瑜伽師地論 聲聞地 · 第二瑜伽處 · 所緣 · 遍滿+淨行

The prior unit made the "person" clear (the five modes of temperament); this unit compounds the "medicine" (the five settling-of-mind contemplations). The eye: the four images of the universal object = a map of tranquillity-and-insight; the four principles of the right contemplation of dependent origination; the sixteen excellent practices = the four foundations of mindfulness at the end of the counting of breaths (joining onto the factors of awakening in the following text).

In one line: The object opens into four sections (pervasive · conduct-purifying · skill · affliction-cleansing); this unit expounds the first two — the pervasive object (four images: endowed with discernment = insight / devoid of discernment = tranquillity, the nine abidings of the mind / the limit of the object = exhaustive-nature and such-as-it-is-nature / the consummation of what is to be done = the transformation of the basis, surpassing the image into direct perception; with the Revata Sūtra's "rest the mind upon a concordant object" appended) + the conduct-purifying five settling-of-mind contemplations (the impure treats greed 〔six impures · the corpse-changes of the charnel-road · treating the five greeds and the four licentious greeds〕 · loving-kindness treats hatred · the object-nature and dependent origination treat delusion 〔the four principles〕 · the differentiation of elements treats conceit 〔parting from the mark of the single unified〕 · mindfulness of breathing treats discursive thought 〔five cultivations: counting / penetrating the aggregates / dependent origination / the noble truths / the sixteen excellent practices〕). Medicine matched to sickness — receiving from before the faculty of the persons' five modes of temperament.

Three Points of the Eye

1. The five settling-of-mind contemplations = the antidote for the five modes (medicine matched to sickness · the plain text of the Revata Sūtra): The pervasive object cites the Revata Sūtra's signal "rest the mind upon a concordant object" — greedy temperament → the impure · hateful temperament → loving-kindness · deluded temperament → the object-nature and dependent origination · conceited temperament → the differentiation of elements · discursive temperament → mindfulness of breathing 〔T30 0428a〕. The ancient masters mark the treatment gate by gate (Dunlun T42 0446b–0447b). The six kinds of the impure (rotting-and-foul 〔inwardly the thirty-six things · outwardly from livid-blue to scattered-and-destroyed · the four charnel-roads of corpse-changes〕 / suffering-and-distressing / low-and-mean / relative / affliction-bound / swiftly-perishing) treat the five greeds (inner body / licentious greed for the outer body 〔the four licentious greeds: color · shape · fine touch · being-waited-upon〕 / object / form / identity-view). The differentiation of elements — the six elements (earth, water, fire, wind, space, consciousness · inner and outer) — causes one to "part from the mark of the single unified," treating conceit 〔Kuiji cites the Prajñāpāramitā T43 0114a〕.

2. The object-nature and dependent origination · the four principles (the right contemplation of dependent origination · doctrinal point of the eye · Dunlun line by line) 〔T30 0430a · Dunlun T42 0447a07–a17〕: Investigating the formations of the three times by the four principles — "there are only dharmas that draw forth dharmas; there is no agent and no experiencer" — dependence-and-attendance (the formations exist in dependence upon and attendance on ignorance (avidyā)) · activity (only the activity of giving rise to the formations · no superfluous activity) · establishing-proof (the three means of knowledge: authoritative teaching 〔dependent origination, suffering and its origin〕 + direct perception + inference) · the very-way-things-are (whether a buddha appears or not, ignorance conditions the formations, its nature the very way things are · not by an agent or an experiencer). Dunlun adjudicates: "the object-nature = the four conditions · dependent origination = the twelve-limbed causation." Kuiji here alone gives one line and does not unfold the four principles (this divergence alone recorded). Amply set forth later in the Stage of What is Attained through Reflection.

3. Mindfulness of breathing · the sixteen excellent practices = the four foundations of mindfulness (joining onto the factors of awakening · doctrinal point of the eye) 〔T30 0431a–0432a · Dunlun T42 0449b · Kuiji T43 0114b〕: The five cultivations = counting (one as one / two as one / forward / reverse / advancing-onward · abiding spontaneously past the ground of counting) · penetrating the aggregates · penetrating dependent origination (tracing forward and back: breath ← body-and-mind ← the life-faculty ← prior formations ← ignorance) · penetrating the noble truths · the sixteen excellent practices. The sixteen excellent practices matched four-by-four to the four foundations of mindfulness: contemplating the breath long / short / whole body / stilling the bodily formation = contemplation of the body · being aware of joy / bliss / the mental formation / stilling the mental formation = contemplation of feeling · being aware of the mind / gladdening the mind / restraining-and-holding the mind / liberating the mind = contemplation of the mind · the contemplations attendant on impermanence / severance / the fading of desire / cessation = contemplation of dharmas (taking as object the element of severance / of the fading of desire / of cessation). "Excelling the work before the path of seeing, they are called excellent practices" (Dunlun T42 0449a) → this opens onto the thirty-seven factors of awakening in the following text (the four foundations of mindfulness being their head).

Appended note: The object receives from the persons' five modes of temperament (13-02-01) as the faculty for treatment (first set up the person, then treat it); the four principles → the Stage of What is Attained through Reflection (Stage 11); the nine abidings of the mind / tranquillity-and-insight / the transformation of the basis → the Stage of Meditative Equipoise (Stage 6); the sixteen excellent practices as the four foundations of mindfulness → the Cultivation of Yoga's factors of awakening (13-02-04). The ancient masters detail it on two sides: Dunlun's Notes on the Yogācārabhūmi, fascicle six-lower into fascicle seven-upper 〔T42 0444b14–0449c19 · the four principles · the five settling-of-mind contemplations' treatment of the sicknesses · the sixteen excellent practices as the four foundations of mindfulness · Jing / Tai / Kuiji / Bei / the Elder Yuan / the Tripiṭaka-master〕; Kuiji's Concise Compendium, fascicle eight 〔T43 0113b04–0114c25 · the four images · the five greeds · the charnel-road · the six elements · the sixteen excellent practices; loving-kindness and the four principles left unglossed〕. The full doctrinal exposition is found in the ⟨Exposition⟩.

The third item of the Second Yoga-Station, "the object (ālambana)." It first sets out four kinds of object (pervasive · conduct-purifying · skill-in-means · defilement-cleansing); this file covers the first two: the pervasive object (the four images that all contemplative practice holds in common, with the appended Revata-sūtra) and the conduct-purifying objects — that is, the "five mind-stilling contemplations" that counter five kinds of conduct-disposition (the impure counters greed · loving-kindness counters hatred · the dependent-origination-of-conditioned-natures counters delusion · element-analysis counters conceit · mindfulness of breathing counters discursive thinking). Technical terms are kept in their old forms, rendered phrase by phrase into today's language, without adding doctrinal exposition, without citing śāstra, without annotating Sanskrit; where the treatise-text compresses, it is filled back out within 〔brackets〕.

The Overall Framework of the Object: The Four Kinds of Objective Field

What is the object? It is that there are four kinds of objective field. Which four? First, the pervasive objective field; second, the conduct-purifying objective field; third, the skill-in-means objective field; fourth, the defilement-cleansing objective field. 〔This file covers the first two; for skill-in-means and defilement-cleansing, see 13-02-03.〕

One. The Pervasive Object (the Four Images That All Contemplative Practice Holds in Common)

What is the pervasive objective field? It too is of four kinds: first, the image accompanied by discernment; second, the image without discernment; third, the exhaustive extent of the entity; fourth, the accomplishment of the task.

(1) The image accompanied by discernment: What is the image accompanied by discernment? There is a certain person who, taking as his basis either hearing the true Dharma or receiving instruction and admonition, and by way of seeing, of hearing, of discerning, examines, discriminates, thoroughly discriminates, thoroughly investigates, and thoroughly scrutinizes — by the insight-practice (vipaśyanā) of the stage of meditative equipoise (the stage of equipoise · the stage of concentration) — the "image concordant with the object-to-be-known."

What is this "object-to-be-known" here? It is: either the impure, or loving-kindness, or the dependent-origination-of-conditioned-natures, or element-analysis, or mindfulness of breathing; or skill regarding the aggregates, skill regarding the elements, skill regarding the sense-bases, skill regarding dependent origination, skill regarding what-is-and-is-not-a-basis; or the coarseness of a lower stage and the calmness of a higher stage; or the truth of suffering, the truth of origination, the truth of cessation, the truth of the path. These are named the object-to-be-known.

