四明尊者教行錄 3.48

3.48

Answer: Different texts present diverse explanations; I shall now attempt a rough presentation. As explained in the Āgama, the medium vehicle's contemplation of the characteristics of causes and conditions has both a reverse and a direct order. From ignorance to old age and death is called direct; from old age and death to ignorance is reverse; both arising and cessation are like this. This is a general statement. If we follow the Si nianchu, it thoroughly analyzes, investigates, and contemplates the characteristics of deconstruction: either taking the branch of craving as primary, or taking the branch of grasping as primary, also having direct and reverse orders. Take, for instance, craving as primary: one investigates from what cause greedy craving arises, and knows that this greed arises on account of craving, and so on up to formative action caused by ignorance, and ignorance caused by all past defilements. Again, directly tracing forward, this craving can give rise to grasping, grasping gives rise to becoming, and becoming gives rise to the future twenty-five states of existence and birth-and-death. If contemplating to deconstruct them: one contemplates craving as the contemplation of the nature of the present defiled five aggregates, and so on up to contemplating ignorance as the contemplation of the nature of the past defiled five aggregates. Furthermore, if contemplating becoming, it is the contemplation of the nature of the wholesome and unwholesome five aggregates, and so on up to contemplating future birth-and-death as the contemplation of the nature of indeterminate karmic fruition of birth-and-death. This is called investigating in reverse and direct orders to deconstruct the four inversions. When inversions cease, then ignorance ceases, and so on up to the cessation of old age and death. (The above briefly gathers the doctrinal meaning of the Si nianchu text.) Taking the branch of grasping as primary pertains to individuals with view delusions; the direct and reverse investigation and deconstruction follow the example of the craving branch. Furthermore, the Zhiguan explains that within the sphere of dhyāna, one relies on practice to discern manifestation, taking the branch of becoming as primary. Also, the Shiqian explains that the four teachings' contemplations of causes and conditions all arise from craving. That these various explanations differ is truly because capacities and natures are distinct, so their cultivation and entry are not equal. Now, in accordance with the Fuxing, the contemplation of causes and conditions is determined to be of two kinds: first, inferring the cause by examining the fruit; second, inferring the fruit by examining the cause. The Nianchu and the Zhiguan infer the fruit by examining the cause, whereas the Shiqian infers the cause by examining the fruit. However, between the meanings of these two kinds, the Nianchu should be taken as the standard, because it correctly accords with the meaning of causes and conditions. Since causes and conditions take ignorance as primary, now contemplating craving and grasping is just [contemplating] ignorance. Therefore, the Great Master extensively revealed the characteristics of practice, which truly lie right here.