Understanding the Characteristics of the Truth of the Path through the Four Modes of Practice

Original text of the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, Fascicle 34: 于灭谛相正觉了已。复正觉了真对治道。于所知境能通寻求义故。能实寻求义故。由于四门随转义故。一向能趣涅槃义故。所以说名道如行出。如是行者由四种行了道谛相。

Explanation: The four contemplations—path, accord, practice, and emergence—clarify the truth of the path. After the practitioner has correctly and truly awakened to the characteristic of the truth of cessation, he must finally also correctly and truly awaken to the path he cultivates, in order to end suffering and attain liberation. The path cultivated in order to end suffering and sever origination is called "path." Because one can thoroughly seek the true meaning of the knowable object, and can truthfully seek its true meaning, it is called "accord." During the course of cultivating the path, one's bodily, verbal, and mental actions accord with the meaning of suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self, and no longer violate the truth of suffering by accumulating suffering through actions—this is called "practice." After cultivating the path, the mental activities gradually become still and cease, ceaselessly tending toward nirvāṇa, emerging from birth-and-death—this is called "emergence." In this way, the yogic practitioner, through these four contemplations—path, accord, practice, and emergence—clarifies the characteristic of the truth of the path.

What does the true counteractive path refer to? "Path" refers to the means, methods, and route; "counteraction" refers to counteracting the afflictions of greed, hatred, delusion, and ignorance in the mind. Ignorance is not knowing suffering, not knowing the origination of suffering; therefore one must counteract this not-knowing and transform it into knowing. If there were no ignorance, no counteraction would be needed. This process is precisely cultivating the path—cultivating precepts, meditation, and wisdom, the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment, and contemplating and practicing the four noble truths. This is the contemplation of "path."

The contemplation of "accord" is making the mind accord with the truths and Dharma principles of suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self. Regarding the knowable object of the four noble truths, one can thoroughly and deeply contemplate their true principle, and can truthfully contemplate and practice their Dharma principles, comprehending the correct principle of the knowable object's content, thereby realizing the truth of the four noble truths. The contemplation of "practice": on the basis of severing ignorance through the contemplation of accord, the mental activities transform, and all one's mental activities accord with the truths one has cognized, no longer contradicting the true principle of suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self. The contemplation of "emergence": through cultivating the path, one severs afflictions, purifies bodily, verbal, and mental actions, no longer grasps at the world of the five aggregates, becomes still and unconditioned, attains liberation of body and mind, tends toward nirvāṇa, accords with nirvāṇa, emerges from the three realms, and is liberated from the suffering of the cycle of birth and death.

From the above four contemplations, it can be seen that in the process of cultivating the path, precepts, meditation, and wisdom grow; one's cognition of the world of the five aggregates accords with true principle; ignorance becomes thinner and afflictions become lighter; mental activities no longer contradict the noble path; and the body and mind world gradually transform. When the transformation reaches a certain degree, according with the path and according with the sages, one realizes the noble path. It is not that one begins to slowly transform body and mind only after realizing the fruits; if one does not transform body and mind to accord with the sages, one cannot become a sage. It is just like a student taking an examination: if he does not pass, he cannot be admitted. The principle is the same.