Chapter 45 – The Path of the Irreversible Bodhisattva: Defining Characteristics, Mara's Subtle Deceptions, the Role of Spiritual Mentors, the Non-Conceptual Nature of the Perfection of Wisdom, the Generation of Supreme Merit, Focused Attention on Omniscience, and the Acceptance of Phenomena's Non-Arising and Non-Ceasing in the Union of Emptiness and Dependent Arising.

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Section 1: The Dream Visions, Declarations of Truth, and Unwavering Equanimity That Mark the Irreversible Bodhisattva: Perceiving All Phenomena as Illusory and Vowing to Teach Their Dream-Like Nature in Accord with the Non-Dual Union of Appearance and Emptiness.
More on the irreversible defining characteristics of an irreversible bodhisattva. The aspects, marks, and signs through which irreversible bodhisattva great beings should be known.

(Summary 1: Introduction to the Analysis
From a Madhyamaka perspective, the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajñāpāramitā) literature, including the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā, serves as a profound exposition of the Union of the Two Truths: the inseparability of conventional truth (saṃvṛti-satya)—the dependently co-arisen, relatively functional appearances of phenomena—and ultimate truth (paramārtha-satya)—their emptiness (śūnyatā) of inherent existence. This union points to the true nature of reality (tathātā, suchness), which is inconceivable and inexpressible in absolute terms, transcending all conceptual proliferations (prapañca). It is neither existent nor nonexistent, neither both nor neither, as articulated in Nāgārjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā. The bodhisattva's path embodies this union in action: "acting without acting" (wu wei in a Buddhist sense), where conventional engagements (such as vows, teachings, or declarations) occur without absolute reification, attachment, effort, or opposition. This means performing relative functions—helping beings, accumulating merit—while never apprehending phenomena as inherently real, thus avoiding extremes of eternalism (grasping at existence) or nihilism (denying functionality). The irreversible bodhisattva, as described in this section, exemplifies this Middle Way praxis, where dream-like appearances are navigated with wisdom that sees their emptiness, leading to effortless compassion that aligns with tathātā.
This analysis will proceed sequentially through the text's subsections, interpreting each defining characteristic of the irreversible bodhisattva through the lens of the Union of the Two Truths. Each trait reveals how the bodhisattva integrates dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda) with emptiness, acting conventionally to benefit beings without absolute grasping, thereby embodying the non-dual suchness of reality.
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1. No Longing for Lower Vehicles and Perceiving Phenomena as Illusory (Like Dream, Echo, etc.)
The text begins with bodhisattvas who, even in dreams, lack thoughts of longing for the śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha levels, viewing them as non-advantageous (because dualistic, not in accord with reality as it is). They regard all phenomena as like a dream, echo, reflection, mirage, or phantom, and "do not actualize anything."
From the Madhyamaka viewpoint, this illustrates the Union of the Two Truths by highlighting the bodhisattva's unwavering commitment to the Mahāyāna path, rooted in the insight that all levels of awakening—śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, or buddha—are dependently arisen designations, empty of inherent essence. Conventionally, these levels appear as functional hierarchies for guiding beings, but ultimately, they are empty, non-different in their suchness. The bodhisattva's lack of longing is not a rejection in absolute terms but a non-attachment: they act without acting by not reifying these levels as inherently superior or inferior, avoiding the extreme of partial nirvāṇa (as in the lower vehicles) while embracing the full bodhicitta that encompasses all beings.
The dream metaphor is central to Madhyamaka, as seen in Candrakīrti's Madhyamakāvatāra, where dreams exemplify dependent origination—appearances arise interdependently (from causes like sleep and mental impressions) yet lack inherent reality. By perceiving all phenomena thus, the bodhisattva engages relatively (e.g., progressing on the path) without absolute apprehension, effort, or opposition. They "do not actualize anything" in the sense of not imputing inherent existence, aligning with tathātā: reality as empty yet functional. This is the Union in action—compassionate vows arise dependently, but without grasping, leading to irreversible progress free from regression to self-centered goals.
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2. Dreaming of the Tathāgata Teaching Dharma with Vast Entourages
Here, bodhisattvas dream of the Tathāgata teaching Dharma amid immense entourages of beings (humans, gods, etc.), and upon hearing, they enter and abide in the Dharma's meaning and attributes.
Madhyamaka interprets this as the bodhisattva's mind being attuned to the Union of the Two Truths, where the Tathāgata and his teachings appear as dependently co-arisen manifestations—relatively functional for liberating beings—yet empty of inherent self. The vast entourages symbolize the conventional inclusivity of the Mahāyāna, gathering all realms without absolute boundaries, while the Dharma's "meaning to be known" and "attributes to be tended" point to the two truths: conventional practices (tending attributes like ethics and meditation) inseparable from ultimate emptiness (knowing the inconceivable meaning).
The bodhisattva's abiding in this, even in dreams, demonstrates acting without acting: they listen and engage conventionally (entering the Dharma at appropriate times) without reifying the teacher, teaching, or listeners as absolute entities. This non-effortful alignment with tathātā—where dreaming itself is empty yet reveals truth—marks irreversibility, as the mind no longer opposes or accepts phenomena dualistically but flows with their dependent-emptiness nature, fostering boundless compassion without attachment.
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3. Dreaming of the Tathāgata's Miraculous Displays
Bodhisattvas dream of the Tathāgata elevated in the air, endowed with the thirty-two marks, aureole, miraculous powers, emanations, and performing buddha-deeds across worlds.
In Madhyamaka terms, the Tathāgata's form and activities are quintessential examples of the Union: conventionally, the marks and miracles function as skillful means (upāya) to inspire faith and guide beings, arising dependently from causes like merit accumulation. Ultimately, they are empty, mere designations without inherent grandeur—as Nāgārjuna notes, even the Buddha is "like an illusion" (māyopama). The elevation and emanations underscore non-locality and interdependence, transcending absolute space or separation between worlds.
The bodhisattva's visionary dream reflects their internalized wisdom: they act without acting by witnessing these displays without grasping at them as real achievements or efforts, instead using them as pointers to tathātā. This effortless receptivity—neither rejecting the conventional splendor nor reifying it—ensures irreversibility, as the mind remains in the Middle Way, where miraculous powers arise naturally from emptiness-compassion union, benefiting infinite realms without absolute intention or opposition.
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4. Facing Terrifying Dreams Without Grief and Vowing to Teach the Dream-Like Nature of Realms
In dreams, bodhisattvas encounter destructions, beheadings, wild animals, sufferings, deaths of loved ones, etc., yet feel no grief or fear. Upon waking, they reflect: "These three realms are all like a dream," and vow to teach this upon attaining buddhahood.
This trait epitomizes Madhyamaka's Union of the Two Truths: terrifying phenomena appear dependently (as karmic impressions in dreams), functioning relatively to test equanimity, but are empty of inherent horror. The three realms (desire, form, formless) are like dreams—arising interdependently yet insubstantial—avoiding eternalism (real suffering) and nihilism (no karma). The bodhisattva's non-grief is not indifference but non-attachment: they act without acting by acknowledging conventional pain without absolute apprehension, transforming it into wisdom.
The vow embodies the Union in action: conventionally, they commit to teaching (relative function for beings' benefit); ultimately, without reifying buddhahood or realms as absolute goals. This Middle Way response—neither accepting suffering as real nor rejecting it as nonexistent—aligns with tathātā, where awakening reveals all as empty appearances, ensuring irreversible compassion that embraces samsāra without effort or opposition.
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5. Dreaming of Lower Realms and Vowing a Pure Buddhafield, Recognizing Non-Duality of Dream and Wake
Bodhisattvas dream of hells, animals, and Yama's world, then vow: upon buddhahood, their field will lack lower realms entirely, because "dreaming and waking states are not two. They are indivisible."
Madhyamaka sees this as a direct pointer to the Union's non-duality: lower realms appear dependently as conventional sufferings (karmic results), yet are empty, indistinguishable from waking states in their suchness. The indivisibility refutes absolute dualism—dream/wake are mere labels, empty of inherent difference, as in Śāntideva's Bodhicaryāvatāra. The vow is acting without acting: conventionally, it purifies the field through merit (relative function); ultimately, without grasping at realms as inherently existent or non-existent, avoiding extremes.
This insight marks irreversibility: the bodhisattva operates in the Middle Way, where pure fields arise from emptiness, not effortful creation, aligning with tathātā—reality's inconceivable unity beyond states, fostering effortless purification for all beings.
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6. Quelling Fires Through Declaration of Truth and Recognizing Karmic Ripening
Bodhisattvas, dreaming or awake, see a city on fire and declare: if endowed with irreversible marks, may the fire be quelled by this truth. If it works, they are irreversible; if not, it's due to beings' past karma from rejecting Dharma.
From Madhyamaka, declarations of truth (satyavacana) exemplify the Union: conventionally, they function as powerful speech acts, dependently arising from pure intention and merit to avert harm. Ultimately, they are empty, without inherent causality—success or failure depends on interdependence, not absolute power. The fire (suffering) and its quelling are relative appearances, empty yet karmically functional.
The bodhisattva acts without acting: they declare without attachment to outcome, neither reifying their irreversibility nor opposing karma absolutely. If unsuccessful, they recognize ripened actions without judgment, avoiding nihilism (ignoring karma) or eternalism (fixed destinies). This equanimous response aligns with tathātā, where causes/conditions (pratītyasamutpāda) and emptiness unite, making such declarations a Middle Way tool for compassion, confirming irreversibility through non-effortful harmony with reality.
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7. Expelling Non-Human Spirits Through Declaration and Confirmation of Prophecy
Finally, bodhisattvas confront possession by non-human spirits, declaring: if prophesied for buddhahood, with pure wishes and no lower mindsets, may the spirit depart by this truth. If it does, they are prophesied; if not, not.
Madhyamaka views this as the Union's praxis in confronting afflictions: possession appears dependently as conventional obstruction (karmic or mental), functional for testing resolve, yet empty of inherent entity. The declaration invokes the all-knowing buddhas' comprehension—conventionally affirming the bodhisattva's path, ultimately empty of absolute knowing or prophecy.
Acting without acting, the bodhisattva speaks without effortful exorcism or attachment to success, neither accepting possession as real nor rejecting it nihilistically. Success confirms alignment with tathātā: pure intention (emptiness of self-centered views) effortlessly liberates, while failure indicates unresolved dependencies. This non-oppositional approach embodies the Middle Way, where prophecy arises from the union of merit (conventional) and wisdom (ultimate), ensuring irreversible progress toward buddhahood for beings' sake.
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Conclusion: The Irreversible Bodhisattva as Embodiment of the Union in Action
Across this section, the irreversible bodhisattva's characteristics reveal a being fully immersed in the Union of the Two Truths: phenomena's dependent functionality (dreams, visions, sufferings) inseparably empty of inherent existence. Their "acting without acting"—through non-longing, vows, declarations—avoids all absolutes, attachments, or oppositions, aligning with the inconceivable tathātā. This Madhyamaka reading underscores how such traits propel the bodhisattva irreversibly toward enlightenment, not as an absolute attainment, but as effortless manifestation of compassion in the Middle Way, benefiting all without reification.)
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TEXT:
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Then the Blessed One said to the venerable Subhūti,
“Subhūti, if bodhisattva great beings, even in their dreams, do not have thoughts of longing for the level of the śrāvakas or the level of the pratyekabuddhas, and do not think that these [levels] are advantageous‍ — and if they do not actualize anything, regarding all phenomena as like a dream, and regarding them like an echo, a reflection, a mirage, and a phantom‍ —
these, Subhūti, should be known as the irreversible defining characteristics of an irreversible bodhisattva.

“Moreover, Subhūti, if bodhisattva great beings, even in their dreams, see the tathāgata, arhat, completely awakened Buddha teaching the Dharma with an entourage of many hundreds, an entourage of many thousands, an entourage of many hundred thousands, an entourage of many ten millions, an entourage of many billions, an entourage of many ten billions, an entourage of many trillions, or an entourage of many hundred billion trillions, and surrounded and revered by many monks, nuns, laymen, laywomen, gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas‍ — and if, having listened to that Dharma, they are seen entering into and abiding in accordance with the Dharma, the meaning of which is to be known, and the attributes of which are to be tended, or entering into it at an appropriate time and engaging with its attributes that are to be tended‍ —
these, Subhūti, should also be known as the irreversible defining characteristics of an irreversible bodhisattva.

“Moreover, Subhūti, if bodhisattva great beings, even in their dreams, see the tathāgata, arhat, completely awakened Buddha, elevated in the air and teaching the Dharma to a community of monks, endowed with the thirty-two major marks of a great person, with an aureole of light extending a full arm span, demonstrating many miraculous abilities and powers, conjuring many emanations, and performing through those very emanations the deeds of the buddhas in other world systems,
these, Subhūti, should also be known as the irreversible defining characteristics of an irreversible bodhisattva.

“Moreover, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings, even in their dreams,
see the destruction of a town, the destruction of a city, a conflagration, or ferocious wild animals;
or see their head being cut off;
or, apart from that, see terrifying, unbearable, and frightening phenomena;
or see suffering, discomfort, and agitation;
or see those who are hungry and thirsty;
or see the death of their father, the death of their mother, the death of their brother, the death of their sister, the death of their friend, or the death of their relative, if they do not grieve, are not terrified, and do not fear, and on awakening from that dream if they think,
‘Alas! These three realms are all like a dream.
Once I have attained consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, I will teach that all the phenomena of the three realms are like a dream,’
then, Subhūti, this, too, should be known as the irreversible defining characteristic of an irreversible bodhisattva.

“Moreover, Subhūti, you may ask how one should know that, when irreversible bodhisattva great beings have attained consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, in that buddhafield the three lower realms in their entirety will be completely non-existent in all respects.
When bodhisattva great beings see in their dreams beings who are denizens of the hells, or see beings of the animal realm, or beings of the world of Yama, if they then recollect such things and after recollecting them think,
‘Once I have attained consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, I will act in such a way that in that buddhafield the three lower realms in their entirety will be completely non-existent in all respects.
Why? Because the dreaming and waking states are not two.
They are indivisible,’
then, Subhūti, this, too, should be known as the irreversible defining characteristic of an irreversible bodhisattva.

“Moreover, Subhūti, when bodhisattva great beings are dreaming or awake, if a city is perceived to be on fire, and they think,
‘While I am dreaming or awake, if I do possess those aspects, marks, and signs with which irreversible bodhisattva great beings are known to be endowed, then by these truths and this declaration of truth may this fire that ravages the city be quelled!
May it cool down! May it be extinguished!’
and if [the fire] is then quelled, cools down, and is extinguished, one should know, Subhūti, that these bodhisattva great beings are prophesied to make progress to unsurpassed, complete enlightenment that is irreversible.
On the other hand, Subhūti, if, consequent on that declaration of truth, the mass of fire continues to burn from house to house and continues to burn from street to street, burning some houses but not others and burning some streets, not others, then, Subhūti, these bodhisattva great beings, since the houses of some beings have burnt and those of others have not burnt, should know that the past actions of those beings who have accumulated the karma of rejecting the Dharma are being ripened in this lifetime, and it is their residue of past actions caused by their deprecation of the Dharma that is now ripening.
Subhūti, these, too, are the causes and conditions for the irreversibility of bodhisattva great beings.
Irreversible bodhisattva great beings should be known on account of these causes and conditions.

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“Yet again, Subhūti,
I will teach the aspects, marks, and signs through which irreversible bodhisattva great beings should be known.
Subhūti, if some woman or man were possessed by a non-human spirit,
bodhisattva great beings should think,
‘If I have been prophesied by the tathāgatas, arhats, completely awakened buddhas of the past to attain unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, my wishes are utterly pure, and I do desire to attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, then I will attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.
The directing of my attention toward unsurpassed, complete enlightenment is utterly pure.
I am without the mindset of the śrāvakas and I am without the mindset of the pratyekabuddhas.
Since I am without the mindset of the śrāvakas and the pratyekabuddhas, I will attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.
It is not the case that I shall not attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.
Rather, I undoubtedly will attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.
There is nothing at all that all the lord buddhas, as many as reside and are alive in countless, immeasurable world systems, and the tathāgatas, arhats, completely awakened buddhas who teach the Dharma, do not know, do not see, do not comprehend, do not actualize, or with respect to which they do not attain consummate buddhahood.
These lord buddhas comprehend my wish to attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.
If this is the case, then by this truth and by this declaration of truth may this non-human spirit who possesses or injures this man or woman depart!’
Subhūti, if that non-human spirit does not depart because a bodhisattva great being has spoken in that manner, then, Subhūti, one should know that this bodhisattva great being has not been prophesied by the tathāgatas, arhats, completely awakened buddhas of the past to attain unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.
“Subhūti, if that non-human spirit does depart because a bodhisattva great being has spoken in that manner, then, Subhūti, one should know that this bodhisattva great being has been prophesied by the tathāgatas, arhats, completely awakened buddhas of the past to attain unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.
Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings who possess those aspects, marks, and signs are known to be irreversible.

