Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra 25K
(The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines)
Chapter 4 – Training in the Perfection of Wisdom for Maturity and Non-Conceit
Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra 25K
(The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines)
Chapter 4 – Training in the Perfection of Wisdom for Maturity and Non-Conceit
Last update: November 30, 2025
Image from: Stoneflower013
Source: https://84000.co/translation/toh9
(Chapter 4, untitled in the text, continues the dialogue on the perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā), focusing on how bodhisattva great beings should train in it to comprehend, abandon, and perfect various phenomena without attachment or conceit. Through Subhūti's teachings and exchanges with Śāradvatīputra, it distinguishes between immaturity (craving for Dharma through conceptual attachment) and maturity (non-observing of emptinesses), emphasizes training without conceit, explores the luminous nature of mind, and concludes that this sūtra benefits all vehicles. The overall theme is skillful training in wisdom that avoids reification, leading to non-conceptual realization and benefit for all beings.
This chapter builds on Chapter 3's emptiness teachings by shifting to practical training, maturity, and non-conceit, preparing bodhisattvas for advanced realization while benefiting all practitioners.)
(Summary 1: Subhūti instructs that bodhisattvas aspiring to fully comprehend the aggregates (form, feelings, etc.), sense faculties and objects, consciousnesses, sensory contacts, feelings, dependent origination (ignorance to aging and death), and defilements (desire, hatred, etc.) must train in prajñāpāramitā. This extends to abandoning fetters, perfecting virtuous paths, meditative concentrations, immeasurables, formless absorptions, extrasensory powers, the six perfections, emptiness aspects, paths (applications of mindfulness to noble eightfold path), truths, liberations, absorptions, powers, fearlessnesses, and distinct buddha qualities. The repetitive emphasis underscores comprehensive training in wisdom as the foundation for all attainments.)
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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 (without training in it).
Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend the eyes
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
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 (without training in it).
Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend sights
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
Bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend sounds, odors, tastes, tangibles, and mental phenomena
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend visual consciousness
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
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 (without training in it).
Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend visually compounded sensory contact
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
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 (without training in it).
Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend feelings conditioned by visually compounded sensory contact
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
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 (without training in it).
“Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend ignorance
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
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 (without training in it).
“Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who wish to abandon desire, hatred, and delusion
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
Bodhisattva great beings who wish to abandon false views about perishable composites
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
Bodhisattva great beings who wish to abandon doubt and a sense of moral and ascetic supremacy
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
Bodhisattva great beings who wish to abandon attachment to [the realm of] desire and malice
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
Bodhisattva great beings who wish to abandon attachment to [the realms of] form and formlessness
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
Bodhisattva great beings who wish to abandon all fetters, latent impulses, and obsessions
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
“Bodhisattva great beings who wish to comprehend the four nourishments
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
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 (without training in it).
Bodhisattva great beings who wish to abandon the paths of the ten nonvirtuous actions
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the paths of the ten virtuous actions
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the four meditative concentrations
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the four immeasurable attitudes
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the four formless absorptions
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the five extrasensory powers
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the perfection of generosity
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
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 (without training in it).
Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the emptiness of internal phenomena
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
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 (without training in it).
Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the four applications of mindfulness
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
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 (without training in it).
Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
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 (without training in it).
Bodhisattva great beings who wish to perfect the ten powers of the tathāgatas
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
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 (without training in it).
(Summary 2: Subhūti describes advanced meditative practices, such as cycling through concentrations (first to fourth, loving kindness to equanimity, infinite space to neither perception nor nonperception) and absorptions in cessation. Bodhisattvas should train in prajñāpāramitā to attain specific stabilities (e.g., yawning lion, heroic valor, vajra-like) and all dhāraṇī/meditative gateways. This leads to fulfilling beings' aspirations and perfecting roots of virtue to avoid lower realms, inferior births, or regression to śrāvaka/pratyekabuddha levels, preventing "great immaturity.")
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“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 (without training in it).
Bodhisattva great beings who wish to be absorbed in the meditative stability named yawning lion
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
Bodhisattva great beings who wish to be absorbed in the meditative stability named lion’s play
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
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 (without training in it).
Bodhisattva great beings who wish to be absorbed in the meditative stability named heroic valor
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
Bodhisattva great beings who wish to be absorbed in the meditative stability named precious seal
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
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 the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
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 (without training in it).
“Moreover, Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings who wish to fulfill the aspirations of all beings
should train in the perfection of wisdom (without training in it).
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 (without training in it).”
