瑜伽師地論 聲聞地 · 第四瑜伽處 · 出世間道 · 四諦現觀 · 加行

The mundane path suppresses the active [afflictions] but does not injure the seeds; the supramundane path, in dependence on the field that is the four noble truths and gradually arousing the seven attentions, truly cuts off the root of birth-and-death. This fascicle = the preparatory-effort segment before the path of seeing (apprehending-the-aspect ~ the supreme worldly dharma). Point of the eye: ★★ the "craving" of the truth of origination is judged by the ancient masters to be the latent-proclivity seed attached to the store-consciousness support / the fundamental consciousness, the cause of the arising of after-existence — the pivot where the śrāvaka's direct realization of the four truths opens into the doctrine of Consciousness-Only; it carries forward the store-consciousness line of the previous fascicles and opens the way to the "permanent injuring of the seeds" of the path of seeing in the next.

In one line: In dependence on the field that is the four noble truths, one gradually arouses the seven attentions; the first, apprehending the aspect, awakens to the truths by four modes for each of the four truths (suffering: impermanence, suffering, emptiness, no-self / origination: cause, origination, arising, condition / cessation: cessation, stilling, the sublime, departure / the path: the path, the fitting, the coursing, the going-forth) 〔T30 0470c18〕, with the truth of suffering further opened into ten modes, impermanence contemplated by the three sources of knowledge (authoritative teaching · direct seeing · inference), the ten modes gathered into four 〔Dunlun T42 0476a13〕, and the doctrine of a Sovereign Lord refuted by inference; the attention of resolute conviction takes only the field of the truths as object, wholly and singly in concentration, gains the knowledge of the boundless, and subdues the coarse-grade conceit "I am" (taking mind as the object of mind); passing through warmth (lesser acceptance) · summit (middling acceptance) · the acceptance in accord with the truths (superior acceptance) · the supreme worldly dharma (the last moment of the worldly mind) 〔T30 0475c23〕, from this without interval one enters the path of seeing (13-04-04). The ancient masters match the seven attentions onto the five stages: apprehending-the-aspect at the five stilling-of-mind [contemplations] and the general-and-specific foundations of mindfulness · resolute conviction at the four wholesome roots · seclusion at the path of seeing · investigation at the path of cultivation · joy-gathering before the vajra 〔Dunlun T42 0476a02 · Kuiji T43 0122c23〕.

Three Points of the Eye

1. The ten modes of the truth of suffering · the three sources of knowledge · the refutation of the Sovereign Lord: the ten modes (alteration · decay · separation · dharma-nature · coming-together · bondage-and-fetter · the unlovely · the insecure · the ungettable · the not-self-determining) gather into the four modes (the former five = impermanence · three = suffering · the ungettable = emptiness · the not-self-determining = no-self) 〔Dunlun T42 0476a13〕. The three sources of knowledge contemplate impermanence (authoritative teaching: all conditioned things are impermanent · the seven-suns fire-disaster; direct seeing: the fifteen inner and sixteen outer alterations; inference: the momentary arising-and-ceasing is subtle). Inference refutes the doctrine of a Sovereign Lord (shifting his tack, pressed step by step): if the Sovereign Lord originally exists then the conditioned things too originally exist together with him and should not be called conditioned things · if they arise afterward then not the Sovereign Lord alone but further conditions must be awaited 〔Kuiji T43 0123c12 · Dunlun T42 0477a09〕.

2. ★★ The craving of the truth of origination = the latent-proclivity seed of the store-consciousness support / the fundamental consciousness = the cause of the arising of after-existence (the point of the eye · weightiest): in the third "furthermore" of the truth of origination the treatise-text says on its own account, "the latent proclivity of affliction is attached to a support, and the latent proclivity of craving and the like is the cause of the arising of the after-existence of the future world" 〔T30 0474c07〕. The ancient masters judge "attached to a support" = the store consciousness / the fundamental consciousness — Jing says "the latent proclivity of craving and the like within the store-consciousness support is the cause of after-existence" 〔Dunlun T42 0478b21〕; Kuiji says "the seeds of the various afflictions are attached to the support that is the fundamental consciousness … this one seed and the latter three active [modes] are named craving" 〔Dunlun quoting Kuiji T42 0478b28 · Kuiji, Concise Compendium, own composition, 0125a14 · the Concise Compendium reads "seeds of the various afflictions"〕. All four senses of the truth of origination — cause, origination, arising, condition — are established about the seed of craving gathered under the store consciousness. It carries forward the store consciousness's holding of the body in the previous fascicle, and opens the way to the "support that is the seed of the knowledge of dharmas and the knowledge of the kinds" of the path of seeing (source 0475a04) and the vajra-like "permanent injuring of the seeds" (13-04-04).

3. The obstruction of the conceit "I am" · taking mind as the object of mind · the four wholesome roots: the attention of resolute conviction is wholly and singly in concentration (distinguishing the apprehending-of-the-aspect, which was interspersed with hearing and reflection) and gains the knowledge of the boundless; the last obstruction before direct realization = the coarse-grade conceit "I am" ("I can contemplate suffering … such dharmas are what I possess"), and the method of breaking it = casting off the attention that operates spontaneously in accordance, taking the later mind as the object of the former mind, singly diligent and without relief, so that the conceit "I am" has no room to arise 〔Kuiji · Dunlun T42 0479b04 · Kuiji T43 0125c16〕; contemplating the mind-continuum as impermanent, suffering, empty (apart from a second dharma), and no-self, one enters into the four truths → the knowledge that the object-that-apprehends and the object-apprehended are equal-and-equal arises. The four wholesome roots "all named acceptance in that they bear-and-receive the principle of the truths · warmth, summit, and acceptance set by the three grades" 〔Jing · Tai · Dunlun T42 0479c27〕; the supreme worldly dharma "seems to cease but has not really ceased, seems to be without an object yet is not without a condition" 〔Kuiji · Dunlun T42 0480a01 · Kuiji T43 0126a12〕.

Appended note: the contemplation of the sixteen modes of the four truths runs through the several stages of the Basic Section; this passage sets up the proper sequence for the śrāvaka's proceeding toward the supramundane path. The ancient masters here take two forms: Dunlun's Notes on the Yogācārabhūmi, top of fasc. 8 〔T42 0476a02, opening the seven segments · quoting Jing / Tai / Kuiji〕; Kuiji's Concise Compendium, fasc. 9 〔T43 0122c23 onward〕. Jinaputra's Commentary has only the introductory exposition of the general meaning · no clause-by-clause special commentary. This fascicle has no in-treatise parallel of the Section on Ascertainment noted by the ancient masters. ★★ The store-consciousness reading of the truth of origination = brought out by Jing and Kuiji together. The doctrinal exposition is set out in the 〈Exposition〉.

The mundane path has been set forth; from here the fascicle turns into the "supramundane path": in dependence on the field that is the four noble truths, it gradually gives rise to the seven attentions. First comes the attention that apprehends the aspect — awakening to the aspect of the truths by way of the four modes of each of the four truths (the sixteen modes); with respect to the truth of suffering it further opens out ten modes of contemplation, and by the three sources of knowledge (authoritative teaching, direct seeing, and inference) it establishes impermanence, refutes the non-Buddhist doctrine of a Sovereign Lord, and gathers the ten modes back into four; then it gives the four modes each of the truths of origination, cessation, and the path. Next comes the attention of resolute conviction (the knowledge of the boundless, the subduing of the conceit "I am," the taking of mind as the object of mind), and finally the four wholesome roots of the preparatory effort: warmth, summit, acceptance, and the supreme worldly dharma. The terms are kept as of old, rendered clause by clause into today's language, adding no doctrinal exposition, citing no treatise, glossing no Sanskrit; where the treatise-text is compressed, it is filled back in with 〔brackets〕; the treatise's own repeating frame of "seeing this matter, one then reflects that all conditioned things are impermanent · the rest as before" is retained item by item.