Section 2: The Deceptive Interventions of Mara: False Prophecies, Name Consecrations, and the Inflation of Conceit Among Unskilled Bodhisattvas, Leading to Regression and the Importance of Skill in Means and the Perfections to Counter Such Demonic Forces

(Summary 2: Introduction to the Analysis
Section 2 of Chapter 45 in the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā shifts from the positive defining characteristics of irreversible bodhisattvas (as in Section 1) to the perils of deception by Māra, the embodiment of obstacles on the path. From a Madhyamaka perspective, this section elucidates how Māra's interventions exploit the Union of the Two Truths when bodhisattvas fail to integrate it properly. Māra himself is a dependently co-arisen phenomenon—relatively functional as a symbol of delusion, arising from karmic conditions and mental afflictions—yet empty of inherent existence, neither an absolute evil entity nor nonexistent.
His "deeds" highlight the dangers of misapprehending this union: bodhisattvas who lack practice in the perfections, skill in means, and maturity reify conventional signs (like prophecies or names) as absolute, leading to attachment, pride, and regression.
The true nature of reality (tathātā) remains the non-dual union of dependent appearances and emptiness, where the best response is "acting without acting"—engaging conventional practices (e.g., honoring mentors, perfecting wisdom) without absolute apprehension, effort, or opposition.
Māra's tricks thus serve as a negative foil, illustrating how deviation from the Middle Way—through reification or rejection—binds one to saṃsāra, while alignment with the Union fosters irreversible progress.
This is the Union in action: recognizing deceptions as empty yet functionally obstructive, responding with effortless wisdom-compassion to transcend them without dualistic struggle.
The analysis will dissect the text sequentially, interpreting Māra's tactics and their consequences through the Madhyamaka lens of the Two Truths, showing how they underscore the necessity of non-reified, non-effortful praxis.
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1. Māra's Exploitation of Truth Blessings in Unprepared Bodhisattvas
The text describes Māra approaching bodhisattvas who have not practiced the six perfections (pāramitās: generosity, ethics, patience, effort, concentration, wisdom), lack skill in means (upāya-kauśalya), and have not cultivated various meditative and enlightening factors (e.g., mindfulness applications, noble paths, liberations like emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness). When such bodhisattvas perform a "truth blessing" (satyavacana) to expel a non-human spirit, Māra intervenes to make it succeed falsely, inflating their pride and leading them to deride others, distancing them from omniscience and regressing to śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha levels.
Madhyamaka views this as a cautionary tale of failing the Union of the Two Truths. Conventionally, truth blessings function as dependently arisen skillful means, effective through accumulated merit and pure intention, averting harm like possessions (which are relative manifestations of karma). Ultimately, they are empty—no inherent power resides in words or declarations; success depends on interdependence, not absolute causality.
Māra, as a dependent projection of delusion (kleśa), exploits this by simulating success, prompting reification: the unprepared bodhisattva apprehends the outcome as "my power," attaching to an inherent self-efficacy that doesn't exist. This attachment opposes the Middle Way—reifying conventional functionality (the blessing's apparent effect) without recognizing emptiness—breeding pride (māna), a root affliction that veils tathātā.
Acting without acting here means performing blessings without absolute effort or ownership: skilled bodhisattvas would declare truth non-attachedly, neither accepting success as personal nor rejecting failure as defeat, aligning with suchness where Māra's interventions are empty illusions. Without perfections and skill in means (which integrate conventional practice with ultimate wisdom), bodhisattvas become "fettered by Māra"—bound by dependent delusions without transcending them emptily.
Honoring spiritual mentors (kalyanamitra) is emphasized as a conventional antidote, fostering humility without reification, preventing regression to partial awakenings that, while functional, fall short of full buddhahood's non-dual embrace.
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2. Māra's False Prophecies and Declarations of Past Lives and Virtues
Māra approaches in various guises (e.g., monk, parent), falsely prophesying the bodhisattva's enlightenment, revealing concocted details of future names, family, origins, and past ascetic virtues (e.g., forest dwelling, few desires, non-belligerence). He affirms their current practices as evidence of past continuity, claiming this proves their irreversibility.
From the Madhyamaka standpoint, prophecies and ascetic virtues exemplify the Union: conventionally, they arise dependently as motivational tools—names and virtues function to inspire diligence, past-life recalls to contextualize karma—guiding beings toward awakening. Ultimately, they are empty designations (prajñapti), without inherent continuity or essence; as Nāgārjuna argues in the Ratnāvalī, past, present, and future are interdependent, not absolute selves. Māra's guises and declarations are dependent projections, functional in deceiving yet empty of inherent malice—arising from the bodhisattva's own unprepared mind (lacking perfections and liberations like emptiness).
The deception thrives on reification: the bodhisattva accepts these as absolute validations, giving rise to conceits (abhimāna) without basis, deriding others. This opposes tathātā by absolutizing conventional signs (names, virtues), ignoring their emptiness—leading to distance from omniscience, which is the non-conceptual realization of the Union.
Acting without acting counters this: a mature bodhisattva would receive prophecies non-attachedly, neither rejecting ascetic practices (nihilism) nor grasping them as inherent proofs (eternalism), using them effortlessly as upāya. Without skill in means—the art of applying conventional methods emptily—Māra's "blessing" binds them, regressing to lower vehicles where self-liberation is prioritized over universal compassion.
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3. Māra's Prophecy Through Name Consecration and Its Consequences
Māra prophesies the bodhisattva's buddha-name, matching one they had pondered, leading stupid, unskilled bodhisattvas to believe it as authentic. Influenced by Māra's agents (deities, monks), they develop conceit, deriding others, and fall far from enlightenment, potentially regressing to śrāvaka/pratyekabuddha levels or, after long saṃsāric wandering, attaining buddhahood via wisdom and mentors—or not, if they fail to confess past mindsets.
Madhyamaka interprets name consecration as a prime example of the Two Truths' union: conventionally, names function as dependent labels for inspiration and identity in buddhafields, aiding the path's relational aspects. Ultimately, names are empty—mere imputations without inherent referent, as per the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā's critique of svabhāva. Māra exploits this by fabricating matches to internal ponderings, which are themselves dependent mental formations (saṃskāra), empty yet functionally delusory.
The bodhisattva's error is apprehending the name absolutely, breeding conceit heavier than root downfalls or inexpiable crimes (ānantarya)—afflictions that, while conventionally grave, are empty and purifiable. This mindset veils tathātā more onerously because it reifies the aggregates (skandhas) as "mine," misunderstanding their demonic force (mārakāya)—dependently arisen yet empty phenomena that Māra manipulates.
Acting without acting resolves this: confessing conceits (conventional repentance) without absolute self-blame, honoring mentors emptily to cultivate wisdom, avoiding opposition (deriding others) or acceptance (pride).
Regression to lower levels illustrates partial grasp of emptiness (personal peace) without full conventional compassion, while true irreversibility embodies the Middle Way—transcending Māra's subtleties through non-effortful alignment with suchness.
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Conclusion: Māra's Deeds as Pointers to the Union in Action
This section portrays Māra's deeds not as absolute adversaries but as dependently co-arisen teachings, revealing the pitfalls of unbalanced engagement with the Two Truths. Unprepared bodhisattvas reify conventional elements (blessings, prophecies, names) as inherent, inviting attachment and pride that distort the path, leading to saṃsāric bondage or lesser awakenings.
Yet, from Madhyamaka, these deceptions are empty opportunities: recognizing them as such fosters "acting without acting"—practicing perfections, skill in means, and mentor reverence conventionally, without absolute effort, apprehension, or dualism. This effortless praxis aligns with tathātā, the inconceivable union where Māra's illusions dissolve, propelling the bodhisattva irreversibly toward buddhahood. Ultimately, the text urges vigilance in the Middle Way, where even obstacles function as upāya for realizing reality's non-dual suchness, benefiting all without reification.)
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TEXT:
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“Moreover, Subhūti, the evil Māra might approach owing to the truth blessing being performed by bodhisattva great beings
who have not practiced the six perfections;
who are without skill in means;
who have not practiced 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 aspects of liberation, the serial steps of meditative absorption, emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness;
and who have not entered upon the maturity of the bodhisattvas.

“Subhūti, in the case where such bodhisattva great beings have performed the truth blessing, saying,
‘By this truth and this declaration of truth through which I have been prophesied by the tathāgatas, arhats, completely awakened buddhas of the past to attain unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, may that non-human spirit depart!’
the evil Māra will insist that that non-human spirit departs by whatever means.
If you ask why, it is because the evil Māra is more powerful and more resplendent than that non-human spirit.
It is through the blessing of the evil Māra that that non-human spirit will depart, and those bodhisattva great beings will think,
‘It was through my power that that non-human spirit departed!’
They will not know that the non-human spirit actually departed through the power of Māra.
On that basis, they will deride, slander, scorn, deprecate, and look down upon other bodhisattva great beings, saying, ‘I have been prophesied by the tathāgatas, arhats, completely awakened buddhas of the past to attain unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, but these others have not been prophesied to attain unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.’ Simply on that basis their pride will increase;
as their pride grows they will be far removed from all-aspect omniscience.
If they are far removed from the wisdom of the unsurpassed, completely awakened buddhas, one should know that those unskilled bodhisattvas, simply on that basis, will develop overweening pride and they will proceed to the two levels, namely the level of the śrāvakas or the level of the pratyekabuddhas.
In that manner the deeds of Māra will confront those bodhisattva great beings through the blessing of truth.
If they do not serve, attend upon, befriend, and respect spiritual mentors, in that state they will be fettered and bound by Māra.
If you ask why, it is because they have not practiced the six perfections and they have not been favored by skill in means.
Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings should know this as the deed of Māra.

“Subhūti, if you ask how the evil Māra approaches bodhisattva great beings
who have not practiced the six perfections,
who have not practiced the thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment,
who have not practiced the three gateways to liberation,
and who have not entered into the maturity [of the bodhisattvas] in connection with the consecration of their [prophesied] name,
in this regard, Subhūti, the evil Māra will approach assuming whatever guise is appropriate and say to those bodhisattva great beings,
‘Noble child, the tathāgata, arhat, completely awakened Buddha prophesies that you will attain unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.
This will be your name.
This will be your father’s name.
This will be your mother’s name.
This will be your brother’s name.
This will be your sister’s name.
This will be your friend’s name.
This will be your minister’s name and your spiritual mentor’s name.’
He will then reveal [the names of] their parents through seven past generations, saying,
‘[You have come] from such and such a country, such and such a city, such and such a place, and such and such a district.
You will be born in such and such a country, such and such a city, and such and such a town.’
If they are gentle by nature, he will say to them,
‘In the past, too, you were similarly gentle.’
If they are sharp [by nature], he will say to them, ‘In the past, too, you were similarly sharp.’
If they are forest dwellers, he will say to them,
‘In the past, too, you were similarly a forest dweller.’
If they are mendicants who beg for alms,
if they are refuse scavengers,
if they eat their daily meal in a single sitting,
if they subsist only on whatever alms they obtain,
if they frequent charnel grounds,
if they sit in exposed places,
if they sit under trees,
if they remain seated [even while asleep],
if they stay wherever they happen to be,
if they own only three robes, or
if they have few desires,
if they understand the Dharma,
if they are solitary, if their feet are not dyed with henna, or
if they are quietly spoken, then he will say to them,
‘In the past, too, you similarly were quietly spoken, and so on.’
If they are non-belligerent, he will say to them,
‘In the past, too, you were similarly non-belligerent.’
If they ask why, he will say,
‘It is because if you presently maintain such ascetic virtues,
you will undoubtedly in the past also have maintained
the ascetic virtues and these vows.
It is impossible for you not to have done so!’

“Through such declarations of their former names and clans, and through the declaration of the ascetic virtues and vows that they now maintain, they will give rise to [certain] conceits on the basis of which the evil Māra will approach them, saying,
‘Noble child, inasmuch as you are [now] maintaining these [ascetic] virtues, you have been prophesied by the tathāgata, arhat, completely awakened Buddha to make irreversible progress toward unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.’
Alternatively, he will approach in the guise of a monk, or he will approach in the guise of a nun, or he will approach in the guise of a householder, or he will approach in the guise of a mother, or he will approach in the guise of a father, and he will say,
‘Noble child, you have been prophesied by the tathāgata, arhat, completely awakened Buddha to attain unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.
If you ask why, it is because you maintain all those ascetic virtues that are associated with irreversible bodhisattva great beings.’

“Subhūti, since those bodhisattva great beings are without the aspects, marks, and signs of an irreversible bodhisattva great being that I have explained, other bodhisattva great beings should know, Subhūti, that these bodhisattva great beings are ‘blessed’ by Māra.
If you ask why, Subhūti, it is because if those who are indeed without the aspects, marks, and signs of an irreversible bodhisattva great being then deride, slander, scorn, look down upon, and deprecate other bodhisattva great beings, in that case, Subhūti, one should know that this is a deed of Māra associated with bodhisattva great beings who have received the name consecration.

“Subhūti, one should know that there are also other deeds of Māra associated with bodhisattva great beings who have received the name consecration.
If you ask why, Subhūti, it is because in the case of bodhisattva great beings who have not practiced the six perfections, and who therefore do not understand the demonic force of the aggregates‍ — that is to say, who do not understand physical forms, and who do not understand feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness‍ — the evil Māra will prophesy them through the name consecration, saying, ‘When you have attained consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, this will be your name!’
And in doing so he will declare the very name that that bodhisattva great being had already pondered and reflected upon.
Thereupon, bodhisattva great beings who are stupid and without skill in means will think,
‘This very name that I have considered, pondered, and reflected upon in my own mind will be my name when I attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment!’
Whatever the evil Māra, or a deity of the realm of Māra, or monks who are under the charismatic influence of Māra might declare, those [bodhisattva great beings] will think,
‘The name that I have already pondered corresponds to the name that has been precisely declared by this monk, under which I am prophesied by the tathāgata, arhat, completely awakened Buddha to attain unsurpassed, complete enlightenment!’ 

“Then, Subhūti, if those bodhisattvas lack the aspects, marks, and signs of an irreversible bodhisattva great being that I have explained, and if, just by the declaration of the name that is prophesied, they look down upon other bodhisattva great beings, on the basis of that conceit they will be far from unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.
One should know that there are two levels associated with those who lack skill in means, who are without the perfection of wisdom, are without a spiritual mentor, and captivated by the friendship of Māra‍ — namely, the level of the śrāvakas and the level of the pratyekabuddhas.
Either, after roaming and straying through cyclic existence again and again over an extremely long period of time, and after honoring, attending upon, and serving a spiritual mentor, they will attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, dependent on this very perfection of wisdom, or, Subhūti, if bodhisattvas have repeatedly not observed and honored a spiritual mentor, and, having reincarnated, do not scorn and do not confess their former mindsets, then one should know that they will proceed to [either of] those two levels, namely the level of the śrāvakas and the level of the pratyekabuddhas.
This is just as when a monk who follows the vehicle of the śrāvakas, after committing any one of the four root downfalls, ceases to be a virtuous ascetic and is no longer a son of the Ṧākyas, and even in that very lifetime would lack the fortune to attain any of the fruits of a virtuous ascetic that are included among the four fruits of a virtuous ascetic.
In the same way, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings who develop a mindset possessed of conceits, simply on the basis of that name that has been declared, will on the basis of that mere declaration develop a mindset that derides, slanders, and deprecates other bodhisattvas.
There is nothing more onerous than that!
Subhūti, such are the subtlest of the deeds of Māra that arise through the name consecration.
Subhūti, leave aside the four root downfalls.
This development of the mindset of bodhisattvas who give rise to conceits simply on the basis of the name consecration is even more onerous than the five inexpiable crimes.
One should know that this mindset is even more onerous than those [crimes].

Section 3: Dwelling in isolation through the isolation of the bodhisattvas: isolated from the considerations of the śrāvakas and the pratyekabuddhas.

“Moreover, Subhūti, the evil Māra might declare the virtue of isolation and approach bodhisattva great beings, saying, ‘The tathāgatas speak of the virtue of isolation.’ Subhūti, I do not teach that bodhisattva great beings should be isolated in a wilderness, a forest, or a remote place.”

“Blessed Lord,
what else is the isolation of bodhisattva great beings
if it is not the isolation of staying in a wilderness, a forest, or a remote place?
Blessed Lord, in what way is the isolation of bodhisattva great beings different?”

“Subhūti,” replied the Blessed One,
“if bodhisattva great beings are isolated from the considerations of the śrāvakas and the pratyekabuddhas, then they do not dwell in a wilderness, a forest, or a remote place.
This, Subhūti, is the isolation that I have sanctioned for bodhisattva great beings.
If they dwell day and night in accordance with this isolation, then indeed those bodhisattva great beings do dwell in isolation through the isolation of the bodhisattvas.
Even though bodhisattva great beings might dwell in a wilderness, a forest, or a remote place, if they dwell there tainted with the considerations of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, then those bodhisattva great beings do not dwell in isolation.
Even though they dwell in towns, if bodhisattva great beings are untainted by the considerations of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, then those bodhisattva great beings do dwell in isolation.
Subhūti, if, distinct from the sort of isolation that I have sanctioned for bodhisattva great beings, they become tainted, then, as the evil Māra teaches isolation, saying,
‘You should dwell in a wilderness, a forest, or a remote place!’
they become disturbed and, stained by the considerations that śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas possess, they do not persevere in the perfection of wisdom, and they will not perfect all-aspect omniscience.
Since they dwell in that manner and their considerations are impure, they develop a mindset that scorns other bodhisattva great beings who dwell in towns, who are endowed with pure considerations, who are untainted by the mindset of the śrāvakas, untainted by the mindset of the pratyekabuddhas, and untainted by other negative mindsets apart from these, and who have perfected the meditative concentrations, the aspects of liberation, the absorptions in meditative stability, and the extrasensory powers.

“On the other hand, those bodhisattvas who are without skill in means, even though they may stay in a wilderness with snakes, wild ungulates, birds, thieves, outcastes, wild beasts with fangs, and frequented by cannibal ogres, more than a hundred yojanas in extent, and spend one year there, or one hundred years, one thousand years, one hundred thousand years, ten million years, one billion years, ten billion years, one trillion years, one hundred billion trillion years, or even more than that, would not understand the sort of isolation through which bodhisattva great beings genuinely stay, keeping to their higher aspirations.
Instead, they would dwell in contamination with the manifold modes of the considerations that śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas possess.
Simply because they are not genuinely intent on isolation, but are attached to it, cling to it, and are fixated on it, they will not please my mind.
Since they lack that isolation that I have explained for the benefit of bodhisattva great beings, they do not stay in that isolation.
If you ask why, it is because they are without that isolation.

“The evil Māra will approach such persons, standing in the air above, and say,
‘Excellent, noble child, excellent!
This is the unerring isolation that the tathāgatas have revealed.
You should dwell in accordance with this very isolation!
Thereby you will swiftly attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.’ For this reason, they esteem this isolation rather than the [true] isolation, and on arriving back in town they deprecate other monks who follow the vehicle of the bodhisattvas, whose minds and considerations are pure, and who certainly possess virtuous attributes, saying, ‘Those venerables are engaging in social diversions!’ And they develop a mindset that scorns bodhisattva great beings who engage in [genuine] isolation, accusing them of indulging in social diversions and accusing them of indulging in contamination.
They hold that those who [actually] do indulge in social diversions are dwelling in accordance with isolation, and set out to serve them.
However, they feel pride toward those whom they should actually set out to serve.
If you ask why, it is because they feel pride as they imagine, ‘I am exhorted by non-human spirits.
I am reminded by non-human spirits.
This engagement through which I dwell is an unerring engagement.
Who would consider and exhort townsfolk!
Who would consider and remind townsfolk!’

