解脫道論 白話全本 · 冊7

At That Time, the Teacher on Whom One Depends Gives the Thirty-Eight Practices

At that time, the teacher on whom one depends observes which practice he follows, gives him the thirty-eight practices, and should then instruct him so that 二行相應, “correspondence with two practices,” is brought about.

Question: What Are the Thirty-Eight Practices?

Question: What are the thirty-eight practices?

Answer: First are the ten kasiṇas—earth, water, fire, wind, blue-green, yellow, red, white, space, and consciousness kasiṇas.

Second are the ten perceptions of impurity—the swollen-corpse perception, livid perception, decomposed perception, scattered perception, perception of a corpse devoured by birds and beasts, perception of flesh torn apart, slain-and-scattered perception, red-blood-smeared perception, worm-infested perception, and bones perception.

Third are the ten recollections—recollection of the Buddha, recollection of the Dhamma, recollection of the Saṅgha, recollection of virtue, recollection of giving, recollection of deities, mindfulness of death, mindfulness of the body, mindfulness of breathing, and recollection of quietude.

Fourth are the four immeasurables—loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity.

Besides these are four more: contemplating the four elements, the perception of repulsiveness in food, the base of nothingness, and the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception.

These are called the thirty-eight practices.

These Thirty-Eight Practices Are to Be Viewed through Nine Classifications to Know Their Excellence

These thirty-eight practices should be understood in their excellence through nine classifications. Which nine? First, through jhāna; second, through right going beyond; third, through increase; fourth, through condition; fifth, through things; sixth, through excellence; seventh, through ground; eighth, through grasping; and ninth, through person.

First Classification · Through Jhāna: The Initial Statement of Six Classes

Question: What is the classification through jhāna?

Answer: Ten meditation subjects produce access to jhāna.

Another eleven meditation subjects accomplish the first jhāna.

Another three meditation subjects accomplish the third jhāna.

Another single meditation subject accomplishes the fourth jhāna.

Another nine meditation subjects accomplish the fourth and fifth jhānas.

Another four meditation subjects accomplish the four formless jhānas.

Which Ten Produce Access to Jhāna?

Question: Which ten meditation subjects produce access to jhāna?

Answer: Of the ten recollections, set aside mindfulness of breathing and contemplation of the body. The other eight recollections, together with contemplating the four elements and the perception of repulsiveness in food, are called the ten access practices.

Which Eleven Are Included in the First Jhāna?

Question: Which eleven meditation subjects are included in the first jhāna?

Answer: The ten perceptions of impurity, together with contemplation of the body—these are called the subjects included in the first jhāna.

Which Three Are Included in the Third Jhāna?

Question: Which three meditation subjects are included in the third jhāna?

Answer: They are loving-kindness, compassion, and appreciative joy.

Which One Is Included in the Fourth Jhāna?

Question: Which one meditation subject is included in the fourth jhāna?

Answer: It is equanimity.

Which Nine Are Included in the Fourth and Fifth Jhānas?

Question: Which nine meditation subjects are included in the fourth and fifth jhānas?

Answer: From the ten kasiṇas, set aside the empty-space kasiṇa and the consciousness kasiṇa. The other eight kasiṇas, together with breathing-mindfulness, make nine.

Which Four Are Included among the Four Formless States?

Question: Which four meditation subjects are included among the four formless states?

Answer: The kasiṇa of empty space, the consciousness kasiṇa, the base of nothingness, and the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception—these are named four practices.

Thus, they can be known through jhāna.

Several Points to Note

The opening sentence says 授三十八行, “gives the thirty-eight practices”; only when the question is posed does the text say 三十八行處, “thirty-eight practices.” When they are mentioned again later in the chapter, the wording is 於三十八行, “among the thirty-eight practices.” The same item appears both with and without the character 處. Both forms are retained here.

The opening sentence says 當復教示令二行相應, “one should then instruct him so that 二行相應, ‘correspondence with two practices,’ is brought about.” Which two practices are meant is not listed in this passage, nor is it stated later. The literal wording is retained here without supplying them.

