The Eighty-One Categories of Discursive Afflictions in the Three Realms to Be Abandoned through Cultivation

Original text from Volume 23 of the Abhidharma-kośa: In each realm, there are nine grades of faults and virtues. Each is further divided into three: lower, middle, and upper. The treatise states: 'Faults' refer to shortcomings, meaning the obstacles to be remedied. 'Virtues' refer to merits, meaning the path that remedies them. As previously explained, the desire realm's afflictions to be severed have nine grades of distinction. Similarly, the upper realms, up to the summit of existence, should follow this example. Just as the obstacles to be severed in each realm each have nine grades, the remedial paths—uninterrupted liberation—also have nine grades each.

Explanation: The faults and virtues within each realm of the three realms total nine kinds. These nine are each further divided into three: lower, middle, and upper. Coarsely categorized, there are twenty-seven types. Each of these is again subdivided into lower, middle, and upper, thus the afflictive delusions (kleśa) of sentient beings are finely divided into eighty-one kinds.

The treatise states that 'faults' are shortcomings, meaning the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion in sentient beings, which are the obstacles to be remedied through cultivation. 'Virtues' are merits, meaning the path of cultivation that remedies afflictive delusions. If one wishes to cultivate the severance of the nine grades of afflictive delusions, one must cultivate the path. Cultivating the path requires cultivating meditative concentration (dhyāna), for without concentration, afflictions cannot be severed. From the desire realm up to the summit of the three realms, the Heaven of Neither Perception Nor Non-Perception, each realm has nine grades of fault-afflictions to be severed. Consequently, the remedial path capable of countering each grade of fault-affliction is also divided into nine grades. When the nine grades of afflictive delusions of all realms in the three realms are completely severed, one attains uninterrupted liberation.

So-called uninterrupted liberation means that body and mind are liberated in every single instant, liberated in every single dharma, and liberated at all times. This liberation is not something consciousness alone can attain; ultimately, it is attained by the mental faculty (manas). If the mental faculty is liberated, everything is liberated. If the mental faculty is not liberated, nothing is liberated. If the mental faculty is to be liberated, cultivation must penetrate deeply into the mental faculty. To reach this depth of the mental faculty, one must cultivate meditative concentration. Without concentration, one cannot reach the mental faculty, the mental faculty cannot attain wisdom, and without wisdom, there can be no liberation. Therefore, liberation is the equal balance of concentration and wisdom (śamatha and vipaśyanā); it is not achievable by the 'dry wisdom' (mere intellectual understanding) of consciousness alone.

The three realms are divided into nine levels: the Desire Realm, the First Dhyāna Heaven of the Form Realm, the Second Dhyāna Heaven, the Third Dhyāna Heaven, the Fourth Dhyāna Heaven, the Formless Realm's Heaven of Infinite Space, the Heaven of Infinite Consciousness, the Heaven of Nothingness, and the Heaven of Neither Perception Nor Non-Perception. Each level has a corresponding state of meditative absorption (samādhi). Each type of meditative absorption can counteract specific afflictive delusions; this is the virtue (merit) of cultivating the path. Afflictive delusions are the faults; these faults are counteracted by meditative absorption. When the virtue of meditative absorption arises through cultivation, it counteracts the afflictive delusions. Subsequently, one attains fruition (phala) by this virtue. Naturally, this involves the liberating wisdom and realization (prajñā and abhijñā) induced by the meditative absorption; only together do they bring about liberation.

The nine levels correspond to nine grades of afflictive delusions. The greed, hatred, and delusion of the desire realm are coarsely divided into three grades: lower, middle, and upper. Each of these is further divided into lower, middle, and upper, making nine grades in total: Lower-Lower (1), Lower-Middle (2), Lower-Upper (3); Middle-Lower (4), Middle-Middle (5), Middle-Upper (6); Upper-Lower (7), Upper-Middle (8), Upper-Upper (9). These nine grades of afflictive delusions must be severed within the meditative concentration of the desire realm and the first dhyāna. Without meditative concentration, not a single grade can be severed; one cannot attain the path toward the first fruition (srotāpatti-phala-pratipannaka), much less the first fruition itself. Bypassing the cultivation of meditative absorption cannot be called cultivation. No matter how much theoretical knowledge one studies, if one cannot sever afflictive delusions, one cannot withstand the suffering of birth and death and will inevitably drift in the cycle of birth and death according to karma. From this, it is evident that the virtue of cultivating concentration is immense and cannot be bypassed. Avoiding difficulty and seeking the easy path cannot solve the problem. Cultivating concentration is inseparable from strict adherence to precepts (śīla). Without receiving and upholding the precepts, meditative absorption cannot be developed, one cannot undertake the path of cultivation, no virtue will arise, afflictions and faults will not lessen, and upon death, one will flow in the three lower realms according to afflictive karma.

The greed, hatred, and delusion of the First Dhyāna Heaven are divided into three grades: lower, middle, and upper. Each is further divided into lower, middle, and upper, making nine grades: Lower-Lower (1), Lower-Middle (2), Lower-Upper (3); Middle-Lower (4), Middle-Middle (5), Middle-Upper (6); Upper-Lower (7), Upper-Middle (8), Upper-Upper (9). Similarly, the afflictive delusions of the Second Dhyāna Heaven are divided into: Lower-Lower (1), Lower-Middle (2), Lower-Upper (3); Middle-Lower (4), Middle-Middle (5), Middle-Upper (6); Upper-Lower (7), Upper-Middle (8), Upper-Upper (9). The Third Dhyāna Heaven, Fourth Dhyāna Heaven, Heaven of Infinite Space, Heaven of Infinite Consciousness, Heaven of Nothingness, and Heaven of Neither Perception Nor Non-Perception each have their corresponding nine grades of afflictive delusions. Altogether, these constitute the eighty-one kinds of afflictive delusions.