Furthermore, the Lord, yet again teaching this perfection of wisdom in order to cause a great joy in those four retinues, at that time spoke these verses:

With the finest liking, respect, and serene confidence That clear away obscuring afflictions and pass beyond stains, Listen to this perfection of wisdom of the brave, Practiced by heroes who have set out for the sake of the world.

All the rivers flowing here in Jambudvīpa, Which make medicinal plants and forests with flowers and fruit grow, Have their source in the powerful nāga who rules in Lake Anavatapta, And are all that Nāga-Lord’s glorious power.

So too all doctrine that the Victor’s hearers teach, Explain, and logically expound, the attainment of a supreme Noble state of happiness and its results—all these Are the Tathāgata’s personal heroic power.

And why? Because the finest people in the form of his disciples Train in the kinds of Dharma the Victor teaches, And having realized them, teach as they trained. This is done by the power of the Buddha, not by the power of their own strength.

Those who have no perplexity or fear when hearing That the finest perfection of wisdom cannot be apprehended, A bodhisattva cannot be apprehended, the thought of awakening Cannot be apprehended—those bodhisattvas practice the wisdom of the sugatas.

They have no form, no feeling, no perception, no intention— Not even an atom’s worth of a place for consciousness to stand. They do not stand on any dharmas, they live without a dwelling place, And, not grasping, they find the awakening of the sugatas.

Just as the mendicant Śreṇika with his knowledge apprehends nothing And the disintegration of the aggregates occurs, So too the bodhisattvas comprehend the dharmas And do not touch nirvāṇa—they dwell in wisdom.

“What is this wisdom? Whose is it? Where is it from?” They consider that all these dharmas are empty. Looking closely, they are not cowed and are not scared— Those bodhisattvas are close to awakening.

But if without wisdom they make a practice Of the form, perception, feeling, intention, and consciousness aggregates, And imagine the aggregates to be empty, they practice causal signs. Their faith is not in what does not arise and does not stop.

Not in form or feeling, not in perception or intention, Not practicing in consciousness, wandering without a place to stay, With steady wisdom not apprehending “one is practicing,” with an awareness of nonproduction They touch the most excellent calm meditative stabilization.

Those bodhisattvas who thus abide here personally at peace Have been prophesied by the previous tathāgatas. They do not falsely project “I have entered into meditative equipoise” or “I have emerged.” And why? Because they have comprehended the basic nature of dharmas.

When practicing like that they practice the wisdom of the sugatas. And because they comprehend that no practice is the practice, They do not even apprehend the Dharma that they practice— This is the practice of the finest perfection of wisdom.

That which does not exist is called nonexistent. Fools have imagined it and fashion it as existing and not existing. Dharmas are not these two—existing and not existing. Bodhisattvas who know that will go forth.

Those who know that these five aggregates are like an illusion, And do not make illusion one thing and the aggregates another, Free from the perception of variety, practicing at peace— This is the practice of the finest perfection of wisdom.

Those with spiritual friends, with special insight, Do not get scared when listening to the Mother of Victors. Those with bad friends, placing their trust in others, Break apart like an unfired pot coming into contact with water.

Why are they called a bodhisattva? They want to cut attachments, to extinguish attachments everywhere, And touch the awakening of the victors that is without attachment. Therefore they get the name bodhisattva.

Why then are they called a great being? They will become foremost in a great mass of beings. They chop down the many views of a mass of beings. Therefore, they get called a great being.

Greatly generous, with great intellect and great power, They have set out in the supreme Great Vehicle of the victors, And buckled on the great armor to conquer Māra’s deceit. Therefore, they are called a great being.

As when a magician at a crossroads conjures The illusion of many people and severs ten million heads, The bodhisattvas know that, like those victims, all beings Are like illusions, and so have no fear.

Form, feeling, perception, intention, and consciousness Are not bound, are not freed, and are not real. Therefore, the uncowed ones set out for awakening. This is the finest armor of the best people.

Why is it called the awakening vehicle? It is because having mounted on it causes all beings to enter nirvāṇa; This vehicle is a space-like celestial mansion, the finest vehicle In which they reach happiness, the state of bliss, and security.

You cannot find a direction in which those who mount on it go. They are said to go to nirvāṇa but you cannot find where they went, Just like when a fire goes out, it does not go anywhere, And that is the reason it is said to be nirvāna.

Bodhisattvas purified of the three time periods Do not apprehend a prior limit, a later limit, or a present. Those who are purified are uncompounded and without thought construction. This is the practice of the finest perfection of wisdom.

When smart bodhisattvas think about nonproduction, At that time, practicing like that, they generate Great compassion, but without a perception of beings. This is the practice of the finest perfection of wisdom.

If bodhisattvas have a perception of a being, a perception of suffering, Think, “I will eliminate suffering and benefit beings,” Or conceive of a self and beings, This is not the practice of the finest perfection of wisdom.

Knowing that just as they are, all beings are like that too; Knowing that just as all beings are, all dharmas are like that too; Not entertaining the idea of either production or nonproduction— This is the practice of the finest perfection of wisdom.

Having eliminated a production and a beyond in all The dharma-names, as many as there are, spoken in all the worlds, A perfect, matchless knowledge that does not die is gained. Therefore, it is called the perfection of wisdom.

You should know that bodhisattvas are those who practice Like that without hesitation, endowed with wisdom, abiding in sameness. Comprehending that dharmas are without a basic nature Is practicing the finest perfection of wisdom.

Those who do not stand in form and do not stand in feeling, In perception, or in intention, who do not stand In consciousness—they stand in the true nature of dharmas. This is the practice of the finest perfection of wisdom.

They do not stand in permanent or impermanent, Happiness or suffering, clean or dirty, self or selfless, Or in suchness, and similarly they do not stand in emptiness, The attainment of the results, the worthy one level, the pratyeka level, or the buddha level.

Just as the Leader does not stand in the uncompounded element, Does not stand in the compounded element, and wanders without a home, So too the Victor says the bodhisattva who stands like that stands, Not standing on a place to stand, standing without standing.

Those who want to become a tathāgata’s śrāvaka, A pratyekabuddha, and similarly a Dharma king, Cannot do so without relying on this forbearance, Like going from this shore to that shore without seeing the dock.

The Tathāgata says teaching and listening to the Dharma And what is taught, the results obtained, The pratyekabuddha, and the lord of the world too, the nirvāṇa Those with clear intelligence obtain—they are all like illusions.

These four persons are not scared of that: The victor’s child skilled in the truths, the irreversible, the worthy one Who has cleared away the dirt and eliminated doubt, And the fourth, who is the one looked after by spiritual friends.

Smart bodhisattvas practicing like that do not train In the worthy one level, nor in the pratyekabuddha level, But train in the buddhadharmas for the sake of all-knowledge. Those not training in training and not training are training.

The training is not done for the increase, reduction, or appropriation Of form, nor for the appropriation of the variety of dharmas. While training they get hold of all-knowledge. This emergence Is the training of those who take pleasure in the qualities.

Form is not wisdom, wisdom is not in form; These—consciousness, perception, feeling, and intention— Are not wisdom and also wisdom is not in them. It is equal to the space element, without distinction.

The basic nature of those objective supports is boundless, The basic nature of beings is boundless, The basic nature of the space element is boundless, And the wisdom of the knowers of worlds is boundless too.

