PART ONE: Review Subhuti’s discourse on Prajñāpāramitā
- “If one does not tremble and is not frightened by this teaching, that is a bodhisattva
- Attaining the samādhi called ‘The Non-Appropriation of all Dharmas’ (which doesn’t exist)
PART TWO: The Buddha’s discourse on Prajñāpāramitā
Chapter One, 2.
Śāriputra (to the Buddha): “How then do [dharmas] exist?”
Buddha: “In the way in which they do not exist, in that way do they exist; and in this way all dharmas do not have any existence. This is known as ‘ignorance’. Foolish common people conceptualize what is not known, grasp at what is not known. They fall into the two extremes, and neither know nor see. With respect to non-existent dharmas, they discriminate and conceptualize, grasping at name and form. With grasping as cause, they neither know nor see with insight these dharmas which are non-existent; they neither go forth to, nor have confidence in, nor abide in [the Path].
3. Bodhisattva
Buddha (to Subhūti ) “Nothing real is meant by the word ‘bodhisattva.’ Because bodhisattvas train in non-attachment to all dharmas.”
4. Mahāsattva
“A bodhisattva who teaches the Dharma in order to sever the view of a self, the view of a living being, the view of life, the view of a personality, the view of existence, the view of non-existence, the view of nihilism, the view of eternalism, and so forth, is known as the meaning of ‘mahāsattva’. With respect to this, their minds are without grasping.
5. Great Vehicle
“The Mahāyāna is equal to empty space. Just as empty space holds immeasurable asaṃkhya living beings, so too the Mahāyāna holds immeasurable asaṃkhya living beings. This Mahāyāna is just like empty space, neither coming from anywhere, nor going to anywhere, nor abiding anywhere. The Mahāyāna is likewise, its past limit is not apprehended, its present limit is not apprehended, and its future limit is not apprehended; this vehicle is equal with respect to these three periods of time. Therefore it is known as the ‘mahāyāna’.”