Then the venerable Subhūti said to the Blessed One, “Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend physical forms should train in the perfection of wisdom. Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness should train in the perfection of wisdom. Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend the eyes should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend the ears, the nose, the tongue, the body, and the mental faculty should train in the perfection of wisdom. Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend sights should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend sounds, odors, tastes, tangibles, and mental phenomena should train in the perfection of wisdom. Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend visual consciousness should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend auditory consciousness, olfactory consciousness, gustatory consciousness, tactile consciousness, and mental consciousness should train in the perfection of wisdom. Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend visually compounded sensory contact should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend aurally compounded sensory contact, nasally compounded sensory contact, lingually compounded sensory contact, corporeally compounded sensory contact, and mentally compounded sensory contact should train in the perfection of wisdom. Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend feelings conditioned by visually compounded sensory contact should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend feelings conditioned by aurally compounded sensory contact, feelings conditioned by nasally compounded sensory contact, feelings conditioned by lingually compounded sensory contact, feelings conditioned by corporeally compounded sensory contact, and feelings conditioned by mentally compounded sensory contact should train in the perfection of wisdom.

“Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend ignorance should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend formative predispositions, consciousness, name and form, the six sense fields, sensory contact, sensation, craving, grasping, the rebirth process, actual birth, aging, ill health, death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, discomfort, and agitation should train in the perfection of wisdom.

“Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who wish to abandon desire, hatred, and delusion should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to abandon false views about perishable composites should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to abandon doubt and a sense of moral and ascetic supremacy should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to abandon attachment to [the realm of] desire and malice should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to abandon attachment to [the realms of] form and formlessness should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to abandon all fetters, latent impulses, and obsessions should train in the perfection of wisdom.

“Bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend the four nourishments should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to abandon the four bonds, the four torrents, the four knots, the four graspings, and the four misconceptions should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to abandon the paths of the ten nonvirtuous actions should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the paths of the ten virtuous actions should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the four meditative concentrations should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the four immeasurable attitudes should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the four formless absorptions should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the five extrasensory powers should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the perfection of generosity should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the perfection of ethical discipline, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the emptiness of internal phenomena should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, and [the other aspects of emptiness], up to and including the emptiness of the essential nature of nonentities, should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the four applications of mindfulness should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the four correct exertions, the four supports for miraculous ability, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven branches of enlightenment, and the noble eightfold path should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the four truths of the noble ones, the eight aspects of liberation, and the nine serial steps of meditative absorption should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the ten powers of the tathāgatas should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, great loving kindness, great compassion, and the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas should train in the perfection of wisdom.

“Bodhisattva great beings who wish to dwell in the meditative stability associated with the branches of enlightenment—that is to say, arising from the first meditative concentration, to become absorbed in cessation, and on arising from that, to become absorbed in the second meditative concentration; arising from that, to become absorbed in cessation, and on arising from that, to become absorbed in the third meditative concentration; arising from that, to become absorbed in cessation, and on arising from that, to become absorbed in the fourth meditative concentration; arising from that, to become absorbed in cessation, and on arising from that, to become absorbed in the meditative stability of loving kindness; arising from that, to become absorbed in cessation, and on arising from that, to become absorbed in the meditative stability of compassion; arising from that, to become absorbed in cessation, and on arising from that, to become absorbed in the meditative stability of empathetic joy; arising from that, to become absorbed in cessation, and on arising from that, to become absorbed in the meditative stability of equanimity; arising from that, to become absorbed in cessation, and on arising from that, to become absorbed in the sphere of infinite space; arising from that, to become absorbed in cessation, and on arising from that, to become absorbed in the sphere of infinite consciousness; arising from that, to become absorbed in cessation, and on arising from that, to become absorbed in the sphere of nothing-at-all; arising from that, to become absorbed in cessation, and on arising from that, to become absorbed in the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception; and on arising from that to become absorbed in cessation—should train in the perfection of wisdom.