As for this object-to-be-known: taking as his basis either instruction and admonition or hearing the true Dharma, he brings the attention of the stage of equipoise before him, and toward that dharma he gives rise to resolute conviction, and toward that object-to-be-known he gives rise to resolute conviction. At that time, toward the object-to-be-known, he proceeds bearing resolute conviction as though he were directly receiving it in person. Although that object-to-be-known is not truly presently received, not conjoined and present before him, and is also not some other thing of the same type, nevertheless, through the resolute conviction of the stage of equipoise, he receives a "concordant attention" and receives a "concordant manifestation" of that object-to-be-known. By this principle it is named "the image concordant with the object-to-be-known." The practitioner of contemplation, seeking out this image, thereupon examines and determines its merits and faults within that original-nature object-to-be-known. This is named the image accompanied by discernment.

(2) The image without discernment: What is the image without discernment? The practitioner of contemplation, having taken up this image-mark, no longer examines, discriminates, thoroughly discriminates, thoroughly investigates, or thoroughly scrutinizes; rather, toward this objective image alone, he stills his mind by the practice of tranquillity (śamatha) — that is, he settles the mind by nine modes of activity: settling the mind inwardly, settling it evenly, settling it steadily, settling it closely, taming, stilling, utterly stilling, making it single-directed, and holding it evenly 〔the nine mind-settlings〕. At that time he then accomplishes the object that is "the image without discernment": toward this objective image, single-directedly and in one direction he settles his mindfulness upon it, no longer examining, discriminating, investigating, or scrutinizing. This is named the image without discernment.

This image is also named the image; also named the mark of concentration; also named the field ranged over by concentration; also named the mouth of concentration; also named the gateway of concentration; also named the locus of attention; also named the inner discerning-substance; also named the light-reflection — these are all various alternative names for "the image concordant with the object-to-be-known."

(3) The exhaustive extent of the entity: What is the exhaustive extent of the entity? It is the "extent of what there is" and the "way that things truly are" of the object. What is the extent of what there is? It is that apart from the form-aggregate there is no further form, and apart from the aggregates of feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness there is no further feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness; that all conditioned entities are subsumed by the five dharmas (form, feeling, perception, formations, consciousness), that all dharmas are subsumed by the elements and the sense-bases, that all objects-to-be-known are subsumed by the four noble truths — this is named the extent of what there is (the exhausting of the measure of the entity's characteristics). What is the way that things truly are? It is that the object is the truly-real nature, the nature of suchness, possessing rational-nature through the four principles (of dependence · of function · of proving-establishment · of the way-things-are) — this is named the way that things truly are (the truly-real basic nature of the entity's characteristics). The extent-of-what-there-is and the way-things-truly-are of the object are together stated as a single "exhaustive extent of the entity."

(4) The accomplishment of the task: What is the accomplishment of the task? Taking the cultivation, repeated practice, and abundant cultivation of tranquillity and insight as cause and condition, the practitioner brings to fullness all the varieties of attention that take an image as their object. Because those attentions are full, he attains transformation of the basis, and all coarse and heavy states wholly cease. Because he has attained transformation of the basis, he passes beyond the image and directly gives rise to non-discerning, direct-perception knowledge and vision of the object to be known. One who enters the first absorption gives rise to this knowledge and vision in the field of the first absorption when he attains it. One who enters the second absorption does so in the field of the second absorption; one who enters the third, in the field of the third; and one who enters the fourth, in the field of the fourth. One who enters the base of the infinity of space, the infinity of consciousness, nothing-whatever, or neither-perception-nor-non-perception gives rise to this knowledge and vision in the field of that respective attainment when he attains it. This is named the accomplishment of the task.

Why it is named "pervasive": these four objective fields course through everything and enter into every objective field, and they are what the Fully and Perfectly Awakened Ones of past, future, and present proclaim in common. Therefore they are named the pervasive object. Again, this object pervades the class of insight, the class of tranquillity, all entities, the truly real entity, and entities in which cause and effect belong together. Therefore it is named pervasive. When the image accompanied by discernment is spoken of, it is the class of insight spoken of here. When the image without discernment is spoken of, it is the class of tranquillity. When the exhaustive extent of the entity is spoken of, it is all entities and the truly real entity. When the accomplishment of the task is spoken of, it is the entity in which cause and effect belong together.

Appended: the Revata-sūtra: as the World-Honored One once explained this meaning for the elder Revata. It was heard that the elder Revata asked the World-Honored One: "Venerable one! When the various monks who diligently cultivate contemplation, being yoga practitioners, are able to settle their minds upon an object — for what reason do they settle their minds upon an object? How do they settle their minds upon an object? To what degree is the mind then named 'well settled'?" The Buddha commended him: "Well said, well said! You are able to ask this meaning. Now listen closely and reflect well, and I will proclaim it for you."

The Buddha said: Revata! The yoga practitioners who cultivate contemplation are able to settle their minds upon an object; whether they delight in conduct-purifying, or delight in skill-in-means, or delight in freeing the mind from the outflows, they settle their minds upon a "concordant object," settle their minds upon a "resembling object," settle their minds upon "the object without error," and are able therein not to relinquish meditative absorption.

—— What is "settling the mind upon a concordant object"? It is that if a monk has only greed-conduct, he should settle his mind upon the impure object; if he has only hatred-conduct, he should settle his mind upon loving-kindness; if he has only delusion-conduct, he should settle his mind upon the dependent-origination-of-conditioned-natures; if he has only conceit-conduct, he should settle his mind upon element-analysis; if he has only discursive-thinking-conduct, he should settle his mind upon mindfulness of breathing 〔the five mind-stillings against the five conducts〕. Again, if he is confused about the particular marks of the formations, and confused about the matter of "self · sentient being · living being · one-who-is-born · one-who-can-nourish · person," he should settle his mind upon skill regarding the aggregates; if he is confused about their cause, upon skill regarding the elements; if he is confused about their condition, upon skill regarding the sense-bases; if he is confused about impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and no-self, upon skill regarding dependent origination and what-is-and-is-not-a-basis; if he delights in departing from the desire of the desire-realm, he should settle his mind upon the coarseness of the desires and the calmness of forms; if he delights in departing from the desire of the form-realm, upon the coarseness of forms and the calmness of the formless; if he delights in penetrating and in being liberated from the all-pervasive substantialist-view of self (satkāya), he should settle his mind upon the four truths of suffering, origination, cessation, and the path. This is named settling the mind upon a concordant object (the medicine matched to the disease).

—— What is "settling the mind upon a resembling object"? It is that the monk, in order to discriminate, thoroughly discriminate, thoroughly investigate, and thoroughly scrutinize that object-to-be-known, gives rise to resolute conviction by contemplating and discerning, with the attention of the stage of equipoise, that which was previously seen, heard, sensed, and known — by the dominant force of seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing. Although he cannot conjoin the original object-to-be-known and examine it present before him, he is able to generate a mark resembling the original entity, and toward that object he has a resembling "mere-knowing, mere-seeing, mere-right-recollection"; and from time to time he stills his mind, and from time to time he diligently cultivates contemplation by way of the higher-wisdom Dharma-insight. This is named settling the mind upon a resembling object (taking the image as object, not the original entity).

—— What is "settling the mind upon the object without error"? It is that the yoga practitioner settles his mind upon the objective field, and in accordance with what is fitting comprehends the object-to-be-known field, thoroughly knowing it as it truly is, without error. This is named settling the mind upon the object without error.

—— What is "being able therein not to relinquish meditative absorption"? It is that the yoga practitioner, thus rightly practicing upon the object, by uninterrupted application and by earnest application, from time to time cultivates the "mark of stopping, the mark of uplifting, and the mark of equanimity"; and by taking cultivation and abundant cultivation as cause and condition, all the coarse-and-heavy states are wholly extinguished, and accordingly he touches-and-realizes the "purity of the basis"; toward the object-to-be-known, because of directly seeing it, he touches-and-realizes the "purity of the object"; because of departing from greed, he touches-and-realizes the "thorough purity of the mind"; because of departing from ignorance (avidyā), he touches-and-realizes the "thorough purity of knowledge." This is named being able therein not to relinquish meditative absorption. Revata! When this monk thus settles his mind upon the objective field, and having thus settled his mind, it is named being well settled.

