大乘義章 11.80

11.80

第六明其修得之相。於中先就眾生緣說、次就法緣、後就無緣。眾生緣慈，得有二種：一離欲得、二是修得。離欲得者，眾生本來曾依諸禪修得無量，後還退失起下煩惱，後修禪定離下欲時，本所失者今還得之，名離欲得。離欲雖得而不現前，要假方便。譬如有人財在他方，雖復屬己不得現用，要須方便。方便如何？先以觀心分別眾生以為七品：親中分三，上中下別；怨中亦爾，通前為六；中人為一，合為七矣。良以中人無多階異，故合為一。《毘婆娑論》及《涅槃經》同為此判。人言分境以為九品，當應謬耳。彼《涅槃》等就怨親中分定所化，《地持論》中就苦樂等分定所化。彼苦樂等猶怨親中，損己名苦猶是其怨，益己名樂猶是其親，不損不益名不苦樂猶是中人。境別既然，次對起修。依如《成實》，修慈悲喜，始緣上親、終緣上怨，上親易益、上怨之所難與利故。彼宗所說慈悲及喜，究竟成時即名為捨。先別修習相狀如何？如修慈心，品別有七。其第一品，先緣上親欲與上樂，次緣中親欲與中樂，後緣下親欲與下樂。其第二品是緣中親，齊同上親等與上樂，次緣下親欲與中樂，後緣中人欲與下樂。如是次第乃至第七，緣彼上怨齊同上親等與上樂。以心難調，七品修習方能齊益。七中前六修慈方便，第七一品慈行成就。前六方便直名為慈，第七一品亦慈亦捨。與樂名慈，平等名捨。以慈對捨修之既然，悲喜對捨，修之亦爾，唯有拔苦慶物為異。若依《毘曇》、《毘婆娑》等，修慈悲喜與《成實》同。然彼宗中至第七品，唯名慈悲喜行成就，不名為捨，以此親想非是中容亡懷心故。以第七品非是捨故，別須修習。彼法云何？於中亦有七品差別。其第一品，先緣中人而修捨心，中品人所先無憎愛，易行捨故。其第二品，緣下品怨，齊同中人。其第三品，緣中品怨，亦同中人。其第四品，緣上品怨，亦同中人。其第五品，緣下品親，齊同中人。乃至第七，緣上品親，齊同中人。此七品中，前六方便，後一捨成。良以最後上親處成，故說捨心為無貪性。問曰：何故先捨三怨却捨三親？怨相易除，親難捨故。問曰：慈等愛憐眾生，能為利益可須修習。捨心亡懷不能深益，何用修乎？釋言：無捨，彼慈悲喜雖復等益，多先益親，後方及怨。為除是患，故須修捨。又若無捨，慈悲及喜益親心易、利怨心難，故須修捨。又若無捨，彼慈悲喜便成愛見，故須修捨。《毘曇》如是。大乘法中多同《毘曇》。故《地持》中，慈悲喜外別修捨心。眾生緣行，修得如是。次辨法緣。隨義淺深，略有七重：一觀眾生體是五陰事相之法，無我無人。二觀眾生體是五陰生滅法故，無我無人。三觀眾生體是五陰因緣假法，如土禾城但假因緣，無我無人。四觀眾生體是五陰妄相之法，如揵闥婆城，誑相似有，無我無人。五觀眾生妄想有法，如夢所見，無我無人。六觀眾生體是真實集用五陰，如夜所見皆報心作，如波水作。亦如有人見繩為蛇，蛇是繩作。五陰如是，無我無人。七觀眾生體是真實如來藏性緣起法界，無我無人。如是觀察，名修法緣。次辨無緣。於中有四：一觀五陰假有性無，如土禾城，緣假無性。二觀五陰妄相本無，如揵闥波城，遠觀似有，近觀本無，非直無性亦無城相。三觀五陰情有理無，如夢所見，但出妄心，心外無法。四觀五陰真法所集，窮其本性，體是真如，古今常湛不起不滅。如是觀察，名修無緣。修得如是。

The sixth section clarifies the characteristics of their cultivation and attainment. Therein, [it is] explained first in terms of the condition of sentient beings, next in terms of the condition of dharmas, and lastly in terms of the condition of the unconditioned. Among [the kinds of] benevolence conditioned by sentient beings, there are two types of attainment: first, attainment through freedom from desire; second, attainment through cultivation. As for attainment through freedom from desire: sentient beings originally were once able to cultivate and attain the immeasurables relying on the dhyānas, but later fell back and lost them, giving rise to lower defilements; later, when cultivating dhyāna-concentration and becoming free from lower desires, what was originally lost is now regained, which is called attainment through freedom from desire. Although attained through freedom from desire, it does not manifest at present, but must depend on skillful means. For example, if someone's wealth is in another region, although it still belongs to him, he cannot use it at present and must rely on skillful means. What are the skillful means? First, with a contemplative mind, one distinguishes sentient beings into seven grades: among close ones, three are distinguished, dividing into superior, middling, and inferior; among hostile ones, it is also like this, which together with the previous makes six; neutral persons make one, combining to make seven. Because there are not many distinct levels among neutral persons, they are combined into one. The *Vibhāṣā-śāstra* and the *Nirvāṇa-sūtra* both make this determination. Those who say that the objective sphere is divided into nine grades are surely in error. The *Nirvāṇa* and other [texts] determine the objects of conversion according to the hostile, the close, and the neutral; the *Bodhisattvabhūmi-śāstra* determines the objects of conversion according to suffering, pleasure, and so forth. Those suffering, pleasure, and so forth are still just hostile, close, and neutral: what harms oneself is called suffering, which is still the hostile; what benefits oneself is called pleasure, which is still the close; what neither harms nor benefits is called neither-suffering-nor-pleasure, which is still the neutral person. The distinctions of the objective sphere being thus, one next undertakes cultivation facing them. According to the *Tattvasiddhi*, in cultivating benevolence, compassion, and sympathetic joy, one begins by being conditioned by the superior