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The Thirty-Seven Limbs of Enlightenment
From The Ta Chih Tu Lun Chapter 31 Chuan 19 (Part II)

Professor Lewis Lancaster

The Question about the Four Applications of Mindfulness

Question:
If the Four Applications of Mindfulness can completely perfect the Path, why speak of the Thirty-seven? If you because of conciseness speak of the Four Applications of Mindfulness, and of The Thirty-Seven when speaking in detail, this (procedure) is not acceptable. Why is this the case? If one were to speak in detail the (speaking) would be endless.

Answer:
Even thought the Path can be attained when the Four Applications of Mindfulness alone are perfected, still one should speak of the Four Right Efforts (Samyakprahana) and all of the other (Thirty-Seven) Dharmas. What is the reason for this? It is because the thoughts of sentient beings are varied, and the Dharmas which are pleasing to them and which they understand are likewise varied. Although the Buddha’s Dharma possesses one truth and one mark, for the sake of sentient beings he resorts to differentiated teachings in the Twelve Sections of the Sutras and the 84,000 Dharmas. If it were not this way, the first turning of the Dharma Wheel, when the Four Noble Truths were taught, would have been sufficient and there would have been no need for further Dharma (teaching).

Since there are sentient beings who abhor suffering and are attached to pleasure, he has taught the Four Noble Truths for them (as follows):

  1. All the Dharmas of body and mind are suffering and lack any pleasure,
  2. The causes and conditions of suffering are (to be found) in craving and all the defilements,
  3. The place where suffering is extinguished is called Nirvana;
  4. With Skill in Means (upaya) one reaches Nirvana and this is the Path.

There are sentient beings who have many confused thoughts, and, their thoughts being perverted (viparyasa), they are attached to this body, to feelings, thoughts and Dharmas and consequently perform wrong deeds. It is for these people that the Four Applications of Mindfulness were taught. So it is that all the Paths and Dharmas were taught separately for (different) individuals. For example, a physician cannot cure all diseases by using one single drug. Because diseases are not all the same, the drugs themselves cannot be (limited) to one (kind). The Buddhas in the same way, depending on the various mental ills of men, used a variety of "drugs" to cure them. He sometimes taught but one Dharma to deliver beings, as in the case when he said to one Bhiksu: "Do not take what does not belong to you."

The Bhiksu said: "(I) know, O! Bhagavan."

The Buddha asked: "What do you know?"

The Bhiksu replied: "All Dharmas are not mine, I should not grasp them."

At other times, the Buddha used two Dharmas to deliver beings, namely: (1) concentration (samadhi) and (2) wisdom (prajna); or sometimes three: (1) morality (sila) (2) concentration (3) wisdom. On other occasions he used Four Dharmas—the Four Applications of Mindfulness. Thus it is that the Four Applications of Mindfulness alone can attain to the Path. The rest of the Dharmas differ (from them) in respect to practice, specific number and intuitive view. Therefore, the Four Right Efforts and all the other Dharmas should also be taught. Further, the Bodhisattvas, Mahasattvas, because the power of their faith is great and in order to save all sentient beings, were taught all Thirty-Seven (Limbs of Enlightenment) by the Buddha at the same time.

If we talk about the various Dharmas such as the Ten Notions (samjna) and the like, they are all contained in The Thirty-Seven Limbs of Enlightenment. Thus, The Thirty-Seven are like a mixture of various drugs which can effectively cure all the diseases of sentient beings and for this reason there is no need for a great deal of (further) discussion. An illustration (of this principle) is that although the Buddha has infinite power, only Ten Powers (bala) are listed, since they are sufficient to save sentient beings.

These Thirty-Seven have Ten Dharmas as their foundation. What are the ten?

    1. Faith (sraddha)
    2. Morality (sila)
    3. Thoughtful Intentions (samkalpa)
    4. Vigor (virya)
    5. Mindfulness (smrti)
    6. Concentration (samadhi)
    7. Wisdom (prajna)
    8. Tranquility (prasrabdhi)
    9. Rapture (prithi)
    10. Even-Mindfulness (upeksa).

(1) Faith is faith as Faculty (indriya) and as Power.

(2) Morality is Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood.

(3) (Explanation missing in text.)

(4) Vigor is the Four Right Efforts: Vigor as Faculty; vigor as Power; vigor as Enlightenment-
   Limb; and Right Endeavor

(5) Mindfulness is mindfulness as Faculty, mindfulness as Power, mindfulness as Enlightenment-
   Limb and Right Mindfulness.

(6) Concentration is the Four Bases of Psychic Powers (rddhipada); concentration as Faculty;
   concentration as Power; concentration as Enlightenment-Limb; and Right Concentration.

(7) Wisdom is the Four Applications of Mindfulness: wisdom as Faculty; wisdom as Power and
   investigation into Dharmas; wisdom as Enlightenment-Limb; and Right View.

(8-10) (Explanation missing in text.)

When mindfulness of these Dharmas is firmly established in accord with the conditions of wisdom, then it is called the Application of Mindfulness. Because it destroys all evil Dharmas and enables one to practice the right Path, it is called Right Effort. Since it enables the mind under secure control to move with safety and comfort in the conditioned realm (samskrta), it is called the Psychic Power. Attaining to a flexible mind, it is called Faculty, and to a mind of knowledge, it is called Power. Since it is the way of the practice of the Path, it is called Enlightenment-Limb, and being the way of intuitively viewing the path, it is called the Path.


An Eye Has Appeared
in the palm of each hand.
Have you noticed it? Investigated it?
What in the world is a hand doing with an eye in it?
Or have you let it slip by as "too occult", and
missed its wonderful meaning and even more wonderful use?

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