法苑珠林 71.66

71.66

Since there is no benefit of the Dharma and one also loses worldly joy, having realized its fault, one must urgently discard it. As for what is called 'regret': if there were restlessness without regret, it would not constitute a hindrance. Why? Because during restlessness, one is still engaged with sensory conditions; later, when wishing to enter meditative absorption, only then does one regret what was done previously, and distress and worry cover the mind—hence it is called a hindrance. This has two types: first, arising regret following restlessness, as explained before; second, a person who has committed great, grave transgressions constantly harbors fear, like a poisonous arrow entering the heart, firmly stuck and unshakeable. As a verse in the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra says: