Chapter 70: An Explanation of Serial Action, Training, and Practice

70.1The Lord having said that, venerable Subhūti asked him, “Lord, if there is not even the patience that arises in a natural order for someone with the perception of an existing thing, how could there be attainment, and how could there be clear realization?

70.2“Given that there is not, [F.38.a] is there the patience that arises in a natural order for someone with the perception of a nonexistent thing? Is there the Śuklavipaśyanā level, Gotra level, Aṣṭamaka level, Darśana level, Tanū level, Vītarāga level, Kṛtāvin level, Pratyekabuddha level, Bodhisattva level, and cultivation of the path? And, thanks to the cultivation of the path, are the afflictions connected with śrāvakas and the afflictions connected with pratyekabuddhas eliminated? When obstructed by those afflictions, there is no entry into the secure state of a bodhisattva. Unless they have entered into the secure state of a bodhisattva, there is no gaining the knowledge of all aspects, and if they have not gained the knowledge of all aspects, there is no elimination of all residual impressions, connections, and afflictions.

70.3“Lord, standing and production do not exist on account of any dharma at all; they will have no ability to reach the knowledge of all aspects through those unproduced dharmas.”

70.4Venerable Subhūti having said that, the Lord said to him, “Exactly so, Subhūti, exactly so! There is no patience that arises in a natural order for someone with the notion of a nonexistent thing. Similarly, connect this with each, up to there is no elimination of all residual impression connections.”

70.5“Lord, do bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom have the perception of an existing thing or the perception of a nonexistent thing; or the perception of form, up to the perception of consciousness; up to or the perception of the knowledge of all aspects; or the perception of greed or the perception of the abandonment of greed, the perception of hatred or the perception of the abandonment of hatred, or the perception of confusion or the perception of the abandonment of confusion; or the perception of ignorance or the perception of the abandonment of ignorance, the perception of volitional factors [F.38.b] or the perception of the abandonment of volitional factors, the perception of consciousness or the perception of the abandonment of consciousness, the perception of name and form or the perception of the abandonment of name and form, the perception of the six sense fields or the perception of the abandonment of the six sense fields, the perception of contact or the perception of the abandonment of contact, the perception of feeling or the perception of the abandonment of feeling, the perception of craving or the perception of the abandonment of craving, the perception of appropriation or the perception of the abandonment of appropriation, the perception of existence or the perception of the abandonment of an existence, the perception of birth or the perception of the abandonment of birth, the perception of old age and death or the perception of the abandonment of old age and death, or the perception of pain, lamentation, suffering, mental anguish, and grief or the perception of the abandonment of pain, lamentation, suffering, mental anguish, and grief; or the perception of suffering or the perception of the abandonment of suffering, the perception of origination or the perception of the abandonment of origination, the perception of cessation or the perception of the realization of cessation, or the perception of the path or the perception of cultivation of the path; and similarly, or the perception of…, up to the knowledge of all aspects or the perception of the elimination of all residual impression connections?”

70.6“Subhūti, they do not,” replied the Lord. “Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom do not have the perception of any phenomenon at all as an existing thing or the perception of it as a nonexistent thing.

70.7“Subhūti, where there is no perception of anything as an existing thing or perception of it as a nonexistent thing, that is the bodhisattva great beings’ patience that arises in a natural order; where there is no perception of anything as an existing thing or perception of it as a nonexistent thing, that is their meditation on the path; and where there is no perception of anything as an existing thing [F.39.a] or perception of it as a nonexistent thing, that is their result.

70.8“Subhūti, the bodhisattva great beings’ path is a nonexistent thing. Clear realization is a nonexistent thing. In this way, Subhūti, you should thus know that all phenomena are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature.” [B48]

70.9The Lord having said that, venerable Subhūti asked him, “Lord, if all phenomena are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, how did the Tathāgata fully awaken to all the phenomena that are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, and, having fully awakened to them, gain control over the range of all phenomena?”

