The Practice of the Four Right Efforts (5)

Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, Volume 29 (Part 5)

Original text: 于其未生一切善法。为令生故生欲者。谓于未得。未现在前。所有善法。为欲令得。令现在前。发心希愿。发起猛利。求获得欲。求现前欲。而现在前。是名于其未生一切善法。为令生故生欲。

Explanation: Regarding all wholesome dharmas that have not yet arisen, one generates aspiration in order to make them arise. This means that for all wholesome dharmas that have not yet been attained and have not yet manifested, in order to attain them and make them manifest before oneself, one generates the aspiration and longing, arouses an intense and fervent desire to attain them, a desire for them to manifest, and ultimately makes them appear before oneself. This is called generating aspiration for all wholesome dharmas that have not yet arisen, in order to make them arise.

Original text: 于其已生一切善法。为欲令住。令不忘失。令修圆满生欲者。谓已获得。已现在前。所有善法。是名已生善法。于此善法已得不失。已得不退。依是说言。为欲令住。于此善法明了现前。无闇钝性。依是说言令不忘失。于此善法已得现前。数数修习。成满究竟。依是说言。令修圆满。于此善法发心希愿。发起猛利求。坚住欲求。不忘欲求。修满欲而现在前。是名于其已生一切善法。为欲令住。令不忘失。令修圆满生欲。

Explanation: Regarding wholesome dharmas that have already arisen, one generates aspiration in order to make them abide, to prevent them from being forgotten or lost, and to bring their cultivation to perfection. All wholesome dharmas that have already been attained and have already manifested are called wholesome dharmas that have arisen. That wholesome dharmas, once attained, are not lost and do not regress—this is called aspiring for wholesome dharmas to abide permanently. That wholesome dharmas are clearly and vividly present in the mind, without any dullness or obscurity—this is called preventing them from being forgotten or lost. That wholesome dharmas, once attained and manifested, are cultivated repeatedly until they reach consummate perfection—this is called bringing their cultivation to perfection.

Generating a longing mind toward wholesome dharmas, arousing an intense and fervent mind of seeking, making vows to attain and hold them, and wishing to abide firmly within wholesome dharmas without regressing or forgetting, hoping to cultivate them to perfection—these desires and aspirations are called generating aspiration for all wholesome dharmas that have already arisen, in order to make them abide and endure, to prevent them from being forgotten or lost, and to bring their cultivation to perfection.

When wholesome dharmas are not yet firm, one is sometimes wholesome and sometimes unwholesome—wholesome when encountering wholesome conditions, unwholesome when encountering evil conditions. Therefore, in the course of engaging with conditions and facing circumstances, one must constantly examine one's own mind and constantly encourage oneself, maintaining wholesome mind, wholesome thoughts, and wholesome conduct, until the wholesome dharmas become firm and unregressing, perfect and unobstructed. Only when the mind of evil and unwholesomeness is transformed into a wholesome mind—completely reborn—can one realize the Path and become a sage. This is the process of cultivating the four right efforts, which is by no means easy, because sentient beings' minds are stubborn and hard to change, and their dispositions are difficult to alter. All methods of practice are for the purpose of subduing and transforming the mind. When the mind is ultimately pure, there is nothing more to learn from the Buddha's Dharma, and one becomes a Buddha at the fruit-stage beyond training (aśaikṣa). The mind is the master of all things; when the mind changes, all things change along with it. Therefore, cultivating and rectifying the root of the mind is true and genuine practice; merely studying the theory without cultivating the mind is mere performance.