Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra 25K
(The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines)
Chapter 44 – The Bodhisattva's Skillful Engagement with the Perfection of Wisdom: Investigating Emptiness, Signlessness, and Wishlessness Without Premature Actualization of Reality's Limit, Guided by Compassionate Aspirations and Irreversibility.
Last update: November 04, 2025
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Source: https://84000.co/translation/toh9
(Summary 1: Overview of the Section in Madhyamaka Context
Section 1 of Chapter 44 in the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā (Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines) presents a dialogue between the venerable Subhūti and the Blessed One (Buddha), focusing on how Bodhisattva great beings (mahāsattvas) should engage with key Buddhist practices while cultivating the perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā) [U2T-in-action]. The inquiry spans investigative and meditative approaches to concepts like emptiness (śūnyatā), signlessness (ānimitta), wishlessness (apraṇihita), the four applications of mindfulness (smṛtyupasthāna), and extends to advanced attributes such as the thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment (bodhipakṣya-dharma), noble truths, meditative states, powers, and Buddha qualities.
From a Madhyamaka perspective, this section exemplifies the Middle Way (madhyamā pratipad), which avoids the extremes of eternalism (affirming inherent existence) and nihilism (denying conventional functionality). Central to this is the Union of the Two Truths [U2T] (satyadvaya): the inseparability of [T1] dependently co-arisen (pratītyasamutpanna) relatively functional phenomena (saṃvṛti-satya, conventional truth)—where things appear interdependently and serve provisional roles in samsara and the path—and [T2] their emptiness of inherent existence (svabhāva-śūnyatā, paramārtha-satya, ultimate truth). This union points to the true nature of reality (tathatā, suchness), which is inconceivable (acintya) because it transcends conceptual proliferation (prapañca) and dualistic grasping. It cannot be grasped as an object but is "pointed out" through negation of extremes, revealing that all dharmas are neither existent nor nonexistent, neither arising nor ceasing, in their ultimate nature.
The text emphasizes that Bodhisattvas, through prajñāpāramitā, engage with these dharmas without reification or rejection [U2T-in-action]: they investigate and cultivate them conventionally (as functional tools for liberation) while realizing their emptiness (devoid of self-nature). This prevents "actualization" in a way that would solidify them as inherently real, leading to partial nirvanas (e.g., arhatship) rather than full Buddhahood. Instead, the practice sustains the Bodhisattva path toward all-aspect omniscience (sarvākārajñatā), benefiting all beings. Below, I analyze the section in detail, breaking it into key segments and interpreting them through this Madhyamaka lens.
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A. Subhūti's Initial Inquiry: Investigative and Meditative Engagement with Dharmas
Subhūti asks how Bodhisattvas should "investigate" (pravicaret) and "be absorbed in meditative stability" (samādhiṃ samāpadyeta) on emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, and a cascade of path elements—from the four applications of mindfulness up to the eighteen distinct qualities of the Buddhas (aṣṭādaśa āveṇikā buddhadharma).
He distinguishes between "investigation" (likely analytical insight, vipaśyanā) and "cultivation" or absorption (bhāvanā, śamatha-integrated practice), and separates causal attributes (e.g., perfections, paths) from fruitional ones (e.g., Buddha powers).
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Madhyamaka Analysis via Union of Two Truths:
– Conventional Aspect (Dependently Co-Arisen Functionality) [T1]: These dharmas are relatively functional phenomena, arising interdependently from causes and conditions (hetu-pratyaya). For instance, emptiness is not a void but a tool to counteract grasping; signlessness counters fixation on signs (nimitta) of permanence; wishlessness counters desires for samsaric outcomes. Bodhisattvas investigate them to discern their provisional roles in purifying afflictions (kleśa) and accumulating merit (puṇya) and wisdom (jñāna). Cultivation involves meditative absorption where these appear as effective means (upāya) on the path, like the four mindfulnesses observing body, feelings, mind, and dharmas to foster awareness without attachment.
– Ultimate Aspect (Emptiness of Inherent Existence) [T2]: All listed dharmas lack svabhāva (inherent essence). They are mere designations (prajñapti), dependently imputed, not self-existent entities. Investigating them reveals their emptiness: e.g., the noble eightfold path is empty because its components (right view, etc.) arise co-dependently and cannot be found under analysis (as per Nāgārjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, where paths are critiqued as neither existent nor nonexistent). Absorption in them is not grasping them as real but resting in their suchness [U2T], free from conceptual elaboration.
– Union [U2T] and Inconceivability [Tetralemma]: The union means Bodhisattvas engage these dharmas without duality [U2T / Uopp] — neither affirming them as truly existent (which would lead to eternalism) nor denying their conventional efficacy (nihilism). This points to tathatā: the inconceivable reality where investigation and cultivation occur without "actualization" (sākṣātkṛ), meaning without solidifying them into inherent achievements. Subhūti's question highlights the Bodhisattva's skillful means (upāya-kauśalya): using these empty-yet-functional dharmas to transcend samsara without abandoning beings.
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B. Buddha's Response: Determining Emptiness of All Phenomena
The Buddha instructs that Bodhisattvas should "determine" (parijñāyet) that all phenomena [T1] — from forms (rūpa) and aggregates (skandha) to realms (dhātu) and Buddha qualities — are empty (śūnya) [T2] [U2T]. This determination is done with an "unwavering mind" (avikampyamānena cittena), leading to non-observation (anupalambha) and non-actualization of phenomena. Why? Because all are "empty of their own defining characteristics" (svalakṣaṇa-śūnya), without delimitation (anuparigraha), and without agents or acts of bringing into being.
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Madhyamaka Analysis via Union of Two Truths:
– Conventional Aspect [T1]: Determination is a conventional practice: Bodhisattvas analytically discern (prajñā) the dependent arising of phenomena, like the twelve links of dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda) appearing as functional for ethical discipline (śīla) and meditation. The unwavering mind is the stability of equanimity (upekṣā), allowing engagement without distraction, as phenomena function relatively (e.g., perfections like generosity aid beings).
