大乘法苑義林章 4.31

4.31

Revealing their mental aspects: The twenty-ninth fascicle of the Kośa states: 'Having internal perception of physical form and contemplating external physical forms is called the first liberation. Internally not having subdued the seer's perception of physical form, and contemplating external physical forms as impure, is called contemplating external physical forms.' Here it is not so. According to the text of the Abhidharmasamuccaya: 'A beginner's body is in the desire realm; having already abandoned desire for the desire realm, but having not yet subdued the seer's perception of physical form dependent on the formless absorptions because they have not abandoned desire for the form realm. If one of long practice has already abandoned desire for form, the seer's perception of physical form is established before them, and they contemplate all internal and external physical forms of the desire realm, forming the perception of light. Because the first three liberations induce the spheres of mastery and spheres of totality, they contemplate the few or many forms subsumed under the spheres of mastery, forming the perception of light. Because it removes hindrances to magical transformation, one forms the perception of light; because it does not remove greedy desire, one does not form the perception of impurity.' The Yogācārabhūmi merely says: 'Having not attained the formless absorptions and not abandoned defilement of the form realm, one contemplates external forms. That this is the first liberation is stated solely relying on beginners.' Regarding the second liberation, the Kośabhāṣya states: 'Internally having subdued the seer's perception of physical form, and contemplating solely external objects as impure, is called having no perception of internal physical form and contemplating external physical forms.' In the Mahāyāna it is not so. According to the Abhidharmasamuccaya: 'A beginner has already subdued the seer's perception of physical form relying on the formless absorptions. One of long practice may have the seer's perception of non-form established before them, and contemplates external physical forms as having few or many marks; unlike the first, which contemplates both internal and external forms as light, because one has not attained mastery. This [second one] solely contemplates those forms for which desire has already been abandoned, taking them as few or many, which is called contemplating external physical forms. Because one has already abandoned defilement, it is designated with the name "external". As the contemplating mind gradually becomes superior, the contemplation is slightly condensed.' Therefore the Yogācārabhūmi states: 'Furthermore, not conceptualizing that perception's aspect of light, one merely forms a resolute belief regarding external forms, namely contemplating them as few or many, without forming [the perception of] light and so forth. If one has already attained dispassion toward a certain sphere, that is described as external.' Hence, solely contemplating forms for which defilement has been abandoned is named 'external'. Moreover, because the first liberation's contemplation of forms does not say 'external', and its 'internal possession of forms' does not say 'internal', it universally takes internal and external forms of sense faculties, sense objects, and so forth, forming the perception of light. Therefore, now in this second, 'internally possessing form' means possessing forms of faculties and so forth; its 'contemplating external forms' solely contemplates external sense objects as few or many, not taking faculties and so forth as few or many. The Yogācārabhūmi also states: 'The absorptions of the formless realm do not become manifest before [them]'—this states that contemplating external forms does not rely on formless absorptions, because formless absorptions cannot take external forms as objects. In the above two liberations, the former forms the perception of light, and the latter forms the perception of few or many; the former is broad and the latter is narrow, and the two contemplations differ. The twentieth fascicle of the Xianyang states: 'These two liberations remove the hindrance to magical transformation, in order to attain mastery over magical transformation. Since magical transformation universally exists in the four dhyānas, the first two liberations universally rely on the four dhyānas, but only in the fundamental stages, not the preliminary stages. In those aspiring practices, there are no fruition effects of supernormal powers, whereas this leisurely practice has fruition effects of supernormal powers.' This is unlike the Kośa, where the first two dhyānas can remove greed for color forms in the desire realm and first dhyāna, and therefore perform the contemplation of impurity. Regarding the third liberation, the Kośabhāṣya states: 'Transforming into a pure aspect, one forms the understanding of pure radiance because of the transformation of the mental aspect. It is only in the fourth dhyāna, free from the eight afflictions, that the mind is clarified and pure. Although other stages have similar liberations, they are not established as such because they are not predominant.' Now in the Mahāyāna, it means that if someone has already attained the perfection and pure clarity of equanimity and mindfulness, relying on this they cultivate and fully complete the pure noble practice; regarding internal pure and impure forms, they