Upon this the World-Honored One again spoke a verse: "The practitioner practices the various marks, / knows the true meaning of everything, / constantly in the image absorbs in dhyāna, / and attains the realization of thorough purity." —— "The practitioner practices the various marks" states the uninterrupted and earnest practice upon the marks of stopping, uplifting, and equanimity; "knows the true meaning of everything" states the exhaustive extent of the entity; "constantly in the image absorbs in dhyāna" states the image accompanied by discernment and the image without discernment; "attains the realization of thorough purity" states the accomplishment of the task. The World-Honored One again spoke a verse: "Thoroughly knowing the mark of mind, / one can savor the taste of seclusion; / in dhyāna, with constant devoted mindfulness, / one savors joy and bliss, free of defilement." —— "Thoroughly knowing the mark of mind" means that the image accompanied by discernment and the image without discernment are stated under the name "mark of mind," and the exhaustive extent of the entity is stated under the name "thorough knowing"; "one can savor the taste of seclusion" states the delighting-in-severing and delighting-in-cultivating toward the object; "in dhyāna, with constant devoted mindfulness" states the constant diligent cultivation and the devoted-practicing (fine, close, and well-trained) cultivation of tranquillity and insight; "one savors joy and bliss, free of defilement" states the accomplishment of the task. It should be understood that a pervasive object such as this accords with the pure teaching and conforms to right principle. This is named the pervasive object.

Two. The Conduct-Purifying Objects (the Five Mind-Stilling Contemplations)

What is named the conduct-purifying object? It is the differentiation of objects such as the impure, loving-kindness, the dependent-origination-of-conditioned-natures, element-analysis, and mindfulness of breathing.

(1) The Impure Object — Counters Greed-Conduct

What is the impure object? Stated briefly, there are six kinds of impurity: first, the impurity of rot-and-filth; second, the impurity of suffering-and-distress; third, the impurity of the base-and-inferior; fourth, the impurity of comparison; fifth, the impurity of afflictions; sixth, the impurity of swift-decay.

What is the impurity of rot and filth? This impurity is explained in dependence on two kinds: first, the inner; second, the outer. What is the impurity of rot and filth that rests upon the inner? It is the hair of the head, body hair, nails, teeth, dirt, grime, skin, flesh, bones, skeleton, sinews, vessels, heart, gallbladder, liver, lungs, large intestine, small intestine, raw receptacle, cooked receptacle, belly, stomach, spleen, kidneys, pus, blood, hot phlegm, fat, grease, muscle, marrow, brain, membrane, nasal mucus, spittle, tears, sweat, feces, and urine within this body. Things of those kinds are named the impurity of rot and filth that rests upon the inner. What is the impurity of rot and filth that rests upon the outer? It is lividity, festering and rotting, decomposition, bloating, being devoured, turning crimson, scattering and breaking apart, bones, a chain of bones, bones together with a chain of bones, what is produced by feces, urine, spittle, or nasal mucus, what is smeared with blood or pus, and places fouled by excrement. Things of those kinds are named the impurity of rot and filth that rests upon the outer. The inner and outer kinds are together stated as the single impurity of rot and filth.

What is the impurity of suffering and distress? It is an unbalanced bodily or mental feeling that arises with contact consonant with painful feeling as its condition, and it is included in the aggregate of feeling. This is named the impurity of suffering and distress.

What is the impurity of the base and inferior? It is the most base and inferior entity and the most base and inferior realm, namely, the desire realm. Apart from this, no other realm can be found that is still lower, more inferior, or more utterly vile and filthy. This is named the impurity of the base and inferior.

What is the impurity of comparison? A lesser pure entity, when compared with another, superior pure entity, appears impure. Compared with the superior purity of the formless realm, the dharmas of the form realm appear impure. Compared with nirvāṇa, the cessation of the embodied collection, everything up to the summit of existence appears impure. All cases of those kinds are named the impurity of comparison.

What is the impurity of afflictions? All bonds, fetters, latent proclivities, secondary afflictions, and entanglements throughout the three realms are named the impurity of afflictions.

What is the impurity of swift decay? The five appropriated aggregates are impermanent, not enduring, unreliable, and of a nature that rapidly decays and transforms. This is named the impurity of swift decay.

Why are these six kinds of impurity objects that can purify greed-conduct? Because greed is of five kinds: first, the "desire, craving-for-desire, greed-for-desire" toward the inner body; second, the "sexual desire, sexual greed" toward the outer body; third, object-desire and object-greed; fourth, form-desire and form-greed; fifth, substantialist-view-of-self-desire and substantialist-view-of-self-greed — these are named the five greeds. In order to make these five kinds of desire-greed be severed, dispelled, and no longer active, six kinds of impure objects are established: 　By the object of the impurity of rot-and-filth resting upon the inner, the mind is made pure with respect to the desire, craving-for-desire, greed-for-desire toward the inner body. 　By the object of the impurity of rot-and-filth resting upon the outer, the mind is made pure with respect to the sexual desire and sexual greed toward the outer body. The greed associated with sexuality is again of four kinds: first, greed for color [complexion]; second, greed for shape; third, greed for exquisite touch; fourth, greed for attendance-and-service. By the four kinds of "outer impure object," the mind is made pure with respect to these four sexual greeds — if one attends to and contemplates the livid-blue, the festering-and-rotten, the transforming-and-decaying, the bloated, and the devoured, the mind is made pure with respect to "greed for color"; if one attends to and contemplates the turned-crimson, the mind is made pure with respect to "greed for shape"; if one attends to and contemplates bones, a chain, and a bone-chain, the mind is made pure with respect to "greed for exquisite touch"; if one attends to and contemplates the scattered-and-broken, the mind is made pure with respect to "greed for attendance-and-service." These four are named making the mind pure with respect to sexual greed.

Therefore the World-Honored One, regarding the various differentiations of "the impurity of rot-and-filth resting upon the outer," established them all in dependence upon the four kinds of "charnel-ground" (the śītavana · the corpse-depositing place): 　If it is said "by way of the charnel-ground one sees the corpses, dead one day, two days, up to seven days, devoured by crows, magpies, starving dogs, kites, vultures, foxes, wolves, jackals, and beasts, and one then takes up that mark, likening one's own body to be of just such a nature, of just such a kind, unable to surpass such a dharma-nature" — this displays [everything] from the livid-blue up to the devoured. 　If it is said "by way of the charnel-ground one sees the corpses, stripped of skin, flesh, and blood, bound about by sinews and vessels" — this displays the turned-crimson. 　If it is said "by way of the charnel-ground one sees the bones, either bones or a chain" — this displays bones, a chain, and a bone-chain. 　If it is said "by way of the charnel-ground one sees the bones — hand-bones, foot-bones, hip-bones, knee-bones, arm-bones, elbow-bones, spine-bones, shoulder-bones, rib-bones, the jawbone, the garland of teeth, the crown-skull, and so on, each scattered apart, and after one year, two, three, up to seven years, their color fresh-white like a conch-shell or like the color of a dove, or one sees those bones mixed together with dust and earth" — this displays the scattered-and-broken.

Thus the outer object of the impurity of rot-and-filth makes the mind pure with respect to the four kinds of greed associated with sexuality; by the two objects of the impurity of suffering-and-distress and the impurity of the base-and-inferior, the mind is made pure with respect to the desire-greed "associated with objects"; by the object of the impurity of comparison, the mind is made pure with respect to the desire-greed "associated with form"; by the two objects of the impurity of afflictions and the impurity of swift-decay, the mind is made pure with respect to the desire-greed "toward all the substantialist-views-of-self from the desire-realm up to the summit of existence." This is named the conduct-purifying object of greed-conduct — the above, taking "what can purify greed-conduct," states in sum all the impure objects subsumed under the general remedy. Now in the present meaning, the basic intent takes only "the impurity of rot-and-filth" (the remaining five kinds of impurity are likewise subsumed, respectively, under the remaining conduct-purifying objects).

