[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [大乘法苑義林章](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1861) › 4.15 # 大乘法苑義林章 4.15 大乘法苑義林章 4.15 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [4.15](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1861.4.15) 第四廢立者，有四種法，於現法中最能長養諸根大種：一氣力；二喜樂；三於可愛境專注希望；四即三所依止諸根大種及壽并煗，安住不壞。如其次第，當知別用四法為食：一段、二觸、三思、四識，由別所資長根大法唯有四故。食唯立四不減不增，餘於此四無勝能故。又由追求三食等故，生業煩惱，生後有識，故唯立四，餘法不然。又五十七云「何故建立此四為食？以多分故。」六十六說「四是諸行住多分因緣，有情多分以四為資，故非增減。」又易覺知故，此四相顯易可了知。六十六說「嬰兒等類亦能知故」。又於日日分易資養故，此四日日易可資身，餘法不能數數資故。又於念住中易趣入故，六十六說「令易入道，能修身等四種念住。謂一切有情食所住故，由段食故能修身念住，由觸食故能修受念住，由識食故能修心念住，由思食故能修法念住。思是諸行法之主故，食為彼因故易入道，食唯四種。」又六十六說「有七因緣住持諸行令住不壞，何故世尊但說四食？何等為七？一生，無無生而住故；二命根；三食；四心自在通；五因緣和合，由緣未盡，善等法住；六作意，由發先業，能牽諸行令不絕故；七無障礙，即所遠離違敗壞法。彼自答云：此有五因，一易了知故；二能令羸瘦諸根大種得增益故；三又令疾病得除愈故；四又有長壽諸有情類，若不得食，非時中夭故；五令易入道故，修四念住等。故唯說四，不增不減。」何緣復說依止命根諸行得住？謂於是處曾無飲食有所闕乏，非求飲食有所艱難，於彼處所唯由命根勢力而住，如其所感壽量而住，佛依彼處說由命住。若爾，何故不說為食？五十七說「若離於食，彼終不能長養身故。其識亦爾，要三資養方得住故。」此亦不然，生無色界入滅定等，識自持身，豈由三力？說由三者，通一切論，非一一爾。或識由三持命等勝，壽體不爾，故不為例。五十七又云「何故眠夢、梵行、等至皆能長養諸根大種，而不立食？答：有二種長養，一攝受別義長養、二令無損害長養。眠夢等三，於後長養雖能長養，於前即非，是故不立。」攝受別義者，即九十四說「長養現緣，謂氣力等。四食於彼別能攝受、總能益識。餘法不爾，不應為食。」若爾、何故觸、思、識三非長養耶？若唯不損名為長養，如何得有處寬遍耶？此上總是總廢立已。何故五根及色、聲二，非食攝也。五根亦能資五識身成明昧故，觀色聽聲亦長養故。若資四法者可立為食，彼無此用故。根由其識所資長養，識能養勝，非根於識，故不說之。以段食用變壞時增，於色聲不爾。然五十七及《唯識》云「色於變壞無損益故。由於自根既無損益，他根亦無，故不立也。又色麁著、聲體虛疎、離根有用、亦不能資氣力強勝、故不立食。勝定果色雖具五處、全非是食。然由聖力、三處可成食、如香積飯可為食故。」有義：不然。彼實三處，非法處故。然有聖者定通力變令資益者，三識所得，非法處故。此亦不然，豈要三識得方名為食？但是後變時能資氣力，令識明盛，非要識得。故勝定果三處名食，以本識得能資養故。其假法處色非食義亦成，無體用故，如不相應。何故受想不名為食？受由觸資方益於識，猶如氣力，故不立食。想用微昧，於四無能，不如觸思，故亦不立。雖亦由愛追求四食，非近資長。業等亦爾，故不說為食。餘心所法，皆不及觸、思，觸遍諸心，順生三受；思能希望，造作之主。故餘皆非。無漏無為皆破壞有，故有漏四方立食名。 > Fourth, on establishment and elimination: There are four things that are most able to nourish the sense faculties and primary elements in the present life: first, physical vigor; second, joy and pleasure; third, concentrated aspiration toward agreeable objects; fourth, the sense faculties, primary elements, lifespan, and warmth upon which the former three depend, abiding stably without disintegrating. You should know that, in this order, four things are specifically employed as foods: first, morsel food; second, contact; third, volition; fourth, consciousness. This is because there are only four distinct entities nourished that sustain the faculties and primary elements. Foods are established as only four—neither fewer nor more—because other things lack superior capacity in these four respects. Moreover, because pursuing the three foods and so forth generates karma and afflictions, which produce consciousness in subsequent existences, only four are established, whereas other phenomena are not like this. Furthermore, fascicle 57 states: 'Why are these four established as foods? Because they are the majority.' Fascicle 66 says: 'These four are the causes and conditions for the enduring of conditioned phenomena in the majority of cases; sentient beings for the most part depend on these four for sustenance, hence there is neither addition nor reduction.' Also, because they are easy to perceive: the marks of these four are prominent and easily known. Fascicle 66 says: 'Because even infants and the like are capable of knowing them.' Also, because they easily nourish day by day: these four easily sustain the body daily, whereas other phenomena cannot sustain it repeatedly. Also, because they are easy to enter into with respect to the applications of mindfulness: fascicle 66 says, 'They make it easy to enter the path and to cultivate the four applications of mindfulness, such as mindfulness of the body. That is, because all sentient beings abide by food: due to morsel food, one can cultivate mindfulness of the body; due to contact food, one can cultivate mindfulness of feelings; due to consciousness food, one can cultivate mindfulness of mind; due to volition food, one can cultivate mindfulness of phenomena. Volition is the master of all conditioned phenomena, and because food serves as their cause, one easily enters the path; thus foods are only of four kinds.' Furthermore, fascicle 66 states: 'There are seven causes and conditions that sustain conditioned phenomena so that they endure and do not disintegrate. Why does the World-Honoured One teach only four foods? What are the seven? First, birth, because without birth nothing endures; second, the life faculty; third, food; fourth, sovereignty of mind and supernormal powers; fifth, the harmony of causes and conditions, for as long as conditions are not exhausted, wholesome and other phenomena endure; sixth, attention, because through activating previous karma, it pulls conditioned phenomena so that they are not interrupted; seventh, absence of obstacles, which is separation from contrary and destructive phenomena.' The text itself replies: 'This is due to five reasons: first, because they are easy to comprehend; second, because they can cause emaciated sense faculties and primary elements to increase; third, because they can cause illnesses to be cured; fourth, because there are long-lived sentient beings who, if they do not obtain food, would die untimely deaths; fifth, because they cause one to enter the path easily, cultivating the four applications of mindfulness and so forth. Therefore, only four are taught, neither more nor fewer.' On what basis is it further said that conditioned phenomena endure in dependence on the life faculty? That is, in places where there is never any lack of drink and food, and no difficulty in seeking drink and food, in such places they endure solely through the power of the life faculty, enduring in accordance with the lifespan they have incurred; the Buddha spoke of enduring due to life based on such places. If so, why is it not called food? Fascicle 57 says: 