– Ultimate Aspect [T2]: Emptiness here is the absence of inherent characteristics (svalakṣaṇa-śūnyatā), a core Madhyamaka tenet. Phenomena are not observed because, under ultimate analysis, they lack findable essence — no self, no other, no both, no neither (tetralemma negation). Non-actualization prevents reifying emptiness itself as an entity, avoiding the "emptiness sickness" (śūnyatā-vyādhi) where one grasps voidness.
– Union [U2T] and Inconceivability [Tetralemma]: The union manifests as non-delimitation: phenomena are neither bounded nor unbound, pointing to tathatā beyond concepts. Bodhisattvas train in this to avoid the three wheels of reification (agent, action, object), as in Nāgārjuna's teachings. This inconceivable nature ensures practice is effortless (anābhoga), free from fabrication, yet compassionately functional.
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C. Subhūti's Follow-Up: Dwelling in Emptiness Without Actualizing It
Subhūti questions how Bodhisattvas dwell in emptiness without actualizing it. The Buddha explains they determine "emptiness endowed with all its finest aspects" (sarvākāra-varopetā śūnyatā) without thoughts of actualization ('I actualize it!'). Instead, they investigate thoroughly, knowing "this is the time for investigation, not actualization." Outside absorption, they focus on objects without lapsing from enlightenment factors, yet avoid actualizing the uncontaminated state (anāsrava) due to extensive wisdom (prajñā). They affirm times for cultivating perfections, paths, and qualities, but not for lower fruits (e.g., stream-entry, arhatship, pratyekabuddha wisdom), prioritizing all-aspect omniscience.
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Madhyamaka Analysis via Union of Two Truths:
– Conventional Aspect [T1]: Dwelling involves conventional engagement: investigating (analytical) versus actualizing (realizing as final). Bodhisattvas use time-bound designations ("this is the time for...") to cultivate causal attributes (e.g., six perfections as interdependent practices) and fruitional ones (e.g., ten powers as outcomes), sustaining the path. Extensive wisdom allows focusing on objects (ālambana) without interruption, maintaining bodhicitta (aspiration for enlightenment for all).
– Ultimate Aspect [T2]: Non-actualization is key — emptiness is not a "thing" to achieve inherently; thoughts like "I actualize" reify it, contradicting its emptiness. The "finest aspects" refer to varieties of emptiness (e.g., internal, external), all ultimately empty. Avoiding lower fruits prevents premature nirvana (personal peace), as these are empty constructs.
– Union [U2T] and Inconceivability [Tetralemma]: The union is the "course through" (caryā) dharmas without actualization: phenomena appear dependently (e.g., as path tools) but are empty, so practice is non-dual. This points to tathatā as inconceivable — beyond time, achievement, or relinquishment. Bodhisattvas embody this by not lapsing (from conventional factors) nor actualizing (ultimate fixation), mirroring Madhyamaka's non-abiding nirvana (apratiṣṭhita-nirvāṇa), where one neither clings to samsara nor nirvana.
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D. Concluding Synthesis: Investigation, Cultivation, and Coursing [T1] Without Actualization [T2] [U2T-in-action]
The Buddha summarizes: Bodhisattvas investigate, course through, and cultivate these dharmas (emptiness, paths, etc.) but do not actualize lower fruits, avoiding individual enlightenment [U2T-in-action].
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Madhyamaka Analysis via Union of Two Truths:
– Conventional Aspect [T1]: Coursing through (caryā) is the dynamic, functional path—dependently arising practices like cultivating immeasurables (brahmavihāra) for beings' benefit.
– Ultimate Aspect [T2]: Non-actualization negates inherent fruition; all is empty, so no true "attainment."
– Unionn [U2T] and Inconceivability [Tetralemma]: This union resolves apparent paradox: engage fully (conventionally) without grasping (ultimately). Tathatā is thus pointed out — not as a third truth, but the inseparability itself, inconceivable yet realized through prajñāpāramitā. This empowers Bodhisattvas to transcend extremes, achieving Buddhahood without abandoning the world.
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E. In essence, this section illustrates Madhyamaka's profound insight: the perfection of wisdom is the realization that all dharmas are empty-yet-functional [U2T], guiding Bodhisattvas to universal liberation through the inconceivable union of appearance and emptiness [U2T-in-action].)
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TEXT
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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 [T1] are empty [T2] [U2T].
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 [T1], which are empty [T2] [U2T] 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.”
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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 [T1] and not actualize emptiness [T2] [U2T-2T]?”
“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.
(Summary 2: Overview of the Section in Madhyamaka Context
Section 2 of Chapter 44 in the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā shifts from direct instruction to illustrative analogies (upamā), elucidating how Bodhisattva great beings (mahāsattvas) engage in the perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā) [T1] without "actualizing" (sākṣātkṛ) [T2] realizations that would lead to the partial liberations of śrāvakas (disciples) or pratyekabuddhas (solitary realizers). These analogies emphasize skillful means (upāya-kauśalya) in sustaining the path toward all-aspect omniscience (sarvākārajñatā) while benefiting beings, avoiding premature cessation of contaminants (āsrava-kṣaya).
From a Madhyamaka viewpoint, this section reinforces the Middle Way by illustrating the Union of the Two Truths [U2T] (satyadvaya): the inseparability of [T1] dependently co-arisen (pratītyasamutpanna) relatively functional phenomena (saṃvṛti-satya)—where practices like the four immeasurable attitudes (apramāṇa) and six perfections (pāramitā) appear interdependently as effective tools for maturation—and [T2] their emptiness of inherent existence (svabhāva-śūnyatā, paramārtha-satya)—where no dharma is graspable as truly arising, abiding, or ceasing. This union [U2T] points to the true nature of reality (tathatā), inconceivable (acintya) because it defies dualistic conceptualization, yet "pointed out" through analogies that negate reification [T2] without denying conventional efficacy [T1] [U2T]. The Bodhisattva's practice is thus non-abiding (apratiṣṭhita), coursing through dharmas [T1] without falling into extremes of actualization (eternalism) [T2] or abandonment (nihilism) [T1] [U2T]. Below, I analyze the section segment by segment through this lens.
