The Merits of Possessing the Four Wisdoms of Clear Realization (the Supreme Worldly Dharma, Adhimukti-manaskāra)

Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, Volume Thirty-Four

Original Text: If a practitioner, while encountering objects, due to lapse of mindfulness, gives rise to intense afflictions and entanglements, yet can swiftly eliminate them by momentarily applying attention; and further, will ultimately not fall into the lower realms; will never intentionally contemplate doctrines contrary to what has been learned; will not even kill the lives of animals; will never regress or abandon the learned doctrines; will become incapable of committing the five heinous karmas; firmly knows that suffering and happiness are not created by oneself, not created by another, not created by both oneself and another, nor do they arise without any cause.

Explanation: A practitioner possessing the fourfold realization through direct perception, if while encountering objects and due to a temporary lapse of mindfulness, gives rise to intense afflictions and entanglements, can swiftly eliminate these entanglements by momentarily applying attention. Moreover, such a practitioner will ultimately not fall into the lower realms, will never intentionally contemplate doctrines contrary to the teachings they have cultivated, will not even harm the lives of animals, will never regress from or abandon the doctrines they have learned, will become incapable of committing the five heinous karmas, and firmly knows that suffering and happiness are not created by oneself, not created by another, not created by both oneself and another, nor do they arise without any cause, i.e., not arising causelessly from the combination of self and other factors.

Original Text: Ultimately will not seek out non-Buddhist teachers nor consider them fields of merit. Towards other śramaṇas, brāhmaṇas, etc., will ultimately not gaze upon their mouths or faces [seeking instruction]. Only oneself sees the Dharma, attains the Dharma; knows the Dharma, attains the Dharma; realizes the ultimate source of the Dharma; transcends doubt; [this realization] does not depend on external conditions. Regarding the teachings of the Great Master [Buddha], it is not induced by another. Attains fearlessness in all dharmas. Ultimately does not falsely regard worldly auspicious signs as pure. Will never undergo an eighth rebirth. Fully accomplishes the four kinds of verified purity. Such a practitioner, up until the stage of the supreme mundane dharmas, is termed one with conviction-based attention (adhimokṣa-manaskāra).

Explanation: Ultimately will not take refuge in non-Buddhist teachers, nor regard them as fields of merit. Towards other śramaṇas and brāhmaṇas, etc., will never look up to their faces, watch their expressions, value their words, or seek the Dharma from their mouths. Only oneself alone sees the Dharma and attains the Dharma. Alone sees the Dharma, attains the Dharma, realizes the ultimate source (root) of the Dharma, resolves all doubts, and this is not due to external causes and conditions. The ability to realize the ultimate source of the Dharma arises from the guidance of virtuous friends; it is not induced from elsewhere beyond the virtuous friends. The practitioner is fearless in all dharmas, ultimately does not falsely cling to worldly auspicious signs and omens as being pure, will never again undergo an eighth rebirth in the three realms, and fully accomplishes the four kinds of verified purity of vision regarding the Dharma. Such a practitioner, before cultivating up to the stage of the supreme mundane dharmas, is termed one with conviction-based attention (adhimokṣa-manaskāra).

After attaining the fourfold realization through direct perception, the practitioner cultivates the four preparatory practices (prayoga). The contemplative practice before the fourth preparatory practice, the supreme mundane dharmas, is all called conviction-based attention. This means that contemplative investigation prior to direct experiential realization should all be termed conviction-based understanding and comprehension of the Dharma. Only after this conviction-based understanding can direct perception be attained, which is called experiential realization. Experiential realization occurs at the level of the first fruit (śrotāpanna) and above, while conviction-based understanding occurs during the stage preliminary to the first fruit (śrotāpatti-phala-pratipannaka) or within the supreme mundane dharmas stage of the four preparatory practices. Only after the four preparatory practices can one experientially realize the path of seeing (darśana-mārga). Therefore, one should accurately observe one's own wisdom: is it the wisdom of direct perception, conviction-based understanding, or mere conjecture, inference, and analysis? Understanding one's own level of wisdom allows for proper planning of the next steps in practice.

A practitioner possessing the fourfold realization through direct perception never obtains or knows the Dharma from elsewhere, nor takes the words of others as the ultimate refuge. They rely solely on their own direct perception and experiential realization. Seeing and attaining the Dharma can only be achieved through one's own contemplative investigation; others cannot assist in this. What others point out or instruct cannot substitute for one's own direct contemplative practice. Doubts must be resolved by oneself through contemplative practice; what others say cannot remove one's inner doubts because it is not personally seen or realized. Some people try by various means to covet the fruits of practice, but the Dharma is attained only by those who practice it themselves. What is coveted cannot become one's own, nor can it yield the wisdom of realizing the path. With the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra as a guide, the principles of the Dharma become increasingly clear. Regarding the matter of realizing the fruits and understanding the mind, no one can refute this. Otherwise, one might as well go discuss the matter with Bodhisattva Maitreya.