Chapter 3  Fifty-Fifth Volume—Three Kinds of Direct Realization  

Original Text: Furthermore, there are three kinds of defilements: defilements of afflictions, defilements of karma, and defilements of birth. To eradicate these, one cultivates six kinds of direct realization. What are these six? They are: direct realization through contemplation, direct realization through faith, direct realization through precepts, direct realization of the truth through the wisdom of direct realization, direct realization of the truth through the wisdom at the periphery of direct realization, and ultimate direct realization.

Explanation: Furthermore, there are defilements of afflictions, defilements of karma, and defilements of birth. To eradicate these three kinds of defilements, one must cultivate six kinds of direct realization through direct perception. What are these six kinds of direct realization? They are: direct realization through contemplation, direct realization through faith, direct realization through precepts, direct realization of the truth through the wisdom of direct realization, direct realization of the truth through the wisdom at the periphery of direct realization, and ultimate direct realization.

Defilements of afflictions are the mental activities of greed, hatred, and delusion. Due to the defilements of afflictions such as greed, hatred, and delusion, one creates karmic actions tainted by these afflictions. Having created such karmic actions, one will be reborn with a defiled body in future lives. To eradicate these defiled dharmas, one must cultivate the six kinds of direct realization through direct perception. The following sections explain each of these direct realizations individually.

Direct realization through contemplation is the thorough, careful, and decisive contemplation of the truths of the Four Noble Truths, enabling one to decisively understand and realize the principles of suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self inherent in all dharmas. Non-Buddhist teachings cannot influence this decisive contemplation, and one becomes irreversible regarding the truths of the Four Noble Truths. Upon achieving direct realization through contemplation, one attains right conduct, a pure mind, joy, the eradication of all doubts, permanent abiding in wholesome paths, and non-deviation into evil paths. This is the contemplation of consciousness and the mental faculty (manas). Contemplation by the sixth consciousness alone cannot change mental conduct, eradicate doubts, purify the mind, or permanently sever the evil paths. Of course, direct realization through contemplation also includes contemplation of the Mahayana Dharma. Since it is called direct realization, it accords with reality and truth, containing within it the wisdom of genuine realization.

Direct realization through faith refers to decisive and pure faith in the Three Jewels, free from hesitation or wavering, and thus one no longer creates the karma of slander. Decisive faith represents wisdom; only with wisdom can there be direct realization; otherwise, one can only engage in false discrimination. One who possesses direct realization through faith no longer creates karmic actions of slandering the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Slandering the Buddha includes statements such as claiming the Buddha was merely an Arhat or a Pratyekabuddha, possessing only the realization of the Four Noble Truths and Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, with no other realizations; slandering the Buddha as lacking great and immeasurable spiritual powers; slandering the Buddha as being similar to ordinary worldly people, quite ordinary; slandering the Buddha as a householder who engaged in householder affairs; slandering the Buddha’s flesh-top (uṣṇīṣa) as being like ordinary human hair, and so forth—these statements are neither pure nor decisive faith, and thus upon death, such individuals will fall into the three evil destinies to receive retribution. One with direct realization through faith can accurately comprehend the immeasurable merits, virtues, wisdom, and spiritual powers of all Buddhas of the three times, without misunderstanding. One possesses superior understanding (adhimukti) of the Three Jewels, is free from superstition, engages in right conduct, and accumulates wholesome karma.

Slandering the Dharma is a common phenomenon in the Dharma-ending age; seeing it frequently makes it unsurprising. The most severe is the claim that "Mahayana is not the Buddha's teaching." These individuals utterly fail to discern whether the meaning of the Mahayana Dharma is genuine, in accord with principle, and supreme. With severe foolishness, they blindly and groundlessly declare it non-Buddhist. Others declare the Dharma to be non-Dharma and non-Dharma to be Dharma—all such perversions are grave acts of slandering the Dharma, inevitably resulting in hellish retribution upon death.

Slandering the Sangha is also widespread. Declaring the Sangha to be non-Sangha or non-Sangha to be Sangha constitutes slandering the Sangha. Accusing and publicizing the faults—whether real or imagined—of monastics' physical, verbal, and mental actions, damaging their image in the minds of sentient beings, causing adverse effects, leading sentient beings to lose faith in the Sangha Jewel, no longer accepting the Three Jewels, and destroying the faith-root of sentient beings—all these offenses are extremely grave, mostly constituting hellish karma, with retribution in hell.