In the list of ten recollections, the term is 念身, “mindfulness of the body.” When the text discusses the ten access practices and those included in the first jhāna, both occurrences change to 觀身, “contemplation of the body.” The same item has one name in the list and another in use. Both forms are retained here.

In the list of ten kasiṇas, the coordinated form is 空處、識處一切入, giving “space kasiṇa” and “consciousness kasiṇa.” In the class of the fourth and fifth jhānas, they become 空一切入, “empty-space kasiṇa,” and 識一切入, “consciousness kasiṇa.” In the formless class, they become 虛空一切入, “kasiṇa of empty space,” and 識一切入, “consciousness kasiṇa.” The same two items thus bear three sets of names. All are retained here.

In the initial statement of the six classes, the first says “produce access to jhāna,” while the other five say “accomplish.” In the questions on the individual classes, those five all change to “are included in.” Moreover, the initial statement says “accomplish the four formless jhānas,” whereas the question says “included among the four formless states,” reversing the order of the terms. All these forms are retained here.

The closing formulas of the six classes do not have a single form. The ten access practices and first-jhāna classes use “are called”; the formless class uses a different “are named” formula in the Chinese; and the third-jhāna, fourth-jhāna, and fourth-and-fifth-jhāna classes have no closing formula, ending directly with the listed items. Six classes thus have three forms. All are retained here.

The final class closes with 是名四行, “these are named four practices,” not “meditation subjects.” This is the only such occurrence among the six classes. It is retained here.

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Shi Huijing · Waken · The Path of Freedom · The Thirty-Eight Practices and Their Jhāna Classifications · Vernacular · Summer 2026

Second Classification · Through Right Going Beyond

Question: How is it through right going beyond?

Answer: The meditation subjects that, when entered, become ways of going beyond form are the eight kasiṇas other than the formless kasiṇas. The remaining thirty meditation subjects do not become ways of going beyond form.

Further, three meditation subjects become ways of going beyond objects: the two formless kasiṇas and the base of nothingness. The remaining thirty-five meditation subjects do not become ways of going beyond objects.

Further, one meditation subject becomes a way of going beyond perception and feeling: the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception. The remaining thirty-seven practices do not become ways of going beyond perception and feeling.

Thus, they can be known through going beyond.

Third Classification · Through Increase

Question: How is it through increase?

Answer: Fourteen meditation subjects can be made to increase: the ten kasiṇas and the four immeasurables. The remaining twenty-four meditation subjects should not be made to increase.

Thus, they can be known through increase.

Fourth Classification · Through Condition

Question: What is the classification through condition?

Answer: Nine fields are conditions for direct knowledge, excluding the formless kasiṇas. The items given are the eight kasiṇas and the discriminated space kasiṇa. The remaining thirty practices do not become conditions for direct knowledge.

Thirty-seven meditation subjects become conditions for insight, excluding the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception. Further, one meditation subject does not serve among the conditions for insight: the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception.

Thus, they can be known through condition.

Fifth Classification · Through Things: First, the Threefold Heading

Question: What is the classification through things?

Answer: Twenty-one meditation subjects are 分別事, “discriminated objects”; twelve meditation subjects are 實事, “actual objects”; and five meditation subjects should not be spoken of as either discriminated objects or actual objects.

Which Are the Twenty-One Discriminated Objects?

Question: Which twenty-one meditation subjects are discriminated objects?

Answer: Excluding the consciousness kasiṇa, they are the other nine kasiṇas, together with the ten perceptions of impurity, mindfulness of breathing, and mindfulness of the body.

Which Are the Twelve Actual Objects?

Question: Which twelve are actual objects?

Answer: The consciousness kasiṇa, the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, and the ten jhāna-access practices.

Which Are the Five That Should Not Be Spoken Of?

Question: Which five should not be spoken of as discriminated objects or actual objects?

Answer: The four immeasurables and the base of nothingness.

