釋禪波羅蜜次第法門 6.10

6.10

問曰：如《摩訶衍》中假設問云：「是四禪中有四無量及十一切入等諸定，今何故別說？答曰：雖四禪中皆有是法，若不別說，人則不知其功德。譬如囊中有寶，若不示人，即無人知者。若欲示大福德，為說四無量心；患厭色如牢獄，為說四無色定；於緣中不得自在觀所緣，為說八勝處；若有遮道，不得通達，為說八背捨；心不調柔，不能從禪起，次第入禪，為說九次第定；不能得一切緣遍照隨意，為說十一切處。」

Question: In the Mahāyāna, a question is hypothetically posed: "These four dhyānas already contain the four immeasurables, the ten totality spheres, and various other absorptions; why are they now explained separately? Answer: Although all these dharmas exist within the four dhyānas, if they were not explained separately, people would not know their merits. For example, if there are jewels in a pouch and they are not shown to people, no one would know of them. Wishing to show great blessings and virtues, the four immeasurables are taught for them; for those who abhor form as a prison, the four formless absorptions are taught; for those who are not sovereign over focal objects and cannot contemplate objects of focus at will, the eight stations of mastery are taught; if there are hindrances to the path so that one cannot penetrate through, the eight liberations are taught; if the mind is not pliant and gentle and one cannot rise from dhyāna and enter dhyānas in sequence, the nine sequential absorptions are taught; if one cannot universally illuminate all focal objects at will, the ten totality spheres are taught."