解脫道論 十四行、七人與三行

A list of fourteen names unfolds, and one name appears twice within it.

Reading this, most people will think: it was copied twice.

The author knows that you will think so. Below, therefore, he writes of the pair, “the two practitioners of equal temperament become one.” He does not write “a practitioner of equal temperament and a practitioner of equal temperament”; he simply adds the word “two” before the name.

That word “two” is the fingerprint he himself pressed onto the page.

For the list is not a single straight line. It is two rows of seven written in an interlaced order: first the three single names of the defilements, then the three single names of faith and wisdom, then four from the side of the defilements, then four from the side of faith and wisdom. Three, three, four, four. Join the first section to the third and there are seven items; join the second to the fourth and there are seven as well.

The repeated name is seventh in the first row and seventh in the second.

It appears twice because it occupies one place in each of the two rows.

The list of fourteen persons repeats the arrangement without the slightest difference—and this itself is evidence: the repetition is not a copying error; the names are being set out according to a fixed pattern.

This yields a method one can carry away. When a name is repeated in a long list, do not first judge it an interpolation; first fold the list: one, count where the treatise itself pauses and divides the sequence; two, join the sections in pairs and see whether they form several rows of equal length; three, return to the passage below and see whether the author himself uses this fold. All three steps work here—the pairing of the seven follows the two folded rows, position by position.

Whether the fold is sound is not decided by the reader. The treatise verifies it itself.

Two smaller matters remain.

First, among the seven pairs the author poses questions and answers only for the first three; for the fourth through seventh he says only, “The remaining temperaments should be distinguished by this method.” In the three answers, the first two each have one “because” plus three approaches, while the third has two “because” clauses plus two approaches. The third has not lost an item: one item has moved from the latter part to the former, and the total in each of the three pairs is four. The additional “because” is “because faith and wisdom move apart” (信慧動離故). It occurs only once in the whole treatise, and the author does not explain it. He does not state the reason for changing the arrangement.

Second comes the quickness and slowness of the seven persons. The concluding causal wording for all three who cultivate quickly is “because delusion and discursiveness are weak,” while all four who cultivate slowly carry “because delusion and discursiveness are strong”—three of them at the end, and the one for the practitioner of deluded temperament in the earlier position, its sentence ending instead with “because faith and intelligence are weak.” The three quick cultivators are precisely the three items in the list that do not contain delusion; the four slow cultivators are precisely the three items that do contain delusion plus equal temperament. Not one item differs.

Yet at “the practitioner of desirous-and-deluded temperament cultivates slowly,” the character for “slowly” in the 【宮】 witness is “quickly.” If that witness were followed, this distribution would break. The present text follows the Taishō base; the variant is recorded without adjudication.

Fourteen temperaments and fourteen persons are gathered into seven persons and finally into three—“through the root defilements, they become three.” The term “root defilements” occurs only once in the whole treatise. The author does not explain the name or list its items; he uses it only as the reason for the final gathering.

Once the three are established, the next passage begins by asking about the three.

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Shi Huijing · Waken · The Path of Freedom · Fourteen Temperaments, Seven Persons, and Three Temperaments · Doorway · Summer 2026

The Ācariya of Dependence First Observes Him for Several Days

At this point, the ācariya of dependence spends several days observing his temperament. When his temperament and meditation subject correspond, the practitioner should be taught the fourteen temperaments.

The Fourteen Temperaments

Which fourteen? Desirous temperament, angry temperament (瞋恚行), deluded temperament, faithful temperament, intelligent temperament, discursive temperament, desirous-and-angry temperament (欲瞋恚行), desirous-and-deluded temperament, angry-and-deluded temperament, equal temperament, faithful-and-intelligent temperament, faithful-and-discursive temperament, intelligent-and-discursive temperament, and equal temperament.

Further, such various temperaments as craving, views, and conceit can also be known.

Temperament Gives Rise to Fourteen Persons

Here greed-and-desire, mind, disposition, temperament, nature, and delighting attachment are names without difference in this meaning. Because of temperament, there come to be fourteen persons: a practitioner of desirous temperament, a practitioner of angry temperament (嗔行人), a practitioner of deluded temperament, a practitioner of faithful temperament, a practitioner of intelligent temperament, a practitioner of discursive temperament, a practitioner of desirous-and-angry temperament (欲瞋行人), a practitioner of desirous-and-deluded temperament, a practitioner of angry-and-deluded temperament, a practitioner of equal temperament, a practitioner of faithful-and-intelligent temperament, a practitioner of faithful-and-discursive temperament, a practitioner of intelligent-and-discursive temperament, and a practitioner of equal temperament.

