瑜伽師地論略纂 4.103

4.103

Concerning “Question: Why is it not said that the cessation of ignorance is the foremost?” this asks why, regarding the cessation of name-and-form stated in the scripture cited immediately before as foremost, that scripture does not state the cessation of ignorance as the foremost. “Answer: Because it is established relying on one whose mind is liberated,” and so forth: The meaning of this explanation is that before entering the noble [path], in the initial stage of provisions, one first contemplates in the forward sequence, and in the path of preparation, one contemplates in the reverse sequence, giving rise to the forty-four knowledges, the seventy-seven knowledges, and so forth; upon entering the path of vision and so forth, one severs in the forward sequence, so that when ignorance ceases, formations cease, and so on. Relying upon the liberated body of an aśaikṣa, present name-and-form is first and feeling is last, and the seeds of the four links cannot serve as causes to produce the fruits of birth and aging-and-death in future lives. This states that the cause of suffering cannot produce [fruits]; below, it shows that through the cessation of feeling, future suffering does not arise. That is to say, when the liberated person presently experiences objects, craving and the dormant tendencies—namely the links of craving and grasping—are permanently eradicated by the power of the noble path and do not arise, which is called the permanent cessation of the truth of origin consisting of afflictions that are capable of moistening. Because this cause is permanently ceased, the previously induced causal seeds of name-and-form and so forth will not produce fruits in the future, which is called the cessation of the remaining links. The purport of these words shows that all seeds belonging to present name-and-form do not produce future fruits; because one first contemplates the truth of suffering, the cessation of name-and-form is taken as foremost. Through what is this cessation? Because craving, grasping, and so forth subsumed under the truth of origin that are capable of moistening are ceased, the seeds of name-and-form and so forth will not produce fruits in the future. The seeds of name-and-form and so forth are the direct causes for birth and aging-and-death in future existences; because they are direct causes, they are said to cease first; ignorance and so forth are remote and are observed only later, and because they are moistening causes, ignorance is not stated to be the foremost cessation. Therefore, after having attained the stage of an aśaikṣa, one contemplates: “Due to the absence of what is there the absence of aging-and-death?” and so forth. The remaining sequential cessations should be understood by analogy with this.