Nine Headings for Internal and External Managed Objects · General Statement

Further, two meditation subjects are internally managed objects and internal objects.

Further, two meditation subjects are internally managed objects and external objects.

Further, one meditation subject is an externally managed object and an internal object.

Further, twenty-one meditation subjects are externally managed objects and external objects.

Further, four meditation subjects are internally managed objects and internal objects, and are 設, “set as,” external objects.

Further, four meditation subjects are set as internally managed objects, set as externally managed objects, and are external objects.

Further, two meditation subjects are set as internally managed objects, set as externally managed objects, set as internal objects, and set as external objects.

Further, one meditation subject is an internally and externally managed object and an internal object.

Further, one meditation subject is an internally managed object that should not be spoken of, and is both an internal and an external object.

Nine Headings for Internal and External Managed Objects · The Items Indicated by Each

Of these, the two meditation subjects that are internally managed objects and internal objects are the consciousness kasiṇa and the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception.

The two meditation subjects that are internally managed objects and external objects are mindfulness of breathing and mindfulness of the body.

The one meditation subject that is an externally managed object and an internal object is mindfulness of death.

The twenty-one meditation subjects that are externally managed objects and external objects are the ten perceptions of impurity, the four immeasurables, the four color kasiṇas, the kasiṇa of empty space, and recollection of the Buddha and recollection of the Saṅgha.

The four meditation subjects that are internally managed objects and internal objects and are set as external objects are recollection of virtue, recollection of giving, contemplation directed to the four elements, and repulsiveness-in-food perception.

The four meditation subjects that are set as internally managed objects, set as externally managed objects, and set as external objects are the four color kasiṇas.

The two meditation subjects that are set as internally managed objects, set as externally managed objects, set as internal objects, and set as external objects are recollection of the Dhamma and recollection of quietude.

The one meditation subject that is an internally and externally managed object and an internal object is recollection of deities.

The one meditation subject that is an internally managed object and for which internal and external objects should not be spoken of is the base of nothingness.

Six Headings Concerning the Three Times

Further, two meditation subjects have past objects: the consciousness kasiṇa and the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception.

Further, one meditation subject has a future object: mindfulness of death.

Further, one meditation subject has a present object: recollection of deities.

Further, six meditation subjects are set as having past objects, set as having future objects, and set as having present objects: recollection of the Buddha, recollection of the Saṅgha, recollection of virtue, recollection of giving, contemplating the four elements, and repulsiveness-in-food perception.

Further, two meditation subjects are set as having past objects and set as having present objects, while the past and future should be spoken of as not applying: recollection of the Dhamma and recollection of quietude.

Further, twenty-six meditation subjects should not be set as having objects in the three times: the nine kasiṇas, the ten perceptions of impurity, the four immeasurables, mindfulness of breathing, mindfulness of the body, and the base of nothingness.

Moving and Unmoving

Further, four meditation subjects have moving objects: the fire kasiṇa, the wind kasiṇa, worm-decayed perception, and mindfulness of breathing—their object moves, but their sign does not move. The remaining thirty-four have unmoving objects.

Thus, they can be known through things.

Several Points to Keep in View

When the second classification is named at the beginning of the chapter, it is 正越, “right going beyond,” and its question likewise asks 云何以正越, “How is it through right going beyond?” Yet the closing says 如是以越可知, “Thus, they can be known through going beyond,” without 正, “right.” The wording is retained as it stands.

The four classifications in this passage use two forms in their questions: those on right going beyond and increase use 以, “through,” while those on condition and things use 為, “what is.” Yet all four closing sentences use 以, “through.” There are four classifications but two forms of question. The wording is retained as it stands.

