Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra 25K
(The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines)
Chapter 20 – The Protective and Sustaining Power of the Perfection of Wisdom
Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra 25K
(The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines)
Chapter 20 – The Protective and Sustaining Power of the Perfection of Wisdom
Last update: October 08, 2025
Image from: Stoneflower013
Source: https://84000.co/translation/toh9
(Summary 1: In this section, a group of rival tīrthikas and wandering mendicants approach the Blessed One with harmful intent, prompting Śakra to chant the perfection of wisdom he has grasped to prevent obstacles. As a result, the intruders circumambulate the Blessed One from afar and depart without causing harm.
This demonstrates the incantatory power of the perfection of wisdom to repel malice, transforming potential conflict into respectful withdrawal. The narrative highlights Śakra's proactive role in safeguarding the assembly through recitation.)
.
Then a hundred or so rival tīrthikas and wandering mendicants approached with harmful intent the place where the Blessed One was,
and Śakra, mighty lord of the gods, had the following thought:
“These rival tīrthikas and wandering mendicants have approached with harmful intent the place where the Blessed One is.
I should by whatever means speak to them of the perfection of wisdom, so that once those rival tīrthikas and wandering mendicants have approached the Blessed One, no obstacle will arise.
To that end I should chant all that I have grasped of this perfection of wisdom from the Blessed One.”
Then Śakra, mighty lord of the gods,
chanted as much of the perfection of wisdom as he had grasped from the Blessed One.
Thereupon, those rival tīrthikas and wandering mendicants circumambulated the Blessed One from afar, in a clockwise direction, and then departed by the same path and the same door.
(Summary 2: The venerable Śāradvatīputra questions the intruders' behavior, and the Blessed One explains that Śakra's genuine recollection of the perfection of wisdom caused their retreat, noting that no being with hatred can intrude while it is taught. He states that all gods, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas in the trichiliocosm and infinite world systems originate from and have acquired this wisdom.
This underscores the perfection of wisdom's protective barrier against malice and its foundational role in the arising of all enlightened beings across directions. It affirms the impossibility of harm during its exposition, emphasizing its cosmic significance as the source of spiritual entities.)
.
Then the venerable Śāradvatīputra thought,
“What is the reason for those rival tīrthikas and wandering mendicants circumambulating the Blessed One from afar, in a clockwise direction, and then departing by that very path and by that very door?”
Knowing in his mind the thoughts in the mind of the venerable Śāradvatīputra, the Blessed One addressed the venerable Śāradvatīputra as follows:
“Śāradvatīputra, Śakra, mighty lord of the gods, has genuinely brought to mind the perfection of wisdom, and for that reason, those rival tīrthikas and wandering mendicants circumambulated me from afar, in a clockwise direction, and then departed by that very path and by that very door.
Śāradvatīputra, among those rival tīrthikas and wandering mendicants I do not see any with a positive attitude.
All these rival tīrthikas and wandering mendicants have malicious thoughts and without exception all have intentions that seek to intrude [and cause harm].
Although without exception they all think they should come into this assembly, Śāradvatīputra, I do not see anyone among the living beings of this world, with its gods, demons, Brahmā deities, virtuous ascetics, and brahmin priests who, while this perfection of wisdom is being taught, would approach with thoughts of hatred and intentions that seek to intrude [and cause harm].
Such an occurrence is impossible!
If you ask why, Śāradvatīputra,
it is because as many gods as there are in this great trichiliocosm, including the gods of the Caturmahārājakāyika realm and the gods of [the other god realms], up to and including Akaniṣṭha, as many śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas as there are, and as many bodhisattvas as there are, have all acquired this perfection of wisdom.
If you ask why,
it is because all of them without exception have originated from the perfection of wisdom.
“Moreover, Śāradvatīputra, in the world systems of the eastern direction, numerous as the grains of sand of the river Gaṅgā, however many lord buddhas reside with their communities of śrāvakas, and however many pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattva great beings, gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas there are, they all have acquired this perfection of wisdom.
