Selected Lectures on the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra

Original text: 又有三种诸烦恼趣。令诸有情流转生死。谓于胜欲。发意悕求。名初烦恼趣。于色无色界胜自体中。发意悕求。名第二烦恼趣。于邪解脱。发意悕求。名第三烦恼趣。

Explanation: There are also three kinds of paths toward affliction that cause sentient beings to transmigrate through birth and death. The first is when beings, because of their aspiration toward wholesome dharmas, become bound by that aspiration toward wholesome dharmas and are likewise unable to escape the three realms; they must, life after life within the three realms, pursue the Buddha-dharma until they attain buddhahood—this is the aspiration toward wholesome dharmas of bodhisattvas who have made the great resolve. Because they do not leave the three realms, there is suffering within the three realms, including some subtle feelings of suffering; this is the first path toward affliction. 

The second is when beings give rise to longing for the superior retributions of the form realm and the formless realm, and thereby become bound in birth and death, unable to attain liberation. Beings in the form realm and the formless realm are superior in themselves to beings in the desire realm and possess superior retributions. However, because beings long for the superior retributions of the form and formless realms, long for the meditative concentrations of the form and formless realms, and long for the enjoyment of merit in the form and formless realms, they are bound by the retributions of those realms, cannot escape the three realms, and thus there is the suffering of birth and death within the three realms. This is the second path of afflictive pursuit of sentient beings.

The third is when beings give rise to longing and pursue false liberation; because their views and methods of practice are mistaken and not in accord with reality, not only do they fail to attain liberation, they sink ever deeper into the abyss of birth and death. They have the desire for liberation, but they do not encounter the true dharma of liberation; they encounter the teachings of non-Buddhist paths, practice those non-Buddhist paths, and wish to attain liberation through non-Buddhist methods that are not in accord with reality. As a result, they are bound by the wrong views of those non-Buddhist paths and cannot attain liberation. This is the third path toward affliction.

Whether it is the longing for the true dharma or the longing for false dharmas, the ultimate longing is initiated by the manas; initially it is initiated by the mind consciousness through contact with these two kinds of dharmas, and gradually influences the manas, so that one begins to diligently cultivate and study either the true dharma or false dharmas, and only then can one ultimately attain liberation or fall into even deeper bondage of birth and death.