Commentary on the Samādhi Meditation Sūtra
Chapter Thirteen: The Dharma Gate of Bodhisattva Practice
Original text:若菩萨心多思觉。常念阿那波那。入时出时数一乃至十。一一心不令驰散。菩萨从此门得一心。除五盖欲行。
菩萨见道应行三种忍法。生忍柔顺法忍无生忍。云何生忍。一切众生或骂或打或杀。种种恶事。心不动转。不瞋不恚。不唯忍之。而更慈悲。此诸众生。求诸好事。愿一切得。心不舍放。是时渐得解。诸法实相。如气熏着。
Explanation: If a bodhisattva's mind has many thoughts, much initial application and sustained examination (vitarka-vicāra), and scattered notions, he should frequently cultivate the ānāpāna breath-counting method. Counting from one to ten as the in-breath is followed by the out-breath; each time he counts the breaths, he does not allow the mind to scatter and run off. Entering through this gate, the bodhisattva attains one-pointedness of mind, the meditative concentration of the first dhyāna, and removes the five hindrances of greed, ill will, sloth, restlessness, and distraction, as well as the conduct of lust.
A bodhisattva who has seen the Path should cultivate three kinds of patience: patience toward sentient beings, the patience of gentle compliance with the Dharma, and the patience of non-arising. What is the patience of non-arising? When all sentient beings curse him, beat him, or kill him, subjecting him to all kinds of evil deeds, his mind does not waver; he is neither angry nor resentful; not only does he endure it, he further treats sentient beings with loving-kindness and compassion. If these sentient beings seek good things, he vows that they may attain them all, and his mind does not abandon them. At this time he gradually gains understanding of the true reality of all dharmas, like scent permeating and imbuing.
Original text:譬如慈母爱其赤子。乳哺养育。种种不净。不以为恶。倍加怜念。欲令得乐。行者如是。一切众生。作种种恶。净不净行。心不增恶。不退不转。复次十方无量众生。我一人应当悉度。使得佛道。心忍不退不悔不却。不懈不厌不畏不难。是生忍中。一心系念。三种思惟。不令外念。外念诸缘。摄之令还。是名生忍。
Explanation: For instance, a loving mother cherishes her infant child, nursing and rearing him; the child's various unclean things do not disgust her—on the contrary, she feels doubly tender and mindful of him, wanting her child to be happy. The practitioner is likewise: when all sentient beings commit all kinds of evil deeds, whether pure or impure conduct, his mind feels no loathing, and his resolve to liberate them neither regresses nor wavers. Furthermore, [he thinks:] "The immeasurable sentient beings of the ten directions—I alone should liberate them all, enabling them all to attain the Buddha Way"; toward this his mind is firmly patient, without retreating, regretting, or shrinking back, without slackening, wearying, fearing, or finding it difficult. Within this patience toward sentient beings, he single-mindedly keeps in mind these three contemplations, not letting the mind turn outward to other objects; if the mind turns outward to other objects, upon noticing it he immediately gathers it back. This is called patience toward sentient beings.
Original text:云何柔顺法忍。菩萨既得生忍。功德无量。知是功德。福报无常。是时厌无常。自求常福。亦为众生。求常住法。一切诸法。色无色法。可见不可见法。有对无对法。有漏无漏。有为无为。上中下法。求其实相。实相云何非有常非无常。非乐非不乐。非空非不空。非有神非无神。
Explanation: What is the patience of gentle compliance with the Dharma? After the bodhisattva has obtained the immeasurable merit of patience toward sentient beings, he knows that the karmic rewards of this merit are impermanent; at this time he should grow weary of impermanence and seek for himself the blessing of permanence, and also, for the sake of sentient beings, seek the everlasting Dharma. Among all dharmas—form dharmas and formless dharmas, visible dharmas and invisible dharmas, resistant dharmas and non-resistant dharmas, dharmas with outflows and dharmas without outflows, conditioned dharmas and unconditioned dharmas, superior, middling, and inferior dharmas—he must seek their true reality, not lingering on false surface appearances. He should investigate why the true reality of these dharmas is neither permanent nor impermanent, neither blissful nor non-blissful, neither empty nor non-empty, neither possessing a spirit nor lacking a spirit? (The true reality here is still the true principle of the Small Vehicle; it does not refer to the principle of the true reality of the tathāgatagarbha of the Great Vehicle.)
