釋禪波羅蜜次第法門 7.44

7.44

"Now, in explaining the four applications of mindfulness, to say that there are four within each application—four times four making sixteen—is also reasonable in meaning. As for what was said earlier about the application of mindfulness to the body having four, and that eliminating bodily activities belongs to the body, this meaning is not so. Why is this? If mind and breath are bodily activities, as the Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra states: 'Breath pertains generally to all three activities, not merely belonging to bodily activities.' Now, to properly explain bodily activity, as the Mahāyāna[-upadeśa] states: 'Activity refers to bodily karma.' We now clarify that all wholesome and unwholesome karma arises from the mind. The body's breath is an insentient phenomenon, incapable of creating good or evil, merely acting as a condition for activity. Now, the body uses the mind to receive a body, causing the body to act, which is called 'body.' Now we clarify that activity breaks the receiving mind, which is precisely breaking activity. Therefore we know that this belongs to the application of mindfulness to sensations, and one should know that sensations also fully possess four practices. As for what was said earlier about dharmas having five, and that contemplating impermanence belongs to the application of mindfulness to dharmas, this is also not so. Why is this? The sūtras all say, 'Contemplate the mind as impermanent, contemplate dharmas as non-self.' Now clarifying the contemplation of impermanence refers precisely to the application of mindfulness to the mind. In this way, each of the four has four, four times four making sixteen, which is more convenient in meaning."