have already attained the perception of reciprocal relativity, the perception of reciprocal interpenetration, and the perception of reciprocal single flavor—this is the mental aspect of the third liberation. That is to say, relative to pure forms, other forms are called impure, not without relativity; if one only saw a single type, the two notions of pure and impure would not exist—this is called the first perception. Moreover, the nature of impurity penetrates into the pure, and the nature of purity penetrates into the impure, because within that which is covered by thin skin and mutually called pure, there are actually thirty-six kinds of impure substances—this is the second perception. In this way, through reciprocal [relation], combining all forms into a single flavor of pure perceptual understanding is the third perception; only then is it called an accomplishment. It is solely in the stage of the fourth dhyāna, because it possesses the purity of equanimity and mindfulness, because the treatises state it transcends all suffering and pleasure, because all disturbances have been stilled, and because it has been thoroughly polished. The other stages are not so; hence it is solely in the fourth. This also involves having no perception of internal form while contemplating external forms; because this was already explained previously, it is briefly omitted, and a distinct designation is established. Regarding the next four formless liberations, the Kośabhāṣya states: 'They have the wholesome [states] of the four formless absorptions as their nature; they are not neutral or defiled, because those are not liberations. Nor are they scattered wholesome [states], because their nature is subtle and weak. The liberation path of the preliminary stage also attains the name of liberation. The uninterrupted path is not so, because its cognitive object is inferior. That must turn away from the lower stage to be named liberation; hence it mostly speaks of the fundamental, because the preliminary stage is not complete.' Now in the Mahāyāna, all have already abandoned desire for their own stage, and relying on their own fundamental stage, re-contemplate their own object, cultivating resolute belief, so as to push hindrances further away and induce superior virtues. That is to say, if someone has already attained dispassion toward that sphere of space, they cultivate resolute belief regarding space; this is called the mental aspect of the liberation of the sphere of space. Having already attained dispassion toward that sphere of consciousness, they cultivate resolute belief regarding that very consciousness; this is called the mental aspect of the liberation of the sphere of consciousness. Having already attained dispassion toward the sphere of nothingness, they cultivate resolute belief regarding the sphere of infinite consciousness; this is called the mental aspect of the liberation of the sphere of nothingness. The two names 'space' and 'consciousness' are designated from the mental aspect of their own stage's cognitive object. As for the sphere of nothingness, because 'absence of consciousness' is the name of its own stage, one cultivates resolute belief regarding the sphere of consciousness. Having already attained dispassion toward the stage of the summit of existence, one no longer forms resolute belief regarding anything else, up to universally throughout places where perception can arise, one should form resolute belief in that very place. The sphere of nothingness is named the place where perception arises; now taking this mind and mental factors of nothingness as object is called neither perception nor non-perception, and therefore one universally cultivates resolute belief regarding this. This will be understood below. The above explanation of abandoning defilement is stated in reliance on the beyond-training [level]. Therefore the Yogācārabhūmi states: 'The first seven liberations generate resolute belief regarding that from which one is already liberated.' Attained by bodily realization: if according to the Weishi, there are explanations by two masters. One says: By subduing defilements of the first dhyāna and above, one attains the absorption of cessation. The second says: By subduing defilements of the fourth dhyāna and above, one attains the absorption of cessation; defilements below the sphere of nothingness can be subdued, pushing hindrances further away and inducing superior virtues. The single stage of the summit of existence is definitely not yet subdued. Therefore, the twelfth fascicle of the Yogācārabhūmi states: regarding the two liberations of space and consciousness, there are words stating abandonment of defilement of their own stages; regarding the upper two stages, there are no words stating abandonment of defilement of their own stages, because they are elliptical statements regarding those in training and beyond training. They are established solely in the fundamental, not the preliminary stages. Regarding the liberation of cessation, both the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna state that it is identical with the absorption of cessation without mental aspect, because it discards perception and feeling. However, when about to enter it, there are two mental aspects, namely relying on the mark of the stage of neither perception nor non-perception and the mark of the signless realm, because the initial cultivation and the long-familiarized entries differ.