close one and ends by being conditioned by the superior hostile one, because the superior close one is easy to benefit and it is difficult to bestow benefit upon the superior hostile one. What that school explains as benevolence, compassion, and sympathetic joy is precisely called equanimity when culminated and perfected. What are the characteristics of first cultivating them separately? When cultivating benevolence, there are seven distinct grades. In its first grade, one first is conditioned by the superior close one, wishing to bestow superior pleasure; next is conditioned by the middling close one, wishing to bestow middling pleasure; and later is conditioned by the inferior close one, wishing to bestow inferior pleasure. In its second grade, one is conditioned by the middling close one, making them equal to the superior close one in bestowing superior pleasure; next is conditioned by the inferior close one, wishing to bestow middling pleasure; and later is conditioned by the neutral person, wishing to bestow inferior pleasure. In this order, up to the seventh, one is conditioned by that superior hostile one, making them equal to the superior close one in bestowing superior pleasure. Because the mind is difficult to tame, only through the cultivation of seven grades can one equally benefit them. Among the seven, the first six are the skillful means for cultivating benevolence, and the single seventh grade is the fulfillment of the practice of benevolence. The first six skillful means are straightforwardly called benevolence; the single seventh grade is both benevolence and equanimity. Bestowing pleasure is called benevolence; impartiality is called equanimity. Since cultivating benevolence vis-à-vis equanimity is thus, cultivating compassion and sympathetic joy vis-à-vis equanimity is also like this; the only difference is between eradicating suffering and rejoicing in beings. If relying on the *Abhidharma*, the *Vibhāṣā*, and so forth, the cultivation of benevolence, compassion, and sympathetic joy is the same as in the *Tattvasiddhi*. However, in that school, when reaching the seventh grade, it is only called the fulfillment of the practice of benevolence, compassion, and sympathetic joy, and is not called equanimity, because this thought of closeness is not an impartial mind of forgetting preconceptions. Because the seventh grade is not equanimity, it must be cultivated separately. What is that method? Therein, there are also seven distinct grades. In its first grade, one first takes the neutral person as condition to cultivate equanimity, because toward middling persons there is initially neither hatred nor affection, making it easy to practice equanimity. In its second grade, one takes the inferior hostile one as condition, making them equal to the neutral person. In its third grade, one takes the middling hostile one as condition, also making them equal to the neutral person. In its fourth grade, one takes the superior hostile one as condition, also making them equal to the neutral person. In its fifth grade, one takes the inferior close one as condition, making them equal to the neutral person. And so on up to the seventh, where one takes the superior close one as condition, making them equal to the neutral person. Among these seven grades, the first six are skillful means, and the final one is the perfection of equanimity. Because it is ultimately perfected in the place of the superior close one, the mind of equanimity is said to have the nature of non-greed. Question: Why does one first discard the three kinds of hostile ones and only then discard the three kinds of close ones? [Answer:] The marks of hostility are easy to eliminate, while the close are difficult to discard. Question: Benevolence and the like show affection and pity for sentient beings, being capable