70.10Venerable Subhūti having asked that, the Lord said to him, “Subhūti, here, earlier when I was practicing the bodhisattva’s practice of the six perfections, detached from sense objects, detached from wrong unwholesome dharmas, up to perfectly accomplishing and dwelling in the fourth concentration, even while apprehending a causal sign of the concentrations and the branches of the concentrations I did not falsely project those concentrations and those branches of the concentrations, did not relish the experience of the concentrations, and did not falsely consider the concentrations a fact. I made my mind incline toward becoming absorbed in those concentrations in their purified forms to make the performance of miraculous power manifest. I made my mind incline toward making divine ear knowledge manifest, toward making knowledge of the ways of thinking manifest, toward making knowledge that recollects previous states of existence manifest, and to making divine eye knowledge manifest. Even though I apprehended a causal sign of those clairvoyances to be made manifest, I did not falsely project them, did not relish their experience, and did not falsely consider them a fact. [F.39.b] I became absorbed in those clairvoyances seeing them like space. Subhūti, with the wisdom of the unique single instant, having fully awakened to the unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening that correctly knows, ‘This is suffering, this is the origination of suffering, this is the cessation of suffering, and this is the path leading to the cessation of suffering,’ endowed with the ten tathāgata powers, and endowed with the four fearlessnesses, four detailed and thorough knowledges, and eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha, I prophesied the three masses of beings.”

70.11The Lord having said that, venerable Subhūti asked him, “Lord, how has a tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha produced the four concentrations that are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature? How have they produced the clairvoyances that are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature? And how, given that beings do not exist, have they still prophesied the three masses of beings?”

70.12Venerable Subhūti having asked that, the Lord said to him, “Subhūti, were an intrinsic nature of sense objects or of wrong unwholesome dharmas to exist, or their intrinsic existence, or their dependent existence to exist, then, Subhūti, earlier when I was practicing the bodhisattva’s practice I would not have realized sense objects that are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, and wrong unwholesome dharmas that are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, and perfectly accomplished and dwelled in the first concentration. Subhūti, because sense objects and wrong unwholesome dharmas are not existent things, or nonexistent things, or intrinsically existent things, or dependently existent things, but quite the opposite‍—they are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature‍—therefore earlier when I was practicing the bodhisattva’s practice, detached from sense objects, detached from wrong unwholesome dharmas, I perfectly accomplished and dwelled in the first concentration that has applied thought and has sustained thought and joy [F.40.a] and happiness born of detachment, and similarly, connect this with each, up to the fourth concentration.

70.13“Subhūti, were clairvoyant knowledges existing things, intrinsically existent things, or dependently existent things, then, Subhūti, I would not have realized that all clairvoyant knowledges are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature and fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. Subhūti, because in all clairvoyant knowledges there is no existing thing, there is no intrinsically existent thing, or dependently existent thing, but quite the opposite‍—they are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature‍—therefore the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete Buddha comprehended all the clairvoyant knowledges that are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, and fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.”

70.14The Lord having said that, venerable Subhūti asked him, “Lord, if, even while all phenomena are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, bodhisattva great beings will fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening through the four concentrations and five clairvoyances, well then, Lord, how, even while all phenomena are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, will there be serial action, serial training, and serial practice‍—the serial action, serial training, and serial practice through which they will fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening?”

70.15Venerable Subhūti having asked that, the Lord said to him, “Subhūti, here bodhisattva great beings from the very outset have heard from the lord buddhas, from the bodhisattvas attending on many buddhas, and from the worthy ones, non-returners, once-returners, and the stream enterers [F.40.b] that an intrinsic nature of the lord buddhas is nonexistent, an intrinsic nature of pratyekabuddhas is nonexistent, an intrinsic nature of worthy ones is nonexistent, an intrinsic nature of non-returners is nonexistent, an intrinsic nature of once-returners is nonexistent, an intrinsic nature of stream enterers is nonexistent, an intrinsic nature of all noble beings is nonexistent, and that all compounded phenomena do not have an intrinsic nature even as tiny as the part occupying the tip of a strand of hair. Even though the bodhisattva great beings have heard that, still it occurs to them to think, ‘Given that an intrinsic nature of the lord buddhas, up to of stream enterers is nonexistent, whether I will fully awaken or whether I will not fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, the intrinsic nature of all dharmas is just nonexistent. When I fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening I will, having fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, establish all beings dwelling in the perception of existing things in the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature.’