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A1. First Analogy: The Heroic Man in the Wilderness [U2T-in-action]
The analogy describes a heroic, skilled man — expert in archery, crafts, and arts — who escorts his family through a terrifying wilderness infested with enemies. Fearlessly, he exhorts them, conjures superior forces to repel assailants, and leads them to safety without enmity. His mastery allows him to overcome dangers without harm, rejoicing in rewards yet acting selflessly.
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Madhyamaka Analysis via Union of Two Truths:
Conventional Aspect (Dependently Co-Arisen Functionality) [T1]: The heroic man represents the Bodhisattva's relative functionality: endowed with skills (analogous to the six perfections and immeasurables), he engages worldly challenges (the "wilderness" of samsara, with "assailants" as afflictions like greed, hatred, and delusion). Dependently arisen practices — such as loving kindness (maitrī), compassion (karuṇā), empathetic joy (muditā), and equanimity (upekṣā) — function to protect and guide beings (the "family") out of suffering. The conjuring of forces illustrates skillful means: provisional illusions (māyā-like) that arise interdependently to counter obstacles, leading to conventional rewards (merit accumulation) and joy without attachment. The mind without enmity highlights non-dual compassion, functional in relative terms for beings' welfare.
Ultimate Aspect (Emptiness of Inherent Existence) [T2]: All elements — the man, wilderness, enemies, and conjured forces — are empty of svabhāva. The wilderness lacks inherent terror; assailants disappear not through inherent power but due to their dependent nature (fear arises from conditions, vanishes when countered). Mastery in crafts points to emptiness: skills are not inherently possessed but imputed on causes (training), empty of self. Non-enmity underscores non-observation (anupalambha): no inherent "enemies" to hate, as all phenomena are devoid of defining characteristics (svalakṣaṇa-śūnya).
Union [U2T] and Inconceivability [Tetralemma]: The union is the hero's effortless navigation: conventionally functional (escorting safely) yet ultimately empty (no real arising of forces or enemies). This points to tathatā as inconceivable — beyond fear/comfort dualities — where the Bodhisattva dwells at ease, neither grasping samsara as real nor rejecting its appearances. The analogy avoids nihilism (skills work) and eternalism (no fixed entities), mirroring Nāgārjuna's critique in Mūlamadhyamakakārikā of inherent production.
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A2. Connection to Bodhisattva Practice: Imbued with Immeasurables and Perfections [Investigating without apprehending anything]
The text links the analogy: Bodhisattvas, imbued with the four immeasurables toward all beings, complete the six perfections without achieving cessation of contaminants. Established in the gateways to liberation (vimokṣa-mukha) — emptiness (śūnyatā), signlessness (ānimitta), and wishlessness (apraṇihita) — they investigate omniscience without coursing through signs or actualizing signlessness, thus avoiding śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha levels.
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Madhyamaka Analysis via Union of Two Truths:
Conventional Aspect [T1]: The immeasurables and perfections are dependently co-arisen tools: loving kindness directs thoughts provisionally to beings, fostering maturation of roots of virtue (kuśala-mūla). Completion of perfections (e.g., generosity as giving without expectation) functions relatively to accumulate wisdom and merit, investigating omniscience as a path of inquiry (pravicāra). Gateways like emptiness serve as meditative doors, appearing functional to dissolve signs (nimitta) of permanence, yet without interruption.
Ultimate Aspect [T2]: No actualization occurs because these dharmas are empty: immeasurables lack inherent direction; perfections are not "completed" as solid attainments. Non-coursing through signs means no inherent signs to transcend—signlessness itself is empty, preventing reification. Avoiding lower levels reflects emptiness of hierarchies: śrāvaka nirvana is not inherently "lesser" but an empty construct if grasped.
Union [U2T] and Inconceivability [Tetralemma]: The union manifests as investigation without cessation: conventionally engaging gateways (functional liberation) while ultimately non-actualizing (empty of limits). Tathatā is pointed out as the non-dual state where Bodhisattvas maintain equanimity, inconceivable because it transcends "levels" or achievements, embodying the Bodhisattva's vow (praṇidhāna) without abiding.
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B. Second Analogy: The Bird in the Sky (acting without attachment)
A bird flies through the air without falling or dwelling in it, moving freely without attachment.
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Madhyamaka Analysis via Union of Two Truths:
Conventional Aspect [T1]: The bird symbolizes the Bodhisattva's relative movement: investigating and coursing through emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness as functional practices (like wings enabling flight). These appear dependently—emptiness counters grasping, signlessness dissolves fixation, wishlessness ends craving—allowing traversal of samsara without "falling" into lower realizations.
Ultimate Aspect [T2]: The sky (ākāśa) is empty, unbounded; the bird neither dwells (no inherent abode) nor falls (no inherent ground). Emptiness etc. are not actualized as entities — doing so would reify them, leading to partial nirvana (like landing). All is empty: no inherent "coursing" or "actualization."
Union [U2T] and Inconceivability [Tetralemma]: Union is non-abiding flight: conventionally functional (movement through dharmas) yet ultimately empty (no dwelling). Tathatā is inconceivable openness, like space—pointed out by negation of extremes (neither falling nor perching), ensuring perfection of Buddha qualities (e.g., ten powers) without abandonment.
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C. Third Analogy: The Archer and Arrows (acting without acting, without attachment, reification, effort or absolute)
A master archer fires an arrow skyward, sustaining it with successive arrows until he chooses to let it fall. He prevents descent by continuous effort.
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Madhyamaka Analysis via Union of Two Truths:
Conventional Aspect [T1]: Arrows represent dependently arisen skillful means in prajñāpāramitā: initial practice (first arrow) is sustained by ongoing cultivation (subsequent arrows), maturing roots of virtue toward enlightenment. The archer's wish controls timing — analogous to Bodhisattvas retaining practice until maturity, then actualizing the limit of reality (bhūta-koṭi).
Ultimate Aspect [T2]: No inherent falling or sustaining: arrows are empty of self-motion; the "sky" lacks bounds. Actualization is not an inherent event but conditioned—emptiness of the very limit of reality prevents premature realization.
