The Characteristics and Cultivation Process of Hearing Wisdom

Abhidharmakośa-vyākhyā, Volume 23, written by Fabao of the Tang Dynasty

Original text: 杂缘法念住总有四种。二三四五蕴为境别故。唯总缘五名此所修。彼居此中修四行相。总观一切身受心法。所谓非常苦空非我。然于修习此念住时。有余善根能为方便。彼应次第修令现前。谓彼已熟修。杂缘法念住。

Explanation: When cultivating the contemplation of dharmas among the four foundations of mindfulness, one must also intersperse contemplation of the contemplation of the body, the contemplation of feeling, and the contemplation of the mind; one must not only take dharmas as the object of mindfulness, but also intersperse taking the other three foundations of mindfulness as objects. Because the four realms of objects corresponding to the cultivation of the contemplation of dharmas—the aggregates of feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness—are each different, one must contemplate the five aggregates of form, feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness as a whole when cultivating the contemplation of dharmas. In taking dharmas as the object of mindfulness, the practitioner must cultivate four characteristics: suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self, contemplating from an overall perspective the suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self of body, feeling, mind, and dharmas. Moreover, when cultivating this foundation of mindfulness, there are other roots of goodness—such as heat (ūṣmagata), summit (mūrdhan), patience (kṣānti), and the supreme worldly dharma (laukikāgra-dharma)—that can serve as skillful means to verify the results of one's cultivation; the practitioner should cultivate them in sequence, causing the four roots of goodness to manifest one by one. When these four roots of goodness manifest, it indicates that the practitioner has already become very proficient in cultivating the interspersed contemplation of dharmas.

Original text: 将欲修习此念住时。先应总缘修无我行。次观生灭。次观缘起。以观行者先观诸行。从因生灭。便于因果相属观门。易趣入故。或有欲令先观缘起。此后引起缘三义观。此观无间修七处善。

Explanation: When the practitioner is about to cultivate this contemplation of dharmas, he should first take the five aggregates as an overall object and cultivate the characteristic of non-self; next, he should observe the arising and ceasing of the five aggregates, which is contemplating the characteristic of impermanence of the five aggregates; next, he should contemplate the dependent origination of the five aggregates, which is contemplating the characteristic of emptiness of the five aggregates. Because the contemplative practitioner first observes that the formations of body, feeling, mind, and dharmas arise and cease in accordance with causes and conditions, it becomes convenient to contemplate non-self and impermanence from the perspective of the interrelation of cause and effect, making it easy to enter the principle of the Four Noble Truths. Some wish to first observe the dependent origination of the five aggregates, and afterward to bring forth the contemplation taking the three categories of meaning—the aggregates, sense bases, and elements—as objects. This method of contemplation is the uninterrupted cultivation of the seven aspects of goodness, that is, separately observing, with respect to the five aggregates of form, feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness, their suffering, origin, cessation, path, gratification, danger, and escape.

Original text: 于七处善得善巧故。能于先来诸所见境。立因果谛。次第观察。如是熟修智及定已。便能安立顺现观谛。谓欲上界苦等各别。于如是八。随次第观。修未曾修十六行相。彼由闻慧。于八谛中。初起如斯十六行观。如隔薄绢睹见众色。齐此名为闻慧圆满。

Explanation: Because skillfulness has been attained in cultivating the seven aspects of goodness, one can, with respect to all the realms previously contemplated, establish the truths of cause and effect—that is, clearly understand the suffering, origin, cessation, and path of the five aggregates—and observe the seven aspects of goodness of the five aggregates in sequence. After cultivating contemplative wisdom and meditative concentration to proficiency in this way, one can then establish the truths conducive to direct realization (abhisamaya). The truths conducive to direct realization are the wisdoms that accord with the respective truths of suffering, origin, cessation, and path of the desire realm and the form and formless realms; although at this time there is not yet wisdom of direct contemplative realization, the root of goodness of the heat dharma can arise, not contradicting the principle of the Four Noble Truths.

In this way, with respect to the four foundations of mindfulness and the eight principles of the Four Noble Truths, one contemplates in accordance with their sequence, cultivating the sixteen characteristics that one had never cultivated before. Through the wisdom gained from hearing the Dharma, the practitioner, in the contemplation of these eight truths, first gives rise to the contemplation of these sixteen characteristics. At this time, the wisdom is like viewing all forms through a layer of thin silk gauze; up to this point, the wisdom of hearing is said to be complete.

When the wisdom of hearing is cultivated to completion, contemplating the four foundations of mindfulness and the five aggregates is like seeing forms through a layer of thin silk gauze—one can see the outlines of forms, but they are still unclear, hazy and indistinct. Before the wisdom of hearing appears, seeing all dharmas is even more hazy and unclear, with very heavy ignorance. When one cultivates to the wisdom of hearing, the ignorance becomes somewhat thinner; when one cultivates to the wisdom of reflection and the wisdom of cultivation, the ignorance becomes even thinner; and when the wisdom of realization appears, part of the ignorance is eradicated, and the three fetters are severed.

Comparing against the characteristics of the wisdom of hearing and the process of cultivation described in the treatise above, examine to what degree your own wisdom of hearing has been cultivated, and whether it has been cultivated to completion. Even if it has been cultivated to completion, this is only the stage of the wisdom of hearing; there is still a very long distance from the wisdom of realization. If you have cultivated for many years and have not even brought the wisdom of hearing to completion, you should examine where you fall short, how to make up the gap, and what measures you should take, then spur the horse onward and cultivate the Path with diligence.