大乘法苑義林章 5.9

5.9

Fifth, the section of questions, answers, and determinations. Question: Since afflictions exist throughout all nine stages, why are three fruits established only within the desire realm? Answer: The desire realm possesses all three natures and three feelings; being turbulent and manifold in rebirths, many fruits are established there. The higher realms are purely meditative stages, free from much turbulence, so many fruits are not established there. Question: In the four fruits there are two kinds: first, taking the conditioned; second, taking the unconditioned. Which of these two is superior? Answer: Taking the conditioned is superior, because it bears the meaning of progressive attainment. How could unconditioned dharmas have the meaning of progressive attainment? Because the unconditioned has no progressive attainment, the former interpretation is superior. Question: In which path, the uninterrupted path or the path of liberation, is the fruit established? Answer: The fruit is established only in the path of liberation, because the path of liberation achieves the fruit with complete fulfillment. Question: Why take only liberation? Answer: It is only in the path of liberation that one attains the fruit and relinquishes the candidate, attains the superior and relinquishes the inferior. Furthermore, the path of liberation is able to realize the unconditioned, and for this reason it is taken. Question: Why is the unconditioned of the path of seeing not taken in the candidate, but taken in the fruit? What is the meaning of this? Question: In establishing the fruits, what does it mean to enter the eight knowledges and sixteen aspects? Answer: It takes the higher and lower knowledges of the eight truths. The 'sixteen aspects' takes suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and so forth. Question: When a non-returner who is to undergo rebirth is about to die, regarding the meaning of attaining the fruit: is it not the case that undergoing rebirth means he definitely will not be born in higher realms, because having severed afflictions completely, there is no cause for rebirth in the desire realm? Answer: There are two explanations. One explanation says: with respect to the body of a non-returner, he definitely attains the fruit, and there is certainly no dying [before doing so]. The second explanation says: Question: Why are noble ones not born into intermediate dhyāna, and why do they not rely on it to attain the noble path? Answer: It lacks many superior functions, so they do not rely on that mind. Moreover, it has many obstacles and difficulties, so they are not born there. Question: Under which realm is the initial not-yet-arrived subsumed? Question: What is the difference between bodily realization and twofold liberation? Answer: The two are distinct as cause and fruit. 'Bodily realization' is subsumed under cause; 'twofold liberation' is included under fruit. Question: Take, for example, the first fruit, which is itself the candidate for the second fruit; what difference is there between them? Answer: Although one has attained the first fruit, if one has not advanced to sever the afflictions to be abandoned by cultivation, one is merely called 'abiding in the fruit' and not 'a candidate'. If, having attained the fruit, one advances to sever the afflictions to be abandoned by cultivation, one is subsumed under the candidate according to what is appropriate. Question: Can there be one who is both a candidate and a fruit? Can there be one who is a fruit and also a candidate? Answer: There are four permutations. There is one who is a fruit and not a candidate: namely, the intermediate two fruits in the state of not advancing to sever [afflictions]. There is one who is a candidate and not a fruit: namely, the candidate for the first fruit. There is one who is both candidate and fruit: namely, the intermediate two fruits in the state of advancing to sever [afflictions]. There is one who is neither fruit nor candidate: the opposite of the above should be understood. Question: When moistening rebirth, the upper-lower grade alone moistens half a rebirth, and the middle-lower two grades together moisten half a rebirth; how then does severing the eighth grade of desire establish 'one interval'? Question: Which intermediate existence does the non-returner who attains parinirvāṇa in the intermediate state take? Answer: He takes only dying in the desire realm and being born into the form realm; he takes this intermediate existence and no other. Question: Why is it like this? Answer: Rebirth from the desire realm back into the desire realm is turbulent due to the two natures. In rebirth from the form realm into the form realm, there is a single nature without revulsion. In rebirth from the form realm into the formless realm, there is no intermediate existence. Question: There are twenty-seven noble beings; why do various treatises speak only of four fruits? Answer: There are five meanings. First, relinquishing what was previously attained; second, attaining what was never before attained; third, assembling cultivation and severing, which means assembling all unconditioned [states] and severing all afflictions; fourth, suddenly attaining the eight knowledges; fifth, suddenly cultivating the sixteen aspects. Possessing these five meanings, establishing the four fruits presents no difficulty.