3. Transmission of the sutra to Ananda
Therefore then, Ananda, again and again I entrust and transmit to you this perfection of wisdom, laid out in letters, so that it may be available for learning, for bearing in mind, preaching, studying and spreading wide, so that it may last long, so that it may not disappear.
If, Ananda, you should again forget all the demonstrations of dharma which you have learned directly from Me – the perfection of wisdom alone being excepted – should cast them away, and allow them to be forgotten, that would be but a slight offence against Me.
But if you should forget, cast away and allow to be forgotten only one verse of the perfection of wisdom, or merely a part of a verse, that would be a very serious (461) offence against Me, and it would displease Me greatly.
And if, after you have learned the perfection of wisdom, you again forget it, cast it away, allow it to be forgotten, then you fail in the respect, reverence and worship which you owe to Me,
and to the other Buddhas and Lords, past, future and present.
Therefore, Ananda, remember that it would be a serious offence against Me if, after you had learned the perfection of wisdom, you should again forget it, cast it away, and allow it to be forgotten, and that would greatly displease Me.
For the Tathagata has said that “the perfection of wisdom is the mother, the creator, the genetrix of the past, future and present Tathagatas, their nurse in all-knowledge.”
Therefore then, Ananda, do I entrust and transmit to you this perfection of wisdom, so that it might not disappear.
This perfection of wisdom should be learned, should be borne in mind, studied, repeated, written and developed.
You should attend well to this perfection of wisdom, bear it well in mind, study it well, and spread it well.
And when one learns it, one should carefully analyze it grammatically, letter by letter, syllable by syllable, word by word.
(462) For as the dharma-body of the past, future and present Tathagatas is this dharma-text authoritative.
In the same way in which you, Ananda, behave towards Me who at present reside as a Tathagata – with solicitude, affection, respect and helpfulness - just so, with the same solicitude, affection and respect, and in the same virtuous spirit, should you learn this perfection of wisdom, bear it in mind, study, repeat, write and develop it, respect, revere and worship it.
That is the way for you to worship Me,
that is the way to show affection, serene faith and respect for the past, future and present Buddhas and Lords.
If Ananda, I, the Tathagata, am dear and pleasant to you, and you do not abandon Me, may thereby this perfection of wisdom become dear and pleasant to you, and may you not abandon it, so that you may not forget even one single word of it, so that it may not disappear.
For long could I speak to you about this bestowal of the perfection of wisdom, for one kalpa, or for the remainder of a kalpa, for one hundred kalpas, for up to hundreds of thousands of kotis of kalpas, and more.
But, to cut it short, in the same way in which I am your teacher, so is the perfection of wisdom.
In the same way in which the past, future and present Buddhas and Lords are the teachers of the world with its Gods, men and Asuras, just so is the perfection of wisdom.
Therefore then, Ananda, (463) with a measureless bestowal I entrust and transmit to you the perfection of wisdom, which itself is measureless, for the benefit and happiness of the world with its Gods, men and Asuras.
If one does not want to abandon the Tathagata, or the Dharma, or the Samgha, if one does not want to abandon the enlightenment of the past, future and present Buddhas and Lords, - may one not abandon the perfection of wisdom!
And there is this further admonition
that those who learn this perfection of wisdom, bear it in mind, study, repeat, write and develop it, they assist in the enlightenment of the past, future and present Buddhas and Lords.
For, whoever assists this perfection of wisdom when it is crumbling away, he assists the enlightenment of the past, future and present Buddhas and Lords.
Because from the perfection of wisdom has the enlightenment of the Buddhas and Lords come forth.
And that holds good of all the Tathagatas, whether past,
future or present.
Therefore, a Bodhisattva who wants to know full enlightenment and to train in the six perfections should listen to this perfection of wisdom, study, repeat and write it, (464,1)
and he should train in this very perfection of wisdom, and make endeavours about it.
For this perfection of wisdom is the mother, creator and genetrix of the Bodhisattvas.
It is thanks to the perfection of wisdom that any Bodhisattvas ever train in the six perfections, and at any time go forth to full enlightenment.
It is thanks to just this perfection of wisdom that they all go forth in the six perfections.
Because all the perfections come to nourish the supreme enlightenment after they have come forth from the perfection of wisdom.
Therefore then, Ananda, again and again, for a second time, for a third time, do I entrust and transmit this perfection of wisdom to you, so that it might not disappear.
For this perfection of wisdom is the inexhaustible storehouse of dharma for the Tathagatas.
The dharma which the Buddhas and Lords have demonstrated to beings in the past period, in the world of birth-and-death which has no beginning or end, all that came from just this storehouse of dharma, from the perfection of wisdom.
And also the dharma which the Buddhas and Lords will, after their full enlightenment, demonstrate to beings in the future period, in the measureless world of birth-and-death, also that will come from just this storehouse of dharma, from the perfection of wisdom.
And also the Buddhas and Lords who just now reside in countless world systems, and demonstrate dharma, they also have derived their revelation from just this storehouse of dharma, from the perfection of wisdom.
Inexhaustible therefore is this storehouse of dharma, the perfection of wisdom.
[464a] If, Ananda, you should demonstrate dharma on the Disciple-level to persons belonging to the vehicle of the Disciples, and if as a result of your demonstration of dharma all the beings in the great trichiliocosm would realize Arhatship, you would not have done your duty as My disciple if in that way you would keep moving after Me the wheel of dharma, and demonstrate dharma.
But if, on the other hand, you would demonstrate and reveal but one single verse of the dharma associated with the perfection of wisdom to a Bodhisattva, then I should be pleased with you, who as My disciple turns after Me the wheel of dharma, and demonstrates dharma.
If you consider that demonstration of dharma of yours through which the beings in the great trichiliocosm have all been induced to attain Arhatship, and of those Arhats the meritorious work founded on giving, on morality, and on meditational development, would all that constitute a great heap of merit?
Ananda: It would, O Lord.
The Lord: A person belonging to the vehicle of the Disciples begets a greater merit than that if he demonstrates to Bodhisattvas the dharma associated with the perfection of wisdom. The merit is still greater if it is a Bodhisattva who demonstrates to another Bodhisattva [a verse of] dharma associated with the perfection of wisdom,
- for even one single day only, for a morning,
for an hour, for half an hour, for a minute, nay for a second, for a moment, for the incidence of a single moment.
For the gift of dharma on the part of a Bodhisattva surpasses all the wholesome roots of all those who belong to the vehicle of the Disciples or Pratyekabuddhas.
It is quite impossible that a Bodhisattva who is thus endowed with wholesome roots, who thus brings to mind that wholesome root, could possibly turn away from full enlightenment. That cannot be.