Here desire for desire, disposition to desire, nature of desire, and delight in desire designate a practitioner of desirous temperament. When that person’s desire constantly operates as predominant desire, this is called desirous temperament. All the others should be distinguished in the same way.

The Fourteen Persons Are Summarized as Seven Persons

At this point, the fourteen persons are summarized as seven persons: a practitioner of desirous temperament and a practitioner of faithful temperament become one; a practitioner of angry temperament (瞋行人) and a practitioner of intelligent temperament become one; a practitioner of deluded temperament and a practitioner of discursive temperament become one; a practitioner of desirous-and-angry temperament (欲瞋行人) and a practitioner of faithful-and-intelligent temperament become one; a practitioner of desirous-and-deluded temperament and a practitioner of faithful-and-discursive temperament become one; a practitioner of angry-and-deluded temperament and a practitioner of intelligent-and-discursive temperament become one; and the two practitioners of equal temperament become one.

Why a Practitioner of Desirous Temperament and a Practitioner of Faithful Temperament Become One

Question: Why do a practitioner of desirous temperament and a practitioner of faithful temperament become one?

Answer: A practitioner of desirous temperament increases faith while acting from desire with a good companion, because of approaching and beholding good qualities.

Further, viewed through three approaches, desire and faith form one characteristic: the meaning of loving recollection, the meaning of seeking good qualities, and the meaning of non-relinquishment. Here a person of desire recollects desire, while a person of faith recollects the good; a person of desire seeks the good qualities of desire, while a person of faith seeks the good qualities of the good; a person of desire has not relinquishing the unlovely as a characteristic, while a person of faith has not relinquishing the lovely as a characteristic. Therefore desirous temperament and faithful temperament form one characteristic.

Why Angry Temperament and Intelligent Temperament Become One

Question: Why do angry temperament (瞋恚行) and intelligent temperament become one?

Answer: A practitioner of angry temperament (瞋行人) increases intelligence while acting from anger with a good companion, because of approaching and beholding good qualities.

Further, viewed through three approaches, anger and intelligence form one characteristic: because of non-loving recollection, because of seeking anger, and because of relinquishing. Here an angry person (瞋人) does not rest in loving recollection, while an intelligent person does not rest in recollection of conduct; an angry person (瞋恚人) seeks anger, while an intelligent person seeks the drawbacks of conduct; an angry person (瞋人) rests in relinquishment, while an intelligent person rests in the conduct of relinquishment. Therefore a practitioner of angry temperament (瞋行人) and intelligent temperament form one characteristic, because they are equal.

Why a Practitioner of Deluded Temperament and a Practitioner of Discursive Temperament Become One

Question: Why do a practitioner of deluded temperament and a practitioner of discursive temperament become one?

Answer: In order to attain the good, a practitioner of deluded temperament increases discursiveness while acting from delusion, because of approaching and beholding good qualities and because faith and wisdom move apart.

Further, viewed through two approaches, delusion and discursiveness form one characteristic: because they are not self-settled and because they move. Here delusion settles in disorder and is therefore unsettled, while discursiveness becomes unsettled because of its many discursive recollections; delusion becomes movement because it has no direction, while discursiveness becomes movement because of tranquillity. Therefore deluded temperament and discursive temperament form one characteristic, because they are equal.

The remaining temperaments should be distinguished by this method. In this way there come to be seven persons.

Who among the Seven Cultivates Quickly and Who Cultivates Slowly

Among these seven persons, who cultivates quickly? Who cultivates slowly?

A practitioner of desirous temperament cultivates quickly on account of being settled and easy to instruct—because faith is strong and because delusion and discursiveness are weak.

A practitioner of angry temperament (瞋行人) cultivates quickly, settled and easy to instruct—because intelligence is strong and because delusion and discursiveness are weak.

A practitioner of deluded temperament cultivates slowly and is difficult to instruct—because delusion and discursiveness are strong and because faith and intelligence are weak.