Original text:何以故非有常。因缘生故。先无今有。故已有还无故。是故非有常。云何非无常。业报不失故。受外尘故。因缘增长故。非无常。云何非乐。新苦中生乐想故。一切无常性故。缘欲生故。是故非乐。云何非不乐。乐有受故。欲染生故。求乐不惜身故。是非不乐。
Explanation: Why is it not permanent? Because all dharmas arise from causes and conditions—what did not exist before is later born; therefore it will also cease, and hence it is not a permanent dharma. Why is it also not impermanent? Because karmic retribution is not lost, for retribution must be received (before receiving retribution it is impermanent; even at the moment of receiving retribution it is impermanent; after receiving retribution it is even more impermanent), because it receives external sense objects (which is also impermanent), and because causes and conditions continually increase—therefore it is "not impermanent" (it is still impermanent). Why is it non-blissful? Because the five aggregates are born of dharmas defiled by greed and lust, it is non-blissful. Because one does not spare body and life in the pursuit of happiness, it is also not non-blissful (there is bliss).
Original text:云何非空。内外入各各受了了故。有罪福报故。一切众生信故。是故非空。云何非不空。和合等实故。分别求不可得故。心力转故。是故非不空。云何非有神。不自在故。第七识界不可得故。神相不可得故。是故非有神。
云何非无神。有后世故。得解脱故。各各我心生。不计余处故。是故非无神。如是不生不灭。不不生不不灭。非有非无。不受不着。言说悉灭。心行处断。如涅槃性。是法实相。于此法中信心清净。无滞无碍。软知软信软进。是谓柔顺法忍。
Explanation: Why is it not empty? Because the feelings of the internal and external twelve sense bases are all clearly and distinctly known, because there truly are retributions of wrongdoing and blessing, and because all sentient beings believe in them—therefore it is said not to be empty. Why is it not "not empty"? Because all dharmas truly arise from the conjunction of causes and conditions, because upon discriminative investigation these dharmas cannot be found, and because they are produced through the operating power of the mind consciousness's grasping—therefore it is said to be not "not empty"; it is empty. Why is there no spirit consciousness? Because the seventh consciousness is not autonomous, because the realm of the seventh consciousness cannot be found, and because the characteristics of the seventh consciousness also cannot be found—therefore it is said there is no spirit consciousness.
Why is it not that there is no spirit consciousness? Because there is a five-aggregate body in future lives, there is the seventh consciousness; because the five-aggregate body can attain liberation, that is precisely the liberation of the seventh consciousness; each and every sentient being has a mind of self arising, because the seventh consciousness grasps at self and does not reckon it elsewhere—therefore it is said that it is not the case that there is no spirit consciousness. Thus: not arising and not ceasing, not "not arising" and not "not ceasing," neither existent nor nonexistent, neither receiving dharmas nor clinging to dharmas, extinguishing all marks of verbal expression, with the course of mental activity ceasing in the realm of quiescence, like the tranquil realm of nirvāṇa—this is the true reality of all dharmas. In cultivating and studying these dharmas, one has pure faith; regarding the dharma of true reality the mind is unobstructed and unhindered; with a gentle and pliant mind one knows the Dharma, believes in the Dharma, and diligently studies the Dharma—this is called the patience of gentle compliance with the Dharma.
Original text:云何无生法忍。如上实相法中。智慧信进。增长根利。是名无生法忍。譬如声闻法中暖法顶法。智慧信精进。增长得忍法。忍者忍涅槃。忍无漏法。故名为忍。新得新见。故名为忍。法忍亦如是。时解脱阿罗汉。不得无生智。增进广利转成。不时解脱。得无生智。
Explanation: What is the patience of non-arising dharmas? In the dharma of true reality as described above, the faculty of wisdom, the faculty of faith, and the faculty of diligence grow, and the faculties become keen—this is called the patience of non-arising dharmas. For example, in the śrāvaka Dharma, at the stages of the heat dharma and the summit dharma, when the faculties of wisdom, faith, and diligence have grown, one obtains the dharma of patience. The so-called patience means being able to patiently accept the tranquil dharma of nirvāṇa and to patiently accept the dharma in which all afflictions of greed, ill will, and delusion are absent. Just newly knowing, newly realizing, and newly seeing the Dharma is called patience. The patience of non-arising dharmas is also like this. The time-liberated arhat has not attained the wisdom of non-arising; later, when he cultivates profound dhyāna again, his wisdom continually advances and expands, so that he need not wait until the time of death to attain liberation—at that time he attains the wisdom of non-arising.