(2) The Loving-Kindness Object — Counters Hatred-Conduct

What is the loving-kindness object? It is, toward the class of the dear, or the class of the hostile, or the class of the neutral, equally settling in the "intention-of-benefit" (the mind that wishes them to gain benefit), the resolute conviction of the stage of equipoise that can draw forth low, middling, and superior pleasure. It should be understood that here: the three — the class of the dear, the class of the hostile, and the class of the neutral — are the "object"; the intention-of-benefit and the resolute conviction of the stage of equipoise that can draw forth pleasure are the "object-taker"; the object and the object-taker are together abbreviated into one, named the loving-kindness object.

If the sūtra says "the mind conjoined with loving-kindness," this displays the intention-of-benefit toward the object of the three classes — dear, hostile, and neutral. If it says "without enmity, without adversary, without harm," this displays the three marks of the intention-of-benefit: because of being without enmity it is named the dominant intention-of-benefit, and this without-enmity nature is displayed by the two phrases "being without adversary" (not wishing to be mutually opposed and contentious) and "being without harm-and-distress" (not wishing to be un-beneficial). If it says "vast, great, and measureless," this displays the drawing-forth of low, middling, and superior pleasure — the pleasure of the desire-realm is named "vast," the pleasure of the first and second absorption-stages is named "great," and the pleasure of the third absorption-stage is named "measureless." If it says "dwelling complete in resolute conviction pervasively filling," this displays the resolute conviction of the stage of equipoise that can draw forth pleasure; this resolute conviction is precisely the resolute-conviction-attention that co-operates and is subsumed under the dominant intention-of-benefit that can draw forth pleasure. If, toward the sentient beings of the three classes — dear, hostile, and neutral — who are "without suffering and without pleasure," one equally wishes to give them pleasure, it should be understood this is "loving-kindness"; if, toward the sentient beings of the three classes who "have suffering, have pleasure," one equally wishes to remove their suffering and wishes to rejoice in their pleasure, it should be understood this is "compassion, this is sympathetic joy" — suffering sentient beings are the object of compassion, and pleasured sentient beings are the object of sympathetic joy. This is named the loving-kindness object. If there is a person of hatred-conduct who cultivates loving-kindness toward sentient beings, causing hatred to become slight, this is named making the mind pure with respect to hatred.

〔Within the Basic Section, the Śrāvaka Stage, the thirteenth, the second part of the Second Yoga-Station.〕

(3) The Dependent-Origination-of-Conditioned-Natures Object — Counters Delusion-Conduct

What is the dependent-origination-of-conditioned-natures object? It is that, throughout the three times, there is only coursing, only dharmas, only entities, only causes, only effects, falling into right principle — that is, the principle of dependence, the principle of function, the principle of proving-establishment, and the principle of the way-things-are (the four principles): there are only dharmas able to draw forth dharmas, and there is neither a doer nor a receiver. This is named the dependent-origination-of-conditioned-natures object. Attending to and contemplating this object, all the delusion-conduct of a person in whom delusion-conduct is dominant becomes slight, and the mind is made pure with respect to the various kinds of delusion-conduct. This is named the dependent-origination-of-conditioned-natures object.

(4) The Element-Analysis Object — Counters Conceit-Conduct

What is the element-analysis object? It is the differentiation of the six elements: first, the earth-element; second, the water-element; third, the fire-element; fourth, the wind-element; fifth, the space-element; sixth, the consciousness-element.

What is the earth-element? The earth-element is of two kinds: first, the inner earth-element; second, the outer earth-element. The inner earth-element is the distinct solidity within this body. It is included in hardness and in earth-as-earth, is attached to the body, and is appropriated. What are its concrete instances? The hair of the head, body hair, nails, teeth, dirt and grime, skin, flesh, skeleton and bones, sinews, vessels, liver, gallbladder, heart, lungs, spleen, kidneys, belly, stomach, large intestine, small intestine, the raw receptacle, the cooked receptacle, and feces and other filth are named the inner earth-element. The outer earth-element is external solidity. It is included in hardness and in earth-as-earth, is not attached to the body, and is not appropriated. What are its concrete instances? Tiles, wood, clods, gravel, trees, stones, mountains, cliffs, and things of those kinds are named the outer earth-element.

What is the water-element? The water-element is of two kinds: first, the inner water-element; second, the outer water-element. The inner water-element is the distinct moisture within this body. It is included in wetness and in water-as-water, is attached to the body, and is appropriated. What are its concrete instances? Tears, sweat, nasal mucus, spittle, fat, grease, oil, marrow, hot phlegm, pus and blood, brain, membrane, urine, and things of those kinds are named the inner water-element. The outer water-element is external moisture. It is included in wetness and in water-as-water, is not attached to the body, and is not appropriated. What are its concrete instances? Wells, springs, pools, marshes, reservoirs, lakes, rivers, seas, and things of those kinds are named the outer water-element.

What is the fire-element? The fire-element is of two kinds: first, the inner fire-element; second, the outer fire-element. The inner fire-element is the distinct warmth within this body. It is included in heat and in warmth-as-warmth, is attached to the body, and is appropriated. What are its concrete instances? All the warmth within the body that makes the body hot, evenly hot, and pervasively hot belongs here. Through that warmth, what is eaten, drunk, chewed, and tasted is properly and readily digested and transformed. When that warmth becomes excessive, it enters the category of steaming heat. Things of those kinds are named the inner fire-element. The outer fire-element is external warmth. It is included in heat and in warmth-as-warmth, is not attached to the body, and is not appropriated. What are its concrete instances? People produce fire by means of a fire drill, powdered cow dung, and the like. Once arisen, that fire can burn cow dung, grass, firewood, thickets, wilderness, mountains, islets, villages or parts of villages, cities or parts of cities, countries or parts of countries, and other things of those kinds. These are named the outer fire-element.

What is the wind-element? The wind-element is of two kinds: first, the inner wind-element; second, the outer wind-element. The inner wind-element is the distinct wind-nature within this body. It is included in blowing movement, has the nature of lightness and motion, is attached to the body, and is appropriated. What are its concrete instances? Within the body there are the upward-coursing wind, the downward-coursing wind, the flank-lying wind, the spine-lying wind, the waist wind, the hip wind, the small-knife wind, the great-knife wind, the needle-pricking wind, the pippala wind, the in-and-out-breath wind, and the wind that follows the limbs and joints. Things of those kinds are named the inner wind-element. The outer wind-element is external wind-nature. It is included in blowing movement, has the nature of lightness and motion, is not attached to the body, and is not appropriated. What are its concrete instances? Outside the body there are winds from the east, west, south, and north; dusty and dustless winds; narrow and vast winds; the vaiśvabhya wind, the vairambhaka wind, and the wind-disc wind. Sometimes a great wind suddenly arises and gathers, breaking trees, toppling walls, collapsing mountains, and churning the sea. After it has blown, having nothing on which to depend, it naturally becomes still. When sentient beings wish to obtain wind, they shake clothing, wave a fan, or wave a palm leaf. Things of those kinds are named the outer wind-element.

What is the space-element? It is the orifices of the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, throat, and the like. Through these one swallows, within these swallowing occurs, and once something has been swallowed, through these orifices it passes downward and is discharged. Things of those kinds are named the space-element.

What is the consciousness-element? It is the eye-, ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-consciousnesses, and also the three differentiations of mind, mentation, and consciousness. This is named the consciousness-element.

If a person of conceit-conduct attends to and contemplates the element-analysis, he then departs, within the body, from the "notion of a single whole" (the notion that takes the body as a seamless unity), and gains the "notion of the impure," no longer haughtily lifting himself up, so that his pride-and-conceit becomes slight, and the mind is made pure with respect to the various kinds of conceit-conduct. This is named the conduct-purifying object of a person of conceit-conduct by way of element-analysis.

(5) The Mindfulness-of-Breathing Object — Counters Discursive-Thinking-Conduct

What is the mindfulness-of-breathing object? It is that the mindfulness that takes the in-breath and out-breath as object is named mindfulness of breathing; and the in-and-out-breaths and the like that are this mindfulness's object are named the mindfulness-of-breathing object.

It should be understood that here the in-breath is of two kinds. What are the two? First, the in-breath; second, the intermediate in-breath. What is the in-breath? It is the wind that, without any interval after the out-breath, turns inward through the inner gateway as far as the region of the navel. What is the intermediate in-breath? After the in-breath has ceased and before the out-breath has arisen, at the resting place between them a subtle wind resembling breath arises briefly. This is named the intermediate in-breath.

