俱舍論記 3.37

3.37

Regarding "Furthermore, throats, teeth... should not be established as faculties": he adduces examples to refute by counterargument. If the throat for swallowing, teeth for chewing, eyelids for opening and closing, and joints for bending and stretching each have their own efficacy and should all be established as faculties; or, if all causes, each having efficacy toward their own produced effects, should all be established as faculties—and yet those throats, teeth, and so forth, although possessing efficacy, are not established as faculties because they lack a sovereign function; then this vocal organ and the rest, also lacking a sovereign function, should not be established as faculties. By this, the objection regarding ignorance and the rest is also resolved, or because the word "and so forth" also includes ignorance and the like.

Question: As for the twenty-two faculties, if their real entities are extracted according to the seventy-five dharmas, there are only thirteen. The male and female faculties are just the physical body-faculty; the five sensations are entirely subsumed under sensation; and the three uncontaminated faculties are just nine faculties. The thirteen referred to are: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind, mindfulness, concentration, discernment, sensation, faith, vigor, and life. Why is it that among the seventy-five dharmas, only thirteen are established as faculties, while the remainder are not?

Explanation: Briefly following the Mahāvibhāṣā and so forth, their rejection or inclusion is as follows.
First, among the eleven rūpadharmas, the five [sense] faculties are exclusively internal and exclusively bases [of consciousness]; therefore, they are established as faculties. Matter (rūpa) and the rest are not like this, so they are not established as faculties. Male and female are established as faculties because they are the body-faculty itself.
Second, mind is internal and is also a basis [of consciousness], running through minds of the three natures and uniformly possessing sovereign function; therefore, it is established as a faculty.
Third, among the mental concomitants, only mindfulness, concentration, discernment, sensation, faith, and vigor are established as faculties. As for why the others are not established: if they accord with purification and are pre-eminent, they are established as faculties. Among the universal mental factors (mahābhūmika), mindfulness, concentration, discernment, and sensation are established as faculties. As for why the others are not: the three of mindfulness, concentration, and discernment accord with purification and are pre-eminent, so they are established as faculties. Attention (manaskāra), though leaning toward purification, is strong at first and weak later, so it is not established as a faculty. Resolve (adhimokṣa), though leaning toward purification, is strong in the state of no-more-learning where it establishes the aggregate of liberation, but is weak in the state of training; therefore, it is not established as a faculty.

Question: Concentration is also strong in meditative absorption and weak in distraction; why is it established as a faculty?
Answer: Concentration, even in a state of distraction, has strong one-pointedness. Conception, volition, contact, and desire lean toward defilement, so they are not established as faculties. Sensation, although broadly according with both defilement and purification and being strong in both, is established as a faculty by selecting the dharma provisionally from the side of what is wholesome. How do we know that it broadly accords with defilement and purification? As the Mahāvibhāṣā says: "There is an explanation that sensation, although it accords with the category of defilement, also interacts with wholesome dharmas, just as the warden of a prison, although his status is low, interacts with the noble and exalted." Therefore, among the universal mental factors, four are established as faculties and the remaining six are not.

Among the wholesome universal mental factors, faith and effort are established as faculties while the others are not, because faith is the root of all wholesome things, and no wholesome factor can be accomplished apart from faith; vigor can universally stimulate the manifold wholesome [dharmas], and no wholesome factor can be accomplished apart from vigor. These two accord with purification and are pre-eminent, so they are established as faculties. Shame and remorse, although capable of counteracting the unwholesome mind and the utterly dark category of intrinsic unwholesomeness, and obtaining the names "white" and "intrinsic goodness," yet lack a distinct superior capability in generating wholesome dharmas; hence they lack the meaning of a faculty. Non-greed and non-hatred: because what they counteract accompanies the six consciousnesses, pervades the five abandonables, is of the nature of anusaya, can initiate coarse and heavy unwholesome bodily and vocal actions, and serves as supreme application for severing the roots of wholesomeness—possessing these five meanings, they are established as unwholesome roots. Non-greed and the other [wholesome roots], being three, can counteract them and initiate manifold distracted wholesome actions, thereby gaining the name "wholesome roots." However, the establishment of faith and the rest as faculties is broadly with a view to generating all wholesome dharmas; non-greed and the rest are not faculties here, because the meaning of a faculty is different. Lightness, equanimity, heedfulness, and non-harming: because the four secondary afflictions that they counteract—three exclusively pervading defiled mind, and one accompanying bad investigation—disturb bodhisattvas and obstruct the attainment of bodhi. Although their antidotes are established among wholesome dharmas, they lack supreme function in generating pure dharmas, so they are not established as faculties. Joyful approval and disgust are strong in distraction and weak in absorption, not being supreme in both states nor arising simultaneously; hence they are not established as faculties.

The six great defilement mental factors, the two unwholesome universal factors, the ten minor defilement factors, as well as greed, hatred, pride, and doubt outside these categories, do not accord with purification, and their nature is base and lacking the characteristic of a faculty; therefore they are not established as faculties.

Question: If so, defiled sensation should not be established as a faculty.
Answer: Sensation has sovereign power and efficacy in the category of defilement, so it is established as a faculty. The afflictions are not like this, because afflictions arise based upon sensations.

Question: If so, conception ought to be established as a faculty, because it also can generate afflictions.
Answer: Although conception can generate afflictions, it is not as pre-eminent as sensation; for this reason, it is also not stated as a link of dependent origination. There is an explanation: sensation, although according with the category of defilement, also interacts with wholesome dharmas. Afflictions accord only with the category of defilement and do not accord with the wholesome, so they are not established as faculties. It is like the warden of a prison whose status is low, yet interacts with the noble and exalted. It is not like the gatekeeper of a prison who, though fierce and harsh to people, is extremely vile and contemptible, so the noble and exalted shun him.

As for remorse, sleep, examination, investigation, and fear not being established as faculties: fear is defiled and neutral, not extending to the wholesome. Remorse and sleep, although also extending to the wholesome nature, exist only in distraction and not in absorption. Examination and investigation, although extending to both absorption and distraction, do not extend through all stages, and both are not pre-eminent in according with the wholesome; therefore, they are not established as faculties.

Question: If so, pain, pleasure, grief, and joy do not extend through all stages, so they should not be established as faculties.
Answer: Generally speaking, sensation pervades all stages, because the sensation of equanimity extends through all stages; they are all established as faculties based on their kind. Furthermore, sensations all possess sovereignty in growth, whereas fear and the rest are not like this.

Question: In the path-factors, examination is established, and in the dhyāna-factors, examination and investigation are established; do they not possess superior growth?
Answer: These have the power to spur and maintain concentration and wisdom, so they are established as factors. They do not have a sovereign function in growth; therefore, they are not faculties.

Fourth, among the conditioned factors not associated with mind, only life is established as a faculty, and the others are not, because life possesses three meanings and is therefore established as a faculty: first, it belongs solely to sentient beings; second, it is solely retribution; third, it sustains universally. The four characteristics lack all three meanings. The retribution of the non-conceptual possesses the first two, but lacks universal sustainment. Homogeneity of sentient beings possesses the first and the last, but is not solely retribution, extending to outflowing (nisyanda) as well. The two non-conscious absorptions, the sets of words, phrases, and syllables, possession, and non-possession, although having the first meaning, lack the latter two meanings; therefore, none are faculties.

Fifth, unconditioned dharmas are not faculties: the state where faculties are completely extinguished is called the unconditioned, and furthermore it lacks the function of producing; therefore, it is not established as a faculty.
In accordance with preference, the above is a brief explanation; for details, see the Mahāvibhāṣā.