The Leader proclaims that perception is the near shore. When perception, having disintegrated, has been abandoned, One crosses to the far shore. Those who have subsequently attained this freedom From perception, having crossed over, stand in the Teacher’s words.

Even if the Teacher were to remain for as many eons as there are Sand particles in the Gaṅgā River proclaiming the word being, However could beings, pure from the beginning, be born? This is the practice of the finest perfection of wisdom.

The Victor said, “When I had become a speaker in harmony With this finest perfection, the finest person Of an earlier time made a prophecy that I would in the future become a buddha.”

Poison, weapons, fire, and water do not overpower, And Māra and those on Māra’s side find no way to cause trouble To those who respectfully take up and master This perfection of wisdom, the protectors’ practice.

Were someone who worships the stūpa of a sugata Who has passed into nirvāṇa, made of the seven precious stones, To fill a hundred thousand one hundred million regions With as many of those stūpas as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River,

And, theoretically, were all those beings, as many as there are, Living in an infinity of one hundred million regions to do Nothing else but worship them with divine flowers, the finest incense, And fragrance for eons during the three time periods, or even longer,

Still, were someone to write down in a book this mother of the sugatas From which the ten powers of the leaders arise, bear it in mind, And honor it with flowers and fragrances, the merit created from worshiping the stūpas That have been made would not approach that merit even by a fraction.

This perfection of wisdom of the victors is a great knowledge mantra Relieving the phenomena of pain and suffering of great masses of beings. Having trained in this knowledge mantra, those protectors of the past In worlds in the ten directions became unsurpassed doctor-kings.

Those who practice a practice of benefit together with compassion Train in this knowledge mantra; they are smart and touch awakening. You should know that the happinesses that are compounded and the happinesses That are uncompounded, all those happinesses issue forth from this.

Seeds are sown, lodge in the earth, and are ready to sprout. They grow up in a variety of forms when conditions are complete. The five perfections and the qualities of awakening, As many as there are, all grow from the perfection of wisdom.

On whichever path a wheel-turning emperor travels, All the seven precious treasures and the mass of forces always travel on that very path too. Wherever the Victor’s perfection of wisdom travels, Right there all the dharmas—the good qualities—travel along too.

Śatakratu responded when questioned by the Victor: If the buddhafields, as many as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River, Were all to be filled right to the top with the physical remains of the tathāgatas, Still I would take just his perfection of wisdom.

And why? Not because I do not respect the physical remains, But because they are worshiped for being suffused by wisdom. Just as a person who is supported by the king receives worship, The physical remains of the tathāgatas are supported by perfect wisdom.

A casket graced by a priceless precious jewel endowed With good qualities is worthy of reverence, and even after It has been taken out you take pleasure in the casket. The good qualities are those of that precious jewel.

Similarly, even when a victor has passed into nirvāṇa, the physical remains Invite worship because of the good qualities of the finest perfection of wisdom. So those who want to appropriate a victor’s good qualities Should take hold of this perfection of wisdom. It is freedom.

Wisdom is the leader for giving gifts, so too for morality, Patience, perseverance, and concentration. It is the help so that wholesome dharmas will not be lost. It shows the single way of all dharmas.

To illustrate, there are a thousand one hundred million trees in Jambudvīpa In many forms, of various kinds and various types, But still there are not various kinds of shadows; there is no difference Apart from talking about the number of things that have become shaded.

Similarly, these five perfections of a victor Get the very name perfection of wisdom. When they have been dedicated to all-knowledge, All six of them become the single taste called awakening.

If bodhisattvas who are unaware explain form, Feeling, perception, intention, and consciousness as Impermanent, they are engaged in a counterfeit. The learned never ever make dharmas perish.

Knowing the mode in which all dharmas are unproduced and empty, Where form is not apprehended, nor feeling, nor perception, Nor consciousness, nor intention is apprehended, This is the practice of the finest perfection of wisdom.

The merit of someone who has written out this perfection of wisdom And bestowed it on an excellent being is superior to someone Who has led all the beings, as many as there are, in as many regions As there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River to the state of a worthy one.

And why? Because, having trained in this, the most excellent speakers Make all phenomena known here in emptiness, And, having listened to them, śrāvakas will quickly touch freedom, Touch a pratyekabuddha’s awakening, and a buddha’s awakening.

Without seeds there would be no trees in the world, So how would there be branches, blossoms, and fruit there? Without the thought of awakening there would be no victors possible in the world, So how could there be the results, Śatakratus, Brahmās, and śrāvakas?

When the circle of the sun sends forth its latticework of light, Beings work hard at the work they have to do. When the thought of awakening comes to be in the world for the sake of the knowledge of the wise, By means of knowledge, beings become endowed with the dharmas—the good qualities.

To illustrate, were the Nāga Lord not to be in Anavatapta How would the rivers in this Jambudvīpa ever flow? Without the rivers there would be no blossoms or fruit, And there would not be the many-colored jewels in the oceans.

So too, when there is no thought of awakening here, How will there ever be the knowledge of a sugata in all these worlds? And when there is no knowledge there is no increase in good qualities, No awakening, and no ocean-like buddhadharmas.

A single ray of light from the circle of the sun is far greater than All the light emitted by all the light-making insects in this world. All the light of the mass of light-makers Is not even a fraction of it.

The mass of merit that the śrāvaka communities, as many as there are, create, Associated with giving, morality, and meditation, That mass of merit that the śrāvaka communities create is not even a fraction Of what a bodhisattva’s single thought of rejoicing creates.

All the merits of those past hundred million billion buddhas in times gone by, Of the thousand hundred million presently standing in infinitely many buddhafields, Of all the world protectors who have passed into nirvāṇa, And from the teaching of the precious Dharma that puts an end to suffering—

All the merits of those victors, From their first generation of the production of the thought of supreme awakening Up until the time the good Dharma of the leaders is extinguished— The endowment of the perfections, all the buddhadharmas,

All the buddha’s children, the śrāvakas, Trainees and nontrainees, the good with outflows, And without—the bodhisattvas gather it all together, rejoice in it, And dedicate it all to awakening as a catalyst for the welfare of the world.

If the dedication occurs with a perception of a thought, a perception of an awakening, And a perception of a dedication and beings, it does not rank as a dedication, Because it apprehends something, because a perception Is based on wrong view, and the mind is triply attached.

If such dharmas as these stop and come to an end, If that to which the dedication is made comes to an end, If there is an understanding that no dharma ever dedicates to any dharma, In that case the dedication has been made with awareness.

If it is done with causal signs it is not a dedication, But if it is done without causal signs it is a dedication to awakening. The Victor has said that falsely apprehending a bright dharma as a fact Is like eating good food mixed with poison.

Therefore, the dedication in which they have to train is like this. And the rejoicing and dedication should be in line with what Those victors know to be the type, origin, And mark of the wholesome, exactly like that.

If merits are thus dedicated to awakening, one is not poisoned, Does not forsake the buddhas, and propounds what the victors have taught. The hero who dedicates like that surpasses all the bodhisattvas In the world, as many as there are, caught up in apprehending things.

Without a guide a billion people born blind Cannot even find the road, so how could they ever Make it to the city? Without wisdom as a guide These five blind perfections cannot touch awakening.