(Summary 3: Śāradvatīputra questions immaturity, and Subhūti explains it as lacking skill in means while practicing perfections or emptinesses, leading to neither regression nor full maturity. Immaturity is "craving for the Dharma" — attachment to notions like aggregates being empty, impermanent, suffering, nonself, peaceful, signless, or aspirationless; or ideas of renunciation, comprehension, paths, training, and distinctions between maturity/immaturity. Such conceptual adherence indicates immaturity, as it reifies Dharma notions.)
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(i.e. Great immaturity: Practicing while reifying, grasping / getting attached to some dharmas and dualities; discriminating in absolute terms; accepting this while rejecting that; doing this while not-doing that; seeking this while abandoning that.)
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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.”
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“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.”
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“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.”
(Summary 4: Subhūti defines maturity as non-observing one emptiness in another (e.g., not observing internal emptiness in external, or vice versa, across all 18 emptiness aspects up to the emptiness of the essential nature of nonentities). This non-dual, non-conceptual approach—practicing wisdom without proliferating observations—allows bodhisattvas to achieve full maturity, transcending attachment to emptinesses as separate or inherent.)
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(i.e. Great maturity of bodhisattvas: Practicing without practicing, without attachment, reification, effort or absolute, without accepting / seeking / doing / affirming in absolute terms, rejecting / abandoning / not-doing / negating in absolute terms, changing / improving / purifying in absolute terms, just conventionally, relatively. Thus more and more in accord with the Middle Way free from all extremes (‘this’, ‘non-this’) and middle (both, neither), and more and more in accord with the true nature of reality as it is (tathata, suchness) as pointed out by the Unions [U2T / U3S / Uopp / UGM / U3K / U2T-2T].)
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“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 (without practicing it),
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.
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(Note: Explanation of Section 4: Bodhisattva Maturity Through Non-Observation of One Emptinesses into Another
In Chapter 4 of The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines, Section 4 (as per the segmentation in my previous summary) focuses on defining the "maturity" (full spiritual development or paripāka) of bodhisattva great beings in contrast to "immaturity" (aparipāka). This section arises from a dialogue between Śāradvatīputra and Subhūti, where Śāradvatīputra asks what constitutes maturity. Subhūti responds by describing a non-conceptual, non-dual approach to practicing the perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā), emphasizing that bodhisattvas achieve maturity by avoiding any observational or conceptual proliferation regarding the various aspects of emptiness (śūnyatā). The section lists the 18 or 20 traditional aspects of emptiness (a standard Mahāyāna enumeration, including internal emptiness, external emptiness, emptiness of emptiness, etc., up to the emptiness of the essential nature of nonentities) and instructs that bodhisattvas should not "observe" one in another. This practice ensures they transcend attachment to emptiness as a reified concept, leading to irreversible progress toward enlightenment. Overall, the section shifts from the chapter's earlier emphasis on comprehensive training (comprehending phenomena, abandoning defilements) to the subtle pitfalls of conceptual clinging, even to profound insights like emptiness, and how to overcome them for true bodhisattva advancement.
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Meaning of "They Do Not Observe the Emptiness of External Phenomena in the Emptiness of Internal Phenomena"
This phrase is part of a repetitive, exhaustive negation that Subhūti uses to describe mature practice. It refers to the bodhisattva's non-dual, non-conceptual engagement with the various "emptinesses" (śūnyatā categories) during meditation on wisdom. To break it down:
The Aspects of Emptiness: In Mahāyāna Buddhism, particularly in Prajñāpāramitā texts, emptiness is analyzed through multiple lenses or "aspects" (often 18 or 20 in enumerations) to help practitioners understand its universality. For example:
"Internal emptiness" (adhyātma-śūnyatā) refers to the emptiness of internal phenomena, like the five aggregates (form, feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, consciousness) or the sense faculties (eyes, ears, etc.)—things associated with the subjective self or body-mind complex.
"External emptiness" (bahirdhā-śūnyatā) refers to the emptiness of external phenomena, like sense objects (sights, sounds, etc.) or the outer world.
The list extends to more abstract aspects, such as "emptiness of emptiness" (śūnyatā-śūnyatā), "emptiness of great extent" (mahā-śūnyatā), "emptiness of ultimate reality" (paramārtha-śūnyatā), and so on, up to "emptiness of the essential nature of nonentities" (abhāvasvabhāva-śūnyatā).
"Do Not Observe... in...": The verb "observe" (anupaśyati or similar in Sanskrit) implies conceptual viewing, analyzing, or mentally grasping one emptiness as distinct from, contained within, or interrelated with another in a dualistic way.
