六妙法門 1.7

1.7

二者「隨」為妙門者，行者因隨息故，即能出生十六特勝，所謂：一、知息入，二、知息出，三、知息長短，四、知息遍身，五、除諸身行，六、心受喜，七、心受樂，八、受諸心行，九、心作喜，十、心作攝，十一、心作解脫，十二、觀無常，十三、觀出散，十四、觀離欲，十五、觀滅，十六、觀棄捨。云何觀棄捨？此觀破非想處惑。所以者何？凡夫修非想時，觀有想處如癕、如瘡，觀無想處如癡也。第一妙定，名曰「非想」。作是念已，即棄捨有想、無想，名「非有想非無想」，故知非想即是兩捨之義。今佛弟子觀行破折，義如前說，是故深觀棄捨，不著非想，能得涅槃。「隨」為妙門，意在此也。

Second, as for "following" as the wondrous gate: because the practitioner follows the breath, they are able to give rise to the sixteen superior characteristics, namely: 1. knowing the breath enters; 2. knowing the breath leaves; 3. knowing the length of the breath; 4. knowing the breath pervades the body; 5. eliminating bodily formations; 6. the mind experiencing joy; 7. the mind experiencing bliss; 8. experiencing mental formations; 9. the mind generating joy; 10. the mind generating concentration; 11. the mind generating liberation; 12. contemplating impermanence; 13. contemplating dissipation; 14. contemplating freedom from desire; 15. contemplating cessation; 16. contemplating relinquishment. What is contemplating relinquishment? This contemplation deconstructs the delusions of the sphere of neither-perception. Why is this? When ordinary persons cultivate neither-perception, they contemplate the sphere with perception as like a boil or like a sore, and they contemplate the sphere without perception as like idiocy. The foremost wondrous absorption is named "neither-perception." Having formed this thought, they then relinquish both having perception and having no perception, which is named "neither having perception nor having no perception"; therefore, one knows that neither-perception has the meaning of relinquishing both. Now, when a disciple of the Buddha deconstructs it through contemplative practice, the meaning is as explained above; therefore, deeply contemplating relinquishment and not attaching to neither-perception, they are able to attain nirvāṇa. That "following" is the wondrous gate—its meaning lies in this.