維摩經疏卷第三．第六 6.31

6.31

The meaning of the four foods is analyzed through six sections: first, explaining the names and how they are derived; second, showing the essence; third, clarifying the establishment; fourth, distinguishing the differences; fifth, presence or absence in realms and destinies; sixth, questions and answers with brief selections. First, explaining the names and how they are derived has two parts: general and specific. First, in general: 'four' is the number; 'food' is the function. The name is derived from the number and the function. Or alternatively, among the six types of compound analysis, it is a numeral determinative compound (dvigu-tatpuruṣa). Second, specific names: First, morsel food (kavaḍīkārāhāra). 'Morsel' means segmented form, which is shape and appearance. 'Food' means nourishing the sense faculties and primary elements. Thus it takes its name from shape, appearance, and function. Or alternatively, 'morsel' is precisely the food of mortals, taking its name from its actual essence. Second, contact food (sparśāhāra). Touching against external sense objects is called 'contact'. Touching objects benefits the body, hence it is called 'food'. It takes its name from its function. Or alternatively, contact is itself food, taking its name from its actual essence. Third, mental volition food (manaḥsañcetanāhāra). Having expectation is called 'volition'. Volition can nourish, hence it is called 'food'. It takes its name from its function. Or alternatively, volition is itself food, taking its name from its actual essence. Fourth, consciousness food (vijñānāhāra). Having the nature of discernment is called 'consciousness'. Consciousness is itself food, taking its name from its actual essence. Or alternatively, the eighth consciousness holding and maintaining is called 'food', taking its name from its function. Second, showing the essence: distinguishing the essence has two perspectives: the Hīnayāna and the Mahāyāna. In the Hīnayāna, according to the Sarvāstivāda school's Saṃyuktābhidharmahṛdaya and so forth, morsel food has the three sense objects of scent, taste, and tangibles as its essence, because they are perceived upon contact and nourish one's own faculties; contact food and volition food have the two mental factors of contact and volition among the universal mental factors (sarvatraga) as their essence; consciousness food has the mind-king of the six consciousnesses as its essence. According to the Sautrāntika school, the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra, and so forth, morsel food has the four sense objects of form, scent, taste, and tangibles as its essence; [contact] food has provisional tangibles formed by conditions such as cold and warmth as its essence; volition food has the volitional mind that desires and seeks food as its essence; consciousness food comprehensively takes the five consciousnesses, the mental consciousness succeeding the five consciousnesses, and the solitary mental consciousness as its essence. In the Mahāyāna, according to the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra and so forth, morsel food has the three sense objects of scent, taste, and tangibles as its essence; [contact] food has the mental factor of contact among the universal mental factors as its essence; although contact pervades the seventh and eighth [consciousnesses], its meaning as food is superior when associated with the six consciousnesses; volition food likewise has the mental factor of volition among the universal mental factors as its essence; although this volition is associated with all consciousnesses, its meaning as food is superior when belonging to the mental consciousness; consciousness food has the ālayavijñāna as its essence; although this consciousness pervades the seventh and eighth, the eighth's meaning as food is superior. Third, establishment: relying on the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, there are four functions: first, vigor; second, joy; third, expectation; fourth, maintenance. The faculties and primary elements nourish the physical body through morsel food because of vigor; through contact food, receiving and benefiting joy, they can nourish the faculties and primary elements; through volition food, focused expectation causes the physical faculties to be nourished in succession; through consciousness food, the faculties and primary elements are sustained without interruption. In response to these four functions, the four foods are established. Fourth, distinguishing the differences: according to Asvabhāva's Commentary on the Mahāyānasaṃgraha, food has four kinds: First, food of abiding for an impure basis, which refers to ordinary beings of the desire realm, who due to having afflictions are called an 'impure basis'—that is, the body is an impure body—and because they abide depending on these four foods, it is called the food of abiding for an impure basis. Second, food of abiding for a pure-and-impure basis, which refers to noble persons with training (śaikṣa) and ordinary beings of the form and formless realms; for noble persons with training, the complete severance of the afflictions of view is called 'pure', while the afflictions of meditation not yet exhausted are called 'impure'; for ordinary beings, having attained the higher absorptions and suppressed or severed the afflictions of the desire realm stage is called 'pure', while not having separated from the higher afflictions is called 'impure'; because they abide nourished by these four foods, it is called the food of abiding for a pure-and-impure basis. Third, food of abiding for a pure basis, which refers to arhats and pratyekabuddhas who have completely severed the afflictions of view and meditation and are called 'pure'; because they abide depending on these four foods, it is called the food of abiding for a pure basis. Fourth, food of abiding through manifestation: the buddhas, Tathāgatas, and bodhisattvas of great majesty and virtue do not rely on the nourishment of food, but manifest receiving food to cause the body to abide. 