Distinguishing the Obstructions — Nine Fetters, Thirty Obstacles, and the Path Through Them
This page carries Ru-Yi's translation of Part Two of the Madhyāntavibhāga. Having distinguished the characteristics of false discrimination and emptiness in Part One, the treatise turns to what stands in the way of realizing them: five kinds of obstruction that divide the bodhisattva's path from the śrāvaka's, nine fetters that block true seeing, and — in the chapter's longest stretch — thirty distinct obstacles standing between an aspirant and ten good qualities, from the arising of bodhicitta itself through to final mastery, followed by the specific obstructions blocking each of the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment, each of the ten perfections, and each of the ten bodhisattva grounds.
Translation Method
As in Part 1, the Chinese source is Xuánzàng's translation of the root verses attributed to Maitreya, read with Vasubandhu's prose commentary beneath each one, and with Kuījī's 辯中邊論述記 (T1835) as a second layer of reading. This chapter is unusually list-heavy — obstructions are catalogued in sets of five, nine, thirty, ten, and ten again — so it is broken here into more, shorter sections than Part 1, each built around one such list. See also this site's note on translation method.
1. Five Kinds of Obstruction, Two Spiritual Lineages
The chapter opens by sorting every obstruction discussed in the rest of Part Two into five basic kinds — a framework the closing section returns to directly.
具分及一分， 增盛與平等，
於生死取捨， 說障二種性。
Complete and partial;
intensified and equal;
and taking hold of, or relinquishing, birth-and-death —
these are said to obstruct the two spiritual lineages.
論曰：具分障者，謂煩惱障及所知障，於諸菩薩種性法中具為障故。一分障者，謂煩惱障，障聲聞等種性法故。增盛障者，謂即彼貪等行。平等障者，謂即彼等分行。取捨生死，能障菩薩種性所得無住涅槃，名於生死有取捨障。如是五障隨其所應，說障菩薩及聲聞等二種種性。
What does this mean? "The complete obstruction" is the afflictive obstruction together with the cognitive obstruction, since both together obstruct the dharmas of the bodhisattva lineage. "The partial obstruction" is the afflictive obstruction alone, since it alone obstructs the dharmas of the śrāvaka and other lineages. "The intensified obstruction" is that same afflictive conduct when dominated by greed and its like. "The equal obstruction" is that same conduct when its afflictions are evenly balanced. "Taking hold of, or relinquishing, birth-and-death" can obstruct the bodhisattva lineage's attainment of non-abiding nirvāṇa — hence "the obstruction of taking hold of, or relinquishing, birth-and-death." These five obstructions, each as appropriate, obstruct the two lineages: the bodhisattva's, and the śrāvaka's and the rest.
Kuījī reads the fifth obstruction as the one that most distinctively marks the bodhisattva path. An arhat's own attainment requires only relinquishing birth-and-death outright; a bodhisattva who did the same would abandon sentient beings, while one who simply clung to birth-and-death would never reach non-abiding nirvāṇa at all. Only avoiding both — neither grasping saṃsāra nor fleeing it — opens onto the "great compassion" that the fifth obstruction, uniquely among the five, blocks only for bodhisattvas.
2. The Nine Fetters That Block True Seeing
The treatise's "regular practice obstruction" is the nine fetters — the first two blocking ordinary weariness and relinquishment, the remaining seven each blocking one of the seven kinds of full understanding that constitute the path of seeing.
九種煩惱相， 謂愛等九結，
初二障厭捨， 餘七障真見，
謂能障身見， 彼事滅道寶，
利養恭敬等， 遠離遍知故。
The nine characteristics of affliction
are the nine fetters, beginning with craving.
The first two obstruct weariness and relinquishment;
the remaining seven obstruct true seeing —
namely, the full understanding of the view of self,
its basis, cessation, the path, the [three] jewels,
gain and honor, and detachment —
[each] obstructed in turn.