Direct realization through precepts means one is able to steadfastly uphold all the precepts established by the Buddha without transgression, and thus can no longer create karma leading to the three evil destinies. One who achieves direct realization through precepts will absolutely never again intentionally kill, steal, engage in sexual misconduct, lie, or consume intoxicants. Their physical, verbal, and mental actions are pure and non-outflowing. They have already been liberated from the suffering of the three evil destinies, have distanced themselves from the ten unwholesome courses of action, and their birth-body is that of a Stream-enterer up to an Arhat, or a Pratyekabuddha, Bodhisattva, or Buddha. That is to say, only those who have achieved the noble fruits can possess direct realization through precepts.

As stated in the Fifty-Fifth Volume of the *Yogācārabhūmi-Śāstra*, noble ones who have attained the fruit of Stream-enterer or above and possess direct realization through precepts will never again violate the Five Precepts or any other precepts they have undertaken. Their minds are not in accord with the three evil destinies, thus they do not create the ten unwholesome karmic actions leading to the three evil destinies, nor do they violate the Five Precepts, Bhikṣu Precepts, Bhikṣuṇī Precepts, or Bodhisattva Precepts. If someone cannot even uphold the Five Precepts, one can determine based on the *Yogācārabhūmi-Śāstra* and the *Xianyang Shengjiao Lun* (Exposition of the Holy Teachings) that this person lacks the realization of Stream-enterer or above, and any claim of having attained the fruit is a misjudgment, a false realization, and not credible.

After eradicating the view of self and attaining the fruit of Stream-enterer, one will never again fall into the three evil destinies. Why is this? Because their mind has changed; their mind is no longer in accord with the karma of the three evil destinies, they will no longer create karmic actions leading to the three evil destinies, and thus will not fall into the three evil destinies to suffer. When the mind realizes non-self, it becomes empty. A mind that is empty cannot possibly create karmic actions leading to the three evil destinies. What are the karmic actions of the three evil destinies? They are actions violating the Five Precepts and actions violating the Ten Wholesome Deeds. Only by upholding the Five Precepts can one obtain a human body, avoiding the bodies of beings in the three evil destinies. Only by upholding the Ten Wholesome Deeds can one obtain human or heavenly bodies, avoiding the bodies of beings in the three evil destinies. The mental conduct of one who has eradicated the view of self and attained the fruit must necessarily be in accord with the Five Precepts and Ten Wholesome Deeds, thereby eliminating the karma and bodies of the three evil destinies.

So, which mind is this mind that has eradicated the view of self, is in accord with the Five Precepts and Ten Wholesome Deeds, and is not in accord with the karma of the three evil destinies? The sixth consciousness (mano-vijñāna) is certainly such a mind, but the most crucial is the mental faculty (manas), which absolutely must be such a mind. Moreover, the mental faculty is continuous and uninterrupted. After eradicating the view of self, the mental faculty will uninterruptedly possess the merit of the unified path of vipaśyanā (insight) and śamatha (calm abiding). Whether asleep, unconscious, dying, or in the intermediate state (antarābhava) at any time, the merit of eradicating the view of self remains with them. They will take rebirth, transmigrate, and enter the womb based on this merit. Thus, whatever mental conduct the mental faculty possesses, whatever karma it has, will result in a corresponding rebirth body. To avoid falling into the three evil destinies, the mental faculty must eradicate the view of self and possess all merits. Merely the wisdom of hearing the Dharma, reasoning, speculation, and intellectual understanding of the sixth consciousness absolutely cannot guarantee the eradication of coarse active afflictions, cannot guarantee abstaining from creating karma leading to the three evil destinies, cannot guarantee not violating the Five Precepts and Ten Wholesome Deeds, and thus cannot guarantee not falling into the three evil destinies upon death.

