瑜伽師地論略纂 5.49

5.49

Under cultivation through permeation, the text contains two points: first, it explains mixed cultivation; second, it explains differences in birth resulting from cultivation. The first part has two sections: first an overview, and then the explanation. There are five kinds of permeation: 1. Permeation solely by defiled meditative attainments, which refers to being born in the lower four dhyānas, excluding the five Śuddhāvāsa heavens; as explained below, because of soft, middling, and superior grades of cultivation, one receives the fruits of three bhūmis. 2. Permeation solely by undefiled meditative attainments, which refers to the transformed birth-and-death from the eighth bhūmi onward, because defiled meditative attainments have been exhausted. 3. Mixed cultivation of defiled and undefiled, which is what is spoken of here: in order to attain mastery in samāpatti and receive the fruits of mastery in samāpatti, one alternately cultivates them, taking birth in the five Śuddhāvāsa heavens, and so forth. 4. Mixed permeation of defiled absorption and distraction, which refers to an arhat relinquishing the formations of merit and life to sustain the fruits of life and merit. 5. Mixed permeation of undefiled absorption and distraction, which refers to the transformed birth-and-death of the two vehicles and of bodhisattvas prior to the seventh bhūmi. Within this third category of mixed cultivation, defiled states form both sides and a single moment of an undefiled state is placed in the middle, thereby bringing the cultivation to completion. For example, the karma for the five Śuddhāvāsa heavens was created in the body of an ordinary being, and its seeds reside within that body; functioning naturally, it would only be capable of producing rebirth in the lower heavens. But by giving rise to an aspiration and bringing cultivation through permeation to completion, the power of undefiled concentration assists the former karmic seeds, making their momentum superior so that one is born in the five Śuddhāvāsa heavens; therefore, the defiled is not placed in the middle. Because its power is inferior, this differs slightly from the Hīnayāna. Furthermore, the first thought-moment of the defiled is the path of preparation, subduing the obstacles to concentration; the next thought-moment of the undefiled is the uninterrupted path, directly eliminating the obstacles to concentration; and the subsequent thought-moment of the defiled is the path of liberation, which brings the cultivation through permeation to completion. If the defiled were placed in the middle and the undefiled at the beginning and the end, how could the undefiled serve as the preparation and the defiled as the uninterrupted path? The final liberation serves as that which can sustain, so it accords with what is sustained. Regarding "If one can enter the concentrations in that place, time, and matter": the support where the body dwells is called 'place', such as brightness or darkness when giving rise to concentration; the periods of time and so on are called 'time'; whatever object one focuses on according to conditions is called 'matter'. Regarding "If there is residual grasping": 'grasping' means the link of grasping; when residual karma moistens rebirth and grasping arises, one is then born in the Śuddhāvāsa heavens. The fruits of samāpatti are twofold: first, attaining the fruit of spiritual qualities, and second, the fruit of rebirth in the Śuddhāvāsa heavens.