論曰：煩惱障相略有九種，謂愛等九種結。愛結障厭，由此於順境不能厭離故。恚結障捨，由此於違境不能棄捨故。餘七結障真見，於七遍知如次障故。謂慢結能障偽身見遍知，修現觀時有間無間我慢現起，由此勢力彼不斷故。無明結能障身見事遍知，由此不知諸取蘊故。見結能障滅諦遍知，由薩迦耶及邊執見怖畏滅故，由邪見謗滅故。取結能障道諦遍知，取餘法為淨故。疑結能障三寶遍知，由此不信受三寶功德故。嫉結能障利養恭敬等遍知，由此不見彼過失故。慳結能障遠離遍知，由此貪著資生具故。
What does this mean? The character of the afflictive obstruction is, in brief, of nine kinds — the nine fetters, beginning with craving. The fetter of craving obstructs weariness, since through it one cannot grow weary of agreeable objects. The fetter of hatred obstructs relinquishment, since through it one cannot let go of disagreeable objects. The remaining seven fetters obstruct true seeing, each obstructing one of the seven kinds of full understanding, in order. The fetter of conceit obstructs the full understanding of the false view of self, since — even at intervals, during the direct realization of the path of cultivation — self-conceit still arises, and by its power that view is not cut off. The fetter of ignorance obstructs the full understanding of the basis of the view of self, since through it one does not know the aggregates that are grasped. The fetter of [wrong] views obstructs the full understanding of the truth of cessation, since the view of a real self and the extremist views dread cessation, and wrong view denies cessation outright. The fetter of grasping obstructs the full understanding of the truth of the path, since it grasps other things as pure. The fetter of doubt obstructs the full understanding of the three jewels, since through it one does not believe in and accept their virtues. The fetter of envy obstructs the full understanding of gain and honor, since through it one does not see their faults. The fetter of stinginess obstructs the full understanding of detachment, since through it one clings to the requisites of life.
3. Thirty Obstructions to Ten Good Qualities
The chapter's longest single argument names ten good qualities that trace the bodhisattva path from its very beginning to its consummation — good, bodhi, the arising of bodhicitta, wisdom, freedom from confusion, freedom from obstruction, dedication, fearlessness, non-stinginess, and mastery — and gives each exactly three obstructions.
無加行非處， 不如理不生，
不起正思惟， 資糧未圓滿。
No effort; effort in the wrong place; effort not rightly made —
[the good] not arising;
right reflection not arising;
the provisions [for enlightenment] not yet complete.
闕種性善友、 心極疲厭性，
及闕於正行、 鄙惡者同居；
Lacking the lineage, lacking a good friend,
a mind utterly wearied;
lacking right practice,
and dwelling among the base and the malicious.
倒麁重三餘、 般若未成熟，
及本性麁重、 懈怠放逸性；
Inverted heaviness; a remainder of the three [afflictions];
wisdom not yet matured;
and innate heaviness, indolence,
and negligence.
著有著資財、 及心性下劣，
不信無勝解、 如言而思義；
Clinging to existence, clinging to wealth,
and a mind by nature base;
no trust, no confident understanding,
and reasoning only as the words themselves say.
輕法重名利、 於有情無悲，
匱聞及少聞、 不修治妙定。
Slighting the Dharma, prizing fame and gain,
no compassion for sentient beings;
a dearth of learning, or scant learning,
and not cultivating excellent absorption.
善菩提攝受， 有慧無亂障，
迴向不怖慳， 自在名善等。
Good, bodhi, and embracing [bodhicitta];
wisdom, freedom from confusion, and freedom from obstruction;
dedication, fearlessness, and non-stinginess;
and mastery — these are named "the good" and the rest.
如是善等十， 各有前三障。
Thus the good and the other nine —
each has the three obstructions just given.