Union [U2T] and Inconceivability [Tetralemma]: Union is sustained non-actualization: conventionally effortful (firing arrows) yet ultimately effortless (empty conditions). Tathatā is pointed out as the inconceivable "as long as" — beyond time and causation — where maturity occurs without inherent ripening.
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D. Concluding Synthesis: Definitive Analysis in Accord with Reality
Bodhisattvas practice prajñāpāramitā retained by skillful means, not actualizing reality's limit until maturity, then doing so. They make definitive analysis (nirṇaya) accordant with phenomena's reality.
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Madhyamaka Analysis via Union of Two Truths:
Conventional Aspect [T1]: Analysis is functional discernment, using analogies to align practice with dependent arising.
Ultimate Aspect [T2]: Reality (dharmatā) is empty; analysis negates misconceptions without positing essence.
Union [U2T] and Inconceivability [Tetralemma]:The union resolves the section's paradoxes: practice sustains without actualizing, pointing to tathatā as inconceivable harmony of effort and emptiness [U2T-in-action]. This empowers Bodhisattvas to mature fully, embodying Madhyamaka's non-conceptual wisdom for universal benefit.)
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(Question 1: What is the meaning of "not actualizing reality's limit until maturity, then doing so"?
In the context of the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā (Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines), specifically Section 2 of Chapter 44, the phrase "not actualizing reality's limit until maturity, then doing so" refers to the Bodhisattva's strategic engagement with ultimate reality through skillful means (upāya-kauśalya) on the path to full Buddhahood. Here's a breakdown of its meaning, drawing from the text's third analogy (the archer sustaining arrows in the sky) and the broader Mahayana framework, particularly from a Madhyamaka perspective emphasizing the Union of the Two Truths:
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Key Terms and Concepts
– Reality's Limit (bhūta-koṭi): This translates to the "genuine/authentic very limit of reality" or "true extremity of phenomena." In Buddhist philosophy:
— It points to the ultimate truth (paramārtha-satya), which is the emptiness (śūnyatā) of all phenomena — their lack of inherent existence (svabhāva-śūnyatā).
— It is synonymous with suchness (tathatā), the inconceivable true nature of reality beyond conceptual extremes (e.g., existence/nonexistence, arising/ceasing).
— "Actualizing" (sākṣātkṛ) this limit means fully realizing or entering it in a way that leads to irreversible cessation of contaminants (āsrava-kṣaya), akin to attaining nirvana. For śrāvakas (disciples) or pratyekabuddhas (solitary realizers), this results in personal liberation (arhatship or individual enlightenment), where they "fall" out of samsara into a state of peace without further rebirths to help others.
– Maturity (of Roots of Virtuous Action): Refers to the full ripening (paripāka) of the Bodhisattva's "roots of virtue" (kuśala-mūla) — accumulations of merit (puṇya) and wisdom (jñāna) through practices like the six perfections (pāramitā), four immeasurable attitudes (apramāṇa), and other path factors. This maturity culminates in "unsurpassed, complete enlightenment" (anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi), i.e., full Buddhahood, where one achieves all-aspect omniscience (sarvākārajñatā) and the ability to benefit all beings infinitely.
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The Meaning in Context
– Not Actualizing Until Maturity: Bodhisattvas, while practicing the perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā), intentionally "retain" or sustain their path through skillful means. They investigate and course through profound realizations like emptiness, signlessness (ānimitta), and wishlessness (apraṇihita) without fully "actualizing" them prematurely. This prevents them from lapsing into the limited liberations of śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas, which would mean entering a nirvana that abandons samsara and ceases compassionate activity.
— Why Delay? Motivated by great compassion (mahākaruṇā) and bodhicitta (the aspiration for enlightenment for all beings), Bodhisattvas choose to remain engaged in the conventional world (saṃvṛti-satya). They accumulate vast merit by helping beings, maturing their virtues across countless lifetimes. Actualizing the limit too soon would be like the archer's first arrow falling to the ground — ending the path abruptly without full fruition.
— How It Works: Through skillful means, they "suspend" full realization, much like the archer firing successive arrows to keep the initial one aloft. This involves non-abiding (apratiṣṭhita) practice: engaging dharmas conventionally (as dependently co-arisen, functional tools) while recognizing their ultimate emptiness, without grasping or rejecting them.
– Then Doing So (Upon Maturity): Once the roots of virtue are fully matured — through exhaustive cultivation of the perfections, powers (bala), and Buddha qualities (e.g., ten powers of the tathāgatas, eighteen distinct attributes) — the Bodhisattva actualizes the limit. This is the moment of attaining Buddhahood, where they fully enter the ultimate reality without residue, yet paradoxically continue to manifest in samsara out of compassion (as nirmāṇakāya, emanation bodies). It's not a "fall" into limitation but a transcendent integration: the Buddha embodies the Union of the Two Truths, where conventional appearances (for beings' benefit) and ultimate emptiness are inseparable.
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Madhyamaka Perspective: Union of the Two Truths
– Conventional Truth (Dependently Co-Arisen Phenomena) [T1]: The "suspension" is a functional strategy — Bodhisattvas appear to delay realization, using practices like the perfections as interdependent tools to mature virtues. This is relative and provisional, like arrows arising from conditions (effort, skill) to sustain flight.
– Ultimate Truth (Emptiness of Inherent Existence) [T2]: There is no inherent "limit" to actualize; bhūta-koṭi itself is empty, not a fixed goal. Actualization isn't grasping an entity but realizing the inconceivability of reality—neither delaying nor attaining in an absolute sense, as all is free from extremes.
– Union and Suchness (Tathatā) [U2T]: The phrase points to the inconceivable nature of the Bodhisattva path: non-dual engagement where "not actualizing" sustains compassionate activity (conventional), and "doing so" reveals emptiness (ultimate). This union avoids nihilism (denying the path's efficacy) and eternalism (reifying realization), embodying the Middle Way. As Nāgārjuna notes in the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, nirvana and samsara are not different; the Bodhisattva's maturity reveals this inseparability.