A practitioner of desirous-and-angry temperament (欲瞋行人) cultivates quickly, settled and easy to instruct—because faith and intelligence are strong and because delusion and discursiveness are weak.

A practitioner of desirous-and-deluded temperament cultivates slowly and is difficult to instruct—because faith is unsettled and because delusion and discursiveness are strong.

A practitioner of angry-and-deluded temperament cultivates slowly and is difficult to instruct—because intelligence is unsettled and because delusion and discursiveness are strong.

A practitioner of equal temperament cultivates slowly and is difficult to instruct—because intelligence does not rest stably and because delusion and discursiveness are strong.

The Seven Persons Become Three through the Root Defilements

At this point, through the root defilements, the seven persons become three: a practitioner of desirous temperament, a practitioner of angry temperament (嗔恚行人), and a practitioner of deluded temperament.

Several Points to Retain

In the list of fourteen temperaments, “equal temperament” occurs twice, once in tenth position and once in fourteenth position; in the list of fourteen persons, “a practitioner of equal temperament” likewise occurs twice. When the passage below says “the two practitioners of equal temperament become one,” that word “two” counts precisely these two occurrences. They are recorded as written.

The list of fourteen temperaments has angry temperament (瞋恚行) and desirous-and-angry temperament (欲瞋恚行), while the list of fourteen persons has a practitioner of angry temperament (嗔行人) and a practitioner of desirous-and-angry temperament (欲瞋行人); the passage’s final sentence then has a practitioner of angry temperament (嗔恚行人). The same person has three written forms within one passage. This is a difference of written character: 嗔 and 瞋 are both present. They are recorded without being made uniform.

Among the seven pairs, only the first three are posed as questions and answered. For the fourth through seventh pairs, the treatise says only, “The remaining temperaments should be distinguished by this method,” and does not explain each pair. This is recorded as written.

The answers for the first two pairs both say “through three approaches” and each lists three points. The answer for the third says “through two approaches” and lists only two points. Beyond “because of approaching and beholding good qualities,” the third pair alone adds “because faith and wisdom move apart,” making it the only one of the three with one additional “because.” This is recorded as written.

The character 行 in “through three approaches” and “through two approaches” is not used in the same way as 行 in the chapter title. The treatise does not explain it. This is recorded without supplying an explanation.

Among the seven persons, the three said to cultivate quickly are the practitioner of desirous temperament, the practitioner of angry temperament, and the practitioner of desirous-and-angry temperament; the four said to cultivate slowly are the practitioner of deluded temperament, the practitioner of desirous-and-deluded temperament, the practitioner of angry-and-deluded temperament, and the practitioner of equal temperament. The concluding causal wording for all three quick cultivators includes the same string, “because delusion and discursiveness are weak”; that for all four slow cultivators includes the same string, “because delusion and discursiveness are strong.” This is recorded as written.

The opening “at this point” stands after the close of fascicle two and the heading of this chapter. The same two characters 爾時 occur twice more within this passage: once where the fourteen persons are summarized as seven, and once where the seven become three. This is recorded as written.

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Shi Huijing · Waken · The Path of Freedom · Fourteen Temperaments, Seven Persons, and Three Temperaments · Vernacular · Summer 2026

The Path of Freedom opens a new fascicle and a new chapter. Fascicle two closes at 〔T32 409b17〕, fascicle three opens at 〔T32 409b20〕, and the heading “Chapter Six, Chapter on the Analysis of Practice” stands at 〔T32 409b24〕. The first sentence of the text is, “At this point, the ācariya of dependence observes his temperament for several days” 〔T32 409b25〕.

A teacher on whom one depends spends several days observing a person. What does the teacher observe? The person’s temperament. What should be done after it has been observed? “When his temperament and meditation subject correspond, the practitioner should be taught the fourteen temperaments” 〔T32 409b25–26〕.

The author then sets out a list of fourteen names.

The observation may be stated at the outset: this list of fourteen is not a single straight line, but two rows of seven written in an interlaced order; “equal temperament” appears twice because it is the seventh place in each of the two rows. Below, the author himself acknowledges this with the word “two.”