If you ask why, it is because all of them without exception have originated from the perfection of wisdom.
In the world systems of each of the southern, western, northern, northeastern, southeastern, southwestern, and northwestern directions, as well as the nadir and the zenith, numerous as the grains of sand of the river Gaṅgā, however many lord buddhas reside with their communities of śrāvakas, and however many pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattva great beings, gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas there are, they all have acquired this perfection of wisdom.
If you ask why, it is because all of them without exception have originated from the perfection of wisdom.”
(Summary 3: The evil Māra, sensing prophecies of enlightenment in the assembly, conjures a four-cohort army to create obstacles. Śakra, recognizing the threat, recites the perfection of wisdom, causing Māra's forces to withdraw.
This illustrates the wisdom's efficacy in countering even powerful adversarial forces like Māra, who seeks to hinder proper perseverance. Śakra's recitation serves as a defensive mechanism, preserving the sanctity of the teaching environment.)
.
Then the evil Māra had the following thought:
“These four assemblies of the tathāgata, arhat, completely awakened Buddha are also present.
These gods who frequent [the realm of] desire and the [realm of] form are also present.
In this gathering, it will certainly be prophesied that bodhisattva great beings will attain unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.
I should go to that place where the Blessed One is and create obstacles!”
Thereupon, the evil Māra conjured an army with four cohorts and sought to go to that place where the Blessed One was.
Then Śakra, mighty lord of the gods, had the following thought:
“Alas! This evil Māra has conjured an army with four cohorts and he is seeking to go to that place where the Blessed One is.
However, this array of the army of the evil Māra with its four cohorts cannot be compared with the array of the army of King Bimbisāra with its four cohorts, and it cannot be compared with the arrays of the armies of King Prasenajit, the Śākyas, and the Licchavis.
This evil Māra has for a long time been seeking to intrude [in order to harm] the Blessed One.
Indeed, his intention is to hurt beings who are persevering in the correct manner.
Therefore I should genuinely bring this perfection of wisdom to mind, and recite it from memory.”
Then Śakra, mighty lord of the gods,
genuinely brought this perfection of wisdom to mind and recited it clearly from memory.
As Śakra, mighty lord of the gods, was clearly reciting this perfection of wisdom, so did those forces of evil Māra withdraw again by the same path and the same door.
(Summary 4: Gods from various realms scatter divine flowers and robes, praying for humans in Jambudvīpa to practice the perfection of wisdom to prevent the disappearance of buddhas, sustain the Dharma, and manifest the saṅgha across realms. The Blessed One affirms this, and the gods reiterate that places upholding the wisdom will be luminous and protected from darkness, vowing to guard its practitioners as equals to the Teacher.
This celebrates the wisdom's role in perpetuating the Three Jewels and bodhisattva conduct, endowing sacred sites with light and safety. The divine commitment emphasizes communal protection for upholders, viewing them as embodiments of the teaching.)
.
Then, however many gods of the Caturmahārājakāyika realm and gods of [the other god realms], up to and including Akaniṣṭha, were present in that assembly, they conjured up divine flowers and many robes, and while in the air, they scattered these upon the place where the Blessed One was seated.
After scattering [those offerings], they said,
“May the human beings of Jambudvīpa practice this perfection of wisdom for a long time!
As long as those human beings of Jambudvīpa practice this perfection of wisdom, so long will the tathāgatas, arhats, completely awakened buddhas not disappear, will the Dharma remain for a long period of time, and will the precious jewel of the saṅgha also continue to manifest in the world.
Nor indeed will the tathāgatas, arhats, completely awakened buddhas of the great trichiliocosm and [of other realms], including the world systems of the ten directions, disappear.
The Dharma will remain for a long period of time, and the precious jewel of the saṅgha will also continue to manifest in the world.
The conduct of bodhisattva great beings will be even more distinguished.