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In essence, the phrase encapsulates the Mahayana ideal: Bodhisattvas postpone full nirvanic cessation to perfect their capacity for universal liberation, actualizing ultimate reality only when it serves all beings as a Buddha's enlightened activity. This ensures the path is boundless and altruistic, not self-centered.
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Question 2: It sounds like: practice and do not grasp at any absolute, until you finally realize that there is no absolute to grasp or not-grasp, to accept or reject, to realize or not-realize.
Yes, your phrasing captures the essence of the Bodhisattva's path in the Prajñāpāramitā teachings, particularly from a Madhyamaka viewpoint. It's a profound way to articulate the non-dual progression toward awakening, where practice unfolds without fixation on extremes. Let me unpack this a bit further, building on the text's analogies and the Union of the Two Truths (the inseparability of dependently co-arisen phenomena and their emptiness), to show how it aligns.
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The "Practice and Do Not Grasp" Phase: Sustaining Without Actualization
– Avoiding Grasping at Any Absolute: In the analogies (e.g., the bird flying without dwelling, the archer sustaining arrows), Bodhisattvas engage in rigorous practice — investigating emptiness (śūnyatā), cultivating the perfections (pāramitā), and coursing through signlessness (ānimitta) and wishlessness (apraṇihita) — but they do so with skillful means (upāya-kauśalya) that prevents reifying any "absolute" reality. This means not grasping at:
— Conventional phenomena as absolute: Treating practices like loving kindness or the noble eightfold path as inherently existent tools would lead to eternalism (śāśvatavāda), solidifying them as fixed entities.
— Ultimate emptiness as absolute: Viewing śūnyatā as a void to "attain" or reject would fall into nihilism (ucchedavāda), turning it into another object of attachment.
– Why This Non-Grasping? As the text states, Bodhisattvas do not "actualize" (sākṣātkṛ) the limit of reality (bhūta-koṭi) prematurely because their roots of virtue (kuśala-mūla) are not yet mature. Conventionally, this sustains compassionate activity in samsara, accumulating merit for all beings. Ultimately, it reflects the emptiness of all dharmas: there's no inherent "absolute" to grasp, as everything arises dependently and lacks self-nature (svabhāva). Practice here is like the hero in the wilderness—functional, fearless, and non-enmity-driven—without delimiting phenomena into "real" or "unreal."
This phase embodies the Middle Way: engage fully in the relative (dependently co-arisen actions, like the successive arrows) while resting in the ultimate (emptiness, where no arrow truly "falls" or "stays" inherently).
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The "Final Realization" Phase: Transcending Grasping and Non-Grasping
– Realizing There Is No Absolute to Grasp or Not-Grasp: Upon maturity — when virtues ripen into all-aspect omniscience (sarvākārajñatā) — the Bodhisattva "does so" (actualizes the limit), but this isn't achieving something new. It's the dawning of suchness (tathatā), the inconceivable true nature where dualities dissolve:
— No "absolute" to accept (as existent) or reject (as nonexistent).
— No "realization" to realize (as a gain) or not-realize (as a loss).
— This aligns with Madhyamaka's tetralemma negation (catuskoṭi): phenomena are neither graspable nor ungraspable, neither to be accepted/rejected nor beyond that—ultimately free from all conceptual proliferation (prapañca).
– What Happens Here? As in the archer letting the arrows fall, actualization is the effortless integration of the Two Truths. The Buddha embodies this: fully realizing emptiness (no contaminants remain), yet manifesting conventionally to guide beings (e.g., through great compassion, mahākaruṇā) [U2T-in-action][. It's not a temporal "until" in an absolute sense — time itself is empty — but a pointer to the non-abiding nirvana (apratiṣṭhita-nirvāṇa), where samsara and nirvana are indistinguishable [Uopp].
In Nāgārjuna's words (from the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā), "There is not the slightest difference between samsara and nirvana." Your summary nails this: practice refines the mind to see through illusions without creating new ones, culminating in a realization that's beyond realization itself. It's liberating precisely because it's ordinary—empty, yet vividly functional for others.
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Question 3: It is also like do not discard your raft until you are fully on the other shore; even if you knopw that you will discard it one day.
Yes, exactly — that's a spot-on analogy, drawing directly from classic Buddhist teachings like the Alagaddūpama Sutta (The Simile of the Snake) in the Majjhima Nikāya or echoes in the Diamond Sutra (Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā). The raft represents the Dharma teachings and practices (e.g., the perfections, emptiness meditation, skillful means) as provisional tools to cross the "river" of suffering (samsara) to the "other shore" of awakening (nirvana or full enlightenment). Here's how it ties into our discussion on "not actualizing reality's limit until maturity," from the Madhyamaka lens of the Union of the Two Truths:
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The Raft as Non-Grasping Practice
– Do Not Discard Prematurely (Sustaining Without Actualization): Just as you wouldn't abandon the raft mid-stream — knowing it's temporary but essential — Bodhisattvas don't "discard" or fully transcend their practices by actualizing the ultimate limit (bhūta-koṭi) too soon. They recognize the raft's emptiness (it's not an inherent, eternal vehicle; it's dependently co-arisen from wood, effort, and conditions), yet they rely on its conventional functionality to navigate. In the text's analogies:
— The heroic man uses his skills (the raft) to escort his family through the wilderness (samsara) without enmity or fear, but he doesn't "discard" them until safety is reached.
— The bird flies through the sky (emptiness) without dwelling or falling — using wings (practices) provisionally, aware they'll be irrelevant on solid ground.
— The archer sustains the arrow (path) with successive shots (ongoing cultivation) until maturity, only then letting it "fall" (actualize). This prevents sinking into partial realizations (like śrāvaka nirvana), where one might abandon the raft halfway, stranding others. Even knowing the raft is discardable (ultimately empty), you paddle on with compassion, maturing roots of virtue for all beings.
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Knowing You'll Discard It One Day (Transcending Upon Maturity)
Final Discarding on the Other Shore: Once fully across — virtues ripened into all-aspect omniscience — the raft is left behind because there's no more river to cross. This "actualizing" isn't clinging to an absolute shore (which would reify nirvana as inherent); it's realizing the inconceivability of suchness (tathatā), where raft/river/shore dissolve into non-duality. No grasping/not-grasping, no accepting/rejecting — just effortless embodiment, as a Buddha manifests teachings anew for others without attachment.
