What is Abhisamaya?

Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, Volume Thirty-Four

Original text:由能知智。与所知境。和合无乖。现前观察。故名现观。如刹帝利与刹帝利和合无乖。现前观察。名为现观。婆罗门等当知亦尔。此亦成就众多相状。谓证如是谛现观故。获得四智。谓于一切苦行。若住诸作意中。善推求故。得唯法智。得非断智。得非常智。得缘生行如幻事智。

Explanation: When the wisdom that knows the true dharma of truth unites with the knowable principle of the Four Noble Truths, and the two are without divergence, such direct present observation is called direct realization (abhisamaya). For example, when a kṣatriya unites with a kṣatriya without divergence, and directly observes them present before oneself, this is called direct realization; the same should be understood for brahmins and so on. Direct realization also accomplishes many characteristics. Having realized such direct realization of truth, one attains the four wisdoms: regarding all suffering formations, if one dwells within all the various manaskāras and skillfully investigates, one attains the wisdom that there are only dharmas, the wisdom of non-annihilation, the wisdom of non-permanence, and the wisdom that conditioned formations arising from conditions are like an illusion.

The wisdom that knows refers to the sixth and seventh consciousnesses, which are able to see, know, and realize the dharma, possessing the wisdom of true observation. The knowable realm refers to the principles and dharmas observed by the sixth and seventh consciousnesses, such as the principle of the Four Noble Truths and the dharma of prajñā, and so on. When wisdom and realm unite together without contradiction, such direct present observation is called direct realization.

Uniting without divergence and without contradiction lies mainly in the wisdom realm—or the level of wisdom—of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses. When the wisdom is sufficient to correctly observe and cognize the dharma, it does not diverge from the principle-dharma, and it is direct present observation, not conjecture, inference, imagination, or analysis. As for dharmas present before oneself, whatever the facts are, that is what they are—observed and cognized through direct perception (pratyakṣa). This is called direct realization. At the moment of direct realization, one realizes the dharma and attains the dharma-wisdom and the analogous wisdom (anvaya-jñāna). Without direct realization, there is no dharma-wisdom or analogous wisdom, and no fruit of realization.

How does one distinguish whether one's observation of the dharma is direct present observation or not? For example, in contemplating the truth of suffering, one feels that the five aggregates are suffering. After directly observing that the five aggregates are suffering, one's inner cognition of suffering becomes very profound; at all times and in all places, with every thought, one perceives the suffering of the five aggregates, and with every thought one wishes to escape suffering and extinguish it. This mental state forms an uninterrupted manaskāra, without interruption. Uninterrupted manaskāra is the manaskāra that arises from the manas; the manas has perceived the suffering, not merely remaining on the surface of the mind consciousness. This is the result of direct present observation.

Suffering that is not directly observed does not form an uninterrupted manaskāra; it is intermittent, sometimes present and sometimes absent. One often forgets suffering and still pursues pleasure; the mind of renunciation is not strong, the resolve for awakening is not high, and the power of action is even weaker. When a pleasurable state appears, one loses oneself, sinking deep into the pleasurable state and no longer knowing suffering; one still has great hopes for the future, fantasizing about obtaining pleasure and maintaining it. Thus, while feeling suffering on one side and pursuing pleasure on the other, this state of the mind contradicting one's conduct is not direct present observation of suffering. Because those who lack direct realization have insufficient discriminating wisdom, they often mistake this situation for direct perception (pratyakṣa) and for having realized the dharma in practice; in fact, they are still quite a long distance from true realization.

The common characteristics of those who lack direct present observation are: afflictions are not removed, ignorance is not severed, words and deeds do not match, the exterior and interior do not match—saying one thing and doing another, pointing east while heading west. They speak of emptiness with their mouths, yet in their conduct they cling to existence everywhere, with nothing that is empty; they say "no-self" with their mouths, yet at all times and in all places it is all "self," and they cannot conceal it even when they try. Because they have not truly realized it, they do not know the state of body and mind after realization, nor do they know that what they think and do is contrary to the state of realization; therefore they simply cannot conceal their characteristics of being ordinary worldlings (pṛthagjana).