釋禪波羅蜜次第法門 7.32

7.32

"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."