論曰：善有三障，一無加行，二非處加行，三不如理加行。菩提有三障，一不生善法，二不起正思惟，三資糧未圓滿。發菩提心名為攝受，此有三障，一闕種性、二闕善友、三心極疲厭性。有慧者，謂菩薩，於了此性有三種障，一闕正行、二鄙者共住、三惡者共住。此中鄙者，謂愚癡類，樂毀壞他名為惡者。無亂有三障，一顛倒麁重、二煩惱等三障中隨一有餘性、三能成熟解脫慧未成熟。性障斷滅名無障，此有三障，一俱生麁重、二懈怠性、三放逸性。迴向有三障，令心向餘不向無上正等菩提，一貪著諸有、二貪著資財、三心下劣性。不怖有三障，一不信重補特伽羅、二於法無勝解、三如言而思義。不慳有三障，一不尊重正法、二尊重名譽利養恭敬、三於諸有情心無悲愍。自在有三障令不得自在，一匱聞生長能感匱法業故、二少聞、三不修治勝三摩地。
What does this mean? Good has three obstructions: first, making no effort; second, making effort in the wrong place; third, making effort in a way that does not accord with reality. Bodhi has three obstructions: first, wholesome dharmas not arising; second, right reflection not arising; third, the provisions [for enlightenment] not yet complete. Arousing the mind of bodhi is called embracing; this has three obstructions: first, lacking the [bodhisattva] lineage; second, lacking a good friend; third, a mind utterly wearied. "Having wisdom" refers to the bodhisattva; in fully understanding this nature there are three obstructions: first, lacking right practice; second, dwelling together with the base; third, dwelling together with the malicious. Here, "the base" means those of a foolish and deluded kind, while "the malicious" means those who delight in destroying others' [good works]. Freedom from confusion has three obstructions: first, the heaviness of inverted [views]; second, any one of the three obstructions — affliction and the rest — remaining in some residual degree; third, the wisdom capable of maturing into liberation not yet having matured. The extinguishing of the [remaining] obstructive nature is called freedom from obstruction; this has three obstructions: first, innate heaviness; second, indolence; third, negligence. Dedication has three obstructions, causing the mind to turn elsewhere rather than toward unsurpassed, perfect bodhi: first, clinging to [various modes of] existence; second, clinging to wealth; third, a mind base by nature. Fearlessness has three obstructions: first, not trusting and honoring [the teacher as] a person; second, having no confident understanding of the Dharma; third, reasoning only as far as the words themselves say. Non-stinginess has three obstructions: first, not honoring the true Dharma; second, honoring fame, gain, and honor instead; third, having no compassion for sentient beings. Mastery has three obstructions that prevent its attainment: first, a dearth of learning, arising from karma that brings about a lack of the Dharma; second, scant learning; third, not cultivating excellent absorption.
Kuījī reads these ten as tracing a single continuous path, not ten unrelated virtues, and the treatise itself makes the sequence explicit immediately afterward: good roots must first arise, sustained by which one abides securely in bodhi; to make those roots grow, one next arouses the mind of bodhi itself, the support for one's whole bodhisattva nature; upheld by that aspiration and those roots, one cuts off confused inversion — the path of seeing; freed from confusion, one cuts off every remaining obstruction in the path of cultivation; having cut them off, one dedicates all one's good roots to unsurpassed bodhi; dedication removes fear before the Dharma's depth; fearlessness lets one see its excellent virtues and teach it to others without stinginess; and all of this together, sustained by these accumulating virtues, brings swift attainment of unsurpassed bodhi and mastery over all dharmas. Kuījī maps this sequence directly onto the five paths: the first three good qualities belong to the paths of provisioning and preparation, the fourth to the path of seeing, the fifth through the tenth to the path of cultivation across the ten grounds, with the very last — mastery — reached only in buddhahood itself.
4. The Ten Kinds of Causal Function
Having named thirty obstructions, the treatise steps back to ask a more basic question: in what sense does an "obstruction" actually function as a cause at all? It borrows a standard Abhidharma list of ten kinds of causal function, illustrated with ten ordinary analogies, and maps all ten directly onto the ten good qualities just discussed.
「能作有十種， 謂生、住、持、照、
變、分離、轉變、 信解、顯、至得，
如識、因、食、地、 燈、火、鎌、工巧，
烟、因聖道等， 於識等所作。」
"There are ten kinds of causal function:
generating, sustaining, upholding, illuminating,
transforming, separating, converting,
evidencing, revealing, and attaining —
like the [faculty] for consciousness, [food] for [life's] cause,
[the ground] for [the world], a lamp, fire, a sickle, a craftsman,
smoke [for fire], a reason [for a thesis], the noble path [for nirvāṇa] —
these are the functions performed with respect to consciousness and the rest."
