THE PERFECTION OF WISDOM IN 8,000 LINES The Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 Lines, gold calligraphy on handmade manuscript The Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 Lines (RiBa). (2010, May 30). Rangjung Yeshe Wiki - Dharma Dictionnary, . Retrieved 17:37, August 9, 2018 from http://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php?title=The_Perfection_of_Wisdom_in_8,000_Lines_(RiBa)&ol did=421601. Content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. THE PERFECTION OF WISDOM IN 8,000 LINES (RiBa) Translation by Richard Babcock A Note from Richard Babcock: This humble re-vision of the wonderful achievement of the late Dr. Edward Conze's work is of the complete 32 Chapters in prose, which were compiled in his 1973 Edition titled, The Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 Lines & Its Verse Summary. There were 32 versified Chapters in the same book, which I have Re-Vised as well, but chose to not include them here along with this prosaical rendering, solely in the interests of clarity and what's hoped to be an easing of understanding. The several verse references [numbers in squared brackets] are consistent with the mentioned versified version, and some works by other authors as well. (see The Perfection of Wisdom; by R. C. Jamieson, published in 2000 by Viking Studio, a member of Penguin Putnam Inc.) The term Prajnaparamita alone never refers to a specific text, but always to the class of literature. Brief History The earliest sutra in this class is the Astasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra or "Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 Lines", which was probably put in writing about 100 BCE. More material was gradually compiled over the next two centuries. As well as the sutra itself there is a summary in verse, PDF provided by Maitripa College in Portland, Oregon, for the 8000 verse Prajnaparamitra Sutra (brgyad mthong pa) Transmission and Teaching from Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, August 12-13, 2018. www.maitripa.org the Ratnagunasamcaya Gāthā, which some believe to be slightly older as because it is not written in standard literary Sanskrit. This 8,000-line version is one of the earliest Mahayana sutras. Between 100 and 300 CE this text was expanded into large versions in 10,000, 18,000, 25,000 and 100,000 lines, collectively known as the "Large Perfection of Wisdom". These differ mainly in the extent to which the many lists are either abbreviated or written out in full; the rest of the text is mostly unchanged between the different versions. Since the large versions proved to be unwieldy they were later summarized into shorter versions, produced from 300 to 500 CE. The shorter versions include the Heart Sutra (Prajñāpāramitā Hrdaya Sūtra) and the Diamond Sutra (Prajñāpāramitā Vajracchedikā Sūtra). These two are widely popular and have had a great influence on the development of Mahayana Buddhism. Tantric versions of the Prajnaparamita literature were produced from the year 500 CE on. --Richard 10:27, 30 May 2010 (UTC) Table of Contents ▪ Chapter I — The Practice of the Knowledge of All Modes (RiBa); ▪ Chapter II — Sakra (RiBa); ▪ Chapter III — Reverence for the Receptacle of the Perfections, which holds Immeasurable Good Qualities (RiBa); ▪ Chapter IV — The Proclamation of Qualities (RiBa); ▪ Chapter V — The Revolution of Merit (RiBa); ▪ Chapter VI — Dedication and Jubilation (RiBa); ▪ Chapter VII — Hell (RiBa); ▪ Chapter VIII — Purity (RiBa); ▪ Chapter IX — Praise (RiBa); ▪ Chapter X — Proclamation of the Qualities of Bearing in Mind (RiBa); ▪ Chapter XI — Mara's Deeds (RiBa); ▪ Chapter XII — Showing the World (RiBa); ▪ Chapter XIII — Unthinkable (RiBa); ▪ Chapter XIV — Similes (RiBa); ▪ Chapter XV — Gods (RiBa); ▪ Chapter XVI — Suchness (RiBa); ▪ ChapterXVII — Attributes, Tokens, and Signs of Irreversibility (RiBa); ▪ Chapter XVIII — Emptiness (RiBa); ▪ Chapter XIX — The Goddess of the Ganges (RiBa); ▪ Chapter XX — Discussion of Skill in Means (RiBa); ▪ Chapter XXI — (More of) Mara's Deeds (RiBa); ▪ Chapter XXII — The Good Friends (RiBa); ▪ Chapter XXIII — Sakra (RiBa); ▪ Chapter XXIV — Conceit (RiBa); ▪ Chapter XXV — Training (RiBa); ▪ Chapter XXVI — Like Illusion (RiBa); ▪ Chapter XXVII — The Core (RiBa); ▪ Chapter XXVIII — Avakirnakusuma (RiBa); ▪ Chapter XXIX — Approaches (RiBa); ▪ Chapter XXX — Sadaprarudita (RiBa); ▪ Chapter XXXI — Dharmodgata (RiBa); ▪ Chapter XXXII — Entrusting (RiBa) PDF provided by Maitripa College in Portland, Oregon, for the 8000 verse Prajnaparamitra Sutra (brgyad mthong pa) Transmission and Teaching from Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, August 12-13, 2018. www.maitripa.org --Notes from The Path to Bliss by H.H. the Dalai Lama, ISBN 1-55939-190-1, translated by Geshe Thupten Jinpa, edited by Christine Cox, published by Snow Lion Publications: "...the benefit from particular spiritual guides or teachers depends upon the recipient having karmic links with these beings. Thus, some spiritual teachers can be most effective and beneficial to only a