When wisdom has taken hold of them, They gain eyes and get their names, Like when an artist has finished the work but not the eyes, And they do not get paid until the eyes are painted in.

When wisdom dissects the compounded and uncompounded, Good and bad dharmas, and does not apprehend even an atom, Then the wisdom is counted in the world as perfect. Like space, it does not stand anywhere at all.

Were bodhisattvas to think, “I will practice the wisdom of the victors And will free many billions of beings from the experience of suffering,” They would construct in thought the notion of beings. This is not the practice of the finest perfection of wisdom.

When learned bodhisattvas who have practiced before are practicing, They practice this perfection without hesitation, And as soon as they have heard it, perceive it as the Teacher And quickly realize the peace of awakening.

Those with tiny intellects who, when practicing previously, Showed respect to a billion buddhas but did not place their trust In the perfection of wisdom, reject it when they hear it and, Having abandoned it, are defenseless and go to the Avīci hell.

So put your trust in this mother of victors If you want to experience the finest buddha knowledge. Do not be like the trader who came back from a journey To an island of precious jewels without anything to sell.

Know that the purity of form is just the purity of the result. The purity of the result and form is the purity of all-knowledge. The purity of all-knowledge and the result, and the purity of form, Are equal to the space element, not divided and not cut apart.

Heroes go beyond the three realms but not into liberation Because of the perfection of wisdom that they practice. Though they have eliminated the afflictions, they reveal birth. Though they do not get old, get sick, and die, they reveal death.

Knowing that living beings are stuck in the mud of name and form, Wandering in the wheel of saṃsāra that is like a windmill, And confused like animals caught in a trap, The wise move about like birds in the sky.

When a perfectly pure practitioner does not practice form And does not practice consciousness, perception, feeling, or intention, Such a practitioner abandons all attachments And, freed from all attachments, practices the wisdom of the sugatas.

Bodhisattvas with clear intelligence who practice like that Cut attachments and go forth without attachment to the world, Like the sun that has escaped from an eclipse and shines brightly, And like a fire set loose that burns grass, trees, and forests.

When bodhisattvas see with the perfection of wisdom That all dharmas are pure, perfectly pure in their basic nature, They do not apprehend a doer, do not apprehend any dharma— This is the practice of the finest perfection of wisdom.

Śatakratu, king of the gods, asks the Victor: How do bodhisattvas practicing wisdom make an effort? They do not make even just a speck of effort at the aggregates and constituents. Not making an effort at the aggregates is the bodhisattvas’ effort.

If someone hears that dharmas are like magical creations, Like illusions, and makes an effort to train without hesitation, Know that they have served a billion buddhas well And have long since set out in the vehicle.

A person who has gone many yojanas on a wild jungle path Might see cow herders and tended forest boundary-markers, And thinking that they are signs a village or town is near, Will breathe out a sigh of relief and have no fear.

Similarly, when those set on awakening have gotten to listen To this perfection of wisdom of the victors, They breathe out a sigh of relief and have no fear, Not of the level of a worthy one and not of the level of a pratyekabuddha.

If those who go off to see the water in an ocean See trees, forests, and mountains, it is still a long way off, But if they do not see such signs, they become certain The great sea is near and have no doubt about it.

Similarly, those who have set out for awakening and are listening To the perfection of wisdom of the victors are like that, And should know, “Even if I have not come face to face with the Leader And been prophesied, before long I will experience a buddha’s awakening.”

In brilliant springtime when buds have come out on the trees, Leaves, flowers, and fruit will appear on the branches before long. Whoever has taken this perfection of wisdom into their arms Before long will attain the awakening of the leaders.

Just as when a woman is pregnant and suffers the pain Of contractions, it is said “the time is at hand for giving birth,” Similarly, bodhisattvas who hear the victor’s wisdom and feel delight And a desire to act will quickly experience awakening.

When yogic practitioners practice the finest perfection of wisdom They do not see an increase or a decline in form. Someone who does not see a dharma, nondharma, or dharma-constituent, And does not experience nirvāṇa, is standing in wisdom.

Those practicing this do not mentally construct the buddhadharmas, And do not mentally construct the powers, legs of miraculous power, awakening, or peace. Practice imbued with the special power that is nonconceptual, Free from mental construction, this is the practice of the finest perfection of wisdom.

Subhūti asks the Buddha, the moon-like speaker: What are the hindrances faced by those who delight in the good qualities? And the Teacher says, There will be many hindrances, So, for a start, I will proclaim just a few of them.

When writing out this perfection of wisdom of the victors Many different types of confidence giving a readiness to speak will arise That have not been of benefit to beings, and also that happen too fast, like lightning, And disappear. This is the work of Māra.

While it is explained some will harbor doubts: “The Leader has not even proclaimed my name here; He has not proclaimed my social class, station, or lineage.” They will not listen and reject it—the work of Māra.

Those without such an understanding who have heard The perfection of wisdom but go on looking for sūtras Are like fools who reject the roots and look for branches and leaves, Or like those who keep tracking an elephant after finding it.

Bodhisattvas seeking awakening at the level Of a worthy one after obtaining this perfection Are like those who have obtained food with a hundred tastes— Obtained the finest food—yet go looking for food of poor quality.

When they want respect, want wealth, Have ulterior motives to become intimate with householders, Forsake what is right and engage in actions that are wrong, Or have left the path and gone astray—this is the work of Māra.

At that time there are those who, out of longing and faith, Go to listen to the good Dharma, But come away feeling dislike and unhappiness When they come to know the Dharma preacher’s preoccupations.

At that time these works of Māra occur. At that time many other hindrances also occur On account of which many monks become upset And do not uphold this perfection of wisdom.

Just as jewels that have become priceless are rare And always come with many things that make trouble, So too the victors’ finest perfection of wisdom Is a precious Dharma that is rare and comes with many things that make trouble.

Māra is eager to block narrow-minded beings Newly set out in the vehicle from acquiring this rare jewel, But the buddhas in the ten directions Are there to assist them.

When a mother with many sons has fallen sick, They are all worried and attend to her needs. So too the buddhas in world systems in the ten directions Watch over this supreme wisdom that serves as their mother.

World protectors in the past, in the ten directions now, And those who will appear in the future arise from her— The mother, the revealer of the world, who gives birth to the victors, And reveals the thought activities of other beings.

The suchness of the world, the suchness of a worthy one, The suchness of a pratyekabuddha, and the suchness of a victor’s child Are just a single suchness separated from existing things, without another. A tathāgata knows the perfection of wisdom.

Whether the wise stand in the world or in nirvāṇa, This true nature, the fixed nature of dharmas—that dharmas are empty—remains. Bodhisattvas understand this suchness, So those who have awakened are given the name realized one.

This pleasure park that is the perfection of wisdom, the resort Of leaders with the ten powers, is the area over which they range. Even though they extricate beings from suffering in the Three terrible forms of life they never entertain the idea of a being.

Just as a lion having resorted to its mountain lair is fearless, And, roaring, frightens many lesser animals, So too the human lion resorts to the perfection of wisdom And, roaring in the world, frightens many tīrthikas.

Just as the light rays of the sun suspended in the sky Dry out this earth and reveal shapes, So too the Dharma king, having resorted to the perfection of wisdom, Dries up the rivers of craving and reveals the Dharma.