Direct realization of the truth through the wisdom of direct realization (*darśana-mārga-jñāna-satya-abhisamaya*), according to the Fifty-Fifth Volume of the *Yogācārabhūmi-Śāstra*, occurs during the preparatory path of cultivation. First, one must accumulate the merit and wisdom provisions for the path of seeing to an extremely complete degree. Then, the mind becomes effectively subdued and tamed. Relying on and conforming to the limit of the worldly stage of decisive discrimination, one gives rise to uninterrupted wholesome roots. This means that through cultivating the preparatory path, the mental faculty has been fully permeated by wholesome dharmas, the mind-ground has become soft and tamed, and wholesome roots have manifested. In Buddhist cultivation, "uninterrupted" (*ānantarya*) generally refers to the mental faculty. The sixth consciousness is intermittent, ceasing and arising; it is unreliable. Only when cultivation reaches the mental faculty does wholesome dharma cultivation reach a stage where a qualitative leap occurs, and the path attainment ascends to a higher level.

After the mental faculty gives rise to wholesome roots, the mind initially dispels the false dharmas of sentient beings. This means initial realization of the path, realizing that the five aggregates are empty, false, and illusory. At this point, one can remove the coarse and heavy afflictions eradicated during the initial path of seeing. This meaning is already quite clear: the initial fruit of the path of seeing (*darśana-mārga*) eradicates the manifestation of coarse and heavy afflictions, removing some coarse afflictions. Only after the mental faculty also realizes the path can coarse and heavy afflictions be eradicated; the sixth consciousness is incapable of eradicating afflictions.

After attaining the fruit of Stream-enterer, the wisdom realization of the path of seeing of the Stream-enterer manifests and continues uninterruptedly. Then, for the second time, the meritorious wisdom of the path of seeing arises. In the mind, the various false dharmas of the five-aggregate sentient beings are further dispelled, the view of self is eradicated more deeply, and one attains the fruit of Once-returner (Sakṛdāgāmin), able to remove the medium-grade coarse and heavy afflictions eradicated by the path of seeing. This means that the initial path of seeing is not ultimate; the view of self is only initially and partially eradicated at a mild level. There remains a second eradication at a medium level and a third eradication at a thorough level. Coarse and heavy afflictions are also not completely eradicated; the path of seeing of the second, third, and fourth fruits must continue to eradicate coarse and heavy afflictions. The second fruit, of course, is also attained by the mental faculty, enabling the uninterrupted arising of wisdom and the further eradication of coarse and heavy afflictions.

After attaining the fruit of Once-returner, the wisdom realization of the path of seeing of the Once-returner manifests and continues uninterruptedly. Then, for the third time, the meritorious wisdom of the path of seeing arises. More profoundly, one gives rise to the universal dispelling of all the five-aggregate false dharmas of sentient beings. The view of self is eradicated even more deeply and thoroughly. By this merit, one eradicates all manifestations of coarse and heavy afflictions eradicated by the path of seeing. The Fifty-Fifth Volume of the *Yogācārabhūmi-Śāstra* states that this path of seeing is the unified path of the first dhyāna (meditative absorption) and the wisdom of insight observation. It possesses not only the profound wisdom of insight observation eradicating the view of self but also the first dhyāna meditative absorption. Only then can all coarse and heavy afflictions be eradicated. This is the eradication of the view of self by the third and fourth fruit saints, named the path of seeing of the Non-returner (Anāgāmin) and Arhat.

The prior first and second fruits do not necessarily require the first dhyāna, but they must possess the attainment of the preliminary dhyāna (*anāgamya-samādhi*), and this preliminary dhyāna must be complete. Otherwise, the wisdom of insight observation eradicating the view of self cannot arise, and one cannot eradicate the view of self to attain the first or second fruit. At the time of attaining the third fruit, one possesses the three grades of vipaśyanā (insight) wisdom of the path of seeing for eradicating the view of self, simultaneously possesses the three grades of śamatha (calm abiding) meditative mind of the path of seeing, and adds the unification of meditative absorption and wisdom. Combined, these are established as the three minds (*trīṇi cittāni*). Thus, in a single moment (*kṣaṇa*), the śamatha and vipaśyanā of the third and fourth fruits are fully complete.

All noble ones studying the Four Noble Truths must rely on the Dharma, not on persons. All should rely on the standard for eradicating the view of self and realizing the path of seeing as explained by Bodhisattva Maitreya in the *Yogācārabhūmi-Śāstra* to measure whether oneself or others have genuinely attained the path of seeing with balanced meditative stability and wisdom, or whether it is a self-proclaimed false path of seeing. Clarifying the standard for the path of seeing avoids confusing the public, committing the grave offense of major false speech, and damaging the teachings of Buddhism.

