大般涅槃經集解 68.8

68.8

Sengliang states: 'Karma of taking birth' refers to the activity of afflictions. 'Creating karma' refers to the combined actions of body and speech that generate the karma of taking birth. Down through 'four kinds of mind', it is therefore called 'intermediate'; this is 'intermediate' in terms of one's own mind. 'Trainee (śaikṣa) and non-trainee (aśaikṣa)' refers to the outflow-free mind. 'Neither trainee nor non-trainee' refers to the mundane wholesome and indeterminate [mind] when relinquishing one's lifespan; it does not employ the outflow-free [mind]. Sengzong states: Speaking of 'receiving a body' means aspiring to take birth in a body. As this anāgāmin has sharp faculties, they have long grown weary of birth in the desire realm. When relinquishing the intermediate state of the desire-realm body, they then extinguish right here and do not wish to take birth in the form ground. 'Creating karma' refers to cultivating the four immeasurables and various wholesome merits. Regarding 'four kinds of mind', it means that when the intermediate-state anāgāmin person attains nirvāṇa, among these four, two are the mind of nirvāṇa. The 'neither trainee nor non-trainee' [mind] is the mind of non-arising when fulfilling the fruit. Since this mind of non-arising is no longer that of an anāgāmin, yet it is said that an anāgāmin in the intermediate state possesses this mind, it still retains the name of an anāgāmin. When first entering the intermediate state, they are an anāgāmin, and by the time they are about to enter nirvāṇa, they have already attained arhatship; this mind of non-arising is not the two knowledges of extinction and non-arising, and therefore cannot be called 'non-trainee'. Second, the 'trainee mind' refers to when arhatship is not yet attained, and because of advancing and seeking, it is the trainee mind. Third, the 'non-trainee mind' refers to the arhat's two knowledges of extinction and non-arising, which is called the non-trainee mind. Fourth, the 'neither trainee nor non-trainee mind' refers to the indeterminate mind resulting from the fruition of an arhat. They take the two kinds of 'neither trainee nor non-trainee' to enter nirvāṇa; the two intermediate minds are not used. The former 'neither trainee nor non-trainee' is this mind contemplating emptiness; not for severing fetters to realize the fruit, it merely wanders and contemplates emptiness in order to wish to enter nirvāṇa. Regarding adopting the latter 'neither trainee nor non-trainee', if explained according to the Sarvāstivāda Abhidharma, the arhat enters nirvāṇa spontaneously; therefore, when entering in the intermediate state, they only employ two minds, and do not employ the two intermediate minds. Baoliang states: Next, he explains the first person among the five gates. First, 'creating karma' is the karma of primary retribution in the form realm. Second, 'karma of taking birth' is the karma that moistens birth into the form realm; in the form realm, one merely receives the retribution of the intermediate state and attains nirvāṇa. Relinquishing the desire-realm body without yet reaching the form realm is spoken with respect to the person, as if proceeding from the four practices without yet arriving. However, examining the principle, it is not so; neither can one measure how long the intermediate state of the first dhyāna lasts. If one takes the analogy of twenty-one days among humans, a person of sharp faculties who attains the path immediately upon taking birth in the intermediate state is like having just left the desire realm. If an extremely dull-facultied person attains it only after exhausting the full twenty-one days, it is like relinquishing desire and reaching the border of the form realm. First, 'neither trainee nor non-trainee' is the conventional wholesome mind. Second, 'trainee' is the mind of correct contemplation and true understanding. Third, 'non-trainee' is also correct contemplation, but is not the mind that eliminates fetters. Fourth, 'neither trainee nor non-trainee' is the indeterminate mind. Now, by employing the conventional wholesome mind and the indeterminate mind, they can enter nirvāṇa; in the remaining two minds, death and extinction cannot occur.