How the Fourteen Items Are Arranged

The list runs as follows: “desirous temperament, angry temperament (瞋恚行), deluded temperament” 〔T32 409b26–27〕; “faithful temperament, intelligent temperament, discursive temperament” 〔T32 409b27〕; “desirous-and-angry temperament (欲瞋恚行), desirous-and-deluded temperament, angry-and-deluded temperament, equal temperament” 〔T32 409b27–28〕; and “faithful-and-intelligent temperament, faithful-and-discursive temperament, intelligent-and-discursive temperament, equal temperament” 〔T32 409b28〕.

Four sections: three, three, four, four.

The three in the first section are single names of defilements—desire, anger, and delusion. The three in the second are single names on the side of faith and wisdom—faith, intelligence, and discursiveness. The four in the third comprise the three pairwise combinations on the side of the defilements—desire-and-anger, desire-and-delusion, and anger-and-delusion—followed by equal temperament. The four in the fourth comprise the three pairwise combinations on the side of faith and wisdom—faith-and-intelligence, faith-and-discursiveness, and intelligence-and-discursiveness—followed once more by equal temperament.

Fold these four sections together in pairs. Join the first section to the third and one obtains desire, anger, delusion, desire-and-anger, desire-and-delusion, anger-and-delusion, and equality—seven items. Join the second section to the fourth and one obtains faith, intelligence, discursiveness, faith-and-intelligence, faith-and-discursiveness, intelligence-and-discursiveness, and equality—also seven items.

One list of fourteen is, in fact, two rows of seven.

The author does not say, “These are two rows.” He simply writes them in an interlaced order. The manner of interlacing is three, three, four, four: first the three single names from row A, then the three single names from row B, then the remaining four from row A, and finally the remaining four from row B.

The List of Fourteen Persons Has Exactly the Same Arrangement

The author next changes the formulation, moving from “temperament” to “person”: “Here greed-and-desire, mind, disposition, temperament, nature, and delighting attachment are without difference in this meaning; because of temperament, there come to be fourteen persons” 〔T32 409b29–409c01〕.

Greed-and-desire, mind, disposition, temperament, nature, and delighting attachment—six names. The author says that they are “without difference in this meaning” 〔T32 409c01〕: in this matter, these names are not distinguished. He does not explain them one by one, but immediately proceeds.

The list of fourteen persons is: “a practitioner of desirous temperament, a practitioner of angry temperament (嗔行人), a practitioner of deluded temperament” 〔T32 409c01–02〕; “a practitioner of faithful temperament, a practitioner of intelligent temperament, a practitioner of discursive temperament” 〔T32 409c02〕; “a practitioner of desirous-and-angry temperament (欲瞋行人), a practitioner of desirous-and-deluded temperament, a practitioner of angry-and-deluded temperament, a practitioner of equal temperament” 〔T32 409c02–03〕; and “a practitioner of faithful-and-intelligent temperament, a practitioner of faithful-and-discursive temperament, a practitioner of intelligent-and-discursive temperament, a practitioner of equal temperament” 〔T32 409c03–04〕.

Again the sequence is three, three, four, four; again “a practitioner of equal temperament” appears once in tenth position and once in fourteenth position.

The arrangement of the two lists is repeated without the slightest difference. This itself is evidence: the author has neither omitted nor accidentally repeated a name; he is arranging the names according to a fixed pattern.

Having completed the list, he chooses one item as a model: “Here desire for desire, disposition to desire, nature of desire, and delight in desire designate a practitioner of desirous temperament” 〔T32 409c04–05〕; “that person’s desire constantly operates as predominant desire” 〔T32 409c05〕, and this is called desirous temperament. He then says, “All the others should be distinguished in the same way” 〔T32 409c06〕, leaving the reader to distinguish the remaining thirteen by the same method.

The Word “Two” Is the Author’s Own Evidence

When the fourteen persons have been arranged, the author says, “At this point, the fourteen persons are summarized as seven persons” 〔T32 409c06–07〕.

The seven pairs are formed in this way: “a practitioner of desirous temperament and a practitioner of faithful temperament become one” 〔T32 409c07〕; “a practitioner of angry temperament (瞋行人) and a practitioner of intelligent temperament become one” 〔T32 409c07–08〕; “a practitioner of deluded temperament and a practitioner of discursive temperament become one” 〔T32 409c08〕; “a practitioner of desirous-and-angry temperament (欲瞋行人) and a practitioner of faithful-and-intelligent temperament become one” 〔T32 409c08–09〕; “a practitioner of desirous-and-deluded temperament and a practitioner of faithful-and-discursive temperament become one” 〔T32 409c09〕; “a practitioner of angry-and-deluded temperament and a practitioner of intelligent-and-discursive temperament become one” 〔T32 409c09–10〕; and the last pair is “the two practitioners of equal temperament become one” 〔T32 409c10〕.

