Download - Conze_Suchness

8/6/2019 Conze_Suchness

1/9

THE PERFECTION OF WISDOMIN EIGHT THOUSAND LINES& ITS VERSE SUMMARY

translated by Edward Conze

Four Seasons FoundationBolinas: 1973BERKELEY ZEN CENTER

1670 DWIGHT WAY


2/9

Copyright G3 1973 b y Edward ConzeBook design b y Zoe Bro wn

ISBN 0-87704-048-6 (cloth)ISBN 0-87 704-049 -4 (paper)

Lib ra ry o f Congress Catalog Card No.: 72-7 654 0

The Wheel Series i s edited by D onald Allen, published by theFour Seasons Foundation, and distributed by Book People,294 0 Seventh Street, Berkeley, C alifornia 9471 0


3/9

Chapter XV I

S UCHNESS

1 . T A T H A G A T A - S U C H N E S SSubhuti: As the non-observation of all dharmas, to be sure, i s this

dharma taught. Nowhere i s this dharma obstructed. Through i t s identitywith space this dharma is, to be sure, marked with non-obstruction, sinceno traces of it are noticed. It has no counterpart, because it i s without asecond. It has no opponent, because it has gone beyond all opposites. It swithout a trace, because it has not been caused to become. It i s unpro-duced, because there i s no occasion for rebirth. It i s pathless, because nopath i s noticed.Sakra and the Gods: Born after the image of the Lord i s this Disciple,the holy Subhuti, the Elder. For, whichever dharma he demonstrates, healways starts from emptiness. [307]

Subhuti: Because he i s not born i s Subhuti, the Elder, born after theimage of the Tathagata. He i s born after the image of the Tathagata'sSuchness. As that has neither come nor gone, so also the Suchness ofSubhuti has neither come nor gone. From the very beginning Subhuti theElder has been born after the image of the Tathagata's Suchness. Becausethe Suchness of the Tathagata and the Suchness of all dharmas are thesame thing, and they are both the Suchness o f Subhuti the Elder. Bornafter the image of that Suchness i s Subhuti the Elder; hence born after theimage of the Tathagata. But that Suchness i s also no Suchness, and afterthe image of that Suchness has he been born. It i s in that sense that theElder Subhuti i s born after the image of the Tathagata, and that as a resultof the established order o f the Suchness of the Tathagata. Subhuti's Such-ness i s immutable and unchangeable, undiscriminated and undifferen-tiated, just as the Suchness of the Tathagata. It i s thus that Subhuti theEld er, im mu able, unchangeable, undiscriminated, undifferentiated,through that Suchness, i s born after the image of the Tathagata. And justas the Suchness of the Tathagata, which i s immutable and undifferen-tiated, i s nowhere obstructed, so also the Suchness of all dharmas, which i salso immutable and undifferentiated. For the Suchness of the Tathagata,and the Suchness of all dharmas, they are both one single Suchness, nottwo, not divided. A non-dual Suchness, however, i s nowhere, i s fromnowhere, belongs to nowhere. I t i s because it i s a Suchness which belongsnowhere that i t i s non-dual. It i s therefore through an unmade Suchnessthat the Elder Subhuti i s born after the image of the Tathagata. An un-


4/9

4 THEPERFECTION O F WISDOMi s at no time not Suchness [308] and therefore

i s non-dual. It i s in this sense that the Elder Subhuti i s born after theage of the Tathagata. Just as the Suchness of the Tathagata i s undiscrim-

chness o f Subhuti. And for that reason, although we seem to have aagata, nevertheless nothing real has been lopped off that Suchness,

it apart. In that sense i s Subhuti the Elder borni s not

ide the Suchness of all dharmas, so also the Suchness o f Subhuti. Buti s not outside the Suchness of all dharmas, that i s not of anything

t the Suchness. The Suchness of Subhuti i s therefore just the same as thechness of all dharmas. Subhuti the Elder has undergone the experience

It s ini s born after the image of the Tathagata.