1 · The Supramundane Path — In Dependence on the Field That Is the Four Noble Truths, Arousing the Seven Attentions

This is the second part of the Fourth Yoga-Station in the thirteenth division, the Śrāvaka Stage, within the Basic Section.

The mundane path has now been set forth in full. If one delights in proceeding toward the supramundane path, one should take as one's basis the field that is the "four noble truths," and gradually arouse seven kinds of attention — namely, from the first, the attention that apprehends the aspect, down to the last, the attention that is the fruit of the culmination of preparatory effort, and so on up to the realization of the fruit of arhatship.

2 · The Attention That Apprehends the Aspect — Four Modes for Each of the Four Truths

The yoga practitioner, with respect to the brief statement and the extensive discussion — the superior teaching — of the four noble truths, hears and upholds it; or has already well cultivated the attention; or has already attained the fundamental meditative absorption or the formless attainments. 　By four modes he comes to know the aspect of the "truth of suffering": the mode of impermanence, the mode of suffering, the mode of emptiness, the mode of no-self. 　By four modes he comes to know the aspect of the "truth of origination": the mode of cause, the mode of origination, the mode of arising, the mode of condition. 　By four modes he comes to know the aspect of the "truth of cessation": the mode of cessation, the mode of stilling, the mode of the sublime, the mode of departure. 　By four modes he comes to know the aspect of the "truth of the path": the mode of the path, the mode of the fitting, the mode of the coursing, the mode of the going-forth. This is what is named the attention that apprehends the aspect.

3 · The Truth of Suffering — Contemplating by Ten Modes, Entering by Four Modes

By ten kinds of mode he contemplates the truth of suffering, and can thereby enter into the four modes of the truth of suffering. Which ten modes? First, the mode of alteration; second, the mode of decay-and-ruin; third, the mode of separation; fourth, the mode of dharma-nature; fifth, the mode of coming-together; sixth, the mode of bondage-and-fetter; seventh, the mode of the unlovely; eighth, the mode of the insecure; ninth, the mode of the ungettable; tenth, the mode of the not-self-determining. These ten modes, by "the principle that establishes and proves," can be rightly contemplated.

(a) The Source of Authoritative Teaching — All Conditioned Things Are Impermanent

Here he relies first upon the principle of "the source of authoritative teaching." As the World-Honored One said, "all conditioned things are impermanent." Again, these conditioned things are, in brief, of two kinds: first, the world of sentient beings; second, the world as receptacle. Relying upon the world of sentient beings, the World-Honored One said: "Bhikṣus, you should know! With the purified divine eye that surpasses the human, I contemplate sentient beings at the time of their dying and at the time of their birth, down to their being reborn, after the body has broken up, into the world of the gods in a good destiny" — by this teaching-approach it is shown that the World-Honored One, with the purified divine eye, directly sees that the entire world of sentient beings is of the nature of impermanence. Again the World-Honored One said: "Bhikṣus, you should know! This world as receptacle abides for a long time, and after this, gradually, down to when the seven suns appear (as is extensively set forth in the Sūtra of the Seven Suns), down to all the great earth, the mountains, the great oceans, and Sumeru the King of great jeweled mountains, down to the receptacle-worlds up to the Brahmā-world, are all burned up; and after the disaster-fire has died out, the ash and cinders do not appear, down to where not even a remaining shadow can be got" — by this teaching-approach the World-Honored One shows that all receptacle-worlds are of the nature of impermanence. Thus, relying upon the principle of the source of authoritative teaching, the practitioner of contemplation, by "the power of the attention strengthened by pure faith," gains a settled determination regarding the impermanent nature of all conditioned things.

(b) The Strengthening of Direct Seeing — Establishing Inner and Outer Matters

Having gained the determination, then by this power of the attention strengthened by pure faith he repeatedly ponders and contemplates the impermanent nature of everything that is "directly seen, not contrary [to seeing], not [known] through another's condition." How does he repeatedly ponder and contemplate? He first establishes the two "matters," inner and outer. The "inner matters" are the six sense-bases and the like; the "outer matters" are of sixteen kinds: first, the matter of ground (city, town, house, marketplace, and so on); second, the matter of parks (medicinal herbs, groves, and so on); third, the matter of mountains (the various arrangements and differences of mountains); fourth, the matter of water (rivers, streams, embankments, lakes, the many currents, ponds, marshes); fifth, the matter of work; sixth, the matter of storehouses; seventh, the matter of food; eighth, the matter of drink; ninth, the matter of conveyances; tenth, the matter of clothing; eleventh, the matter of ornaments; twelfth, the matter of dance, song, and music; thirteenth, the matter of perfume, garlands, and unguents; fourteenth, the matter of the requisites of livelihood; fifteenth, the matter of the various lights; sixteenth, the matter of the attendance of men and women. Having established these inner and outer matters, he then, with respect to those matters, by "the power of the attention strengthened by direct seeing," ponders and contemplates their impermanent nature by the "mode of alteration."

(c) The Fifteen Kinds of Wrought Alteration in Inner Matters + the Eight Causes and Conditions of Alteration

