大乘法苑義林章 4.14

4.14

Third, explaining the characteristics: how do these four kinds nurture the sense faculties and primary elements so as to constitute the characteristic of nutriment? Regarding what is nurtured, [fascicle] fifty-seven states: "It refers to the five physical faculties and the mental faculty, together with all the primary elements upon which the faculties depend. If morsel nutriment can assist and benefit consciousness, causing it to become robust, it thereby also nurtures the faculties and primary elements, causing them to become robust as well. Contact can receive and assimilate either joy, pleasure, or a portion of equanimity; through this it benefits consciousness, and consciousness in turn nurtures the faculties and primary elements. Volition [serves] as proof, because its realm of objects is superior. Relying on expedient means, it gives rise to defiled or undefiled [states]. Hoping in the faculty of joy, taking future objects as its sphere, it assists and benefits consciousness. It thereby nurtures the faculties and primary elements." This text directly indicates that volition associated with joy is called volition nutriment, whereas volition associated with pleasure or equanimity is not. This interpretation is incorrect. It speaks only of that associated with joy in terms of the pre-eminent taking of objects; volitions associated with pleasure and equanimity are both included. Otherwise, in the third and fourth dhyānas of the higher realms, there would be no volition nutriment, which would directly contradict the holy teachings. These three kinds assist and benefit consciousness because their essence increases and they arise taking the present and future as objects. They also take the past as an object, but this meaning is omitted here as it is only explained in accordance with contact and volition. Since consciousness is supported and sustained by the three nutriments, it can serve as a cause of flourishing for subsequent moments, causing them to arise; therefore, consciousness is said to be nutriment for the mental faculty. Fascicle ninety-four states: "There are four phenomena that are most able to nurture the faculties and primary elements in the present life: first, bodily vigor; second, joy and pleasure; third, focused hope upon desirable things; fourth, that upon which the preceding three depend—namely, the faculties, primary elements, life-force, and warmth—abiding stably without disintegration." Morsel nutriment can serve as nutriment for bodily vigor; on account of bodily vigor, one is able to nurture the faculties and primary elements. "Bodily breath" (qi) is the wind element; "vigor" (li) is precisely the tangible item of strength in the tangible sense field. Due to morsel nutriment, that vigor is nurtured, and the faculties, primary elements, and so forth are nurtured. Fascicle fifty-seven states: "Morsel nutriment nurtures consciousness, making it robust, and only then does it nurture the faculties and primary elements." This refers to what is generally sustained; specifically, it sustains bodily vigor. In this context, regarding the lower three, fascicle ninety-four explains specific sustenance in the same way, while fascicle fifty-seven explains general sustenance; thus, they do not contradict each other. In the Cheng weishi lun, morsel nutriment and consciousness nutriment are explained in terms of both general and specific sustenance, so the texts do not conflict. Contact and volition are explained only according to what they specifically sustain because their functioning is pre-eminent and manifest, so this also does not conflict. Fascicle ninety-four says: "Contaminating contacts that accord with pleasurable feeling can serve as nutriment for joy and pleasure (omitting beneficial equanimity for brevity); thereby, they can nurture the faculties and primary elements. If it is volition that encounters objects, it can serve as nutriment for all focused hopes upon desirable things." This refers to desire associated with absorption, based on what is pre-eminent. Even if it is not hope associated with absorption, it also nurtures the faculties and primary elements on account of hope. Because consciousness appropriates the faculties and primary elements, it causes the faculties, primary elements, life-force, warmth, and consciousness to abide without separating from the body as their cause; therefore, consciousness is called the cause of their abiding. Because they abide, bodily vigor, joy and pleasure, and focused hope operate based upon them. That fascicle ninety-four further states in its second alternative explanation: "Because of morsel nutriment, there is bodily vigor; because there is bodily vigor, the faculties and primary elements increase; on account of this, one cherishes body and life. For this sake, all foolish worldlings make pursuits; at the time of pursuit, they perform various new good and bad karmas, and also cause defilements to increase. Contact and volition are also like this." By these three avenues, one can accumulate consciousness accompanied by karma and defilements that leads to future existence. In the present life, because it is followed by karma and defilements, it becomes something "having appropriation". Furthermore, it can receive and sustain the faculties, primary elements, and so forth