釋禪波羅蜜次第法門 6.87

6.87

Furthermore, the mind of benevolence vows to cause sentient beings to attain happiness, so this retribution naturally ought to experience happiness. Among the three realms, the Śubhakṛtsna heaven is the most joyful, which is why it is said that its merit culminates in Śubhakṛtsna. With the mind of compassion, one observes the old age, sickness, and injuries of sentient beings; the practitioner's mind of pity arises, [thinking]: 'How can I cause them to be freed from suffering?' If one eliminates internal suffering, external suffering returns; if one strives to eliminate external suffering, mental suffering returns. The practitioner contemplates: 'If there is a body, then there is suffering; only when there is no body can there be no suffering.' Space can dismantle form; therefore, its merit culminates in the station of space. The mind of sympathetic joy desires to grant happiness to sentient beings; when the mental consciousness rejoices, the mind manages to be separated from the body, like a bird leaving a cage. In the station of space, although the mind manages to leave the body, the mind is still tied to the station of space and cannot attain freedom from obstruction. In all phenomena there is mental consciousness; because consciousness attains sovereign boundlessness, the merit of sympathetic joy culminates in the station of consciousness. As for the mind of equanimity, one relinquishes suffering and happiness among sentient beings and thus attains the true dharma, namely, the station of nothingness; for this reason, the merit of the mind of equanimity culminates in the station of nothingness. If the merits of the four immeasurable minds are explained in this way, it is solely because the wisdom and expedient means of the noble ones are sovereign that it is like this, and not so for ordinary persons. Why is this? Ordinary persons abide in the first dhyāna up to the fourth dhyāna, cultivating the four immeasurables, and receive retribution in accordance with the dhyāna; they cannot skillfully enter the formless [realms] through expedient means to cultivate the four immeasurables.