Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, Volume 9: Commentary on the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination (Part Eleven)

Original text: 复有七种无知。一世愚。二事愚。三移转愚。四最胜愚。五真实愚。六染净愚。七增上慢愚。前十九无知。今七无知。相摄云何。谓初三无知摄初一。次三无知摄第二。次三无知摄第三。次三无知摄第四。次四无知摄第五。次二无知摄第六。后一无知摄第七。

Explanation: Furthermore, there are seven kinds of ignorance: first, ignorance regarding the three periods of time—the past, present, and future lives; second, ignorance regarding the internal and external actions and affairs of the world of the five aggregates; third, ignorance regarding the continuous operation, arising, ceasing, and transformation of the world of the five aggregates; fourth, ignorance regarding the most supreme in the world—the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha; fifth, ignorance regarding the true principles of suffering, origination, cessation, and the path in the world of the five aggregates; sixth, ignorance regarding the defilement and purity of the body and mind of the five aggregates; seventh, ignorance in one's own mind regarding the realization and thorough comprehension of dependent arising—claiming attainment without having attained it.

How do the nineteen kinds of ignorance mentioned earlier and the seven kinds of ignorance here subsume one another? The first three kinds of ignorance among the nineteen—ignorance regarding the past, ignorance regarding the future, and ignorance regarding both the past and future—are subsumed under the first of the seven ignorances, ignorance regarding time; the next three kinds of ignorance—ignorance regarding the internal, ignorance regarding the external, and ignorance regarding both the internal and external—are subsumed under the second of the seven ignorances, ignorance regarding affairs; the next three kinds of ignorance—ignorance regarding karma, ignorance regarding ripening (vipāka), and ignorance regarding ripened karma—are subsumed under the third ignorance, ignorance regarding transformation; the next three kinds of ignorance—ignorance regarding the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha—are subsumed under the fourth ignorance, ignorance regarding the most supreme; the next four kinds of ignorance—ignorance regarding suffering, origination, cessation, and the path—are subsumed under the fifth ignorance, ignorance regarding the true principles; the next two kinds of ignorance—ignorance regarding causes and ignorance regarding the formations born of causes—are subsumed under the sixth ignorance, ignorance regarding defilement and purity; the last ignorance—ignorance regarding the true and thorough comprehension of the six contact bases—is subsumed under the seventh ignorance, the ignorance of spiritual arrogance (adhimāna).

Original text: 复有五种愚。一义愚。二见愚。三放逸愚。四真实义愚。五增上慢愚。前十九愚。今五种愚。相摄云何。谓见愚摄前六。及于因所生法无知。放逸愚摄。于业异熟俱无知。真实义愚。摄于佛等。乃至道谛无知。增上慢愚。摄最后无知。当知义愚通摄一切。

Explanation: Furthermore, there are five kinds of folly: first, folly of being ignorant regarding all dharmas; second, the folly of lacking right knowledge and view; third, the folly of indolence and heedlessness in the flow of birth and death; fourth, the folly regarding the Three Jewels and the true principles of suffering, origination, cessation, and the path; fifth, the folly of spiritual arrogance—claiming attainment without having attained it. How do the nineteen kinds of folly mentioned earlier and the five kinds of folly here subsume one another? The folly of views subsumes the first six kinds of folly among the nineteen: ignorance regarding the past, future, and both past and future, ignorance regarding the internal, external, and both internal and external, as well as ignorance regarding dharmas born of causes; the folly of heedlessness subsumes, among the nineteen kinds of folly, the ignorance regarding both karma and its ripening; the folly regarding true meaning subsumes, among the nineteen kinds of folly, the ignorance regarding the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, and so forth, up to the ignorance regarding the truth of the path; the folly of spiritual arrogance subsumes the last ignorance among the nineteen, the ignorance regarding the six contact bases; one should know that the folly of meaning universally subsumes all of them.