Then the venerable Subhūti asked the Blessed One, “Blessed Lord, how should bodhisattva great beings who practice the perfection of wisdom investigate emptiness? How should they be absorbed in the meditative stability of emptiness? How should they investigate signlessness? How should they be absorbed in the meditative stability of signlessness? How should they investigate wishlessness? How should they be absorbed in the meditative stability of wishlessness? How should they investigate the four applications of mindfulness? How should they cultivate the four applications of mindfulness? How should they investigate the correct exertions, the supports for miraculous ability, the faculties, the powers, the branches of enlightenment, and the noble eightfold path? How should they cultivate the noble eightfold path [and those other causal attributes]. How should they investigate 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, the meditative stabilities, the dhāraṇī gateways, 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? How should they cultivate the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas [and those other fruitional attributes]?”

“Subhūti,” replied the Blessed One, “bodhisattva great beings who practice the perfection of wisdom should determine that physical forms are empty. They should determine that feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness are empty. They should determine that the sense fields, the sensory elements, and the links of dependent origination are empty. They should determine that all the perfections, all the aspects of emptiness, and the thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment are empty. They should determine that [all the causal and fruitional attributes], up to and including the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas, are empty. They should determine that the realm of desire is empty. They should determine that the realm of form and the realm of formlessness are empty. By whatever means they make such determinations, they should do so with an unwavering mind. One whose mind is unwavering does not observe those phenomena. One who does not observe those phenomena, does not actualize them. If you ask why, it is because such bodhisattva great beings will have trained with regard to all phenomena, which are empty of their own defining characteristics. They do not delimit any phenomenon. They do not observe anything that brings into being, anything that is to be brought into being, or anything by which bringing into being takes place.”

Subhūti then asked, “Blessed Lord, when the Blessed One said that bodhisattva great beings should not actualize phenomena that are empty, how then, Blessed Lord, do bodhisattva great beings dwell in emptiness and not actualize emptiness?”

“Subhūti,” replied the Blessed One, “when bodhisattva great beings determine the emptiness endowed with all its finest aspects, they do not think, ‘I actualize it! I will actualize it!’ They do not think, ‘I should actualize it!’ Rather, they think, ‘I should thoroughly investigate it.’ And they think, ‘This is the time for investigation, but this is not the time for actualization.’ Bodhisattva great beings, when not in a state of absorption, focus their minds on perceptual objects and without any interruption on that account do not lapse from the factors conducive to enlightenment. Yet they do not actualize the state that is free from contaminants. If you ask why, it is because bodhisattva great beings are endowed with such extensive wisdom. They are established in the factors conducive to enlightenment, and know accordingly, ‘This is the time for investigation, not the time for actualization.’

“Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings who practice the perfection of wisdom should determine, ‘This is the time for the perfection of generosity. This is the time for the perfection of ethical discipline, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom. This is the time for cultivating the applications of mindfulness. This is the time for cultivating the correct exertions, the supports for miraculous ability, the faculties, the powers, the branches of enlightenment, and the noble eightfold path. This is the time for cultivating emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness. This is the time for acquiring the extrasensory powers, the meditative stabilities, and the dhāraṇī gateways. This is the time for acquiring the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, and the eighteen distinct attributes of the buddhas. This is the time for acquiring great loving kindness and great compassion.’

“ ‘However, this is not the time for actualizing the fruit of entering the stream to nirvāṇa. This is not the time for actualizing the fruit of being destined for only one more rebirth, the fruit of no longer being subject to rebirth, or the fruit of arhatship. This is not the time for actualizing the wisdom of the pratyekabuddhas. This is the time for acquiring and not relinquishing all-aspect omniscience!’

“Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom accordingly, they investigate emptiness and they course through emptiness. They investigate signlessness and they course through signlessness. They investigate wishlessness and they course through wishlessness. They cultivate the applications of mindfulness and they course through the applications of mindfulness. They cultivate the correct exertions, the supports for miraculous ability, the faculties, the powers, and the branches of enlightenment, and they course through the branches of enlightenment [and so forth]. They cultivate the noble eightfold path, and yet they do not actualize it. So it is, Subhūti, that bodhisattva great beings investigate the factors conducive to enlightenment. They cultivate the factors conducive to enlightenment. They course through the factors conducive to enlightenment. But they do not actualize the fruit of entering the stream to nirvāṇa. They do not actualize the fruit of being destined for only one more rebirth, the fruit of no longer being subject to rebirth, the fruit of arhatship, or individual enlightenment.