In each classification the positive and negative counts add up to thirty-eight: eight plus thirty for going beyond form; three plus thirty-five for going beyond objects; one plus thirty-seven for going beyond perception and feeling; fourteen plus twenty-four for increase; and thirty-seven plus one for conditions for insight. Only the conditions for direct knowledge do not: the text says that “nine fields are conditions for direct knowledge,” lists “the eight kasiṇas” plus “the discriminated space kasiṇa,” and then says “the remaining thirty practices.” Nine plus thirty is thirty-nine, while eight plus thirty is thirty-eight. This passage does not say whether the added name 分別虛空一切入, “the discriminated space kasiṇa,” belongs among the thirty-eight items. The wording is retained without deciding the point.

The general statement and item-by-item explanation of the nine headings concerning internal and external managed objects correspond to one another, and the nine stated counts also add up to thirty-eight. Yet the items actually listed number only thirty-four: the fourth heading’s twenty-one and the sixth heading’s four both name “the four color kasiṇas,” while the four earth, water, fire, and wind kasiṇas do not appear anywhere in the nine headings. This is recorded without changing or supplying any word.

At the beginning of the chapter the name is 虫臭想, “worm-infested perception,” while the moving-object heading here has 虫爛想, “worm-decayed perception.” The earlier name 食不淨想, “perception of repulsiveness in food,” appears here twice in reversed order as 不淨食想, “repulsiveness-in-food perception.” The earlier name 觀四大, “contemplating the four elements,” appears here once as 觀於四大, “contemplation directed to the four elements.” The same items have visibly different written forms. All are retained.

The statement in the first passage uses 禪外行, “access to jhāna,” and its closing uses 十外行, “ten access practices.” Here it appears as 十禪外行, “ten jhāna-access practices,” a third form for the same item. The wording is retained.

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Shi Huijing · Waken · The Path of Freedom · Right Going Beyond, Increase, Condition, and Things · Vernacular · Summer 2026

Sixth Classification · Through Excellence

Question: What is the classification through excellence?

Answer: The eight kasiṇas and the four formless concentrations are called excellent because of 真實事, “true object.”

For the eight kasiṇas, this is called concentration-excellence, because the fourth jhāna attains 勝地, “excellent ground.” The four formless concentrations also become excellent.

The ten perceptions of impurity and the perception of repulsiveness in food are called perception-excellence—because of color, shape, space, direction, discrimination, combination, and attachment, and because of the matter of perception of impurity.

For the ten stations of recollection, this is called excellence of recollection, because of subtlety and recollection.

The four immeasurables take freedom from fault as excellence, because they receive benefit.

Contemplating the four elements is called wisdom-excellence, because of attachment to emptiness.

Thus, they can be known through excellence.

Seventh Classification · Through Ground

Question: How is it through ground?

Answer: Twelve meditation subjects do not arise in the heavens: the ten impurities, mindfulness of the body, and the perception of repulsiveness in food.

Further, thirteen meditation subjects do not arise in form existence: the preceding twelve together with breathing-mindfulness do not arise in form existence.

Apart from the four formless bases, the other meditation subjects do not arise in formless existence.

Thus, they can be known through ground.

Eighth Classification · Through Grasping

Question: How is it through grasping?

Answer: For seventeen meditation subjects, the sign should be grasped through seeing—the seven kasiṇas other than the wind kasiṇa and the formless kasiṇas, together with the ten perceptions of impurity.

For one further meditation subject, the sign should be grasped through touch: mindfulness of breathing.

For one further meditation subject, it should be grasped either through seeing or through touch: the wind kasiṇa.

The remaining nineteen meditation subjects should be grasped through 聞分別, “hearing-discrimination.”

Further, there are five meditation subjects that a beginning meditator should not cultivate: the four formless states and equanimity. The remaining twenty-three should be grasped by a beginning learner in jhāna.

Thus, they can be known through grasping.

Several Points to Keep in View

Of the five items in the excellence classification, three take the form “X-excellence”—concentration-excellence, perception-excellence, and wisdom-excellence. Only the item concerning the ten stations of recollection reverses the order as “excellence of recollection,” not “recollection-excellence.” The fourth item does not attach “excellence” to a name at all, but says that “the four immeasurables take freedom from fault as excellence.” The five items do not share one naming pattern. They are retained as they stand.

