止觀輔行傳弘決 5.56.2

5.56.2

Question: Among the eighty-eight [afflictions], since what is severed by the first fruit (srotāpanna) consists only of the afflictions of view, why are there fifty-two [afflictions] of thought among them? Answer: This thought relies upon views, and views serve as its root; when views alone are severed, the root is broken and the branches wither. If it were the thought that is deluded about phenomenal matters, it would not be subsumed here. Therefore, the text states that it is love for one's own dharmas, which directly points to the five views as being one's own dharmas. Question: Why is there no doubt among what is severed by cultivation? Answer: It has already been severed in the path of seeing, so in principle there should rightly be no doubt. Below, where the remaining three views are merely analogized to existence, the three views can thus be understood; they merely take non-existence and the like as their root, such as reckoning 'I am non-existent,' up to 'neither existent nor non-existent.' Below, where it says 'if traversing,' this explains traversing the sixty-two [views], each generating eighty-eight [afflictions]. 'Lan' (pronounced li + dan, or li + dan): 'lan' refers to unrestrained, roaming waves. 'Man' also means dispersed, loose, and unrestrained. This says that these inverted delusions are as unrestrained as waves. Below, where it says 'fifty calibrations,' this clarifies the generation of the one hundred and eight. This sūtra was translated by An Shigao in the Later Han, and its presentation of dharmic marks is slightly different from other sūtras. The sūtra says: The Buddha was in Rājagṛha, and the bodhisattvas of the ten directions asked the Buddha: 'Why are the causes and conditions of the conditioned formations not the same?' The Buddha said: 'Calibrating the five sense faculties and the mental consciousness serves as the root of all dharmas, through which one attains the wisdom of the Buddhas of the ten directions.' They asked: 'How does one practice the path completely?' 'One who constantly guards the faculties and consciousness and cultivates calibration is a wise bodhisattva; if one does not cultivate calibration, one is a foolish bodhisattva.' They asked: 'Why is not cultivating calibration being foolish, while cultivating calibration is being wise?' The Buddha answered with fifty dharmas, and within every single dharma it spoke of calibration, which is why it is called the fifty calibrations. Within every single dharma there are one hundred and eight: first exhausting the one hundred and eight foolishnesses, next exhausting the one hundred and eight desires, up to attaining the one hundred and eight true realizations and the one hundred and eight exhaustive powers. The bodhisattvas asked: 'What are the one hundred and eight?' The Buddha said: 'Having a thought and not knowing it oneself, where within the arising and ceasing of mind there is aggregate and there is accumulation, not knowing it is foolishness. Proceeding into the mental ground is also like this, and consciousness is also like this; these are the three of the mind. Seeing good form, intermediate form, or bad form, not knowing attachment oneself, not knowing cessation oneself, having aggregate and having accumulation, up to contact being also like this.' That sūtra merely lists six for each of the six sense faculties, and although it lacks the words 'three periods of time,' it concludes by stating one hundred and eight; thus we know it treats the kṣaṇa as the three periods of time. Since it takes the three—mind, thought, and consciousness—as the three of the mental ground, they thus pervade the three periods of time. For instance, accumulation and arising is called 'mind,' deliberation is called 'thought,' and distinctive knowing is called 'consciousness.' Since the three of the mind are like this, they cause the five sense faculties upon which they rely to be likewise. Because the three periods of time each have thirty-six, there are thus one hundred and eight. The sūtra further asks: 'Supposing I know the cessation of the one hundred and eight foolishnesses, is that foolish or wise?' The Buddha said: 'Not yet wise.' The bodhisattvas said: 'Why is that so?' The Buddha said: 'There are still one hundred and eight foolishnesses, up to not having yet attained the one hundred and eight exhaustive powers.' Because in thought after thought they do not leave the six sense faculties and the kṣaṇas of the three periods of time, each and every view has one hundred and eight, up to fifty sets of one hundred and eight afflictions. Therefore that sūtra states: 'With every stir of the mind and movement of thought, saṃsāra is endless.' If based on the Dazhidulun, the six sense faculties each have three feelings, the three feelings correspond to the three