“As an analogy, Subhūti, supposing there was a heroic man, expert, steadfast, of fine physique, handsome, beautiful to behold, fair-complexioned, fully developed, and well trained in archery, who had also handled sharp weapons, perfected all the sixty-four crafts, fully mastered all the arts and fields of activity, and who was pleasing to many people and congenial. He would acquire great rewards in all the tasks he had to undertake and on account of those rewards, in the presence of many people, he would be served, respected, honored, and worshiped, causing him to greatly rejoice, in joy, utter joy, and comfort. If he were then, for some purpose, to escort his parents, child, and wife, entering a hair-raising wilderness where childlike persons are afraid, on entering into it, that man would fearlessly exhort his parents, child, and wife, ‘Do not fear! Do not be afraid! I will swiftly get you out and swiftly release you from this fearful and uncomfortable wilderness.’ Even if murderous enemies and many assailants were to harass him in that wilderness, he, being endowed with the supreme power of wisdom, would lead his parents, child, and wife from that wilderness and free them safely and without affliction, getting them back to a village, city, market town, or inhabited district, unharmed and uninjured, joyful and comfortable, and his mind would be without enmity toward those beings who were his enemies and assailants. If you ask why, it is because that man has mastered all the crafts, in consequence of which he can in that wilderness conjure other assault forces that are for the most part more numerous, more heroic, and better armed than those assailants. All those assailants would disappear out of fear, and that man, having released his parents, child, and wife without affliction, would then dwell at ease.

“Similarly, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings maintain [a state of mind] imbued with thoughts that direct loving kindness, and with thoughts that direct compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity toward all beings, at that time, those bodhisattva great beings are established in the four immeasurable attitudes and they complete the six perfections. After completing these, while not achieving the cessation of contaminants, they will investigate all-aspect omniscience. Established in the gateways to liberation—emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness—they investigate all-aspect omniscience. At that time bodhisattva great beings do not course through signs, and they do not actualize any meditative stability of signlessness, so that they do not actualize anything that would cause them to dwell on the level of the śrāvakas or the level of the pratyekabuddhas.

“As an analogy, Subhūti, a bird moves through the air and does not fall to the ground. It flies through the sky or the air but does not dwell in them. Similarly, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings investigate emptiness, and they also course in emptiness. They investigate signlessness and wishlessness, and they also course in signlessness and wishlessness. But they do not actualize emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, which, when actualized, would cause them to lapse into the level of the śrāvakas or the level of the pratyekabuddhas, without perfecting 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.

“As an analogy, Subhūti, when a powerful man who is a master of archery, extremely well trained in archery, fires an arrow far into the sky, and then fires a succession of other arrows, one after another, he can prevent that first arrow from falling to the ground. Indeed, it will not fall to the ground as long as he does not make the wish, ‘Now I should let that arrow fall to the ground!’ But when he ceases to fire the subsequent arrows, the arrows would all fall to the ground in succession, one after the other. Similarly, Subhūti, as long as bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom that is retained by skill in means, they do not actualize the genuine very limit of reality until the roots of virtuous action have been brought to maturity in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment. But when those roots of virtuous action have been brought to maturity in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, they do actualize the authentic very limit of reality. So it is, Subhūti, that bodhisattva great beings who practice the perfection of wisdom should make a definitive analysis in accord with the reality of these phenomena.”

Then [the venerable Subhūti] said, “Blessed Lord, how wonderful it is, Blessed Lord, that while bodhisattva great beings train in this reality, train in the very limit of reality, train in the real nature, train in the realm of phenomena, train in [the aspects of emptiness], up to and including the emptiness of independent characteristics, and train in the three gateways to liberation, the difficult achievement is that they do not lapse in the interim from unsurpassed, complete enlightenment. Sugata, this is most amazing!”

“Subhūti,” replied the Blessed One, “this is because such bodhisattva great beings do not forsake any beings. Subhūti, such are the extraordinary aspirations of those bodhisattva great beings who have not forsaken any beings. Subhūti, those bodhisattva great beings magnanimously think, ‘I will not forsake any beings. I should release all these beings who maintain inauthentic doctrines.’ When bodhisattva great beings skillfully actualize the meditative stability of emptiness as a gateway to liberation, when they actualize the meditative stability of signlessness as a gateway to liberation, and when they actualize the meditative stability of wishlessness as a gateway to liberation, one should know that they do not actualize the very limit of reality in the interim until they have attained all-aspect omniscience.