論曰：十能作者：一生起能作，如眼等於眼識等。二安住能作，如四食於有情。三任持能作，謂能任持，如器世間於有情世間。四照了能作，如光明於諸色。五變壞能作，如火等於所熟等。六分離能作，如鎌等於所斷等。七轉變能作，如金師等轉變金等成鐶釧等。八信解能作，如烟等於火等。九顯了能作，如因於宗。十至得能作，如聖道等於涅槃等。
What does this mean? The ten kinds of causal function: first, the function of generating — as the eye and the other faculties are for eye-consciousness and the rest. Second, the function of sustaining — as the four kinds of food are for a sentient being. Third, the function of upholding — the capacity to uphold, as the vessel-world is for the world of sentient beings. Fourth, the function of illuminating — as light is for forms. Fifth, the function of transforming — as fire and the like are for what is cooked. Sixth, the function of separating — as a sickle and the like are for what is cut. Seventh, the function of converting — as a goldsmith converts gold into bracelets and rings. Eighth, the function of evidencing — as smoke is for [inferring] fire. Ninth, the function of revealing — as a reason is for [establishing] a thesis. Tenth, the function of attaining — as the noble path is for [attaining] nirvāṇa.
論曰：於善等障，應知亦然。一生起障，謂於其善，以諸善法應生起故。二安住障，謂於菩提，以大菩提不可動故。三任持障，謂於攝受，以菩提心能任持故。四照了障，謂於有慧，以有慧性應照了故。五變壞障，謂於無亂，轉滅迷亂名變壞故。六分離障，謂於無障，此於障離繫故。七轉變障，謂於迴向，以菩提心轉變相故。八信解障，謂於不怖，無信解者有怖畏故。九現了障，謂於不慳，於法無慳者，為他顯了故。十至得障，謂於自在此是能得自在相故。
The obstructions to the good and the rest should be understood in the same way. First, the obstruction of generating pertains to the good, since wholesome dharmas ought to be generated. Second, the obstruction of sustaining pertains to bodhi, since great bodhi cannot be shaken. Third, the obstruction of upholding pertains to embracing [bodhicitta], since the mind of bodhi is able to uphold it. Fourth, the obstruction of illuminating pertains to wisdom, since wisdom's nature ought to illuminate. Fifth, the obstruction of transforming pertains to freedom from confusion, since it transforms and extinguishes confusion. Sixth, the obstruction of separating pertains to freedom from obstruction, since this is freed from the obstruction's bondage. Seventh, the obstruction of converting pertains to dedication, since the mind of bodhi converts [merit] into this very aspect. Eighth, the obstruction of evidencing pertains to fearlessness, since one without confident understanding has fear. Ninth, the obstruction of revealing pertains to non-stinginess, since one without stinginess toward the Dharma reveals it clearly to others. Tenth, the obstruction of attaining pertains to mastery, since this is the very aspect of attaining mastery.
論曰：謂有欲證無上菩提，於勝善根先應生起，勝善根力所任持故，必得安住無上菩提。為令善根得增長故，次應發起大菩提心，此菩提心與菩薩性為所依止。如是菩薩由已發起大菩提心及勝善根力所持故，斷諸亂倒起無亂倒。由見道中無亂倒故，次於修道斷一切障。既斷障已，持諸善根迴向無上正等菩提。由迴向力所任持故，於深廣法便無怖畏。既無怖畏，便於彼法見勝功德，能廣為他宣說開示。菩薩如是種種功德力所持故，疾證無上正等菩提，於一切法皆得自在，是名善等十義次第。
One who wishes to attain unsurpassed bodhi must first generate excellent good roots; sustained by the power of these roots, one is certain to abide securely in unsurpassed bodhi. So that these roots may grow, one next arouses the great mind of bodhi, which becomes the very support of one's bodhisattva nature. Upheld by this aroused mind of bodhi and the power of the good roots, one cuts off every confused inversion and gives rise to freedom from it. Because there is freedom from confused inversion in the path of seeing, one next, in the path of cultivation, cuts off every remaining obstruction. Having cut them off, one dedicates all one's good roots to unsurpassed, perfect bodhi. Upheld by the power of this dedication, one is free of fear before the profound and vast Dharma. Being without fear, one sees its excellent virtues and proclaims it widely to others. Upheld by all these virtues together, the bodhisattva swiftly attains unsurpassed, perfect bodhi and mastery over all dharmas. This is the sequential meaning of the good and the other nine.