Bodhisattva great beings who wish to be absorbed in the meditative stability named yawning lion should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to be absorbed in the meditative stability named lion’s play should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to attain all the dhāraṇī gateways and all the gateways of meditative stability should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to be absorbed in the meditative stability named heroic valor should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to be absorbed in the meditative stability named precious seal should train in the perfection of wisdom. Bodhisattva great beings who wish to be absorbed in the meditative stability named moonlight, the meditative stability named crest of the moon’s victory banner, the meditative stability named sealing of all phenomena, the meditative stability named sealing of Avalokita, the meditative stability named certainty in the realm of all phenomena, the meditative stability named crest of certainty’s victory banner, the meditative stability named vajra-like , the meditative stability named gateway entering into all phenomena, the meditative stability named king of meditative stabilities, the meditative stability named seal of the king, the meditative stability named array of power, the meditative stability named sublimation [of all phenomena], the meditative stability named engaging with certainty in lexical explanations with respect to all phenomena, the meditative stability named entry into knowledge of all phenomena, the meditative stability named observation of the ten directions, the meditative stability named seal of the gateway of all dhāraṇīs, the meditative stability named unimpaired by all phenomena, the meditative stability named natural seal absorbing all phenomena, the meditative stability named abiding in space, the meditative stability named purity of the three spheres , the meditative stability named unimpaired extrasensory power, the meditative stability named worthy repository, the meditative stability named shoulder ornament of the victory banner’s crest, the meditative stability named incineration of all afflictions, the meditative stability named dispelling of the army of the four māras, the meditative stability named lamp of wisdom, the meditative stability named sublimation through the strength of the ten powers, and the meditative stability named unattached, liberated, and uncovered like space should train in perfection of wisdom. So it is that bodhisattva great beings who wish to attain these [meditative stabilities] and the other gateways of meditative stability should train in the perfection of wisdom.

“Moreover, Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who wish to fulfill the aspirations of all beings should train in the perfection of wisdom. Furthermore, Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who wish to fulfill the roots of virtue so that—because they will have perfected the roots of virtue—they do not regress to the three lower realms, are not born in inferior families, do not regress to the level of the śrāvakas or the level of the pratyekabuddhas, or succumb to the great immaturity that bodhisattvas might have, should train in the perfection of wisdom.”

Then the venerable Śāradvatīputra asked the venerable Subhūti, “Venerable Subhūti, how do bodhisattva great beings succumb to great immaturity?”

The venerable Subhūti replied, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, when bodhisattva great beings who lack skill in means practice the six perfections, in doing so by basing themselves with a lack of skill in means on the meditative stabilities of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, they do not regress to the level of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, but nor do they enter a bodhisattva’s full maturity. That is the immaturity of bodhisattva great beings.”

“Venerable Subhūti, why is that the immaturity of bodhisattva great beings?”

Subhūti replied, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, that ‘immaturity’ of bodhisattva great beings is a craving for the Dharma.”

“Venerable Subhūti,” he asked, “what is craving for the Dharma?”

“Venerable Śāradvatīputra,” replied Subhūti, “when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom, they become attached and adhere to the notion they have that physical forms are empty, and similarly, they become attached and adhere to the notion they have that feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness are empty. Venerable Śāradvatīputra, these notions are the craving for the Dharma, indicative of the immaturity of bodhisattva great beings.

“Moreover, Venerable Śāradvatīputra, bodhisattva great beings become attached and adhere to the notion they have that physical forms are impermanent, and they become attached and adhere to the notion they have that feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness are impermanent. They become attached and adhere to the notion they have that physical forms are imbued with suffering; the notion that feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness are imbued with suffering; the notion that physical forms are not a self; the notion that feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness are not a self; the notion that physical forms are at peace; the notion that feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness are at peace; the notion that physical forms are empty; the notion that feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness are empty; the notion that physical forms are without signs; the notion that feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness are without signs; and the notion that physical forms are without aspirations. They become attached and adhere to the notion they have that feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness are without aspirations. These notions, Venerable Śāradvatīputra, are the craving for the Dharma indicative of the immaturity of bodhisattva great beings.