“So it is that those bodhisattvas scorn other noble children who follow the vehicle of the bodhisattvas.
Subhūti, those individuals are known to be outcaste bodhisattvas.
They are known to be critics of [genuine] bodhisattvas.
They are known to be counterfeits of a bodhisattva.
They are known to be thieves of the world, with its gods, humans, and asuras.
That is to say, the world with its gods, humans, and asuras knows them to be thieves assuming the guise of a virtuous ascetic.

Section 4: Avoiding Conceited Individuals and Honoring True Spiritual Mentors: From Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to the Perfections and Enlightening Factors as Teachers, Parents, and Protectors Guiding Bodhisattvas Toward Omniscience and the Maturation of Beings Through the Four Attractive Qualities.

(Summary 4: Introduction to the Analysis
Section 4 of Chapter 45 in the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā emphasizes the critical role of spiritual mentors (kalyanamitra) in the bodhisattva path, delineating whom to honor and whom to avoid, while expanding the concept of "mentor" to include not just persons but dharmas like the six perfections and enlightening factors.
From a Madhyamaka perspective, this section illuminates the Union of the Two Truths: all mentors, practices, and aspirations are dependently co-arisen phenomena—relatively functional for guiding beings toward awakening—yet empty of inherent existence, mere designations without absolute essence.
The true nature of reality (tathātā, suchness) is pointed to by this non-dual union, where honoring mentors exemplifies "acting without acting": conventionally engaging in reverence, service, and training (relative functions to accumulate merit and wisdom) without absolute apprehension, attachment, reification, effort, or opposition. This avoids extremes—neither rejecting mentors nihilistically (denying their conventional utility) nor grasping them eternalistically (as inherently real saviors)—fostering a Middle Way praxis that aligns with tathātā.
Conceited individuals are shunned not out of absolute rejection but because their reified mindsets obstruct this union, while true mentors (including abstract dharmas) facilitate effortless compassion, embodying the Union in action: dependent practices empty of self, leading to omniscience without dependence on others.
The analysis will proceed sequentially through the text's key parts, interpreting each through the Madhyamaka lens of the Two Truths, highlighting how they promote non-effortful, non-attached engagement on the path.
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1. Avoiding Honor of Conceited Individuals and Maintaining One's Aspiration
The text advises bodhisattvas (noble sons or daughters) not to honor, attend, or serve conceited individuals—those with tainted dispositions, as identified in prior sections (e.g., those deceived by Māra into pride).
Instead, bodhisattvas with earnest aspiration for omniscience and beings' welfare should persevere in their purpose, remain disillusioned with cyclic existence, dwell untamed by the three realms with fear (of saṃsāra), and cultivate the four immeasurables (loving kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, equanimity) even toward such "outcaste" bodhisattvas. They should train to abandon faults swiftly, recognizing this as the effectiveness of their own extrasensory power from understanding.
Madhyamaka interprets conceit (māna) as a prime example of failing the Union of the Two Truths: it arises dependently from deluded conditions (e.g., false prophecies), functioning relatively to bind one to saṃsāra, yet empty of inherent self-importance—no absolute "conceited person" exists, only imputed labels.
Avoiding such individuals is acting without acting: conventionally, it protects one's path by not reinforcing dependent delusions (relative discernment), without absolute opposition or rejection—hence, extending immeasurables to them non-attachedly, neither grasping faults as inherent nor ignoring their functional harm. The "fear" of realms is not reified terror but conventional motivation, empty of essence, driving disillusionment with saṃsāra's dependent appearances.
Persevering in aspiration embodies the Union in action: omniscience and beings' welfare appear as dependently arisen goals (conventional vows), empty of absolute attainment, pursued without effortful striving—aligning with tathātā where faults "arise" interdependently but are abandoned swiftly through wisdom's non-apprehension. Extrasensory power (ṛddhi) here is the bodhisattva's internalized understanding: conventionally functional for insight, ultimately empty, pointing to self-reliance in the Middle Way without dependence on external absolutes.
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2. Identifying True Spiritual Mentors: Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Śrāvakas, and Dharmas
In response to Subhūti's query, the Buddha identifies spiritual mentors as: lord buddhas; bodhisattva great beings; śrāvakas who teach the six perfections; the perfections themselves; the thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment (e.g., mindfulness applications, noble path); gateways to liberation (emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness); buddha-qualities (powers, fearlessnesses, etc.); and even the real nature (dharmatā), limit of reality (bhūtakoṭi), and realm of phenomena (dharmadhātu).
From the Madhyamaka viewpoint, this expansive definition deconstructs "mentor" via the Two Truths: conventionally, mentors function as dependently arisen guides—buddhas and bodhisattvas as embodiments of compassion-wisdom, śrāvakas as teachers of perfections (even if their vehicle is limited), and abstract dharmas as instructional frameworks arising from causes like study and meditation. Ultimately, all are empty of inherent mentorship—no absolute "teacher" exists independent of imputation; as Nāgārjuna in the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā asserts, even the Buddha and dharmas are designations (prajñapti), interdependent and void. Honoring them is acting without acting: relative service (attending, serving) without reifying them as saviors or oneself as dependent, avoiding attachment (e.g., to personal gurus) or opposition (dismissing śrāvakas).
This inclusivity points to tathātā: the "real nature" as mentor is the inconceivable union itself—dependent phenomena (dharmadhātu) empty yet functional—guiding without effort. Bodhisattvas of "higher aspiration" honor these emptily, fostering non-dual progress where mentors are not external absolutes but reflections of one's own empty-dependent mind, aligning with the Middle Way's self-liberating wisdom.
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3. The Six Perfections and Enlightening Factors as Teachers, Parents, etc.
The six perfections are extolled as teachers, path, light, lamp, intelligence, knowledge, wisdom, ally, refuge, lord-protector, mother, and father for bodhisattvas. Similarly, the thirty-seven factors (and related attributes like liberations, powers) receive the same metaphors. All-aspect omniscience abandons rebirth propensities, and these factors are the "father and mother" of all past, future, and present buddhas, from whom buddhas arise.
Madhyamaka sees these metaphors as skillful pointers to the Union: conventionally, perfections and factors function as dependently co-arisen tools—generosity as "mother" nurturing merit, wisdom as "father" illuminating emptiness—arising from practice to guide the path, light up ignorance, and protect like allies.
They "give birth" to buddhas interdependently, as causes for awakening's appearances. Ultimately, they are empty—no inherent path, light, or parentage exists; as Candrakīrti explains in the Prasannapadā, attributes like the noble path are mere conventions, void of svabhāva, preventing reification of enlightenment as a produced entity.
Acting without acting manifests here: training in perfections is relative engagement (e.g., generosity as purposeful activity) without absolute effort or attachment—neither accepting them as inherent saviors nor rejecting their utility. Omniscience "abandons" propensities not through oppositional force but effortless realization of their emptiness, aligning with tathātā where buddhas "appear" dependently, without absolute origination. The parental metaphor underscores non-duality: factors birth awakening emptily, like illusions producing illusions, fostering compassion without self-other opposition.
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4. Attracting Beings, Training in Wisdom, and Achieving Independence
Bodhisattvas seeking buddhahood, buddhafield refinement, and beings' maturity should attract beings via the four attractive qualities (generosity, pleasant speech, purposeful activity, harmony). The factors are reaffirmed as teachers/parents, etc. To not depend on others, cut doubts, refine fields, and mature beings, bodhisattvas should train in the perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā), where all attributes are revealed.
In Madhyamaka terms, attraction qualities exemplify the Union in action: conventionally, they function as dependently arisen upāya—generosity attracts through relative benefit—maturing beings without absolute manipulation. Ultimately, beings and fields are empty, refined through wisdom's non-apprehension, avoiding reification of "maturity" as an inherent state.
Training in prajñāpāramitā is the pinnacle: it reveals the Two Truths' union, where attributes "are extensively revealed" as dependent-empty, cutting doubts (saṃśaya) not through absolute negation but non-conceptual insight.
Independence (not depending on others) is not absolute self-sufficiency but the Middle Way: conventionally relying on mentors/factors emptily, without attachment, leading to omniscience where doubts dissolve in tathātā's inconceivability. This effortless training—acting relatively without absolute—purifies fields (empty appearances) and matures beings (dependent minds), embodying compassion aligned with suchness.
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Conclusion: Spiritual Mentors as Embodiments of the Union in Action
This section reframes mentorship through the Madhyamaka Union of the Two Truths: mentors—from persons to dharmas—are dependently functional guides, empty of essence, to be honored conventionally without reification. Avoiding conceited ones and cultivating immeasurables prevents entanglement in delusions, while true mentors facilitate "acting without acting"—persevering in aspirations, training in perfections, attracting beings—all without attachment, effort, or dualism. This praxis aligns with tathātā, the inconceivable non-duality where the path arises emptily, birthing buddhas across times without absolute production. Ultimately, the text urges bodhisattvas to internalize this union via prajñāpāramitā, achieving irreversible independence in the Middle Way, benefiting all through effortless, non-oppositional wisdom-compassion.)
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TEXT:
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Noble sons or noble daughters who follow the vehicle of the bodhisattvas
should not honor individuals of such disposition.
They should not attend upon them.
They should not serve them.
If you ask why, Subhūti,
it is because such individuals are known to be extremely conceited.

“If bodhisattva great beings have not forsaken all-aspect omniscience, and if they have not forsaken unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, those bodhisattva great beings through their earnest aspiration will seek to attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.
They will seek to act for the sake of all beings.
They should not honor individuals of such [tainted] disposition.
They should not attend upon them.
They should not serve them.
Rather, they should persevere to maintain their own purpose
and they should always be disillusioned with cyclic existence.
With an attitude of fear, they should dwell without being tainted by the three realms.
Even toward those outcaste bodhisattvas they should develop loving kindness.
Out of friendliness for them they should develop compassion,
they should develop empathetic joy,
and they should develop equanimity, thinking,
‘By whatever means I should act so that all these faults of mine will be entirely non-existent in all respects, and they will not arise. And even if they do arise, I should train so that they will swiftly be abandoned.’
Subhūti, one should know this as the effectiveness of the extrasensory power brought by bodhisattva great beings’ own understanding.

“Moreover, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings of higher aspiration who seek to attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment
should honor, attend upon, and serve spiritual mentors.”

.

“Blessed Lord,
who are they who should be known as the spiritual mentors of bodhisattva great beings?”

“Subhūti,” replied the Blessed One,
“the lord buddhas should be known as the spiritual mentors of bodhisattva great beings.
Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings should be known as the spiritual mentors of bodhisattva great beings.
Subhūti, śrāvakas who proclaim, teach, explain, interpret, analyze, elucidate, and genuinely reveal the six perfections should also be known as the spiritual mentors of bodhisattva great beings.

“Moreover, Subhūti, the six perfections should be known as the spiritual mentors of bodhisattva great beings.
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, 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, the meditative stabilities, the dhāraṇī gateways, the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, and the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas should be known as the spiritual mentors of bodhisattva great beings.
The real nature, the very limit of reality, and the realm of phenomena should be known as the spiritual mentors of bodhisattva great beings.

“Moreover, Subhūti, the six perfections should be known as the teachers of bodhisattva great beings.
The six perfections constitute the path.
The six perfections are the light.
The six perfections are a lamp.
They are intelligence, they are knowledge, and they are wisdom.
The six perfections are an ally.
The six perfections are a refuge.
The six perfections are a lord-protector.
The six perfections are a mother.
The six perfections are a father.

“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, 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, the meditative stabilities, the dhāraṇī gateways, the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas and knowledge of the path should be known as the teachers of bodhisattva great beings.
Knowledge of the path [and so forth] constitute the path.
Knowledge of the path [and so forth] are the light.
Knowledge of the path [and so forth] are a lamp.
They are intelligence, they are knowledge, and they are wisdom.
Knowledge of the path [and so forth] are an ally.
Knowledge of the path [and the foregoing attributes] are a refuge.
Knowledge of the path [and so forth] are a lord-protector.
Knowledge of the path [and so forth] are a mother.
Knowledge of the path [and so forth] are a father.

“All-aspect omniscience causes all reincarnation through the continuity of propensities to be abandoned.
If you ask why, Subhūti, it is because these thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment have also been the father and the mother of all lord buddhas, as many as have appeared as the tathāgatas, arhats, completely awakened buddhas of the past.
Subhūti, these thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment will also be the father and the mother of all lord buddhas, as many as will appear as the tathāgatas, arhats, completely awakened buddhas of the future.
Subhūti, these thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment are also the father and the mother of all lord buddhas, as many as are alive and residing at present in the world systems of the ten directions.
If you ask why, Subhūti, it is because it is from them that the lord buddhas of the past, the future, and the present have appeared, [will appear, and are appearing].
Therefore, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings who seek to attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, who seek to refine the buddhafields, and who seek to bring beings to maturity should attract beings through the four attractive qualities of a bodhisattva.
If you ask what are these four, they comprise generosity, pleasant speech, purposeful activity, and harmony.
Considering this state of affairs, Subhūti, I say that these thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment are the teachers, mother, father, ally, refuge, and lord-protector of bodhisattva great beings.

Therefore, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings who seek not to depend on others, who seek to continue not depending on others, who seek to cut off the doubts of all beings, who seek to refine the buddhafields, and who seek to bring beings to maturity should train in this very perfection of wisdom.
If you ask why, it is in this perfection of wisdom that these attributes in which bodhisattva great beings should train are extensively revealed.”

Section 5: The Defining Characteristics of the Perfection of Wisdom as Non-Attachment and Emptiness: Resolving the Paradox of Affliction and Purification Through the Recognition of Ego-Notions as Empty, and the Bodhisattva's Non-Engagement in All Phenomena Leading to Invincibility and Approach to Omniscience.
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The defining characteristics of the perfection of wisdom: non-attachment. Because all phenomena [T1] are interdependent and empty of inherent existence, never absolute [T2] [U2T], even dependent origination and emptiness, the two truths and their ‘union’. All phenomena are ultimately limitless, timeless, unborn/non-arising, unconditioned, non-inherently-existent, non-changing, non-increasing, non-decreasing, non-ceasing, non-afflicted, non-purified; not ‘this’, ‘non-this’, both, or neither, for whatever ‘this’ is. All phenomena are primordially interconnected, equal, pure, perfect, complete, divine, ‘One’, in the non-dual sense of those terms. To act while ignoring this is saṃsāra, to act while being be aware of this is nirvāṇa here & now; it is this unconditioned non-dualistic non-conceptual direct wisdom of reality as it is [U2T] that is ‘purifying’ everything and permits to transcend all conditioning/karma, all conventional truths without rejecting the conventional world.