Read the seven pairs in sequence. The first pair joins the first and fourth positions in the list of fourteen persons; the second joins the second and fifth; the third joins the third and sixth. The fourth joins the seventh and eleventh; the fifth joins the eighth and twelfth; the sixth joins the ninth and thirteenth. The seventh joins the tenth and fourteenth positions.

The manner of pairing the seven restores the two interlaced rows to two rows. The tenth and fourteenth positions are the seventh item of row A and the seventh item of row B—and both are called a practitioner of equal temperament.

The wording of the last pair is therefore not “a practitioner of equal temperament and a practitioner of equal temperament become one,” but “the two practitioners of equal temperament become one” 〔T32 409c10〕.

That word “two” is the fingerprint the author himself pressed onto the page. He knows that the name appeared twice, and he knows that the two occurrences are not the same occurrence. He need not explain; he merely places the word “two” before the seventh pair.

Reading Practice: When a Name Reappears in a Long List, Do Not First Treat It as an Interpolation—First Fold the List

This is the reading practice delivered by the passage.

When reading a long list in an old translation, the first reaction to seeing the same name twice within the list is often, “It was copied twice here.” Do not decide so at once. First do one thing: fold the list.

The fold has three steps.

First, count the sections within the list. Look at where the treatise itself pauses—where the category changes, where the construction changes, or where a closing word appears. The four sections here are seen in just this way: the first three are single names of defilements, the next three are single names of faith and wisdom, the next four are paired names of defilements plus equality, and the final four are paired names of faith and wisdom plus equality.

Second, join the sections in pairs and see whether they form several rows of equal length. Here three joins four and three joins four, forming two rows of seven. If the joined sections do not have equal length, that fold does not stand and the sections must be examined again.

Third, return to the passage below and see whether the author himself uses this fold. Here he does: the seven pairings proceed position by position through the two folded rows. Whether the fold is sound is not decided by the reader; the passage below verifies it itself.

After the three steps, the repeated name is accounted for: it appears twice because it occupies one place in each of the two rows.

This reading practice can be carried into any long list in this treatise. The longer the list, the more worthwhile it is to fold it before reading.

A Place to Pause: Why Does the Third Answer Change the Arrangement?

Among the seven pairs, the author poses questions and gives answers only for the first three.

For the first pair: “Question: Why do a practitioner of desirous temperament and a practitioner of faithful temperament become one?” 〔T32 409c10–11〕. The answer is, “A practitioner of desirous temperament increases faith while acting from desire with a good companion, because of approaching and beholding good qualities” 〔T32 409c11–12〕, followed by “Further, through three approaches, desire and faith, by this phrase, form one characteristic” 〔T32 409c12–13〕. The three approaches are “the meaning of loving recollection, the meaning of seeking good qualities, and the meaning of non-relinquishment” 〔T32 409c13〕.

For the second pair: “Question: Why do angry temperament (瞋恚行) and intelligent temperament become one?” 〔T32 409c16–17〕. The answer is, “A practitioner of angry temperament (瞋行人) increases intelligence while acting from anger with a good companion, because of approaching and beholding good qualities” 〔T32 409c17–18〕, followed by “Further, through three approaches, anger and intelligence form one characteristic” 〔T32 409c18–19〕. The three approaches are “because of non-loving recollection, because of seeking anger, and because of relinquishing” 〔T32 409c19〕.

The third pair changes: “Question: Why do a practitioner of deluded temperament and a practitioner of discursive temperament become one?” 〔T32 409c22–23〕. The answer is, “In order to attain the good, a practitioner of deluded temperament increases discursiveness while acting from delusion, because of approaching and beholding good qualities and because faith and wisdom move apart” 〔T32 409c23–24〕—here there is one additional “because.” Then comes, “Further, through two approaches, delusion and discursiveness form one characteristic” 〔T32 409c24–25〕—here there is one fewer approach. The two approaches are “because they are not self-settled and because they move” 〔T32 409c25〕.

It is worth pausing here to ask: Why does precisely the third pair change?