5. Obstructions to the Thirty-Seven Factors of Enlightenment
The treatise now moves from the ten good qualities in general to specific obstructions blocking the classical thirty-seven factors of enlightenment — the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right exertions, the four bases of power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, and the eightfold noble path.
於事不善巧， 懈怠、定減二，
不植羸劣性， 見麁重過失。
Lack of skill regarding their object; indolence;
concentration deficient in two respects;
not having planted [the roots], a weakened nature;
the fault of [wrong] views, the fault of coarse heaviness.
論曰：於四念住有於諸事不善巧障。於四正斷有懈怠障。於四神足有三摩地減二事障，一於圓滿欲勤心觀隨減一故、二於修習八斷行中隨減一故。於五根有不植圓滿順解脫分勝善根障。於五力有羸劣性障，謂即五根由障所雜有羸劣性。於七等覺支有見過失障，此是見道所顯示故。於八聖道支有麁重過失障，此是修道所顯示故。
What does this mean? For the four foundations of mindfulness, there is the obstruction of lacking skill regarding their objects. For the four right exertions, there is the obstruction of indolence. For the four bases of power, there is the obstruction of concentration deficient in two respects: first, any one of the four — aspiration, effort, mind, and investigation — being deficient; second, any one of the eight abandoning-factors cultivated with them being deficient. For the five faculties, there is the obstruction of not having planted the excellent good roots that fully accord with the portion leading to liberation. For the five powers, there is the obstruction of a weakened nature — these same five faculties, mixed with obstruction, weakened in their power. For the seven factors of enlightenment, there is the obstruction of the fault of [wrong] views, since this is what the path of seeing reveals. For the eightfold noble path, there is the obstruction of the fault of coarse heaviness, since this is what the path of cultivation reveals.
6. Obstructions to the Ten Perfections
Turning from the factors of enlightenment to the ten pāramitās, the treatise names, for each, the specific fruit its practice yields — and the obstruction that blocks that fruit.
障富貴、善趣、 不捨諸有情、
於失德減增、 令趣入、解脫，
障施等諸善、 無盡亦無間、
所作善決定、 受用法成熟。
The obstruction of wealth and rank; of a fortunate rebirth;
of not abandoning sentient beings;
of decreasing faults and increasing virtues; of causing entry;
of liberation;
of generosity and the other virtues [never being] exhausted,
nor ever interrupted;
of the good one does being made certain;
and of experiencing the Dharma and maturing others.
論曰：此說十種波羅蜜多所得果障，以顯十種波羅蜜多自性之障。謂於布施波羅蜜多說富貴自在障；於淨戒波羅蜜多說善趣障；於安忍波羅蜜多說不捨有情障；於精進波羅蜜多說減過失增功德障；於靜慮波羅蜜多說令所化趣入法障；於般若波羅蜜多說解脫障；於方便善巧波羅蜜多說施等善無窮盡障，由此迴向無上菩提，令施等善無窮盡故；於願波羅蜜多說一切生中善無間轉障，由大願力攝受能順善法生故；於力波羅蜜多說所作善得決定障，由思擇力及修習力能伏彼障，非彼伏故；於智波羅蜜多說自他受用法成熟障，不如聞言而覺義故。
What does this mean? This speaks of the obstructions to the ten pāramitās' attained fruits, so as to display the obstructions to the ten pāramitās' own natures. For the pāramitā of generosity, the obstruction of wealth and mastery; for the pāramitā of pure morality, the obstruction of a fortunate rebirth; for the pāramitā of patience, the obstruction of not abandoning sentient beings; for the pāramitā of diligence, the obstruction of decreasing faults and increasing virtues; for the pāramitā of meditative concentration, the obstruction of causing those to be trained to enter the Dharma; for the pāramitā of wisdom, the obstruction of liberation; for the pāramitā of skillful means, the obstruction of generosity and the other virtues never being exhausted — since through it they are dedicated to unsurpassed bodhi, making generosity and the rest inexhaustible; for the pāramitā of the vow, the obstruction of the good never being interrupted throughout every rebirth — since the power of the great vow draws forth rebirths that accord with wholesome dharmas; for the pāramitā of power, the obstruction of the good one does being made certain — since the power of reflective judgment and the power of cultivation subdue that obstruction, and are never subdued by it; for the pāramitā of gnosis, the obstruction of experiencing the Dharma oneself and maturing others — since without it one fails to awaken to its meaning beyond what is merely heard and spoken.