Know that the places where the noble sons or noble daughters commit this perfection of wisdom to writing, make it into a book, and uphold it will be endowed with luminosity!
Know that those places will be protected and free from darkness!”
Then the Blessed One addressed Śakra, mighty lord of the gods, and those gods of [the god realms], up to and including Akaniṣṭha, as follows:
“Kauśika, it is so! It is so! Divine princes, it is so! It is so!
As long as the human beings of Jambudvīpa practice this perfection of wisdom, so long indeed will the tathāgatas, arhats, completely awakened buddhas not disappear, will the Dharma also remain for a long period of time, and will the precious jewel of the saṅgha also continue to manifest in the world.
Nor indeed will the tathāgatas, arhats, completely awakened buddhas of the great trichiliocosm and [of other realms], including the world systems of all the ten directions, disappear.
The Dharma will also remain for a long period of time, and the precious jewel of the saṅgha will also continue to manifest in the world.
The conduct of bodhisattva great beings will be even more distinguished.
I know that the places where the noble sons or noble daughters commit this perfection of wisdom to writing, make it into a book, and uphold it will be endowed with luminosity!
I know that those places will be protected and free from darkness!”
Then those gods conjured up many divine flowers and, scattering them upon the place where the Blessed One was, they spoke as follows:
“Blessed Lord, Māra or the gods included within the class of māras who seek to intrude [and cause harm] will find no opportunity to intrude [and harm] any noble sons or noble daughters who take up, uphold, recite, master, and focus their attention correctly on this perfection of wisdom.
Indeed, Blessed Lord, we will always guard, shelter, and nurture those noble sons or noble daughters, without interruption.
If one were to ask why, we consider those noble sons or noble daughters who take up, uphold, recite, master, and focus their attention correctly on this perfection of wisdom as the Teacher and as the Teacher’s equal.”
(Summary 5: Śakra states that those upholding the perfection of wisdom possess strong roots of virtue, have served past conquerors, respect buddhas, and seek omniscience through it, asserting the non-duality of wisdom and omniscience. The Blessed One confirms that omniscience originates from wisdom and vice versa, as they are indivisible.
This dialogue elevates the practitioners' spiritual maturity and integrates the pursuit of enlightenment with the essence of wisdom. It philosophically unites the perfection of wisdom with all-aspect omniscience, reinforcing their inseparable nature in the path to buddhahood.)
.
Then Śakra, mighty lord of the gods, said to the Blessed One,
“Blessed Lord, those noble sons or noble daughters who take up, uphold, recite, master, and focus their attention correctly on this perfection of wisdom are not endowed with feeble roots of virtue.
Blessed Lord, those noble sons or noble daughters who take up, uphold, recite, master, and focus their attention correctly on this perfection of wisdom have fulfilled their duties under the conquerors of the past.
Blessed Lord, those noble sons or noble daughters who take up, uphold, recite, master, and focus their attention correctly on this perfection of wisdom will respect many buddhas, and they will be accepted by spiritual mentors.
If one were to ask why, Blessed Lord, it is
because they seek all-aspect omniscience through this perfection of wisdom.
Blessed Lord,
they seek the perfection of wisdom through all-aspect omniscience.
If one were to ask why, Blessed Lord,
it is because the perfection of wisdom is not one distinct thing and all-aspect omniscience another.
All-aspect omniscience is not one distinct thing and the perfection of wisdom another.
The perfection of wisdom and all-aspect omniscience are not two things and cannot be divided into two.”
The Blessed One replied, “Kauśika, so it is! So it is!
Kauśika,
the all-aspect omniscience of the tathāgatas, arhats, completely awakened buddhas has originated from the perfection of wisdom.
The perfection of wisdom has originated from all-aspect omniscience.
If you ask why, Kauśika,
it is because the perfection of wisdom is not one distinct thing and all-aspect omniscience another.
