觀心論疏 3.16

3.16

Fifth, practicing the five dharmas means desire, vigor, mindfulness, skillful wisdom, and single-mindedness. 'Desire' means yearning for and seeking signless prajñā and the wondrous, supreme, perfect fruit, just as Sadāprarudita sought prajñā, desiring to see Dharmodgata, to hear the Prajñāpāramitā, with his mind and thought wholly set upon this without any other quest. 'Vigor' is like Sadāprarudita when seeking prajñā: vigorous in body and mind, giving no thought to day or night, fatigue, or food and drink, toiling earnestly morning and night, solely seeking prajñā without any other wish. 'Mindfulness' means only being mindful of when he might see the Bodhisattva Dharmodgata, only mindful of when he might hear the Prajñāpāramitā, and only mindful of when he might correspond with the pāramitā, without any other thought. 'Skillful wisdom' means contemplating and knowing to renounce the impermanent, perishable body to seek the adamantine body of the Tathāgata, and to discard impermanent life to seek the permanently abiding life-span of prajñā's wisdom; not only escaping this body of great tribulation, but obtaining the jewel of unsurpassable great benefit. Having contemplated this, even if he were to suffer exhausting hardship his whole life, he would not feel weary; this is why he took no thought of exhaustion or food and drink, but only thought of when he might sell his body, make offerings to Bodhisattva Dharmodgata, and get to hear prajñā. 'Single-mindedness' means exclusively maintaining the mind of the Middle Way, true-mark prajñā, without any thoughts of the two extremes; this is called single-mindedness. Up to this point, the two interpretations of phenomenon and principle have been briefly explained, and the exposition of the twenty-five skillful means is concluded. Although the meaning of these skillful means is not exceedingly profound and hidden, they are essential methods for beginners studying the Way and excellent guides for those returning to the source; thus all twenty-five kinds require skillful wisdom and single-mindedness to regulate the mind through skillful means and enter the correct path. Therefore the verse states: 'Asking: In contemplating the spontaneously arising mind, / How is it skillfully accomplished? / Through the twenty-five skillful means, / Regulating the mind to enter the correct path.' This is what it means.