s the Suchness of the Tathagata i s neither past, nor future, nor present, soo the Suchness of all dharmas. As born in the image of that Suchness i s

ti called "born after the image of the Tathagata." Because it i s alsothe Suchness o f the Tathagata [and not only his own] that he hasIt i s just through the Suchness of the Tathagata

it i s just through past Such-It i s through the Suchness of the Tathagata

it i sugh past, future and present Suchness that he has conformed to the

chness of the Tathagata. In this sense the Suchness of Subhuti, and past,ture and present Suchness, and the Suchness of the Tathagata, are not

nor divided. The Suchness of all dharmas and the Suchness of Subhu-are therefore not two, nor divided. [309] And also, the Suchness of the

a Bodhisattva that i s the Suchness of the Lord when hei s the Suchness through which a

T H E E A R T H S H A K E S , A N D M A N Y A R E S A V E DWhen this disquisition of the Suchness of the Tathagata had taken

as it did when the Tathagata won full enlighten-


5/9

IN EIGHT THOUSAND LINES 795Subhuti: It i s thus, 0 Gods, that Subhuti the Elder i s born after the

image of the Tathagata. But he i s not born after the image o f form, or ofany of the fruits of a holy l ife, from the fruit of a Streamwinner toBuddahood. For those dharmas, which might be born after the image ofsomething, or in the image o f which he would be born, they do not exist,they are not got at. It s thus that Subhuti the Elder i s born in the image ofthe Tathagata.Sariputra: This Suchness, 0 Lord, courses in the deep!The Lord : So it is, Sariputra.

But when this disquisition o f Suchness was expounded, the minds ofthree hundred monks were freed from the outflows, without any furtherclinging. Five hundred nuns obtained the pure, dispassionate and unstaineddharma-eye. [310] Five thousand Gods, who in the past had made thenecessary preparations, acquired the patient acceptance of dharmas whichfail to be produced. And the minds of six thousand Bodhisattvas were freefrom the outflows, without any further clinging.3 . P E R F E C T W I S D O M A N D S K I L L I N M E A N S

Sariputra knew that the thoughts of those Bodhisattvas were freedfrom the outflows, without any further clinging, and he asked the Lord forthe reason, or cause, of that.The Lord: Those Bodhisattvas have honoured five hundred Buddhas,and during all that time they have given gifts, guarded their morality,perfected their patience, exerted their vigour, and produced trance. Butthey were not upheld by perfect wisdom and lacked in skill in means. Andso, although they had gained the path of emptiness, had coursed in theSignless, had pu t their minds to work on the Wishless, as wanting skill inmeans they had realised the reality limit , and come forth on the level ofDisciple or Pratyekabuddha, and not on the level of a Buddha. Supposethere i s a very huge bird, one hundred, or up to f i ve hundred miles large,but without any wings, or with crippled or damaged wings. That birdwould want to fly down to Jambudvipa from the Heaven of the Gods ofthe Thirty-three. If in the intermediate space, in the middle of i t s journey[31 I ] to Jambudvipa, i t would want to return to the Gods of the Thir ty-three, would i t be able to do so?Sariputra: No, Lord.The Lord: And could it hope to come down on Jambudvipa withoutdamage or injury?Sariputra: No, Lord. It i s bound to get damaged and injured, andwhen it drops down on Jambudvipa it will incur death or deadly pain.


6/9

THE PERFECTION OF WISDOMBecause of the fact that, whereas i t s body i s huge, the strength of i t s wingsi s insufficient, and it just drops down from above.

The Lord: So it is, Sariputra. Even if a Bodhisattva, after he has raisedhis mind to full enlightenment, would, for countless aeons, give gifts,guard his morality, perfect his patience, exert his vigour, and enter thetrances, how ever great may be his setting for th and the thought which heraises to full enlightenment,-if he i s not upheld by perfect wisdom andlacks in skill in means, he i s bound to fall on the level of Disciple orPratyekabuddha. Furthermore, Saripu ra, it may be that a Bodhisattvabrings to mind, and retains in his mind, [312] of the Buddhas and Lords,past, future and present, the morality, the concentration, the wisdom, theemancipation, the vision and cognition o f emancipation, -but all thatafter the manner o f a sign. He then neither knows nor sees the morality ofthe Tathagatas, nor their concentration, or wisdom, or emancipation, ortheir vision and cognition o f emancipation. Ignorant of them, blind tothem, he hears the word 'emptiness,' treats that as a sign, and wishes tocovert [that mass of merit] into a full enlightenment [which he regards asemptiness]. In consequence he wil l remain on the level of a Disciple orPratyekabuddha, -because of the fact that he i s not upheld by perfectwisdom, that he lacks in skill in means.