The preceding classification through things established the two names 分別事, “discriminated object,” and 實事, “actual object.” The opening of the present passage says 真實事, “true object.” Whether this true object is the same as that actual object is not stated here. The literal forms are retained without deciding the point.

The opening list of the chapter says “ten recollections,” while the present passage says “ten stations of recollection.” The opening list says “ten perceptions of impurity,” while the ground classification here shortens this to “ten impurities.” The wording differs within the same groups. It is retained as it stands.

Within this single passage, the formless group has three forms: four formless concentrations, four formless bases, and four formless states. They are retained as they stand.

The ground classification has three aspects. The first says “do not arise in the heavens,” while the second and third say “do not arise in form existence” and “do not arise in formless existence.” Why the first speaks of “the heavens” rather than “sense existence” is not stated here. It is retained as it stands.

Of the four items in the grasping classification, the first two say that “the sign should be grasped,” while the latter two say only that the subject “should be grasped.” They are retained as they stand.

In the final two sentences of the grasping classification, the person has two names: the first says that “a beginning meditator should not cultivate,” while the second says that “a beginning learner in jhāna should grasp.” The two names stand together in one place. They are retained as they stand.

The five items in the excellence classification total thirty-eight: eight plus four makes twelve; ten plus one makes eleven; the ten stations of recollection make ten; the four immeasurables make four; and contemplating the four elements makes one. The first four items in the grasping classification likewise total thirty-eight: seventeen, one, one, and nineteen. Yet the last two sentences in that classification give five and twenty-three, totaling only twenty-eight. This very sentence is the only place in the passage with a critical note—the Song, Yuan, and Ming witnesses read “thirty-two,” while the Palace witness reads “thirty-three.” Of the three readings, only the Palace reading agrees with thirty-eight. The readings are recorded without alteration or adjudication, and the present text follows the base.

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Shi Huijing · Waken · The Path of Freedom · Excellence, Ground, and Grasping · Vernacular · Summer 2026

The Ninth Classification · Through Person: What Three Kinds of Person Should Not Cultivate

Question: How is it through person?

Answer: A person of lustful temperament should not cultivate the four immeasurables, because they have a pure sign.

Why? For a person of lustful temperament to attend to a perception of purity is not the practice appropriate to that person—just as for a person with a phlegm illness to eat much rich, fatty food is not suitable for that person.

A person of angry temperament should not cultivate the ten perceptions of impurity, because they are perceptions of anger; attention accompanied by anger is not the practice appropriate to that person—just as for a person tending the sick to consume boiling-hot food and drink is not suitable for that person.

A person of deluded temperament, whose wisdom has not increased, should not be made to take up a field of practice, because means are absent. If means are absent, that person’s effort bears no fruit—like a person riding an elephant without a hook.

What Each of the Six Kinds of Person Should Cultivate

A person of lustful temperament should cultivate the perception of impurity and contemplation of the body, because these counteract that person’s lust.

A person of angry temperament should cultivate the four immeasurables, because these counteract anger; or that person should cultivate a color kasiṇa, because the mind follows along.

A person of faithful temperament should cultivate the six stations of recollection, with recollection of the Buddha first, because faith becomes settled.

A person of intellectual temperament should cultivate contemplating the four elements, the perception of repulsiveness in food, mindfulness of death, and recollection of quietude, because these are profound fields. Further, a person of intellectual temperament has no hindrance with respect to any field of practice.

A person of discursive temperament should cultivate mindfulness of breathing, because it cuts off discursive thought.

A person of deluded temperament should ask about the Dhamma in words, hear the Dhamma at the proper time, and dwell with the teacher in reverence for the Dhamma, causing wisdom to increase.

General Statement and Summary

Among the thirty-eight practices (三十八行), according to what that person delights in; yet mindfulness of death and contemplating the four elements should be cultivated as most excellent.

It is further said: in regard to fields of practice, I see that as excellent.

The six persons, in what is distinguished, are summarized as three.