70.16“Subhūti, those bodhisattva great beings set out for perfect, complete awakening so that all beings will pass into complete nirvāṇa. They undertake the serial action, serial training, and serial practice in which earlier bodhisattva great beings trained and fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. They first of all train in the six perfections, training in the perfection of giving, perfection of morality, perfection of patience, perfection of perseverance, perfection of concentration, and perfection of wisdom. [F.41.a]

70.17“Training in the perfection of giving they personally give gifts, establish others in giving, speak in praise of giving, and speak in praise of others giving gifts as well, welcoming it. Through that familiarization with giving they will gain a huge heap of enjoyments. Free from miserly thoughts they give gifts‍—they give food to those begging for food, drinks to those who want drink, transport to those who want transport, clothes to those who want clothes, incense to those who want incense, flower garlands to those who want flower garlands, creams to those who want creams, beds to those who want beds, pillows to those who want pillows, homes to those who want a home, and lamps to those who want lamps‍—they give whatever human requirements are appropriate.

70.18“They, with just that giving, guard the aggregate of morality, and with just that giving, and morality, meditative stabilization, wisdom, liberation, and knowledge and seeing of liberation they transcend the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha levels. Having transcended the śrāvaka level and pratyekabuddha level, they enter into the secure state of a bodhisattva; having entered into the secure state of a bodhisattva, they purify a buddhafield, bring beings to maturity, then gain the knowledge of all aspects and turn the wheel of the Dharma. Having turned the wheel of the Dharma, they establish beings in the three vehicles and free them from saṃsāra. Therefore, Subhūti, through the bodhisattva great beings’ giving there is serial action, and this action, in its entirety, cannot be apprehended. And why? Because it has no intrinsic nature.

70.19“Furthermore, Subhūti, starting from the first production of the thought, bodhisattva great beings personally practice the perfection of morality, and also establish others in the perfection of morality, [F.41.b] and similarly, connect this with each, up to welcoming it. With that morality they also attain the preeminent state of a god and the preeminent state of a human and give wealth to destitute beings. Having given it they establish beings in morality, and establish them in meditative stabilization, wisdom, liberation, and the knowledge and seeing of liberation. With that aggregate of morality, aggregate of meditative stabilization, aggregate of wisdom, aggregate of liberation, and aggregate of knowledge and seeing of liberation they transcend the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha levels. Having transcended them, with just that aggregate of morality, up to aggregate of knowledge and seeing of liberation they enter into the secure state of a bodhisattva, and similarly, connect this with each, up to free beings from saṃsāra. Therefore, Subhūti, through the bodhisattva great beings’ morality there is serial action, and this action, in its entirety, cannot be apprehended. And why? Because it has no intrinsic nature.

70.20“Furthermore, Subhūti, starting from the first production of the thought, bodhisattva great beings personally practice the perfection of patience, and also establish others in the perfection of patience, and similarly, connect this with each, up to welcoming it. While practicing that perfection of patience they satisfy beings by giving, establish them in morality, establish them in meditative stabilization, up to and establish them in the knowledge and seeing of liberation. With that aggregate of morality, aggregate of meditative stabilization, aggregate of wisdom, aggregate of liberation, and aggregate of knowledge and seeing of liberation they transcend the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha levels. Having transcended the śrāvaka level and pratyekabuddha levels…, similarly, connect this with each, up to gain awakening.

70.21“Furthermore, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings personally persevere at all wholesome dharmas, [F.42.a] and also establishes others in perseverance, and similarly, connect this with each, up to welcoming it. Similarly, connect this with each, up to it has no intrinsic nature.