Sariputra: As I understand the meaning of the Lord's teaching, al-though a Bodhisattva may be joined to a huge equipment o f merit, as longas he i s not upheld by perfect wisdom and i s without skill in means, helacks the good friend, and his attainment o f fu ll enlightenment i s uncer-tain. A Bodhisattva who wants to win full enlightenment should thereforedevelop the perfection of wisdom, and become skilled in means.

The Lord: So i t is, Sariputra. [313]Sakra and the Gods: Deep, 0 Lord, i s perfect wisdom! Hard to win,

exceedingly hard to win i s fu ll enlightenment!The Lord: So it is , 0 Gods. Deep i s this perfection of wisdom. Hard to

win, exceedingly hard to win i s full enlightenment, if one i s weak inwisdom, below the mark in vigour and resolve, unskilled in means, and ifone serves the bad friends.

4. E N L I G H T E N M E N T A N D E M P T I NE S SSubhuti: How can the Lord say that ful l enlightenment i s hard to win,

exceedingly hard to win, when there i s no one who can win enlighten-ment? For, owing to the emptiness of all dharmas, no dharma exists thatwould be able to win enlightenment. All dharmas are empty. That dharmaalso for the forsaking of which dharma i s demonstrated, that dharma does


7/9

IN EIGHT THOUSAND LINES 197not exist. And also that dharma which [314] would be enlightened in ful lenlightenment, and that which should be enlightened, and that whichwould cognize [the enlightenment], and that which should cognize it, -allthese dharmas are empty. In this manner I am inclined to think that fullenlightenment i s easy to win, no t hard to win.The Lord: Because it cannot possibly come about i s full enlighten-ment hard to win, because in reality it i s not there, because it cannot bediscriminated, because it has not been fabricated [as a false appearance].Sariputra: Also because it s empty i s it hard to win, 0 Subhuti. For itdoes not occur t o space that i t wil l win full enlightenment. As such, i.e. aswithout own-being, should these dharmas be known i n enlightenment. Forall dharmas are the same as space. And, Subhuti, if full enlightenment wereeasy to win, then countless Bodhisattvas would not turn away from it. Butas countless Bodhisattvas do turn away from it, therefore one can discern[ 315 ] that fu ll enlightenment i s hard to win, exceedingly hard to win.Subhuti: But, Sariputra, does form, etc., turn away from fu ll enlight-enment?Sariputra: No, Subhuti.Subhuti: I s then the dharma which turns away from full enlighten-ment other than form, etc.?Sariputra: No, Subhuti.

Subhuti: Does the Suchness of form, etc., turn away?Sariputra: No, Subhuti. [316]Subhuti: I s the dharma which turns away from full enlightenmentother than the Suchness of form, etc.?Sariputra: No, Subhuti.Subhuti: Does form, etc., know full enlightenment?Sariputra: No, Subhuti.Subhuti: I s the dharma which knows fu ll enlightenment other than

form, etc.?Sariputra: No, Subhuti.Subhuti: Does the Suchness of form, etc., know fu ll enlightenment?Sariputra: No, Subhuti. [317]Subhuti: I s the dharma which knows full enlightenment other than

the Suchness of form, etc.?Sariputra: No, Subhuti.Subhuti: Should form, etc., be known in fu ll enlightenment, or adharma other than form, etc. [318] or the Suchness of form, etc., or adharma other than the Suchness of form, etc.?

Sariputra: No, Subhuti.Subhuti: Does Suchness turn away from full enlightenment?


8/9

THE PERFECTION OF WISDOMSariputra: No, Subhuti.Subhuti: I s that dharma which turns away from full enlightenment in

Suchness?Sariputra: No, Subhuti. [319]Subhuti: What then, Sariputra, i s this dharma wh ich turns away fro mfull enlightenment, when we consider it as it stands in this nature of

dharmas, which i s just emptiness, after the manner of taking no stand onany dharma? Or what dharma, i s that Suchness? I s it perhaps Suchnesswhich i s turned away?