Direct realization of the truth through the wisdom of direct realization. One who possesses this direct realization can attain all fruits of renunciation, can elicit all pure merits, can give rise to the remaining wisdoms of direct realization, and can help induce pure fruits and karma within wholesome destinies. If a learner (*śaikṣa*) or non-learner (*aśaikṣa*) who has achieved direct realization of the truth through the wisdom of direct realization will never again create anything based on the false view of self; all actions are selfless. Regarding the dharmas they have realized, they will never again have doubts. They will never again be born in places of defilement and pollution, and in the places where they are born, they will no longer have greed or attachment. In their present life and cultivation, all worldly phenomena are purified, without defilement or impurity. They will never again slander the Śrāvaka, Pratyekabuddha, or Mahayana Dharmas, nor create evil karma, let alone commit the five heinous crimes (*pañcānantarya*) or seven heinous crimes. They will never be born an eighth time within the three realms—this is the meaning of the Stream-enterer exhausting the seven existences (*saptakṛtvaḥ parivartin*).

Direct realization of the truth through the wisdom at the periphery of direct realization (*pṛṣṭhalabdha-jñāna-satya-abhisamaya*). This wisdom is obtained only after the path of seeing. After which path of seeing is it obtained? It is obtained after the third-grade path of seeing, after the unified path of the first dhyāna and wisdom of the third and fourth fruits. It is the wisdom of direct realization based on prior worldly wisdom, observing the lower realm (desire realm) and the upper realm (first dhyāna heaven of the form realm), and the two established truths of the desire realm and the first dhyāna heaven of the form realm. It belongs to the category of mundane wisdom, comprising the wisdom of dharmas (*dharma-jñāna*) and the wisdom of categories (*anvaya-jñāna*), and pertains to both mundane and supramundane wisdom. In the observation of each of the Four Noble Truths, the wisdom of acquiescence and delight (*kṣānti-ruci-jñāna*) and the wisdom of decisive direct realization (*abhisamaya-niścaya-jñāna*) will arise. Thus, relying on the direct realization of the previous truth, two kinds of direct realization wisdom will arise in the observation of the preceding and following truths. This is direct realization of the truth through the wisdom at the periphery of direct realization. Third and fourth fruit persons who achieve this direct realization will never fear the challenging questions of others because their wisdom of direct realization is profound and sharp, penetrating the meaning of the path of liberation. No one can confound them; they can skillfully answer all difficult questions.

Ultimate direct realization (*niṣṭhā-abhisamaya*). This is the wisdom of direct realization attained by fourth fruit Arhats. Because Arhats have completely eradicated all afflictions to be eliminated by the path of cultivation (*bhāvanā-mārga*), they attain the wisdom of extinguishing existence within the three realms and the wisdom that they will never be reborn in the future. Alternatively, out of compassion for sentient beings, they may generate the mind to save them and thus still be reborn in the world in future lives, but without any manifestation of afflictions. They still abide in the world based on their wisdom of the permanent extinction of the world. This is ultimate direct realization. Attaining the wisdom of the permanent extinction of the world is most ultimate; attaining the wisdom that the world is ultimately empty is most ultimate—this is ultimate direct realization. Previous direct realizations still had outflows (*āsrava*) not yet exhausted, so they were not ultimate direct realization.

A great Arhat who achieves ultimate direct realization will never again violate the Five Precepts: never again intentionally kill, steal, engage in sexual desire, lie, or accumulate and enjoy treasures. Here, "sexual desire" refers to any kind of sexual desire, regardless of severity, regardless of whether worldly laws permit it, regardless of morality or immorality. Because upon attaining the fruit of Arhatship, one is necessarily an ordained monastic; none are householders. They have no family members, so there is no concept of "proper" sexual intercourse. "False speech" here refers to any kind of false speech, including intentionally incorrect statements in worldly matters. An Arhat will never fear unknown future events. They will never falsely regard all the suffering and happiness of the world as self-created, other-created, both self-and-other-created, nor falsely conceive of it as arising without cause, neither self nor other. A great Arhat who achieves ultimate direct realization is liberated from all the great sufferings of birth and death in the world. This body is their last body; they undergo no further existence—except for those who prolong their lifespan and remain in the world.