The Tathāgata says that where you do not see forms, Do not see feelings, do not see perceptions, Do not see intentions, and do not see consciousness, Mind, or thinking mind, you “see the Dharma.”

Beings say the words “see the space,” But how do you see a space? Consider what this means. The Tathāgata’s exposition of seeing the Dharma is like that, Because the seeing cannot be expressed with any analogy.

Those who see like that see all dharmas. Like rulers sitting dispassionately having their minister do everything, Whatever the work of the buddhas and the doctrines of śrāvakas, The perfection of wisdom does it all.

A ruler does not travel to villages, does not travel the countryside, But gathers in all that is amassed from the realm. A bodhisattva does not stray from the true nature of dharmas But gathers in all the good qualities of the buddha level.

Those who have firm faith in the sugatas and bodhisattvas, With an intention yoked to the finest perfection of wisdom, Go beyond both śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha levels And, unsurpassable, quickly reach the awakening of the victors.

To illustrate, when a boat on the ocean breaks up, People who do not grab hold of a corpse, thatch, or a log Will perish in the middle of the water without reaching the shore. But those who do grab hold get to the other side of the ocean.

Those with such faith who have gained a serene confidence Do not do so having set aside the mother perfection of wisdom. When the good qualities of skillful means are assisted by wisdom, They quickly experience the finest marvelous awakening of the sugatas.

You should know that it is like when somebody transports water In an unfired pot, which quickly disintegrates because it is flimsy. Carrying water in a fired pot, one does not worry that it will Fall to pieces along the way—one arrives home happily.

Similarly, even if bodhisattvas have a lot of faith, If they are lacking in wisdom they will quickly become unfit, But when their faith has been assisted by wisdom, they pass beyond The two levels and gain the highest awakening.

It is like when a ship that has not been well constructed Gets destroyed on the ocean together with its cargo and traders, But if that ship has been well constructed, It does not break up and reaches the shore with its cargo.

Similarly, even bodhisattvas who have cultivated faith will quickly Be lacking in what it takes for awakening if they have no wisdom. But if they are endowed with the finest perfection of wisdom, They will quickly, unharmed and uninjured, experience a victor’s awakening.

Even if an ailing one hundred and twenty-year-old person Gets up, they are unable to walk on their own. But if they are supported by people on the left and the right, They have no fear of falling and move about easily.

Similarly, even after they have set out, bodhisattvas Who are weak in wisdom degenerate in the interim. But if they are assisted by skillful means and wisdom, They do not degenerate and touch a tathāgata’s awakening.

Those bodhisattvas standing on the level of someone beginning the work Who have set out with a surpassing aspiration for a buddha’s finest awakening, Who are good trainees with respect for their gurus, Must continually rely on learned spiritual friends.

Why? The good qualities of the learned come from them. They give instruction in the perfection of wisdom. The Victor, holder of all the finest qualities, says, “The buddhadharmas are contingent on a spiritual friend.”

Dedicate giving, morality, patience, and similarly perseverance, Concentration, and wisdom to awakening. Do not settle down on awakening and the aggregates and grasp them as an absolute. Those who are beginning the work have to be taught that.

Those practicing like that, oceans of good qualities, moon-like speakers, Are the world’s refuge, final allies, resting place, support, Intelligence, island, leaders, helpers, illuminators, Lamps, propounders of the finest doctrine, and imperturbable.

Greatly glorified, they wear the armor difficult to wear, An armor not of aggregates, constituents, and sense fields. They are free from and not grabbed by the notion of three vehicles; They are irreversible, unshaken, and have the quality of being imperturbable.

You should know that those endowed with such dharmas, free from thought construction, Free from doubt, hesitation, and uncertainty, purposeful, Not procrastinating after hearing the perfection of wisdom, Do not place their trust in others and are irreversible.

This Dharma of the leaders is deep and hard to see. Nobody has realized it and nobody attains it. Therefore, the helpful and compassionate one, having reached awakening, Is uninclined to teach, wondering, “Which group of beings will understand?”

Beings like foundations and want objects. They keep on grasping like blind, uneducated fools. The dharma to be acquired has no foundation and is free from grasping, So it comes up as a topic for dispute with the world.

The space element in the eastern direction, southern direction, And, similarly, in the western direction and northern direction is without an end. It is there above and below, in the ten directions as far as they go, Without differences and without specific features.

The suchness of what has gone and the suchness of what is yet to come, The suchness of the present and the suchness of worthy ones, The suchness of the totality of dharmas, the suchness of victors— All this suchness of dharmas is without a distinguishing feature.

Bodhisattvas who want to reach this— The awakening of the sugatas free from a differentiation of dharmas— Should unite with the perfection of wisdom united with skillful means. There is no attainment without the wisdom of the leaders.

When a bird with a large body of a hundred and fifty yojanas, Feeble and with wings that give out and fail, Launches itself from Trāyastriṃśa to Jambudvīpa, It gets utterly tired out there and drops.

Even were the victors to have accomplished These five perfections for many billions of eons, And to have always resorted to infinite vast prayers in the world, Without method, separated from wisdom, they would have fallen to the state of a śrāvaka.

Those who want to go forth in the Buddha Vehicle Should regard all beings equally, perceive them as father and mother, And train in the thought to benefit and in a mind that is kind. They should be without malice, straightforward, and gentle in speech.

The elder Subhūti petitioned the world protector: Please teach the signs of the conflict-free Oceans of good qualities, how those who are powerful are irreversible from awakening. Victor, please give us just an indication of such good qualities.

Free from the perception of difference, speaking appropriate words, Not relying on others who lead a secluded religious life or brahmins, The wise avoid the three terrible forms of life at all times And work hard on the ten wholesome actions.

They instruct the world in the Dharma for no material benefit, Take singular delight in the Dharma, always speak gently, Are fully mindful when going out, walking, sitting, and resting, And look ahead just as much as a yoke-length when going, without thoughts veering off.

They are clean, wear immaculate clothes, are pure on account of three isolations, Do not want wealth, are like dominant bulls always wanting the Dharma, Are beyond the range of Māra, do not place trust in others, And are absorbed in the four concentrations but do not stand in those concentrations.

They do not want to be famous, their minds are not enveloped in anger, And they become householders without attachment to all real bases, Without seeking possessions by wrong livelihood Through black magic spells or spells to procure women.

They do not foretell a boy or a girl to those who engage in sexual intercourse. They have endeavored at the finest, very isolated perfection of wisdom; Have steered clear of fights and quarrels; have steady loving minds; Always want all-knowledge and have thoughts set on the Dharma;

Have avoided border areas, outer regions where barbarians are born; Are not uncertain about their own level, always like Mount Sumeru; Will forsake even their life for the sake of the Dharma; and have worked hard at yoga— Know that these are the signs they are irreversible from awakening.

Form, feeling, perception, intention, and consciousness are deep. In their basic nature they are without signs and are at peace. Like trying to reach the bottom of the ocean with a reed, When examined with wisdom, a bottom to the aggregates cannot be found.

What greater accomplishment of merit is there Than that of bodhisattvas who have become deep like that, Who realize the Dharma, the ultimate vehicle free from attachment In which there are no aggregates, no sense fields, and no constituents?

As many times in a single day as a man with a strong libido Actively imagines a woman in his mind After setting up a date but not getting her, For that many eons the bodhisattva gets merit.

