Chapter Eleven: The Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, Volume 55 (Three Kinds of Direct Realization)

Original Text: Furthermore, these three kinds of defilements are: the defilement of afflictions (kleśa), the defilement of karmic actions (karma), and the defilement of rebirth (janman). In order to sever them, one cultivates six kinds of direct realization (abhisamaya). What are these six? They are: the direct realization of contemplation (cintā), the direct realization of faith (śraddhā), the direct realization of precepts (śīla), the direct realization of the wisdom of truths (jñānadarśana), the direct realization of the wisdom on the periphery of truths (prṣṭhalabdha-jñānadarśana), and the ultimate direct realization (niṣṭhādarśana).

Explanation: Furthermore, there are the defilement of afflictions, the defilement of karmic actions, and the defilement of rebirth. For the purpose of severing these three kinds of defilements, one must cultivate six kinds of direct realization. What are these six kinds of direct realization? They are: the direct realization of contemplation, the direct realization of faith, the direct realization of precepts, the direct realization of the wisdom of truths, the direct realization of the wisdom on the periphery of truths, and the ultimate direct realization.

The defilement of afflictions is the mental activity of greed, hatred, and delusion. Due to the defilement of afflictions like greed, hatred, and delusion, one creates karmic actions defiled by these afflictions. Having created karmic actions defiled by greed, hatred, and delusion, one will consequently experience a defiled rebirth body in future lives. To sever these defiled dharmas, one must cultivate six kinds of direct realization. Below, these kinds of direct realization are explained individually.

The direct realization of contemplation (cintā) is the thorough, careful, and decisive contemplation of the truths of the Four Noble Truths. It enables one to decisively understand and realize the principles that all dharmas are suffering, empty, impermanent, and without self. Outsiders cannot influence this decisive contemplation, and one becomes irreversible regarding the truths of the Four Noble Truths. When the direct realization of contemplation is achieved, one has right conduct, a pure mind, experiences joy, severs all doubts, permanently abides in wholesome paths, and does not proceed to evil paths. This is the contemplation of the mental consciousness (mano-vijñāna) and the mental faculty (manas). The contemplation of the mental consciousness alone cannot change mental conduct, sever doubts, purify the mind, or permanently cut off the evil destinies. Of course, the direct realization of 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 actual realization.

The direct realization of faith (śraddhā) means having decisive and pure faith in the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha), without hesitation or wavering, and thus one will certainly not create slanderous karma again. Decisive faith represents wisdom; only with wisdom is there direct realization; otherwise, there is only false discrimination. One who possesses the direct realization of faith no longer creates karmic actions of slandering the Buddha, Dharma, or Sangha. Slandering the Buddha includes saying the Buddha was merely an Arhat or a Pratyekabuddha, possessing only the realization of the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, with no other realization; slandering the Buddha as lacking great and immeasurable supernatural powers; slandering the Buddha as being similar to an ordinary person, quite ordinary; slandering the Buddha as a layperson who also engaged in lay activities; slandering the Buddha's flesh-top (uṣṇīṣa) as being like ordinary human hair, and so on, ad infinitum. Such statements are neither pure faith nor decisive faith, and therefore, upon death, those who make them are destined to fall into the three evil destinies. One who possesses the direct realization of faith can accurately understand the immeasurable merit, virtue, wisdom, and supernatural powers of the Buddhas of the three times, without misunderstanding. They have superior understanding (adhimukti) of the Three Jewels, are not superstitious, possess right conduct, and create wholesome karma.

Slandering the Dharma is a widespread phenomenon in the Dharma-ending age; seeing it often makes it no longer strange. The most severe is claiming "Mahayana is not the Buddha's teaching." These people utterly fail to discern whether the meaning of the Mahayana Dharma is genuine, in accordance with principle, or supreme. With severe foolishness, they blindly and groundlessly assert it is not the Buddha's teaching. There are also those who declare the Dharma to be non-Dharma and non-Dharma to be Dharma, all sorts of perversions, which are extremely serious acts of slandering the Dharma, inevitably resulting in hellish retribution upon death.

Slandering the Sangha is also very common. Declaring monks to be non-monks or non-monks to be monks is slandering the Sangha. Accusing and publicizing the faults of monastics' bodily, verbal, and mental actions, whether true or false, constitutes slandering the Sangha. It damages the image of monastics in the minds of sentient beings, causes adverse effects, leads sentient beings to lose faith in the Sangha Jewel, and no longer accept the Three Jewels, destroying the faith-root of sentient beings. These karmic offenses are extremely grave, mostly hellish offenses, with retribution in hell.

The direct realization of precepts (śīla) means one is already able to firmly uphold the various precepts established by the Buddha without transgression and can no longer create karmic actions leading to the three evil destinies. One who achieves the direct realization of precepts absolutely will not intentionally kill, steal, engage in sexual misconduct, lie, or consume intoxicants again. Their bodily, verbal, and mental actions are pure and without outflows. They have already been liberated from the suffering of the three evil destinies, are distant from the ten unwholesome courses of action, and their rebirth body is that of a Stream-enterer (Srotāpanna) up to an Arhat, or a Pratyekabuddha, Bodhisattva, or Buddha. That is to say, only those who have achieved the fruits of the Noble Ones (Ārya) can possess the direct realization of precepts.