“They become attached and adhere to the notions they have that these physical forms are to be renounced, and that they should renounce physical forms; that these feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness are to be renounced, and that they should renounce consciousness [and the other aggregates]; that this suffering should be comprehended, and that they should comprehend suffering; that this cause of suffering should be renounced, and that they should renounce the cause of suffering; that this cessation [of suffering] should be actualized, and that they should actualize the cessation [of suffering]; that this path should be cultivated, and that they should cultivate the path; that this is affliction and that is purification; that these attributes should be tended and those attributes should not be tended; that bodhisattva great beings should do this and they should not do that; that this is the path of the bodhisattvas and that is not the path; that this is the training of the bodhisattvas and that is not the training; that this is the bodhisattvas’ perfection of generosity, and that is not the perfection of generosity; that this is the bodhisattvas’ perfection of ethical discipline, and that is not the perfection of ethical discipline; that this is the bodhisattvas’ perfection of tolerance, and that is not the perfection of tolerance; that this is the bodhisattvas’ perfection of perseverance, and that is not the perfection of perseverance; that this is the bodhisattvas’ perfection of meditative concentration, and that is not the perfection of meditative concentration; that this is the bodhisattvas’ perfection of wisdom, and that is not the perfection of wisdom; that this is the bodhisattvas’ skill in means, and that is not skill in means; and that this is the maturity of the bodhisattvas, and that is their immaturity. These notions are the craving for the Dharma indicative of the immaturity of bodhisattva great beings.”

“Venerable Subhūti, what is the maturity of a bodhisattva great being?”

“Venerable Śāradvatīputra,” replied Subhūti, “in this regard, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom, they do not observe the emptiness of external phenomena in the emptiness of internal phenomena, they do not observe the emptiness of internal phenomena in the emptiness of external phenomena, they do not observe the emptiness of external and internal phenomena in the emptiness of external phenomena, they do not observe the emptiness of external phenomena in the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, they do not observe the emptiness of emptiness in the emptiness of external and internal phenomena, they do not observe the emptiness of external and internal phenomena in the emptiness of emptiness, they do not observe the emptiness of great extent in the emptiness of emptiness, they do not observe the emptiness of emptiness in the emptiness of great extent, they do not observe the emptiness of ultimate reality in the emptiness of great extent, they do not observe the emptiness of great extent in the emptiness of ultimate reality, they do not observe the emptiness of conditioned phenomena in the emptiness of ultimate reality, they do not observe the emptiness of ultimate reality in the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, they do not observe the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena in the emptiness of conditioned phenomena, they do not observe the emptiness of conditioned phenomena in the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, they do not observe the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end in the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, they do not observe the emptiness of unconditioned phenomena in the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, they do not observe the emptiness of nonexclusion in the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, they do not observe the emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end in the emptiness of nonexclusion, they do not observe the emptiness of the unlimited in the emptiness of nonexclusion, they do not observe the emptiness of nonexclusion in the emptiness of the unlimited, they do not observe the emptiness of inherent existence in the emptiness of the unlimited, they do not observe the emptiness of the unlimited in the emptiness of inherent existence, they do not observe the emptiness of all intrinsic defining characteristics in the emptiness of inherent existence, they do not observe the emptiness of inherent existence in the emptiness of all intrinsic defining characteristics, they do not observe the emptiness of all phenomena in the emptiness of all intrinsic defining characteristics, they do not observe the emptiness of all intrinsic defining characteristics in the emptiness of all phenomena, they do not observe the emptiness of nonapprehensibility in the emptiness of all phenomena, they do not observe the emptiness of all phenomena in the emptiness of nonapprehensibility, they do not observe the emptiness of nonentities in the emptiness of nonapprehensibility, they do not observe the emptiness of nonapprehensibility in the emptiness of nonentities, they do not observe the emptiness of essential nature in the emptiness of nonentities, they do not observe the emptiness of nonentities in the emptiness of essential nature, they do not observe the emptiness of the essential nature of nonentities in the emptiness of essential nature, and they do not observe the emptiness of essential nature in the emptiness of the essential nature of nonentities. Venerable Śāradvatīputra, if bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom accordingly, they will enter a bodhisattva’s full maturity.