dusts (sense objects), and the three periods of time yield one hundred and eight. This discusses the three periods of time in terms of karmic retribution. In the various treatises, they furthermore add the ten entanglements to the eighty-eight to make ninety-eight, and add the ten contemplations to total one hundred and eight. As for the ten entanglements, the treatise states: 'The eight entanglements are shamelessness, remorselessness, jealousy, stinginess, along with regret and torpor, as well as restlessness and drowsiness; or ten by adding anger and concealment.' Thus we know that in thought after thought there are many hundreds and eights, their underlying principle implicit and their meanings distinct. The Dazhidulun also summarily subsumes the sixty-two views with the fourteen unanswerable questions, meaning four propositions for each of the three periods of time, along with the two root propositions. When such questions are raised, one should not provide an answer. Below, where it says 'one should know,' this is the conclusion. The mind is dim and the eyes are blind: blind, thus they do not see; dim, thus they do not awaken. This means that with ignorance the mind is dim and the eye of wisdom is blind, so that they neither see nor awaken to the principle of the truth of reality. Below, where it says 'worldly lecturers,' this refutes their error. Because they do not know that all alike are views, they erroneously make selections and rejections, which is the lecturers' own private interpretation. Below, where it says 'these words,' this clarifies that their erroneous views 'contravene the sūtras and betray their own minds.' Worldly people merely say that the first and third are views while the second and fourth are not views, in which case there is only half among the sixty-two, which is why it says 'deficient and missing,' and thus contravenes the sūtras. As for 'betraying their own minds,' if they truly hold this view, there is merely the error of contravening the sūtras; but if they secretly know [the truth] yet speak falsely, then there is the fault of betraying their own minds. Below, where it says 'Mūlamadhyamakakārikā,' this provisionally verifies that both existence and non-existence are reckonings of inherent nature, and reckoning is precisely view. Since non-existence is established as a view, one should know that the fourth proposition is also entirely a view. Below, where it says 'furthermore this,' it proves that non-existence is not realization, so we know it belongs to view. Below, where it says 'the various heterodox practitioners,' this is what is attained by deviant people, proving and verifying that it is view. The opening text generally brings up what is reckoned by the heterodox to discern the errors of the persons. As for 'the views of the original kalpa,' the thirteenth fascicle of the Dīrgha Āgama states: 'The Buddha told the Brahmin Supratiṣṭha: "These views of the original and the subsequent do not exceed sixty-two. The views of the original kalpa are eighteen, and the views of the subsequent kalpa are forty-four, totaling sixty-two. As for the eighteen, there are four tetralemmas and two root [propositions]. As for the first tetralemma: first, seeing twenty kalpas of formation and destruction; second, seeing forty kalpas; third, seeing eighty kalpas; fourth, expounding through rapid wisdom (every single phrase says that the spirit and the world are eternal). As for the second tetralemma: first, I and the world are half-eternal and half-impermanent; second, reckoning that it arises from joking and play; third, reckoning that it arises from loss of mindfulness; fourth, expounding through rapid wisdom (elaborated as in the first proposition). As for the third tetralemma: first, the spirit and the world are bounded; second, unbounded; third, the vertical directions are bounded while the four horizontal directions are unbounded; fourth, expounding through rapid wisdom (elaborated as in the first proposition. The beginning of each of these three tetralemmas says: there may be a śramaṇa or brāhmaṇa who, through various expedient methods of concentrated mind, contemplates and sees twenty kalpas, etc.). As for the fourth tetralemma: first, 'I neither know nor see whether good and evil have retribution or no retribution'; second, 'I neither know nor see whether there is another world or no other world'; third, 'I neither know nor see what is good and what is evil'; fourth, being foolish, ignorant, and obtuse, answering according to what others ask (the head of each of these four propositions speaks of answering differently to different questions). As for the two root propositions: first, knowing with concentrated mind that sentient beings in the future exist without causes and conditions; second, expounding through rapid wisdom."