The Great Perfection of Wisdom Treatise (16-20)

Brief Introduction to Great Perfection of Wisdom Treatise 16-20

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In fascicles sixteen through eighteen, the Great Perfection of Wisdom Treatise (GPWT) guides us through the perfections of diligence, meditative concentration, and prajñā wisdom, respectively. Stories of striving forth, descriptions of sentient beings in the cycle of birth and death, cautionary tales, as well as detailed instructions and analyses inspire us to be diligent, to cultivate meditative concentration well, and to embrace and realize prajñā wisdom.

In fascicles nineteen and twenty, the GPWT elaborates on the Buddha further telling Śāriputra what a bodhisattva should practice on the path toward Buddhahood in the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra. The GPWT explains that the four bases of mindfulness, the four right efforts, and so forth (collectively known as the thirty-seven aspects of awakening) are the path to nirvāṇa and instructs us in great detail. Next, the GPWT explains that the three samādhis are the gates to nirvāṇa, and the four immeasurable minds and so forth help us open those gates. All who practice these are sure to fulfill their aspirations on the path.