As stated in Volume 55 of the *Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra*, Noble Ones who are Stream-enterers or above and possess the complete direct realization of precepts will not violate the Five Precepts or any of the various precepts they have undertaken. Their minds are not in accord with the three evil destinies, so they do not create karmic actions of the ten unwholesome paths 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, then based on the *Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra* and the *Xianyang Shengjiao Lun* (Exposition of the Holy Teachings), it can be determined that this person does not have the realization of a Stream-enterer or above. Any claims of having realized the fruit are misjudgments, false attainments, and not credible.

After severing the view of self and attaining the fruit of Stream-entry, one will not fall into the three evil destinies again. Why is this? Because their mind has changed; their mind is not in accord with the karmic actions of the three evil destinies, so they will not 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 selflessness, 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 the Ten Wholesome Actions. Only by upholding the Five Precepts can one attain a human body and avoid the bodies of beings in the three evil destinies. Only by upholding the Ten Wholesome Actions can one attain human or heavenly bodies and avoid the bodies of beings in the three evil destinies. One who has severed the view of self and attained the fruit must have mental conduct in accord with the Five Precepts and Ten Wholesome Actions to be free from the karma and bodies of the three evil destinies.

So, what is this mind that has severed the view of self, is in accord with the Five Precepts and Ten Wholesome Actions, and is not in accord with the karma of the three evil destinies? The mental consciousness (mano-vijñāna) is certainly such a mind, but most importantly, the mental faculty (manas) absolutely must be such a mind. Moreover, the mental faculty is a continuous mind. After severing the view of self, the mental faculty continuously possesses the merit of the union of insight (vipaśyanā) and tranquility (śamatha). Whether asleep, unconscious, dying, or in the intermediate state (antarābhava) at any time, the merit of having severed the view of self remains with them. They will take rebirth, transmigrate, and enter the womb based on this merit. Therefore, whatever the mental conduct and karma of the mental faculty are, there will be a corresponding rebirth body. To avoid falling into the three evil destinies, the mental faculty must sever the view of self and possess all merits. The wisdom gained from hearing the Dharma, the wisdom of reasoning, the wisdom of conjecture, and the wisdom of emotional understanding through the mental consciousness alone absolutely cannot guarantee the cessation of the gross manifestation of afflictions, cannot guarantee not creating karmic actions leading to the three evil destinies, cannot guarantee not violating the Five Precepts and Ten Wholesome Actions, and thus cannot guarantee not falling into the three evil destinies upon death.

The direct realization of the wisdom of truths (jñānadarśana). According to Volume 55 of the *Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra*, during the preparatory path (prayoga-mārga) of cultivation, one must first accumulate the merit resources for the path of seeing (darśana-mārga) to an extremely perfect degree. Then, the mind becomes effectively tamed and softened. Relying on and conforming to the limit of the worldly stage of decisive discrimination (nirvedha-bhāgīya), 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 the Buddhist path of cultivation, "uninterrupted" (ānantarya) generally refers to the mental faculty. The mental consciousness is intermittent, ceasing and arising, and is unreliable. Only when the mental faculty is cultivated do wholesome dharmas reach a certain stage, resulting in a qualitative leap, and the path attainment rises to a higher level.

After the mental faculty gives rise to wholesome roots, the mind will initially eliminate the false dharmas of sentient beings. This means the initial realization of the path, realizing that the five aggregates (skandhas) are empty, false, and illusory. At this time, one can eliminate the gross afflictions severed during the initial path of seeing. This meaning is already quite clear: the initial path of seeing of a Stream-enterer does eliminate the gross manifestation of afflictions; it can remove some gross afflictions. Only after the mental faculty also realizes the path can gross afflictions be severed; the mental consciousness is incapable of severing afflictions.

After attaining the fruit of Stream-entry, the wisdom and realization of the path of seeing of the Stream-enterer manifest and continue uninterruptedly. Then, for the second time, the meritorious wisdom of the path of seeing arises. In the mind, one further eliminates the various false dharmas of sentient beings composed of the five aggregates. The view of self is severed more deeply, and one attains the fruit of Once-returner (Sakṛdāgāmin), able to eliminate the medium-grade gross afflictions severed by the path of seeing. This means that the initial path of seeing is not ultimate; the view of self is only initially severed to a minor degree (mṛdu). There remains a second, medium-grade (madhya) severance and a third, thorough (tīkṣṇa) severance. Gross afflictions are also not completely severed; the path of seeing for the second, third, and fourth fruits must continue to sever gross afflictions. The second fruit, of course, is also attained by the mental faculty, enabling the uninterrupted arising of wisdom and the further severance of gross afflictions.