“Moreover, Venerable Śāradvatīputra, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom, they should train as follows: While they are training, they should by all means be aware of physical forms, but they should not give rise to conceits on account of those physical forms. They should be aware of feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness, but they should not give rise to conceits on account of those feelings, those perceptions, those formative predispositions, or that consciousness. They should be aware of the eyes, but they should not give rise to conceits on account of the eyes. They should be aware of the ears, the nose, the tongue, the body, and the mental faculty, but they should not give rise to conceits on their account. They should be aware of sights, but they should not give rise to conceits on their account. They should be aware of sounds, odors, tastes, tangibles, and mental phenomena, but they should not give rise to conceits on their account. They should be aware of visual consciousness, but they should not give rise to conceits on that account. They should be aware of auditory consciousness, olfactory consciousness, gustatory consciousness, tactile consciousness, and mental consciousness, but they should not give rise to conceits on their account. They should be aware of visually compounded sensory contact, but they should not give rise to conceits on that account. They should be aware of aurally compounded sensory contact, nasally compounded sensory contact, lingually compounded sensory contact, corporeally compounded sensory contact, and mentally compounded sensory contact, but they should not give rise to conceits on their account. They should be aware of feelings conditioned by visually compounded sensory contact, but they should not give rise to conceits on their account. They should be aware of feelings conditioned by aurally compounded sensory contact, feelings conditioned by nasally compounded sensory contact, feelings conditioned by lingually compounded sensory contact, feelings conditioned by corporeally compounded sensory contact, and feelings conditioned by mentally compounded sensory contact, but they should not give rise to conceits on their account. They should be aware of the earth element, but they should not give rise to conceits on that account. They should be aware of the water element, the fire element, the wind element, the space element, and the consciousness element, but they should not give rise to conceits on their account. They should be aware of ignorance, but they should not give rise to conceits on that account. They should be aware of formative predispositions, consciousness, name and form, the six sense fields, sensory contact, sensation, craving, grasping, the rebirth process, actual birth, and aging and death, but they should not give rise to conceits on their account. They should be aware of the perfection of generosity, but they should not give rise to conceits on that account. They should be aware of the perfection of ethical discipline, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom, but they should not give rise to conceits on account of them, up to and including the perfection of wisdom. They should be aware of the emptiness of internal phenomena, but they should not give rise to conceits on account of that emptiness of internal phenomena. They should be aware of [the other aspects of emptiness], up to and including the emptiness of the essential nature of nonentities, but they should not give rise to conceits on account of that emptiness of the essential nature of nonentities [and so forth]. They should be aware of the meditative concentrations, the immeasurable attitudes, and the formless absorptions, but they should not give rise to conceits on their account. They should be aware of the extrasensory powers, but they should not give rise to conceits on their account.

“They should be aware of the five eyes, but they should not give rise to conceits on their account. They should be aware of the applications of mindfulness, but they should not give rise to conceits on their account. They should be aware of the correct exertions, the supports for miraculous ability, the faculties, the powers, the branches of enlightenment, and the noble eightfold path, but they should not give rise to conceits on their account. They should be aware of the truths of the noble ones, the eight aspects of liberation, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, and the gateways to the meditative stabilities and dhāraṇīs, but should not give rise to conceits on their account. They should be aware of the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, great loving kindness, great compassion, and the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas, but should not give rise to conceits on their account.

“Venerable Śāradvatīputra, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom, they should not give rise to conceits even on account of the mind of enlightenment, nor should they give rise to conceits on account of the mind that is equal to the unequaled, nor should they give rise to conceits concerning the mind of vast extent. If you ask why, it is because that mind is not mind. The nature of the mind is luminosity.”

“Venerable Subhūti, what is luminosity—the intrinsic nature of mind?”

“Venerable Śāradvatīputra,” replied Subhūti, “mind neither has desire, nor is it without desire. It neither has hatred, delusion, obsession, obscuration, impediment, latent impulses, fetters, mistaken views, or the mindsets of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, nor is it without them. This, Venerable Śāradvatīputra, is the natural luminosity of the mind that bodhisattva great beings have.”

“Venerable Subhūti! Does this mind that is not the mind exist?”

“Venerable Śāradvatīputra,” replied Subhūti, “does that which is not mind exist or not exist? Is it apprehensible?”