'Because apart from food, it ultimately cannot nourish the body. Consciousness is also like this; it must receive the sustenance of the \[other\] three before it can endure.' This also is not \[universally\] the case: when born in the formless realm or entering the cessation attainment, consciousness sustains the body by itself; how could it depend on the power of the three? Speaking of depending on the three is a general discussion for all cases, not that it is so in every single instance. Or \[it is because\] consciousness sustains life and so on through the three in a superior manner, whereas the substance of life is not like this, so it does not serve as a parallel. Fascicle 57 also says: 'Why do sleep, dreams, celibacy, and meditative attainment all nourish the faculties and primary elements, yet are not established as foods? Answer: There are two kinds of nourishment: first, nourishment through specific appropriation; second, nourishment through preventing harm. Although the three—such as sleep and dreams—nourish with respect to the latter nourishment, they do not with respect to the former; therefore they are not established \[as foods\].' 'Specific appropriation' is what fascicle 94 refers to as 'the present conditions that nourish, namely physical vigor and so forth.' The four foods individually appropriate these and generally benefit consciousness. Other phenomena are not like this and should not be considered food. If so, why are contact, volition, and consciousness not \[non-nourishing\]? If only preventing harm is called nourishment, how could it be pervasive? The above has fully completed the general establishment and elimination. Why are the five sense faculties and the two \[objects\] of visible form and sound not included in food? The five faculties can also support the five consciousness-bodies to become clear or dim, and viewing visible form and hearing sound also provide nourishment. If they supported the four factors, they could be established as food, but they lack this function. The faculties are nourished by being sustained by their consciousness; consciousness is capable of superior nourishment, not the faculties toward consciousness, hence they are not spoken of \[as food\]. Morsel food increases \[nourishment\] when transforming and disintegrating, but visible form and sound do not. Moreover, fascicle 57 and the \*Cheng weishi lun\* say: 'Visible form causes neither harm nor benefit upon transforming and disintegrating. Since it causes neither harm nor benefit to its own faculty, it also causes none to other faculties, and thus is not established \[as food\]. Moreover, visible form is coarse and gross, and the substance of sound is diffuse and tenuous; their function occurs apart from the faculties, and they cannot sustain physical vigor to become strong, hence they are not established as food. Although the form that results from superior meditative absorption possesses all five \[sense\] bases, it is completely not food. However, by the power of noble ones, three bases can become food, just as the rice of the Fragrance-Accumulating \[World\] can serve as food.' There is an opinion that this is not so: those are actually the three \[external\] bases, not the mental-object base. However, when noble ones transform them through the power of meditative absorptions and supernormal powers to provide sustenance, they are apprehended by the three \[sense\] consciousnesses, not by the mental-object base. This also is not so: must they be apprehended by the three consciousnesses to be called food? Rather, whenever they transform afterward and can sustain physical vigor, causing consciousness to be bright and clear, they need not be apprehended by consciousness. Therefore, the three bases that result from superior meditative absorption are called food because they are apprehended by the basic consciousness and can provide nourishment. The doctrine that nominal form included in the mental-object base is not food is also established, because it lacks substantial entity and function, just like \[conditioned factors\] non-concurrent \[with mind\]. Why are feeling and conception not called food? Feeling must be sustained by contact before it benefits consciousness, just like physical vigor; hence it is not established as food. The function of conception is subtle and indistinct, and has no efficacy regarding the four, being inferior to contact and volition; hence it also is not established. Although one also pursues the four foods on account of craving, it does not directly sustain and nourish. Karma and so forth are also like this, and therefore are not called food. The remaining mental factors are all inferior to contact and volition: contact is pervasive to all minds and accords with producing the three feelings; volition is capable of aspiration and is the master of constructive activity. Therefore all the rest are not \[foods\]. The uncontaminated and unconditioned both destroy existence; therefore only the contaminated four are established with the name of food. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 4.14](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1861.4.14) - [Next: 4.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1861.4.16) - [Up: 4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1861.4) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1861~en-mt.4.15) — English, machine translation ## Linked texts (1) - [瑜伽師地論](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.darsana.yogacara.yogacarabhumi*zh-xuanzang.57.437) — Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1861.4.15](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1861.4.15) · Pramāṇa