“Moreover, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings seek to analyze the emptiness of internal phenomena, the emptiness of external phenomena, the emptiness of both external and internal phenomena, [and the other aspects of emptiness], up to and including the emptiness of the essential nature of nonentities, as well as 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 three gateways to liberation, and those [other] profound topics, they magnanimously think, ‘I will attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, and teach the Dharma in order that these beings—who, over a long period of time, have been practicing by way of apprehending, owing to the notion of self, the notion of beings, the notion of life forms, the notion of living beings, the notion of life, the notion of living creatures, the notion of individual personalities, the notion of human beings, the notion of people, the notion of actors, the notion of experiencers, and the notion of the experiencing subject—might abandon their apprehendings!’ At that time, even though bodhisattva great beings become absorbed in the meditative stabilities of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness—the gateways to liberation—they do not actualize the very limit of reality through which the fruit of entering the stream to nirvāṇa is attained, through which the fruit of being destined for only one more rebirth, the fruit of no longer being subject to rebirth, and arhatship are attained, and through which individual enlightenment is attained.

“Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings who set their minds on enlightenment in that manner, who possess the roots of virtuous action and are endowed with skillful means, will also not, in the interim, actualize the very limit of reality. Nor will the perfection of generosity be diminished. Nor will the perfection of ethical discipline, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of meditative concentration, or the perfection of wisdom be diminished. Nor will the emptiness of internal phenomena [and the other aspects of emptiness], up to and including the emptiness of the essential nature of nonentities, be diminished. Nor will the four applications of mindfulness, the four correct exertions, the four supports for miraculous ability, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven branches of enlightenment, or the noble eightfold path be diminished. Nor will the truths of the noble ones, the meditative concentrations, the immeasurable attitudes, or the formless absorptions be diminished. Nor will the eight aspects of liberation, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, emptiness, signlessness, or wishlessness be diminished. Nor will the five extrasensory powers, the meditative stabilities, the dhāraṇī gateways, the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, great loving kindness, great compassion, the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas, or unsurpassed, complete enlightenment be diminished.

“Subhūti, so it is that when bodhisattva great beings are endowed with the factors conducive to enlightenment, they will not be diminished until they have attained consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment. Those bodhisattva great beings who have been favored with skill in means are enhanced by virtuous attributes, and their sense faculties become keener, unlike the sense faculties of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.

“Moreover, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings think, ‘For a long period of time these beings have been engaging in four misconceptions, namely the notion of permanence, the notion of happiness, the notion of self, and the notion that existence is pleasant. So I should attain enlightenment for their sake. When I have attained consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, by whatever means I should teach them the Dharma that the notion of permanence, the notion of happiness, the notion of self, and the notion of the pleasant are without basis.’ Since they have set their minds accordingly on enlightenment and practice the perfection of wisdom through skill in means, they will not actualize the very limit of reality until they have perfected the ten powers of the tathāgatas, and until they have perfected the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas, great loving kindness, and great compassion. At that time, even though bodhisattva great beings may have become absorbed in the meditative stabilities of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness—the gateways of liberation—they will not actualize the very limit of reality until they have attained consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.

“Moreover, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings think, ‘For a long period of time these beings have engaged, by way of apprehending, in the concept of self; or the concepts of sentient beings, life forms, living beings, life, living creatures, individual personalities, human beings, people, actors, experiencers, knowers, and viewers; or the concept of physical forms; or the concepts of feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness; or the concept of the sense fields, the concept of the sensory elements, the concept of the links of dependent origination, the concept of the perfections, the concept of the aspects of emptiness, the concept of the factors conducive to enlightenment, and the concepts of the truths of the noble ones, the meditative concentrations, the immeasurable attitudes, and the formless absorptions; or the concepts of the aspects of liberation, the serial steps of meditative absorption, emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness; or the concepts of the extrasensory powers, the meditative stabilities, and the dhāraṇī gateways; or the concepts of the powers of the tathāgatas, the fearlessnesses, the kinds of exact knowledge, great loving kindness, great compassion, and the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas. Therefore, on their behalf, when by whatever means I have attained consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, I will ensure that the faults in the apprehending of beings are eliminated!’

“Those who have set their minds on enlightenment in that manner and who practice the perfection of wisdom, endowed with skill in means, do not actualize the very limit of reality until they have perfected the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas, great loving kindness, and great compassion. At that time, bodhisattva great beings will perfect the cultivation of the meditative stabilities of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness.

“Moreover, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom, they think, ‘For a long period of time these beings have engaged with signs, that is to say, they have engaged with signs denoting the female gender; signs denoting the male gender; signs denoting physical forms; signs denoting feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness; signs denoting the sense fields, sensory elements and links of dependent origination; signs denoting the perfections, the aspects of emptiness, and the factors conducive to enlightenment; signs denoting [the fruitional attributes], up to and including the distinct qualities of the buddhas; and signs denoting [the goals], up to and including all-aspect omniscience. Therefore, on their behalf, when by whatever means I have attained consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, I will ensure that these faults of beings are eliminated!’ Those who have set their minds on enlightenment in that manner and practice the perfection of wisdom with skill in means will not actualize the very limit of reality until they have perfected the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas, great loving kindness, and great compassion. At that time, bodhisattva great beings will perfect the cultivation of the meditative stabilities of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness.

