The Ninth Sūtra of the Dīrgha-āgama: The Great Causes and Skillful Means Sūtra

(Six) Original text: 阿难。是故名色缘识。识缘名色。名色缘六入。六入缘触。触缘受。受缘爱。爱缘取。取缘有。有缘生。生缘老死忧苦悲恼。大苦阴集。阿难。齐是为语。齐是为应。齐是为限。齐此为演说。齐是为智观。齐是为众生。阿难。诸比丘于此法中。如实正观。无漏心解脱。阿难。此比丘当名为慧解脱。

Explanation: Ānanda, therefore it is said that name-and-form arises conditioned on the Ālayavijñāna, and the Ālayavijñāna depends on name-and-form to have a dwelling place. With name-and-form, the six sense bases (ṣaḍāyatana) can arise; with the six sense bases, contact can arise; with contact, feeling can arise; with feeling, craving can arise; with craving, grasping can arise; with grasping, existence can arise; with existence, birth can arise; with birth, there can be aging, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress—the accumulation of the great mass of suffering. This is right speech and doctrinal discussion; this is the dharma that should most be cultivated; this is the most ultimate dharma gate; this is the true expounding of the Dharma; this is the observation of wisdom; this is the dharma that delivers sentient beings. Ānanda, when the bhikṣus, within this dharma, can observe truthfully and correctly, they exhaust the outflows of afflictions and their minds attain liberation. Ānanda, such a bhikṣus who observes correctly is called an arhat liberated by wisdom.

For an arhat liberated by wisdom, the wisdom of liberation surpasses the cultivation of meditative concentration; his meditative concentration only reaches the first dhyāna, without possessing the profound dhyāna of the second dhyāna and above. At the time of death, he mainly relies on the wisdom of liberation to leave the three realms and enter nirvāṇa. The wisdom of liberation means completely and thoroughly realizing that the five aggregates (pañca-skandha) are suffering, empty, impermanent, and non-self, exhausting afflictions such as grasping on self and greed, anger, and delusion; when the one-thought ignorance is completely extinguished, the five aggregates cease. This does not mean having only wisdom without meditative concentration, but rather that the meditative concentration is not very deep, and liberation does not primarily rely on meditative concentration or depend on meditative concentration for liberation. Without the concentration of the first dhyāna, it is impossible to eradicate afflictions and attain an untainted mind, and thus one cannot attain liberation.

Original text: 如是解脱比丘。如来终亦知。如来不终亦知。如来终不终亦知。如来非终非不终亦知。何以故。阿难。齐是为语。齐是为应。齐是为限。齐是为演说。齐是为智观。齐是为众生。如是尽知已。无漏心解脱。比丘不知不见如是知见。

Explanation: A bhikṣus liberated in this way also knows whether the Tathāgata ultimately passes away, also knows whether the Tathāgata does not ultimately pass away, also knows whether the Tathāgata both ultimately passes away and does not, and also knows whether the Tathāgata neither ultimately passes away nor does not. Why is this said? Ānanda, because speaking thus is right speech, speaking thus is what is most appropriate, speaking thus is the most ultimate, speaking thus is the expounding of the Dharma, speaking thus is the observation of wisdom, and speaking thus is the delivering of sentient beings. Having thus fully known the Tathāgata's parinirvāṇa, the outflows of afflictions are exhausted and the mind attains liberation, while other bhikṣus do not know or see such knowledge and vision.