Then the venerable Subhūti asked the Blessed One, “Blessed Lord, if there are bodhisattva great beings who have not revered the lord buddhas, have not even perfected the roots of virtuous action, and have not even been favored by spiritual mentors, would they not attain all-aspect omniscience?”

“Subhūti,” replied the Blessed One, “bodhisattva great beings who have not revered the lord buddhas, have not even perfected the roots of virtuous action, and have not even been favored by spiritual mentors will not attain all-aspect omniscience. If you ask why, when even those who have revered the lord buddhas, have perfected the roots of virtuous action, and have attended upon spiritual mentors cannot now attain all-aspect omniscience, how could those who have not revered the lord buddhas, have not perfected the roots of virtuous action, and have not been favored by spiritual mentors possibly attain all-aspect omniscience! That would be impossible. Therefore, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings who wish to maintain authentically the name of a bodhisattva and those who wish to swiftly attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment should revere the lord buddhas. They should develop manifold roots of virtuous action, and they should attend upon spiritual mentors.”

“Blessed Lord, why do bodhisattva great beings not attain all-aspect omniscience, even though they have revered the lord buddhas, have perfected the roots of virtuous action, and have attended upon spiritual mentors?”

“It is because they are without skill in means,” replied the Blessed One. “They have not acquired those means from the lord buddhas, nor have they developed such roots of virtuous action, and neither have they attended upon such spiritual mentors who would reveal those means to them. This is why they do not attain [all-aspect omniscience].”

“Blessed Lord, what is the skill in means that bodhisattva great beings have, through which they would attain all-aspect omniscience?”

“In this regard, Subhūti,” replied the Blessed One, “when bodhisattva great beings, commencing from the time when they first begin to set their mind on enlightenment, practice the perfection of generosity, while focusing their attention with all-aspect omniscience in mind they dispense gifts to the lord buddhas, the pratyekabuddhas, the śrāvakas, and to humans and nonhumans. That is to say, through focusing their attention with all-aspect omniscience in mind, as far as those gifts are concerned they do not even have the perception of a gift. They have no perception of a recipient, nor do they have any perception of a giver. In this way they know that all phenomena are empty of their own defining characteristics, and they see that all phenomena are nonexistent, unoriginated, unconsummated, and not brought into being. Although they penetrate the defining characteristics of all phenomena, they do so through defining characteristics that are unconditioned in that all phenomena are said to be utterly ineffectual. Since they are endowed with such skill in means, they practice the perfection of generosity while increasing their roots of virtuous action. Practicing the perfection of generosity, they bring beings to maturity and refine the buddhafields. But other than that, in practicing the perfection of generosity in order that they might protect all beings and bring beings to maturity, they do not aspire for other fruits of their gifts, such that they would enjoy in cyclic existence.”