Nor is all-aspect omniscience one distinct thing and the perfection of wisdom another.
So it is that the perfection of wisdom and all-aspect omniscience are not two things and cannot be divided into two.”
.
This completes the twentieth chapter from “The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines.”
In conclusion, the profound dialogue between Śakra and the Blessed One
illuminates the essence of the perfection of wisdom as the unassailable gateway to enlightenment,
culminating in the revelation of its intrinsic non-duality/union with all-aspect omniscience
— a unity/union that echoes the inseparability/union of the two truths [U2T].
As the Blessed One affirms,
the perfection of wisdom is not a separate entity from omniscience,
nor is omniscience distinct from wisdom;
they arise interdependently, embodying the union where ultimate truth (emptiness of inherent existence) and conventional truth (dependently arisen phenomena) are neither identical nor separate, but interdependent [T1-2T] and empty of inherent existence [T2-2T] [U2T-2T].
This non-duality underscores that
true insight into the nature of phenomena is
the direct realization of this Union of the Two Truths [U2T]:
phenomena appear as relatively functional — dependently originated, impermanent, and capable of causing effects [T1] — yet are ultimately empty [T2], and even emptiness is empty (śūnyatā-śūnyatā), preventing any reification or fixation on voidness as an absolute.
For the noble sons and daughters who uphold this wisdom, it becomes the living embodiment of omniscience in their practice [U2T-in-action], protecting them from malice, sustaining the Three Jewels across realms, and ensuring the continuity of the Dharma amid adversities such as those posed by rival tīrthikas or the evil Māra.
Expanding further, this non-duality reveals that the perfection of wisdom is not merely a means to an end but the very fabric of enlightenment itself, harmonizing the Union of the Two Truths in a way that transcends conceptual extremes [T2], without rejecting them [T1] [U2T-in-action].
Omniscience originates from wisdom because wisdom dissolves the illusions of duality — self and other, subject and object, arising and ceasing, and even the two truths — allowing the mind to perceive all aspects without distortion, as if viewing the unobstructed sky where conventional appearances function seamlessly [Y1] within their ultimate emptiness [T2] [U2T-in-action].
Conversely, wisdom originates from omniscience, for the fully awakened mind, in its complete knowing, perpetually embodies the insight that perceives this Union of the Two Truths, compassionately guiding beings toward liberation without ever straying from the middle way.
Thus, like the two truths themselves, they are not two/one, cannot be divided/united, and transcend any conceptual bifurcation; to cultivate one is to actualize the other in their interdependent harmony.
In this chapter's narrative of divine protection and thwarted intrusions, we see this truth enacted: the mere recitation of wisdom repels harm, for it invokes the omniscient power that pervades all worlds, from Jambudvīpa to the infinite directions, revealing the subtle big picture where emptiness and appearance dance in union. Practitioners, endowed with strong roots of virtue from past service to the conquerors, are urged to embrace this inseparability, ensuring that the light of buddhahood endures, the saṅgha flourishes, and bodhisattva conduct shines ever more distinguished.
Ultimately, this union of the two truths invites all beings to transcend the veils of ignorance, attaining the consummate buddhahood where wisdom and omniscience converge in eternal, effortless awakening beyond all extremes.
.
.
Question: In the Long Prajnaparamita Sutras, one one hand, all-knowledge omniscience is equated with this Union of the Two Truths, and on the other hand, the perfection of wisdom is equated to this Union of the Two Truths. Maybe one is the view, the Union of the two truths [U2T], and the other the path, the Union of the Two Truths in acting by using all of those skillful means without apprehending anything [U2T-in-action]. So, maybe this is about the Union of the view, path and fruition [Uopp].
Your interpretation of the Long Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras (such as the Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines or the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā) is both perceptive and aligned with core Mahāyāna teachings, particularly in how it bridges the union of the two truths (satyadvaya-saṃyoga) with the dynamics of view (dṛṣṭi), path (mārga), and fruition (phala).