– In Madhyamaka terms, the raft is the conventional truth (functional, interdependent), and discarding it reveals the ultimate (emptiness), but their union means you never truly "had" or "lost" it. As Nāgārjuna puts it, "The ultimate truth is not taught apart from practical behavior" (Mūlamadhyamakakārikā 24:10)—use the raft skillfully, then see it's inseparable from the water.
This parable warns against both extremes: clinging to the raft forever (eternalism, treating Dharma as absolute) or discarding it too early (nihilism, rejecting practices as worthless). It's a beautiful reminder of the Bodhisattva's patient, altruistic journey—keep rowing, even if you glimpse the shore.)
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TEXT
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“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.
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“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.
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“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.”
(Summary 3: Overview of the Section in Madhyamaka Context
Section 3 of Chapter 44 in the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā continues the dialogue between Subhūti and the Blessed One (Buddha), marveling at the Bodhisattva great beings' (mahāsattvas) ability to train in profound realities without lapsing into partial enlightenments. It emphasizes their compassionate resolve (praṇidhāna) not to forsake beings, their skillful means (upāya-kauśalya) in practicing the perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā), and the non-diminishment of path factors. The section repetitively underscores how Bodhisattvas engage with emptiness (śūnyatā) and related dharmas without "actualizing" (sākṣātkṛ) the limit of reality (bhūta-koṭi) prematurely, driven by aspirations to liberate beings from misconceptions, apprehendings, signs, and worldly aspirations.
From a Madhyamaka perspective, this section vividly illustrates the Middle Way's avoidance of extremes through the Union of the Two Truths (satyadvaya): the inseparability of [T1] dependently co-arisen (pratītyasamutpanna) relatively functional phenomena (saṃvṛti-satya)—where Bodhisattvas' practices appear as effective, compassionate tools for beings' maturation—and [T2] their emptiness of inherent existence (svabhāva-śūnyatā, paramārtha-satya)—where no dharma is graspable, diminished, or actualized as absolute. This union [U2T] points to the true nature of reality (tathatā, suchness), inconceivable (acintya) because it transcends notions of lapse, attainment, or diminishment. Bodhisattvas' training is non-abiding (apratiṣṭhita), coursing through dharmas without reification, ensuring they neither fall into samsaric realms nor prematurely enter limited nirvanas, all while perfecting qualities for universal benefit. The repetitive structure reinforces this through negation, aligning with Nāgārjuna's method of deconstructing conceptual proliferations (prapañca). Below, I analyze the section segment by segment.
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A. Subhūti's Admiration and the Buddha's Response: Training Without Lapsing
Subhūti expresses wonder at how Bodhisattvas train in reality (bhūta), its limit (bhūta-koṭi), real nature (dharmatā), realm of phenomena (dharmadhātu), aspects of emptiness (up to independent characteristics, svabhāva-śūnyatā), and three gateways to liberation (vimokṣa-mukha: emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness) without lapsing from unsurpassed enlightenment (anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi). The Buddha attributes this to their not forsaking beings, rooted in extraordinary aspirations to release those holding inauthentic doctrines. When skillfully actualizing the gateways' meditative stabilities (samādhi), they avoid interim actualization until omniscience.
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Madhyamaka Analysis via Union of Two Truths:
– Conventional Aspect (Dependently Co-Arisen Functionality) [T1]: Training appears as functional engagement: dependently arisen aspirations (bodhicitta) motivate Bodhisattvas to release beings from false views (e.g., eternalism/nihilism). Gateways like emptiness function as provisional doors to counteract grasping, arising interdependently from wisdom and compassion. Not lapsing is the relative stability of the path, sustained by skillful means, allowing cultivation without interruption.
– Ultimate Aspect (Emptiness of Inherent Existence) [T2]: All trained-in dharmas lack svabhāva — reality's limit is empty, not an inherent boundary to actualize. Lapsing is impossible because there's no inherent "interim" or "attainment"; notions like forsaking beings are mere imputations. Actualization is negated to prevent reifying gateways as absolute, avoiding the emptiness of emptiness (śūnyatā-śūnyatā) being misconstrued.
– Union [U2T] and Inconceivability [Tetralemma]: The union is the "difficult achievement": conventionally compassionate (not forsaking), ultimately empty (no beings to forsake inherently). Tathatā is pointed out as inconceivable non-lapsing—beyond wonder or amazement—where training occurs effortlessly, free from dualities of actualizing/not-actualizing.
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B. Aspiration to Abandon Apprehendings and Non-Actualization
Bodhisattvas analyze aspects of emptiness (internal, external, etc., up to non-entities' essential nature, abhāva-svabhāva-śūnyatā) and path factors, aspiring to attain Buddhahood to teach Dharma, abandoning beings' long-held apprehendings (upādāna) rooted in notions of self (ātma-graha) and related ego-concepts. Even in absorptions on gateways, they avoid actualizing lower fruits (stream-entry to pratyekabuddha enlightenment). Endowed with roots of virtue and skillful means, they prevent diminishment of perfections, emptinesses, path factors, truths, concentrations, and Buddha qualities until full Buddhahood. Their faculties sharpen, unlike those of śrāvakas/pratyekabuddhas.
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Madhyamaka Analysis via Union of Two Truths:
– Conventional Aspect [T1]: Aspirations function dependently: analyzing dharmas fosters insight (vipaśyanā), countering beings' misconceptions (e.g., self-notions as causes of suffering). Non-diminishment ensures progressive maturation — perfections like wisdom appear as accumulating tools. Sharper faculties reflect enhanced conventional efficacy through merit.
– Ultimate Aspect [T2]: Apprehendings are empty constructs; no inherent self or beings to abandon. Diminishment is negated because dharmas lack essence—no arising to enhance or ceasing to diminish. Lower fruits are empty designations, not actualized to avoid solidifying partial realities.