Inner matters have fifteen kinds of wrought alteration: first, alteration wrought by phase; second, alteration wrought by color; third, alteration wrought by shape; fourth, alteration wrought by flourishing-and-declining; fifth, alteration wrought by the completeness or incompleteness of the limbs and joints; sixth, alteration wrought by toil; seventh, alteration wrought by injury from another; eighth, alteration wrought by cold and heat; ninth, alteration wrought by bodily posture; tenth, alteration wrought by contact-and-encounter; eleventh, alteration wrought by defilement; twelfth, alteration wrought by disease; thirteenth, alteration wrought by dying-and-passing; fourteenth, alteration wrought by the bruised-and-purple [corpse] and the rest; fifteenth, alteration wrought by the total non-appearance and utter extinction of everything. 　And there are eight kinds of causes and conditions of alteration: first, the accumulation and storing-up over time; second, injury from another; third, loss through use; fourth, the alteration of the seasons; fifth, being burned by fire; sixth, being washed away and rotted by water; seventh, being fanned dry by wind; eighth, the meeting with a differing condition. 　〔The eight causes and conditions explained one by one〕 First, accumulation and storing-up over time: material dharmas, though set down and guarded in a good place, of themselves decay after long time has passed, and a decline and alteration of their material appearance can be got. Second, injury from another: if the various material dharmas are struck and injured by another in various ways, then in various ways their shape alters. Third, loss through use: the various material things belonging severally to owners, by the power of the user's using them, decline and alter. Fourth, the alteration of the seasons: in autumn and winter the groves, medicinal herbs, flowers, leaves, and fruits wither yellow and fall; in spring and summer the branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits are green and luxuriant. Fifth, being burned by fire: a great fire, running wild, burns up villages, towns, kingdom-capitals, and royal cities, and all become ash and cinders. Sixth, being washed away and rotted by water: a great flood, overflowing, sweeps away villages, towns, kingdom-capitals, and royal cities, and all are drowned. Seventh, being fanned dry by wind: a great wind, blowing and fanning, dries up wet clothes, wet ground, crops, and groves. Eighth, the meeting with a differing condition: on the occasion of a pleasant-feeling contact when one is experiencing pleasant feeling, one meets a painful-feeling contact; on the occasion of a painful-feeling contact when one is experiencing painful feeling, one meets a pleasant-feeling contact; on the occasion of a neither-painful-nor-pleasant-feeling contact one meets a pleasant-feeling contact or a painful-feeling contact; again, one who has craving meets a condition for anger, the entangling craving is stilled and an entangling anger is aroused, and it is likewise for one who has anger or delusion meeting a condition for the arising of an affliction of another kind; again, just as when eye-consciousness is present before one, on meeting a further object and further condition of sound, smell, taste, touch, and the like, a consciousness of another kind arises — all the rest is to be understood in accordance with principle. This is named the eight kinds of causes and conditions of alteration — all the alteration belonging to every material and non-material dharma is by these eight causes and conditions; apart from these there is nothing further, whether beyond or in addition. 　〔By the attention of direct seeing, contemplating inner matters by fifteen modes〕 First, alteration of phase: seeing that oneself or another, from the phase of youth down to the phase of old age, passes through a succession of conditioned states differing before and after and not resembling one another, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Second, alteration of color: seeing that there was formerly a fine color, the skin fresh and lustrous, and afterward seeing an ill color, the skin withered and dried, and later again seeing a fine color, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Third, alteration of shape: as with color, this too — by way of fatness and leanness — should be understood likewise. Fourth, alteration of flourishing-and-declining: seeing that one's kin and wealth-position first flourish, then decline, then flourish again, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Fifth, alteration of the limbs: seeing the limbs and joints first without lack or diminishment, then with lack or diminishment (whether wrought by a king, a robber, a human, or a non-human), seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Sixth, alteration of toil: seeing the body utterly wearied with toil (by galloping, leaping, hopping, riding, or the various swift bodily actions), and afterward seeing it freed from utter weariness, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Seventh, alteration of injury from another: seeing the body ruined by knife, staff, whip, hide-thong, spear, lance, and the like, or injured by the malignant venomous contact of mosquitoes, gadflies, snakes, and scorpions, and afterward seeing it not altered, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Eighth, alteration of cold and heat: seeing that in the very cold the body is not at ease, huddles and shivers, and is beset and oppressed by freezing cold, longing to meet warmth and sun; in the very heat the body is at ease, is parched and streams with sweat, and is beset and oppressed by heat and thirst, longing to meet coolness; and coming again to a cold time it is as before, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Ninth, alteration of posture: seeing that in walking, standing, sitting, and lying, in any one posture, [the body] is either impaired or benefited, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Tenth, alteration of contact-and-encounter: by a contact-and-encounter conforming to pleasant-feeling contact, when experiencing pleasant feeling, one can of oneself discern the phase of pleasant feeling; it is likewise for discerning the phase of painful feeling and of neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling; discerning that these feelings, before and after, are altering — that they are of a ceaselessly-new nature, not an old-and-enduring nature; that they either increase or decrease; that they are but momentary, coming spontaneously to the fore and then straightway altering and breaking up — seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Eleventh, alteration of defilement: knowing the mind that previously arose as having-craving / free-of-craving, having-anger / free-of-anger, having-delusion / free-of-delusion, and the mind defiled or not defiled by any of the secondary afflictions; and knowing further that the mind-continuum, by the afflictions and secondary afflictions, in its earlier and later states enters into an altering or a non-altering nature — seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Twelfth, alteration of disease: seeing that oneself or another, first without disease, at ease, strong and vigorous, afterward meets grave disease with a fierce contact of painful feeling and sharp bodily pain, and later again is without disease, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Thirteenth, alteration of dying-and-passing: seeing that one now living, at ease and abiding, at a later time dies and passes, having only a corpse, empty and without mind-consciousness, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Fourteenth, alteration of the bruised-and-purple and the rest: seeing that after death the corpse comes to the phase of being bruised-and-purple, the phase of festering-and-rotting, down to the phase of the chained bones, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Fifteenth, alteration of the total non-appearance and utter extinction: seeing that the phase of the chained bones at yet another time also does not appear, all decaying, scattering, and worn to extinction, in every way no longer seen by the eye, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Thus, by the power of the attention strengthened by direct seeing, he contemplates by fifteen kinds of mode the impermanent nature of the various alterations in inner matters.

(d) The Sixteen Kinds of Alteration in Outer Matters

Having contemplated the inner matters, he next contemplates the impermanent nature of the various alterations in the sixteen outer matters: first, the matter of ground: seeing that this locality formerly had no practice-place, heavenly temple, dwelling-house, marketplace, city-wall, and the like built and set up, and afterward seeing them newly built and well adorned, and again seeing them worn and old, collapsed and cracked, fallen and ruined, breached and gapped, burned by fire and washed by water, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Second, the matter of parks: seeing that the parks and gardens, medicinal herbs, groves, flowers, fruits, branches, and leaves were formerly luxuriant, green and lovable, and afterward seeing them withered, without flower or fruit, their boughs and leaves fallen, burned by fire and washed by water, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Third, the matter of mountains: seeing that its groves are dense and lush, its towering rocks steep and craggy, and afterward seeing them worn away and ruined, high and low uneven, burned by fire and washed by water, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Fourth, the matter of water: seeing that the rivers, canals, ponds, and springs first surge with billows and overflow, brimming with sweet water, and afterward seeing them dried up and run dry, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Fifth, the matter of work: seeing that the trades of pursuing profit, herding, farming, craftsmanship, right disputation, sailing, and the like first flourish and afterward decline, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Sixth, the matter of storehouses: seeing that the various storehouses are at one time brimful and at one time exhausted, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Seventh, the matter of food-and-drink: seeing that food-and-drink at one time is not yet prepared, at one time is prepared, at one time enters the mouth and, chewed by the teeth and mixed with saliva, is swallowed bit by bit, at one time enters the belly and is gradually digested, and at one time is transformed into feces and urine and flows out, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Eighth, the matter of conveyances: seeing that the various conveyances are first newly fine, adorned and lovable, and afterward worn out and stripped of adornment, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Ninth, the matter of clothing: seeing that clothing at one time is newly made, at one time worn out, at one time fresh and clean, at one time soiled and greasy, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Tenth, the matter of ornaments: seeing that ornaments at one time are not yet made, at one time already made, at one time firm and solid, at one time broken, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Eleventh, the matter of dance, song, and music: seeing that dance, song, and instrumental music, now the various tunes and airs, arise differently and pass away differently, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Twelfth, the matter of perfume, garlands, and unguents: seeing that the various perfumes and garlands are first fresh, glossy, and fragrant, and afterward wilted, faded, foul, and rotten, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Thirteenth, the matter of requisites: seeing the alteration, before and after, of their being not yet made, already made, complete, or broken, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Fourteenth, the matter of lights: seeing the arising-and-ceasing alteration of the various brightnesses and darknesses, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. Fifteenth, the matter of the attendance of men and women: seeing that they either decline or flourish, not abiding firm for long, seeing this alteration, he reflects: "These conditioned things are impermanent in nature." Why? Because the before-and-after alteration of this matter is directly observable. 〔The treatise-text extensively explains these fifteen segments, speaking of the two matters of food and drink combined as the one segment "food-and-drink."〕 　〔A summary of the outer matters〕 All these outer matters, the conditioned things — the former six kinds (ground · park · mountain · water · work · storehouse, that is, "the matters received-and-retained"), and the latter ten kinds (food · drink · conveyance · clothing · ornaments · dance-song-music · perfume-garlands-unguents · the requisites of livelihood · the various lights · the attendance of men and women, that is, "the matters that are requisites of the body") — in short, it should be known that their nature is all impermanent (because the shifting and turning of their form and appearance can presently be got). By the aforesaid modes of alteration, by the power of the attention strengthened by direct seeing, he contemplates with respect to the inner and outer matters, as is fitting, by the mode of alteration, that all is of the nature of impermanence; and thereby, regarding the impermanent nature that is the alterations, which is "directly seen, not contrary [to seeing], not [known] through another's condition, not drawn forth by another," he in recollection contemplates and, with close scrutiny, comes to a settled determination — and this is what is named "the attention strengthened by direct seeing."

