起信論疏 2.6.5

2.6.5

If at the time of arousal the mental resolve is weak, it is easily ruined, just as soft, wet [clay] is unfit to be made into a vessel; this is the fault of softness. When any of these twenty kinds of wrong concentration arise, if one does not identify them and gives rise to attachment in the mind, one may consequently lose one's mind in madness, weep or laugh, flee wildly in panic, sometimes wish to jump from cliffs or set oneself on fire, sometimes fall ill, or even be driven to death. Furthermore, whenever any such single wrong dharma arises, if one unwittingly aligns with one of the ninety-five kinds of non-Buddhist ghost-and-spirit dharmas, one contemplates that path and practices that dharma, thereby entering the gateway of ghost-and-spirit dharmas. The ghost reinforces their influence, sometimes giving rise to various wrong concentrations and various eloquences, knowing worldly fortunes and misfortunes, displaying wondrous supernormal powers, and manifesting rare occurrences to stir the multitudes. Worldly people are ignorant: merely seeing an extraordinary person, they deem them a sage and faithfully submit to them with deep minds; yet internally that person exclusively practices ghost dharmas. One should know that such a person is far removed from the noble path, and upon the dissolution of the body at the end of life, they will fall into the three bad destinations, as expounded at length in the sūtras on the ninety-six non-Buddhist schools. If a practitioner notices such wrong signs, they should test and treat them according to the preceding method. However, among them there are also differences. What are they? If the wrong concentration is entirely made by Māra, one treats it with the Dharma: once Māra has departed, there will be not the slightest trace of dhyāna dharma remaining. If, when I attain entry into right concentration, Māra enters into it and manifests various wrong signs, one repels them with the Dharma: once Māra's wrongness is extinguished, my concentrated mind will be clear and pure, just as when clouds are removed and the sun appears. If these signs, though resembling Māra's work, do not depart even when treated with the Dharma, one should know that they have arisen due to one's own sinful hindrances; one must then diligently cultivate Mahāyāna repentance, and once the sins are extinguished, concentration will naturally manifest. Such hindrance signs are extremely subtle and difficult to distinguish; those who seek the Path must not fail to know them. Halting this digression, let us return to explaining the root text. The preceding section distinguished the varieties of māra-activities at length. From '[For this reason]' onward is the second part, explaining the remedy. The words 'wise observation' mean that, relying on whatever awakening and wisdom one has according to one's own capacity, one observes those māra-activities, discerning and remedying them; if one does not observe, one falls into wrong paths, hence it says, 'Do not let yourself fall into the snare of the wrong.' This precisely corresponds to the third [test], 'wise observation,' among the three kinds of tests mentioned before. The words 'One should diligently maintain right mindfulness and neither grasp nor attach' generally reveal the first two methods among the three: here in this Mahāyāna gate of śamatha, one exclusively cultivates the concentration of principle and has no other aim. Therefore, both the initial polishing by concentration and the cultivation based on the original practice have no other dharma. Hence it is now said that one should abide in right mindfulness based on the original cultivation of the Mahāyāna gate of śamatha. 'Neither grasp nor attach' means that wrong cannot assail right, and it naturally retreats and subsides. One should know that if the mind grasps and attaches, it abandons right and becomes wrong; if it does not grasp or attach, it reveals the right by means of the wrong. Thus one knows that the distinction between wrong and right depends essentially on attaching and not attaching: for one who does not attach, there is no hindrance from which one is not freed; hence it says, 'leaving far behind all these karmic hindrances.' From 'One should know that non-Buddhists...' onward is the third part, distinguishing the real from the false. In this there are two parts: first, adducing the inner and outer [teachings] to distinguish the wrong from the right—first the wrong and then the right, the textual form of which is self-evident; from 'If all...' onward, next contrasting principle and phenomena to distinguish the real from the false. Within this, it first reveals that the concentration of principle is real: a practitioner must cultivate the tathatā-samādhi before entering the non-retrogressing stage of the