The author does not say. This edition does not speak on his behalf. Only one thing can be verified, and it is very regular: each of the three pairs has a total of four.

In the first pair, one “because” in the former part plus three approaches in the latter gives four. In the second, one “because” in the former part plus three approaches in the latter gives four. In the third, two “because” clauses in the former part—“because of approaching and beholding good qualities and because faith and wisdom move apart” 〔T32 409c24〕—plus two approaches in the latter still gives four.

The third pair has not lost an item; one item has moved from the latter part to the former.

The paired contrasts in those latter portions give the same message. The first two answers each set out three pairs. The first begins with “Here a person of desire recollects desire, while a person of faith recollects the good” 〔T32 409c14〕 and closes with “a person of desire has not relinquishing the unlovely as a characteristic, while a person of faith has not relinquishing the lovely as a characteristic” 〔T32 409c15–16〕. The second begins with “Here an angry person (瞋人) does not rest in loving recollection, while an intelligent person does not rest in recollection of conduct” 〔T32 409c19–20〕 and closes with “an angry person (瞋人) rests in relinquishment, while an intelligent person rests in the conduct of relinquishment” 〔T32 409c21〕. The third sets out only two pairs: “Here delusion settles in disorder and is therefore unsettled, while discursiveness becomes unsettled because of its many discursive recollections” 〔T32 409c25–26〕, and “delusion becomes movement because it has no direction, while discursiveness becomes movement because of tranquillity” 〔T32 409c26–27〕.

Three pairs, three pairs, two pairs. They correspond exactly to three approaches, three approaches, and two approaches.

The additional “because” is “because faith and wisdom move apart” 〔T32 409c24〕. The four-character expression 信慧動離 occurs only once in the whole treatise, and the author does not explain its meaning. What can be verified ends here. The number four is preserved; the author does not state why he changed the arrangement.

Having answered the three pairs, the author closes: “The remaining temperaments should be distinguished by this method; in this way there come to be seven persons” 〔T32 409c28–29〕. Of the fourth through seventh pairs, he says not another word.

The Quickness and Slowness of the Seven Persons All Turn on the One Word “Delusion”

With the seven persons established, the author next asks, “Among these seven persons, who cultivates quickly? Who cultivates slowly?” 〔T32 409c29〕.

There are seven sentences, one for each person, all constructed in the same way. The three statements of quick cultivation are: “A practitioner of desirous temperament cultivates quickly on account of being settled and easy to instruct—because faith is strong and because delusion and discursiveness are weak” 〔T32 409c29–410a02〕; “a practitioner of angry temperament (瞋行人) cultivates quickly, settled and easy to instruct—because intelligence is strong and because delusion and discursiveness are weak” 〔T32 410a02–03〕; and “a practitioner of desirous-and-angry temperament (欲瞋行人) cultivates quickly, settled and easy to instruct—because faith and intelligence are strong and because delusion and discursiveness are weak” 〔T32 410a04–05〕.

The four statements of slow cultivation are: “A practitioner of deluded temperament cultivates slowly and is difficult to instruct—because delusion and discursiveness are strong and because faith and intelligence are weak” 〔T32 410a03–04〕; “a practitioner of desirous-and-deluded temperament cultivates slowly and is difficult to instruct—because faith is unsettled and because delusion and discursiveness are strong” 〔T32 410a05–06〕; “a practitioner of angry-and-deluded temperament cultivates slowly and is difficult to instruct—because intelligence is unsettled and because delusion and discursiveness are strong” 〔T32 410a06–07〕; and “a practitioner of equal temperament cultivates slowly and is difficult to instruct—because intelligence does not rest stably and because delusion and discursiveness are strong” 〔T32 410a07–09〕.

The concluding causal wording for all three quick cultivators is the same string, “because delusion and discursiveness are weak”; all four slow cultivators likewise carry the same string, “because delusion and discursiveness are strong.”

One thing here must be counted exactly: among the four slow statements, that string stands at the end in three of them, but not in the one for the practitioner of deluded temperament—there it is moved to the earlier position, and the sentence ends with “because faith and intelligence are weak” 〔T32 410a04〕. Six of the seven sentences place delusion and discursiveness last; in the one person named for delusion, the author moves it forward.

