end to the world's suffering.
Joyous is the bodhisattva, devoted to prajnaparamita, who, not picking and choosing, flows & dwells beyond any duality, knowing all dharmas as empty, signless, and uncreated.
As space has no limit, so it is with the joyous bodhisattva who flows in prajnaparamita boundless like space-- an open calm with no limit.
[441-42]
Consider a magician who conjures up an actor who acts, who never turns to an audience thinking to himself: "I will please this audience. Do I please this audience?" This actor only acts, acting out a pure illusion of acting, empty of any sense of a body, thought, or name-- a flow-experience of action.
And so it is with a bodhisattva who acts, flowing in prajnaparamita, never thinking: "Now that I'm enlightened, I will set free the world."
In the course of innumerable lives, this bodhisattva generates wholesome activity for the welfare of others, at the same time overflowing inconceivably, like magic-- the discrimination of self and other.
[442-43]
The inconceivable magic of a Tathagata's action-- is the Tathagata's (no)action. And so it is with a wise bodhisattva who flows in prajnaparamita, whose actions are manifest for all to see but inconceivably whose actions are empty.
[443]
Take the engineer, who constructs an automaton committed to wholesome action that appears to discriminate between a wholesome action and unwholesome action. And so it is with a bodhisattva, flowing in prajnaparamita, who performs all actions with insight but without a moment of discrimination (between cause and effect, past and future, self or other).
[446-47]
At this time...
Indra and all the gods bowed down and with outstretched hands in devotion to all the bodhisattvas everywhere, flowing & dwelling in prajnaparamita, the supreme Dharma. Even the Buddhas throughout the pure lands in all ten directions offered endless garlands of flowers in praise and respect.
[447-49]
If as many beings as there are grains of the sands of the river Ganges would turn into Mara-beings, and if every single hair on each of their bodies would become a trap, know this, not a single one of them could catch a wise bodhisattva flowing in prajnaparamita.
There are four reasons bodhisattvas become uncatchable to Mara:
flowing & dwelling in emptiness;
never abandoning sentient beings-- love and compassion;
acting with purity in body, speech, and mind--
and protected by all Buddhas.
[452-54]
This is the way of all-knowing: gone forth in the prajnaparamita is the wise bodhisattva, resolved in fearlessness, devoted to the Mother of the Tathagatas. Forward on this path of the all-knowing-- a bodhisattva never arrives at a standstill, as there is no place to stand in suchness.
This bodhisattva becomes like a cloud in the sky, still-like, nothing solid, or a like a bird, floating in the wind without flapping a wing, or like a magician who, by the power of his magic, produces a growing tree nowhere growing.
[454-56]
A bodhisattva who flows does not stop & settle in any Buddha-dharmas, nor does a bodhisattva stop & settle in any revelation of Dharma, nor any awakening state. Such is the flowing & dwelling in the calm body of prajnaparamita-- joyous in this calm-- not stopping & settling in anything anywhere.
Flowing & dwelling in prajnaparamita, indeed, a wise bodhisattva surpasses all the blissful jhana-realms of the disciples and the pratyekabuddhas.
[456]
A bird soars through space without reaching a limit. A fish swims in water without reaching a limit. The bodhisattva gone forth in prajnaparamita, flows in emptiness, not reaching any limit, including the Blessed Rest.
Aspiring to soar to the pinnacle of what is most worthy, discerning the Tathagata's mind, a bodhisattva goes forth in prajnaparamita, flowing & dwelling in a beginningless source of all love.
[466]
Know this, one who is wise in the Dharma, resolved to go beyond, should train in prajnaparamita, wisdom beyond words. Of all the teachings of the Buddhas, this teaching is unsurpassed.
[464-71]
The storehouse of the supreme Dharma is the vessel of prajnaparamita, the treasury of happiness and ease for all the Mother's children. Past and future world saviors, here and now in the ten directions, outpour from this glorious vessel, a Dharma-flowing of cessation without ceasing.
Trees, flowers, and forests multiply and grow from the earth— and the earth does not waver. It does not falter and cease-- it does not step back, question, and think.
Bodhisattvas, disciples, pratyekabuddhas-- all the wholesome dharmas are the Mother's offspring flowing out for the sake of the happiness of the world!
All are born of the Mother's prajna, going forth in prajnaparamita: wisdom beyond wisdom that never ceases and does not begin.
With respect to the suffering in the three realms-- the Tathagata teaches:
all are born of ignorance-- an engine fueled by the ungraspable totality of conditions,
never ceasing and never beginning;
all are born of ignorance-- all flowing in prajnaparamita,
many ways of understanding--
all are born of ignorance-- an engine of insight fueled by the ungraspable totality of conditions,
never ceasing, never beginning-- all flowing in prajnaparamita.
[468-70]
A wise bodhisattva flowing & dwelling knows: the all (conditioned co-origination is not different from non-origination).
As the sun's rays break through the cloud covering, the bodhisattva breaks through the ignorance-covering and is inexhaustible flowing.