Subhūti negates this proliferation: bodhisattvas do not see internal emptiness "in" external emptiness (or vice versa), nor do they observe any aspect "in" another. This isn't literal spatial containment (like one box inside another); it's a deconstruction of conceptual boundaries. It means:
Avoiding reification: Not treating emptinesses as separate, inherent entities or categories that can be intellectually dissected or "found" within each other.
Transcending duality: Emptiness is not multiple or divisible — it's singular and all-pervasive suchness (tathatā). Observing one "in" another would imply duality (e.g., internal vs. external as real distinctions), leading to attachment or craving for Dharma notions.
Non-conceptual realization: Practice involves direct insight without proliferating thoughts like "this emptiness contains that one" or "they are interrelated inherently." All emptinesses are the same emptiness — empty of inherent differences — realized non-dualistically.
In essence, the phrase points to a mature wisdom where emptiness is experienced beyond analysis or categorization, free from the mind's tendency to create conceptual hierarchies or relationships. This echoes the tetralemma (not one, not two, not both, not neither) we've discussed: emptinesses are neither unified nor separate, neither both nor neither — unapprehendable in dualistic terms.
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Why Is This Important?
This teaching is crucial for several reasons, tying into the chapter's broader themes of maturity, non-attachment, and the Middle Way (madhyamā-pratipad), while preventing common pitfalls in advanced practice:
Distinguishing Maturity from Immaturity: Earlier in the chapter, immaturity is defined as "craving for the Dharma"—attachment to notions like phenomena being empty, impermanent, or nonself, which reifies even profound insights.
Observing emptinesses dualistically (e.g., as distinct or interrelated) perpetuates this craving, trapping bodhisattvas in conceptual proliferation without full realization.
Maturity, by contrast, is this non-observing approach: it allows bodhisattvas to "enter a bodhisattva’s full maturity," transcending subtle clinging and achieving irreversible progress toward buddhahood.
Without it, practice stalls — neither regressing to lower vehicles (śrāvakas/pratyekabuddhas) nor advancing fully.
Avoiding Reification of Emptiness: Emptiness itself can become a "view" to cling to if treated as an object of analysis (e.g., "internal emptiness is different from external"). This phrase prevents that by emphasizing non-dual insight: all aspects are empty of inherent distinction, mirroring the Union of the Two Truths (U2T) — conventional appearances (categorized emptinesses for teaching) are inseparable from ultimate emptiness (non-conceptual suchness). Importance: It safeguards against turning wisdom into another defilement, ensuring practice accords with reality without absolutism.
Fostering Non-Conceptual Wisdom and Fearlessness: By not observing emptinesses in each other, bodhisattvas cultivate a direct, non-proliferating realization that leads to fearlessness (as in Chapter 3). This is vital for bodhisattva vows: maturing beings and refining buddhafields require skillful means (upāya) free from conceptual fixation. Importance: It enables "acting without acting" — compassionate engagement without egoistic conceits or effort, generating boundless merit while avoiding regression or immaturity.
Universal Application and Pedagogical Depth: The exhaustive repetition (across all 20 emptinesses) mirrors the chapter's style, exhausting the mind's tendency to conceptualize. In Madhyamaka terms (inspired by such sūtras), this prevents emptiness from being reified as "absolute nothing" or a superior truth — emptiness is empty too. Importance: For practitioners, it promotes gradual insight: beginners learn categories, but maturity transcends them, aligning path and view in non-dual harmony.
In sum, this section and phrase underscore that true wisdom is beyond intellectual dissection — important for avoiding subtle traps and realizing suchness fully, benefiting all beings through mature bodhisattva practice.)
(Summary 5: Bodhisattvas should be aware of all phenomena (aggregates, senses, elements, dependent origination, perfections, emptinesses, paths, truths, powers, etc.) without arising conceits (egoistic notions or attachments).
The dialogue shifts to the mind's nature: it is "not mind," luminous (free from desire, hatred, etc., yet not without them in a reified sense), unchanging, and without conceptual notions. Subhūti extends this to all dharmas—unchanging and non-conceptual, like the mind—emphasizing non-dual realization.)
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Venerable Śāradvatīputra,
if bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom accordingly (without practicing it),
they will enter a bodhisattva’s full maturity.
“Moreover, Venerable Śāradvatīputra,
when bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom (without practicing it),
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.”
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[Luminous Emptiness: Inconceivable limitless timeless unborn unconditioned unchanging unceasing non-dual Ground / Primordial Awareness, beyond all conditioned dualistic conceptual proliferation like: existing / non-existing, subject / object, self / other, permanence / impermanence, pure / impure, accepting / rejecting, saṃsāra / nirvāṇa.]
“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.”