certain number of disciples, and not to other beings. In order to understand this, it is helpful to read the sutras, such as The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines, in which the buddhas and bodhisattvas, having seen that a certain practitioner had a stronger karmic link with another spiritual teacher, advised him to seek his own spiritual master. There will be sentient beings who may be able to see a buddha directly, but who may not benefit as much from that as they would from interaction with you, due to their having a deeper karmic link with you. "...Although your achievement of the omniscient state may not be beneficial to all living beings, it will definitely bring a lot of practical benefit to certain living beings. Therefore, it is very important that you work for your own achievement of the completely enlightened state. Because there might be living beings who depend very much upon your guidance on the spiritual path, it is important that you take upon yourself the responsibility to work for the benefit of others. By thinking in such terms, you will be able to develop the strong belief that without attaining the omniscient state you will not be able to fulfill what you set out to do and truly benefit others." Translation Retrieved from "http://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php?title=The_Perfection_of_Wisdom_in_8,000_Lines_(RiBa)&oldid=421 601" This page was last edited on 30 May 2010, at 10:27. Content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Chapter I — The Practice of the Knowledge of All Modes (RiBa) 1. INTRODUCTION Thus I now hear at this time. The Lord, dwelling at Rajagriha, on the Vulture Peak, together with a great gathering of 1,250 beings, all of these Arhats, - their outflows being dried up, undefiled, fully controlled, quite free in heart, well free and wise, thoroughbreds, great Serpents, their work being done, their task getting accomplished, their burdens laying down, their own weal becoming accomplished, with fetters which bound these to becoming extinguished, hearts quite free by right understanding, in perfect control of whole mind with the exception of one single person, i.e., the Venerable Ananda. The Lord says to the Venerable Subhuti, the Elder: "Make it clear now, Subhuti, to Bodhisattvas, the great beings, starting from perfect wisdom, how Bodhisattvas, the great beings go forth into perfect wisdom!" Herein the Venerable Sariputra thinks to himself: Will this Venerable Subhuti, the Elder, expound perfect wisdom of himself, through the operation and force of own-power in revealing wisdom, or through the Buddha's might? PDF provided by Maitripa College in Portland, Oregon, for the 8000 verse Prajnaparamitra Sutra (brgyad mthong pa) Transmission and Teaching from Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, August 12-13, 2018. www.maitripa.org The Venerable Subhuti, knowing through the Buddha's might, the Venerable Sariputra to be in such wise discoursing, says to the Venerable Sariputra: "Whatsoever, Venerable Sariputra, the Lord's Disciples teach, all this is to be known as Tathagata's work. In dharma which Tathagatas demonstrate, the devoted ones train and realize true nature and hold this in mind. Herein nothing which these teach contradicts true nature of dharma. Whatsoever these sons and daughters of good family may expound as nature of dharma, this these do not bring into contradiction with actual nature of dharma. 2. THE EXTINCTION OF SELF Herein the Venerable Subhuti, by the Buddha's might, said to the Lord: "The Lord says, 'Make it clear now, Subhuti, to Bodhisattvas, the great beings, starting from perfect wisdom, how Bodhisattvas, the great beings go forth into perfect wisdom!'" As one speaks of a 'Bodhisattva', which dharma does this word 'Bodhisattva' denote? Lord, I see neither this dharma 'Bodhisattva', nor any dharma called 'perfect wisdom'. Since I neither find, nor apprehend, nor see this dharma 'Bodhisattva', nor any dharma called 'perfect wisdom', what Bodhisattva do I instruct and admonish, in what perfect wisdom? And yet, O Lord, as this is pointed out, a Bodhisattva heart is known as neither cowed, nor stolid...neither despairing nor despondent, as one neither turns away nor is dejected or trembling, neither is frightened or terrified, it is just this Bodhisattva, this great being which comes to be instructed in perfect wisdom. It is precisely this which is recognized as the perfect wisdom of any Bodhisattva, as one's instruction in perfect wisdom. As one thus stands firm, this is one's instruction and admonition. As a Bodhisattva courses in perfect wisdom and is developing such...this one so trains oneself, as one does not pride oneself on or with any thought of enlightenment [with which one begins one's career]. Any thought is no thought, since in its essentially aware nature thought is transparently luminous. Sariputra: This thought which is no thought, is this something which is? Subhuti: Is here existing, or can one apprehend in this state of absence of thought either a 'here is' or a 'here is not'?..