Saṃyuktāgama (369)

Original text:如是我闻。一时。佛住舍卫国祇树给孤独园。尔时。世尊告诸比丘。昔者毗婆尸佛未成正觉时。住菩提所。不久成佛。诣菩提树下。敷草为座。结跏趺坐。端坐正念。一坐七日。于十二缘起逆顺观察。所谓此有故彼有。此起故彼起。缘无明行。乃至缘生有老死。及纯大苦聚集。纯大苦聚灭。彼毗婆尸佛正坐七日已。从三昧觉。说此偈言。 

Explanation: The World-Honored One told the bhikṣus: In the past, when Vipaśyin Buddha had not yet attained perfect enlightenment, he dwelt at the place of bodhi, and before long he would become a Buddha. He went to the Bodhi tree, spread grass as a meditation seat, sat cross-legged in full lotus, sat upright with right mindfulness, and sat continuously for seven days. He contemplated the twelve links of dependent origination in both reverse and forward order—that is, when this exists, that exists; when this arises, that arises. Ignorance conditions volitional formations, and so on, up to birth conditioning old age and death, and the gathering together of the great mass of suffering, and the cessation of the great mass of suffering. After Vipaśyin Buddha sat upright for seven days, he arose from meditative absorption (samādhi) and spoke the following verse. Whether it is the Buddhas of the ten directions, the great bodhisattvas of the ten directions, or the pratyekabuddhas, when they contemplate the dharma of the twelve links of dependent origination, they all give rise to contemplation within profound meditative concentration; they all have a samādhi state of meditative concentration, and only then can their contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) be accomplished, thereby realizing it directly and attaining the samādhi state of liberation, with the equal cultivation of Samādhi and Prajñā. The direct realization of any dharma gate is accomplished through contemplative cultivation within profound meditative concentration; without departing from precepts and concentration, one realizes the wisdom of samādhi. Without meditative concentration, genuine contemplative practice is impossible, and direct realization cannot be attained. Therefore, do not misunderstand and say that the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, and arhats realized the twelve links of dependent origination through inference, or the Four Noble Truths, or seeing the mind and one's nature. The sages realized the Buddha-dharma invariably within meditative concentration; every one of them possessed meditative concentration in full; not a single one relied on inference or on emotional thought and intellectual interpretation to interpret the Buddha-dharma intellectually. 

原文：如此诸法生 梵志勤思禅 

            永离诸疑惑 知因缘生法 

            若知因生苦 知诸受灭尽 

            知因缘法尽 则知有漏尽 

            如此诸法生 梵志勤思禅 

            永离诸疑惑 知有因生苦 

            如此诸法生 梵志勤思禅 

            永离诸疑惑 知诸受灭尽 

            如此诸法生 梵志勤思禅 

            永离诸疑惑 知因缘法尽 

            如此诸法生 梵志勤思禅 

            永离诸疑惑 知尽诸有漏 

            如此诸法生 梵志勤思禅 

            普照诸世间 如日住虚空 

            破坏诸魔军 觉诸结解脱。 

佛说此经已。诸比丘闻佛所说。欢喜奉行。 

Explanation: How were all these dharmas born? The brahmin diligently deliberated (manasikāra) within meditative concentration, and finally his deliberation penetrated through, forever leaving behind all doubts, his mind opened and his understanding resolved, directly realizing that all are dharmas born of causes and conditions. If one can realize that various causes and conditions lead to the arising of birth, old age, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress (śoka-parideva-duḥkha-daurmanasyopāyāsa), and realizes that all feelings have ceased entirely, and also realizes that dharmas born of causes and conditions have all ceased, at that time one attains the superknowledge of the exhaustion of outflows, and all afflictive outflows are severed. These dharmas born of causes and conditions—the brahmin diligently deliberated upon them within meditative concentration; with his wisdom he universally illuminated all worlds, like the sun dwelling in empty space, destroyed all the armies of Māra, awakened to all dharmas, severed the afflictive bonds, and attained liberation forever.