(Summary 5: Introduction to the Analysis
Section 5 of Chapter 45 in the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā delves into the nature of the perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā) through a dialogue between Subhūti and the Buddha, exploring its defining characteristics and implications for phenomena, affliction, purification, and bodhisattva practice.
From a Madhyamaka perspective, this section is a profound elucidation of the Union of the Two Truths (U2T): the inseparability of conventional truth—dependently co-arisen (pratītyasamutpanna), relatively functional phenomena—and ultimate truth—their emptiness (śūnyatā) of inherent existence (svabhāva). The text explicitly points to this union with phrases like "all phenomena are empty of all phenomena," highlighting tathātā (suchness), the inconceivable true nature of reality that transcends conceptual extremes.
Here, prajñāpāramitā embodies this union, described as non-attached like space—conventionally guiding the path (functional wisdom) yet ultimately without characteristics (empty of essence).
The bodhisattva's practice exemplifies "acting without acting": engaging conventionally in the path (e.g., perfections, meditations) without absolute apprehension, attachment, reification, effort, or opposition—neither accepting phenomena as inherently real (eternalism) nor rejecting their relative functionality (nihilism).
This non-dual praxis aligns progressively with the Middle Way, where affliction and purification arise dependently from deluded notions yet dissolve in emptiness, leading to irreversible approach to omniscience without outshining or overcoming in absolute terms. The Union in action is thus the effortless realization that all is void yet compassionate, pointing to tathātā beyond words.
This analysis will dissect the text sequentially, interpreting each exchange through the Madhyamaka lens of the Two Truths, demonstrating how it fosters non-effortful, non-attached engagement.
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1. The Defining Characteristics of the Perfection of Wisdom: Non-Attachment, Non-Existent, No Characteristics
Subhūti inquires about the defining characteristics (lakṣaṇa) of prajñāpāramitā, and the Buddha responds that it is like space (ākāśa)—characterized by non-attachment (asaṅga)—non-existent (asat), and without any defining characteristics at all.
In Madhyamaka terms, this establishes prajñāpāramitā as the quintessential pointer to the Union of the Two Truths. Conventionally, wisdom functions as a dependently arisen perfection, arising from study, reflection, and meditation to discern phenomena's relativity, guiding bodhisattvas across the river of saṃsāra (as a "perfection" or pāramitā, "gone beyond"). Ultimately, it is empty—no inherent characteristic exists, as Nāgārjuna in the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (MMK 24:18-19) affirms that emptiness itself is empty, avoiding reification even of śūnyatā. The space metaphor is apt: space appears dependently as accommodating all (relative functionality) yet lacks attachment or inherent boundaries (emptiness), transcending extremes of existence/non-existence.
Acting without acting is implied: bodhisattvas "practice" wisdom conventionally—analyzing phenomena—without apprehending it as an absolute entity or effortfully grasping characteristics. This non-reified approach aligns with tathātā: wisdom's "non-existence" is not nihilistic denial but the inconceivable suchness where no absolute marks (lakṣaṇa) apply, fostering effortless insight that neither opposes ignorance nor accepts delusion, embodying the Middle Way's freedom from conceptual proliferation.
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2. All Phenomena Exist Through the Same Characteristic: Emptiness and Voidness
Subhūti asks if all phenomena (sarvadharma) exist through the same defining characteristic as prajñāpāramitā. The Buddha affirms this, stating all phenomena are naturally void (prakṛti-śūnya), devoid of all phenomena, and empty of all phenomena [U2T], owing to the characteristic of emptiness (śūnyatā-lakṣaṇa) and voidness (śūnyatā).
Madhyamaka interprets this as a direct affirmation of the Two Truths' union: conventionally, phenomena "exist" as dependently co-arisen appearances—relatively functional designations (e.g., forms, feelings) arising from causes/conditions (pratītyasamutpāda). Ultimately, they are empty of inherent existence, "devoid" and "empty of all phenomena," meaning no svabhāva under analysis—neither self nor other, as per MMK 18:1-5. The bracketed [U2T] in the text underscores this inseparability: emptiness is not a separate void but the very nature of dependent arising, preventing views of emptiness as a nihilistic abyss or an eternal essence.
This characteristic points to tathātā: the inconceivable reality where all is "naturally void," dependently functional yet without absolute being.
Acting without acting follows: one acknowledges conventional existence (e.g., using phenomena for practice) without reification, neither accepting them as truly existent nor rejecting their utility—aligning with the Middle Way, where voidness is the shared "basis" for all, effortlessly dissolving dualities like existent/non-existent.
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3. Affliction and Purification in the Context of Emptiness: Notions of 'I' and 'Mine'
Subhūti questions how affliction (saṃkleśa) and purification (vyavadāna) of beings occur if all is void and empty, since voidness/emptiness is neither afflicted nor purified, nor attains buddhahood, and apprehends no beings.
The Buddha counters by asking if beings engage in notions of 'I' (ahaṃkāra) and 'mine' (mamakāra) for a long time—affirmed by Subhūti—and if these notions are void and empty—also affirmed. Beings roam in saṃsāra through these notions; affliction arises from them, and purification from their absence, where no grasping occurs, and nothing is afflicted.
From Madhyamaka, this resolves the apparent paradox via the Union: conventionally, affliction arises dependently from ego-notions—functional delusions (kleśa) like attachment, causing saṃsāric wandering (relative suffering). Purification similarly depends on wisdom's cessation of grasping, leading to nirvāṇa (functional liberation). Ultimately, both are empty—no inherent afflicted being or purified state exists; as Śāntideva in Bodhicaryāvatāra (9:2-3) notes, saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are mere designations, empty of difference. Emptiness itself neither afflicts nor purifies, as it transcends such dualities, apprehending no absolute "beings" to enlighten.
Acting without acting is key: bodhisattvas understand affliction/purification conventionally (vowing to liberate beings) without absolute apprehension—neither opposing saṃsāra as real evil nor accepting nirvāṇa as a separate goal. This non-effortful insight—seeing ego-notions as empty yet functionally binding—aligns with tathātā, where beings' "roaming" dissolves in suchness, fostering compassion without reification, in the Middle Way beyond acceptance/rejection.
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4. Bodhisattva Practice: Non-Engagement in All Phenomena
The Buddha describes bodhisattvas practicing "in that manner" (emptily) as not engaging (in absolute terms, just conventionally) in aggregates (skandhas like form, consciousness), sense fields, dependent origination, perfections (generosity to wisdom), emptiness aspects, enlightening factors (mindfulness to noble path), liberations (emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness), buddha-qualities (powers, compassion), up to omniscience—because nothing is apprehended: no phenomena to engage, through which to engage, or in which to engage.
Madhyamaka views this as the Union's praxis: conventionally, bodhisattvas "engage" dependently in these dharmas—practicing perfections, meditating on emptiness—as relative functions to accumulate merit-wisdom. Ultimately, non-engagement means no inherent apprehension (upalabdhi)—all listed items are empty, mere interdependent labels without svabhāva, as MMK 5 critiques elements and aggregates. The triple negation (no engaged phenomena, no engager, no engagement locus) echoes Nāgārjuna's tetralemma, transcending extremes.
This is acting without acting par excellence: relative practice (e.g., generosity) without absolute effort or reification—neither attaching to dharmas as real achievements nor opposing them as illusory. Alignment with tathātā arises: non-apprehension reveals suchness, where the path is traversed emptily, effortlessly approaching omniscience without dualistic striving, embodying the Middle Way's non-abiding (apratiṣṭhāna).
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5. Invincibility, Non-Outshining, and Approaching Omniscience
Bodhisattvas engaging thus cannot be overcome by the world (gods, humans, asuras), nor outshone by śrāvakas/pratyekabuddhas, due to their mature status. Never letting up from focusing on omniscience, they approach it.
In Madhyamaka, "cannot be overcome" illustrates the Union's resilience: conventionally, wisdom shields from dependent obstacles (Māra, afflictions), functioning as invincible armor. Ultimately, nothing inherent to overcome exists—worlds and beings are empty, so no absolute victory/defeat.
Non-outshining avoids hierarchy: lower vehicles are dependently functional (partial emptiness) but limited; bodhisattvas' maturity is the full union, compassionately encompassing all without opposition.
Acting without acting: focus on omniscience is relative aspiration (bodhicitta) without absolute fixation—neither rejecting lower paths nor effortfully surpassing them.
This effortless approach aligns with tathātā: omniscience "approaches" as natural manifestation of suchness, in the Middle Way where maturity is non-dual, irreversible progress without attachment.
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Conclusion: Prajñāpāramitā as the Union in Action
This section portrays prajñāpāramitā as the heart of the Madhyamaka Union of the Two Truths: all phenomena's dependent functionality empty of essence, with emptiness as the shared characteristic resolving affliction/purification through non-grasping.
Bodhisattva practice—non-engagement in absolutes—exemplifies acting without acting: conventional cultivation of dharmas without reification, leading to invincibility and omniscience aligned with inconceivable tathātā.
Ultimately, the text urges effortless Middle Way praxis, where voidness liberates without opposition, benefiting beings through non-dual wisdom-compassion, transcending all conceptual bounds.
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Question: It seems that the defining characteristic of all phenomena is the Union of the Two Truths, not just emptiness: all phenomena are empty because dependently arisen, and dependently arisen because empty. Ultimately even those two truths are themselves empty of inherent existence because dependently co-arisen, co-defined, never absolute.
Yes, your observation captures the essence of Madhyamaka philosophy with precision and depth. In the context of the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, including the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā we've been analyzing, the defining characteristic (lakṣaṇa) of all phenomena is indeed not mere emptiness (śūnyatā) in isolation but the non-dual Union of the Two Truths (satyadvaya)—the inseparability of conventional truth (saṃvṛti-satya: dependent arising, pratītyasamutpāda) and ultimate truth (paramārtha-satya: emptiness of inherent existence). This union is the true pointer to tathātā (suchness), the inconceivable reality beyond conceptual extremes. Let me elaborate on this, drawing from Madhyamaka sources like Nāgārjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (MMK) and Candrakīrti's commentaries, while tying it back to the text in Section 5.
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The Mutual Dependence: Empty Because Dependently Arisen, Dependently Arisen Because Empty
– Emptiness Arises from Dependent Origination: Phenomena are "empty" precisely because they arise dependently—interconnected with causes, conditions, and conceptual imputations (prajñapti). Without inherent essence (svabhāva), they function relatively (e.g., as forms, feelings, or even buddha-qualities) but lack self-sustaining reality. As Nāgārjuna states in MMK 24:18: "We declare that whatever is dependent arising, that is emptiness." This is echoed in the sūtra's assertion that "all phenomena are naturally void" and "empty of all phenomena," where voidness (śūnyatā) is not a standalone negation but a consequence of interdependence.
– Dependent Origination Relies on Emptiness: Conversely, if phenomena had inherent existence, they couldn't arise dependently—they'd be static, isolated absolutes, defying change or relation. Emptiness enables functionality: things "work" conventionally (e.g., karma ripens, vows liberate) because they're not fixed essences. Without emptiness, dependent arising would collapse into eternalism (things truly exist) or nihilism (nothing functions).
– Thus, as you noted, the two are co-arisen and co-defined: one implies the other, like two sides of a coin, but without inherent duality.
– This mutual entailment avoids reifying emptiness as a "thing" or a final truth. In the sūtra, when the Buddha says the perfection of wisdom has "no defining characteristics at all" yet shares the "defining characteristic of emptiness and voidness" with all phenomena, it's a skillful means (upāya) to point beyond words—emptiness isn't a mark (lakṣaṇa) in an absolute sense but a provisional designation for the union.
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The Two Truths Themselves Are Empty and Dependent
Your point about the two truths being "empty of inherent existence because dependently co-arisen, co-defined, never absolute" is spot on and central to Madhyamaka's profundity. Even the distinction between conventional and ultimate is conventional—a pedagogical tool, not an ontological divide:
– Dependent Co-Arising of the Truths: The conventional truth (appearances, functionality) arises dependently from ignorance and conceptual imputation, while the ultimate (emptiness) is realized dependently through analysis and practice. They co-define each other: without conventions, there's no "emptiness" to discern; without emptiness, conventions couldn't function interdependently. Candrakīrti in the Prasannapadā clarifies that the two truths are "mutually dependent" (parasparāpekṣā), like fire and fuel—neither precedes the other absolutely.
– Emptiness of the Truths: Ultimately, the two truths lack inherent existence; they are empty designations. Nāgārjuna warns in MMK 24:19: "That [dependent arising] is also called the middle path." Treating the truths as absolute would reify them, leading to views (dṛṣṭi) that veil tathātā. In the sūtra, this is why voidness "neither afflicts nor purifies" and apprehends no beings—it's not an agent but the suchness where dualities dissolve. Even śūnyatā is "emptiness of emptiness" (śūnyatā-śūnyatā), one of the eighteen emptinesses, preventing attachment to voidness as a refuge.
– This self-emptying (rang stong in Tibetan Madhyamaka) ensures the philosophy doesn't fall into extremism: the union is not a third truth but the negation of all absolutes, aligning with the tetralemma (neither existent, nonexistent, both, nor neither).
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Implications for Bodhisattva Practice: The Union in Action
In practice, this defining characteristic—the Union of the Two Truths—manifests as "acting without acting." As the sūtra describes bodhisattvas "not engaging" in phenomena (aggregates, perfections, etc.) in absolute terms, they act conventionally (e.g., cultivating compassion, making vows) without reification:
— Without attachment to dependent arising as "real," they avoid eternalism.
— Without rejecting emptiness as "nothingness," they avoid nihilism.
— Effortlessly, they approach omniscience, where even the path is empty yet functional, benefiting beings without opposition or absolute goals.
Your insight thus reveals the sūtra's heart: the characteristic isn't "just emptiness" (which could be misinterpreted as nihilistic) but the dynamic union, pointing to inconceivable tathātā. This is why Madhyamaka emphasizes quiescence of views (prapañca-upaśama)—ultimately, even this explanation is a finger pointing at the moon, not the moon itself.)
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TEXT:
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Subhūti then asked, “Blessed Lord,
what are the defining characteristics of the perfection of wisdom?”

The Blessed One replied,
“Subhūti, like space, the perfection of wisdom has the defining characteristic of non-attachment.
Subhūti, the defining characteristic of the perfection of wisdom is non-existent.
The perfection of wisdom has no defining characteristics at all.”

“Blessed Lord,
might it be that all phenomena exist through that defining characteristic on the basis of which the perfection of wisdom exists?”

“Subhūti, it is so! It is so!” replied the Blessed One.
“All phenomena exist through that defining characteristic on the basis of which the perfection of wisdom exists.
If you ask why, Subhūti, all phenomena are naturally void.
All phenomena are devoid of all phenomena.
All phenomena [T1] are empty of all phenomena [T2] [U2T].
For this reason, Subhūti, all phenomena exist through that defining characteristic on the basis of which the perfection of wisdom exists, that is to say, owing to the defining characteristic of emptiness and the defining characteristic of voidness.”

Subhūti then asked, “Blessed Lord,
if all phenomena are void of all phenomena
and if all phenomena are empty of all phenomena [U2T],
how could there be affliction and purification of beings?
Blessed Lord, voidness is neither afflicted nor purified.
Emptiness is neither afflicted nor purified.
Voidness and emptiness do not attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.
Voidness does not apprehend anything in emptiness, and if voidness does not apprehend any being in emptiness who would attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment,
how then, Blessed Lord, should I understand the meaning of this teaching?”

“Subhūti, do you think that beings engage in notions of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ for a long time?” asked the Blessed One.

“Blessed Lord, they do! Sugata, they do!
beings do engage for a long time in notions of ‘I’ and ‘mine.’ ”

“Subhūti, do you then think that notions of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ are void and empty?” asked the Blessed One.

“Blessed Lord, they are void! Sugata, they are empty!”

“Subhūti, do you then think that beings roam and wander in cyclic existence through notions of ‘I’ and ‘mine’?”

“Blessed Lord, it is so! Sugata, it is so!
beings do roam and wander in cyclic existence through notions of ‘I’ and ‘mine.’ ”

The Blessed One continued,
“Subhūti, it is in that manner that there is the affliction of beings.
When there are no notions of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ there is no grasping.
When there is no grasping, beings do not roam and wander in cyclic existence;
nothing at all is afflicted in it.
Subhūti, it is in that manner that there is purification of beings.”

”Blessed Lord,
bodhisattva great beings who practice in that manner
do not engage in physical forms [in absolute terms, just conventionally].
They do not engage in feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, or consciousness.
They do not engage in the sense fields or the sensory elements.
They do not engage in the links of dependent origination.
They do not engage in the perfection of generosity.
They do not engage in the perfection of ethical discipline, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of meditative concentration, or the perfection of wisdom.
They do not engage in the emptiness of internal phenomena,
and they do not engage in [the other aspects of emptiness], up to and including the emptiness of the essential nature of non-entities.
They do not engage in the applications of mindfulness.
They do not engage in the correct exertions, the supports for miraculous ability, the faculties, the powers, the branches of enlightenment, or the noble eightfold path.
They do not engage in the truths of the noble ones, the meditative concentrations, the immeasurable attitudes, the formless absorptions, the aspects of liberation, the serial steps of meditative absorption, emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, the extrasensory powers, the meditative stabilities, or the dhāraṇī gateways.
They do not engage in the powers of the tathāgatas, the fearlessnesses, the kinds of exact knowledge, great loving kindness, great compassion, or the distinct qualities of the buddhas.
They do not engage in [the goals], up to and including all-aspect omniscience.
If one were to ask why, it is because nothing is apprehended,
including the phenomena that would be engaged in that manner,
the phenomena through which they would engage,
or the phenomena in which they would engage.

“Blessed Lord,
bodhisattva great beings who engage in that manner
cannot be overcome by the world with its gods, humans, and asuras.
Blessed Lord,
bodhisattva great beings who practice in that manner
cannot be outshone by all the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.
If one were to ask why, it is because the status of the mature bodhisattvas is one that cannot be outshone, and so, Blessed Lord, bodhisattva great beings
who never let up from focusing their attention on all-aspect omniscience cannot be outshone.
Blessed Lord,
bodhisattva great beings who practice in that manner
are approaching all-aspect omniscience.”

Section 6: The Exponential Increase of Merit Through Teaching and Practicing the Perfection of Wisdom: Surpassing the Virtues of Serving Infinite Buddhas or Establishing Countless Beings in Paths and Fruits, as the Supreme Skillful Means Aligned with the Non-Dual Nature of Reality.

