Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra, Volume 34 (Part 4)

Original text:此中且依至教量理。如世尊说诸行无常。又此诸行略有二种。一有情世间。二器世间。世尊依彼有情世间说如是言。苾刍当知。我以过人清净天眼。观诸有情死时生时广说乃至身坏已后当生善趣天世界中。由此法门显示世尊以净天眼现见。一切有情世间是无常性。

Explanation: Observing the truth of suffering must rely on the principle of the authoritative teaching (āgama-pramāṇa) spoken by the World-Honored One, such as the principle of the impermanence of all conditioned formations spoken by the World-Honored One. The impermanence of all conditioned formations is suffering; contemplating the impermanence of all conditioned formations is contemplating the truth of suffering and the truth of the origin of suffering. The World-Honored One said that the formations in the impermanence of all conditioned formations are of roughly two kinds: one is the world of sentient beings, and the second is the material (insentient) world. The Buddha said: "I, with a pure divine eye surpassing that of humans, observe sentient beings at the time of death and at the time of birth, and extensively teach that after the body breaks up, they will be reborn in wholesome destinies and heavenly worlds." The World-Honored One, with His pure divine eye, directly perceives that the entire world of sentient beings is impermanent in nature.

From this passage onward, the World-Honored One gives specific instruction on the impermanence of all conditioned formations. "Formations" refers to dharmas that have arising, abiding, alteration, and cessation; whatever can arise, abide, alter, and cease is a formation. All formations are called "all conditioned formations," and all conditioned formations are impermanent, because they exhibit the phenomena of arising, abiding, alteration, and cessation. The World-Honored One perceives all these phenomena with His pure divine eye. Whatever dharmas the Buddha sees—whether worldly or supramundane, all dharmas without exception—are directly perceived; there is no inferential deliberation that is not directly perceived, and no conjecture of non-valid cognition, because His wisdom is ultimately perfect and complete. Sentient beings' seeing of dharmas is divided into three kinds: direct perception, inference, and non-valid cognition. The Buddha is entirely direct perception, whereas sentient beings are not so. Regarding the impermanence of the material world, one may consult the Qishi Yinyuan Jing (Sūtra on the Causes and Conditions of the World's Arising) in the Dīrghāgama, which describes the arising, abiding, alteration, and cessation of the material world.