(e) Inference — Momentary Arising-and-Ceasing · Refuting the Doctrine of a Sovereign Lord

Now, by the power of the attention strengthened by direct seeing, having contemplated the impermanence that is alteration: those material conditioned things do indeed presently have a momentary arising-and-ceasing, a decaying impermanence, but because it is subtle, it is not got by direct perception; therefore one must, in dependence on the attention strengthened by direct seeing, "rightly infer." 　How does he infer? Thus: those conditioned things must have a momentary arising-and-ceasing, a decay, before they can have alteration before and after; it is not that they can have alteration while abiding thus 〔unchanging〕 — therefore the conditioned things must have a momentary arising-and-ceasing. Again: by this and that concurrence of conditions, thus and thus do the conditioned things get to arise; having arisen, without waiting for a cause-and-condition of decay, they decay of themselves. Therefore that "cause-and-condition of alteration" (the former eight causes and conditions) is merely the "cause-and-condition of the arising of alteration" that can make the conditioned things shift and turn and arise, and is not the "cause-and-condition of the decay" of the conditioned things. Why? Because after the conditioned things, together with the world's directly-seen cause-and-condition of decay, have decayed, a "dissimilar" arising can afterward be got, and it is not that everything altogether does not arise; or there are conditioned things after whose decay every arising is altogether ungettable (as when boiled water and the like at last are all used up, or after the disaster-fire has burned the receptacle-world there is no ash or cinder, down to where not even a remaining shadow can be got) — that too is because the causes-and-conditions, one after another turning and gradually diminishing to the point of exhaustion, at last become altogether nonexistent; it is not that the "fire" does such a thing. Therefore the alteration is, by the aforesaid eight causes and conditions, made to arise as alteration and then decays of itself. Thus, by the power of the attention of inference, by the "mode of decay," he gains a settled determination regarding the momentary arising-and-ceasing, the decaying impermanence, of the conditioned things. 　Having gained the determination regarding this matter, he should then rightly infer regarding "the arising of the conditioned things of other lives, which is not directly seen." How does he infer? Thus: sentient beings can presently be got as having various differences — some of fine color, some of ill color, some of high clan and lineage, some of low clan and lineage, some rich, some poor, some of great kindred, some of small kindred, some long-lived, some short-lived, some dignified and grave in speech, some not; some of sharp faculties, some of dull faculties; all these differences of sentient beings can only be established by there being a difference of "action-deeds," and not by there being no action-deeds. Thus the differences in the color-classes of sentient beings must be by former-life wholesome and unwholesome actions performing and increasing the various kinds; by that cause-and-condition the difference of their present self-body arises, and one should not take "the transformation of a Sovereign Lord" as its cause. Why? If one says that the transformation of a Sovereign Lord, as cause, can produce the conditioned things — do these produced conditioned things use only that Sovereign Lord as their condition? Or must they await further conditions before the Sovereign Lord can transform them? If they use only the Sovereign Lord as their condition, then the conditioned things, together with the Sovereign Lord, should originally exist — why need they arise anew? If one says the Sovereign Lord's self-nature first exists and then the conditioned things arise, then the conditioned things are not aroused with only the Sovereign Lord as their condition. If one says the Sovereign Lord, following upon his own wish, effort, and prayer, can then create — then this too uses "wish" as a cause-and-condition, and not the Sovereign Lord alone. If so, this "wish" — is it with cause or without cause? If one says it is with cause, and takes the Sovereign Lord as its cause, this is the same fault as stated before, and does not accord with principle; if one says this wish further has some other cause, then, just as with "wish," so effort and prayer, apart from the Sovereign Lord, have another dharma as their cause — and thus all conditioned things should likewise use another dharma as their cause; why falsely posit that useless Sovereign Lord? By the power of the attention strengthened by inference of this and the like kind, he gains a settled determination regarding the arising of the conditioned things of "there being other lives." 　Thus, in brief, by the power of the three kinds of strengthened attention he ponders and contemplates the impermanent nature of the inner and outer conditioned things: first, the power of the attention strengthened by pure faith; second, the power of the attention strengthened by direct seeing; third, the power of the attention strengthened by inference.

(f) The Five Modes of Impermanence · Entering into the Mode of Suffering · the Mode of Emptiness · the Mode of No-Self