Bodhisattvas endowed with the perfection of wisdom Who give expression to the Dharma are better than those who give gifts To worthy ones and pratyekabuddhas and guard morality for a thousand One hundred million eons. Such giving and morality do not equal a fraction of that merit.

There is nothing in the three worlds that can match the virtue Of bodhisattvas who, having meditated on the finest perfection of wisdom, Arise from it and give expression to the unsullied Dharma, And dedicate it as the cause of awakening for the sake of the world.

Understanding, furthermore, that such merit Rings hollow, is empty, in vain, a fraud, and pointless, They thus practice the practice of the wisdom of the sugatas, And when practicing appropriate infinite merit.

They know that all these dharmas the buddha has explained, Advocated, and explicated are simply just talk. Even if they are talked about for many billion eons, In the dharma-constituent nothing diminishes and nothing increases.

Those dharmas of the victors called “perfections” Are proclaimed to be just words. Bodhisattvas who dedicate Without falsely projecting them are not ruined And will experience a buddha’s finest awakening.

Just as the wick of an oil lamp is not burned up by its first encounter With a flame, yet not burned up without it either, And just as the wick is not burned up by its last encounter with a tongue of fire Yet the wick is not burned up without the last tongue of fire either,

The finest awakening is not touched because of the first thought, Yet it cannot be touched without it either. The peace of awakening is not gained through the last thought Yet it cannot be gained without it either.

The seedling, flowers, and fruit come forth from the seed. If it has ceased, the tree does not exist since it does not. Similarly, the first thought is also the cause of awakening. If it has ceased, awakening does not exist since it does not.

Just as a pot is gradually filled up with drops of water, The first to the last, with fewer and fewer, So too the first thought is a cause of the finest awakening— Gradually buddhas become replete with good qualities.

Practicing empty, signless, and wishless dharmas They do not touch nirvāṇa and are not involved with causal signs; Like skilled boatmen they cross over and return again, Not alighting at either shore, and not alighting in the ocean either.

Bodhisattvas practicing like that do not falsely project superiority, thinking, “I will be prophesied by those with the ten powers and will touch awakening.” They are not scared of awakening because “there is nothing whatsoever here.” Practicing like that they practice the wisdom of the sugatas.

Seeing the world as a wilderness with starvation and disease They are not scared, and from then they are clothed in armor; Always striving and wisely understanding until the final limit, They do not entertain even a speck of despondency.

Bodhisattvas practicing the wisdom of the victors Know that these aggregates are not produced and are empty from the beginning. When not in equipoise their compassion for the mass of beings is set in motion, And during that time they do not let the buddhadharmas decline.

It is just like a skillful person endowed with all the good qualities, Strong, hard to beat, expert, skilled in vocational arts and rituals, Gone as far as you can go in archery and many crafts, An accomplished magician wanting the welfare of the world,

Who, having brought together parents and spouse And taken them into a wilderness bristling with enemies, Magically conjures up many heroic and brave people, So that they journey and return home safely.

Similarly, at that time skillful bodhisattvas generate great compassion For the entire mass of beings, and having passed beyond The four Māras and two levels, abide in the finest Meditative stabilization and do not touch awakening.

Space supports the wind and it supports the bodies of water; They support this great earth, and it supports the world. The causal basis for a being’s experience of karma is like that. Where is space located? Think about the meaning of this.

Similarly, bodhisattvas abiding in emptiness, Based on the prayer that is a vow to help beings in the world understand, Demonstrate many and varied kinds of work; They do not touch nirvāṇa, and do not stand in emptiness.

When bodhisattvas with clear intelligence Practice the finest meditative stabilization of empty calm, During that time they do not meditate on causal signs; They stand in signlessness, the calmest of calm.

A bird flying in the sky has not taken up a position. It does not stand there yet does not fall to the ground. So too bodhisattvas practicing the three gateways to liberation Do not touch nirvāṇa yet do not practice with causal signs.

It is just like a person trained in archery who shoots an arrow into the sky, And with a series of other arrows in succession Keeps the first arrow from falling to the ground— If the person wished, the arrow would fall to the ground.

So too those practicing the finest perfection of wisdom— Practicing intelligently with wisdom, skillful means, powers, And miraculous powers, they do not obtain that ultimate emptiness Unless and until the wholesome roots are complete.

It is just like a monk endowed with supreme magical power Who stands in the sky with a double and performs miracles, Making a show of standing, walking, lying down, and sitting, Without getting sick of it and without finding it difficult.

So too smart bodhisattvas stand in emptiness With perfected knowledge and magical power, without a dwelling place, Making a show of infinite types of work for the worlds Over a billion eons, without getting sick of it and without finding it difficult.

It is just like somebody standing at the edge of a precipice, With both hands holding two wind-sails, who leaps into the sky To throw their body into the abyss, Not falling for as long as they glide.

Similarly, the smart bodhisattvas stand in compassion, Grasping the two wind-sails of skillful means and knowledge, Considering dharmas as empty, signless, and wishless— Without touching nirvāṇa, they still see the dharmas.

It is just like those desiring jewels who go to a jewel island And, having discovered jewels, return home— These traders do not live a happy life alone there, Ignoring the unhappiness of their relatives and friends.

So too the bodhisattvas who have gone to the emptiness jewel island And obtained the concentrations, faculties, and powers— They do not enjoy alone the experience of nirvāṇa, Ignoring the sufferings of beings.

It is just like traders seeking business who, to gain familiarity, Go to the towns, markets, and villages along the way, But do not stay in them and do not stay even on a jewel island. Clever persons do not stay home but become expert at the path.

Similarly, smart bodhisattvas are expert in all the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha Knowledges and liberations but do not stand in them, Do not stand in the knowledge of a buddha, do not stand In the uncompounded, and have a proper understanding of paths.

When, having forged a connection with the world out of love, They practice empty, signless, and wishless meditative stabilization It is impossible to designate them either as Having reached nirvāṇa or as something compounded.

Just like the body of a person who has been magically conjured Is not invisible, you can designate it in words. Similarly, with bodhisattvas practicing the gateways to liberation, You can designate them in words as well.

If, when asked about practice and faculties, Bodhisattvas do not teach the empty and signless dharmas, And do not explain the dharmas of the irreversible level, You should know that they have not been prophesied to awakening.

If they do not long for the worthy one level, pratyekabuddha knowledge, Or anything in the three realms even in a dream, And if they see the buddhas, and teach the doctrine in the world, You should know that they have been prophesied to be irreversible from awakening.

Those who, in a dream, see beings living in the three terrible forms of life And immediately make a prayer that is a vow to cut the continuum of those terrible forms of life; Who quell a conflagration by means of the controlling power of truth— You should know that they have been prophesied to be irreversible from awakening.

When through the controlling power of truth, with goodwill and empathy, They cure the world of mortals of many demonic spirits and diseases, But without a false sense of superiority and without generating pride— You should know that they have been prophesied to be irreversible from awakening.

If they accomplish all sorts of things through the controlling power of truth And get a false sense of superiority, thinking, “I have been prophesied”— If the false prophecy by someone else makes those bodhisattvas feel superior— You should know that they are slightly intelligent with a false sense of superiority.

