Ānanda: The Buddha’s cousin and attendant. Known for having attained arhatship after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa, and reciting, with his good memory, the sūtra piṭaka at the First Council.

Pūrṇa (Maitrāyaṇīputra: Son of Maitrāyaṇī): Pūrṇa was the son of Maitrāyaṇī, the sister of Ājñātakauṇḍinya (one of the Buddha’s first five disciples). He was a brahmin who was converted by Ājñātakauṇḍinya. He stayed in Kapilavastu and practiced meditation, soon attaining arhatship. He, in his turn, converted five hundred disciples there and they attained arhatship. When they visited the Buddha he had them send his regards, but the Buddha invited him to meet him in person. After this, he was recognised by the Buddha as foremost in the preaching of the Dharma. Ānanda became a stream winner after listening to Pūrṇa’s preaching.

Śāriputra: (Pāli: Sāriputta): The Buddha’s foremost disciple, renowned for his comprehension wisdom. His name means “Son of Śāri” his mother, given name was Upatissa. Was converted by Aśvajit (Assaji), one of the Buddha’s first five disciples along with Mahāmaudgalyāyana (Moggallāna).  Died shortly before the Buddha.

Śreṇika, the Wanderer: (Pāli: Vacchagotta) A frequent interlocutor with the Buddha. He became a “faith-follower” by first “entering on a cognition with a limited scope,” meaning, he first realised the truth of no-self, but did not realise the emptiness of all dharmas. The Buddha gradually taught him the practice of signlessness in the five skandhas and he came to achieve Arhatship. He also is known for asking extremist questions, such as whether the self is eternal, whether the self is cut off, and whether the self is identical with the Tathāgata.

Subhūti: The main interlocutor of the sūtra. The Buddha named him “The foremost among wilderness dwellers” or as Conze translates “foremost of those who dwell in Peace.” He also has a profound understanding of the Perfection of Wisdom, teaching the other disciples, such as Śāripūtra. His name means well-being.

Terms

Some new terms, which will be important to know going forward, are as follows:

All Modes: Aspects of all phenomena; signs by which our perceptions of phenomena are formed.

Courses: This is just Conze’s way of translating practicing or cultivating.

Dharmas: With a big D, this indicates the doctrine of the Buddha. With a lowercase d, it indicates phenomena: whatever one experiences with the six sense doors.

Emptiness: This indicates the emptiness of own-being in self and phenomena (the five aggregates). Strictly speaking, we cannot have “emptiness” without speaking of what something is empty of: emptiness of own-being or inherent existence.

Outflows: Karmic propensities towards sensuality, becoming (of future action), and ignorance. That which renews our existence, trouble, suffering, birth, old age, and death.

Own-being: Inherent existence which is independent, characterised by a self, permanent, and not-suffering. In other words, an impossible way of existing which is being refuted.

Reality limit: Suchness as the foremost goal.

Suchness: This is the inexpressible truth that the Buddha’s teachings are pointing to. It is implied by the teaching of Emptiness. It is also known as “thusness.”

Overall Teaching

This chapter, fundamentally, in introducing the sūtra, is letting us know the basics of the Bodhisattva path: the entire sūtra is about how a Bodhisattva goes to Buddhahood through the employment of the Perfection of Wisdom. This chapter focuses on the following:

            Cutting of the view of own-being of self and of other phenomena (dharmas), realising suchness, without attachments to anything, one can go-forth on the Great Vehicle, armed with the Great Armour, for the liberation of all beings. One will not enter Nirvāṇa mid-way on the path. One is known as equipped in such a way when one is not afraid at the teaching of Perfect Wisdom. However, in suchness, there is no bodhisattva, beings to save, Perfect Wisdom, path, or Nirvāṇa.

Summary

For ease of reference, the key points in each section are bolded.