– Union [U2T] and Inconceivability [Tetralemma]: Union manifests as non-diminishing cultivation: conventionally enhanced (keener faculties), ultimately unchanging (empty of basis). Tathatā is inconceivable equanimity—pointed out by the magnanimous thought—where analysis liberates without lapse, embodying non-dual wisdom-compassion.
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C. Addressing Four Misconceptions and Sustained Non-Actualization
Bodhisattvas recognize beings' engagement in four inverted views (viparyāsa: permanence, happiness, self, pleasantness) and aspire to enlighten to teach their baselessness. Practicing prajñāpāramitā with skillful means, they avoid actualizing the limit until perfecting Buddha qualities. Even in gateway absorptions, no interim actualization.
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Madhyamaka Analysis via Union of Two Truths:
– Conventional Aspect [T1]: Misconceptions function as dependently arisen afflictions (kleśa); Bodhisattvas' teaching appears as antidote, using Dharma to invert them (e.g., impermanence counters permanence). Sustained practice builds qualities like fearlessnesses for effective guidance.
– Ultimate Aspect [T2]: Misconceptions lack basis because all is empty—no inherent permanence/happiness to misconstrue. Perfection of qualities is empty of inherent perfection; actualization is deferred as there's no real limit.
– Union [U2T] and Inconceivability [Tetralemma]: The union is aspirational resolve: conventionally altruistic (for beings' sake), ultimately groundless (no basis for views). Tathatā points beyond misconceptions to inconceivability, where absorptions occur without actualization.
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D. Eliminating Apprehendings of Concepts and Perfection of Cultivation
Bodhisattvas note beings' apprehendings of self-concepts, aggregates (skandha), dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda), and all path/fruitional attributes, aspiring to eliminate these faults upon Buddhahood. With skillful means, they avoid actualization until qualities are perfected, thereby perfecting gateway cultivations.
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Madhyamaka Analysis via Union of Two Truths:
– Conventional Aspect [T1]: Apprehendings appear as functional errors; elimination is provisional teaching, dependently arising from enlightenment. Perfection of cultivation functions as maturation endpoint.
– Ultimate Aspect [T2]: Concepts are empty labels; no inherent faults to eliminate. Perfection is empty—no true culmination.
– Union [U2T] and Inconceivability [Tetralemma]: Union resolves elimination without eliminator: conventionally eliminative, ultimately non-apprehendable. Tathatā is the inconceivable faultlessness pointed out.
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E. Addressing Engagement with Signs and Aspirations
Bodhisattvas see beings' fixation on signs (nimitta: gender, forms, etc., up to omniscience) and worldly aspirations (to gods, monarchs, attributes), aspiring to eliminate these upon enlightenment. With skillful means, they perfect gateways without actualizing the limit until qualities are complete.
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Madhyamaka Analysis via Union of Two Truths:
– Conventional Aspect [T1]: Signs and aspirations function as dependent delusions; teaching counters them relatively. Perfection ensures comprehensive liberation.
– Ultimate Aspect [T2]: Signs lack inherent denotation; aspirations are empty wishes. No real elimination needed.
– Union [U2T] and Inconceivability [Tetralemma]: Union is signless aspiration: conventionally eliminative, ultimately sign-free. Tathatā transcends signs/aspirations inconceivably.
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F. Impossibility of Lapsing or Association with Realms
It's impossible for Bodhisattvas practicing all dharmas (perfections to Buddha qualities), endowed with wisdom-vision, to lapse into non-actualizable states or associate with the three realms (kāma-, rūpa-, arūpa-dhātu).
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Madhyamaka Analysis via Union of Two Truths:
– Conventional Aspect [T1]: Practice functions as safeguard, dependently preventing lapse through wisdom.
– Ultimate Aspect [T2]: Lapsing is empty; realms lack inherent association.
– Union [U2T] and Inconceivability [Tetralemma]: Union is impossibility itself: conventionally protected, ultimately non-existent lapse. Tathatā is pointed out as inconceivable non-association, ensuring full Buddhahood.
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G. In summary, this section highlights Madhyamaka's deconstructive compassion: Bodhisattvas' non-forsaking resolve sustains the path's union, negating diminishment and lapse, pointing to tathatā's inconceivability for beings' ultimate freedom.)
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TEXT
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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.
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“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 non-entities, 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 non-entities, 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.
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“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 non-entities;
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.
(Summary 4: Overview of the Section in Madhyamaka Context
Section 4 of Chapter 44 in the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā (Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines) concludes the chapter by addressing how Bodhisattva great beings (mahāsattvas) practice the perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā) through investigation without actualizing (sākṣātkṛ) lower realizations, and how their responses to questioning reveal their prophesied irreversibility (avaivartika) toward unsurpassed enlightenment (anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi).
It introduces a dialogic test: affirming investigation of emptiness (śūnyatā), signlessness (ānimitta), etc., indicates prophecy by Buddhas; denying it suggests alignment with śrāvaka levels.
The section explores the rarity of true irreversible Bodhisattvas, who respond correctly regardless of study, rooted in matured virtues.
From a Madhyamaka perspective, this section exemplifies the Middle Way's transcendence of extremes via the Union of the Two Truths (satyadvaya): the inseparability of [T1] dependently co-arisen (pratītyasamutpanna) relatively functional phenomena (saṃvṛti-satya)—where investigation appears as a provisional, skillful tool (upāya) for discerning the path, and responses function to distinguish levels—and [T2] their emptiness of inherent existence (svabhāva-śūnyatā, paramārtha-satya)—where no dharma (e.g., emptiness, irreversibility) is inherently investigable, actualizable, or prophesied. This union [U2T] points to the true nature of reality (tathatā, suchness), inconceivable (acintya) because it defies affirmation/negation dualities. Investigation is non-conceptual (nirvikalpa), neither grasping nor rejecting, ensuring Bodhisattvas neither lapse into partial attainments nor captivate by worldly extremes. The emphasis on "irreversible" negates reification of stages, aligning with Nāgārjuna's deconstruction in the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, where paths are empty yet conventionally efficacious. Below, I analyze the section segment by segment through this lens.