of future existences, causing them to increase further. Accordingly, these four each have general and specific phenomena that are nurtured in the present and the future. However, although this morsel nutriment nurtures the various consciousnesses or nurtures bodily vigor, fascicle sixty-six states: "If it undergoes proper digestion and transformation, it can nurture; if it undergoes improper digestion and transformation, it causes impairment. If morsel substances, at the time of swallowing, gladden the mind and delight the faculties, at that time they are not called morsel nutriment, but only contact nutriment. They are the object of contact, because contact is the pre-eminent object. It is not that the three sense fields are the essence of contact nutriment itself, but rather that the contact of gladness produced by the three is contact nutriment. If, after being consumed, it is digested and transformed peacefully and pleasantly, increasing joy and pleasure, at the time of digestion and transformation it is only then called morsel nutriment. If, although ripened and transformed, it cannot nurture the well-being of the faculties, it is not called morsel nutriment. If at the time of swallowing it does not produce joy and also cannot delight the faculties, at that time it is not called nutriment at all; it must later be digested and transformed peacefully and pleasantly, increasing joy and pleasure, before it is called nutriment." Fascicle fifty-seven states: "There may be a morsel substance that temporarily impairs at the time of consumption, but benefits when transformed and broken down, such as bitter or acrid things. There may be a morsel substance that temporarily benefits at the time of consumption, but impairs when transformed and broken down, such as sweet and delicious food that is unsuited to the body; therefore, it is established as nutriment only when transformed and broken down." The treatise provides only two alternatives; thus, one should add: both initially and subsequently impairing, such as poison; both initially and subsequently beneficial, such as sweet, delicious food suited to one's consumption. Among the four alternatives, the first and fourth are called nutriment, while the other two are not; accordingly, one should make a fourfold categorization. Fascicle sixty-six states: "There may be a morsel substance that is not nutriment: namely, morsel substances that cannot nurture the faculties and primary elements. There may be nutriment that is not a morsel substance: namely, contact, volition, and consciousness that can nurture the faculties and primary elements. There may be what is both nutriment and a morsel substance: namely, morsel substances that can nurture the faculties and primary elements. There may be what is neither a morsel substance nor nutriment: namely, contact, volition, and consciousness that cannot nurture the faculties and primary elements." Likewise, for the remaining three—contact, volition, and consciousness—the four alternatives are formulated accordingly; in order to clarify the fundamental meaning, all should be distinguished. There may be contact that is not nutriment: namely, contact that accords with suffering, sorrow, or a portion of equanimity. There may be nutriment that is not contact: namely, morsel, volition, and consciousness that can nurture the faculties and primary elements. There may be what is both contact and nutriment: namely, contact that assists and benefits the two feelings of joy and pleasure as well as a portion of equanimity, benefiting the faculties, primary elements, and so forth. There may be what is neither contact nor nutriment: namely, the three—morsel, volition, and consciousness—that are not nutriment. There may be volition that is not nutriment: namely, [volition] taking the past, present, or future as object that cannot assist and benefit the faculties and primary elements. There may be nutriment that is not volition: namely, the other three nutriments. There may be what is both volition and nutriment: namely, volition associated with desire that takes the future as object and benefits the faculties and primary elements. As for "and so on to the four alternatives": namely, the other three that are non-nutriment. There may be consciousness that is not nutriment: namely, consciousness not sustained by the [other] three that cannot nurture the faculties and primary elements. There may be nutriment that is not consciousness: namely, the other three nutriments. The third alternative: consciousness sustained by the preceding three that can benefit the faculties and primary elements. The fourth alternative: the preceding three that are non-nutriment. Because each of these four has four alternatives, the fifth fascicle of the Abhidharmasamuccaya states: "Because of transformation, there are those with transformation. Because of [having] an object realm, there are those with an object realm. Because of hope, there are those with hope. Because of appropriation, there are those with appropriation." Appropriation means taking objects. Or "having appropriation" is an alternative name for sāsrava (contaminating). Because in each one there is the affirmative and negative, this meaning is established. In this way, it is collectively called the fulfillment of the characteristics of nutriment.