After attaining the fruit of Once-returner, the wisdom and realization of the path of seeing of the Once-returner manifest and continue uninterruptedly. Then, for the third time, the meritorious wisdom of the path of seeing arises. One gives rise more profoundly to the universal elimination of the false dharmas of the five aggregates of all sentient beings. The view of self is severed even more deeply and thoroughly. By this merit, one severs all gross afflictions severed by the path of seeing that were still manifesting. Volume 55 of the *Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra* states that this path of seeing is the union of the first dhyāna (meditative absorption) and the wisdom of insight. It requires not only the profound wisdom of insight severing the view of self but also the first dhyāna to sever all gross afflictions. This is the severance of the view of self by the Non-returner (Anāgāmin) and Arhat saints, called the path of seeing for the third and fourth fruits.

The prior Stream-enterer and Once-returner do not necessarily possess the first dhyāna, but they must possess the access concentration (anāgamya-samādhi), and it must be complete. Otherwise, the wisdom of insight severing the view of self will not arise, and one cannot sever the view of self to attain the Stream-enterer or Once-returner fruits. When attaining the fruit of Non-returner, one possesses the three grades of vipaśyanā insight wisdom for severing the view of self, and simultaneously possesses the three grades of the meditative concentration (śamatha) mind of the path of seeing. Added to this is the union of concentration and wisdom. Combined, these are established as the three minds (tricitta). Thus, in one instant, the complete śamatha and vipaśyanā for the third and fourth fruits are all present.

All noble ones studying the Four Noble Truths must rely on the Dharma, not on individuals. All should rely on the standard for severing 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 truly attained the path of seeing with equal mastery of concentration and wisdom, or whether it is a self-proclaimed false path of seeing. Clarifying the standard for the path of seeing prevents confusing the public, avoids the grave karmic offense of major false speech (mahā-mṛṣāvāda), and protects the teachings of Buddhism.

The direct realization of the wisdom of truths. One who possesses the direct realization of the wisdom of truths 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) achieves the direct realization of the wisdom of truths, they will never again create anything based on the false view of self; all their actions are selfless. They will never again have doubts about the dharmas they have realized, will never again be born in defiled and polluted places, and will no longer have greed or attachment in the place where they are born. In their present life and cultivation, all worldly phenomena are purified, without defilement or impurity. They will not slander the Śrāvaka, Pratyekabuddha, or Mahayana vehicles, will not create evil karma, and certainly cannot create 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 at most.

The direct realization of the wisdom on the periphery of truths (prṣṭhalabdha-jñānādarsana). 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 union of the first dhyāna and wisdom in the path of seeing of the Non-returner and Arhat. It is the direct realization wisdom based on prior worldly wisdom, observing the lower realm (the desire realm) and the upper realm (the first dhyāna heaven of the form realm), and the two kinds of established truths pertaining to the desire realm and the first dhyāna heaven of the form realm. It belongs to the category of mundane wisdom (loka-jñāna) comprising knowledge of dharmas (dharma-jñāna) and knowledge of kinds (anvaya-jñāna), and pertains to both worldly and supramundane wisdom. In the contemplation of each of the Four Noble Truths, the wisdom of acquiescence (kṣānti) and the wisdom of decisive realization (niṣṭhā-jñāna) will arise. Thus, relying on the direct realization of the previous truth, two kinds of direct realization wisdom will arise in the contemplation of the preceding and following truths. This is the direct realization of the wisdom on the periphery of truths. Non-returners and Arhats who achieve the direct realization of the wisdom on the periphery of truths will never fear the difficult questions of others, because their wisdom of direct realization is profound and sharp; they penetrate the meaning of the path of liberation, and no one can confound them. They can skillfully answer all difficult inquiries.

The ultimate direct realization (niṣṭhādarśana). This is the direct realization wisdom attained by the fourth-fruit Arhat. Because the Arhat has completely severed all afflictions to be eliminated by the path of cultivation (bhāvanā-mārga), he attains the wisdom of extinguishing all existence within the three realms (trailokya) and the wisdom that in future lives he will never be born again. Or, out of compassion for sentient beings, he may generate the mind to save them and thus still be born into the world in future lives. However, without any manifestation of afflictions, he still abides in the world based on his wisdom of the ultimate extinction of the world. This is the ultimate direct realization. Attaining the wisdom of the ultimate extinction of the world is most ultimate; attaining the wisdom that the world is ultimately empty is most ultimate. This is the ultimate direct realization. Previous direct realizations still had outflows (āsrava) that were not exhausted, so they were not ultimate.

The great Arhat who achieves the 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, whether permitted by worldly norms, or moral or immoral, because anyone who attains Arhatship must be a monastic renunciant; none are laypeople. They have no family, so there is no concept of "proper" sexual conduct. "Lying" here refers to any kind of false speech, including intentionally incorrect statements in worldly matters. The Arhat will never fear future unpredictable events, nor will he falsely conceive of all the suffering and happiness in the world as being self-made, made by another, made by both, or causelessly arisen without self or other. The great Arhat who achieves the ultimate direct realization is liberated from all the great sufferings of birth and death in the world. This body is his final body; he will not undergo future existence again, except for those who remain in the world by prolonging their lifespan.