“No, Venerable Subhūti!”

Subhūti then said, “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, if that which is not the mind has neither existence nor nonexistence, and if it is nonapprehensible, then, Venerable Śāradvatīputra, how can you be correct in asking, ‘Does this mind that is not the mind exist?’ ”

“Venerable Subhūti, what is that which is not the mind?”

“Venerable Śāradvatīputra,” replied Subhūti, “that which is not the mind is unchanging and without conceptual notions. That is the real nature of all phenomena. In it there is no mind. This is said to be inconceivable.”

“Venerable Subhūti, just as the mind is unchanging and without conceptual notions, are physical forms also unchanging and without conceptual notions? Similarly, are feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness also unchanging and without conceptual notions? Just as the mind is unchanging and without conceptual notions, is the sensory element of the eyes also unchanging and without conceptual notions? Are the sensory element of sights and the sensory element of visual consciousness also unchanging and without conceptual notions? Are the sensory element of the ears, the sensory element of sounds, the sensory element of auditory consciousness, the sensory element of the nose, the sensory element of odors, the sensory element of olfactory consciousness, the sensory element of the tongue, the sensory element of tastes, the sensory element of gustatory consciousness, the sensory element of the body, the sensory element of touch, the sensory element of tactile consciousness, the sensory element of the mental faculty, the sensory element of mental phenomena, and the sensory element of mental consciousness also unchanging and without conceptual notions? Are the sense fields, the aggregates, the sensory elements, the links of dependent origination, the perfections, all the aspects of emptiness, the applications of mindfulness, the correct exertions, the supports for miraculous ability, the faculties, the powers, the branches of enlightenment, the noble eightfold path, the truths of the noble ones, the meditative concentrations, the immeasurable attitudes, the formless absorptions, the eight aspects of liberation, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, the extrasensory powers, and the gateways to the meditative stabilities and dhāraṇīs also unchanging and without conceptual notions? Are great loving kindness, great compassion, the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, and the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas also unchanging and without conceptual notions? Are [all the attainments], up to and including all-aspect omniscience, also unchanging and without conceptual notions?”

“Venerable Śāradvatīputra, it is so!” replied Subhūti. “Just as the mind is unchanging and without conceptual notions, the aggregates, the sensory elements, the six sense fields, the links of dependent origination, the branches of enlightenment [and the other causal attributes], the four truths of the noble ones, the meditative concentrations, the immeasurable attitudes, the formless absorptions, the eight aspects of liberation, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, the extrasensory powers, the gateways to the meditative stabilities and dhāraṇīs, great loving kindness, great compassion, the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas, and [all the attainments], up to and including all-aspect omniscience, are also unchanging and without conceptual notions.”

Then the venerable Śāradvatīputra said, “You have spoken well, Venerable Subhūti! Excellent, excellent, Venerable Subhūti! You are the son and heir of the Blessed Lord! Born from his mouth, arisen from the Dharma, emanated by the Dharma, inheritor of the Dharma, not an inheritor of material things but one who sees the dharmas in plain sight and witnesses them in the body, you are the one said by the Blessed Lord to be foremost among śrāvakas who practice without afflicted mental states, and this teaching of yours has all the likeness of that quality.

“Venerable Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings should indeed train in accordance with the perfection of wisdom; it should be understood that it is through doing so that bodhisattva great beings progress irreversibly; and it should be understood that bodhisattva great beings in that way do not part from the perfection of wisdom. But also, Venerable Subhūti, those who wish to train on the level of the śrāvakas should earnestly study, take up, uphold, recite, master, and focus their attention correctly on this very perfection of wisdom; those who wish to train on the level of the pratyekabuddhas should also earnestly study, take up, uphold, recite, master, and focus their attention correctly on this very perfection of wisdom, too; and indeed those who wish to train on the level of the bodhisattvas and the level of the buddhas should earnestly study, take up, uphold, recite, master, and focus their attention correctly on this very perfection of wisdom. If you ask why, it is because it is through this perfection of wisdom that the three vehicles in which bodhisattva great beings, śrāvakas, and pratyekabuddhas should train at all times, without interruption, are extensively taught.”