Māra approaches through the controlling power of a name And says, “These are the names of your mother and father, These are the names of your ancestors going back seven generations, And when you become a buddha this will be your name;

The types of good qualities you had before are similar To the sorts of asceticism, restraint, and yogic practices you will have.” The bodhisattvas who listen to this and have a false sense of pride— You should know that they are slightly intelligent and being boosted by Māra.

Bodhisattvas doing a retreat in an isolated house, Village, mountain lair, jungle, or isolated forest, Who praise themselves and disparage others— You should know that they are slightly intelligent and being boosted by Māra.

Those who live constantly in a house, in a city or market town, But, apart from bringing beings to maturity and making an effort at awakening, Do not generate a longing for the worthy one or pratyekabuddha vehicles— The children of the sugatas say that they are in isolation.

Were they, unaware of this isolation, to live for many hundreds Of millions of years in a mountain fastness Stretching five hundred yojanas, infested with snakes, Still such bodhisattvas would be living a crowded life with unfounded conceit.

If they look down on bodhisattvas who endeavor for the welfare of the world, Who have gained the concentrations, powers, faculties, liberations, And meditative stabilizations, thinking, “They are not practicing in forest isolation,” The victors say that they are living within the range of Māra.

Whether they live at home or whether they live in the forest, If free from thoughts of the two vehicles and destined for the supreme awakening, They are in the isolation of those who have set out for the welfare of the world. Bodhisattvas who think that they are greater than that one have demeaned themselves.

Therefore, scholars with a fierce aspiration seeking the best awakening Totally overcome a false sense of superiority; Like relying on a doctor to cure a group of patients, They must rely on a spiritual friend without becoming lazy.

Rely on spiritual friends—buddhas, and bodhisattvas who have set out For the supreme awakening who possess the perfections. They are the instructors; this is the ground of accomplishment. On account of these two causes there is a speedy realization of a buddha’s awakening.

For all the victors gone by, yet to come, and now standing In the ten directions, the path is this perfection, nothing else is. This perfection is explained to be the illumination, the light, the torch, The finest teacher of those who have set out for supreme awakening.

Bodhisattvas understand that just as the perfection of wisdom Is marked as empty, all these dharmas are marked as empty too. Understanding that dharmas are empty and without signs, They thus practice the practice of the sugatas’ wisdom.

A being with false imagination wants food, And with a mind attached to saṃsāra always circles around. Both dharmas—“I” and “mine”—are unreal, are empty; Those that are foolish tie knots in space.

It is like those who worry that they have taken poison, And even though no poison was ingested, still collapse. Similarly, fools assenting to “I” and “mine” Have the notion of “I” that is unreal. They are born and die continually.

I have explained that to the extent there is grasping, there is defilement, And said that purification is not apprehending “I” and “mine.” Here, understanding that nothing will be defiled or purified, Bodhisattvas realize the perfection of wisdom.

Were all the beings, as many as there are in Jambudvīpa, To produce the thought of supreme awakening, To give gifts for many hundreds of millions of millennia, And dedicate it all as a cause for awakening for the sake of the world,

Still, were someone to work hard at the finest perfection of wisdom And comply with it even for as little as a single day, The merit from the aggregate of giving would not be even a fraction of that. So one should continually enter into wisdom without becoming lazy.

Yogins practicing the finest perfection of wisdom Generate great compassion yet have no perception of beings. At that point they are smart and worthy of the offerings of the world. They make use of a city’s almsgiving that is never in vain.

Bodhisattvas who want to show the realm of beings the highway to the other side In order to liberate gods, humans, and beings In the three terrible forms of life, linked there for so long, Should make an effort at the perfection of wisdom day and night.

Persons who previously lost their prized precious jewel Are overjoyed when later it is found. If as soon as they have found it, they lose it again through carelessness; They suffer continually from wanting the precious jewel they have lost.

Thus, yogins who have set out for the finest awakening Should not part from the perfection of wisdom that is like a precious jewel, As if taking up a precious jewel that is found, Diligently wrapping it, going quickly, and being at peace.

The sun’s lattice of light rays when the clouds have gone Shines and destroys the blinding dense darkness in its entirety, Surpassing the light of all animals, the light-making insects, And the light of all the hosts of stars and the moon.

Similarly, bodhisattvas skilled at practicing the empty and signless Practice of the finest perfection of wisdom Destroy the darkness of views and surpass Śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and many bodhisattvas.

It is just like the generous and socially responsible son of a king Who is the most excellent of all and rightly sought out. He makes many beings happy even at that time, Not to mention after gaining the resources when he has become king.

So too bodhisattvas skilled at the practice of wisdom Are generous with the elixir of immortality, delighting humans and gods. Even at that time they endeavor to benefit many beings, Not to mention later when established as Dharma kings.

At that time the Māras feel a stab and are wracked by pain, Suffer, undergo mental anguish, and feel weak, And in order to make these bodhisattvas lose confidence, to cause a frightful spectacle, They set the directions on fire and let loose a shower of meteors.

But when those smart bodhisattvas with fierce aspirations Day and night keep the finest perfection of wisdom in view, Then their physical, mental, and verbal conduct is like a bird flying through space— How could the friends of the dark find a way to hurt them?

When bodhisattvas fight, quarrel, Fall out, and harbor angry thoughts toward one another, Māra then feels joy and an intense pleasure, Thinking, “Both are distant from a victor’s knowledge;

“Both are far removed and have become like flesh-eating fiends; Both have broken their promise. How could there be Awakening for those who are angry and impatient?” At that time the Māras and those on their side are pleased.

If bodhisattvas who have not been prophesied entertain angry thoughts About those who have been prophesied, and provoke them into an argument, They will have to buckle on the armor yet again For as many eons as the instants of their hardhearted, faulty thinking.

Those who generate mindfulness, thinking, “Buddhas touch awakening Through the perfection of patience; these thoughts are not good”; Who make a confession of each, restrain themselves in the future, And are not pleased, train here in the buddhadharmas.

Those who, when training, do not assert any training whatsoever, Do not apprehend someone training or dharmas to be trained in, And do not conceive of either training or not training— Those who train like that train here in the buddhadharmas.

The bodhisattvas who understand that sort of training Will never be incompletely trained and never be immoral. They train here in the dharmas to be pleasing to the buddhas; Training with skill in the superior training, they do not apprehend anything.

Thus, they train in the wisdom of the learned light-makers And do not think even a mere single thought that is not wholesome, Just as when the sun moves through space Its rays outshine the darkness before it.

When training in the perfection of wisdom is being done, All the perfections are included in it; Just as the sixty-two views are included in the view of the perishable collection, So too these perfections are said to be included in it.

It is just like when the life faculty shuts down, And all the other sense faculties, as many as there are, shut down too. Similarly, when the finest of experts practice wisdom, It is said that all the perfections are included there as well.

Smart bodhisattvas train in all the good qualities of śrāvakas, So too all the good qualities of pratyekabuddhas, But they do not stand in them and do not long for them. “I have to train in them,” they think, and train because of that.

It is possible to take the measure of a billion Sumerus by weighing it against A unit of weight, but not the goodness of that rejoicing— The rejoicing, with an aspiration, in the production of the thought Of irreversible bodhisattvas who have set out for supreme awakening.

It becomes a rejoicing in the mass of merit of all beings Striving for the wholesome and wanting to be of benefit. So, they acquire the good qualities of the Victor And make the gift of Dharma to the world to bring suffering to an end.

