Section Three: How to Realize the Forty-Four Kinds of Wisdom

(367) How to Realize the Forty-Four Kinds of Wisdom

Original Text: At that time, the World-Honored One addressed the bhikkhus: "You should diligently seek appropriate means to cultivate meditative contemplation, inwardly stilling your minds. Why is this so? Bhikkhus, when you diligently apply skillful means to cultivate meditative contemplation and inwardly still your minds, phenomena will manifest as they truly are."

Explanation: The World-Honored One told the bhikkhus: You should diligently seek appropriate methods to cultivate clear contemplation within meditative concentration, calming the mind inwardly. Why should you do this? Because when a bhikkhu diligently applies skillful means to practice contemplation within meditative concentration, and the mind becomes pure and tranquil, phenomena can then manifest within the mind as they truly are.

Original Text: "How do phenomena manifest as they truly are? Aging and death manifest as they truly are. The arising of aging and death, the cessation of aging and death, and the path leading to the cessation of aging and death manifest as they truly are. Birth, becoming, clinging, craving, feeling, contact, the six sense bases, name-and-form, consciousness, and volitional formations manifest as they truly are. The arising of formations, the cessation of formations, and the path leading to the cessation of formations manifest as they truly are. That all these phenomena are impermanent, conditioned, and tainted manifests as they truly are."

Explanation: What phenomena manifest within the mind as they truly are? The phenomenon of aging and death manifests as it truly is, realizing what aging and death are and their conditions. The arising of aging and death manifests as it truly is, realizing that the arising of aging and death originates from the arising of birth. The cessation of aging and death manifests as it truly is, realizing that the cessation of birth leads to the cessation of aging and death. The path of practice leading to the cessation of aging and death manifests as it truly is, knowing that the Noble Eightfold Path must be cultivated to eliminate the phenomenon of aging and death.

Through diligent cultivation of meditative concentration and contemplative observation, the phenomenon of birth manifests as it truly is within the mind, realizing the conditions of birth and understanding the phenomenon of birth. The arising of birth manifests as it truly is within the mind. The principle of the cessation of birth manifests as it truly is within the mind. The method of practice for the cessation of birth manifests within the mind. Similarly, other phenomena such as becoming, clinging, craving, feeling, contact, the six sense bases, name-and-form, the six consciousnesses, and volitional formations all manifest within the mind. Even the arising, cessation, and the path to cessation of these factors manifest within the mind. Realizing that all these factors are impermanent, conditioned, tainted, and afflicted, they must therefore be severed and utterly extinguished to ultimately liberate oneself from the bondage of birth and death.

The path of practice taught by the Buddha is: Cultivate meditative contemplation and inwardly still the mind. This is a method combining meditative concentration and contemplative wisdom; both are indispensable. When the mind is inwardly stilled, the meditative concentration is very deep, and the mind is free from distracting thoughts. Only then can the function of mental cognition (manas) arise to realize phenomena, and all phenomena can manifest as they truly are. Without skillful means of meditative contemplation and an inwardly unsettled mind, one cannot deeply contemplate and observe, and thus cannot realize phenomena directly. "Manifesting as they truly are" represents the wisdom of direct perception (pratyakṣa), representing the direct realization by the mental faculty (manas). Inference (anumāna) and mere conceptual understanding are not "manifesting as they truly are."

It is extremely difficult for the twelve links of dependent origination to manifest as they truly are within the mind. Understanding them conceptually with the conscious mind is relatively easy, but to realize them directly as they truly are, to thoroughly comprehend the essence and sequence of the twelve links, is very difficult. The difficulty lies in the cultivation of meditative concentration and the insufficiency of contemplative wisdom. Without meditative concentration, there is no contemplative wisdom. Without knowing how to engage in actual contemplation, with shallow concentration and insufficient contemplative wisdom, the practice will not progress. Without meditative concentration or insufficient concentration, one cannot truly contemplate the profound meaning of phenomena and will only float on the surface, engaging in intellectual understanding with shallow, superficial wisdom that cannot withstand the karmic obstructions of birth and death. Therefore, to practice any teaching, profound meditative concentration and mature contemplative wisdom are necessary, knowing how to initiate contemplation and mental examination. Samādhi, characterized by the balanced union of concentration and wisdom, is then easily attained.

(368) How to Realize the Forty-Four Kinds of Wisdom

Original Text: At that time, the World-Honored One addressed the bhikkhus: "You should cultivate immeasurable samādhi, with focused and concentrated mindfulness. Having cultivated immeasurable samādhi with focused and concentrated mindfulness, phenomena will manifest as they truly are. How do phenomena manifest as they truly are? Aging and death manifest as they truly are, up to volitional formations manifesting as they truly are. That all these phenomena are impermanent, conditioned, and tainted manifests as they truly are."

Explanation: The World-Honored One told the bhikkhus: You should cultivate immeasurable meditative concentration (samādhi), diligently focusing your mindfulness on the twelve links of dependent origination within that concentration. After diligently focusing your mindfulness on the twelve links of dependent origination within immeasurable samādhi, the meaning of the Dharma will manifest within your minds as they truly are. What phenomena manifest as they truly are? The phenomenon of aging and death manifests as it truly is within the mind—the phenomenon of aging and death, its cause, its condition, how it arises, how it ceases, and the Noble Eightfold Path cultivated to cease aging and death—all manifest as they truly are, becoming very clear within the mind.

