俱舍論記 5.78

5.78

Regarding "One should say that it does... taking birth in the form realm": citing a sūtra to prove retrogression; the general meaning is clear. "Udāyin" translates as "Appearance". "Śīla" means morality. "Samādhi" means concentration, which is an alternative name for meditative absorption. "Prajñā" means wisdom. "Present life" refers to conditions of retrogression such as long illness. "Fulfillment" refers to the fruit of the stage beyond training. "Devas of coarse material food" refers to the six heavens of the desire realm, because they are sustained by coarse material food. "Mind-made divine bodies" refers to the gods of the form realm, whose bodies are not born from semen and blood, but take birth in accordance with the mind; hence they are named mind-made divine bodies. If we rely on *Mahāvibhāṣā* 153, it explains fully: "A sūtra states: The Venerable Śāriputra addressed the assembly of bhikṣus, saying: 'If a bhikṣu is complete in morality, concentration, and wisdom, he can repeatedly enter and emerge from the absorption of the cessation of feeling and ideation. If in this present life or at the point of death he is unable to realize the Tathāgata's noble intention, at the end of his life he transcends the planes of devas of coarse material food and is born among the devas of mind-made bodies, and there he can again repeatedly enter and emerge from the absorption of the cessation of ideation and feeling. Such a case exists; this should be known as it truly is.' At that time, the Venerable Udāyin was seated in that assembly, and said to the Venerable Śāriputra: 'That that bhikṣu, born among the devas of mind-made bodies, could repeatedly enter and emerge from the absorption of the cessation of feeling and ideation—such a case does not exist.' A second and third time he spoke likewise." Question: Why did the Venerable Udāyin contradict the Venerable Śāriputra two and three times? Answer: His doubt was not unfounded. He thought: one who has attained this absorption must have already abandoned attachment to the sphere of nothingness; at the end of life he should be born in the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, and there it is impossible that he could generate this absorption. Furthermore, he did not understand Śāriputra's intention; therefore, he directly contradicted him two and three times. Question: What was Śāriputra's intention, and how was it that the Venerable [Udāyin] did not understand it? Answer: Śāriputra spoke of those born in the form realm, whereas Udāyin spoke of those born in the formless realm. Śāriputra spoke of those who retrogress, whereas Udāyin spoke of those who do not retrogress. Because he did not understand this, he contradicted him repeatedly. This is as explained at length there.