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A. Hypothetical Questioning and Non-Actualization of Dharmas
The text poses questions to Bodhisattvas practicing prajñāpāramitā:
How do they investigate fruitional attributes (e.g., Buddha qualities) without actualizing emptiness or the limit of reality (bhūta-koṭi), which would lead to lower fruits (stream-entry to pratyekabuddha enlightenment)?
How do they avoid actualizing signlessness, wishlessness (apraṇihita), non-conditioning (asaṃskṛta), non-arising (anutpāda), and non-entity (abhāva), yet cultivate wisdom?
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Madhyamaka Analysis via Union of Two Truths:
– Conventional Aspect (Dependently Co-Arisen Functionality) [T1]: Investigation (pravicāra) functions as a relative tool: dependently arisen from bodhicitta, it discerns attributes like the ten powers without solidifying them into attainments. Non-actualization prevents premature "fruits," sustaining the Bodhisattva path's functionality—cultivating wisdom as skillful means to benefit beings, appearing as progressive without inherent progress.
– Ultimate Aspect (Emptiness of Inherent Existence) [T2]: Emptiness etc. lack svabhāva; there's no inherent "actualization" or "limit" to realize, as these are mere designations (prajñapti). Non-arising and non-entity negate production (utpāda), revealing all dharmas as unproduced (anutpanna). Avoiding actualization is natural — nothing to actualize ultimately, avoiding reification of asaṃskṛta (unconditioned) as an entity.
– Union [U2T] and Inconceivability [Tetralemma]: The union resolves the paradox: conventionally investigate (functional discernment), ultimately non-actualize (empty of essence). Tathatā is pointed out as inconceivable non-cultivation—beyond "how"—where practice occurs without duality, embodying the raft simile: use investigation provisionally, discard upon "crossing" without grasping.
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B. Responses to Questioning: Affirmation as Sign of Prophecy
When questioned, if Bodhisattvas affirm focusing attention (manasikāra) on emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, non-conditioning, non-arising, non-cessation (anirodha), and non-entity, they are known as prophesied by Buddhas for enlightenment—declaring the investigation irreversible Bodhisattvas achieve. If they deny investigation (of these and enlightenment factors), they are not prophesied, failing to distinguish irreversible attributes, and will not transcend śrāvaka levels as irreversibles do.
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Madhyamaka Analysis via Union of Two Truths:
– Conventional Aspect [T1]: Responses function dependently: affirmation appears as correct declaration (vyākaraṇa), predicting irreversibility based on conditions like matured wisdom. It distinguishes levels provisionally — śrāvaka "attenuated refinement" as a relative stage transcended through investigation. Prophecy (vyākaraṇa) arises interdependently from Buddhas, serving as motivational upāya.
– Ultimate Aspect [T2]: No inherent investigation or focus — emptiness etc. are empty, not objects to affirm/deny. Irreversibility lacks svabhāva; prophecy is empty designation, not a fixed prediction. Denying investigation risks nihilism (rejecting conventional tools), while affirmation avoids eternalism without reifying.
– Union [U2T] and Inconceivability [Tetralemma]: Union is non-dual response: conventionally affirmative (declaring for guidance), ultimately neither (empty of distinction). Tathatā is inconceivable beyond prophecy — pointed out by the test—where irreversibles transcend levels without inherent transcendence, free from conceptual captivity.
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C. The Meaning of "Irreversible" Bodhisattvas
Subhūti asks why Bodhisattvas are styled "irreversible." The Buddha affirms there is a reason: whether studied in perfections or not, irreversibles respond as such. Subhūti notes many pursue enlightenment but few respond irreversibly, on purificatory (viśuddhi-bhūmi) or non-purificatory levels. The Buddha agrees: few are prophesied with irreversible wisdom; those who are respond correctly, having cultivated roots of virtue (kuśala-mūla), uncaptivated by the world (gods, humans, asuras).
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Madhyamaka Analysis via Union of Two Truths:
– Conventional Aspect [T1]: Irreversibility functions as a dependent designation: arising from virtue maturation, it appears as non-regression, enabling correct responses regardless of study. Rarity reflects conditional scarcity — many engage superficially, few deeply. Non-captivation is equanimity (upekṣā), functional against worldly distractions.
– Ultimate Aspect [T2]: No inherent "irreversible" essence — levels (bhūmi) are empty constructs, neither purificatory nor not. Prophecy and response lack svabhāva; cultivation of roots is empty of inherent virtue. Worldly captivity is illusory, as worlds (loka) are empty.
– Union [U2T] and Inconceivability [Tetralemma]: Union manifests as rarity without exclusion: conventionally few (motivating diligence), ultimately all-encompassing (no true separation). Tathatā is pointed out as inconceivable uncaptivation—beyond many/few—where irreversibility is the non-abiding state, embodying wisdom that neither arises nor ceases.
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D. Concluding Synthesis and Chapter Completion
The chapter ends by noting its completion, encapsulating the dialogue's culmination.
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Madhyamaka Analysis via Union of Two Truths:
– Conventional Aspect [T1]: The summary "practice accordingly" ties back to prior sections, functioning as a holistic path outline.
– Ultimate Aspect [T2]: Completion is empty — no inherent end to wisdom.
– Union [U2T] and Inconceivability [Tetralemma]: The union resolves the chapter: conventionally instructional (dialogue guides), ultimately endless (emptiness unbound). Tathatā is the inconceivable perfection pointed out, where Bodhisattvas' irreversibility ensures universal liberation without fixation.
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In essence, this concluding section reinforces Madhyamaka's profound insight: prajñāpāramitā's investigation is a non-dual affirmation that distinguishes true Bodhisattvas, negating extremes of affirmation/denial, and pointing to tathatā's inconceivability beyond prophecy or levels. This rarity underscores the path's altruistic depth, free from worldly grasp.)
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TEXT
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“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, non-conditioning, non-arising, and non-entity, 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,
non-conditioning, non-arising, non-cessation, and non-entity,
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,
non-conditioning, non-arising, non-cessation, and non-entity,
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.”
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“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 non-purificatory 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.”
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This completes the forty-fourth chapter from “The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines.”