Chapter 29 of the Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 Lines (Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra), titled "Approaches," serves as a poetic and meditative exposition on the myriad ways a Bodhisattva draws near to or "approaches" the perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā). Unlike preceding chapters that often feature dialogues between figures like Subhuti and the Lord (Buddha), this chapter adopts a more declarative, repetitive style, listing convictions, insights, and analogies that frame the approach as an immersion in the non-dual, true nature of all dharmas (phenomena) [U2T]. The essence lies in shifting from conceptual grasping to direct, innate realization of emptiness (śūnyatā), boundlessness, and purity, where wisdom is not "attained" as an object but revealed through relinquishing dualities and attachments.
Subtle messages permeate the text:
– wisdom's approach is boundless and ungraspable, mirroring the dharmas themselves;
– it transcends verbal constructs and sensory distinctions;
– and it empowers the Bodhisattva's compassionate vow by dissolving ego-driven obstacles like conceit and vacillation.
The chapter subtly critiques reification — treating dharmas as real or expressible — while affirming that true approach aligns with Suchness (tathatā), the unchanging, already-realized Nirvana inherent in all.
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Core Approaches Through Convictions About the Nature of Dharmas
The chapter opens by enumerating how the Bodhisattva approaches perfect wisdom through a series of profound convictions that dismantle conventional views of reality.
These convictions emphasize non-attachment, non-differentiation, and the impossibility of dharmas arising or changing. For instance, the Bodhisattva approaches from the "non-attachment to any and all dharmas," recognizing their "non-differentiatedness" and that they "cannot possibly come about," remaining "equal in remaining unaffected by change."
This sets a foundational tone of emptiness: dharmas lack inherent existence, so attachment is futile. Subtly, this message resolves the paradox of practice — how can one "approach" something boundless? — by implying that approach is not progression toward an external goal but a realization of innate purity ("innate wisdom as pure buddha-nature").
Further convictions deepen this: Dharmas are "without self" and "give us no hint [about their true nature or intentions]," beyond words or conventional expressions that "do not refer to anything real" and are "not derived from anything real." Here, the text subtly critiques language and discourse as illusory constructs — mere "conventional expressions" that do not capture the "unlimitedness," "penetration," or "perfectly pure original nature" of dharmas. The Bodhisattva approaches from the fact that dharmas are "beyond words," with "different kinds of forsaking" being equal since nothing can be stopped, and "Suchness is everywhere sameness" as all are "already realized Nirvāṇa."
This conveys a subtle non-dual message: Nirvana is not a future attainment but the present, unchanging reality, where dharmas "do not come, nor do these go," are "unborn" in an absolute sense, and involve neither self nor other. The conviction that dharmas are "holy Arhats" (enlightened ones), "burdenless" (having laid down no burden since none was taken), "placeless," and neither "content nor discontent," "impassioned nor dispassionate" reinforces equanimity—dharmas in their "own-being" (svabhāva, which is no-being) are neutral, pure, and non-attached.
Additional approaches include the three gates of liberation — Emptiness, Signlessness, and Wishlessness — where dharmas are seen as "essentially a healing medicine" controlled by the four immeasurables (friendliness, compassion, sympathetic joy, impartiality), dwellers in these virtues, and the "supreme universal spirit" where "no faults can arise" as all remain "unproduced." The conviction that dharmas are "equally neither hopeful nor hostile" subtly messages impartiality, freeing the Bodhisattva from emotional dualities.
Overall, these convictions extract the essence of approach as cognitive reorientation: wisdom is approached by deconstructing perceptions of reality, revealing dharmas as empty yet luminous, fostering a mindset of non-grasping that aligns with the Bodhisattva's vow to benefit all without discrimination.
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Analogies and the Boundlessness of Wisdom
A significant portion of the chapter employs analogies to illustrate the boundless, measureless quality of perfect wisdom, subtly conveying that approach mirrors the vast, ungraspable nature of ultimate reality. The Bodhisattva approaches through
– "the boundlessness of the ocean" (evoking depth and infinity),
– the "multicolored brilliance of Meru" (the cosmic mountain, symbolizing splendor and centrality without limits),
– the "boundless illumination shed by the circle of the sun's rays" (light pervading everywhere without source or end),
– the "boundlessness of all sounds" (transient yet omnipresent),
– the "final achievement of any and all dharmas of a Buddha" (enlightenment as boundless fulfillment),
– the "equipment of any worlds of limitless beings with merit and cognition" (collective potential without boundary),
– and the boundlessness of the elements — earth, water, fire, air, space, and consciousness (fundamental yet infinite).
These analogies subtly message interdependence and emptiness:
– Just as the ocean has no fixed boundary, wisdom encompasses all without exclusion;
– Meru's brilliance reflects the multifaceted, non-monolithic nature of insight;
– the sun's rays symbolize wisdom's illuminating yet unattached quality.
– Boundlessness extends to "form, feeling, perception, impulses, consciousness" (the five skandhas), the "collection of wholesome and unwholesome dharmas," and "all dharmas," emphasizing that approach arises from recognizing no definite boundary in any phenomenon.
Further, through "acquisition of boundlessness of concentration on all dharmas," "Buddha-dharmas," "emptiness," "thought and constituents," and "thoughts and actions," the text subtly warns against fragmentation — wisdom's approach unifies all in boundlessness, preventing the Bodhisattva from viewing dharmas as isolated or measurable.
The "measureless" aspect is approached from "measureless wholesome and unwholesome dharmas," and the "resounding declarations" through the "roaring of the lion's roar" (symbolizing fearless proclamation of truth).
Unshakability is approached from dharmas' inherent unshakability by outside factors, likened again to the ocean, firmament, Meru, sun's disk, sounds, beings' worlds, Buddha's achievement, merit/cognition equipment, and elements.
The repetition of analogies reinforces a subtle rhythmic message: Wisdom's boundlessness is not abstract but experiential, like natural phenomena — vast, pure, and self-evident — encouraging meditative contemplation to internalize this approach.
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Conclusion and the Fruits of Approach
The chapter culminates in a synthesis: By approaching wisdom through these convictions and analogies — apperceiving, entering, understanding, reflecting, examining, investigating, and developing it — the Bodhisattva abandons "deception and deceit, conceit, exaltation of self, laziness, deprecation of others, notion of self, notion of a being, gain, honor and fame, the five hindrances, envy and meanness, and any and all vacillation." This abandonment, performed with "acts of mind," makes it "not hard" to gain "full perfection of all virtues, of the Buddha-field, and of supreme dharmas of a Buddha." The essence here is transformative: Approach is not arduous when rooted in emptiness, as obstacles stem from ego and duality; relinquishing them reveals innate ease.
Subtle messages in the conclusion highlight the Bodhisattva ideal: Wisdom's approach dissolves self-centeredness, fostering virtues (pāramitās) and purifying the Buddha-field (a realm of enlightened activity) without effortful striving.
The chapter subtly critiques lesser approaches — clinging to words, self, or boundaries — as extraneous, urging innate realization ("innate wisdom as pure buddha-nature").
Philosophically, it resolves tensions between effort (approach) and non-effort (non-birth/non-extinction), affirming that true practice is non-dual — active yet unattached, boundless yet intimate. This encourages practitioners to embody wisdom in daily convictions, transforming ordinary perception into enlightened equanimity for universal benefit, echoing the sutra's Mahayana ethos of compassion through emptiness.
