法苑珠林 26.10

26.10

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.