1.     Introduction

a.     The Buddha is at Vulture Peak with 1250 monks.

b.     All the monks are arhats with all the good qualities of arhats with the exception of Ānanda.

c.     The Buddha asks Subhūti to explain how bodhisattvas go forth into Perfect Wisdom. [3]

d.     Subhūti explains to Śāriputra, through the Buddha’s power, that whatever the disciples of the Buddha teach who have realised the nature of the Dharma, cannot contradict the Dharma: their teachings are the work of the Tathāgata. [4]

2.     The Extinction of Self

a.     Subhūti declares that if one isn’t afraid at hearing that there is neither a dharma called bodhisattva nor Perfect Wisdom, that is their instruction. [5-6]

b.     Subhūti continues that one should not take pride in the no-thought that is the thought of enlightenment, which is transparently luminous (disperses the darkness of all groundless projections). Śāriputra praises him as “foremost of those who dwell in Peace.” [6]

c.     While one should gradually develop the qualities of a bodhisattva and buddha, there are no qualities being developed, and no being developing them: if one isn’t afraid when hearing this, one is an irreversible bodhisattva, and non-attachment to anything, including Perfect Wisdom, is the way a bodhisattva practices Perfect Wisdom who does not enter Nirvāṇa mid-way. If this were not so, Śreṇika could not have gained faith.[7-8]

d.     Practicing in no-signs, seeing aggregates and Perfect Wisdom as without own-being or marks, one practices the concentration of “not grasping at any Dharma.” Doing the opposite creates dharmas of the three times and is ignorance of the reality limit. [9-15]

e.     There is no training in perfect wisdom, and yet there is: just like illusions, they appear and disappear, and yet they don’t really exist. [16-17]

f.      Good friends point out the deeds of Māra and how to be rid of them. In this way one has the Great Armour and is mounted on the Great Vehicle. [17]

3.     The Meaning of “Bodhisattva”

a.     Nothing real is meant by the word “Bodhisattva.” They train in non-attachment and have enlightenment as their aim: that is why they’re called “Bodhisattva.”

4.     The Meaning of “Great Being”

a.     They aim to liberate a great mass of beings: hence, “Great Beings.” [18]

b.     Pūrṇa adds that it is also because they’re armed with the Great Armour and on the Great Vehicle. [20]

c.     Subhūti continues: If one does not have fear when they lead countless beings to Nirvāṇa, while leading no beings there, just like a magician’s illusions, they are entitled to be called “armed with the Great Armour,” and yet they’re not armed with any armour. [21]

d.     The Great Armour is the suchness of the aggregates, which are neither bound nor freed: they’re non-existing, isolated, and non-produced.[22-3]

5.     The Meaning of “Great Vehicle”

a.     Subhūti asks (essentially) regarding the Great Vehicle, what it is, how does it move, and who is in it, and the Buddha explains that it is immeasurableness/infinitude, moves by means of the perfections, and a Bodhisattva, a Great Being is in it. [23]

b.     Yet, it does not go anywhere, no one is in it, and does not stand anywhere by standing in all-knowledge: this is how the Bodhisattva goes forth with the Great Armour on the Great Vehicle. [24]

c.     The Great Vehicle cannot be seen going, coming, or abiding, has no beginning, end, or middle, is self-identical everywhere, and anyone who trains it reaches all-knowledge. The Buddha confirms this for Pūrṇa. [24-5]

6.     Attainment

a.     Subhūti points out that Bodhisattvas are as boundless as the aggregates, so they reach no point on the path: the same goes for Perfect Wisdom, All-Knowledge, and the Buddha. These are all designations: mere words. [25]

b.     The Buddha explains that one teaches non-creations (Bodhisattvas) in non-creations (Perfect Wisdom) by practicing, investigating, meditating, in Perfect Wisdom without fear. [26]

c.     Investigate dharmas in Perfect Wisdom by not approaching them in their production, non-production, or division.

d.     Working from the starting point of compassion, and not seeing one who experiences difficulties, one can work for the sake of all beings without difficulty. [28]

e.     Śāriputra objects that if nothing is produced, then one would achieve All-Knowledge with no effort: Subhūti replies that there cannot be attainment of unproduced dharmas. [29-30]

f.      There are no dharmas or non-dharmas, and especially no dharmas of production: these are all talk, something in the mind’s eye, a flash in the mind. [30]

g.     Śāriputra declares Subhūti to be foremost in preaching, but Subhūti says that when you don’t rely on any dharma, only the Perfection of Wisdom, you can always find a way out of any difficulty. [31]

h.     Subhūti reproves Śāriputra for claiming that a Bodhisattva who adjusts to Perfect Wisdom cannot lack in attention, but attention is without essence: this is the kind of attention whereby a Bodhisattva dwells in Perfect Wisdom [32]