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“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?’ ”
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“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.”
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[Unchanging and without conceptual notions.]
“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?”
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(Note: In Section 5 of Chapter 4 ("Training Without Conceits and the Nature of Mind"), the teaching builds on the chapter's emphasis on practicing the perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā) without conceptual attachment or egoistic proliferation. The link between being "aware" (anupaśyati, implying mindful observation or direct knowing) of the five aggregates (skandhas: form/rūpa, feelings/vedanā, perceptions/saṃjñā, formative predispositions/saṃskāra, and consciousness/vijñāna) without giving rise to "conceits" (māna, often translated as egoistic notions, pride, or self-centered views) and the concluding statement — "If you ask why, it is because that mind is not mind. The nature of the mind is luminosity" — is a profound illustration of non-dual realization. It underscores that true awareness in practice involves recognizing the empty, non-inherent nature of all phenomena, including the mind itself, which eliminates the basis for conceit. This ties into the broader Prajñāpāramitā theme of the Union of the Two Truths (U2T): conventional awareness (of aggregates and other dharmas) without reifying them as ultimately real, leading to liberation from defilements.
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The Link Explained
Awareness Without Conceit as the Practice: Subhūti instructs bodhisattvas to "be aware" of the aggregates (and extending to senses, elements, dependent origination, perfections, paths, truths, powers, etc.) but explicitly "not give rise to conceits on their account." Conceit here refers to any egoistic inflation or dualistic grasping — e.g., thinking "I am aware of form" in a way that solidifies a self (subject) separate from the object (form), or deriving pride from insights like "I have comprehended the aggregates." This awareness is not passive observation but a skillful, non-conceptual engagement: recognizing phenomena as they appear conventionally (dependently arisen, functional for practice) without proliferating dualistic notions (e.g., permanent/impermanent, self/nonself) or ego-based reactions. For beginners, this counters the tendency to turn spiritual progress into self-aggrandizement; for advanced practitioners, it prevents subtle clinging even to "emptiness" as a achievement.
Transition to the Mind's Nature: The teaching escalates to the "mind of enlightenment" (bodhicitta) and beyond: bodhisattvas should not arise conceits even about the enlightened mind or its vast qualities. The "why" directly links back: "because that mind is not mind. The nature of the mind is luminosity." This paradoxical statement ("mind is not mind") deconstructs the mind as an inherent entity — it's "not mind" in the sense of lacking svabhāva (inherent existence), empty of dualistic defilements (desire, hatred, delusion, views, etc.). Yet its "nature is luminosity" (prabhāsvara-citta, a concept from early Buddhist texts like the Aṅguttara Nikāya, amplified in Mahāyāna): the mind is inherently clear, radiant, and knowing, undefiled at its core, like a mirror reflecting without distortion. Luminosity here means the mind's natural capacity for awareness is free from obscurations, yet not "with" or "without" them in a reified way — it's unchanging (beyond arising/ceasing) and without conceptual notions (nirvikalpa).
The Core Connection: The awareness of aggregates without conceit exemplifies this luminous nature in action. The aggregates are the mind's field of experience (consciousness is one aggregate, and the others are its objects), so observing them without ego arises from realizing the mind's emptiness: nothing inherent to grasp as "mine" or "self." Conceit requires a dualistic basis — a reified subject (mind/self) clinging to objects (aggregates) — but when mind is "not mind" (empty), there's no ground for it.
Extending this (as Subhūti does), all phenomena share this unchanging, non-conceptual luminosity — empty yet aware/radiant. Thus, the practice prevents immaturity (craving Dharma notions) and fosters maturity (non-observing, as in Section 4).
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Alignment with Your Interpretation: Luminous Emptiness and Awareness of Conventional Reality
Yes, your suggestion — "one should be aware of conventional reality, but remember that everything is empty, even the mind. So the mind is like Luminous emptiness, nothing to grasp or be the subject of conceit" — captures the essence beautifully, with a few nuances for precision:
Awareness of Conventional Reality with Emptiness in Mind: Exactly — the text advocates being "aware" (conventionally engaging aggregates as functional appearances) without conceit (by recalling their ultimate emptiness). This is U2T-in-action: conventional truth (aggregates as dependently arisen, useful for practice) inseparable from ultimate truth (emptiness of inherent existence). Forgetting emptiness leads to reification and conceit; ignoring conventional reality leads to nihilism (rejecting practice). The luminous mind realizes this balance: clear knowing (luminosity) of empty phenomena (ex. subject/consciousness, action/perception, object/world).