Original text:无生法忍亦如是。未得菩萨果。得无生法忍。得菩萨真行果。是名菩萨道果。是时得般舟三昧。于众生中得大悲。入般若波罗蜜门。尔时诸佛便受其号。堕生佛界中。为诸佛所念。一切重罪薄。薄者灭。三恶道断。常生天上人中。名不退转。到不动处。末后肉身尽。入法身中。能作种种变化。度脱一切众生。具足六度。供养诸佛。净佛国土。教化众生。立十地中。功德成满。次第得阿耨多罗三藐三菩提。为菩萨禅法中初门。
Explanation: The patience of non-arising dharmas is also like this: when the fruit-qualities of a bodhisattva have not yet been realized, what is obtained is the patience of non-arising dharmas; when the true fruit of the bodhisattva's practice is realized, it is called the fruit of the bodhisattva path. At this time, through actual practice one realizes the pratyutpanna-samādhi, can give rise to great loving-kindness and compassion toward sentient beings, and enters the gate of prajñā-pāramitā. Then the Buddhas confer a Dharma name upon him, he enters the realm of the Buddhadharma, and is protected and held in mindfulness by the Buddhas. All heavy sins within his own person become light, light sins are extinguished, the three evil paths are cut off, and in the future he is always born among the heavens and among humans—this is called a non-retrogressing bodhisattva. When he cultivates to the eighth bhūmi, the Immovable Ground, his final flesh body comes to an end, he enters the Dharmakāya, and can perform all kinds of unimpeded transformations to liberate all sentient beings. With the merit of perfecting the six pāramitās he makes offerings to the Buddhas, purifies the Buddha-lands and teaches and transforms sentient beings, and through the cultivation stages of the ten bhūmis his merit is successively perfected, attaining anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi. The above is the very first entry point of the bodhisattva's dhyāna Dharma.
Original text:
行者定心求道时 常当观察时方便
若不得时无方便 是应为失不为利
如犊未生允牛乳 乳不可得非时故
若犊生已允牛角 乳不可得无智故
如钻湿木求出火 火不可得非时故
若折干木以求火 火不可得无智故
Explanation: When a practitioner seeks the Path with firm faith, he should constantly observe whether the season and timing are appropriate, whether the causes and conditions are ripe, and whether he has skillful means. If the time for realization has not yet arrived and there is no skillful method, then rashly seeking the Path at this time will incur loss rather than gain. For example, if one tries to suck milk from a cow before it has borne a calf, the milk cannot be obtained, because the timing is wrong. If the cow has already borne a calf and one tries to suck milk from its horns, one likewise cannot obtain milk, for lack of wisdom. For example, if one uses a fire-drill to drill into damp wood hoping to produce fire, fire cannot be obtained, because the timing is wrong. If one tries to obtain fire by bending and snapping dry wood, fire also cannot be obtained, for lack of wisdom.
Original text:
得处知时量己行 观心方便力多少
宜应精进及不宜 道相宜时及不宜
若心调动不应勇 如是勇过不得定
譬如多薪炽大火 大风来吹不肯灭
若能以定自调心 如是动息心得定
譬如大火大风吹 大水来浇无不灭
Explanation: At the point where attainment should occur, one must know whether the timing and conditions are suitable, measure whether one's power of meditative concentration and power of samādhi are complete, and observe how much power of skillful means one's own mind possesses. One must clearly know whether at this time one should diligently cultivate the Dharma or should not be diligent, whether at this time one should attain the Path or it is not appropriate to attain the Path. If at this time the mind is still scattered and agitated without cease, one should not be vigorously diligent; with excessive vigor one also cannot attain concentration. For example, when abundant firewood has kindled a great fire, if a great wind comes to blow on the fire, the great fire certainly will not be extinguished; at this time, if one uses the power of meditative concentration to regulate one's own mind, then in this way the agitated breath and mind can attain concentration. For example, when a great wind blows upon a great fire, the more it blows the greater the flames become; but if great water is poured upon it, the great fire will all be extinguished.