Now look back at who the three quick cultivators are: desire, anger, and desire-and-anger—the three items in row A of the list that do not contain the word “delusion.” Who are the four slow cultivators? Delusion, desire-and-delusion, anger-and-delusion, and equality—the three items containing delusion plus equal temperament.

The author marks the reason in each sentence and establishes no separate general rule. What can be verified is this distribution: the quickness and slowness of the seven persons follow delusion without a single exception—“delusion and discursiveness” occurs seven times across the seven sentences, “weak” in the three quick ones and “strong” in the four slow ones, with no exception; what differs is only its position (last in six sentences, earlier in the one for the practitioner of deluded temperament).

One critical note should be retained here. At 〔T32 410a05〕, in “the practitioner of desirous-and-deluded temperament cultivates slowly,” the character for “slowly” is “quickly” in the 【宮】 witness. If 【宮】 were followed, four persons would cultivate quickly and three slowly, breaking the distribution above. The present text follows the Taishō base; the variant is recorded without adjudication.

Gathered into Three

The final sentence gathers the seven persons once more: “At this point, through the root defilements, the seven persons become three: a practitioner of desirous temperament, a practitioner of angry temperament (嗔恚行人), and a practitioner of deluded temperament” 〔T32 410a09–10〕.

Fourteen temperaments, fourteen persons, seven persons, three persons—the passage makes three successive gatherings. The term “root defilements” occurs only once in the whole treatise 〔T32 410a09〕. The author does not explain the name or list its items; he uses it only as the reason for the final gathering.

One further small matter should be retained: the three names use characters different from those in the two earlier lists. The list of fourteen temperaments has angry temperament (瞋恚行) 〔T32 409b26〕; the list of fourteen persons has a practitioner of angry temperament (嗔行人) 〔T32 409c01–02〕; here there is a practitioner of angry temperament (嗔恚行人) 〔T32 410a10〕. The same person has three forms within one passage. This is a difference of written character: 嗔 and 瞋 are both present. They are recorded without being made uniform.

Once the three are established, the next passage begins by asking about the three: “Question: What are the causes of these three temperaments?” 〔T32 410a10〕. That belongs to the next unit.

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Take away three things. One observation—the lists of fourteen temperaments and fourteen persons both proceed in the sequence three, three, four, four; they are two rows of seven written in an interlaced order, and “equal temperament” and “a practitioner of equal temperament” each reappear in tenth and fourteenth positions, not as interpolations but as the seventh item of each row. Thus the seventh pair says, “the two practitioners of equal temperament become one” 〔T32 409c10〕: the word “two” is the author’s own acknowledgment of the repetition. One reading practice—when a name reappears in a long list, fold the list before judging it: first count its sections; second join them in pairs to see whether they form rows of equal length; third return to the passage below and see whether the author himself uses the fold. One place to pause—in the three answers, the first two have one “because” and three approaches, while the third has two “because” clauses and two approaches 〔T32 409c23–25〕: the paired contrasts likewise number three pairs, three pairs, and two pairs, while each answer has a total of four. The additional phrase in the third, “because faith and wisdom move apart” 〔T32 409c24〕, occurs once in the whole treatise and is not explained; the reason for changing the arrangement is not stated. This edition does not adjudicate on the author’s behalf.

Four smaller matters should also be retained: this passage contains zero citations and zero similes—all three occurrences of the character 如 belong to 如是, “in this way,” and the author cites not a single sentence; “form one characteristic” occurs nine times in the whole treatise and six of those occurrences are here (409c13·409c16·409c19·409c22·409c25·409c27), while “because of approaching and beholding good qualities” occurs three times in the whole treatise and all three are here (409c12·409c18·409c24); the three critical notes have three different witness counts—four witnesses at 409c24, three at 409c26 (only 【明】 is absent), and only the 【宮】 witness at 410a05; and the “meditation subject” in the opening phrase “when his temperament and meditation subject correspond” 〔T32 409b25–26〕 is not itemized until the next chapter, whose opening says, “At this point, the teacher of dependence observes the practitioner’s conduct, assigns thirty-eight practices, and should further instruct the practitioner so that the two practices correspond” 〔T32 411a08–09〕, matching this passage’s two expressions “observes his temperament” and “correspond.”

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Shi Huijing · Waken · The Path of Freedom · Fourteen Temperaments, Seven Persons, and Three Temperaments · Exposition · Summer 2026