Bodhisattvas free from conceptualization, comprehending That all dharmas are empty, signless, and cannot be elaborated on, Who do not strive for awakening with dualistic wisdom— Those yogins endeavor at the finest perfection of wisdom.

There is no obstruction of the space element by a space; Nobody can find such a thing. So too the bodhisattvas skilled in the practice of wisdom Are like space, pursuing a course of action at peace.

It does not occur to a person conjured by magic, when among people, to think, “I have to make these people happy.” But still it does. It is seen demonstrating various miraculous powers, Though it has no body, has no mind, and does not even have a name.

Similarly, it never occurs to those practicing wisdom to think, “Having realized awakening I will liberate the world.” Though they demonstrate, like illusions, various births and many works, They practice without conceptualization.

It is just like a magically created buddha who does a buddha’s work, Without even a speck of vanity arising while it is being done. Similarly, bodhisattvas skilled in the practice of wisdom Demonstrate every action like a magically created illusion.

A skilled carpenter produces a contraption Like a woman or a man that also does all that has to be done. So too with bodhisattvas skilled in the practice of wisdom— Free from conceptualization, knowledge does all the work.

The many assemblies of gods cup their palms together in a gesture of supplication And bow down and prostrate to those with such a skillful practice, And the buddhas, as many as there are, in worlds In the ten directions, garland their good qualities with praise.

Even if beings in realms as numerous as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River, All of them, were hypothetically to become Māras, And even if each of their pores were to magically create that many again, Still all those would be incapable of hindering the smart bodhisattvas.

There are four reasons why the four Māras cannot Overcome and sway smart and powerful bodhisattvas: They stand in emptiness, do not forsake beings, Are true to their word, and are imbued with the special power of the sugatas.

Know that the fine bodhisattvas who believe In this perfection of wisdom, the mother of the tathāgatas, When it is being explained, and sincerely make an effort To accomplish it, have set out to be a knower of all.

The dharma-constituent does not come to stand in suchness, Just like a cloud in the sky that stands without a place to stand, Or a wandering sky-flying sorcerer who wants a place to stand And casts a spell that makes unexpected flowers and trees appear right there in space.

Bodhisattvas with clear intelligence practicing like that Do not apprehend an awakening or the buddhadharmas And do not apprehend a teacher or someone who wants and sees the Dharma. This is where those who seek peace and delight in good qualities stand.

Setting aside the arhat-liberation of a tathāgata, This standing place is the finest, the highest, Among as many śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha standing places as there are Conjoined with calm meditative stabilization, peace, and ease.

Just as a bird lives in the sky but does not fall to the ground, And a fish lives in water but does not drown, Bodhisattvas gone beyond through concentrations and powers Stand in emptiness but do not pass into complete nirvāṇa.

Those who want to go to the finest quality of all beings, To touch the finest, most supremely marvelous buddha knowledge, And bestow the best, the finest, the most excellent gift of Dharma Should resort to this finest station of those who bring benefit.

Of all the trainings the guides elucidate, This training is the finest, the highest training unrivaled by all. Someone smart who wants to go beyond all training, Should train in this training of a buddha, the perfection of wisdom.

This is the finest dharma lode, the most excellent dharma treasury, The buddha lineage, the world’s storehouse of happiness and well-being. The protectors of the past, still to come, and now in the worlds of the ten directions Are born from it, and yet this dharma-constituent is not exhausted.

As many trees, fruits, and blossoms—whole forests—as there are, They all come forth and appear from the earth, But still the earth is not exhausted, is not increased, is not diminished, Is without conceptualization, and does not feel oppressed.

Buddhas, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, gods, And all the happiness and well-being dharmas, as many as there are, Originate from the finest of perfections, wisdom, But the wisdoms are never exhausted and never increased.

The sugatas have said that the least, the middling, and the best of sentient beings, As many as there are, all originate from ignorance. When the conditions are assembled, the suffering contrivance runs. That ignorance contrivance is never exhausted and never increased.

Knowledge, ways, gateways, means, and roots, as many as there are, All originate from the finest of perfections, wisdom. When the conditions are assembled, the karma contrivance runs. The perfection of wisdom is never exhausted and never increased.

Bodhisattvas who know this wisdom to be a dependent origination, Not produced and not exhausted, destroy the darkness of ignorance And obtain the self-originated state, like the sun when there are no clouds, Emitting light rays and clearing away darkness.

Possessed of great might they abide in the four concentrations Without making them into a foundation or a standing place. But still the four concentrations together with their branches Become the foundation for gaining the most excellent and finest awakening.

Those who gain the finest wisdom abide in the concentrations And also experience the four excellent formless meditative stabilizations. These concentrations are beneficial to the most excellent and finest awakening. Bodhisattvas do not train in them to extinguish the outflows.

This is a totally amazing, marvelous accumulation of good qualities. Having dwelled in the concentrations and meditative stabilizations, There is no causal sign. Those dwelling there, if their bodies Are destroyed, are again born in the desire realm just as they intend.

It is just like a human in Jambudvīpa who has not been To the finest city of the gods in the land of the gods before But later on goes there and sees the places that are gained And, having come back here, is not attached.

Similarly, bodhisattvas who bear the finest qualities, endeavoring at Yogic practice, having dwelled in the concentrations and stabilizations, Again later dwell in the desire realm without any attachment to it; Like a water lotus, they do not stand in the dharmas of childish fools.

Great persons complete the perfections in order to Bring beings to maturity and purify a buddhafield, simply that. They do not do it in order to be born in the formless realm, Lest the good qualities of awakening and the perfections decline.

It is just like persons who find a cache of precious stones And do not feel any desire for them, but at a different time Lay claim to them and, having claimed them, Return home but are not attached to them.

Similarly, smart bodhisattvas who have attained the four calm Concentrations and meditative stabilizations that give joy and happiness, Having forsaken the happiness of concentration, and the concentrations and meditative stabilizations they have attained, Again enter into the desire realm out of compassion for the world.

If bodhisattvas dwell in the meditative stabilizations and concentrations And feel desire for the worthy one and pratyekabuddha vehicles, They have become uncollected, grossly excited, and mentally distracted. The buddha qualities are ruined, like a ferryman whose boat has broken up.

Furthermore, you should know that even though they manifest a zeal for The five sorts of sense objects, for shapes, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings, Separated from the worthy one and pratyekabuddha vehicles, Enjoying the thought of awakening, they are brave and always in equipoise.

Purified bodhisattvas work hard at practicing The perfection of perseverance because of other persons. Like a female slave carrying a water pot under the control of a master, Heroes go about under the control of all beings.

Whether criticized or continually struck, Scared when she thinks about it and overcome with fear, Thinking, “I will get killed for it,” The female slave does not tell her master to stop.

Similarly, for the sake of awakening, those who have set out For the finest awakening should be servants, as it were, of the entire world. From this they will reach awakening and complete the good qualities. Fire starts from tinder and sticks and then burns them up.

Forsaking their own happiness, they work hard day and night At what other beings need without any expectations, Like a mother attending to her only son. Be determined to keep at it without feeling it is hard.

When bodhisattva practitioners willing to spend a long time in saṃsāra Persevering at the welfare of beings and the purification of a buddhafield Do not have even a speck of the feeling of being oppressed, They are endowed with the perfection of perseverance and are not lazy.