Objection: If So, There Is a Hindrance at the Outset

Question: If so, there is a hindrance at the outset.

Answer: There are two persons of lustful temperament, namely dull-faculty and keen-faculty.

For the dull-faculty person of lustful temperament, contemplation of impurity, as the counteraction to that person’s lust, is what should be taught; by carrying out the cultivation in this way, lust can be removed.

For the keen-faculty person of lustful temperament, when initial faith has increased, the stations of recollection should be cultivated; this is what should be taught, and by carrying out the cultivation in this way, lust can be removed.

There are two persons of angry temperament, namely dull-faculty and keen-faculty.

For the dull-faculty person of angry temperament, the four immeasurables, as the counteraction to that person’s anger, are what should be taught; by carrying out the cultivation in this way, anger can be removed.

The keen-faculty person of angry temperament cultivates as wisdom increases; 勝處, “place of excellence,” is what is taught, and by cultivating it, anger can be removed.

There are two persons of deluded temperament, namely 無根, “without a root,” and dull-faculty.

For the 無根, “without a root,” person of deluded temperament, no field of practice should be taught.

For the dull-faculty person of deluded temperament, mindfulness of breathing should be taught in order to remove discursive thought.

In this way, stated in summary, only three persons are constituted; therefore there is no hindrance.

Close

Within this Dhamma, the kasiṇas and mindfulness of breathing, 以空增長, “increase through emptiness,” constitute every practice without hindrance.

If excellent qualities have already been attained, they surpass the fields traversed by all practices; therefore there is no hindrance.

Several Points to Record

Each of the first eight classifications in this chapter closes with the form “Thus, such-and-such can be known through …”; the ninth classification has no such close. The only occurrence of “in this way, through” in the present passage is “In this way, stated in summary, only three persons are constituted”; it closes the later objection, not this classification. This is recorded as it stands.

Each of the first eight classifications gives numbers—so many fields of practice of one kind and so many of another. The ninth gives no opposed pair of numbers, nor does it contain a sentence assigning a second number to what is not included. This is recorded as it stands.

The expression “six persons” is used only once in this passage, in the closing sentence, without listing their names again. This is recorded as it stands.

The sentence “It is further said: in regard to fields of practice, I see that as excellent” is the sole place where the four characters of this chapter’s title enter its body. The passage does not state what is excellent. The literal wording is retained without adjudicating it.

The two persons of lustful temperament and the two persons of angry temperament are both “dull-faculty and keen-faculty,” while the two persons of deluded temperament alone are “無根, ‘without a root,’ and dull-faculty.” The passage does not explain 無根, “without a root.” Moreover, among the six members of these three pairs, the member for the 無根 person of deluded temperament says that no field of practice should be taught—when six persons are summarized as three, one member is assigned no field at all. This is recorded without supplying one.

The first half says that a person of lustful temperament “should cultivate the perception of impurity,” while the latter half says that the dull-faculty person of lustful temperament should “cultivate contemplation of impurity.” Within a single passage the first is a perception and the latter a contemplation. The forms are retained as they stand.

The opening list names “ten recollections”; the third passage says “ten stations of recollection”; the present passage says “six stations of recollection” and also simply “stations of recollection.” One group has four forms within this chapter, and the six stations are not listed. All four forms are retained as they stand.

What is taught to the keen-faculty person of angry temperament is 勝處, “place of excellence.” 勝處 is not among the thirty-eight items listed at the opening of the chapter, and the passage does not explain what it is. The source form and English gloss are retained.

Of the three similes, the first two both close with the same words, “is not suitable for that person”; the third does not use this form. In the second simile, the Taishō form 瞻病, “tending the sick,” is read as 病痰, “illness-phlegm,” by the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Palace witnesses—under those four witnesses, its first character is the same as the first character of 痰病, “phlegm illness,” in the preceding simile. This is recorded without adjudication, and the base is followed.

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Shi Huijing · Waken · The Path of Freedom · Fields of Practice for Six Persons and Their Summary as Three · Vernacular · Summer 2026