The out-breath is likewise of two kinds. What are the two? First, the out-breath; second, the intermediate out-breath. Their pattern is like that of the in-breath and intermediate in-breath. The difference is that the out-breath is the wind that, without any interval after the in-breath, turns outward through the outer gateway, beginning at the navel and reaching the face-gate, the tip of the nose, or beyond the body. The intermediate out-breath is the subtle wind that arises briefly at the resting place after the out-breath has ceased and before the in-breath has arisen.

The in- and out-breaths have two causes and conditions. What are the two? First, propelling karma; second, the orifice at the navel or the orifices in the upper part of the body.

The in- and out-breaths have two supports. What are the two? First, the body; second, the mind. Why is this? The breaths turn only in dependence on body and mind, each as is fitting. If breath turned in dependence on the body alone, then beings entering the no-perception concentration or the attainment of cessation, and beings born in the no-perception heaven, ought to breathe; yet breath does not turn in them. If breath turned in dependence on the mind alone, then beings entering a formless concentration or born in the formless realm ought to breathe; yet breath does not turn in them. If mere dependence on body and mind were enough, without each being present as is fitting, then beings entering or born in the fourth absorption, and beings at the embryonic stages of kalala, arbuda, and peśī, ought to breathe; yet breath does not turn in them. Therefore, the in- and out-breaths turn only in dependence on body and mind, each as is fitting.

The in- and out-breaths have two directions of movement. What are the two? First, the in-breath moves downward; second, the out-breath moves upward.

The in- and out-breaths have two kinds of ground. What are the two? First, the coarse orifices; second, the fine orifices. What are the coarse orifices? They extend from the navel orifice to the face-gate and nose-gate, and again from the face-gate and nose-gate to the navel orifice. What are the fine orifices? They are all the pores throughout the body.

The in- and out-breaths have four alternative names. What are the four? First, wind; second, āna-apāna; third, in-breath and out-breath; fourth, body-formation. "Wind" is a name shared with all wind, while the remaining three are names distinctive to the in- and out-breaths.

Cultivating the in- and out-breaths has two faults. What are the two? First, applying the method too slackly; second, applying it too urgently. Applying it too slackly gives rise to indolence, allows dullness and drowsiness to bind and disturb the mind, or makes the mind scatter outward. Applying it too urgently makes either the body or the mind unbalanced. How does it make the body unbalanced? One forcibly holds the in- and out-breaths. Because the breaths are held, an unbalanced wind turns within the body and at first causes all the limbs and joints to tremble; it is therefore called "the trembling-inducing wind." If this trembling wind increases, it can give rise to illness, producing diseases in the limbs and joints. This is how it makes the body unbalanced. How does it make the mind unbalanced? It either causes various forms of distraction or presses the mind with extremely heavy grief and distress. This is how it makes the mind unbalanced.

Again, this mindfulness of breathing should be understood to have, briefly, five kinds of cultivation: first, the cultivation of counting; second, the cultivation of penetrating the aggregates; third, the cultivation of penetrating dependent origination; fourth, the cultivation of penetrating the noble truths; fifth, the cultivation of the sixteen superior practices.

1. The cultivation of counting: briefly, there are four kinds — taking one as one, taking two as one, forward-counting, and reverse-counting. 　"Taking one as one, counting": when the in-breath enters, taking the in-and-out-breath as object he settles his mindfulness, and counts it as one; when the in-breath ceases and the out-breath arises and turns outward, he counts it as the second; and thus turning about he counts up to ten (neither abridging nor extending, hence only up to ten). 　"Taking two as one, counting": when the in-breath has entered and already ceased, and the out-breath has arisen and already gone out, at that time he combines the two together and counts them as one, counting up to ten — the in-breath and out-breath are named "two," and combining the two together he counts them as one, hence it is named taking two as one. 　"Forward-counting": either taking one as one, or taking two as one, in forward sequence turning about he counts up to ten. 　"Reverse-counting": that is, from the former two, in reverse sequence he counts from the tenth — nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. 　After the practitioner has continuously cultivated the forward and reverse counting and in the interval his mind is without distraction, one further explains for him "advancing counting": counting by combining two into one — if by "taking one as one," then in-and-out-breath, the two combined into one; if by "taking two as one," then in-and-out-breath, the four combined into one; and thus turning about he counts up to ten. Afterward he gradually increases, up to counting by "taking a hundred as one." By this counting that takes a hundred as one, he gradually counts up to ten. Thus one who diligently cultivates mindfulness of counting the breaths goes on to "take ten tens as one" and gradually counts up to a full ten. Through this counting that takes ten as one, his mind is without distraction in the interval — up to this point it is named "having continuously cultivated." If in the interval the mind is distracted, he should withdraw and count again from the beginning (either forward or reverse). Because the counting is extremely continuously practiced, the mind naturally rides the spontaneous course, settling upon the object of the in-and-out-breaths, turning uninterruptedly and without interval in continuity — grasping upon the in-breath, and when the in-breath has ceased grasping upon the "empty position of breath," grasping upon the out-breath, and when the out-breath has ceased grasping upon the empty position of breath, and thus continuously flowing on, unmoving and unshaking, without distracted activity, turning with delight — up to this point it is named "having passed beyond the ground of counting," and he should count no more, but only make the mind settle upon the object of the in-breath and out-breath. With regard to the in- and out-breaths, he should rightly follow them and carefully comprehend them; and he should be well aware of the differentiations of the turning and returning phases among the in-breath, the out-breath, and the two intervals. This is named the cultivation of counting. 　Again: for one of dull faculties, one should explain this counting-cultivation of breath-mindfulness; by it he makes the mind settle and delight in a place of distraction; if he did not cultivate counting, his mind would be disturbed by dullness and drowsiness, or would gallop outward and scatter, but by diligently cultivating breath-counting these are all absent. If one is of sharp faculties, of keen and quick understanding, he does not care to ride upon this counting-application (though if it is explained for him he too can swiftly and without error comprehend it, yet he does not delight in it). Having settled his mindfulness upon the object of the in-and-out-breaths, toward "where it turns, up to where it turns, as it turns, and when it turns," in all of this he is able, by settled mindfulness, rightly to accord-and-follow and rightly to comprehend; and if he takes this application, abundantly cultivated, as cause and condition, there arise bodily pliancy and mental pliancy, he realizes one-pointedness, and he enters with delight upon the object.

2. The cultivation of penetrating the aggregates: having well cultivated the counting of breath-mindfulness, he further attends to and contemplates the two matters of "the grasped and the grasper," penetrating the aggregates — attending to and contemplating the in-and-out-breaths and the body upon which the breath depends, he penetrates the form-aggregate; attending to and contemplating the feeling associated with the mindfulness that grasps the breath, he penetrates the feeling-aggregate; attending to and contemplating the "even-comprehending" (image-taking) associated with that mindfulness, he penetrates the perception-aggregate; attending to and contemplating the volition and wisdom and the like associated with that mindfulness, he penetrates the formations-aggregate; attending to and contemplating the minds, mentations, and consciousnesses associated with that mindfulness, he penetrates the consciousness-aggregate. Thus, dwelling much within the aggregates, he is named having penetrated. This is named the cultivation of penetrating the aggregates.

3. The cultivation of penetrating dependent origination: if, without error, he can see and can know that there are only aggregates, only formations, only entities, only dharmas, he can then penetrate dependent origination within the formations. How does he penetrate? The practitioner of contemplation seeks thus: "On what does this in-and-out-breath depend, and on what is it conditioned?" Having sought, he penetrates as it truly is: this in-and-out-breath depends on the body and is conditioned by the body, depends on the mind and is conditioned by the mind. Again he seeks: "On what do this body and mind depend, and on what are they conditioned?" He penetrates: they depend on and are conditioned by the life-faculty. Again he seeks: "On what does the life-faculty depend, and on what is it conditioned?" He penetrates: it depends on and is conditioned by prior action (past karma). Again he seeks: "On what does prior action depend, and on what is it conditioned?" He penetrates: it depends on and is conditioned by ignorance. Thus he understands that ignorance conditions the formations, the formations condition the life-faculty, the life-faculty conditions body-and-mind, and body-and-mind conditions the in-and-out-breaths; and again he understands that because ignorance ceases the formations cease, because the formations cease the life-faculty ceases, because the life-faculty ceases body-and-mind ceases, and because body-and-mind ceases the in-and-out-breaths cease. This is named penetrating dependent origination. Dwelling much in the penetration of dependent origination is named well-practiced cultivation. This is named the cultivation of penetrating dependent origination.