If bodhisattvas who are not smart calculate one hundred million eons And have the idea that it is a long time, they will painfully progress toward awakening. They will suffer for a long time while trying to accomplish the Dharma. They are deficient in the perfection of wisdom and are lazy.

If they think in their minds that starting from the first production Of the thought up until reaching unsurpassed awakening Is just one day and night, they should be known As those with clear intelligence making a vigorous attempt.

If someone says, “After Mount Sumeru is destroyed You will reach supreme awakening,” and if that produces A feeling of oppression and they think about the size, Then those bodhisattvas have become lazy.

If they produce the thought that Sumeru is pulverized to dust In just an instant, thinking, “It is only this size—what is the problem?” They are smart bodhisattvas making a vigorous attempt. Before long they will reach the finest awakening of the leaders.

If with the thought, “I will bring beings to maturity and work for their welfare,” They work hard with body, speech, and mind, Standing in the perception of self, they have become lazy. They are as far from all-knowledge as the sky from the earth.

When they have no notion of body, mind, or sentient being, When they have turned back from forming notions And practice a nondual Dharma, the Beneficial One says that is the perfection of perseverance Of those who want the finest awakening, the peace that is never lost.

If they hear someone rebuke or speak harshly to them, Smart bodhisattvas feel pleasure, thinking, “This is my happiness.” Who speaks? Who hears? Who speaks to whom and why? Those endowed with the finest perfection of patience are wise.

Should someone fill the billionfold world with precious stones and give them To the knowers of worlds, buddhas, worthy ones, and pratyekabuddhas, The merit from that aggregate of giving would not be even a fraction Of that of the bodhisattvas endowed with the excellent dharma of patience.

The bodies of those who remain patient become pure, With thirty-two major marks and infinite strength. They proclaim the best Dharma, emptiness, to beings. Patient and wise, they are loved by the world.

If a certain being takes up a container of sandalwood paste And with great respect rubs it on a bodhisattva, And another throws burning ashes over his entire head, He should regard both the same, with a dispassionate attitude.

When smart bodhisattvas who exercise such patience Dedicate that production of the thought to supreme awakening, They are heroes with forbearance for the whole world, surpassing the worthy ones, Pratyekabuddhas, and mass of beings, as many as there are.

Bodhisattvas exercising patience should produce this thought as well: “Given that the hells, animal world, and world of Yama have much suffering, And I have been hurt through being powerless because of sense objects, Why would I not put up with what I have up to now, for awakening?”

Thinking, “I will put up with as much suffering as there is in the world— The whips, sticks, swords, murder, prison, and torture, Decapitation, and the amputation of ears, arms, legs, and nose,” Bodhisattvas stand in the perfection of patience.

Those longing for calm are ennobled by their morality. Standing within the range of the ten powers their morality is unflagging. They carry out all the actions of restraint, as many as there are, For the benefit of all beings and dedicate it to awakening.

Those longing to touch the worthy one and pratyekabuddha awakening Are immoral, not smart, and have a degenerate practice too. Those who dedicate to awakening, the finest peace, Stand in the perfection of morality even if engaged with sense objects.

The Leader says the law from which the heroic ones’ awakened qualities come Is the crux of the morality incumbent upon the righteous, And whatever law causes the awakening of the beneficial ones To degenerate is immorality.

Even if bodhisattvas enjoy the five sense objects, If, having gone for refuge to the Buddha, Dharma, and noble Saṅgha, They are intent upon all-knowledge, thinking, “I have to awaken,” You should know that they are smart and stand in the perfection of morality.

Even if they practice the ten wholesome actions for a hundred million eons, If they generate a longing for the state of a worthy one or pratyekabuddha, Then their morality is faulty, their morality is degenerate. The production of that thought is heavier than even a pārājika defeat.

Bodhisattvas guarding morality, dedicating it To the finest awakening, not falsely projecting anything, Not smug, and avoiding the idea of a self and the idea of beings Are said to stand in the perfection of morality.

Bodhisattvas practicing the path of the victors Are extremely immoral if they entertain various notions, Thinking, “These beings are moral, these immoral.” They have a degenerate morality, not a morality that has been purified.

However could someone without the notion of self or the notion of beings, Free from notions and attachment, not be restrained? The Leader has said that someone who does not falsely project Being restrained and not being restrained is restrained by morality.

Purified beings endowed with such a morality Are unconcerned with all that is pleasant and unpleasant, Uncowed when giving away their head and arms and legs, And always detached when giving away all that they own.

They understand that phenomena are in their basic nature selfless and a fraud, So, since even when they give away their own flesh Their minds are not cowed, what need is there to mention External things? It would be impossible for them to be stingy.

Fools have the notion of self and are attached Because of grasping at things as “mine,” so how could they intend to give things away? Someone who is stingy is born in the abode of ghosts, Or, if born human, will still be destitute.

And so bodhisattvas, knowing that beings are in poverty, Come to admire giving and always give away freely, Feeling joy from giving away the four beautifully decorated continents As though they were a gob of spit, but not so from gaining the continents.

Bodhisattvas with clear intelligence give a gift While focusing on the thought, “May this become a gift given to all beings, As many as there are on the three planes of existence,” Also dedicating it to the finest awakening for the sake of the world.

Without making it into a real thing on which to take a stand, Never hoping for a result, They are smart at giving like that and give away everything. Having given away a trifle it becomes many and immeasurable.

Were as many beings as there are on the three planes of existence, All of them without any left out, hypothetically to give gifts To knowers of worlds, buddhas, worthy ones, and pratyekabuddhas For eons without end seeking the good qualities of a śrāvaka,

And were someone with skillful means To rejoice in their bases of meritorious action And dedicate it to the finest awakening for the sake of beings, That smart bodhisattva dedicating thus would surpass all the worlds.

A single precious of stone of beryl surpasses Glittering stones, all of them, even a great pile, And, similarly, a rejoicing bodhisattva surpasses All the vast heaps of gifts of all the worlds.

If bodhisattvas giving a gift to the world do not make it Their own and do not value it as if property, Then the wholesome roots grow to have great might, Like the cloudless shining circle of the waxing moon.

Through giving bodhisattvas cut off life as a ghost, Cut off destitution and all the afflictive emotions, While practicing gain an unending spread of things to use and enjoy, And through giving cause suffering beings to mature.

By being moral they avoid the many forms of life in the animal world And the eight places that preclude a perfect human birth. They always find a perfect human birth. By being patient they obtain A most excellent and broad body, golden in color, beloved, and attractive to the world.

By persevering, bright good qualities do not decline, And infinite knowledge, the storehouse of the victor’s treasure, is gained. On account of concentration they quit sense objects in disgust And accomplish esoteric knowledge, clairvoyance, and meditative stabilization.

And with wisdom they comprehend the basic nature of all dharmas, Pass perfectly beyond all three realms, And, having turned the precious wheel, as the dominant bull among humans, Teach the Dharma in the world to put an end to suffering.

Those bodhisattvas, having brought these dharmas to completion, Look after a purified buddhafield and purified beings, Look after the line of the Buddha and the line of the Dharma, And similarly look after the Saṅgha and all dharmas as well.

The supreme doctor who cures the sickness of the world has given This instruction on wisdom and the awakening path titled “The Collection of Jewel Qualities, the Awakening Path,” So that all beings will obtain this path.