Among the five modes "conducive to the cultivation of impermanence" set out before, the mode of alteration and the mode of decay have already been discussed. 　How again does he contemplate the nature of impermanence by the "mode of separation"? In dependence on the two kinds of separation, inner and outer, it should be known that conditioned things are impermanent. In dependence on inner separation: as when a certain man was formerly a master over others, neither slave nor servant, able to use [things] of himself and able to drive others to do work, and at a later time loses his master-nature and his not-being-slave-or-servant nature, and turns to acquire the nature of "another's slave" and of "one who is driven" — with respect to the master-nature and the like, this is named separation-impermanence. In dependence on outer separation: the requisites of livelihood, wealth, and treasure present before one, which had not yet altered, had not yet been separated and decayed, at a later time are plundered by a king, a robber, one unloved, or a co-owner of the property, or are lost through an evil-doing endeavor, or are sought by some means and not got. This kind is named coming to know impermanence by the mode of separation. 　How again does he contemplate the nature of impermanence by the "mode of dharma-nature"? Thus: all the impermanence of alteration, the impermanence of decay, and the impermanence of separation, which in the present world have not yet come together, "will be" this dharma-nature in the future world; to penetrate as it really is that these conditioned things will have this dharma-nature in the future world — this kind is named penetrating "the impermanence of dharma-nature." 　How again does he contemplate the nature of impermanence by the "mode of coming-together"? Thus: this impermanence of alteration, of decay, and of separation comes together and appears in the present world; to penetrate as it really is that these conditioned things come together and appear in the present world — this kind is named penetrating "the impermanence of coming-together." As to the "five natures of impermanence" of these inner and outer conditioned things, by five modes, as is fitting, he cultivates the attention and cultivates it much, and gains a settled determination. 　Thus, by "the principle that establishes and proves" and by "the strengthening of cultivation," having gained the determination regarding the mode of impermanence, from this without interval he enters into the "mode of suffering," reflecting thus: these conditioned things are all impermanent; being impermanent, they must decidedly be of the dharma-nature of "having birth"; being of the nature that is born, there is the suffering of birth; there being the suffering of birth, it should be known that there is also the suffering of aging, sickness, and death, the suffering of meeting the hated, the suffering of parting from the loved, and the suffering of not getting what is sought. Thus, by the "mode of the unlovely," he enters into the mode of suffering. 　Thus again, with respect to all the aggregates that are "with-outflow, with-appropriation, and conducive to pleasant feeling," by the "mode of bondage-and-fetter" he enters into the mode of suffering. Why? Because at the place of the fetter of craving and the like, the fetter of craving and the like arises, and at the place of the bond of greed and the like, the bond of greed and the like arises, and thus one is able to gather and amass the whole great heap of suffering — birth, aging, sickness, death, grief, lamentation, sorrow, pain, and every disturbance. 　Thus again, with respect to all the aggregates that are "with-outflow, with-appropriation, and conducive to the neither-painful-nor-pleasant," by the "mode of the insecure" he enters into the mode of suffering. Why? All the aggregates that are with-outflow, with-appropriation, and conducive to the neither-painful-nor-pleasant are pursued by the seeds of suffering and pleasure that operate together with the coarse-and-heavy, and are the suffering of suffering, the suffering of decay, and unliberated; therefore all is a dharma of impermanent cessation. Thus the practitioner: with respect to the conditioned things conducive to pleasant feeling and to pleasant feeling itself, by the mode of bondage-and-fetter he enters into the "suffering of decay"; with respect to the conditioned things conducive to painful feeling and to painful feeling itself, by the mode of the unlovely he enters into the "suffering of suffering"; with respect to the conditioned things conducive to neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling and to neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling itself, by the mode of the insecure he enters into the "suffering of conditioning." 　Thus, by the strengthening power of the mode of bondage-and-fetter, the mode of the unlovely, and the mode of the insecure, he speaks thus with respect to the three feelings: "all feelings whatsoever are suffering." This is named entering into the mode of suffering, having the mode of impermanence as attention going before. 　〔The mode of emptiness〕 He reflects again thus: I have now only the faculties, only the objective fields, only the feelings that arise from them, only their mind, only the dharmas that are the "I and mine" of mere designation, only their view, only mere positing — this much can be got, and apart from this there is nothing further, whether beyond or in addition. Thus there are only the aggregates that can be got, and within the aggregates there is nothing "constant, enduring, abiding, and sovereign," whether called a self or called a sentient being, or here called the one who is born, the one who ages, the one who is sick, the one who dies, or called the one who can perform the various deeds and can receive the various fruits and maturations — hence all the conditioned things are empty, because they are without a self. This is named entering into the mode of emptiness by the "mode of the ungettable." 　〔The mode of no-self〕 He reflects again thus: all the conditioned things are conjoined with their own particular mark, and with the mark of impermanence and the mark of suffering; and, being all born from conditions, they gain no self-determination; not being self-determining, they are none of them a self. This is named entering into the mode of no-self by the "mode of the not-self-determining."

(g) The Ten Modes Gathered into the Four Modes

Thus the practitioner, gathering these ten modes into four modes, comes by the four modes to know the aspect of the truth of suffering: the mode of impermanence is what is gathered by five modes (the mode of alteration, the mode of decay, the mode of separation, the mode of dharma-nature, the mode of coming-together); the mode of suffering is what is gathered by three modes (the mode of bondage-and-fetter, the mode of the unlovely, the mode of the insecure); the mode of emptiness is what is gathered by one mode (the mode of the ungettable); the mode of no-self is what is gathered by one mode (the mode of the not-self-determining). By the ten modes he enters into the four modes.

4 · The Four Modes of the Truth of Origination

Having by the four modes rightly awakened to the aspect of the truth of suffering, he then contemplates of this truth of suffering: "By what cause? By what origination? By what arising? By what condition?" — by cutting off that, suffering too is cut off along with it; thus, by the four modes of the truth of origination he comes to know the aspect of the truth of origination: knowing that "craving" can draw forth suffering, it is therefore named "cause"; having drawn forth suffering, it can also gather and amass so as to make it arise, and is therefore named "origination"; having already produced suffering, it makes it arise, and is therefore named "arising"; and because it can receive-and-retain the seeds of the future sufferings, and in due order draws forth and gathers the sufferings, it is therefore named "condition." 　There is a further distinction: knowing that "craving" is the cause of "grasping" 〔hence named cause〕; and can gather-and-amass — being the cause of that grasping's being present 〔hence named origination〕; and can give arising — with existence at the head, gathering the future birth 〔hence named arising〕; and can draw forth — being the condition of the sufferings of aging, sickness, death, and the like that have birth as their condition 〔hence named condition〕; as is fitting, they should be known as named cause, origination, arising, and condition. 　★ There is a further distinction: rightly knowing that "the latent proclivity of affliction is attached to a support, and the latent proclivity of craving and the like is the cause of the arising of the after-existence of the future world" 〔hence named cause〕; and rightly knowing that "the enwrapment produced from it," as is fitting, is origination, arising, and condition — namely: the "craving for after-existence" can gather-and-draw-forth, and so is "origination"; and this craving for after-existence further arouses "the craving operating together with delight-and-greed"; and this craving operating together with delight-and-greed is further the condition for the many various delights-and-cravings. Thus, in dependence on the latent proclivity of craving and the like and the three kinds of enwrapment, being able to produce after-existence and to arouse the distinctions of the various cravings, they are therefore named cause, origination, arising, and condition. Thus the practitioner, by the four kinds of mode, comes to know the aspect of the truth of origination.

5 · The Four Modes of the Truth of Cessation · the Four Modes of the Truth of the Path

Having rightly awakened to the aspect of the truth of origination, he then rightly awakens: because this truth of origination has "ceased and been stilled without remainder," it is named "cessation"; because all the truth of suffering is "quiescent without remainder," it is named "stilling"; because this very cessation-and-stilling is the foremost, is the most excellent, is the unsurpassed, it is named "the sublime"; because it is constant and abiding and is a permanent going-forth-and-departure, it is named "departure." Thus the practitioner, by the four kinds of mode, comes to know the aspect of the truth of cessation. 　Having rightly awakened to the aspect of the truth of cessation, he then rightly awakens to "the true path of counteraction": because with respect to the objects to be known it can thoroughly seek out the meaning 〔hence named the path〕, because it can truly seek out the meaning 〔hence named the fitting〕, because it turns in accordance by way of the four gateways 〔hence named the coursing〕, because it wholly and singly tends toward nirvāṇa 〔hence named the going-forth〕 — it is therefore named the path, the fitting, the coursing, and the going-forth. Thus the practitioner, by the four kinds of mode, comes to know the aspect of the truth of the path. 　This is what is named the attention that apprehends the aspect of "the inward direct realization of the four noble truths."