'Bodhisattvas of great majesty and virtue' refers to those on the eighth stage and above who realize unprompted, effortless majesty and virtue and manifest with sovereignty. Or it could be said that those on the first stage and above who attain the ten kinds of sovereignty are called [having] 'majesty and virtue'. Or alternatively, they are those of the two vehicles who turn their minds toward the Mahāyāna and receive the majesty and virtue of transformation-parīṇāmikī sovereignty; these bodhisattvas' transformation bodies and minds do not depend on the nourishment of food, but merely raise transformation-bodies to manifest receiving food. The fragrant cooked rice here is precisely the fourth, the food of abiding through manifestation. Or alternatively, it is Dharma-food whose nature is uncontaminated (anāsrava), not subsumed under the four foods such as morsel food. Fifth, presence or absence in realms and destinies: the desire realm completely possesses the four foods; the form realm and formless realm possess only three foods, because morsel food exists only in the desire realm. If classified by the five destinies, humans and devas are known; the lower three evil destinies also completely possess the four foods. The Yogācārabhūmi says that beings in hell also have subtle morsel food, meaning that within the viscera there is a subtle wind, and through this condition they are able to abide for a long time. Sixth, questions, answers, and differentiation: Question: Is whatever is a segmented thing necessarily food? Answer: According to what is appropriate, a fourfold proposition (catuṣkoṭi) should be constructed: there may be a segmented thing that is not food, namely segmented things that cannot nourish the faculties and primary elements; there may be what is food but not a segmented thing, namely the other three foods which lack segmented form; there may be what is both food and a segmented thing, namely morsel foods that can cause the faculties and primary elements to be nourished; there may be what is neither segmented nor food, namely contacts, volitions, consciousnesses, and so forth that cannot nourish the faculties and primary elements. The remainder likewise form fourfold propositions according to what is appropriate. Question: Sleep, dreams, celibacy (brahmacarya), and meditative equipoise (samāpatti) can all nourish the faculties and primary elements; why are they not established as food? Answer: Nourishment has two kinds: first, nourishment by distinct inclusion, which means nourishing the faculties to make them bright and flourishing; second, nourishment by preventing harm, which can maintain the faculties and primary elements free of damage. Dreams and so forth possess the latter nourishment, but lack the former; therefore they are not established [as food]. Question: The factors included under mental states (caitta) are of fifty-one kinds; why are contact and volition uniquely designated as food while the rest are not established? Answer: Because contact with objects benefits the body, and expectation benefits the mind; therefore these two are established as food, while the others are not called food. Question: Are these four foods contaminated (sāsrava) or uncontaminated (anāsrava)? Answer: They are only contaminated. Why is this? Because through these four foods the existent body is nourished, whereas uncontaminated phenomena can destroy the existent body, hence they are not called food. If considered according to the Mahāyāna, being maintained by the joy and bliss of the Dharma-flavor, uncontaminated phenomena can also maintain and nourish the life of wisdom, and are also called food. The fragrant cooked rice of great compassion is also identical to this. Question: Among the three natures, which nature subsumes the four foods such as morsel food? Answer: The two foods of morsel and consciousness are strictly morally indeterminate (avyākṛta) in nature; volition and contact foods in principle pervade the three natures. Question: Morsel food has visible form and can be manifested; the other three are mental—how can they be manifested? Answer: Mind can also be manifested. As the Buddhabhūmi-śāstra states, the transformation-bodies of all buddhas have other-dependent mind (paratantra-citta) and have no self-dependent mind; other-dependent mind is the transformation-mind of the objective aspect (nimitta-bhāga). Furthermore, the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: 'Transforming immeasurable sentient beings, causing them to have minds.' Therefore, we know that mind can also be manifested. It is precisely due to the inconceivable samādhi of all buddhas and bodhisattvas that they can all transform and produce formless phenomena. If the buddhas did not manifest transformation-minds, how could the two vehicles, ordinary beings, animals, and so forth know the Buddha's mind? Even tenth-stage bodhisattvas themselves cannot know the Bhagavat's true mind.