Kuījī notes this list uses the fuller, ten-pāramitā scheme this site's Mahāyānasaṃgraha also follows — the familiar six (generosity, morality, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and wisdom as prajñā) extended by four more: skillful means, the vow, power, and gnosis (jñāna). The tenth, gnosis, is deliberately distinguished from the sixth, prajñā: prajñā is the wisdom that first realizes liberation directly, while jñāna is the further capacity to put that realization to use — teaching others accurately, and personally enjoying the Dharma's fruit, rather than reciting it only "as far as the words say."
7. Obstructions to the Ten Grounds
The chapter's final catalogue turns to the ten bodhisattva grounds, naming what aspect of the dharma-realm is realized at each one, and the specific ignorance that obstructs that realization — closing with the four masteries a bodhisattva gains only in the last three grounds.
遍行與最勝， 勝流及無攝，
相續無差別， 無雜染清淨，
種種法無別， 及不增不減，
并無分別等， 四自在依義。
Universal presence, and supremacy;
supreme outflow, and nothing further to be grasped;
the sameness of the mind-stream, neither defiled nor pure;
no difference among the various dharmas, and neither increase nor decrease;
and non-discrimination and the rest —
the basis of the four masteries.
於斯十法界， 有不染無明，
障十地功德， 故說為十障。
Within these ten aspects of the dharma-realm
there is a non-afflictive ignorance
that obstructs the virtues of the ten grounds —
hence these are called the ten obstructions.
論曰：於遍行等十法界中有不染無知障，十地功德如次建立為十地障。謂初地中所證法界名遍行義，由通達此，證得自他平等法性。第二地中所證法界名最勝義，由通達此，作是思惟：是故我今於同出離一切行相應遍修治，是為勤修相應出離。第三地中所證法界名勝流義，由通達此，知所聞法是淨法界最勝等流，為求此法，設有火坑量等三千大千世界，投身而取不以為難。第四地中所證法界名無攝義，由通達此，乃至法愛亦皆轉滅。第五地中所證法界名為相續無差別義，由通達此，得十意樂平等淨心。第六地中所證法界名無雜染無清淨義，由通達此，知緣起法無染無淨。第七地中所證法界名種種法無差別義，由通達此，知法無相，不行契經等種種法相中。第八地中所證法界名不增不減義，由通達此，圓滿證得無生法忍，於諸清淨雜染法中不見一法有增有減。
What does this mean? Within these ten aspects of the dharma-realm — universal presence and the rest — there is a non-afflictive ignorance that obstructs each; the virtues of the ten grounds are established, in order, as the ten obstructions. In the first ground, the dharma-realm realized is called the meaning of universal presence; by penetrating this, one attains the sameness of nature between oneself and others. In the second ground, it is called the meaning of supremacy; by penetrating this, one reflects: "Since this is the same everywhere, I must now thoroughly cultivate every practice conducive to renunciation" — this is diligently cultivating what accords with renunciation. In the third ground, it is called the meaning of supreme outflow; by penetrating this, one knows the Dharma one hears is the supreme outflow of the pure dharma-realm, and in seeking it would cast oneself into a pit of fire as vast as a great trichiliocosm without finding it difficult. In the fourth ground, it is called the meaning of nothing further to be grasped; by penetrating this, even attachment to the Dharma is dissolved. In the fifth ground, it is called the meaning of the sameness of the mind-stream; by penetrating this, one attains ten kinds of equanimous, pure aspiration. In the sixth ground, it is called the meaning of being neither defiled nor pure; by penetrating this, one knows dependently arisen dharmas are neither defiled nor pure. In the seventh ground, it is called the meaning of no difference among the various dharmas; by penetrating this, one knows dharmas are without characteristics, and does not proceed by discriminating among the various characteristics of the scriptures. In the eighth ground, it is called the meaning of neither increase nor decrease; by penetrating this, one fully attains the forbearance of the non-arising of dharmas, seeing not a single dharma, pure or defiled, either increase or decrease.
