法苑珠林 26.10

26.10

又薩婆多論。問曰。願智宿命智有何差別。答宿命智知過去。願智知三世。宿命智知有漏。願智二俱兼知。宿命智知自身過去。願智自他兼知。宿命智知一身二身次第得知。願智一念超知百劫。古時畜生所以能語。今時畜生所以不能語。謂劫初時先有人天未有三惡。盡從人天中來。以宿習近故。是以能語。今時畜生多從三惡道中來。是以不語。又婆沙論說。謂於生處自性能知過去宿命及知他心。於其生處不假修因自性而知。此智遍通五趣。然有強弱。三塗及天此四趣中作用則強。若在人趣用則微弱。何故如是。為人趣中有瞻相言智及有修禪發智乃至他心法等智。為此等智之所覆隱。是故雖有作用微隱不現。

Furthermore, the *Sarvāstivāda-śāstra* states: Question: What is the difference between aspirational cognition (praṇidhi-jñāna) and the cognition of past lives (pūrvanivāsānusmṛti-jñāna)? Answer: Cognition of past lives knows the past; aspirational cognition knows the three times. Cognition of past lives knows what has outflows; aspirational cognition knows both together. Cognition of past lives knows past states of one's own body; aspirational cognition knows both oneself and others. Cognition of past lives knows sequentially one life, two lives, and so on; aspirational cognition surpasses this in a single thought-moment to know hundreds of kalpas. Why were animals in ancient times able to speak, whereas animals in present times cannot speak? At the beginning of the kalpa, there were first humans and devas, and there were not yet the three evil destinies; [the animals] all came from among humans and devas, and because their past habituation was recent, they were able to speak. Animals in present times mostly come from within the three evil destinies, and therefore do not speak. Furthermore, the *Vibhāṣā-śāstra* says: This refers to inherently being able to know past lives and knowing others' minds at the place of birth; at that place of birth, without relying on cultivating causes, one knows inherently. This cognition extends generally through all five destinies, yet it has degrees of strength and weakness. In the three wretched paths and among devas, within these four destinies its function is strong. If in the human destiny, its function is feeble and weak. Why is this so? Because in the human destiny there are cognitions of judging signs and speech, cognitions produced from cultivating dhyāna, and even cognitions of the minds of others and so forth; it is obscured by such cognitions as these. Therefore, although it exists, its function is subtle, hidden, and unmanifest.