Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, Volume 9: Explanation of the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination (12)

Original text:复次。无知无见。无有现观。黑闇愚痴。及无明闇。如是六种无明差别。随前所说七无知事。次第应知。于后二无知事。总合为一。起此最后无明黑闇。复有差别。谓闻思修所成三慧。所治差别。如其次第。说前三种。即此所治软中上品差别。说后三种。如是所治差别故。自性差别故。建立六种差别应知。

Explanation: Furthermore, ignorance, lack of right view, inability to observe directly, darkness in the mind, foolishness, and the darkness of ignorance — these six kinds of differentiation of ignorance (avidyā) should be understood in sequence according to the seven kinds of unknowing mentioned earlier. The last two kinds of unknowing among the seven — the foolishness regarding defilement and purity and the foolishness of superior conceit — are combined into one, giving rise to the final darkness of ignorance among the six kinds of ignorance. There are further differentiations: the three wisdoms accomplished through study (śruta), reflection (cintā), and cultivation (bhāvanā) counteract the differentiations of the two kinds of ignorance; in their respective order, they address the first three kinds of ignorance: ignorance, lack of view, and lack of direct observation. The mild, middling, and superior grades counteracted by these three wisdoms correspond to the last three kinds among the six kinds of ignorance: darkness, foolishness, and the darkness of ignorance. It should also be known that, based on the differentiation of what the three wisdoms counteract, and the differentiation of the intrinsic nature of these dharmas, these six kinds of differentiation are established.

During study, reflection, and cultivation, the wisdom of study, the wisdom of reflection, and the wisdom of cultivation arise. These three wisdoms are differentiated and progressively deepen. The wisdom with the greatest power is, of course, the wisdom obtained through cultivation; the shallowest wisdom is that obtained through hearing the Dharma; the wisdom obtained through reflection is deeper than the wisdom of study but shallower than the wisdom of cultivation. Therefore, the foolishness counteracted by these three wisdoms also differs: the wisdom of study counteracts ignorance, obtaining knowledge — merely knowledge, that is all; the wisdom of reflection counteracts the lack of right view, obtaining right view — merely having right view, that is all; the wisdom of cultivation counteracts the lack of direct contemplative observation, obtaining the wisdom of direct realization (abhisamaya), thereby enabling direct observation of all dharmas. This wisdom is the deepest and can destroy the most fundamental ignorance in the mind.

Ignorance is broadly divided into six kinds of differentiation, from shallow to deep. Of course, shallow ignorance is easy to destroy, while deep ignorance is hard to destroy. Ignorance, the shallowest kind, can be destroyed merely by hearing the Dharma — after hearing the Dharma, one knows. The ignorance of lacking view requires reflection after hearing the Dharma; after reflection, right view arises. The ignorance of being unable to observe directly can be destroyed during the process of cultivation, after meditative concentration and the wisdom of contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) arise. But even with the wisdom of direct observation, there is still deeper ignorance in the mind that has not been destroyed; it must be gradually destroyed through subsequent practice by personally realizing the various dharmas. When the final grade of the darkness of ignorance is destroyed, one becomes a Buddha. Therefore, after study, reflection, and cultivation there is still realization (证); only through personal realization can all ignorance be completely destroyed — realization is the Buddha Way.

Cultivation has four stages: besides the preceding study, reflection, and cultivation, there is the final and most crucial step — realization. If one studies, reflects, and cultivates but does not realize, one cannot obtain fundamental wisdom, cannot sever afflictions, cannot completely destroy ignorance, and cannot attain liberation. The wisdom obtained through study, reflection, and cultivation differs fundamentally, and greatly, from the wisdom obtained through realizing the Dharma. Without realizing the Dharma, although one can counteract the first three kinds of ignorance — ignorance, lack of view, and lack of direct observation — one cannot counteract the three deep and heavy kinds of ignorance: darkness, foolishness, and the darkness of ignorance. These last three kinds of ignorance lie dormant (anuśaya) in the minds of sentient beings, hard to know and hard to remove. Without personal realization, liberation in both the Great and Small Vehicles is hopeless.

The wisdom obtained through hearing, on the basis of the mind consciousness's extensive hearing, can only solve the problem of ignorance. Knowing the Dharma is only the initial stage. Quite a few people, merely because they know the Dharma, give rise to conceit and begin to look down on all beings; some even take the wisdom of study to be the wisdom of realization, committing the karma of great false speech. The wisdom of reflection, on the basis of knowing the Dharma, involves mentally reflecting on the heard Dharma, gaining further cognition and giving rise to wisdom. But this is still only the mind consciousness's cognition by inference (anumāna) and non-valid cognition (non-valid cognition); it does not solve the fundamental problem. Yet some people take this shallow wisdom of reflection to be the wisdom of realization, commit great false speech, give rise to the conceit of self, look down on all beings, and become people of superior conceit.

The wisdom of cultivation advances far beyond the wisdom of study and reflection. What does one cultivate? One cultivates the dharmas that assist the Path — the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment and the six perfections — cultivating precepts, meditative concentration (samādhi), and wisdom; in the process of cultivation one ceases evil and cultivates goodness, subdues afflictions, and increases wisdom. Why can cultivating the dharmas that assist the Path increase wisdom? Because by keeping the precepts the mind becomes pure, and meditative concentration grows; within concentration one can single-mindedly engage in contemplative practice and reflection, able to directly observe the various dharmas. Through contemplative practice one's knowledge and understanding of the dharmas is strengthened, and one draws one step or several steps closer to seeing the Path, but has not yet reached the degree of realization.

For example, in observing the breath, with fairly good meditative concentration and the power of preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi), contemplative practice is relatively effective and clear; one can directly and truly observe the breath, gain a certain experiential understanding of the dharma of breathing, and advance one step in understanding the material body, gaining a certain cognitive wisdom — whereas previously one could not directly observe the breath. But at this point the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi) has not yet been severed; one needs to further advance meditative concentration and the wisdom of contemplative practice in order to eradicate the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa), thereby realizing the Dharma and giving rise to the wisdom of realization. Yet again some people take the wisdom of cultivation to be the wisdom of realization, committing the karma of great false speech. This is how sentient beings, consciously or unconsciously, misunderstand their own cultivation and realization: lacking experience, they are unable to make truthful judgments and discernments, and compounded by the machinations of conceit and self-attachment, great false speech becomes unavoidable.

Among the four kinds of wisdom — study, reflection, cultivation, and realization — only the fourth, the wisdom of realization, cannot be lost. The first three wisdoms can all potentially be lost, and very easily so: not only will they be lost in future lives, but even in this present life, upon encountering conditions for regression, they will be lost. Therefore, only the Dharma that one has personally realized will forever be one's own and will not be lost; whereas what has been heard, even after one's own reflection and cultivation, even after being processed, is still not entirely one's own — what is not one's own is easily lost. When wisdom regresses and meditative concentration also regresses, afflictions reappear. Therefore, striving for personal realization is the fundamental matter in learning Buddhism.