Furthermore, phenomena such as birth, becoming, clinging, craving, feeling, contact, the six sense bases, name-and-form, the six consciousnesses, and volitional formations each manifest as they truly are within the mind. The phenomena themselves, the causes and conditions producing them, how they arise, how they cease, and the Noble Eightfold Path cultivated to cease them—all manifest as they truly are within the mind. These phenomena are all impermanent, conditioned, and tainted. If this principle can manifest as it truly is within the mind in this way, one will attain the great wisdom of liberation.

"As they truly are" means the natural state of phenomena—the true state unknown to ordinary beings, not the superficial phenomena known to all, but the state characterized by arising and ceasing, change, impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and non-self. When phenomena can manifest thus within the mind, wisdom arises in an instant, and the mind abides in the state of liberation.

(369) Observing the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination in Forward and Reverse Order

Original Text: At that time, the World-Honored One addressed the bhikkhus: "In the past, when the Buddha Vipassī had not yet attained perfect enlightenment, he dwelt at the site of enlightenment. Before long, he attained Buddhahood. He went to the foot of the Bodhi tree, spread grass as a seat, sat cross-legged, sat upright with right mindfulness, and sat continuously for seven days. During this time, he observed the twelve links of dependent origination in forward and reverse order. That is, he observed: 'Because this exists, that exists; because this arises, that arises.' Conditioned by ignorance are volitional formations, up to conditioned by birth is aging-and-death, and the whole mass of suffering. The cessation of the whole mass of suffering. After the Buddha Vipassī sat upright for seven days, he arose from samādhi and spoke this verse:

Explanation: The World-Honored One told the bhikkhus: In the past, when the Buddha Vipassī had not yet become a Buddha, he dwelt at the Bodhimaṇḍa (site of enlightenment). Before long, he attained Buddhahood. Vipassī Buddha went to the foot of the Bodhi tree, spread grass as a meditation seat, sat cross-legged in stillness, sat upright with right mindfulness, and sat continuously for seven days. During this time, he first observed the twelve links of dependent origination in forward order, then in reverse order. He observed the twelve links of "because this exists, that exists; because this arises, that arises." Conditioned by ignorance are volitional formations, up to conditioned by birth is aging-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and distress—the arising of the whole mass of suffering; the cessation of the whole mass of suffering. After Vipassī Buddha sat upright for seven days, he arose from samādhi and spoke the following verse:

All Buddhas of the ten directions, all great bodhisattvas of the ten directions, as well as pratyekabuddhas (solitary realizers) and those who awaken to dependent origination, when observing the twelve links of dependent origination, do so while arising in contemplation within profound meditative concentration, with concentration and wisdom equally balanced, all possessing the state of samādhi. Only then can contemplative observation be accomplished, leading to direct realization and the attainment of the liberating state of samādhi. The direct realization of any Dharma door occurs through contemplative cultivation within profound meditative concentration, inseparable from precepts and concentration, leading to the realization of samādhi and wisdom. Without meditative concentration, one cannot engage in true contemplative observation and thus cannot realize phenomena directly. Therefore, do not mistakenly think that Buddhas, bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, and arhats realize the twelve links of dependent origination, the Four Noble Truths, or the realization of mind-nature through mere reasoning. None of the sages realized the Buddha Dharma without profound meditative concentration; none lacked meditative concentration. No one realized the Buddha Dharma through reasoning and intellectual understanding alone.

Original Text: "When these phenomena arise, the brahmin diligently contemplates in meditation,
Forever freed from all doubts, knowing conditioned arising.
If one knows that suffering arises from causes, knows the complete cessation of all feelings,
Knows the exhaustion of conditioned phenomena, then knows the exhaustion of taints.
When these phenomena arise, the brahmin diligently contemplates in meditation,
Forever freed from all doubts, knowing suffering arises from causes.
When these phenomena arise, the brahmin diligently contemplates in meditation,
Forever freed from all doubts, knowing the complete cessation of all feelings.
When these phenomena arise, the brahmin diligently contemplates in meditation,
Forever freed from all doubts, knowing the exhaustion of conditioned phenomena.
When these phenomena arise, the brahmin diligently contemplates in meditation,
Forever freed from all doubts, knowing the exhaustion of all taints.
When these phenomena arise, the brahmin diligently contemplates in meditation,
Universally illuminating all worlds, like the sun abiding in the sky,
Destroying all armies of Māra, awakening to the release from all fetters."

Explanation: How do all these phenomena arise? The brahmin (ascetic practitioner) diligently contemplates within meditation, finally comprehending through contemplation, forever freed from all doubts, with the mind opened and understanding liberated, directly realizing that all phenomena are conditionally arisen. If one realizes that various causes and conditions lead to the arising of birth, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, and distress; realizes the complete cessation of all feelings; realizes the exhaustion of all conditionally arisen phenomena; then one realizes the exhaustion of all taints (āsravakṣaya), the eradication of all afflictive outflows. Contemplating these conditionally arisen phenomena diligently within meditation, the brahmin, with his wisdom, universally illuminates all worlds, like the sun abiding in the sky, destroying all armies of Māra, awakening to all phenomena, severing the bonds of afflictions, and attaining eternal liberation.