Original text:
若人心软复懈怠 如是厌没不应行
譬如少薪无焰火 不得风吹便自灭
若有精进勇猛心 如是转健得道疾
譬如小火多益薪 风吹转炽无灭时
若行放舍止调缩 设复发舍失护法
譬如病人宜将养 若复放舍无得活
Explanation: If a person's mental power is weak and he is also slack, at this time he should not let the mind come to rest; he should cultivate with vigorous diligence. For example, a small amount of firewood with little flame will go out by itself without the wind blowing. If one has a diligent and courageous mind, the mental power will grow strong, and the Path can be attained quickly. For example, a small fire needs more firewood added, and then fanned by the wind, the flames will grow ever fiercer and will not be extinguished. At this time one should not practice letting go, nor practice cessation and breath regulation that contracts the mind consciousness, because if one wishes to raise the mind again, there will be no power of guarding the Dharma. For example, when a sick person needs nursing and care, if he is abandoned and left untended, he cannot survive.
Original text:
若有舍想正等心 宜时勤行得道疾
譬如有人乘调象 如意至凑无踬碍
若多淫欲爱乱心 是时不应行慈等
淫人行慈益痴闷 如人冷病服冷药
淫人心乱观不净 谛观不净心得定
行法如是相应故 如人冷病服热药
Explanation: If one has thoughts of the equanimity that neither delights nor wearies, and has a rightly balanced mind, one should diligently practice with vigor and attain the Path quickly. For example, a person riding a well-trained elephant can reach his destination smoothly as he wishes, without obstruction. If a person has much lust, with the afflictions of craving and attachment disturbing his mind, at this time he should not cultivate the samādhi of loving-kindness and the like, because a person fond of lust who cultivates loving-kindness will increase his foolish delusion and confusion. It is like giving cold medicine to a person who has a cold illness—untimely and inappropriate, it will only aggravate the illness. A person with much lust has a disturbed mind and should cultivate the contemplation of impurity. By carefully observing the impure marks of the physical body, the mind can attain concentration. The method of practice should correspond in this way; a corresponding method of practice is like a person with a cold illness taking hot medicine—only such an antidote is properly applied.
Original text:
若多瞋恚忿乱心 是时不应观不净
瞋人观恶增恚心 如人热病服热药
若人瞋怒行慈心 行慈不舍瞋心灭
行法如是相应故 如人热病服冷药
若多愚痴心闇浅 不净行慈悲行法
二行增痴无益故 如人风病服麨药
人心痴闇观因缘 分别谛观痴心灭
Explanation: If a person has much ill will, with anger and agitation disturbing the mind, at this time he should not cultivate the contemplation of impurity; an ill-willed person observing evil marks will increase his ill will, like a person with a hot illness taking hot medicine—the remedy does not match the illness. If a person is prone to anger, he should cultivate the mind of loving-kindness and compassion; cultivating loving-kindness and compassion without abandoning them, the mind of ill will is extinguished. The method of practice should correspond in this way, like a person with a hot illness taking cold medicine—the remedy matches the illness. If a person has much foolish delusion, with the mind dark, closed, and shallow, then the two practices of the contemplation of impurity and the contemplation of loving-kindness will only increase his delusion, without benefit, like a person with a wind illness taking grain-powder medicine. A mind that is deluded and dark should contemplate the dharma of causes and conditions; by contemplating each of the twelve links of dependent origination separately and carefully in contemplative practice, the deluded mind can be extinguished.
Original text:
法行如是相应故 如人风病服腻药
譬如金师排扇炭 用功非时失韛法
匆匆急韛不知时 或时水浇或放舍
金融急韛则消过 未融便止则不消
非时水浇金则生 非时放置则不熟
精进摄心及放舍 应当观察行道法
Explanation: Cultivating the Buddha's Dharma should correspond in this way, like a person with a wind illness taking oily medicine. For example, a goldsmith burns charcoal to smelt gold; if the timing of the work is improper and he cannot control the heat, he cannot smelt gold. Hastily blowing fierce fire without knowing the proper timing, sometimes pouring water on it and sometimes abandoning it: if fierce fire is used after the gold ore has melted, the gold will be over-melted; if the charcoal is stopped before the ore has melted, the gold cannot melt. If water is poured before the proper time, the gold remains raw and unripe; if the timing of setting it aside is improper, the gold will also not ripen. Practice is also like this: when one should diligently gather in the mind and when one should let go of body and mind—one should observe well and observe carefully, [to determine] exactly how to practice the Path so as to suit the occasion.