Mind as Luminous Emptiness: This is apt, especially in Tibetan Mahāyāna interpretations (e.g., in Dzogchen or Mahāmudrā, where "luminous emptiness" or "clear light emptiness" describes the mind's nature as radiant awareness pervading empty phenomena). In this sūtra, luminosity (prabhāsvara) implies the mind's undefiled clarity, empty of defilements yet illuminating all — nothing solid to grasp, so no conceit arises. It's "not mind" (empty) but luminous (aware), preventing absolute negation.
Subhūti extends this to all dharmas: unchanging and non-conceptual, like the mind — luminous emptiness as the ground of reality (tathatā), free from grasping.
This teaching is pivotal: it bridges comprehension (earlier sections) with non-attachment, ensuring wisdom matures compassion without ego. For beginners, it warns against pride in insights; for advanced, it deepens non-dual realization.)
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(More: In Buddhist philosophy, particularly within Vajrayana and Dzogchen traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, "luminous emptiness" (often translated from terms like ösel tongpa or related to prabhāsvara-śūnyatā) refers to the fundamental nature of mind and reality. It is described as the primordial ground (gzhi), basis, or source from which all phenomena arise, manifest, and dissolve. This concept integrates emptiness (śūnyatā) — the absence of inherent existence — with luminosity (prabhāsvara or ösel)—an innate clarity, radiance, or awareness that illuminates without obstruction. Even though it is empty (free from inherent substance, dualities, or conceptual elaborations), it is not a mere void or nothingness; instead, it is the core, self-aware essence that pervades everything, often equated with primordial awareness (rigpa or ye shes). This non-dual quality makes it the ultimate ground of reality, beyond existence/nonexistence, and the source of both saṃsāra (cyclic existence) and nirvāṇa (liberation).
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Luminous Emptiness as the Ground of Reality
In Dzogchen, luminous emptiness is synonymous with the "primordial ground" (gzhi), which is the fundamental, unchanging basis of all existence. It is described as empty (tongpa) yet luminous (ösel), representing the natural state where emptiness and clarity are inseparable. This ground is groundless—empty of any fixed essence—yet it serves as the origin for all phenomena, experiences, and manifestations. As a source, it is the undifferentiated "always, already present" Buddha nature or Buddha Mind, from which samsaric delusions and enlightened qualities spontaneously emerge. For instance, it is free from extremes like eternalism (permanent substance) and nihilism (total absence), embodying the Middle Way where reality is vivid and clear without being "something" graspable.
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As the Basis and Source of All
Luminous emptiness is the basis (or base) for all dualities and non-dualities, the source from which the entire universe of appearances arises without effort or causation in a conventional sense. In Mahamudra and Dzogchen, it is the "primordial purity" (kadag) combined with spontaneous presence (lhundrub), where emptiness provides the openness (purity) and luminosity the dynamic awareness that allows phenomena to manifest. As the source, it is the root of both impure (samsaric) and pure (enlightened) visions — everything emerges from this luminous ground, dissolves back into it, and is never separate from it. This is why it's called the "ground of all" (kun gzhi in Tibetan), underlying ordinary mind, thoughts, emotions, and even the cosmos, yet transcending them as empty radiance.
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As Primordial Awareness
Even in its emptiness, luminous emptiness is the "core awareness of everything" — a self-arisen, primordial gnosis (ye shes) or rigpa (non-dual knowing) that is aware without a subject-object split. It is not a blank void but a vibrant, knowing clarity that cognizes its own emptiness. This primordial awareness is the essence of mind, undefiled by karma or obscurations, and the source of all wisdom and compassion. In realization, one recognizes that this luminosity-emptiness is not "empty of awareness" but empty and aware — nothing to grasp because it's ungraspable (beyond concepts), yet the very basis for all experience. This resolves the paradox: emptiness doesn't negate awareness; it reveals awareness as empty, luminous, and all-pervading, the core that "knows" without a knower.
Practices in these traditions, such as trekchö (cutting through) in Dzogchen, aim to rest in this luminous emptiness, recognizing it as the ground to liberate from dualistic illusions. It's not a "thing" to attain but the ever-present reality, empty yet the core awareness enabling all.)
(Summary 6: Subhūti affirms that all phenomena share the mind's unchanging, non-conceptual nature. Śāradvatīputra praises Subhūti as the Buddha's heir, foremost in practicing without afflictions. He concludes that bodhisattvas should train in prajñāpāramitā for irreversible progress, and that all vehicles (śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, buddhas) should study, uphold, and master this sūtra, as it teaches the three vehicles continuously.)
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“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 (without training in it);
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.”
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This completes the fourth chapter from “The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines.”