釋禪波羅蜜次第法門 6.65

6.65

'A mind accompanied by equanimity' means: the practitioner emerges from the absorption of sympathetic joy and contemplates within their mind: 'If loving-kindness gives sentient beings happiness, compassion wishes to eradicate their suffering, and sympathetic joy brings them delight and joy, yet I calculate that I am capable of benefiting them and fail to forget these two matters, then this is not superior practice. For example, a loving father who benefits his child without seeking gratitude is truly close. Furthermore, sentient beings attain happiness through many causes and conditions, not solely because of me; to say that I can give them happiness is an overstatement. Furthermore, giving happiness with the mind of loving-kindness is merely resolute conviction; sentient beings do not actually attain happiness. If one takes it to be real, that is delusion. Furthermore, when these sentient beings experience suffering and happiness, minds of sorrow and joy arise; the arising of minds of sorrow and joy is itself a fetter, difficult to liberate from. I now wish to bestow pure and wholesome dharmas, and should not abide in these three minds. Furthermore, although I have loving-kindness, compassion, and affection, it is of no benefit to them; I should now relinquish these three minds, practice all wholesome dharmas, and truly benefit sentient beings.' Having contemplated thus, they immediately abandon the three minds and single-mindedly make an aspiration: 'May all sentient beings attain the adornment of sublime equanimity, and may I see it all.' Having made this aspiration, they enter dhyāna absorption, and with a mind of pure mindfulness take the sign of dear ones experiencing neither-suffering-nor-happiness, focusing on it with single-mindedness. If there are other thoughts, they gather them back, making it distinctly clear in mental visualization, seeing the persons before them experiencing neither-suffering-nor-happiness. In this sequential order, they focus on neutral persons, hostile persons, and all sentient beings of the ten directions and the five destinies, all experiencing neither-suffering-nor-happiness, with a mind that is impartial. This is a brief explanation of the method of cultivating equanimity.