The Practice of the Four Right Efforts (III)

Original text:又彼一切恶不善法。或缘过去事生。或缘未来事生。或缘现在事生。如是彼法。或缘不现见境。或缘现见境。若缘过去未来事境。是名缘不现见境。若缘现在事境。是名缘现见境。

Explanation: All evil and unwholesome dharmas arise either conditioned upon past events, or conditioned upon future events, or conditioned upon present events. Therefore, evil and unwholesome dharmas are either conditioned upon objects not presently seen, or conditioned upon objects presently seen. If they are conditioned upon past and future objects, this is called being conditioned upon objects not presently seen; if they are conditioned upon objects appearing in the present, this is called being conditioned upon objects presently seen.

Original text:当知此中于缘不现见境。恶不善法其未生者。欲令不生。其已生者。欲令永断。自策自励。是名策励。于缘现见境。恶不善法其未生者。欲令不生。其已生者欲令永断。勇猛正勤。是名发勤精进。所以者何。要当坚固自策自励。勇猛正勤。方能令彼或不复生或永断灭。

Explanation: As for evil and unwholesome dharmas conditioned upon objects not presently seen, when they have not yet arisen, one must resolve to prevent them from arising; when they have already arisen, one must resolve to eradicate them forever. One urges oneself on and encourages oneself—this is called exertion (prahāṇa). As for evil and unwholesome dharmas conditioned upon objects presently seen, when they have not yet arisen, one must resolve to prevent them from arising; when they have already arisen, one must resolve to eradicate them forever. One practices with heroic right effort—this is called the arising of diligent effort. Why is this so? It is because only through firmly urging oneself on and encouraging oneself, with heroic and diligent effort, can one cause those evil and unwholesome dharmas either to no longer arise or to be eradicated forever and never appear again.

Original text:又于下品中品诸缠。其未生者欲令不生。其已生者欲令永断。故自策励。于上品缠。其未生者欲令不生。其已生者欲令永断。发勤精进。又若行于过去境界。如是行时。不令烦恼缘彼生起。设复失念。暂时生起而不忍受。速能断灭。除遣变吐。如缘过去。若行未来当知亦尔。如是未生恶不善法。能令不生。生已能断。是名策励。

Explanation: Regarding the entanglements (saṃyojana) of the low grade and the middle grade, if they have not yet arisen, one must resolve to prevent them from arising; if they have already arisen, one must resolve to eradicate them forever; therefore one urges oneself on and encourages oneself. Regarding the entanglements of the high grade, if they have not yet arisen, one must resolve to prevent them from arising; if they have already arisen, one must resolve to eradicate them forever, and thus one practices with diligent effort.

If the mind is engaged with past objects, while so engaged, one should not allow afflictions to arise conditioned upon those objects. If one loses mindfulness and afflictions temporarily arise, one should not tolerate them; once discovered, one should swiftly eradicate them, dispelling and expelling the afflictions. The same applies when the mind is engaged with future objects as when engaged with past objects. In this way, evil and unwholesome dharmas that have not yet arisen can be prevented from arising, and those that have arisen can be severed—this is called exertion.

Original text:若行现在所缘境界。如是行时。不令烦恼缘彼生起。设复失念。暂时生起而不忍受。速能断灭。除遣变吐。如是未生恶不善法。令其不生。已经生起，生已能断。是名发勤精进。

Explanation: If the mind is engaged with objects presently seen, while moving among present objects, one should not allow afflictions to arise conditioned upon those present objects. If one carelessly loses mindfulness and afflictions temporarily arise, once discovered, one should not tolerate their continuation, but swiftly eradicate them, dispelling and expelling the afflictions. In this way, evil and unwholesome dharmas that have not yet arisen can be prevented from arising, and those that have already arisen, once arisen, can be severed as soon as the afflictions arise—this is called diligent effort.

If one can practice the four right efforts with such heroic diligence, urging oneself on and encouraging oneself, the afflictions will soon be dispelled. Only after the afflictions are dispelled and the mind is purified can one see the Path and attain liberation by wisdom. If one cannot awaken to the harm of the entanglements of affliction and lets the afflictions run rampant, the calamity of saṃsāric suffering will not be removed, and there will be no way to see the Path and realize sagehood. From this it can be known that attaining bodhi without severing afflictions—there is no such thing.