(Summary 6: Introduction to the Analysis
Section 6 of Chapter 45 in the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā focuses on the theme of "Increasing Merit" (puṇya-vṛddhi), using a series of escalating hypotheticals to compare the merit accrued from conventional virtuous acts—such as serving buddhas or establishing beings in paths and fruits—with the superior merit from teaching, explaining, and practicing the perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā).
From a Madhyamaka perspective, this section exemplifies the Union of the Two Truths (U2T): merit, beings, buddhas, and all listed practices are dependently co-arisen phenomena—relatively functional for accumulating positive karma and guiding toward awakening—yet empty of inherent existence, mere designations without absolute essence. The true nature of reality (tathātā, suchness) is pointed to by this non-dual union, where merit "increases" not as an inherent quantity but as an inconceivable manifestation of wisdom-compassion.
The bodhisattva's engagement here embodies "acting without acting": conventionally dedicating roots of virtue (kuśalamūla) to enlightenment (relative aspiration for beings' benefit) without absolute apprehension, attachment, reification, effort, or opposition—neither accepting merit as a real accumulation (eternalism) nor rejecting its functionality (nihilism). This avoids extremes, aligning progressively with the Middle Way, where teaching prajñāpāramitā generates "greater" merit emptily, as the ultimate upāya (skillful means) that reveals tathātā. The Union in action is thus the effortless prioritization of wisdom over lesser virtues, fostering boundless compassion without dualistic striving.
The analysis will proceed sequentially through the text's repetitive structure, interpreting each comparison through the Madhyamaka lens of the Two Truths, showing how it underscores non-reified merit as a pointer to suchness.
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1. Merit from Serving All Beings of Jambudvīpa as Buddhas vs. Teaching Prajñāpāramitā
The Buddha posits: If all beings in Jambudvīpa became humans and attained buddhahood, and noble sons/daughters served them lifelong, dedicating that merit to enlightenment—would merit greatly increase?
Subhūti affirms. Yet, teaching and practicing prajñāpāramitā yields even more merit.
Madhyamaka views this as illustrating the Union's hierarchy without absolutes. Conventionally, serving buddhas arises dependently as a functional act of reverence (pūjā), generating merit (puṇya)—relative positive karma that supports the path, like seeds ripening into fruits. Beings, bodies, buddhahood, and dedication are interdependent designations: Jambudvīpa (a cosmological realm) functions as a symbolic scale for immensity, while service accumulates conventional virtue for beings' welfare. Ultimately, all are empty—no inherent beings, buddhas, or merit exists; as Nāgārjuna in MMK 7:34 notes, production (of merit) is empty, without absolute arising or increase. "Increase" is a provisional term, avoiding reification of merit as a quantifiable essence.
Acting without acting manifests: dedication is relative vow (bodhicitta) without attaching to outcomes—neither effortfully amassing merit nor opposing service as lesser.
Teaching prajñāpāramitā "increases" merit more because it directly reveals the Union—wisdom emptily integrates all virtues, aligning with tathātā where service's functionality dissolves into non-dual insight, fostering greater compassion without comparison or opposition in the Middle Way.
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2. Merit from Serving All Beings Up to the Trichiliocosm as Buddhas vs. Teaching Prajñāpāramitā
Expanding the scale: If all beings across world realms up to the great trichiliocosm (sahā-lokadhātu, a vast cosmic system) became buddhas and were served, with merit dedicated—would it greatly increase?
Affirmation follows, but teaching prajñāpāramitā surpasses it.
From Madhyamaka, this escalation emphasizes the Union's boundless scope. Conventionally, the trichiliocosm functions as a hyperbolic device (dependent on scriptural cosmology) to denote infinity, where service to infinite buddhas generates immeasurable merit—relatively functional for purifying obscurations and maturing beings. Dedication (pariṇāmanā) channels this interdependently toward awakening, as a skillful means. Ultimately, realms, beings, and buddhas are empty projections—no inherent multiplicity or vastness; as Candrakīrti in Madhyamakāvatāra explains, worlds are like illusions, empty yet appearing. Merit "increase" is empty rhetoric, preventing attachment to scale as absolute.
The superiority of prajñāpāramitā embodies acting without acting: conventional explanation (teaching) without reifying wisdom as a tool—neither accepting vast service as ultimate nor rejecting its merit. This non-effortful shift aligns with tathātā: wisdom's "greater" merit arises from revealing suchness across infinities, effortlessly transcending quantitative virtues in the Middle Way, where all realms are non-dually empty-functional.
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3. Merit from Establishing All Beings of Jambudvīpa in Virtuous Paths and Fruits vs. Teaching Prajñāpāramitā
Now: If noble sons/daughters established all Jambudvīpa beings in the ten virtuous actions (daśakuśala), meditative concentrations (dhyāna), immeasurables (apramāṇa), formless absorptions (ārūpya), extrasensory powers (ṛddhi), and fruits from stream-entry (srotāpanna) to arhatship, pratyekabuddhahood, and buddhahood, dedicating merit—would it greatly increase?
Yes, but teaching prajñāpāramitā exceeds it.
Madhyamaka interprets this as contrasting partial and full unions. Conventionally, establishing beings arises dependently as guidance—virtuous paths function relatively to counteract afflictions (kleśa), with fruits as staged awakenings (e.g., stream-entry eliminates certain doubts). Dedication integrates this into Mahāyāna, benefiting all. The list encompasses Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna elements, showing inclusivity. Ultimately, paths, fruits, and beings are empty—no inherent establishment or progression; as MMK 24:8-10 argues, nirvāṇa and saṃsāra are non-different in emptiness, without absolute fruits.
Acting without acting: establishment is relative instruction without apprehending beings as real—neither opposing lower fruits (nihilism toward functionality) nor accepting them as complete (eternalism of partial peace). Prajñāpāramitā's merit is "greater" as it emptily subsumes all paths, pointing to tathātā where virtues are non-dual, effortlessly generating compassion in the Middle Way beyond staged attainments.
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4. Merit from Establishing All Beings Up to the Trichiliocosm in Virtuous Paths and Fruits vs. Teaching Prajñāpāramitā
Final escalation: Same establishment across the trichiliocosm, from virtues to all fruits including buddhahood, with dedication—great increase?
Yes, but teaching prajñāpāramitā surpasses even this.
In Madhyamaka terms, this culminates the Union's supremacy. Conventionally, infinite-scale establishment functions as ultimate bodhisattva activity—maturing beings (sattva-paripāka) through dependent teachings, dedicating to refine buddhafields. Fruits like arhatship (Hīnayāna) and buddhahood (Mahāyāna) appear as relative hierarchies. Ultimately, no inherent beings or establishments exist; infinity is empty, as Śāntideva in Bodhicaryāvatāra 9:75-76 notes, beings are like dream-figures, empty yet compassionately guided.
The text's repetition reinforces acting without acting: dedication without effortful calculation—neither attaching to infinite merit nor rejecting scaled virtues. Prajñāpāramitā's "even more" merit arises emptily, as wisdom's direct revelation of the Union transcends all, aligning with tathātā: suchness where merit increases inconceivably, without opposition, in the Middle Way's non-abiding compassion.
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Conclusion: Increasing Merit as Embodiment of the Union in Action
This section uses comparative hypotheticals to affirm prajñāpāramitā's preeminence, not as absolute superiority but as the Madhyamaka Union's praxis.
Merit "increases" dependently—functional for motivation — yet emptily, without inherent growth, pointing to tathātā beyond quantification.
Bodhisattvas act without acting by teaching wisdom conventionally (explaining, practicing) without reification—dedicating virtues non-attachedly, avoiding extremes of lesser merits (limited scope) or no merit (nihilism). This effortless alignment with the Middle Way generates "greater" compassion, where all acts dissolve into suchness, irreversibly benefiting infinite beings without dualism or absolute effort. Ultimately, the text urges internalizing this union: prajñāpāramitā as the merit-source par excellence, embodying non-dual reality in action.
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Question: Maybe what generates more and more merit is to act more and more in accord with the Middle Way free from all extremes (like existence and non-existence), and thus acting more and more in accord with reality as it is (tathātā, suchness) as pointed out by the Union of the Two Truths [U2T] (dependent origination and emptiness), the Union of the three spheres (subject/actor, relation/action, object/result) [U3S, and the Union of opposites in general [Uopp] (like the inseparability of self and others). That is why sharing this perfection of wisdom with others generates more merit than just individual study and practice; because it is not an individual project, but a cosmic project.
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Yes, your insight beautifully captures the profound dynamics of merit (puṇya) in the Mahāyāna tradition, particularly as illuminated in the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā and Madhyamaka philosophy. From this perspective, merit is not an inherent, quantifiable commodity that accrues like material wealth but a dependently co-arisen phenomenon — relatively functional for propelling beings toward awakening — yet empty of inherent existence.
What "generates more and more merit" is indeed the progressive alignment with the Middle Way (madhyamā-pratipad), free from all conceptual extremes (such as existence/svabhāva and non-existence/nihilism, or any dualistic proliferations/prapañca).
This alignment is the practical embodiment of the Union of the Two Truths [U2T]: the inseparability of conventional truth (dependent origination/pratītyasamutpāda, where phenomena appear as relatively functional) and ultimate truth (emptiness/śūnyatā of inherent existence). As Nāgārjuna articulates in the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (24:18-19), dependent arising is emptiness, and emptiness is the Middle Way—neither affirming absolute reality nor denying relational functionality.
This union points directly to tathātā (suchness), the inconceivable true nature of reality, which transcends all grasping. Acting in accord with it—through "acting without acting" (a non-effortful, non-reified engagement)—naturally amplifies merit because it dissolves the illusions of separation, fostering boundless compassion (karuṇā) that encompasses all. Let's unpack this in relation to your points, extending to the Union of the Three Spheres [U3S] (subject/actor, relation/action, object/result) and the Union of Opposites [Uopp] (e.g., the non-duality of self and other), and why sharing the perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā) exemplifies this as a "cosmic project."
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Merit as Alignment with the Middle Way and Tathātā (reality as it is)
Merit increases "more and more" not through mechanical accumulation but through deepening harmony with reality as it is. In the sūtra's Section 6, the escalating comparisons of merit (e.g., serving infinite buddhas vs. teaching prajñāpāramitā) serve as skillful means to illustrate this: conventional acts like service or establishment in virtues function relatively to purify afflictions and mature beings, but they pale against wisdom's revelation because the latter directly unveils the U2T. Why? Because acting in the Middle Way avoids extremes:
– Free from Existence (Eternalism): Without reifying phenomena as inherently real (e.g., merit as a permanent "thing" to hoard), actions become effortless, non-attached.
– Free from Non-Existence (Nihilism): Without rejecting relational functionality (e.g., denying that vows or teachings benefit beings conventionally), compassion flows naturally.
– This accord with tathātā—where all is "such" without absolute labels—generates merit exponentially because it integrates dependent arising (causes like intention/bodhicitta leading to effects like liberation) with emptiness (no inherent actor or result). As you note, even the Two Truths are empty and dependently co-defined: conventional appearances arise emptily, and emptiness manifests conventionally—neither absolute, both pointing to suchness beyond conception. Merit, then, "increases" as this insight ripens, transforming ordinary acts into expressions of non-dual wisdom.
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Incorporating the Union of the Three Spheres [U3S]
Your extension to U3S enriches this: in any action (e.g., generating merit), the subject (actor/bodhisattva), relation (action/dedication), and object (result/merit or beings benefited) are inseparably united, dependently co-arisen yet empty. In Madhyamaka terms (as in Candrakīrti's Madhyamakāvatāra), apprehending these spheres as inherently separate breeds attachment and suffering—e.g., reifying "I" as the merit-accumulator, "dedication" as an effortful process, or "beings" as fixed recipients. True merit arises when acting without such apprehension:
– Conventionally, the spheres function: the bodhisattva dedicates (action) merit from teaching (subject's role) to beings' awakening (object).
– Ultimately, they are empty: no inherent self, no absolute act, no real result—U3S as non-dual.
– This union prevents egoistic merit-hoarding, aligning with tathātā: actions become "without acting" (non-effortful, non-oppositional), where merit "increases" as the illusion of separation dissolves. In the sūtra, dedicating roots of virtue (kuśalamūla) to enlightenment embodies U3S—relative benefit without absolute grasping—making merit cosmic in scope.
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The Union of Opposites [Uopp] and the Non-Duality of Self and Other
Here, your insight shines: merit amplifies through recognizing the inseparability of opposites, such as self (ātman) and other (para). Madhyamaka views all dualities as dependently imputed—empty yet functional—arising from ignorance but resolvable in wisdom. The Uopp (e.g., self/other, samsāra/nirvāṇa, giver/receiver) is the broader application of U2T: opposites co-arise interdependently (neither one without the other) and are empty of inherent opposition.
– Self and Other as Inseparable: Individual practice (e.g., solitary meditation on prajñāpāramitā) generates merit by realizing emptiness personally, but it remains limited if reified as "my" awakening. Sharing with others explodes this boundary: teaching becomes a non-dual act where self's wisdom benefits others, revealing that "self" and "other" are empty designations—interdependent, like waves on an ocean.
– Cosmic vs. Individual Project: Precisely! The Mahāyāna path is "cosmic" because bodhicitta (the aspiration for all beings' enlightenment) embodies Uopp: one's liberation is inseparable from others'. In Section 6, teaching prajñāpāramitā surpasses even establishing infinite beings in fruits because it directly transmits the U2T/U3S/Uopp insight, fostering a ripple of merit that pervades all realms without effort. Individual study is functional (dependent arising of personal insight) but empty without extension; sharing makes it universal, aligning with tathātā's boundless suchness.
– This non-duality avoids extremes: neither accepting self-isolation (nihilistic toward others) nor rejecting personal practice (eternalistic communalism). Merit "increases" as compassion-without-attachment, where opposites unite in the Middle Way—effortless, non-reified action benefiting all without absolute self/other divide.
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Practical Implications for Bodhisattva Praxis
In action, this means:
– Individual Study/Practice: Conventionally builds wisdom (relative merit via introspection), but ultimately empty if attached—U2T reminds us it's not "mine."
– Sharing/Teaching: Generates "more" merit by embodying U3S/Uopp—actor (teacher), action (explaining), object (listeners) unite emptily, dissolving barriers. As the sūtra emphasizes, this is superior because it's cosmic: wisdom spreads interdependently, like light illuminating all, without opposition or rejection.
– Your framing as a "cosmic project" resonates deeply with Śāntideva's Bodhicaryāvatāra (e.g., Chapter 1), where merit from bodhicitta is immeasurable, encompassing self/other in non-dual vows. Ultimately, even "more merit" is empty rhetoric—a pointer to tathātā, where all acts are suchness manifesting without increase or decrease.)
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TEXT:
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The Blessed One then asked,
“Subhūti, if all the many beings of Jambudvīpa, in their entirety, were to acquire a human body and attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, and certain noble sons or noble daughters were, for the duration of their lives, to serve, respect, honor, and worship them, dedicating those roots of virtuous action to unsurpassed, complete enlightenment,
do you think, Subhūti, that the merit of those noble sons or noble daughters would greatly increase on that basis?”

“Blessed Lord, it would! Sugata, it would!”

“Subhūti,” continued the Blessed One,
“when noble sons or noble daughters teach, explain, establish, definitively establish, interpret, analyze, elucidate, and genuinely reveal this perfection of wisdom to others, and practice while directing their mind to the perfection of wisdom, their merit will increase even more than that!

“Subhūti, if all the many beings [of the world realms], up to and including the world system of the great trichiliocosm, in their entirety, were to acquire a human body and attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, and certain noble sons or noble daughters were, for the duration of their lives, to serve, respect, honor, and worship them, dedicating those roots of virtuous action to unsurpassed, complete enlightenment,
do you think, Subhūti, that the merit of those noble sons or noble daughters would greatly increase on that basis?”

“Blessed Lord, it would! Sugata, it would!”

“Subhūti,” continued the Blessed One,
“when noble sons or noble daughters teach, explain, establish, definitively establish, interpret, analyze, elucidate, and genuinely reveal this perfection of wisdom to others, and practice while directing their mind to the perfection of wisdom, their merit will increase even more than that!

“Subhūti, if all the many beings of Jambudvīpa, in their entirety, were to acquire a human body and certain noble sons or noble daughters were to establish them in the paths of the ten virtuous actions, and establish them in the four meditative concentrations, the four immeasurable attitudes, the four formless absorptions, the five extrasensory powers, the fruit of entering the stream to nirvāṇa, the fruit of being destined for only one more rebirth, the fruit of no longer being subject to rebirth, arhatship, individual enlightenment, and unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, dedicating those roots of virtuous action to unsurpassed, complete enlightenment,
do you think, Subhūti, that the merit of those noble sons or noble daughters would greatly increase on that basis?”

“Blessed Lord, it would! Sugata, it would!”

“Subhūti,” continued the Blessed One,
“when noble sons or noble daughters teach, explain, establish, definitively establish, interpret, analyze, elucidate, and genuinely reveal this perfection of wisdom to others, their merit will increase even more than that!

“Subhūti, if all the many beings [of the world realms], up to and including the world system of the great trichiliocosm, in their entirety, were to acquire a human body, and certain noble sons or noble daughters were to establish them in the paths of the ten virtuous actions, and establish them in the four meditative concentrations, the four immeasurable attitudes, the four formless absorptions, the five extrasensory powers, the fruit of entering the stream to nirvāṇa, the fruit of being destined for only one more rebirth, the fruit of no longer being subject to rebirth, arhatship, and individual enlightenment, and if they were to establish them in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, dedicating those roots of virtuous action to unsurpassed, complete enlightenment,
do you think, Subhūti, that the merit of those noble sons or noble daughters would greatly increase on that basis?”

“Blessed Lord, it would! Sugata, it would!”

“Subhūti,” continued the Blessed One,
“when noble sons or noble daughters teach, explain, establish, definitively establish, interpret, analyze, elucidate, and genuinely reveal this perfection of wisdom to others, their merit will increase even more than that!

Section 7: Focusing Uninterrupted Attention on All-Aspect Omniscience: Cultivating the Four Immeasurables, Purifying Donations, and Cherishing Wisdom Like a Precious Gem to Achieve Irreversibility, Without Increase or Decrease in the Empty Yet Established Real Nature of Phenomena.
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Path to omniscience: Acting / practicing / analysing without acting / practicing / analysing, without apprehending anything in absolute terms, while focusing the attention with all-aspect omniscience [U2T] in mind, acting while knowing that all phenomena (ex. subject/actor, relation/action, object/result) [T1] are empty of inherent existence, never absolute [T2] [U2T]. Thus acting more and more in accord with the Middle Way and with reality as it is (tathātā, suchness) as pointed out by the Unions.