70.22“Furthermore, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings personally become absorbed in the concentrations, become absorbed in the immeasurables and formless absorptions, and also establish others in…, up to the formless absorptions, and similarly, connect this with each, up to speak in praise of the concentrations, immeasurables, and formless absorptions, and speak in praise of those who are becoming absorbed in the concentrations, immeasurables, and formless absorptions as well, welcoming it. Abiding in those concentrations, and in those immeasurables and formless absorptions, they satisfy beings by giving, establish them in morality, establish them in patience, establish them in perseverance, establish them in meditative stabilization, establish them in wisdom, establish them in liberation, and establish them in the knowledge and seeing of liberation. Endowed with that knowledge and seeing of liberation they transcend the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha levels. Having transcended them, with that knowledge and seeing of liberation they enter into the secure state of a bodhisattva. Similarly, connect this with each, from gain the knowledge of all aspects, up to it has no intrinsic nature.

70.23“Furthermore, Subhūti, starting from the first production of the thought, bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom satisfy beings by giving, establish them in morality, establish them in patience, establish them in perseverance, establish them in meditative stabilization, establish them in wisdom, establish them in liberation, and establish them in the knowledge and seeing of liberation. [F.42.b]

70.24“While practicing the perfection of wisdom they personally give gifts, guard morality, make a practice of being patient, make a vigorous effort, become absorbed in meditative stabilization, and cultivate wisdom. They also establish others in giving, establish them in morality, establish them in patience, establish them in perseverance, establish them in meditative stabilization, and establish them in wisdom, connect this with each, up to welcoming it. Endowed with the perfection of giving, perfection of morality, perfection of patience, perfection of perseverance, perfection of concentration, perfection of wisdom, and with skillful means, they transcend the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha levels, will enter into the secure state of a bodhisattva, and will fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. Connect this with each, up to it has no intrinsic nature.

70.25“Therefore, Subhūti, there is the bodhisattva great beings’ serial action, and serial training, and serial practice as well.

70.26“Furthermore, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings training in serial action, serial training, and serial practice, starting from the first production of the thought, with attention connected to the knowledge of all aspects, believe that all phenomena are without an intrinsic nature and cultivate mindfulness of the Buddha, mindfulness of the Dharma, mindfulness of the Saṅgha, mindfulness of morality, mindfulness of giving away, and mindfulness of the gods.

70.27“Subhūti, how do bodhisattva great beings cultivate mindfulness of the Buddha? Subhūti, here bodhisattva great beings do not pay attention to tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas as form , and do not pay attention to them as feeling, perception, volitional factors, or consciousness. And why? Because form has no intrinsic nature [F.43.a] and anything without an intrinsic nature is a nonexistent thing, and because feeling, perception, volitional factors, and consciousness have no intrinsic nature and anything without an intrinsic nature is a nonexistent thing. Mindfulness of the Buddha, therefore, is not being mindful and not paying attention.

70.28“Furthermore, Subhūti, you should not pay attention to a tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha as the thirty-two major marks of a great person, you should not pay attention to the body golden in color, you should not pay attention to the halo extending the length of the outstretched arms, and you should not pay attention to how it has eighty minor signs. And why? Because that body has no intrinsic nature and anything without an intrinsic nature is a nonexistent thing. Mindfulness of the Buddha, therefore, is not being mindful and not paying attention.

70.29“Furthermore, Subhūti, you should not pay attention to a tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha as the aggregate of morality, you should not pay attention to the aggregate of meditative stabilization, you should not pay attention to aggregate of wisdom, you should not pay attention to the aggregate of liberation, and you should not pay attention to the aggregate of knowledge and seeing of liberation. And why? Because they have no intrinsic nature and anything without an intrinsic nature is a nonexistent thing. Mindfulness of the Buddha, therefore, is not being mindful and not paying attention.

70.30“Furthermore, Subhūti, you should not pay attention to a tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha as the ten tathāgata powers, four fearlessnesses, four detailed and thorough knowledges, great love, great compassion, or eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha. And why? Because they have no intrinsic nature and anything without an intrinsic nature is a nonexistent thing. Mindfulness of the Buddha, therefore, is not being mindful and not paying attention.