4. The cultivation of penetrating the noble truths: having well cultivated dependent origination, he further, toward the formations, knows as it truly is that they arise from a multitude of conditions, and penetrates impermanence — because the formations are impermanent, they were originally not and yet come to be, and having come to be, disperse and cease; if what was originally not comes to be, and having come to be disperses and ceases, then it is a dharma of birth, a dharma of aging, a dharma of sickness, a dharma of death; if it is a dharma of birth, aging, sickness, and death, then it is suffering; if it is suffering, then it is no-self, not gaining mastery, remote from any sovereign-master. Thus, by the practice of impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and no-self, he penetrates the truth of suffering. Again he rightly penetrates that all the conditioned formations, arising from a multitude of conditions, are of a nature that is suffering, like a disease, like a boil, all having craving as their condition; and he penetrates that if this craving that gives rise to the multitude of sufferings is severed without remainder, this is the ultimate stillness and subtlety — "if toward this I thus understand, contemplate-and-see, and dwell much, I shall be able to sever craving without remainder." Thus he penetrates the truth of origination, the truth of cessation, and the truth of the path. Dwelling much in this penetration, he then realizes direct-comprehension within the truths. This is named the cultivation of penetrating the noble truths.

5. The cultivation of the sixteen superior practices: having well cultivated within the noble truths, all the afflictions to be severed by the path-of-seeing are wholly and permanently severed, and only the afflictions to be severed by the path-of-cultivation remain; in order to sever those, he further advances in the cultivation of the "sixteen superior practices." What are the sixteen superior practices? 　(1) With respect to a mindful in-breath, "I now can train in breathing in mindfully"; with respect to a mindful out-breath, "I now can train in breathing out mindfully." 　(2) Whether the breath is long or short. 　(3) With respect to an in-breath that is aware of the whole body, "I now can train in breathing in while aware of the whole body"; with respect to an out-breath that is aware of the whole body, "I now can train in breathing out while aware of the whole body." 　(4) With respect to an in-breath that stills the body-formation, "I now can train in breathing in while stilling the body-formation"; with respect to an out-breath that stills the body-formation, "I now can train in breathing out while stilling the body-formation." 　(5) With respect to an in-breath that is aware of joy, "I now can train in breathing in while aware of joy"; with respect to an out-breath that is aware of joy, "I now can train in breathing out while aware of joy." 　(6) With respect to an in-breath that is aware of bliss, "I now can train in breathing in while aware of bliss"; with respect to an out-breath that is aware of bliss, "I now can train in breathing out while aware of bliss." 　(7) With respect to an in-breath that is aware of the mind-formation, "I now can train in breathing in while aware of the mind-formation"; with respect to an out-breath that is aware of the mind-formation, "I now can train in breathing out while aware of the mind-formation." 　(8) With respect to an in-breath that stills the mind-formation, "I now can train in breathing in while stilling the mind-formation"; with respect to an out-breath that stills the mind-formation, "I now can train in breathing out while stilling the mind-formation." 　(9) With respect to an in-breath that is aware of the mind, "I now can train in breathing in while aware of the mind"; with respect to an out-breath that is aware of the mind, "I now can train in breathing out while aware of the mind." 　(10) With respect to an in-breath that gladdens the mind, "I now can train in breathing in while gladdening the mind"; with respect to an out-breath that gladdens the mind, "I now can train in breathing out while gladdening the mind." 　(11) With respect to an in-breath that restrains and holds the mind, "I now can train in breathing in while restraining and holding the mind"; with respect to an out-breath that restrains and holds the mind, "I now can train in breathing out while restraining and holding the mind." 　(12) With respect to an in-breath that liberates the mind, "I now can train in breathing in while liberating the mind"; with respect to an out-breath that liberates the mind, "I now can train in breathing out while liberating the mind." 　(13) With respect to an in-breath that contemplates impermanence, "I now can train in breathing in while contemplating impermanence"; with respect to an out-breath that contemplates impermanence, "I now can train in breathing out while contemplating impermanence." 　(14) With respect to an in-breath that contemplates severance, "I now can train in breathing in while contemplating severance"; with respect to an out-breath that contemplates severance, "I now can train in breathing out while contemplating severance." 　(15) With respect to an in-breath that contemplates dispassion, "I now can train in breathing in while contemplating dispassion"; with respect to an out-breath that contemplates dispassion, "I now can train in breathing out while contemplating dispassion." 　(16) With respect to an in-breath that contemplates cessation, "I now can train in breathing in while contemplating cessation"; with respect to an out-breath that contemplates cessation, "I now can train in breathing out while contemplating cessation."

Question: How are the differentiations of these sixteen stated? Answer: 　One in training who has seen the trace (has entered the path-of-seeing) has already gained the four foundations of mindfulness and the rest, and toward the object of the in-and-out-breaths further advances in cultivating attention, in order to sever the remaining fetters, hence being mindful "being mindful of the in-breath / being mindful of the out-breath" 〔the first〕. When taking the in-and-out-breath field as object he is mindful "being mindful of the long in-breath, out-breath"; when taking the intermediate in-and-out-breath field as object he is mindful "being mindful of the short," and comprehends the length and shortness just as they are — this is named "whether long or short" 〔the second〕. If, taking as object the fine orifices within the body and the in-and-out-breaths pervasively entering along all the pores, he gives rise to resolute conviction, he is then mindful "being aware of the whole-body in-breath, out-breath" 〔the third〕. If the in-breath (and the intermediate in-breath) has ceased and the out-breath (and the intermediate out-breath) has not yet arisen, taking as object the empty-and-nonexistent position, the remote position of the in-and-out-breath; or if the out-breath has ceased and the in-breath has not yet arisen, taking as object its empty-and-nonexistent position, its remote position 〔for these two phrases the base text reads "the out-breath… the in-breath has not yet arisen"; in the Sheng edition the two characters "out / in" are interchanged (0432c15) — the base text follows the Taishō reading, and the Sheng edition's variant reading is also recorded〕 — he is then mindful "stilling the body-formation on the in-breath, out-breath"; and moreover, because of abundant cultivation, the rigid painful contact that formerly, when not yet continuously practiced, turned along [with the breath] is now, being continuously practiced, wholly stilled, and a soft, blissful contact turns along, so that he is mindful "stilling the body-formation" 〔the fourth〕. 　Again, the diligent cultivator, when he gains the first absorption or the second absorption, is then mindful "being aware of joy on the in-breath, out-breath" 〔the fifth〕; when he gains the joy-free third absorption, he is mindful "being aware of bliss" 〔the sixth〕. Above the third absorption there is no principle of further cultivating application within mindfulness of breathing, hence up to the third absorption it is stated as subsumed under the application of breath-mindfulness. Again, one who is aware of joy and aware of bliss may momentarily give rise to forgetfulness of mindfulness — either supposing there is a self and what belongs to a self, or giving rise to the conceit "I am," or supposing "I shall exist / shall not exist / shall have form / shall be formless / shall have perception / shall be without perception / shall be neither with perception nor without perception," giving rise to these deluded notions-and-thoughts and their co-operating stirring-conceit, conceptual proliferation, fabrication, and craving; as soon as they arise, he can swiftly penetrate them with wisdom, not becoming deeply defiled-and-attached, and by skillful means severs, dispels, and expels them — by this application he is then mindful "being aware of the mind-formation on the in-breath, out-breath" 〔the seventh〕, "stilling the mind-formation" 〔the eighth〕. 　Again, if he gains the fundamental first, second, or third absorption (or the access-concentration, the threshold-concentration, of the first absorption he has gained), in dependence upon this he examines the mind that has arisen: knowing it as it truly is and being aware of it as it truly is — whether a mind with greed / a mind free of greed, a mind with hatred / a mind free of hatred, a mind with delusion / a mind free of delusion, a contracted mind / a scattered mind, a lowered mind / an uplifted mind, a mind with excitement / a mind without excitement, a stilled mind / an unstilled mind, a mind in equipoise / a mind not in equipoise, a well-cultivated mind / a poorly-cultivated mind, a well-liberated mind / a poorly-liberated mind — all as they truly are, hence being mindful "being aware of the mind on the in-breath, out-breath" 〔the ninth〕. If he sees dullness-and-drowsiness covering-and-obstructing his mind, because he is dwelling too much inwardly in tranquil-stopping, he then, toward some pure and sublime object outward, displays, instructs, exhorts, and gladdens, rousing his mind, hence being mindful "gladdening the mind" 〔the tenth〕. If he sees excitement-and-regret covering-and-obstructing his mind, because he is dwelling too much outwardly in clamorous-uplifting, he then settles inwardly in stillness and restrains-and-holds his mind, hence being mindful "restraining-and-holding the mind" 〔the eleventh〕. If, because his mind is well-cultivated, he makes the actively-operating hindrances all become remote, and within the various hindrances the mind is made pure, hence being mindful "liberating the mind" 〔the twelfth〕. 　His mind having been liberated from the hindrances, remaining latent proclivities should be severed; in order to sever them he brings the path before him, and toward the impermanent dharma-nature of the formations he examines with utmost goodness, earnestness, and accord with principle, hence being mindful "contemplating impermanence" 〔the thirteenth〕. Moreover, he, having formerly, in dependence on the lower three absorptions or the threshold-concentration, cultivated the yogic practice of tranquillity, now, in dependence on the contemplation of impermanence, again cultivates the yogic practice of insight; and having thus perfumed-and-cultivated the mind with tranquillity and insight, he seeks liberation from the latent proclivities within the various elements. What various elements? Namely, the three elements: first, the element of severance (the severing of all formations to be severed by the path-of-seeing); second, the element of dispassion (the severing of all formations to be severed by the path-of-cultivation); third, the element of cessation (the cessation of all bases). Contemplating these three elements as stilled, secure, and free of trouble, he cultivates tranquillity and insight; and because of abundant cultivation, his mind is liberated from the remaining afflictions to be severed by the path-of-cultivation, hence being mindful "contemplating severance, contemplating dispassion, contemplating cessation on the in-breath, out-breath" 〔the fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth〕. Thus, because all the afflictions to be severed by the path-of-seeing and the path-of-cultivation are permanently severed, he becomes an arhat, with the outflows permanently exhausted; thereafter there is nothing further to be done, and toward what is to be ascertained he has reached the ultimate. This is named the sixteen superior practices.