(Summary 7: Introduction to the Analysis
Section 7 of Chapter 45 in the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā explores "Focusing the Attention with All-Aspect Omniscience in Mind," emphasizing how bodhisattvas engage with the perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā) to cultivate irreversible progress.
From a Madhyamaka perspective, this section vividly illustrates the Union of the Two Truths (U2T): the inseparability of conventional truth—dependently co-arisen, relatively functional phenomena (e.g., attention, omniscience, merit from donations)—and ultimate truth—their emptiness of inherent existence. The true nature of reality (tathātā, suchness) is inconceivable, transcending all conceptualizations, yet pointed to by this non-dual union.
Bodhisattva practice here exemplifies "acting without acting": conventionally focusing attention on omniscience (relative aspiration and mindfulness) without absolute apprehension, attachment, reification, effort, or opposition—neither accepting phenomena as inherently existent (eternalism) nor rejecting their functionality (nihilism). This avoids extremes, aligning progressively with the Middle Way, where attention is maintained emptily, fostering equanimity and compassion in accord with tathātā.
The Union in action manifests as non-discouraged engagement with emptiness teachings, where even "attaining" buddhahood occurs without increase or decrease, pointing to suchness beyond duality.
The analysis will dissect the text sequentially, interpreting key elements through the Madhyamaka lens of the Two Truths, highlighting how they promote effortless, non-reified praxis.
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1. Bodhisattvas as Worthy Recipients Through Practice and the Four Immeasurables
Bodhisattvas practicing prajñāpāramitā while focusing on all-aspect omniscience (sarvākārajñatā) become worthy of beings' donations, surpassing all except tathāgatas. They actualize great loving kindness (maitrī), compassion (karuṇā), empathetic joy (muditā), and equanimity (upekṣā) through wisdom: seeing beings as "about to be slaughtered" (in saṃsāra), rejoicing without involvement in marks (lakṣaṇa). This is the "supreme light" of the perfections, making even non-omniscient bodhisattvas worthy without turning from enlightenment.
Madhyamaka sees this as the Union's embodiment. Conventionally, omniscience functions as a dependently arisen goal—arising from practice, guiding attention (manasikāra) as relative mindfulness that accumulates merit from donations (dāna). The immeasurables arise interdependently: loving kindness from aspirational bodhicitta, compassion from perceiving suffering, etc., functioning to liberate beings. Donations purify patrons' gifts, supporting the path. Ultimately, all are empty—no inherent bodhisattva, attention, omniscience, or beings exist; as Nāgārjuna in MMK 18:5 notes, marks are empty designations, without absolute involvement. "Worthy recipients" is a provisional label, avoiding reification of superiority.
Acting without acting: focus on omniscience is relative engagement (mindful aspiration) without effortful striving or attachment—neither opposing distinguishing marks (nihilism) nor accepting them as real (eternalism). This non-dual light illuminates the perfections emptily, aligning with tathātā: suchness where immeasurables manifest as non-conceptual compassion, making bodhisattvas "worthy" in the Middle Way, irreversibly progressing without turning away.
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2. Purifying Donations and Continuous Focus on Wisdom
Bodhisattvas practicing with prajñāpāramitā in mind purify donors' gifts (clothing, alms, etc.) and approach omniscience. To use alms meaningfully, reveal paths, bring luminosity, liberate from realms, and develop wisdom-eyes in beings, they must focus uninterruptedly on wisdom, giving no opportunity to other mental activities, persevering day and night.
From Madhyamaka, this underscores the Union's praxis in daily life. Conventionally, focus arises dependently as meditative stability (samādhi), functioning to purify karma (donations become meritorious) and guide beings—relative tools like alms support the path, luminosity dispels ignorance. Uninterrupted attention counters distractions, fostering insight. Ultimately, mental activities, focus, and wisdom are empty—no inherent interruption or perseverance; realms and beings are like illusions, without absolute imprisonment.
Acting without acting: perseverance is relative diligence (vīrya) without absolute effort—neither rejecting other thoughts oppositionally nor accepting focus as a fixed state. This effortless vigilance aligns with tathātā: suchness where wisdom "approaches" omniscience emptily, liberating without dualistic struggle, in the Middle Way's non-abiding flow.
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3. The Precious Gem Analogy for Not Losing Focus
Like a man who finds then loses a precious gem, becoming sad and fixated on regaining it for happiness, bodhisattvas should not part from focus on omniscience, viewing it as precious for constant contentment.
Madhyamaka interprets the analogy as a skillful pointer to the Union [U2T]. Conventionally, the gem symbolizes omniscience—dependently valuable (arising from merit), functioning to motivate unwavering attention amid loss (distractions). Sadness and fixation are relative emotions, driving diligence. Ultimately, gem, loss, and contentment are empty—no inherent preciousness or parting; as Candrakīrti in Prasannapadā explains, phenomena are like dreams, without absolute gain/loss.
Acting without acting: not parting is relative commitment (like the man's focus) without attachment to omniscience as a "thing"—neither effortfully clinging (eternalism) nor rejecting it (nihilism). This non-reified aspiration aligns with tathātā: suchness where happiness arises emptily, fostering Middle Way contentment beyond dualities of find/lose.
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4. Question on Non-Parting If All Acts Are Without Inherent Existence
Subhūti questions: If acts of attention lack inherent existence (svabhāva) and are empty, how do bodhisattvas not part from focus on omniscience? No bodhisattva, attention, or omniscience is apprehended in parting.
This probes the Union's apparent paradox: how to act if all is empty?
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5. Response: Knowing Phenomena Without Inherent Existence, Established in Real Nature
The Buddha replies: Bodhisattvas know all phenomena [T1] lack inherent existence [T2] [U2T]—not made by śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, or buddhas—but the reality (dharmatā), abiding nature, maturity, real nature, unmistaken nature, one-and-only nature, realm of phenomena (dharmadhātu), and limit of reality (bhūtakoṭi) are established. Thus, they are not without prajñāpāramitā, which is devoid and empty of inherent existence, without increase/decrease.
Madhyamaka affirms this as the core U2T: conventionally, knowing arises dependently (from analysis), functioning to realize non-production (anabhinirvṛtti)—phenomena "established" as mere designations. Ultimately, even "establishment" is empty—no inherent maker or nature; the listed synonyms (dharmatā, etc.) point to tathātā, inconceivable unity beyond extremes. No increase/decrease refutes reification of progress.
Acting without acting: knowing emptily is relative insight without apprehending absolutes—neither accepting inherent non-existence (nihilism) nor opposing production (eternalism). This non-discouraged stance aligns with tathātā: suchness "established" without change, in the Middle Way's freedom from fear.
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6. Further Question and Response: Bringing Forth Wisdom Without Increase/Decrease
Subhūti asks: If wisdom lacks inherent existence, how do bodhisattvas bring it forth and attain buddhahood? The Buddha: Even genuine bringing forth is without increase/decrease; real nature, dharmadhātu, bhūtakoṭi are unchanged, as wisdom is neither one nor two. Bodhisattvas not discouraged by this dwell irreversibly (acceptance) in the expanse, practicing wisdom.
In Madhyamaka, "bringing forth" exemplifies the Union: conventionally, it functions as dependent cultivation (e.g., meditation), leading to buddhahood (relative attainment). Ultimately, no inherent bringing or attainment—neither singular (eternalism) nor dual (separation of wisdom/path). Irreversibility is empty stability, expanse (ākāśa-like) pointing to tathātā.
Acting without acting: non-discouragement is relative courage (vīrya) without fear of emptiness—neither rejecting teachings (nihilism) nor effortfully attaining (eternalism). This embodies the Middle Way: dwelling in suchness, practicing without duality, irreversibly approaching enlightenment emptily.
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Conclusion: Focusing Attention as the Union in Action
This section portrays bodhisattva focus as the Madhyamaka Union's lived expression: attention on omniscience arises dependently (functional for merit, immeasurables, liberation) yet emptily, without inherent parting or attainment. The gem analogy and dialogues resolve emptiness's paradoxes, emphasizing non-increase/decrease as pointers to inconceivable tathātā. Bodhisattvas act without acting by persevering conventionally (uninterrupted wisdom-mind) without reification—avoiding extremes of involvement/non-involvement, fostering fearlessness in the Middle Way. Ultimately, this praxis dwells in the expanse, where all is suchness: non-dual, irreversible compassion manifesting without opposition, benefiting beings through the light of empty wisdom.
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Question: What is the subtle meaning of "while focusing their attention with all-aspect omniscience in mind"? Is it about continually keeping in mind the Union of the Two Truths about all phenomena, the Union of the three spheres, the Union of opposites?
The phrase "while focusing their attention with all-aspect omniscience in mind" (sarvākārajñatā-manasikāra in Sanskrit, often rendered as maintaining mindful awareness oriented toward omniscience) appears in the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā as a key instruction for bodhisattva practice. On the surface, it encourages unwavering mental focus on the goal of all-aspect omniscience (sarvākārajñatā)—the complete, non-obstructed knowledge of all phenomena in their aspects, which is the hallmark of buddhahood. This involves conventional practices like meditation, analysis, and aspiration (bodhicitta), where the bodhisattva continually directs their mind toward this ultimate awakening to benefit all beings.
However, the subtle meaning, from a Madhyamaka perspective, goes far deeper, transcending mere goal-oriented striving. It is indeed about continually keeping in mind—through non-conceptual insight and effortless awareness—the Union of the Two Truths (U2T) about all phenomena, the Union of the Three Spheres (U3S), and the Union of Opposites (Uopp).
This "focusing" is not an effortful, dualistic fixation but a dynamic, non-reified alignment with reality as it is (tathātā, suchness), embodying "acting without acting" in the Middle Way.
Let's unpack this subtlety step by step, drawing on the text's context and Madhyamaka principles (e.g., as in Nāgārjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā and Candrakīrti's commentaries).
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1. The Conventional Layer: Relative Focus as Aspirational Practice
– Conventionally (saṃvṛti-satya), "focusing attention with omniscience in mind" functions as a dependently arisen skillful means (upāya). It arises from causes like study of the sūtra, reflection on emptiness, and bodhicitta—the aspiration to attain buddhahood for others' sake. In the text, this focus makes bodhisattvas worthy of donations, purifies gifts, and cultivates the four immeasurables (loving kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, equanimity). It's like the gem analogy: treating omniscience as a "precious" object to cherish uninterruptedly, preventing distraction and ensuring contentment.
– This relative mindfulness (manasikāra) is functional—it generates merit, reveals paths, and liberates beings from saṃsāra's "imprisonment" (the three realms). Without it, other mental activities (e.g., afflictions or lesser goals) arise, hindering progress. Yet, even here, the focus is not rigid; it's a gentle, day-and-night perseverance that integrates wisdom with daily life.
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2. The Ultimate Subtlety: Non-Conceptual Awareness of the Unions
Ultimately (paramārtha-satya), the phrase points to an inconceivable insight into tathātā, where "focusing" dissolves all dualities. Yes, it is precisely about continually keeping in mind—without grasping or effort—the U2T, U3S, and Uopp. This is not intellectual rumination but a non-apprehending (anupalabdhi) awareness that all phenomena are empty yet functional, aligning with the text's emphasis on phenomena lacking inherent existence while their "real nature" (dharmatā) is established without increase or decrease.
– Union of the Two Truths (U2T): The core of the subtle meaning. "All-aspect omniscience" is not an absolute attainment but the realization that all phenomena [T1: dependently co-arisen, relatively functional] are inseparable from [T2: emptiness of inherent existence]. The text explicitly states: "all phenomena are without inherent existence" yet their reality (dharmatā, dharmadhātu, bhūtakoṭi) is "established"—a direct pointer to U2T.
Focusing "with omniscience in mind" means continually viewing everything (aggregates, perfections, beings, even attention itself) through this lens: dependently arisen (e.g., from causes like practice) yet empty (not made by anyone, unchanging). This avoids extremes: neither reifying omniscience as a "thing" to grasp (eternalism) nor dismissing the path as pointless (nihilism). Subhūti's question highlights this— if all is empty, how not to "part" from focus?—and the Buddha responds by affirming U2T: know emptiness without decrease, and you're never without wisdom.
– Union of the Three Spheres (U3S): This extends U2T to action. In focusing, the subject (bodhisattva/actor), relation (attention/action of focusing), and object (omniscience/result) are inseparably united—dependently co-arisen yet empty. The text implies this in the non-apprehension: "a bodhisattva is not apprehended, focusing of the attention is not apprehended, and all-aspect omniscience is not apprehended."
Subtly, "keeping in mind" means acting without reifying these spheres—neither attaching to "I" as the focuser, nor to omniscience as a separate goal. This purifies donations (U3S in giving: donor, act, recipient empty) and liberates beings, fostering equanimity "without getting involved with those distinguishing marks."
– Union of Opposites (Uopp): Broadening further, the phrase evokes the non-duality of apparent opposites (e.g., self/other, saṃsāra/nirvāṇa, increase/decrease). Bodhisattvas see beings "as if about to be slaughtered" (saṃsāric suffering) yet rejoice emptily, uniting compassion (for others) with wisdom (self-liberation).
Omniscience "in mind" integrates opposites: wisdom (ultimate) and method (conventional), or parting/non-parting (as in the gem's loss/gain). The Buddha's reply—"wisdom is neither one nor two"—directly affirms Uopp: no inherent unity (monism) or duality (separation), just suchness without fear.
Continually "keeping in mind" this union dissolves self/other barriers, making practice cosmic—benefiting all without opposition.
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3. The Praxis: Acting Without Acting in the Middle Way
– The subtle meaning culminates in "acting without acting": focus conventionally (persevere day/night, like cherishing the gem) without absolute effort or apprehension—neither accepting omniscience as a future absolute nor rejecting distractions oppositionally. This aligns with tathātā: the "one and only real nature" where nothing increases/decreases, and bodhisattvas dwell "irreversibly in the expanse" (non-discouraged by emptiness teachings).
– Without this subtlety, focus could become reified striving (extreme of effort) or laxity (extreme of abandonment). Instead, it's effortless harmony with reality—continually "keeping in mind" the unions as non-conceptual pointers, generating "supreme light" that illuminates all perfections without duality.
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In essence, yes — the phrase's subtle depth is exactly this continual, non-grasping mindfulness of U2T, U3S, and Uopp, transforming aspiration into the lived realization of suchness. This makes the bodhisattva's path irreversible, not through force but through alignment with the inconceivable non-duality of all.)
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TEXT:
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“Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings who practice in that manner
and undertake this analysis
while focusing their attention with all-aspect omniscience in mind
become worthy recipients of the donations of all beings.
If you ask why, it is because, with the exception of the tathāgatas, arhats, completely awakened buddhas, there is no being at all who has the sort of engagement that bodhisattva great beings undertake.
If you ask why, it is because when those noble children practice the perfection of wisdom, they actualize great loving kindness.
When they practice the perfection of wisdom, they observe that all beings are, as it were, about to be slaughtered and they acquire great compassion.
Engaging with that practice, they rejoice and manifestly rejoice, actualizing great empathetic joy.
Without getting involved with those distinguishing marks, they acquire great equanimity.
This, Subhūti, is the supreme light of the perfection of wisdom that bodhisattva great beings possess.
Accordingly, it is the light of the perfection of generosity, and it is the light of the perfection of ethical discipline, the perfection of tolerance, the perfection of perseverance, the perfection of meditative concentration, and the perfection of wisdom.
Even those noble children who have not yet attained all-aspect omniscience, consummate buddhahood, become worthy recipients of the donations of all beings, and they do not turn away from unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.

“Since they practice while focusing their attention with the perfection of wisdom in mind, they purify the donations of those patrons who give them clothing, alms, bedding, medicines, and necessities, and they also approach all-aspect omniscience.
So it is, Subhūti, that bodhisattva great beings who seek to use the country’s alms in a meaningful way, who seek to reveal the path to all beings, who seek to bring forth great luminosity, who seek to liberate beings imprisoned in the three realms, and who seek to develop the eye of unsurpassed wisdom in all beings should at all times and without interruption keep focusing their attention with the perfection of wisdom in mind.
Even if bodhisattva great beings engage in focusing their attention with the perfection of wisdom in mind, they should give no opportunity for other mental activities to arise.
By all means they should continue to persevere in focusing their attention with the perfection of wisdom in mind, without forsaking it, day and night.

“Subhūti, this is just as if a man who has not previously found a precious gem were to find a precious gem at a certain moment, and rejoice, delight, and be contented through finding that precious gem.
But if immediately after finding that precious gem he were to lose it, because of that he would be sad and distressed.
His attention would be constantly focused exclusively on that precious gem, at all times and without interruption, with the thought, ‘Alas! I have let go of that lovely precious gem!’ In the same way, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings, considering it to be precious, should not part from focusing their attention with all-aspect omniscience in mind.
They should not let go of that precious thing that is all-aspect omniscience, and in that way they will always have much happiness and contentment.”

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“Blessed Lord, if all such acts of attention are indeed without inherent existence‍ — that is to say, if all acts of attention are indeed empty of inherent existence‍ —
how could bodhisattva great beings not part from focusing their attention with all-aspect omniscience in mind?
In that parting, a bodhisattva is not apprehended,
focusing of the attention is not apprehended,
and all-aspect omniscience is not apprehended.”

“Subhūti,” replied the Blessed One,
“if bodhisattva great beings know that all phenomena [T1] are without inherent existence [T2] [U2T]‍ — that they have not been made by the śrāvakas, they have not been made by the pratyekabuddhas, and they have not even been made by the lord buddhas‍ — but that this reality of all phenomena, the abiding nature of reality, the maturity with respect to all phenomena, the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, the one and only real nature, the realm of phenomena, and the very limit of reality are established, then those bodhisattva great beings are not without the perfection of wisdom.
If you ask why, Subhūti, it is because the perfection of wisdom is devoid of inherent existence.
It is empty of inherent existence.
In it there is no increase and there is no decrease.”

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“Blessed Lord, if the perfection of wisdom is devoid of inherent existence and it is empty of inherent existence, then, Blessed Lord,
how do bodhisattva great beings genuinely bring forth the perfection of wisdom and attain consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment?”

“Subhūti,” replied the Blessed One,
“even though bodhisattva great beings genuinely bring forth the perfection of wisdom,
it is without increase or decrease.
The real nature is without increase or decrease.
The realm of phenomena is without increase or decrease.
The very limit of reality is without increase or decrease.
If you ask why, it is because the perfection of wisdom is neither one nor two.

“Subhūti, great bodhisattvas who are not discouraged, cowed, afraid, terrified, or fearful when this is explained will dwell irreversibly in the expanse.
One should know with certainty that these bodhisattva great beings practice the perfection of wisdom.”

Section 8: The Negation of All Possible Engagers in the Perfection of Wisdom: From Emptiness Itself to Aggregates, Perfections, and Buddha-Qualities, Revealing the Non-Dual Emptiness of Engagement and the Inconceivable Realm Beyond Apprehension and Differentiation.
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How do bodhisattvas “engage” in the perfection of wisdom? Engaging without engaging in the perfection of wisdom, without apprehending/reifying anything like the three spheres of the activity: ex. subject/actor/cause, relation/action/causality, object/result/effect. Without accepting, rejecting or changing / increasing / decreasing them in absolute terms. Acting while being fully aware and accepting that all phenomena are dependently arisen and empty of inherent existence [U2T]; inconceivable, profound, immeasurable, inestimable, unappraisable, limitless, timeless, unborn/non-arising, unconditioned, non-inherently-existent, non-changing, non-increasing, non-decreasing, non-ceasing, non-afflicted, non-purified; not ‘this’, ‘non-this’, both, or neither, for whatever ‘this’ is. All phenomena are primordially interconnected, equal, pure, perfect, complete, divine, ‘One’, in the non-dual sense of those terms. To act while ignoring this is saṃsāra, to act while being be aware of this is nirvāṇa here & now; it is this unconditioned non-dualistic non-conceptual direct wisdom of reality as it is [U2T] that is ‘purifying’ everything and permits to transcend all conditioning/karma, all conventional truths without rejecting the conventional world.