of providing benefit, so they must be cultivated. If the mind of equanimity forgets preconceptions and cannot deeply benefit, what is the use of cultivating it? Explanation: Without equanimity, although benevolence, compassion, and sympathetic joy may equally benefit, they mostly benefit the close first and only later reach the hostile. To eliminate this fault, one must cultivate equanimity. Furthermore, if without equanimity, with benevolence, compassion, and sympathetic joy the mind that benefits the close is easy while the mind that benefits the hostile is difficult; therefore one must cultivate equanimity. Furthermore, if without equanimity, benevolence, compassion, and sympathetic joy turn into affectionate views; therefore one must cultivate equanimity. The *Abhidharma* is thus. In the Mahāyāna teachings, it is mostly the same as the *Abhidharma*. Therefore in the *Bodhisattvabhūmi*, outside of benevolence, compassion, and sympathetic joy, the mind of equanimity is cultivated separately. Practices conditioned by sentient beings are cultivated and attained in this way. Next, we analyze the condition of dharmas. Following the shallowness or depth of the meaning, there are briefly seven tiers: First, contemplating that the substance of sentient beings is the phenomenal dharmas of the five aggregates, without self and without person. Second, contemplating that the substance of sentient beings is the dharmas of arising and ceasing of the five aggregates, hence without self and without person. Third, contemplating that the substance of sentient beings is the provisional dharmas of cause and condition of the five aggregates, just as a city of earth and grain is merely provisional causes and conditions, without self and without person. Fourth, contemplating that the substance of sentient beings is the dharmas of false appearances of the five aggregates, like a gandharva city, deceptively appearing as if existing, without self and without person. Fifth, contemplating that sentient beings are dharmas existing through false conceptualization, like what is seen in a dream, without self and without person. Sixth, contemplating that the substance of sentient beings is the five aggregates of real accumulation and function, just as what is seen at night is entirely made by the retributive mind, like waves made by water; and also like someone seeing a rope as a snake, the snake being made by the rope—the five aggregates are like this, without self and without person. Seventh, contemplating that the substance of sentient beings is the realm of dharmas arising dependently from the nature of the true tathāgatagarbha, without self and without person. Such contemplation is called cultivating the condition of dharmas. Next, we analyze the condition of the unconditioned. Therein there are four: First, contemplating that the five aggregates are provisionally existent but lack inherent nature, like a city of earth and grain, whose conditioned provisionality lacks inherent nature. Second, contemplating that the false appearances of the five aggregates are fundamentally non-existent, like a gandharva city, which when viewed from afar seems to exist, but when viewed up close is fundamentally non-existent—not only lacking inherent nature, but also lacking the appearance of a city. Third, contemplating that the five aggregates exist emotionally but are non-existent in principle, like what is seen in a dream, merely emerging from the deluded mind, there being no dharma outside the mind. Fourth, contemplating that the five aggregates are collected by true dharmas: exhausting their fundamental nature, their substance is tathatā, from past to present ever tranquil, neither arising nor ceasing. Such contemplation is called cultivating the condition of the unconditioned. Cultivation and attainment are thus.