Cultivating in this way is named the five kinds of cultivation of mindfulness of breathing. A person of much-discursive-thinking-conduct should rightly and diligently train herein and delight in mastering it; one who, toward the object, has anxious preoccupation and distraction should individually and inwardly draw near to this contemplation. If one diligently cultivates herein, discursive-thinking and agitation are wholly absent, and the mind settles swiftly upon the object, giving rise to deep delight — this is named the conduct-purifying object of the fifth, "a person of much-discursive-thinking-conduct."

Thus, in sum, this is named the conduct-purifying object.

Teaching arc: the prior unit sized up the "person" — the twenty-eight kinds of person, the five modes of temperament. This unit compounds the medicine for them. The treatise first hands over a "for everyone" universal object (the four images of the pervasive object, which are in fact a single map of tranquillity-and-insight), and then hands over the "medicine matched to the sickness" of the five settling-of-mind contemplations: the impure to treat greed, loving-kindness to treat hatred, the object-nature and dependent origination to treat delusion, the differentiation of elements to treat conceit, and the counting of breaths to treat discursive thought. The two points of the eye: one is the four principles by which dependent origination must be "contemplated" if it is to be contemplated aright; the other is the sixteen excellent practices = the four foundations of mindfulness to which the counting of breaths comes at its end — this joins the śrāvaka's contemplative practice onto the thirty-seven factors of awakening in the following text.

First a Universal Object: The Pervasive Object Is in Fact a Map of Tranquillity-and-Insight

Before speaking of the five settling-of-mind contemplations, the treatise first sets up the "pervasive object" — pervasive meaning the object that, whichever contemplation one cultivates, is held in common and pervasively active. It has four items, and taken together they are precisely a single road from tranquillity-and-insight to the transformation of the basis:

The image endowed with discernment — after you have heard the Dharma and received the teaching, there arises in the mind an "image concordant with the object known" (not the actual present object, but that likeness-image which appears within the concentrated mind), and you take up vipaśyanā (insight) to contemplate it, to sort and select, to investigate it. This is the "insight class."

The image devoid of discernment — when you have contemplated enough, you take up and rest in that image-mark, no longer sorting and selecting, and use śamatha (tranquillity) alone to still the mind, causing the mind to abide by the nine modes of activity (inward abiding, even abiding, settled abiding, close abiding, taming, stilling, utmost stilling, one-directedness, and equipoise). This is the "tranquillity class" — that is, the nine abidings of the mind.

The limit of the object — you touch the very edge of both the "measure" and the "nature" of the object: the exhaustive-nature (all form does not exceed the aggregate of form; all dharmas do not exceed the elements and the sense-fields; all that is known does not exceed the four truths), and the such-as-it-is-nature (the true suchness that is the nature of the object-appearance, possessed of the principled character by way of the four principles).

The consummation of what is to be done — when tranquillity and insight have been cultivated to maturity and attention is perfected, one gains the "transformation of the basis," and coarse heaviness comes to rest; at this moment one "surpasses the image" and gives rise directly, toward the object known, to a non-conceptual direct-perceptual knowledge and vision — no longer seeing across an image, but directly and personally seeing by direct perception.

The ancient masters took the simile of "a thing coming out of the mouth of a jar": the concentrative object (that image) can generate the concentrated mind and, in continuous succession, enter concentration — just as water comes out of the mouth of a jar, just as food enters the belly by way of the mouth; and so this image is also called "the mouth of samādhi, the gate of samādhi" 〔Jing · Tai〕. The treatise also appends a passage of the Revata Sūtra — the elder Revata asks the Buddha, "How does a monk rest the mind upon the object?"; and of the four lines the Buddha answers, the first, "rest the mind upon a concordant object," leads straight into the five settling-of-mind contemplations below.

Medicine Matched to the Sickness: The Five Settling-of-Mind Contemplations

The three words "a concordant object" are the key to this whole passage: the medicine must match the sickness. The prior unit said that a person may be predominantly given to greed, or to hatred, or to delusion, or to conceit, or to discursive thought; this unit prescribes for each in turn 〔Dunlun〕—

The impure treats greed. The treatise lists six kinds of the impure (the rotting-and-foul / the suffering-and-distressing / the low-and-mean / the relative / the affliction-bound / the swiftly-perishing), and the one that carries the most weight is the "rotting-and-foul impure": inwardly, one contemplates the more-than-thirty impure things within this body of one's own — hair, body-hair, nail, tooth, skin, flesh, sinew, bone, heart, liver, spleen, kidney, pus, blood, dung, urine; outwardly, one goes to the "charnel road" (the cool grove, the corpse-depositing place) to contemplate the changes of a corpse — dead now one or two days on to seven days, devoured by crows and magpies, hungry dogs, kites and vultures, foxes and wolves (livid-blue, festering, bloated, devoured); then on to where, with skin, flesh, and blood gone, only the sinews bind it together (turned red); then on to the bones, the fettered-bones, the bone-chain; and at last where the hand-bones and foot-bones lie each scattered apart, "their color fresh and white as a conch-shell, or like the color of a dove" (scattered-and-destroyed). Taking up this corpse-mark, one turns it back upon one's own body — "of just this same nature, and unable to surpass just this dharma-nature." Greed is of five kinds (greed for the inner body, licentious greed for the outer body, for the object, for form, for the identity-view), and licentious greed is further divided into four — color, shape, fine touch, and being-waited-upon; the treatise matches each with its antidote corpse-mark. (The ancient masters note in passing that "turned red" is glossed differently by the Lesser Vehicle and the Great Vehicle, and point out that for the fourth of the licentious greeds, "greed for being-waited-upon," the treatise lists only the name and sets up no separate antidote 〔Dunlun〕 — these are recorded side by side, not adjudicated.) For the two words "charnel-road," the ancient masters also point out a double sense: it is both the desolate, unpeopled corpse-depositing place, and the stilling of nirvāṇa — to perform the contemplation of the impure is precisely the "road" that leads toward that stilling.