(Summary 8: Introduction to the Analysis
Section 8 of Chapter 45 in the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā addresses the profound question of how bodhisattvas "engage" (pravṛtti) in the perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā), through a series of negations in dialogue between Subhūti and the Buddha.
From a Madhyamaka perspective, this section is a masterful deconstruction of conceptual reification, directly pointing to the Union of the Two Truths (U2T): the inseparability of conventional truth—dependently co-arisen, relatively functional phenomena (e.g., engagement, wisdom, aggregates)—and ultimate truth—their emptiness (śūnyatā) of inherent existence. The true nature of reality (tathātā, suchness) is inconceivable, beyond all affirmations and negations, yet indicated by this non-dual union.
The repeated "No" responses exemplify "acting without acting": conventionally, bodhisattvas appear to engage in wisdom (relative practice for beings' benefit) without absolute apprehension, attachment, reification, effort, or opposition—neither accepting engagement as an inherent process (eternalism) nor rejecting the path's functionality (nihilism). This avoids extremes, aligning with the Middle Way, where "engagement" dissolves into tathātā—suchness free from duality, without engager, engaged, or engaging.
The Union in action here is the effortless negation that reveals reality's emptiness while affirming compassionate practice, fostering irreversible insight without conceptual proliferation.
The analysis will proceed through the dialogue's structure, interpreting each negation via the Madhyamaka lens of the Two Truths, showing how it deconstructs apparent engagement to point to inconceivable suchness.
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1. Is the Perfection of Wisdom Itself (as Emptiness) That Engages?
Subhūti asks if the perfection of wisdom—described as emptiness (śūnyatā), voidness (śūnyatā), vacuity (tucchatā), hollowness (asāratā), and essencelessness (anātmatā)—engages in itself. The Buddha negates.
In Madhyamaka terms, this negation establishes the U2T's foundation. Conventionally, prajñāpāramitā functions as a dependently arisen teaching—arising from the Buddha's exposition, guiding bodhisattvas through analysis (as in prior sections). Emptiness descriptors are relative pointers, functional for dispelling ignorance. Ultimately, wisdom is empty—no inherent self-engagement; as Nāgārjuna in MMK 13:8 warns, emptiness is not an entity that acts, lest it be reified. "Engagement" implies duality (engager/engaged), but tathātā transcends this.
Acting without acting: bodhisattvas "engage" relatively (studying wisdom) without reifying it as an absolute process—neither opposing emptiness as inactive (nihilism) nor accepting self-engagement (eternalism). This Middle Way alignment reveals suchness: wisdom's "essencelessness" as non-dual reality, effortlessly pointing beyond words.
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2. Is There Something Apprehensible Apart from Wisdom That Engages?
Subhūti inquires if something apprehensible (upalabdhi) apart from wisdom engages in it. Negation follows.
Madhyamaka interprets this as refuting externalism via U2T. Conventionally, "something apart" could designate dependently arisen factors (e.g., mind, effort), functional for practice. Ultimately, no inherent apprehension or separate entity exists—all is empty; as MMK 5:8 critiques, apprehender and apprehended are interdependent, void of svabhāva. Seeking an external engager reifies duality.
Acting without acting: no absolute separation means relative engagement (e.g., mindfulness) without apprehending "other"—neither rejecting external aids (nihilism) nor attaching to them as real (eternalism). This fosters Middle Way equanimity, where tathātā emerges as the "inconceivable realm" without apart/together.
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3. Does Wisdom Engage in Itself, or Emptiness in Emptiness?
Subhūti asks if wisdom engages in wisdom, or emptiness in emptiness, or something other than emptiness in emptiness. All negated.
This deconstructs self-referential and other-referential views through U2T. Conventionally, self-engagement appears as dependent introspection (wisdom reflecting on itself), functional for insight. Ultimately, emptiness engaging emptiness would imply inherent activity—contradicting voidness; as Candrakīrti in Prasannapadā explains, emptiness is "emptiness of emptiness" (śūnyatā-śūnyatā), without duality of same/other.
Acting without acting: negation invites relative practice (analyzing wisdom) without reification—neither accepting self-engagement as autonomous (eternalism) nor opposing it as impossible (nihilism). The Middle Way here aligns with tathātā: suchness as "one and only real nature," non-dual beyond engagement/disengagement.
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4. Do Aggregates (Skandhas) Engage in Wisdom?
Subhūti lists the five aggregates (form/rūpa, feelings/vedanā, perceptions/saṃjñā, formative predispositions/saṃskāra, consciousness/vijñāna) as potential engagers. Negated.
Madhyamaka views aggregates as prime examples of U2T: conventionally, they arise dependently as functional bases for experience (e.g., consciousness engaging in meditation). Ultimately, they are empty—no inherent engager; MMK 4 critiques rūpa as void, interdependent with causes.
Acting without acting: bodhisattvas use aggregates relatively (e.g., perceiving teachings) without apprehending them absolutely—neither rejecting body-mind as useless (nihilism) nor reifying them as self (eternalism). This Middle Way reveals tathātā: aggregates' "vacuity" as suchness, effortless ground for wisdom.
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5. Do Sense Fields, Sensory Elements, and Dependent Origination Engage?
Subhūti extends to sense fields (āyatana), sensory elements (dhātu), and links of dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda). Negated.
From Madhyamaka, this negation affirms U2T's core: dependent origination is emptiness (MMK 24:18). Conventionally, these function as perceptual and causal frameworks (e.g., eye-element engaging Dharma). Ultimately, they are empty—no inherent chain or engager.
Acting without acting: relative engagement (e.g., sensing teachings) without opposition—neither accepting causation as real (eternalism) nor rejecting interdependence (nihilism). Middle Way harmony with tathātā: origination's "hollowness" as inconceivable non-arising.
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6. Do Perfections, Emptiness Aspects, and Enlightening Factors Engage?
Subhūti queries the perfections (pāramitā), aspects of emptiness (śūnyatā-prakāra), and factors conducive to enlightenment (bodhipakṣa-dharma). Negated.
Madhyamaka sees these as U2T exemplars: conventionally, dependently arisen tools (e.g., generosity engaging wisdom). Ultimately, empty—no self-engagement; even emptiness aspects are void.
Acting without acting: practice perfections relatively without reification—neither attaching to factors as means (eternalism) nor dismissing them (nihilism). This aligns with tathātā: factors' "essencelessness" as suchness, effortless path.
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7. Do Noble Truths, Meditations, Liberations, Powers, etc., Engage?
Subhūti lists advanced dharmas: noble truths (ārya-satya), concentrations (samādhi), immeasurables (apramāṇa), formless absorptions (ārūpya), liberations (vimokṣa), etc., up to buddha-qualities (powers, fearlessnesses, distinct attributes). Negated.
In Madhyamaka, these are functional conventions (dependent on path) yet ultimately empty—no inherent engagement; MMK 24:9 notes truths are empty teachings.
Acting without acting: use these relatively (e.g., meditating on liberations) without apprehension—neither opposing as unreal (nihilism) nor accepting as absolute (eternalism). Middle Way insight into tathātā: qualities' "voidness" as non-dual reality.
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8. Do Goals Up to Omniscience Engage?
Subhūti includes goals (phala) up to all-aspect omniscience (sarvākārajñatā). Negated.
This culminates U2T: conventionally, omniscience functions as dependent aspiration. Ultimately, empty—no engager; no inherent goal.
Acting without acting: aspire relatively without attachment—neither rejecting attainment (nihilism) nor reifying it (eternalism). Alignment with tathātā: omniscience's "inconceivable realm" as suchness.
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9. Does the Emptiness of Various Phenomena Engage?
Subhūti repeatedly asks if the emptiness (and synonyms: voidness, etc., real nature, dharmadhātu, bhūtakoṭi, inconceivable realm) of aggregates, fields, perfections, etc., engages. All negated.
Madhyamaka's pinnacle: synonyms point to U2T's suchness—conventionally descriptive, ultimately empty. Negation prevents reifying emptiness as engager; śūnyatā is not an agent.
Acting without acting: realize emptiness relatively (analysis) without opposition—neither accepting synonyms as essences (eternalism) nor rejecting (nihilism). Middle Way dissolution into tathātā: "unmistaken real nature" beyond engagement.
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Conclusion: "Engagement" as the Union in Action
This section's negations deconstruct all possible engagers, revealing no inherent engagement in prajñāpāramitā—yet affirming the path's functionality. Madhyamaka's U2T shines: conventionally, bodhisattvas "engage" dependently (practice wisdom) without absolute reality; ultimately, all is empty, without duality. Acting without acting embodies this: relative cultivation (analysis, focus) without reification—avoiding extremes of engagement/disengagement, aligning with inconceivable tathātā. The Union in action is the effortless negation that liberates, where wisdom arises as suchness, benefiting beings without apprehender or apprehended, in the non-dual Middle Way.)
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Subhūti then asked, “Blessed Lord,
is it this [very] perfection of wisdom, which is emptiness, voidness, vacuity, hollowness, and essencelessness, that engages in the perfection of wisdom?”

“No, Subhūti!” replied the Blessed One.

“Blessed Lord,
is there anything apprehensible apart from the perfection of wisdom that engages in the perfection of wisdom?”

“No, Subhūti!” replied the Blessed One.

“Blessed Lord,
is it the perfection of wisdom that engages in the perfection of wisdom?”

“No, Subhūti!” replied the Blessed One.

“Blessed Lord,
is it emptiness that engages in emptiness?”

“No, Subhūti!” replied the Blessed One.

“Blessed Lord,
is it something other than emptiness that engages in emptiness?”

“No, Subhūti!” replied the Blessed One.

“Blessed Lord,
is it physical forms that engage in the perfection of wisdom?
Is it feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness that engage in the perfection of wisdom?”

“No, Subhūti!” replied the Blessed One.

“Blessed Lord,
is it the sense fields, the sensory elements, and the links of dependent origination that engage in the perfection of wisdom?”

“No, Subhūti!” replied the Blessed One.

“Blessed Lord,
is it the perfections, all the aspects of emptiness, and the factors conducive to enlightenment that engage in the perfection of wisdom?”

“No, Subhūti!” replied the Blessed One.

“Blessed Lord,
is it the truths of the noble ones, the meditative concentrations, the immeasurable attitudes, the formless absorptions, the aspects of liberation, the 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, and the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas that engage in the perfection of wisdom?”

“No, Subhūti!” replied the Blessed One.

“Blessed Lord,
is it [the goals], up to and including all-aspect omniscience, that engage in the perfection of wisdom?”

“No, Subhūti!” replied the Blessed One.

“Blessed Lord,
is it the emptiness of physical forms‍ — their voidness, vacuity, hollowness, essencelessness, real nature, unmistaken real nature, one and only real nature, reality, realm of phenomena, abiding nature of reality, maturity with respect to all phenomena, very limit of reality, and inconceivable realm‍ — that engage in the perfection of wisdom?”

“No, Subhūti!” replied the Blessed One.

“Blessed Lord,
is it the emptiness of feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness‍ — their voidness, vacuity, hollowness, essencelessness, real nature, unmistaken real nature, one and only real nature, reality, realm of phenomena, abiding nature of reality, maturity with respect to all phenomena, very limit of reality, and inconceivable realm‍ — that engage in the perfection of wisdom?”

“No, Subhūti!” replied the Blessed One.

“Blessed Lord,
is it the emptiness of the sense fields, the sensory elements, and the links of dependent origination‍ — their voidness, vacuity, hollowness, essencelessness, real nature, unmistaken real nature, one and only real nature, reality, realm of phenomena, abiding nature of reality, maturity with respect to all phenomena, very limit of reality, and inconceivable realm‍ — that engage in the perfection of wisdom?”

“No, Subhūti!” replied the Blessed One.

“Blessed Lord,
is it the emptiness of the perfections, of all the aspects of emptiness, the factors conducive to enlightenment, the truths of the noble ones, the meditative concentrations, the immeasurable attitudes, the formless absorptions, the aspects of liberation, the 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, the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas and [the goals], up to and including all-aspect omniscience‍ — their voidness, vacuity, hollowness, essencelessness, real nature, unmistaken real nature, one and only real nature, reality, realm of phenomena, abiding nature of reality, maturity with respect to all phenomena, very limit of reality, and inconceivable realm‍ — that engage in the perfection of wisdom?”

“No, Subhūti!” replied the Blessed One.

Section 9: The Acceptance of Phenomena's Non-Arising and Non-Ceasing: Transcending Arising/Non-Arising Through Non-Apprehension and Non-Conceptual Wisdom, Ensuring Irreversible Prophecy and Attainment of Omniscience Without Conceptual Thoughts or Inherent Existence.
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Acceptance of the non-arising / non-non-arising, non-inherent-existence / non-non-existence, non-conditioning / non-non-conditioning, non-changing / non-non-changing, non-increasing / non-non-increasing, non-diminishing / non-non-diminishing, non-defilement / non-non-defilement, non-purification, non-non/purification, and non-ceasing / non-non-ceasing of all phenomena, non-conceptual / non-non-conceptual – because all phenomena are empty of inherent existence [U2T], like illusions, ‘there, yet not there’; not ‘this’, ‘non-this’, both, or neither; beyond all conditioned dualistic conceptual proliferation. Thus transcending without rejecting all extremes, all conventional truths, methods, goals.
Prophesizing without prophesizing; awakening without awakening, conceptualizing without conceptualizing, without apprehending anything, thus in accord with reality as it is as pointed out by the Unions.

