Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, Volume 18

Original text: 云何无攀无住。所谓诸爱永尽离欲。寂灭涅槃。及灭尽定。所以者何。所言攀者。诸烦恼缠。所言住者。烦恼随眠。于彼处所二种俱无。是故说言无攀无住。此谓涅槃无攀无住。又想名攀，受名为住，若于是处二种俱无。即说彼处无攀无住。如是显示灭想受定无攀无住。今此义中意取灭定。

Explanation: What is meant by neither grasping nor abiding? It means that all craving of the manas is forever eradicated, free from any desire for the world of the three realms, the mind attains tranquility and enters the state of nirvāṇa, or one attains the cessation attainment (nirodha-samāpatti). Why is this said? Because "grasping" means the manas being entangled by the various afflictions; one who is not entangled by afflictions does not grasp at the various dharmas with the mind. "Abiding" means there are afflictive latent tendencies (anuśaya) in the mind, and therefore the mind abides in dharmas; if the afflictions and their latent tendencies are completely eradicated, it is said to be neither grasping nor abiding. This is the meaning of nirvāṇa being without grasping and without abiding. In this way, the state of neither grasping nor abiding within the cessation of perception and feeling is revealed, showing that this person has attained the cessation attainment.

The state in which the six consciousnesses have ceased entirely and the manas has further extinguished the two mental factors of feeling and perception is the cessation attainment. Feeling is the meaning of abiding in dharmas—receiving the dharma objects is called abiding; perception is the meaning of grasping—knowing and apprehending is perception. Grasping means being entangled by afflictions; when the manas eradicates afflictions, there is no grasping; eradicating afflictions is called the complete exhaustion of all craving; the complete exhaustion of all craving is freedom from desire. When the manas is free from desire, all craving is exhausted and it no longer grasps; when the manas is free from desire, without grasping and without abiding, it enters nirvāṇa without remainder. That sentient beings do not realize nirvāṇa without remainder shows that the manas has grasping, has craving, desire, and abiding, feeling dharmas and perceiving dharmas, entangled by afflictions, with the mind not tranquil and pure. In this way, the state in which the manas within the cessation of perception and feeling has neither grasping nor abiding is revealed, and that is the cessation attainment.

When the manas does not grasp at nor abide in material sense-objects, the eye consciousness and mind consciousness do not arise; when the manas does not grasp at nor abide in sound objects, the ear consciousness and mind consciousness do not arise; when the manas does not grasp at nor abide in scent objects, the nose consciousness and mind consciousness do not arise; when the manas does not grasp at nor abide in taste objects, the tongue consciousness and mind consciousness do not arise; when the manas does not grasp at nor abide in touch objects, the body consciousness and mind consciousness do not arise; when the manas does not grasp at mental objects, the solitary consciousness (mano-vijñāna-eka-citta) does not arise. When the manas has no feeling and no perception with respect to the six sense objects, extinguishing the sensations and the faculty of knowing, having no desire to know the six sense objects, it abides in the cessation attainment.

The logic of contemplation here is very rigorous and impregnable. Bodhisattva Maitreya clearly states: if sentient beings' manas has desire and craving, then there is grasping and abiding, and they cannot attain the cessation attainment, nor can they enter the state of nirvāṇa and attain liberation; if sentient beings' manas is free from desire and craving, then they can attain the cessation attainment and also realize nirvāṇa, and this is called attaining liberation.

Being free from desire—leaving behind all craving for the dharmas of the three realms—enables one to leave the three realms. Being free from hatred—eradicating the manifest affliction of hatred—requires not only eradicating the mind consciousness's hatred, but even more so eradicating the manas's hatred. Bodhisattva Maitreya says that greed, hatred, and delusion are sentient beings' entrenched afflictions; "entrenched" means difficult to eradicate and pull out, with the afflictions being extremely deep. This refers not merely to the mind consciousness's greed, hatred, and delusion, but mainly to the manas's greed, hatred, and delusion. The mind consciousness's greed, hatred, and delusion are easy to subdue and eradicate; the mind consciousness is intelligent and wise, and by studying Buddhism it can be transformed. The manas is not intelligent, does not easily understand the Dharma or comprehend the Dharma, and cannot deliberate, so it is difficult to transform; the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion are deeply rooted and hard to pull out.