Sariputra: No, Subhuti.Subhuti: Since thus, in u ltim ate t ru th and as things stand, no dharma

can be apprehended as real, what i s that dharma which i s turned awayfrom fu l l enlightenment?

Sariputra: When one adopts the method of considering dharmas intheir u ltima te reality, wh ich Subhu ti the Elder uses in this exposition, thenindeed there i s no dharma which turns away from full enlightenment. Butthen, Venerable Subhuti, there i s no longer any ground for the d istinc tionof those who have set their hearts on enlightenment into three kinds ofpersons, as described by the Tathagata, who d iffer w it h respect to thevehicle w hich they have chosen. According t o the exposition o f the Vener-able Subhuti there should be only one vehicle [for those whose hearts areset on enlightenment], i.e. the Buddha-vehicle, the Bodhisattva-vehicle,the great vehicle.

Purna: Fir st o f all the Venerable Sariputra mus t ask the VenerableSubhuti the Elder whether he admits even one single kin d o f being whoseheart i s set on enlightenment, and who uses either the vehicle of theDisciples, or that o f the Pratyekabuddhas, or the great vehicle.

Sariputra: Subhu ti, do you adm it even one single kind o f being whoseheart i s se t on enlightenment, and who uses either the vehicle of theDisciples, or that o f the Bodhisattvas, o r the great vehicle? [ 3 2 0 ]

Subhuti: Sariputra, do you see in the Suchness of Suchness even onesingle being whose heart i s set on enlightenment [i.e. as a real e n ti ty ], behe one who uses the vehicle of the Disciples, or that of the Pratyekabud-dhas, o r the great veh icle?

Sariputra: N o t so, S ubhu ti. Suchness, fir st o f all, i s not apprehendedas o f three kinds, how much less the being whose heart i s set on enlight-enment.

Subhuti: I s then Suchness apprehended as o f one kind even?Sariputra: Not so, Subhuti.Subhuti: Do you then perhaps see in Suchness even one single dharmawhich w ould cons titute a being whose heart i s se t on enlightenment?Sariputra: N o t so, S ubhuti.


9/9

IN EIGHT THOUSAND LINES 799Subhuti: Since thus, in ultimate truth and as things stand, such a

dharma which could constitute a being whose heart i s set on enlighten-ment cannot be apprehended, where do you get the idea that "this onebelongs to the vehicle o f the Disciples, that one to the vehicle o f thePratyekabuddhas, that one to the great vehicle"? If a Bodhisattva whohears this absence of difference, distinction or differentiation between thethree kinds of persons who have set their hearts on enlightenment, in sofar as they are encompassed by the same Suchness, does not becomecowed or stolid in mind, does not turn back, then one should know thathe wil l go forth to enlightenment. [321]

The Lord: Well said, Subhuti. Through the might and sustainingpower of the Tathagata have you been inspired to say this.

Sariputra: To which enlightenment, 0 Lord, wil l that Bodhisattva goforth?

The Lord: To the full and supreme enlightenment.

5 . REQU I S I T E S OF G O I N G FO R TH TO E N L I G H T E N M E N TSubhuti: How should a Bodhisattva behave, how should he train, if he

wants to go forth to the full and supreme enlightenment?The Lord: The Bodhisattva should adopt the same attitude towards all

beings, his mind should be even towards all beings, he should not handleothers with an uneven mind, but with a mind which i s friendly, welldisposed, helpful, free from aversion, avoiding harm and hurt, he shouldhandle others as if they were his mother, father, son or daughter. [322] Asa saviour o f all beings should a Bodhisattva behave towards all beings,should he train himself, if he wants to know the fu ll and supreme enlight-enment. He should, himself, stand in the abstention from all evil, heshould give gifts, guard his morality, perfect himself in patience, exertvigour, enter into the trances, achieve mastery over wisdom, survey condi-tioned coproduction, both in direct and in reverse order; and also othershe should instigate to do the same, incite and encourage them. In the sameway he should stand in everything from the meditation on the truths tothe stage when he reaches the certainty that it i s as a Bodhisattva that hewill be saved, and when he matures beings, and also others he shouldinstigate t o do the same, incite and encourage them. When he longs eagerlyfor all that and trains himself in it, then everything will be uncovered tohim, from form to the established order o f dharma.

Download - Conze_Suchness

Top Related