6 · The Support That Is the Seed of the Knowledge of Dharmas and the Knowledge of the Kinds

Having thus inwardly, with respect to the directly-seen aggregates, in dependence on the principle of the truths, without error pondered and rightly contemplated, he then, with respect to the remaining aggregates that are "of a different portion of realms and not directly seen," contemplates by inference: namely, that those aggregates which are conditioned and with-outflow, in every place, in every kind, at every time, have such a dharma, fall under such a principle, have such a nature; that all cessation of them is a permanent quiescence, a constant abiding at ease; that all the path with respect to them can permanently cut off and be an ultimate going-forth-and-departure. It should be known that here: whether it be the "knowledge of the truths" with respect to the directly-seen aggregates, or the "knowledge of the truths by inference" with respect to the remaining objects of a different portion of realms and not directly seen — this is the support that is "able to produce the seed of the knowledge of dharmas and the knowledge of the kinds." 　Again, this attention that apprehends the aspect, it should be known, is still interspersed with "hearing and reflection."

7 · The Attention of Resolute Conviction — the Knowledge of the Boundless · the Subduing of the Conceit "I Am" · Taking Mind as the Object of Mind

If the practitioner of contemplation, with respect to the truths, thus repeatedly rightly contemplates, and by the sixteen modes has gained a settled determination regarding "the principle that establishes and proves" of the four noble truths, and then, with respect to the truths' "being of the fullest extent and being just as it is," surpassing the attention interspersed with hearing and reflection, wholly and singly arouses the resolute conviction of cultivation — this is what is named the attention of resolute conviction. 　This attention takes only the field of the truths as its object, and is wholly and singly within meditative concentration. Cultivating this and cultivating it much, within the field of the two truths of suffering and origination he gains "the knowledge of the boundless." By this knowledge he comes to know impermanence, and arouses "the resolute conviction of the boundlessness of impermanence"; thus coming to know suffering and the rest, he arouses "the resolute conviction of the boundlessness" of suffering, emptiness, no-self, evil conduct, going to evil destinies, flourishing-and-declining, and the aging, sickness, death, grief, lamentation, sorrow, pain, and every disturbance. This "boundlessness" is the flowing-and-turning of birth-and-death: these dharmas are boundless and limitless, down to where the flowing-and-turning of birth-and-death does not cease, and there are constantly such dharmas; only the ceasing-and-stilling of birth-and-death without remainder — this can be stilled, and there is no other means of stilling. With respect to just such dharmas of the various existences and destinies, of death and birth, by "the mode of wishlessness, the mode of relying on nothing, the mode of deep loathing-and-repulsion" he arouses resolute conviction, and diligently cultivates the attention of resolute conviction. And with respect to these various existences and various births he is, in the strengthened resolve, deeply and in his heart loathing and dreadful, and with respect to nirvāṇa he arouses in his heart, following upon a single practice, a deep aspiration and delight. 　Through the long night, his mind has loved and delighted in the worldly forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches, and has been nourished and heaped up by forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches; by this cause-and-condition, though in his heart he deeply aspires and delights in nirvāṇa, yet he cannot enter into it, cannot realize its purity, cannot abide in it, cannot be resolutely convinced of it, and his mind draws back; with respect to the realm of quiescence he has not yet been able in his heart to give rise to a deep looking-up-and-longing, and, having moreover misgivings, his mind repeatedly loathes-and-departs and is startled-and-dread. Though with respect to all the two truths of suffering and origination he repeatedly and deeply in his heart loathes-and-departs and is startled-and-dread, and with respect to nirvāṇa he repeatedly arouses a deep aspiration-and-delight, still he cannot in his heart deeply enter in. Why? Because he still has "a coarse-grade conceit 'I am' that can obstruct direct realization" which enters into the attention, operating with interval and without interval, reflecting thus: "I have long flowed-and-turned in birth-and-death, I shall again flow-and-turn in birth-and-death; I shall be able to enter into nirvāṇa, I cultivate the various wholesome dharmas for the sake of nirvāṇa; I can contemplate suffering as truly being suffering, I can contemplate origination as truly being origination, I can contemplate cessation as truly being cessation, I can contemplate the path as truly being the path; I can contemplate emptiness as truly being emptiness, I contemplate the wishless as truly being wishless, I contemplate the markless as truly being markless; such dharmas are what I possess." By this cause-and-condition, though in his heart he deeply aspires and delights in nirvāṇa, yet his mind cannot enter into it. 　Having come to know that this conceit "I am" is an obstruction, he can then swiftly, with wisdom, penetrate it, and cast off the attention that "operates spontaneously in accordance [with the conceit]," subdue every outer object to be known, and enter into the attention; proceeding in accordance with the attention, he singly and diligently, without interval, contemplates the noble truths; whenever a mind that has arisen fades and ceases, without interval a later mind arises to attend and contemplate, flowing on skillfully without interruption. Having thus "taken mind as the object of mind, singly diligent and without relief," he can cause that "coarse-grade conceit 'I am,' entering into the attention and obstructing direct realization," to have no room to arise.

8 · Entering into the Four Truths · Warmth · Summit · Acceptance · the Supreme Worldly Dharma

Thus the practitioner who diligently cultivates yoga: contemplating that the mind-continuum, turning-and-turning, is severally different, arising ever-newly, either increasing or decreasing, but momentary, coming spontaneously to the fore, altering before and after, is of the nature of impermanence; contemplating that the mind-continuum, being what is gathered under the "appropriating aggregates," is of the nature of suffering; contemplating that the mind-continuum, being "apart from a second dharma" (having no second self-dharma), is of the nature of emptiness; contemplating that the mind-continuum, being born from a concurrence of conditions and gaining no self-determination, is of the nature of no-self — this is named entering into the truth of suffering. Next, contemplating that the mind-continuum has craving as its cause, its origination, its arising, its condition — this is named entering into the truth of origination. Next, contemplating that the discriminating cessation belonging to this mind-continuum is of the nature of permanent cessation, permanent stilling, permanent sublimity, permanent departure — this is named entering into the truth of cessation. Next, contemplating that the ultimate counteraction of this mind-continuum, the path that tends toward cessation, is of the nature of the true path, the true fitting, the true coursing, the true going-forth — this is named entering into the truth of the path. 　Thus, what was formerly not yet well contemplated is now, by the well-set attention as skillful means, contemplated; and by the subtle-and-fine wisdom he can rightly enter into the four noble truths; and, drawing near to, cultivating, and cultivating much this very wisdom, the right knowledge that "the object-that-apprehends and the object-apprehended are equal-and-equal" gets to arise. By its arising, he can cut off all the coarse-grade active conceit "I am" that "obstructs the loving delight in nirvāṇa"; and with respect to nirvāṇa he deeply and in his heart aspires and delights, and can swiftly enter in, his mind not drawing back, free of every dread, and receiving-and-retaining a strengthened resolve, glad and pleased. 　Thus the practitioner, with respect to the noble truths: 　Warmth — when the "knowledge that the object-that-apprehends and the object-apprehended are equal-and-equal" that is gathered by "lesser acceptance" arises, it is named warmth. 　Summit — when the knowledge that the object-that-apprehends and the object-apprehended are equal-and-equal that is gathered by "middling acceptance" arises, it is named summit. 　The acceptance in accord with the truths — when the knowledge that the object-that-apprehends and the object-apprehended are equal-and-equal that is gathered by "superior acceptance" arises, it is named the acceptance in accord with the truths. 　Having thus cut off the obstructing coarse-grade conceit "I am," and, with respect to nirvāṇa, received-and-retained a strengthened resolve, glad and pleased, he can then cast off all the preparatory effort of "the further and further contemplating mind," and abide in a mind that is "without preparatory effort and without discrimination." At this time his mind "seems to cease but has not really ceased, seems to be without an object yet is not without a condition"; and at this time his mind is quiescent, "seeming as though secluded yet not 〔truly〕 secluded"; and at this time he is not overcast by delightful sleep, but has only a distinct tranquillity-practice, neither high nor low. 〔A distinction〕 There is another sort, the dark-and-dull, foolish person, overcast by delightful sleep, who within the "mind that seems to cease but has not really ceased" gives rise to overweening conceit, calling himself [one of] direct realization — this is not [true direct realization]. Having thus gained the "mind that tends toward direct realization," he will before long enter into the correct-nature-that-departs-from-birth. 　The supreme worldly dharma — at just such a phase of the quiescent mind, the last moment of the non-discriminating mind, from this without interval, gives rise to an inward attention with respect to the aforecontemplated principle of the noble truths, and this is what is named the supreme worldly dharma. From this onward the supramundane mind arises, not a worldly mind; this is the last boundary, the very verge, of the worldly conditioned things, and is therefore named the supreme worldly dharma.