lineage; apart from this, there is no other path capable of entry; hence it says that without practicing it, there is no possibility [of attainment]. However, regarding the stage of lineage, there are two approaches: first, the approach of the thirteen abodes, the first of which is the abode of the lineage. The lineage has existed from beginningless time and is not obtained through cultivation; this meaning comes from the Yogācārabhūmi and the Bodhisattvabhūmi-śāstra. Second, the approach of the six lineages, the first of which is the lineage of practice, followed by the lineage of nature; these stages are within the three ranks of worthies and are accomplished through practice, coming from the Benye jing and the Renwang jing; the details therein are as expounded at length in the Meaning of the Single Way. Here, when it says 'the Tathāgata lineage,' it speaks of the lineage of practice in the second approach. From 'Because they cultivate worldly...' onward, it next reveals the falsity of phenomenal concentration, meaning that the contemplation of impurity, mindfulness of breathing (ānāpāna-smṛti), and so forth are all called worldly samādhis. If a person does not rely on tathatā-samādhi and directly cultivates these phenomenal samādhis, then whichever realm they enter, they do not transcend grasping and attachment; one who grasps and attaches to dharmas inevitably attaches to a self, and therefore [such concentration] belongs to the three realms and is shared with non-Buddhists. As the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: 'The true mark of all dharmas [is real]; everything else is the work of Māra.' This is what it refers to. The preceding concludes the third part on explaining māra-activities. Fourth is the benefits. The benefits in future lives cannot be fully detailed, so here the present benefits are briefly shown: the general indication and the specific presentation are clear from the text. The specific explanation of the gate of śamatha concluded above. Second is explaining vipaśyanā, in which there are three parts: first, explaining the intention of cultivating vipaśyanā; next, showing the method of cultivating vipaśyanā; third, summarizing to encourage cultivation. Within the second, four kinds of contemplation are shown: first, contemplation of the characteristics of dharmas, namely impermanence, suffering, saṃsāric wandering, and impurity, the textual form of which is self-evident. From 'Thus should one contemplate...' onward is the second part, explaining the contemplation of great compassion. From 'Making this reflection...' onward is the third part, explaining the contemplation of vows. From 'Having given rise to such...' onward is the fourth part, explaining the contemplation of vigor. Relying on these four gates, the cultivation of contemplation is briefly shown. From 'Except when sitting...' onward is the third part, summarizing to encourage cultivation. The preceding concludes the first section, explaining śamatha and vipaśyanā separately. From 'If walking...' onward is the second part, joint cultivation, in which there are three parts: first, a general indication of simultaneous practice; second, a specific explanation of the aspects of practice; third, a summary conclusion. Within the second part, two meanings are shown: first, explaining the joint practice of śamatha and vipaśyanā in accord with principle; later, revealing the joint practice of śamatha and vipaśyanā counteracting hindrances. In the first part, the words 'Although contemplating that the intrinsic nature of all dharmas is unborn' mean cultivating the practice of śamatha based on the gate of non-existence. 'And yet immediately contemplating that karma and fruition are not lost' means cultivating the practice of vipaśyanā based on the gate of non-nothingness. This conforms to establishing all dharmas without moving from the limit of reality (bhūta-koṭi); therefore, one can cultivate the practice of contemplation without abandoning the practice of quiescence, precisely because although dharmas are non-existent, they do not fall into nothingness. Next, the words 'Although contemplating good and evil karmic retributions, one immediately contemplates that their nature cannot be attained' mean that this accords with expounding the true mark without destroying provisional designations; therefore, one can enter the gate of quiescence without discarding the practice of contemplation, because although dharmas are not non-existent, they do not exist permanently. From 'If one cultivates...' onward is the distinction counteracting hindrances. If one cultivates śamatha, one leaves behind two kinds of faults: first, directly eliminating the ordinary person's clinging of dwelling in attachment, because it dispels the marks of person and dharmas to which they attach;