Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, Fascicle 63

摄决择分中三摩呬多地之二

复有五种定相违法。一毁犯禁戒。二无无间加行。三无殷重加行。四有沉没。五他所扰恼。

Explanation: Here Maitreya Bodhisattva explains five obstructive conditions that run counter to meditative concentration (dhyāna). The first is not observing the precepts and violating them, which makes the mind turbid and lacking in tranquility (praśama), so that meditative concentration cannot manifest.

The second is that the effort put into cultivating concentration cannot be sustained continuously; one cannot persist, practicing on and off—like boiling water: you boil it for a while and then turn off the fire, so the water never comes to a boil, and meditative concentration cannot be accomplished. The third is that when cultivating concentration, the mind is not vigorous, lacking firm conviction and strong determination; one acquiesces to the scatteredness of one's own mind, letting wandering thoughts drift and scatter, without fiercely reproaching one's own mind, so that meditative concentration cannot be accomplished. The fourth is that the mind is always in a state of torpor, not clear and lucid, lacking mindfulness, unable to concentrate one's energy; therefore meditative concentration cannot be accomplished.

The fifth is that there are external conditions that disturb and vex one; external conditions invade the mind, making it impossible for the mind to be calm; the water of the mind becomes turbid, and meditative concentration cannot be accomplished.

复有三种远离。一住处远离。二见远离。三闻远离

Explanation: If practitioners wish to attain tranquility (praśama), attain concentration, and attain śamatha, they must choose a quiet place to dwell, away from clamor and disturbance, so that the mind is not drawn by external conditions and can gradually settle down. To make the mind tranquil in cultivating concentration, one must have little contact with external conditions, see the six sense objects (ṣaḍāyatana) less, hear the six sense objects less, and reduce seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing; only then can one attain tranquility.

复次心清净行苾刍。略有五种等持相违厚重过失。能为定障。一忿。二慢。三欲贪。四萨迦耶见。五不能堪忍。

Explanation: For a bhikṣu wishing to have a mind of pure conduct, there are five grave faults that run counter to meditative concentration and can become obstacles to attaining it. "Grave" means very serious—a heavy obstruction to meditative concentration.

The first is wrath (krodha). Wrath is anger and resentment; the emotions are severely unsettled, the water of the mind is agitated, and the mind is not steady or pure; therefore meditative concentration cannot arise.

The second is conceit (māna). Conceit is the mind elevating itself and looking down on others; it is a deep-seated form of emotionalism and also a manifestation of the mind being unbalanced. As long as the mind is unbalanced in any way, there is turmoil and scatteredness; therefore it can obstruct the arising of meditative concentration.

The third is desire and greed (kāma-rāga), that is, sensual craving. Broadly speaking, it refers to craving and attachment to all dharmas of the world, craving for the objects of the six sense objects, craving for form, sound, smell, taste, and touch; because of craving, one is bound by those objects, and the mind adheres to them—this is scatteredness, unable to be unified, and therefore it obstructs meditative concentration. In the narrow sense, desire and greed refers to the sexual desire of sentient beings in the desire realm, including bodily craving and mental craving in thoughts and mental activities. Whether in bodily or mental activity, the mind is impure, bound by desire, and scattered, unable to devote itself single-mindedly to the Path, unable to be unified in one mind. Therefore desire and greed can obstruct meditative concentration.

The fourth is satkāya-dṛṣṭi, that is, the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi). Because of the view of self, one inevitably grasps the five aggregates (pañca-skandha) that receive, inevitably grasps the eighteen realms (aṣṭādaśa-dhātu), inevitably grasps body and mind, and cannot let go of all dharmas; the mind is impure, and thereby obstructs meditative concentration.

The fifth is inability to endure. "Endure" (kṣama) means to bear, and "forbear" (kṣānti) means to tolerate. Toward the six sense objects that oppose oneself, the mind resists and cannot bear them, so the mind is not calm and there is inner agitation, making it impossible to attain meditative concentration; toward the six sense objects that please oneself, one cannot forbear, becoming delighted and agitated, the mind is not calm, and this obstructs meditative concentration.