Loving-kindness treats hatred. Toward the three kinds of person — dear, hostile, and neutral — one rests equally in the mind that "wishes them to gain benefit," giving rise to the resolute conviction of a joyous concentrative ground of the lesser, middling, and superior grades (the bliss of the desire-realm is called "vast," the bliss of the first two absorptions "great," the bliss of the third absorption "measureless"). To wish to give bliss to one who is without suffering and without bliss is "loving-kindness"; to wish to draw out suffering from one who suffers, and to wish to rejoice at one who has bliss, are "compassion and sympathetic joy." When one of hateful temperament cultivates in this way, hatred grows thin.

The object-nature and dependent origination treat delusion — here is one of the doctrinal points of the eye of the whole passage. Delusion is to see cause-and-condition upside down; the antidote is to "contemplate dependent origination in accord with principle." But how must dependent origination be "thought" if it is not to go astray? The treatise gives a ruler — the four principles 〔Dunlun〕: The principle of dependence-and-attendance: the formations are what come to be only in dependence upon and attendance on ignorance (avidyā) (they arise attending on a condition, they do not spring up of themselves). The principle of activity: ignorance has only the one activity of "giving rise to the formations," and each limb has its own several activity; there is no superfluous agent behind them driving them on. The principle of establishing-proof: one proves by the three means of knowledge — the means of authoritative teaching (the dependent origination, the suffering and its origin, that the Buddha spoke), direct perception (the knowledge of suffering and impermanence personally seen within concentration), and inference (verifying by reasoning against a disputant). The principle of the very-way-things-are: whether a buddha appears or not, "ignorance conditions the formations" — its nature is thus of itself, the dharma-nature is just so, not by an agent, and not by an experiencer. One phrase draws it to a close: "There are only dharmas that draw forth dharmas; there is no agent and no experiencer." When one of deluded temperament reflects in this way, delusion grows thin. (These four principles Dunlun expounds through, line by line, in fascicle seven; but Kuiji here notes only the single line "the object-nature is the four conditions, dependent origination is the twelvefold causation," and does not unfold the four principles — this divergence is recorded side by side.)

The differentiation of elements treats conceit. One takes the body apart into six elements — earth, water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness — and each element has its inner and outer (the inner earth-element = the solid nature within the body, such as bone and tooth; the outer earth-element = tile, stone, mountain, cliff …). Conceit is rooted in taking this body, assembled out of the six elements, as "a single unified self" and exalting it; the contemplation of the differentiation of elements is precisely to "part from the mark of the single unified" — the body is nothing but the six elements provisionally combined; where is there a single seamless "self" to be conceited about? The ancient masters point out that this is precisely the meaning of the Prajñāpāramitā's "the Tathāgata speaks of a single unified mark" 〔Kuiji〕.

Mindfulness of breathing (the counting of breaths) treats discursive thought. One of discursive temperament, his thoughts drifting and scattering, uses the counting of the breath to gather the mind in. The treatise expounds it in the finest detail: the two causal conditions of the in-and-out breath, the two supports, the two courses, the two grounds, the four alternative names, the two faults (too slack breeds torpor, too tense injures body and mind), and then the five cultivations — counting (taking one as one, taking two as one, in forward order, in reverse order, and advancing-onward, counting until the mind abides spontaneously and, having passed the "ground of counting," need count no more), penetrating the aggregates (penetrating the five aggregates from breath and body-and-mind), penetrating dependent origination (tracing forward and back: breath ← body-and-mind ← the life-faculty ← prior formations ← ignorance), penetrating the noble truths (entering the direct realization of the four truths by way of impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and no-self), and at last the sixteen excellent practices. (The ancient masters note in passing that the Tibetan transmission divides it into the six gates of counting, following, resting, contemplating, returning, and purifying, while here five gates are set up — the merging and dividing differing — recorded side by side.)

The Counting of Breaths at Its End: The Sixteen Excellent Practices Are the Four Foundations of Mindfulness

The sixteen excellent practices are the further cultivation, after the path of seeing, for severing the remaining fetters, and so are called "excellent practices" (excelling the work before the path of seeing). Their marvel has, since ancient times, been consistently seen by matching them four-by-four to the "four foundations of mindfulness" 〔Dunlun · Kuiji〕:

• Contemplating the breath long, contemplating the breath short, being aware of the whole body, and stilling the bodily formation — these four are contemplation of the body; (of these, the line "stilling the bodily formation" reads "taking as object the state of emptiness of the out-breath and the in-breath"; the base text reads "out … in," while the Sheng-canon text transposes the two words "out / in" — a single-word change that does not alter the contemplation-method; the variant reading is recorded side by side in the ⟨Apparatus⟩.)
• Being aware of joy, being aware of bliss, being aware of the mental formation, and stilling the mental formation — these four are contemplation of feeling;
• Being aware of the mind, gladdening the mind, restraining-and-holding the mind, and liberating the mind — these four are contemplation of the mind;
• The contemplation attendant on impermanence, the contemplation attendant on severance, the contemplation attendant on the fading of desire, and the contemplation attendant on cessation — these four are contemplation of dharmas.

The contemplation carried along a single breath — from the awareness of the breath's length-and-shortness and its pervading the body, to attending on the breath through the four absorptions and being aware of joy and bliss and taming the mental formation, to the various contemplations of the mind (with greed and parted from greed, torpor and agitation, liberated and not liberated), and at the last, taking the three elements as object (the element of severance, the element of the fading of desire, the element of cessation) and performing the four contemplations attendant on impermanence, severance, the fading of desire, and cessation — "all the afflictions to be severed on the paths of seeing and of cultivation are severed forever, and one becomes an arhat." A single breath, and it is the whole course of the four foundations of mindfulness of body, feeling, mind, and dharmas.

So this one unit, which looks as though it is expounding "objects," has in fact already erected the two crux-points of the śrāvaka's contemplative practice: one is how dependent origination is to be contemplated in accord with principle (the four principles), the other is how the breath is to be contemplated into the four foundations of mindfulness (the sixteen excellent practices). The prior unit made the person clear; this unit compounds the full complement of medicine; and within this medicine, the "four foundations of mindfulness" is precisely what joins onto the thirty-seven factors of awakening in the next unit (13-02-04, the Cultivation of Yoga) — a road that runs from the taming of a single thought-breath to the thirty-seven aids of the path is thereby laid out.

Carrying Forward

The object-unit receives "the person" above and opens onto "cultivation" below. Receiving what precedes: the prior unit set up the twenty-eight persons and the five modes (greed, hatred, delusion, conceit, discursive thought) as the "faculty"; this unit's five settling-of-mind contemplations (the impure / loving-kindness / the object-nature and dependent origination / the differentiation of elements / mindfulness of breathing) are the "medicine" that treats each one in turn — the Revata Sūtra's "rest the mind upon a concordant object" plainly signals that medicine and sickness must be matched, first setting up the person and then treating it, the two units of a single piece (13-02-01, the Persons). Opening onto what follows, three veins: first, the four principles of the object-nature-and-dependent-origination object (dependence-and-attendance / activity / establishing-proof / the very-way-things-are) are amply set forth later in the Stage of What is Attained through Reflection, and this unit has already established their use in the right contemplation of the twelvefold dependent origination (Stage 11, the Stage of What is Attained through Reflection); second, the nine abidings of the mind of the pervasive image devoid of discernment, together with the marks of stilling, exerting, and equanimity, and the transformation of the basis, are to be read together with the Stage of Meditative Equipoise (Stage 6); third, the sixteen excellent practices at the end of mindfulness of breathing have already been matched four-by-four to the four foundations of mindfulness (contemplation of body, feeling, mind, and dharmas), and precisely open onto the thirty-seven factors of awakening of the next unit's Cultivation of Yoga — the four foundations of mindfulness being their head (13-02-04). A single object of treatment, receiving before it the faculty of the persons and opening after it onto the cultivation of the factors of awakening, is the joint at which the second yoga-station turns from "the person" to "the dharma."