(Summary 9: Introduction to the Analysis
Section 9 of Chapter 45 in the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā, marking the chapter's conclusion, delves into the non-arising (anutpāda) nature of phenomena as the basis for bodhisattvas' prophecy and attainment of buddhahood, through a dialogue resolving apparent paradoxes of engagement and prophecy.
From a Madhyamaka perspective, this section culminates the chapter's deconstructive thrust, directly embodying the Union of the Two Truths (U2T): the inseparability of conventional truth—dependently co-arisen, relatively functional phenomena (e.g., prophecy, acceptance, paths)—and ultimate truth—their emptiness of inherent existence. The true nature of reality (tathātā, suchness) is inconceivable, transcending arising/non-arising and all conceptual pairs, yet pointed to by this non-dual union.
Bodhisattva praxis here exemplifies "acting without acting": conventionally accepting non-arising (relative insight leading to prophecy and striving) without absolute apprehension, attachment, reification, effort, or opposition—neither accepting phenomena as arising (eternalism) nor rejecting their functionality (nihilism). This avoids extremes, aligning with the Middle Way, where "attainment" occurs without conceptual thoughts, in accord with tathātā.
The Union in action is the effortless acceptance that phenomena neither arise nor cease, fostering irreversible progress without decrease, as non-conceptual wisdom (prajñāpāramitā) reveals suchness beyond duality.
The analysis will proceed sequentially through the dialogue, interpreting each exchange via the Madhyamaka lens of the Two Truths, highlighting how negations and affirmations resolve into non-dual insight.
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1. How Do Bodhisattvas Engage If Attributes Do Not?
Subhūti questions how bodhisattvas engage in prajñāpāramitā if no attributes (from prior negations) do.
The Buddha counters: Can you observe (upalakṣaṇa) how they engage? Subhūti negates. Then: Can anything unobservable be apprehended? No. Does anything non-apprehensible arise or cease? No.
Madhyamaka views this as deconstructing engagement via U2T. Conventionally, "engagement" arises dependently as functional practice (e.g., analysis, acceptance), observable through relative discernment. Ultimately, no inherent observation or apprehension exists—all is empty; as Nāgārjuna in MMK 7:3 notes, arising/ceasing are conceptual imputations, void of svabhāva. Non-apprehensible phenomena transcend such categories.
Acting without acting: bodhisattvas "engage" relatively (striving on the path) without apprehending absolutes—neither opposing unobservability (nihilism) nor reifying engagement (eternalism). This Middle Way points to tathātā: suchness as non-arising, effortless ground for practice.
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2. Acceptance of Non-Arising and Prophecy
The Buddha explains: This is the acceptance (kṣānti) of phenomena's non-arising, which bodhisattvas possess, leading to prophecy for enlightenment. It is the path of buddha-qualities (powers, fearlessnesses, etc.). Bodhisattvas entering this path, practicing/striving/endeavoring thus, inevitably attain omniscience—supreme wisdom—because they accept non-arising, and attributes never decrease until buddhahood.
From Madhyamaka, acceptance exemplifies U2T: conventionally, it arises dependently as insight (functional for prophecy, non-regression), where "striving" is relative diligence (vīrya) on the path. Attributes (qualities) function without decrease, ensuring irreversibility. Ultimately, non-arising is empty—no inherent acceptance or prophecy; as MMK 24:7 affirms, nirvāṇa is non-arisen, non-ceased. "Inevitably attain" is provisional, avoiding reification of attainment.
Acting without acting: acceptance is relative embrace (of teachings) without effortful striving—neither rejecting non-arising as nihilistic (opposition to path) nor accepting arising (eternalism). This aligns with tathātā: suchness as unchanging "maturity," where attributes "never decrease" emptily, fostering Middle Way progress without conceptual fear.
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3. Prophecy Through Non-Arising? Negations of Arising/Non-Arising
Subhūti asks if prophecy occurs through non-arising. Negated. Then: Neither through arising nor non-arising? Negated.
This tetralemma-like negation (neither arising, non-arising, both, nor neither—implicit in "neither...nor") is quintessential Madhyamaka U2T. Conventionally, prophecy functions as dependent motivation (arising from acceptance). Ultimately, arising/non-arising are empty views (dṛṣṭi); as MMK 15:10 critiques, grasping at arising/ceasing veils reality.
Acting without acting: prophecy is relative affirmation (guiding bodhisattvas) without absolute basis—neither accepting non-arising as a cause (eternalism) nor rejecting prophecy (nihilism). Middle Way freedom from extremes points to tathātā: suchness beyond arising/non-arising.
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4. How Prophecy If Neither Arising Nor Non-Arising?
Subhūti presses: If neither, how prophecy? The Buddha: Can you observe phenomena prophesied? Subhūti negates, admitting no observation of attainer, means, or attainment. The Buddha affirms: Bodhisattvas without apprehension think not of "I will attain," "through this," or "this constitutes attainment"—because practicing prajñāpāramitā, they lack conceptual thoughts (kalpanā), as wisdom is non-conceptual (avikalpa).
Madhyamaka interprets this as U2T's resolution: conventionally, prophecy arises dependently (from non-apprehension), functional for path. Ultimately, no inherent phenomena, attainer, or attainment—empty; as Bodhicaryāvatāra 9:35 notes, awakening is like an illusion, without conceptual grasping.
Acting without acting: non-apprehension is relative practice (vowing without "I") without reification—neither opposing concepts (forced suppression) nor accepting them (eternalism). This non-conceptual wisdom aligns with tathātā: suchness as "unmistaken real nature," effortless liberation from thoughts, in the Middle Way's quiescence.
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Conclusion: Non-Arising as the Union in Action
This concluding section synthesizes the chapter's negations into the acceptance of non-arising, where prophecy and attainment occur without conceptual duality or decrease.
Madhyamaka's U2T permeates: conventionally, bodhisattvas strive and are prophesied (functional path) without inherent arising/ceasing; ultimately, all is empty, non-conceptual.
Acting without acting embodies this: relative acceptance (of teachings) without apprehension—avoiding extremes of arising (reified progress) or non-arising (nihilistic stasis), aligning with inconceivable tathātā.
The Union in action is the irreversible, non-decreasing wisdom that reveals suchness: reality beyond observation, where buddhahood "attains" emptily, benefiting beings through non-dual compassion in the Middle Way free from all views. This completes the chapter's exposition, urging effortless harmony with reality as it is.
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Question: Can we generalize this 'acceptance' with: Acceptance of the non-arising / non-non-arising, non-inherent-existence / non-non-existence, non-conditioning / non-non-conditioning, non-changing / non-non-changing, non-increasing / non-non-increasing, non-diminishing / non-non-diminishing, non-defilement / non-non-defilement, non-purification, non-non/purification, and non-ceasing / non-non-ceasing of all phenomena – because all phenomena are empty of inherent existence [U2T], like illusions, ‘there, yet not there’; not ‘this’, ‘non-this’, both, or neither; beyond all conditioned dualistic conceptual proliferation. Thus transcending without rejecting all extremes, all conventional truths, methods, goals?
Yes, we can indeed generalize the "acceptance" (kṣānti) described in the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā—particularly the acceptance of phenomena's non-arising (anutpāda-kṣānti)—in the manner you propose.
This generalization aligns seamlessly with the Madhyamaka perspective, where acceptance is not a rigid affirmation of any view but a profound, non-conceptual insight into the Union of the Two Truths (U2T): the inseparability of conventional truth (dependently co-arisen, relatively functional phenomena) and ultimate truth (their emptiness of inherent existence).
It extends to transcending—without rejecting—all pairs of extremes (e.g., arising/non-arising, existence/non-existence) through the tetralemma logic: phenomena are not this, not non-this, not both, not neither, as they are empty of inherent nature yet appear like illusions ("there, yet not there"), free from dualistic conceptual proliferation (prapañca).
This acceptance embodies "acting without acting" in the Middle Way: engaging conventional truths, methods, and goals relatively (for beings' benefit) without absolute apprehension, attachment, reification, or opposition, thus aligning with inconceivable tathātā (suchness). Below, I elaborate on this generalization, grounding it in the sūtra's context (Section 9) and Madhyamaka principles (e.g., Nāgārjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā [MMK] and Candrakīrti's commentaries).
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1. Core of the Generalization: Acceptance as Insight into Non-Dual Emptiness
– In the sūtra, acceptance of non-arising is the pivotal insight that phenomena neither arise nor cease, leading to prophecy and irreversible progress toward omniscience without decrease. This is not a mere negation but a deconstruction: Subhūti's queries probe arising/non-arising, and the Buddha negates both (and implicitly the tetralemma), affirming non-apprehension and non-conceptual wisdom.
Generalizing this to your pairs—non-arising/non-non-arising, non-inherent-existence/non-non-existence, etc.—captures Madhyamaka's exhaustive negation of extremes. Each pair reflects the U2T:
– Conventionally: Phenomena appear to arise/condition/change/increase/defile/cease dependently (pratītyasamutpāda), functioning relatively (e.g., karma "conditions" rebirth, methods like perfections "purify" afflictions).
– Ultimately: They are empty of inherent existence—no absolute arising, etc.; as MMK 1:1 states, "Not from self, not from other, not from both, not without cause—things do not arise in any way."
– The "non-non-" prefix (e.g., non-non-arising) prevents reifying negation itself (avoiding nihilism), echoing the tetralemma: not arising (negates eternalism), not non-arising (negates nihilism), not both (negates synthesis), not neither (negates evasion). Phenomena are "like illusions" (māyopama)—dependently functional ("there") yet empty ("not there")—transcending all conditioned dualistic views without rejecting their conventional utility.
– This generalization is apt because the sūtra's non-arising extends to all dharmas (aggregates, paths, qualities), implying the same for existence, conditioning, changing, etc. As Candrakīrti in Madhyamakāvatāra explains, acceptance (kṣānti) is the bodhisattva's equanimous endurance of emptiness, free from fear of "nothingness," leading to non-conceptual realization (avikalpa-jñāna).
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2. Application to Specific Pairs in Your Generalization
– Non-Arising/Non-Non-Arising and Non-Ceasing/Non-Non-Ceasing: Directly from the text—phenomena neither arise nor cease inherently, yet appear dependently (e.g., prophecy "arises" conventionally without real production). Acceptance transcends without rejecting: use arising/ceasing conventionally (e.g., path stages) emptily, avoiding reification (eternalism) or denial (nihilism).
– Non-Inherent-Existence/Non-Non-Existence: Phenomena lack svabhāva (non-existence in absolute terms) yet function relatively (non-non-existence, avoiding annihilation). This is U2T core: empty because dependent, dependent because empty (MMK 24:18-19). Acceptance: realize "non-existence" without negating conventions, transcending existence/non-existence.
– Non-Conditioning/Non-Non-Conditioning: No inherent causation (non-conditioning, refuting absolute karma), yet interdependent functionality (non-non-conditioning). Acceptance: engage methods (e.g., perfections) as conditional upāya without grasping, aligning with tathātā beyond cause-effect duality.
– Non-Changing/Non-Non-Changing and Non-Increasing/Non-Non-Increasing, Non-Diminishing/Non-Non-Diminishing: Echoes the sūtra's "without increase or decrease"—attributes never diminish, yet no inherent change. Acceptance: progress (e.g., irreversible path) appears dependently without real augmentation, transcending static/dynamic extremes.
– Non-Defilement/Non-Non-Defilement and Non-Purification/Non-Non-Purification: Saṃsāra neither inherently defiles nor purifies (empty of essence), yet conventional purification occurs (e.g., via acceptance). As the text implies in non-conceptual wisdom, acceptance transcends without rejecting: use purification methods (e.g., vows) emptily, free from defilement/purity duality.
– These pairs generalize the sūtra's logic: acceptance is the Middle Way insight that phenomena are beyond all extremes (antadvaya), not "this/non-this/both/neither," as empty illusions—functional for compassion yet void of proliferation.
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3. Transcending Without Rejecting: The Union in Action
Yes, this acceptance transcends all extremes, conventional truths, methods, and goals without rejection—precisely the Madhyamaka praxis of "acting without acting." Conventionally, extremes (e.g., arising/non-arising) and truths (e.g., dependent origination) function as upāya: methods like meditation "purify," goals like omniscience motivate, without which the path collapses (nihilism). Ultimately, transcendence empties them—no inherent extremes to reject—avoiding opposition (eternalism of clinging to conventions).
– This is U2T/U3S/Uopp in embodiment: in acceptance, subject (bodhisattva), action (accepting), object (non-arising) unite emptily (U3S); opposites like arising/non-arising inseparate (Uopp); all grounded in dependent-emptiness (U2T). As the sūtra concludes, bodhisattvas "do not apprehend anything," lacking conceptual thoughts—transcending views without discarding the compassionate use of conventions (e.g., prophecy as motivational tool).
– Implications for Praxis: Acceptance fosters fearlessness (as in prior sections), where striving is effortless—neither forcing non-arising (reification) nor abandoning the path (rejection). It aligns with tathātā: suchness as the "one and only real nature," inconceivable yet pointed to by U2T, enabling irreversible buddhahood without "I will attain."
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In summary, your generalization is not only valid but a profound extension of the sūtra's teaching, encapsulating Madhyamaka's deconstructive freedom: acceptance as non-dual insight that transcends all without negation, embodying the Middle Way's harmony with reality as it is. This ensures the path's cosmic scope—benefiting all through empty-yet-functional compassion.
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Question: We should definitively apply all this to the duality conceptual/non-conceptual. It is not about rejecting all conceptualization or differentiation, not about accepting them as inherently existent.
Yes, applying the principles of acceptance (kṣānti), non-arising (anutpāda), and the broader Madhyamaka deconstruction to the duality of conceptual (vikalpa) and non-conceptual (avikalpa) is a natural and profound extension. In the context of the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā (especially Sections 8-9, where engagement is negated and non-conceptual wisdom is affirmed), this duality exemplifies the Union of the Two Truths (U2T): conceptual proliferations (dualistic thoughts, differentiations like subject-object) arise dependently as relatively functional tools for the path, yet are empty of inherent existence—no absolute concepts to accept or reject. The true nature of reality (tathātā, suchness) transcends this pair, inconceivable and free from proliferation (prapañca), pointed to by their non-dual union.
Acceptance here means realizing the non-conceptual without rejecting the conceptual, embodying "acting without acting": using concepts conventionally (e.g., analysis, teachings) without absolute apprehension, attachment, reification, effort, or opposition—neither accepting concepts as inherently real (eternalism) nor rejecting them as utterly useless (nihilism). This avoids extremes, aligning with the Middle Way, where conceptualization serves as upāya (skillful means) that dissolves into non-conceptual insight, more and more in accord with tathātā. Below, I analyze this application step by step, grounding it in the sūtra and Madhyamaka (e.g., Nāgārjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā [MMK] and Śāntideva's Bodhicaryāvatāra).
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1. The Duality of Conceptual/Non-Conceptual in Madhyamaka Context
– Conceptual (Vikalpa): Refers to dualistic, discursive thinking—mental proliferations that differentiate (e.g., self/other, existence/non-existence, arising/ceasing). In the sūtra, concepts appear in Subhūti's queries (e.g., "how do bodhisattvas engage?") and the Buddha's provisional responses, functioning conventionally as dependent designations (prajñapti) for teaching and analysis. They arise interdependently from ignorance (avidyā) and conditions (e.g., language, perception), relatively useful for deconstructing views and guiding beings (e.g., explaining U2T).
– Non-Conceptual (Avikalpa): Direct, non-dual insight into emptiness—free from proliferation, as in the sūtra's affirmation that prajñāpāramitā is "non-conceptual" (avikalpa), leading to non-apprehension and acceptance of non-arising. This is the ultimate realization, where thoughts quiesce (prapañca-upaśama), revealing tathātā without fabrication.
– The duality itself is dependently co-arisen: concepts "lead to" non-conceptual wisdom (e.g., through negation in the dialogue), yet non-conceptual insight empties concepts. As MMK 18:9 states, "Everything is real or not real, both real and not real, neither real nor not real—this is the Buddha's teaching," using concepts to transcend them.
– Applying acceptance: Just as with arising/non-arising, we accept the non-conceptual/non-non-conceptual—neither reifying non-conceptual as an absolute state (eternalism, e.g., forced silence) nor denying conceptual utility (nihilism, e.g., abandoning teachings). Phenomena (including thoughts) are "like illusions": conceptually differentiated ("there" for communication) yet emptily non-conceptual ("not there" inherently)—not this, not non-this, not both, not neither.
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2. Not Rejecting Conceptualization or Differentiation (Avoiding Nihilism)
– Rejection would imply absolutizing the non-conceptual, treating concepts as inherently harmful and discarding them outright—this veers into nihilism, undermining the conventional truth where methods and goals function. In the sūtra, the Buddha uses conceptual language (e.g., "acceptance of non-arising," "prophecy") to guide Subhūti, without which the path collapses.
Concepts are dependently functional: differentiation (e.g., between saṃsāra/nirvāṇa) allows analysis (as in Sections 8's negations), leading to insight. As Candrakīrti in Prasannapadā notes, without conventional designations, ultimate truth cannot be taught—concepts are like a raft, useful until crossing the river.
– Acceptance transcends without rejection: Use concepts relatively (e.g., in vows, explanations) as empty tools—neither opposing them as "defiling" nor abandoning differentiation (e.g., ethical distinctions in the perfections). This aligns with tathātā: suchness where proliferations arise emptily, serving compassion without absolute dismissal.
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3. Not Accepting Them as Inherently Existent (Avoiding Eternalism)
– Acceptance as inherent would reify concepts as svabhāva-possessing entities—e.g., treating dualistic thoughts as eternally real truths, leading to eternalism and bondage in views (dṛṣṭi). The sūtra counters this with non-apprehension: bodhisattvas "do not apprehend anything" and lack conceptual thoughts, as wisdom is non-conceptual. Concepts are empty illusions—no inherent differentiator or differentiated; as MMK 5:8 critiques, perception (a conceptual act) is interdependent, void.
– Acceptance transcends without acceptance: Realize concepts' emptiness without grasping them as real—neither effortfully conceptualizing (reifying analysis) nor opposing non-conceptual as a separate "higher" state.
This Middle Way insight: concepts "neither arise nor cease" inherently (applying non-arising), yet function without decrease (as in irreversible attributes).
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4. Generalizing Acceptance to This Duality: Transcending Without Rejecting Extremes, Truths, Methods, Goals
– Acceptance of Non-Conceptual/Non-Non-Conceptual: Extending your prior generalization, we accept that phenomena (thoughts included) are neither conceptually proliferated nor non-conceptually static—empty of inherent duality, beyond proliferation. This transcends extremes without rejecting them: not conceptual (negates eternalism of fixed views), not non-conceptual (negates nihilism of blank void), not both (negates eclectic grasping), not neither (negates agnostic evasion).
– Transcending Without Rejecting:
– All Extremes: Duality dissolves in U2T—concepts (conventional) inseparable from non-conceptual (ultimate), like waves/ocean.
– Conventional Truths: Use truths (e.g., four noble truths) conceptually for guidance, emptily—without rejection (as they point to suchness).
– Methods: Perfections, analysis, vows are conceptual tools; accept them relatively (functional for path) without inherent efficacy—transcending by realizing their emptiness (non-arising), yet not abandoning (e.g., striving without "I will attain").
– Goals: Omniscience is a conceptual designation; accept non-attainment (non-conceptual) without rejecting aspiration—prophecy functions emptily, irreversible without decrease.
– This is the Union in action: "Acting without acting" means employing conceptual differentiation (e.g., teaching U2T) relatively, without absolute—neither opposing non-conceptual insight (rejection of methods) nor accepting conceptual as ultimate (reification of goals). As Śāntideva (Bodhicaryāvatāra 9:2) says, "The ultimate is not the domain of intellect; the intellect is said to be the conventional."
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5. Practical Implications for Bodhisattva Praxis
– In daily practice, this acceptance means: Use conceptual analysis (e.g., negating in the sūtra) to arrive at non-conceptual equanimity, without clinging—fostering compassion that differentiates beings' needs (conceptual) while seeing all as empty (non-conceptual).
Fearlessness arises: no discouragement from "non-conceptual" emptiness, as it integrates with conceptual upāya.
– Cosmic Scope: As you noted earlier, this makes the path non-individual—concepts (teachings) shared emptily benefit others, transcending self/other without rejection.)
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TEXT:
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Subhūti then asked,
“Blessed Lord,
if these attributes do not engage in the perfection of wisdom,
how then, Blessed Lord, do bodhisattva great beings engage in the perfection of wisdom?”

The Blessed One asked in return,
“Subhūti, do you think that you can observe the way in which bodhisattva great beings engage in the perfection of wisdom?”

“No, Blessed Lord!”

“Subhūti, do you think that anything can be apprehended that you cannot observe?” asked the Blessed One.

“No, Blessed Lord!”

“Subhūti, do you think that there is anything non-apprehensible that arises or ceases?” asked the Blessed One.

“No, Blessed Lord!”

“This, Subhūti,” continued the Blessed One,
“is the acceptance that phenomena are non-arising, which bodhisattva great beings possess.
Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings endowed with such acceptance are prophesied by the lord buddhas to attain unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.
This, Subhūti, is said to be the paths of the ten powers, the fearlessnesses, the kinds of exact knowledge, and the distinct qualities of the buddhas.
It is impossible that bodhisattva great beings who enter upon that path, practicing in that manner, striving in that manner, and endeavoring in that manner will not attain the wisdom of unsurpassed, completely awakened buddhahood‍ — the supreme wisdom, the wisdom of all-aspect omniscience.
If you ask why, it is because those bodhisattva great beings have accepted that phenomena are non-arising.
Those attributes that they have will never decrease until they have attained consummate buddhahood in unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.”

Subhūti then asked, “Blessed Lord,
is it through this non-arising nature of all phenomena that bodhisattva great beings are prophesied to attain unsurpassed, complete enlightenment?”

“No, Subhūti!” replied the Blessed One.

Subhūti then asked, “Blessed Lord,
is it neither through arising nor through non-arising that bodhisattva great beings are prophesied to attain unsurpassed, complete enlightenment?”

“No, Subhūti!” replied the Blessed One.

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“Blessed Lord,
if is it neither through arising, nor indeed through non-arising, that bodhisattva great beings are prophesied to attain unsurpassed, complete enlightenment,
how then are bodhisattva great beings prophesied to attain unsurpassed, complete enlightenment?”

The Blessed One asked in return,
“Subhūti, do you think that you can observe such phenomena that are prophesied to attain unsurpassed, complete enlightenment?”

“No, Blessed Lord! I cannot, Blessed Lord, observe those phenomena that are prophesied to attain unsurpassed, complete enlightenment.
Blessed Lord, I cannot observe anyone who will attain consummate buddhahood, anything through which consummate buddhahood will be attained, or even anything that will constitute consummate buddhahood.”

“Subhūti, it is so! It is so!” replied the Blessed One.
“Bodhisattva great beings who do not apprehend anything do not think, ‘I will attain consummate buddhahood.
Through this consummate buddhahood will be attained.
This will constitute the attainment of consummate buddhahood.’ If you ask why, Subhūti, it is because bodhisattva great beings who practice the perfection of wisdom are without all those conceptual thoughts.
If you ask why, Subhūti, it is because the perfection of wisdom is non-conceptual.”

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This completes the forty-fifth chapter from “The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines.”