“Subhūti, the moment the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita came into possession of those six million meditative stabilization gateways, he beheld, in world systems as many as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River in the eastern direction, southern direction, western direction, and northern direction, in the intermediate directions, and in the directions below and above, the lord buddhas surrounded by a community of monks and at the head of an assembly of bodhisattvas, as many as there are sand particles in the Gaṅgā River, teaching the perfection of wisdom in just such ways as these, with just these names, and in just these words, just as I, Subhūti, the Dharma teacher in this great billionfold world system, am now teaching the perfection of wisdom surrounded by a community of monks and at the head of an assembly of bodhisattvas in just such ways as these, with just these names, and in just these words. He became endowed with inconceivably great learning and an ocean-like erudition; he was never separated from the buddhas wherever he was born; in all his lives he took birth in places where he would come face to face with the lord buddhas; and he was not separated from the lord buddhas even in dreams. He avoided the places that preclude a perfect human birth and accomplished a perfect human birth.

“Subhūti, from this one of many explanations, you should know that this perfection of wisdom brings about the bodhisattva great beings’ knowledge of a knower of all. Therefore, Subhūti, those bodhisattva great beings who want to gain the knowledge of a knower of all should practice the perfection of wisdom.”

Then the Lord said to venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, bodhisattvas must take up, bear in mind, read aloud, and study this perfection of wisdom in order to perfectly look after it. They must also explicate it in detail to others. Ānanda, bodhisattva great beings should listen to, take up, bear in mind, read aloud, master, read aloud to others, clearly articulate, teach, and recite from memory this perfection of wisdom. Having carefully written it out in a big book with the letters made clear, extremely clear, under the controlling power of the tathāgata, they should respect, revere, honor, worship, praise, and attend to it with flowers, incense, perfumes, creams, powders, robes, parasols, flags and banners, and with rosaries of lamps all around it and by worshiping it in many ways. This, Ānanda, is my instruction. And why? Ānanda, what do you think, is the Tathāgata your teacher?”

“You are my teacher, Lord. You are my teacher, Sugata,” replied Ānanda.

The venerable Ānanda having affirmed that, the Lord said to him, “Ānanda, the Tathāgata is your teacher, and, Ānanda, you have served me with kind and touching physical action, with kind and touching verbal action, and with kind and touching mental action. Therefore, Ānanda, just as you have cherished, had serene confidence in, and venerated this body of mine in which I am now dwelling and maintaining myself, when I am gone, do the same toward this perfection of wisdom. I entrust this perfection of wisdom to you, Ānanda, a second time and a third time so that one way or the other it does not die out, and so that you are not the last person. I pass it on to you.

“Know, Ānanda, that as long as this perfection of wisdom circulates in the world, the Tathāgata will remain and the Tathāgata will teach the Dharma. Know, Ānanda, that those beings who listen to, take up, bear in mind, read aloud, master, read aloud to others, clearly articulate, teach, recite from memory, and write out in letters this perfection of wisdom—those who respect, revere, honor, worship, praise, and attend to it with flowers, incense, perfumes, flower garlands, creams, powders, robes, parasols, flags and banners, and with rosaries of lamps all around it—by worshiping it in many ways, will not become separated from seeing the Buddha, will not become separated from hearing the Dharma, and will not become separated from serving the Saṅgha. And know, Ānanda, that those beings live their lives in the presence of the Tathāgata.”

When the Lord had said that, bodhisattva great being Maitreya and so on, venerable Subhūti, venerable Śāriputra, venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana, venerable Mahākāśyapa, venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇī­putra, venerable Kātyāyana, venerable Aniruddha, venerable Revata, venerable Rāhula, and venerable Ānanda, together with the gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas, rejoiced and praised the teaching of the Lord.

The Noble Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines is completed. It has been translated, proofed, and prepared for publication by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra, Surendrabodhi, Yeshé Dé, and so on.