The teaching arc: the mundane path carries a person to the summit of the three realms, yet cannot cut off the root of birth-and-death (it only suppresses the active [afflictions], it does not injure the seeds). To truly cut it off, one must change one's road — the supramundane path: in dependence on the field that is the four noble truths, one cultivates all the way from the attention that apprehends the aspect up to the supreme worldly dharma, and enters the path of seeing. What this fascicle treats is the preparatory-effort segment "before the path of seeing": awakening to the truths by the sixteen modes of the four truths, with the truth of suffering further opened out into ten modes, impermanence established by the three sources of knowledge, and the non-Buddhist doctrine of a Sovereign Lord refuted; then, passing through the attention of resolute conviction, subduing that last "coarse-grade conceit 'I am,'" it reaches warmth, summit, acceptance, and the supreme worldly dharma — the last moment of the worldly mind. The point of the eye lies at the truth of origination: where, after all, is the root of birth-and-death struck down? The treatise-text says "the latent proclivity of affliction is attached to a support," and the ancient masters (Jing and Kuiji) point, in a single line, to the marrow of it — that "support" is the store consciousness / the fundamental consciousness, and the "craving" of the truth of origination is the latent-proclivity seed within the store-consciousness support, the cause of the after-existence of the future world. Here the śrāvaka's direct realization of the four truths joins its line to the store-consciousness doctrine of Consciousness-Only.

The Mundane Path Has Reached Its Summit — How Does One Truly Cut Off Birth-and-Death? — Turning to the Four Noble Truths

"Thus has been set forth the mundane path onward" — the mundane path has been discussed to its end. If one would proceed toward the supramundane path, the treatise says: "one should take as one's basis the field that is the four noble truths, and gradually arouse seven kinds of attention." It is the same seven attentions (apprehending the aspect → … → the fruit of the culmination of preparatory effort), but this time round what is taken as object is not "the lower ground is coarse, the higher ground is quiescent," but the four noble truths.

The first, the attention that apprehends the aspect, awakens to the aspect of the truths by four modes for each of the four truths: the four modes of the truth of suffering — impermanence, suffering, emptiness, no-self; the four modes of the truth of origination — cause, origination, arising, condition; the four modes of the truth of cessation — cessation, stilling, the sublime, departure; the four modes of the truth of the path — the path, the fitting, the coursing, the going-forth. The sixteen modes are the guiding rope of the supramundane apprehending-of-the-aspect. The ancient masters read the seven attentions as matched onto the five stages: apprehending-the-aspect falls in the five stilling-of-mind [contemplations] and the general-and-specific foundations of mindfulness; resolute conviction in the four wholesome roots; seclusion in the path of seeing; investigation in the path of cultivation; joy-gathering up to before the vajra-like concentration 〔Dunlun · Kuiji〕 — a whole map from ordinary being to sage.

Suffering Must Be Seen from Ten Sides

The apprehending-of-the-aspect of the truth of suffering costs the most contemplative effort. The treatise-text first opens out the four modes "impermanence — suffering — emptiness — no-self" into ten modes for contemplation (alteration · decay · separation · dharma-nature · coming-together · bondage-and-fetter · the unlovely · the insecure · the ungettable · the not-self-determining), and then establishes them by the three sources of knowledge: the source of authoritative teaching (the World-Honored One's saying that all conditioned things are impermanent, and the seven-suns fire-disaster burning up the receptacle-world), the source of direct seeing (the fifteen inner alterations and the sixteen outer alterations, seen one by one), and the source of inference (the momentary arising-and-ceasing is subtle, not got by direct perception, and so must be inferred). The ten modes are at last gathered back into four: the former five (alteration ~ coming-together) enter the mode of impermanence; three modes (bondage-and-fetter · the unlovely · the insecure) enter the mode of suffering; the mode of the ungettable enters the mode of emptiness; the mode of the not-self-determining enters the mode of no-self 〔Dunlun〕.

In this passage on the source of inference, the treatise-text, in passing, refutes the non-Buddhist "doctrine of a Sovereign Lord." The ancient masters lay bare the joints of this debate: if one says the "Sovereign Lord" (īśvara) is the cause of the conditioned things, then if the Sovereign Lord originally exists, the conditioned things should originally exist together with him, and should not be called "conditioned things" (for a conditioned thing is what has arising-and-ceasing); the non-Buddhist changes his tack and says "the Sovereign Lord originally exists, the conditioned things arise afterward," and the author of the treatise presses him with a single line — since the conditioned things arise afterward, they do not rely on the Sovereign Lord alone but must await further conditions (wish, effort, prayer), and then all conditioned things use another dharma as their cause; why falsely posit that useless Sovereign Lord 〔Kuiji · Dunlun〕? Layer upon layer he presses until the non-Buddhist has nowhere to stand.

★ Where Is the Root of Birth-and-Death Struck? — The "Craving" of the Truth of Origination and the Store Consciousness

This is the eye of this fascicle, and the pivot on which the śrāvaka's four truths open into the doctrine of Consciousness-Only.

The four modes of the truth of origination (cause · origination · arising · condition) — the treatise-text gives three "furthermore"s, each a layer deeper than the last. In the third "furthermore," the treatise says a weighty line on its own account: "namely, rightly knowing that the latent proclivity of affliction is attached to a support, and the latent proclivity of craving and the like is the cause of the arising of the after-existence of the future world". — The latent proclivity of affliction is "attached" to a certain "support"; and this latent proclivity of "craving" is precisely the cause of the arising of the "after-existence" (the next span of life) of the future world.

What, then, is that "support"? The ancient masters point it to the bottom in a single line. The master Jing says: "The attention that apprehends the aspect further rightly knows that the latent proclivity of craving and the like within the store-consciousness support is the cause of after-existence" 〔Dunlun〕 — that support is the store consciousness; the latent proclivity of craving is the cause of after-existence stored within the store consciousness. Kuiji puts it more finely: "knowing that the seeds of the various afflictions are attached to the support that is the fundamental consciousness … this one seed and the latter three active [modes] are named craving, and craving further gathers-and-amasses the after-existence, and so is named origination" 〔Dunlun quoting Kuiji · Kuiji, Concise Compendium, own composition〕 — the seeds of affliction are attached to the "fundamental consciousness" (the store consciousness); the "craving" of the truth of origination is "one seed + the latter three active [modes]": the seed's power to produce the future fruit is "cause," its gathering-and-amassing of the after-existence is "origination," its arousing of the present craving operating together with delight-and-greed is "arising," and its drawing-forth of the various future delights-and-cravings is "condition." All four senses of the truth of origination — cause, origination, arising, condition — turn about "the seed of craving gathered under the store consciousness."