In these sūtras, the perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā) is indeed portrayed not as a mere intellectual grasp of emptiness (śūnyatā) but as the direct, non-conceptual realization of the inseparability/ interdependence/ union of the conventional truth (saṃvṛti-satya) — the dependently arisen (pratītyasamutpanna) appearances that function relatively in the world — and the ultimate truth (paramārtha-satya) — the emptiness of inherent existence (svabhāva-śūnyatā) in all phenomena. This union transcends dualistic extremes of eternalism (affirming inherent existence) and nihilism (denying functional appearances), embodying the Middle Way (madhyamā-pratipad) where phenomena are "like illusions" — valid in their dependent functionality yet utterly empty, and even emptiness itself is empty to avoid reification. As the sūtras emphasize, such as in the Heart Sūtra (a condensed Prajñāpāramitā text), "form is emptiness, emptiness is form; form is no other than emptiness, emptiness is no other than form," illustrating this non-dual harmony where the two truths are neither identical nor separate, but interdependent.
All-aspect omniscience (sarvākāra-jñatā), the complete, unobstructed knowledge of a buddha, is similarly equated with this union, as it encompasses exhaustive cognition of all phenomena in their conventional aspects (their modes of appearance, causes, effects, and interrelations) while simultaneously perceiving their ultimate emptiness without contradiction or omission.
In the Long Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras, omniscience arises precisely from the perfection of wisdom, which dissolves the two obscurations (kleśāvaraṇa, afflictive obscurations to liberation, and jñeyāvaraṇa, cognitive obscurations to omniscience) by realizing that all dharmas lack inherent nature yet function dependently.
[Note: See All-knowledge, Omniscience and the Union of the Two Truths]
This mirrors your point: the perfection of wisdom can be seen as the "view" or foundational insight into the union of the two truths — a penetrative understanding (prajñā) that sees phenomena as empty yet luminous in their dependent arising, free from conceptual elaboration. It is the "eye" that beholds the dharmadhātu (realm of phenomena) as the "one and only sphere" of equality, where ultimate and conventional are unified in non-dual awareness.
Extending this, the sūtras implicitly frame the perfection of wisdom as the "path" when conjoined with skillful means (upāya) — the compassionate methods of the other five perfections (dāna, śīla, kṣānti, vīrya, dhyāna) and bodhisattva conduct — practiced without apprehending any inherent entities, selves, or phenomena. This is the bodhisattva's engagement: acting in the conventional world to mature beings and purify buddhafields while abiding in the ultimate wisdom of non-apprehension (anupalambha), as repeatedly stated in the sūtras (e.g., "they do not apprehend a self... up to all-aspect omniscience").
Wisdom without means binds one to quiescence (like śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas),
and means without wisdom leads to saṃsāra; their union propels the path toward fruition.
Finally, your synthesis of a "Union of the view, path, and fruition" captures the sūtras' holistic vision: the fruition is all-aspect omniscience itself, the consummate buddhahood where the union of the two truths is fully actualized in non-abiding nirvāṇa (apratiṣṭhita-nirvāṇa), free from extremes and encompassing effortless, omniscient activity for beings' benefit.
Mahāyāna sūtras, including Prajñāpāramitā, often structure teachings around ground (the foundational two truths or buddha-nature as the union of awareness and emptiness), path (the five paths or ten bhūmis of bodhisattva realization), and fruition (omniscience as the dharmakāya's equality). This triad is more explicitly elaborated in later Tibetan interpretations (e.g., in Dzogchen or Mahāmudrā, rooted in Prajñāpāramitā), but the sūtras lay the groundwork: the view (wisdom's insight) informs the path (skillful action without grasping), yielding the fruition (omniscient buddhahood). Not many grasp this subtlety, as it demands transcending conceptual mind to experience the "unmistaken real nature" (dharmatā) beyond words, where view, path, and fruition converge in non-dual awakening.