“Moreover, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom, they think, ‘For a long period of time these beings have engaged with aspirations, that is to say, they have aspired to the status of Śakra, the status of Brahmā, the status of a guardian of the world, or the status of a universal monarch. They have aspired to physical forms. They have aspired to feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness. They have aspired to [all the causal and fruitional attributes and goals], up to and including all-aspect omniscience. Therefore, on their behalf, I will attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment. I will teach the Dharma so that by whatever means I will ensure that these faults of the aspirations of beings are eliminated!’ Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings who have set their minds on enlightenment in that manner and practice the perfection of wisdom with skill in means will perfect the cultivation of the meditative stabilities of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness—the gateways of liberation. They will not actualize the very limit of reality until they have perfected the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas, great loving kindness, and great compassion, and so on, until they have attained consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.

“It is impossible and there is no chance, Subhūti, that bodhisattva great beings who practice the six perfections; who practice the emptiness of internal phenomena and [the other aspects of emptiness], up to and including the emptiness of the essential nature of nonentities; who practice the applications of mindfulness; who practice the correct exertions, the supports for miraculous ability, the faculties, the powers, the branches of enlightenment, and the noble eightfold path; who practice the truths of the noble ones, the meditative concentrations, the immeasurable attitudes, and the formless absorptions; who practice the aspects of liberation, the serial steps of meditative absorption, emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, the extrasensory powers, the meditative stabilities, and the dhāraṇī gateways; and who practice 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—and who investigate them, endowed with the vision of such wisdom—will lapse into that which should not be actualized, or become associated with the three realms.

“It should be asked of bodhisattva great beings who practice accordingly and investigate these factors conducive to enlightenment, ‘How do bodhisattva great beings who wish to attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment investigate these [fruitional] attributes, but not actualize emptiness and not actualize the very limit of reality through the realization of which the fruit of entering the stream to nirvāṇa is attained, and through which the fruit of being destined for only one more rebirth, the fruit of no longer being subject to rebirth, arhatship, and individual enlightenment are attained? How do they not actualize signlessness, wishlessness, nonconditioning, nonarising, and nonentity, but do indeed cultivate the perfection of wisdom?’

“Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings who practice the perfection of wisdom are questioned by other bodhisattva great beings in that manner, if they respond, saying that they should focus their attention on emptiness, and they should focus their attention on signlessness, wishlessness, nonconditioning, nonarising, noncessation, and nonentity, then, Subhūti, those [other] bodhisattva great beings should know that these bodhisattva great beings have been prophesied by the lord buddhas to attain unsurpassed, complete enlightenment. If you ask why, it is because they declare, predict, and distinguish the investigation that irreversible bodhisattva great beings should achieve.

“Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings are questioned in that manner, if they respond, saying that they should not investigate emptiness, that they should not investigate signlessness, wishlessness, nonconditioning, nonarising, noncessation, and nonentity, and that they should not investigate the factors conducive to enlightenment, then, Subhūti, those [other] bodhisattva great beings should know that these bodhisattva great beings have not been prophesied by the lord buddhas to attain unsurpassed, complete enlightenment. If you ask why, it is because they do not declare, do not predict, and do not distinguish the investigation that irreversible bodhisattva great beings should achieve.

“With regard to those bodhisattva great beings who do not declare, do not predict, and do not distinguish the [fruitional] attributes of irreversible bodhisattva great beings, [other] bodhisattva great beings should know that they will not transcend the level of the attenuated refinement [of the śrāvakas], in the manner in which irreversible bodhisattva great beings have investigated and transcended the level at which progress has become irreversible.”

“Blessed Lord, is there a reason why bodhisattvas may be styled ‘irreversible’?”

“Subhūti, there is!” replied the Blessed One. “Subhūti, whether or not bodhisattva great beings have studied the six perfections, irreversible bodhisattvas will respond precisely in the manner of an irreversible bodhisattva great being.”

“Blessed Lord, for that reason there are many who are engaged in [the pursuit of] enlightenment, but there are few who could respond in the manner of an irreversible bodhisattva great being, whether they dwell on the purificatory levels or the nonpurificatory levels.”

“Subhūti, it is so! It is so!” replied the Blessed One. “If you ask why, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings of whom the level of irreversible wisdom has been prophesied are few in number. Those who have been prophesied will respond correctly. One should know that those who respond correctly have cultivated the roots of virtuous action. Subhūti, those bodhisattva great beings will not be captivated by the whole world, with its gods, humans, and asuras.”