Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, Volume 10: The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination

(Thirty-seven) Original text: Furthermore, if born in the Desire Realm, relying on a Desire Realm body, one can evoke the faculties of eyes and ears from higher realms. By these faculties, one perceives the forms and sounds of the lower realms and the present realm. Moreover, relying on this body, mental consciousness pertaining to the three realms, as well as consciousness unattached to the three realms, arise and manifest in the present. If born in the Form Realm or Formless Realm, excluding the lower realms, all [realms] manifest in the present, just as in the Desire Realm.

Explanation: Furthermore, if born in the Desire Realm, relying on the material body of the Desire Realm, one evokes the functions of the eye and ear faculties from higher realms. Through these higher-realm faculties, one perceives the objects of form and sound belonging to the lower realms and the present realm. Moreover, relying on this Desire Realm body, mental consciousness pertaining to the three realms, as well as consciousness unattached to the three realms, arise and manifest in the present. If born in the Form Realm or the Formless Realm, excluding the lower realms, all states of those realms manifest in the present, just like in the Desire Realm.

Original text: Furthermore, there are three kinds of contaminations: the contamination of afflictions, the contamination of karma, and the contamination of birth. For the sake of abandoning these, one cultivates six kinds of direct perception. What are these six? They are: direct perception through reflection, direct perception through faith, direct perception through precepts, direct perception of the truths by wisdom, direct perception of the truths by subsequent wisdom, and ultimate direct perception.

Explanation: Furthermore, there are the contaminations of afflictions, karma, and birth. For the sake of abandoning these three contaminations, one cultivates six kinds of direct perception. What are these six? They are: direct perception through reflection, direct perception through faith, direct perception through precepts, direct perception of the truths by wisdom, direct perception of the truths by subsequent wisdom, and ultimate direct perception.

The contamination of afflictions is the mental activity of greed, hatred, and delusion. Due to the contamination of afflictions, one creates karmic actions contaminated by greed, hatred, and delusion. Having created such contaminated karmic actions, one incurs a contaminated birth in future existences. To abandon these contaminated dharmas, one must cultivate the six kinds of direct perception. The following explains several of these direct perceptions.

Direct perception through reflection is the thorough, careful, and decisive contemplation of the truths of the Four Noble Truths, enabling one to decisively understand and realize the principles of suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self inherent in all dharmas. Outsiders cannot shake this decisive contemplation; one becomes unshakable regarding the Four Noble Truths. Upon achieving direct perception through reflection, one attains right conduct, a purified mind, joyfulness, the abandonment of all doubts, abides eternally in wholesome paths, and does not head towards evil destinies. This is the reflection of the mental consciousness and mental faculty. Mental consciousness alone, through mere reflection, cannot transform mental conduct, eliminate doubts, purify the mind, or permanently sever evil destinies. Naturally, direct perception through reflection also includes reflection upon the Mahayana Dharma. Since it is called direct perception, it accords with reality and truth, containing within it the wisdom of genuine realization.

Direct perception through faith refers to decisive and purified faith in the Three Jewels, without hesitation or wavering, naturally preventing the creation of slandering karma. Decisive faith represents wisdom; only with wisdom is there direct perception, otherwise there is only deluded discrimination.

One who possesses direct perception through faith no longer creates karmic actions of slandering the Buddha, Dharma, or Sangha. Slandering the Buddha includes statements such as claiming the Buddha attained only the fruition of an Arhat or Pratyekabuddha, possessing only the realization of the Four Noble Truths and Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, with no further realization; slandering the Buddha as lacking great supernatural powers and immeasurable spiritual powers; slandering the Buddha as being similar to worldly people, quite ordinary; slandering the Buddha as a householder who also engaged in householder affairs; slandering the Buddha's flesh topknot as being like worldly people's hair, and so forth – these statements are neither purified nor decisive faith, and thus at death, one will head towards the three evil destinies to receive retribution. One who possesses direct perception through faith can accurately know the immeasurable merits, virtues, wisdom, and supernatural powers of all Buddhas of the three times, without misunderstanding. One possesses conviction in the Three Jewels, not superstition, and has right conduct and wholesome karma.

Slandering the Dharma is a widespread phenomenon in the Dharma-Ending Age; its prevalence makes it unsurprising. The most severe is the claim that "Mahayana is not the Buddha's word." These individuals utterly fail to discern whether the meaning of the Mahayana Dharma is genuine, in accordance with principle, or supreme. With severe foolishness, they blindly and baselessly declare it not the Buddha's word. Additionally, declaring Dharma as non-Dharma and non-Dharma as Dharma – all such perversions are grave acts of slandering the Dharma, inevitably resulting in hellish retribution upon death.

Slandering the Sangha is also widespread. Declaring Sangha as non-Sangha and non-Sangha as Sangha constitutes slandering the Sangha. Criticizing and publicizing the various physical, verbal, and mental actions of monastics, whether true or false, all constitute slandering the Sangha. Damaging the image of monastics in the minds of sentient beings, causing adverse effects, leading sentient beings to lose faith in the Sangha Jewel, no longer accepting the Three Jewels, and destroying the faith-root of sentient beings – the karmic offenses from these actions are immense, mostly constituting hellish offenses, with retribution in hell.