This judgment reads the śrāvaka's "truth of origination" down to the level of the store consciousness: the root of birth-and-death is not in the outer object, not on the surface of the active afflictions, but in each and every "seed of the latent proclivity of craving" within the store consciousness. The mundane path can suppress the active [afflictions] but cannot suppress this root (the previous two fascicles); what the supramundane path must cut off is precisely this. 〔This is the reading of the ancient masters Jing and Kuiji, carrying forward the store-consciousness line of the previous fascicles; the treatise-text on its own account stops at "attached to a support," and the name of the store consciousness is what the ancient masters point out, transmitted according to what is real.〕

Cessation and the Path: Four Modes for Each

The truth of origination once made clear, the apprehending-of-the-aspect of the two truths of cessation and the path follows smoothly. The four modes of the truth of cessation: the ceasing-and-stilling of the truth of origination without remainder is named "cessation"; the quiescence of the truth of suffering without remainder is named "stilling"; this cessation-and-stilling, being foremost, most excellent, and unsurpassed, is named "the sublime"; being constant and abiding and a permanent going-forth-and-departure, it is named "departure." The four modes of the truth of the path: with respect to the objects to be known it can thoroughly seek out, and so is named "the path"; what is sought out is real and not false, and so is named "the fitting"; it can turn in accordance as it really is by way of the four-truths gateways, and so is named "the coursing"; it wholly and singly tends toward nirvāṇa, and so is named "the going-forth" 〔Kuiji · Dunlun〕. At this point the "attention that apprehends the aspect of the inward direct realization of the four noble truths" is complete. Further, the knowledge of the truths by direct seeing and the knowledge of the truths by inference contemplated by the apprehending-of-the-aspect and the resolute conviction — the treatise-text says these "are the support that is able to produce the seed of the knowledge of dharmas and the knowledge of the kinds" — the seeds of the two knowledges of the path of seeing are perfumed into being within this preparatory contemplation (the ancient masters' reading of the innate and the newly-perfumed [seeds] is left to the next fascicle, the path-of-seeing segment).

★ The Conceit "I Am": The Last Obstruction Before Direct Realization

The apprehending-of-the-aspect is still interspersed with hearing and reflection; what surpasses hearing and reflection and repeatedly arouses resolute conviction, wholly and singly in the meditative ground, is the attention of resolute conviction. At this point, within the field of the two truths of suffering and origination, one gains "the knowledge of the boundless," and arouses a whole train of "resolute convictions of the boundless" (of impermanence, suffering, emptiness-and-no-self, evil conduct, going to evil destinies…) — illumining that the flowing-and-turning of birth-and-death is boundless and limitless, and only the ceasing-and-stilling without remainder is the way out.

But it is just here that direct realization gets stuck. The treatise-text says: the practitioner, though in his heart he deeply aspires and delights in nirvāṇa, yet "cannot enter into it." Why? Because he still has a "coarse-grade conceit 'I am' that can obstruct direct realization" turning with interval and without interval — the thought it strikes is: "I can contemplate suffering, I can contemplate origination … such dharmas are what I possess." Even the thought "I am cultivating the four truths" is the conceit "I am." The ancient masters lay it out clearly: the attention of resolute conviction is said to be "wholly and singly within concentration" precisely because the apprehending-of-the-aspect was still interspersed with hearing and reflection, whereas resolute conviction is wholly and singly wholesome, taking a single object unmixed, and so is fit to counteract this conceit "I am" 〔Kuiji · Dunlun · Kuiji〕.

How is it broken? The method the treatise gives is "taking mind as the object of mind, singly diligent and without relief": casting off that attention which operates spontaneously in accordance [with the conceit] (carrying the conceit "I am" along with it), when the former contemplating mind fades and ceases, the later mind arises without interval to contemplate, thought following on thought without leaving a seam for the conceit "I am" to slip in 〔Kuiji〕. Turning back, too, he contemplates this "mind-continuum" itself: arising ever-newly, it is impermanent; entering the appropriating aggregates, it is suffering; being apart from a second self-dharma, it is empty; being born from conditions and not self-determining, it is no-self — with mind he contemplates mind, and enters into the four truths. The conceit "I am" once subdued, the right knowledge that "the object-that-apprehends and the object-apprehended are equal-and-equal" gets to arise.

Warmth · Summit · Acceptance · the Supreme Worldly Dharma: The Last Moment of the Worldly Mind

The right knowledge once arisen, one enters the four wholesome roots of preparatory effort. The ancient masters say that these four wholesome roots are "all named acceptance, in that they bear-and-receive the principle of the truths," and are given their names only by the three grades of lesser, middling, and superior 〔Jing · Tai · Dunlun〕: the equal-and-equal knowledge gathered by lesser acceptance is named warmth, that by middling acceptance is named summit, that by superior acceptance is named the acceptance in accord with the truths. Advancing further, he casts off the preparatory effort of the "further and further contemplating mind" and abides in a mind "without preparatory effort and without discrimination" — at this time his mind "seems to cease but has not really ceased, seems to be without an object yet is not without a condition" (the ancient masters: the non-conceptual knowledge is quiescent and subtle and named cessation; this one merely "seems" like it, is not really it, and so is named seeming-to-cease 〔Kuiji · Dunlun · Kuiji〕). The treatise-text also makes a special distinction: there is another sort of foolish person overcast by delightful sleep, who within "seeming-to-cease" gives rise to overweening conceit, taking himself for [one of] direct realization — this is not it.

At the last moment of the non-discriminating mind, giving rise to an inward attention with respect to the aforecontemplated principle of the noble truths — this is the supreme worldly dharma: the last boundary, the very verge, of the worldly conditioned things. From this without interval the supramundane mind arises, not a worldly mind.

Carrying Forward

This fascicle is the "preparatory effort" of the supramundane path — from the apprehending-of-the-aspect of the four truths, up to the supreme worldly dharma, "the last moment of the worldly mind." One step further, and it is the path of seeing: the supramundane mind arises, the afflictions-of-view are cut off all at once, and the third fruit is gained (the next fascicle, 13-04-04).

And that store-consciousness line running through it all knots into a joint at this fascicle: the mundane path suppresses the active [manifestation] of the seeds (13-04-01), the store consciousness holds the body and holds the defiled seeds (13-04-02), and here, the "craving" of the truth of origination is judged by the ancient masters to be "the latent-proclivity seed attached to the store-consciousness support / the fundamental consciousness, the cause of the arising of after-existence" — and the root of birth-and-death is recognized in the store consciousness. Recognizing this root, the vajra-like concentration of the path of seeing in the next fascicle at last has its target: "without interval, it permanently injures all the coarse-and-heavy seeds of the class of affliction." The śrāvaka cultivating the four truths seems not to speak of the store consciousness at all; but this vein of pointing by the ancient masters lets it join its line to the fundamental consciousness of Consciousness-Only — and this is exactly where the power of eye lies that reads the Yogācārabhūmi as "one treatise" rather than as two disjointed halves of śrāvaka and Consciousness-Only.