After fundamental wisdom arises, there is never a moment when a bodhisattva’s acquired wisdom of expedient means is not functioning, for there are innumerable sentient beings in need of a bodhisattva’s help. So, in a sense, fundamental wisdom and acquired wisdom arise simultaneously. Manifesting fundamental wisdom and realizing that the five skandhas are empty also occur simultaneously: when we perceive the five skandhas as empty, fundamental wisdom manifests; when fundamental wisdom manifests, we perceive the five skandhas as empty.
Levels of Emptiness
Buddhadharma speaks of different levels of emptiness. First is the illusory, self-centered sense of emptiness that ordinary sentient beings feel. Second is analytical emptiness—the refined, dialectical insights into emptiness derived from meditation.21 Third is the emptiness of the individual self perceived by those on the path of personal liberation. Fourth is the goal of practitioners of the bodhisattva path: the emptiness that is not separate from form.