ལས་ཀྱ་རྣམ་པར་འགྱར་བ་ཞས་བྱ་བའ་ཆས་ཀྱ་གཞང 11

11

but one does not grasp¹⁷⁸ at the stillness¹⁷⁹ that is produced by¹⁸⁰ the sphere of infinite space.

2. “Having completely transcended the entire sphere of infinite space, one contemplates the infinity of consciousness, but one does not grasp at the stillness that is produced by the sphere of infinite consciousness.

3. “Having completely transcended the entire sphere of infinite consciousness, one contemplates that nothing at all exists, but one does not grasp at the stillness that is produced by the sphere of nothingness.

4. “Having completely transcended the entire sphere of nothingness, one contemplates that neither mind nor no-mind exists, but one does not grasp at the stillness that is produced by the sphere of neither mind nor no-mind.

“It is through these four factors¹⁸¹ that one will be reborn as a deva in the formless realm.

“How does action lead to a predetermined rebirth?¹⁸² Having carried out actions based on the roots of wholesome states, one dedicates them to whichever rebirth location one has aspired to;¹⁸³ or one commits the evil actions that bring immediate karmic retribution. In these ways, one’s rebirth will have the nature of being predetermined.

“How can rebirth be changed through action?¹⁸⁴ A person carries out a virtuous action and makes an aspiration prayer—by virtue of this action, that person’s rebirth destiny can be changed.¹⁸⁵

“How does action cause a person to be reborn in another country? After one has contemplated with strong faith either the Buddha, the Dharma, the Saṅgha, or any person who possesses moral discipline, one makes an offering and prays to be reborn in another country.¹⁸⁶ According to whatever [other] actions one has committed, their good or bad¹⁸⁷ [karmic results] are exemplified in the story of the merchant: his actions ripened after he had traveled to a foreign country.¹⁸⁸

“What kind of action is considered to be carried out without intent?¹⁸⁹ Having carried out an action, one feels remorse, is conscience stricken, thinks that one has made a mistake and that it was wrong, and confesses; one does not give up effacing it, one does not engage in it again, and one vows not to do it again in the future. This kind of action