70.31“Furthermore, Subhūti, you should not pay attention to a tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha as a dependent origination. And why? Because it has no intrinsic nature [F.43.b] and anything without an intrinsic nature is a nonexistent thing. Mindfulness of the Buddha, therefore, is not being mindful and not paying attention.

70.32“Subhūti, that is how bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom should pay attention to the Buddha.

70.33“Therefore, Subhūti, there is the bodhisattva great beings’ serial action, and serial training, and serial practice as well. When they are training in this serial action, and training in serial training and serial practice, they complete the four applications of mindfulness; complete the four right efforts, four legs of miraculous power, five faculties, five powers, seven limbs of awakening, and eightfold noble path; complete the emptiness meditative stabilization, signlessness meditative stabilization, and wishlessness meditative stabilization; up to and complete the knowledge of all aspects by way of the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature. They fully awaken to all phenomena as just the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, but they do not have the perception of intrinsic nature or the perception of nonexistence.

70.34“Subhūti, how do bodhisattva great beings cultivate mindfulness of the Dharma? Subhūti, here bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom should not pay attention to wholesome dharmas, should not pay attention to unwholesome dharmas, and should not pay attention to dharmas that are an object of moral inquiry and are not an object of moral inquiry, or are ordinary and extraordinary, noble and not noble, with outflows and without outflows, belonging to the desire realm, belonging to the form realm, or belonging to and not belonging to the formless realm, or to compounded dharmas and uncompounded dharmas. And why? Because those dharmas have no intrinsic nature and anything [F.44.a] without an intrinsic nature is a nonexistent thing. Mindfulness of the Dharma, therefore, is not being mindful and not paying attention. When they have trained in this dharma-constituent by way of the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, they gain…, up to the knowledge of all aspects. They fully awaken to all dharmas as the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature. They do not have the perception of intrinsic nature or the perception of nonexistence. Subhūti, that is how bodhisattva great beings should cultivate a mindfulness of the Dharma. There is not even an atom of a mindfulness dharma there, so what further need is there to say that there is no absence of mindfulness?

70.35“Subhūti, how do bodhisattva great beings cultivate mindfulness of the Saṅgha? Subhūti, here bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom should be mindful that the lord’s śrāvaka saṅgha‍—those four pairs of persons and eight individual persons ‍—have no intrinsic nature. Connect this with those four pairs of persons and eight individual persons are categories of the absence of an intrinsic nature, of a nonexistent thing. Having paid attention to this as just a nonexistent thing, having gained the knowledge of all aspects…, up to mindfulness of the Saṅgha is not being mindful and not paying attention. Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings should cultivate mindfulness of the Saṅgha like that. There is not even an atom of a mindfulness dharma there.

70.36“Subhūti, how do bodhisattva great beings cultivate mindfulness of morality? Subhūti, here bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom, starting from the first production of the thought, grounded in an unpunctured, unflagging, unadulterated, untarnished, autonomous, well-completed morality praised by the wise and conducive to meditative stabilization, pay attention to that morality as the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, paying attention in such a way that there is not even an atom of the action of mindfulness. [F.44.b] Connect this with each, up to they will gain the knowledge of all aspects but have no perception of an existing thing or perception of a nonexistent thing.

70.37“Subhūti, how should bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom pay attention to being mindful of giving away? Subhūti, here bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom, starting from the first production of the thought, should be mindful to give away material possessions and to give the doctrine, by way of the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, without producing the thoughts on account of their giving away, that ‘I am giving’ or ‘I am not giving,’ or ‘I am giving away’ or ‘I am not giving away.’ They should not produce those thoughts even if giving away a major or minor part of the body. And why? Because it has no intrinsic nature. They practice mindfulness of giving away like that. Practicing like that they gradually gain … up to the knowledge of all aspects. It is thus, Subhūti, that bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom should pay attention to giving away.