論曰：有四自在：一無分別自在、二淨土自在、三智自在、四業自在。法界為此四種所依，名四自在所依止義。第八地中唯能通達初二自在所依止義。第九地中亦能通達智自在所依義，圓滿證得無礙解故。第十地中復能通達業自在所依義，隨欲化作種種利樂有情事故。
There are four masteries: mastery of non-discrimination, mastery over pure lands, mastery of wisdom, and mastery of activity. The dharma-realm is the basis for all four — hence "the basis of the four masteries." In the eighth ground, one is able to penetrate only the basis of the first two masteries. In the ninth ground, one is further able to penetrate the basis of the mastery of wisdom, since one there fully attains unobstructed understanding. In the tenth ground, one is further able to penetrate the basis of the mastery of activity, freely manifesting every manner of deed that benefits and delights sentient beings, according to one's wish.
Kuījī stresses that this "non-afflictive ignorance" (不染無知) obstructing each ground is not affliction in the ordinary sense — an arhat has none of it left, yet still lacks the specific realization each bodhisattva ground brings. It is, in other words, exactly the cognitive obstruction rather than the afflictive one: subtle, non-defiling, and blocking only full omniscience, never blocking an arhat's own liberation from suffering. He also draws the direct parallel this treatise itself invites: the ten grounds' dharma-realm meanings, one by one, track the same ten-ground structure this site's Mahāyānasaṃgraha sets out at greater length, confirming that both treatises describe a single shared path.
8. The Two Hindrances, and Eleven Kinds of Obstruction in Summary
The chapter closes by folding every obstruction named so far back into the two hindrances familiar from this site's other Yogācāra texts — the afflictive obstruction and the cognitive obstruction — and then restating the whole chapter as a single list of eleven.
已說諸煩惱， 及諸所知障，
許此二盡故， 一切障解脫。
The afflictions have now been explained,
and likewise the cognitive obstructions;
since these two, once exhausted, are accepted [as the whole] —
every obstruction is thereby released.
論曰：由此二種攝一切障故，許此盡時一切障解脫。前障總義有十一種：一廣大障，謂具分障。二狹小障，謂一分障。三加行障，謂增盛障。四至得障，謂平等障。五殊勝障，謂取捨生死障。六正加行障，謂九煩惱障。七因障，謂於善等十能作障。八入真實障，謂覺分障。九無上淨障，謂到彼岸障。十此差別趣障，謂十地障。十一攝障，謂略二障。
What does this mean? Since these two kinds together comprise every obstruction, it is accepted that when these are exhausted, every obstruction is released. The obstructions explained above amount, in total, to eleven kinds: first, the vast obstruction — the complete obstruction. Second, the narrow obstruction — the partial obstruction. Third, the obstruction to effort — the intensified obstruction. Fourth, the obstruction to attainment — the equal obstruction. Fifth, the excellent obstruction — the obstruction of taking hold of, or relinquishing, birth-and-death. Sixth, the obstruction to right effort — the nine afflictive obstructions. Seventh, the causal obstruction — the ten causal-function obstructions to the good and the rest. Eighth, the obstruction to entering reality — the obstruction to the factors of enlightenment. Ninth, the obstruction to unsurpassed purity — the obstruction to the perfections. Tenth, the obstruction to this differentiated attainment — the obstruction to the grounds. Eleventh, the summary obstruction — the two hindrances, in brief.
Kuījī is explicit that this final elevenfold list is Vasubandhu's own retrospective summary, not an eleventh category standing alongside the five, nine, thirty, and twenty already given — it simply recounts the chapter's five real divisions of content under eleven labels, so that a reader can see at a glance how every obstruction named, from the very first verse to the last, ultimately reduces to nothing more than the afflictive obstruction and the cognitive obstruction acting together.
Part Two Complete
This closes Part Two of Ru-Yi's translation: the five basic kinds of obstruction dividing the bodhisattva and śrāvaka lineages, the nine fetters blocking true seeing, the thirty obstructions standing between an aspirant and the ten good qualities that carry the path from its beginning to its consummation, and the specific obstructions blocking the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment, the ten perfections, and the ten grounds — all of it, in the end, nothing more than the afflictive and cognitive hindrances at work. Part Three turns to the treatise's third topic: reality itself, in ten forms.
Continue to Part 3 — Distinguishing Reality →