釋禪波羅蜜次第法門 7.32

7.32

特勝者，從因緣得名。如佛未出世時，外道等並已修得四禪、四空，而無對治觀行，故不出生死。如來成道，初為拘隣及舍利弗等利根弟子說四真諦，即得道跡。復為摩訶迦葉、絺那等直聞四諦真理不悟，更說不淨觀法對治，破諸煩惱。因此初明九想、背捨等諸不淨觀禪。爾時修此觀者，得道無量。復有一機眾生，貪欲既薄，若厭惡心重，作不淨觀，即大生厭患，便增惡此身，無漏未發，即顧人自害，此事如律文所明，佛因此告諸比丘捨不淨觀，更修勝法，法名十六特勝，修之可以得道。此十六特勝有定有觀，是中具足諸禪，以喜、樂等法愛養故，則無自害之過，而有實觀觀察，不著諸禪，所以能發無漏。既進退從容，不隨二邊，亦能得道，故名特勝。

"Sublime practices" derives its name from causes and conditions. Before the Buddha appeared in the world, non-Buddhists and others had already cultivated and attained the four dhyānas and the four formless [absorptions], but lacking counteractive contemplation practice, they did not transcend birth and death. When the Tathāgata realized the Way, he first taught the four noble truths to sharp-facultied disciples such as Kauṇḍinya and Śāriputra, who thereupon attained the tracks of the Way. Furthermore, for Mahākāśyapa, Channa, and others who did not awaken upon directly hearing the truth of the four truths, he additionally taught the method of contemplating impurity to counteract and break through the afflictions. For this reason, he initially clarified dhyānas of contemplating impurity, such as the nine notions and the liberations. At that time, those who cultivated this contemplation and attained the Way were immeasurable. There was another type of sentient being whose greed and desire were already slight; if their mind of aversion was strong and they performed the contemplation of impurity, they gave rise to great disgust and weariness, thereby coming to loathe this body even more. Before undefiledness had arisen, they would hire someone to kill them, an incident just as explained in the Vinaya texts. Because of this, the Buddha told the monks to abandon the contemplation of impurity and cultivate a more sublime practice, named the sixteen sublime practices, by cultivating which one can attain the Way. These sixteen sublime practices possess both stabilization and contemplation, and within them all dhyānas are fully contained. Because they are cherished and nourished by factors such as joy and bliss, there is no fault of self-harm; and because they have real contemplation to observe [phenomena], one does not cling to the dhyānas, so that one can give rise to undefiledness. Since one moves forward and backward with ease and does not follow the two extremes, and can also attain the Way, they are called "sublime practices."