70.38“Subhūti, how should bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom pay attention to mindfulness of the gods? Subhūti, here bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom should pay attention to those stream enterers who have taken birth among the Cāturmahā­rājika gods, up to those who have taken birth among the Para­nirmita­vaśa­vartin gods, by way of the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature. And why? Because they have no intrinsic nature and anything without an intrinsic nature is a nonexistent thing. Therefore, they should pay attention to those gods by way of the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature. There is not even an atom of the action of mindfulness there. Paying attention like that they gradually pay attention…, up to the knowledge of all aspects and gain…, up to the knowledge of all aspects.

70.39“Furthermore, Subhūti, they should pay attention to those non-returners living in the form realm and living in the formless realm by way of the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature. And why? [F.45.a] Because they have no intrinsic nature and anything without an intrinsic nature is a nonexistent thing. Therefore, they should pay attention to those gods by way of the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature. Similarly, connect this with each, up to they will gain the knowledge of all aspects.

70.40“Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings should pay attention to all those six mindfulnesses like that.

70.41“Therefore, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings paying attention to all those six mindfulnesses have serial action, and have serial training, and serial practice.

70.42“Furthermore, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings who want to complete the serial action, serial training, and serial practice should train in inner emptiness, up to should train in the emptiness of its own mark; should train in the four applications of mindfulness; and similarly, connect this with each, up to should train in great compassion, by way of the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature. When they train in the awakening path like that, they fully awaken to all phenomena that are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature. There is not even an atom of the action of mindfulness there, so what further need is there to say that there is no form , up to however could there be the knowledge of a knower of all aspects? It is impossible.

70.43“Therefore, Subhūti, there is serial action of bodhisattva great beings practicing the perfection of wisdom, there is serial training and serial practice, but thought activity action, thought activity training, and the path of thought activity do not exist there.”

70.44The Lord having said that, venerable Subhūti said to him, “Lord, if all phenomena are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, well then, there is no form , up to there is no consciousness; there are no aggregates, there are no constituents, and there are no sense fields; there are no applications of mindfulness, [F.45.b] and similarly, up to there is no knowledge of all aspects; there is no Buddha, there is no Dharma, and there is no Saṅgha; there is no path, there is no result, there is no defilement, there is no purification, there is no attainment, and there is no clear realization; and similarly, up to there are no phenomena, any of them.”

70.45Venerable Subhūti having said that, the Lord asked him, “Subhūti, do you think you can apprehend a ‘there-is’ or a ‘there-is-not’ in all phenomena that are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature?”

70.46“No, Lord,” he replied. “You cannot apprehend a ‘there-is’ or a ‘there-is-not’ in any phenomena that are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature.”

70.47“Subhūti,” he asked further, “if all phenomena are the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, how, on that account, could there be no form , up to how could there be no consciousness, and similarly, connect this with each, up to how could there be no attainment, and how could there be no clear realization? How could that be?”

70.48The Lord having asked that, venerable Subhūti answered him, “Lord, even though I am not of two minds and do not entertain any doubt about these dharmas, still, at a time yet to come, householder beings, those who have gone forth to homelessness, are in the Śrāvaka Vehicle, are in the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, and are in the Bodhisattva Vehicle, will say, ‘Were all phenomena to be the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, then, since all phenomena would be the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature, who would become defiled or purified?’ Without an understanding of defilement and purification they will ruin morality, ruin view, and ruin conduct. Those whose morality has been ruined, view has been ruined, and conduct has been ruined [F.46.a] can expect to die in one or other of the three terrible forms of life‍—life in the hells, or life in the animal world, or life in the world of Yama. Lord, seeing the danger of this happening in the future I have questioned the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete Buddha on just this matter. Lord, I am not of two minds about these dharmas and do not entertain any doubt about them.”

70.49“Exactly so, Subhūti, exactly so!” said the Lord. “It is exactly as you say!”

70.50This was the seventieth chapter, “An Explanation of Serial Action, Training, and Practice,” of “The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines.”