The Gate of Stopping and Verifying Wholesome Capacity

Fascicle Three, Upper Part
Spoken by the Great Master Zhiyi of Tiantai, of the Sui dynasty
Recorded by his disciple Fashen
Revised and edited by his disciple Guanding

Second, clarifying the internal expedient means for cultivating dhyāna-pāramitā: this opens into five layers — first, clarifying the gate of stopping; second, clarifying how to verify wholesome and unwholesome capacity; third, clarifying the methods for settling the mind; fourth, clarifying the treatment of illness; fifth, clarifying the recognition of demonic affairs. All five of these are called, in general, the internal expedient means, because they concern the skillful application of a still, refined mind at the very moment concentration first begins to arise — taking up and setting aside without ever losing what is proper to the moment — and it is through this that deep dhyāna-concentration is certain to be realized; hence they are called expedient means.

Here, within the internal expedient means, stopping is taken as the first gate, because every merit of dhyāna-concentration is brought forth only through restraining the mind and stilling its confusion — hence the sūtra says: "Restrain it to a single place, and there is nothing that cannot be accomplished." This is exactly the intent behind taking stopping as the first gate.

Question: Above, in explaining the external expedient means, within the practice of the five dharmas, one-pointedness of mind has already been distinguished — why explain it again here? Answer: This does not follow. What was given above only discussed one-pointedness of mind in a general way; it was not yet a complete, detailed distinguishing of the fine and subtle method of the gate of stopping. Here, in order to let the practitioner properly know the very root of settling the mind, the marks of cultivating stopping — shallow and deep, coarse and fine, entering concentration — are explained fully and at length; there is no fault in explaining it once more.

Question: The sūtras speak of two gates to the deathless — the gate of the contemplation of impurity, and the gate of mindfulness of the breath — they do not speak of stopping as the first gate. How, then, can it now be said that stopping is the first gate? Answer: This does not follow. Among the various dhyānas, stopping is the general gate, and the general encompasses the specific, while the specific does not encompass the general — hence stopping is taught first. If, after stopping, one then enters any other dhyāna, there is a general benefit gained; but if one relies on some other gate alone, there is the fault of a mismatch. The same holds for treating affliction.

Furthermore, teachers here are clarified as being of two kinds. The first kind of teacher has already attained the eye of the path, observes each student's capacity, and bestows the teaching accordingly — necessarily matching it to that student's own prior habituation, skillfully recognizing the proper antidote. Not to do so is like Śāriputra teaching his two disciples: not knowing their capacity, he taught the contemplation of impurity to the son of a goldsmith, and taught mindfulness of the breath to the son of a launderer — going against their own prior habituation, so that the practice failed to take hold, and wrong views arose instead. The Buddha, redirecting their contemplations, brought them at once to realize the fruit of the path.

The second kind of teacher lacks the wisdom to know another's mind, has not attained the eye of the path, and cannot recognize a student's capacity. For such a teacher, whoever comes to learn sitting meditation should simply be taught the gate of stopping first — since, as the mind settles into concentration, wholesome and unwholesome capacities are thereby brought forth of themselves. If, through a stilled mind, the various dhyānas are brought forth, the teacher should then teach in accordance with, and building upon, that student's own foundation. If no dharma-gate is brought forth at all, or if craving, anger, delusion, or other fetters are instead brought forth, the teacher should, according to whichever predominates, teach the corresponding antidote to break it — removing what obstructs the path, so that dhyāna-concentration can then be brought forth.

That the gate of stopping is given first here is precisely the proper intent behind how the second kind of teacher bestows the teaching. If this order were otherwise, the causes and conditions of wholesome and unwholesome capacity would be hard to distinguish, and bestowing some other teaching at random would necessarily result in a mismatch with the student's actual capacity.

Within the gate of stopping, there are four parts in itself: first, distinguishing the different kinds of the gate of stopping; second, establishing the great intent of stopping; third, clarifying the method of cultivating stopping; fourth, distinguishing the marks that verify stopping.

First, distinguishing the different kinds of the gate of stopping: this has two parts — stopping discussed in terms of practice, and stopping discussed in terms of principle.

First, stopping explained in terms of practice has many approaches; here, in brief, three are given: fixed-object stopping; restraining-the-mind stopping; and embodying-truth stopping. The reason "stopping" is used as the general term for all three: "stopping" means restraining, and also means bringing to rest. When the mind arises, restraining it and not letting it flow off — hence it is called restraining. Applying the mind single-mindedly with settled intent, bringing every scattered thought to rest — hence it is called stopping.

Now, as for fixed-object stopping: fixing the mind on the bridge of the nose, the navel, or some other such place, not letting it run off and wander — hence it is called fixed-object stopping. As for restraining-the-mind stopping: whenever coarse or subtle discursive thought arises in the mind, restraining it at once so that it does not arise — hence it is called restraining-the-mind stopping. As for embodying-truth stopping: embodying the emptiness of all dharmas, bringing every deluded deliberation to rest — hence it is called embodying-truth stopping.

Second, stopping explained in terms of principle likewise has many approaches; here, in brief, three are given: stopping that follows conditions; stopping that has entered concentration; and stopping of the true nature.

Stopping that follows conditions: whenever the mind arises, a factor of samādhi is already present within it — hence the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says, "The concentration among the ten mental factors of the great ground is called the lower concentration." Stopping that has entered concentration: at the very moment concentration is realized, the dharma of concentration itself sustains the mind, and the mind and breath come to rest and abide — this is stopping that has entered concentration. Stopping of the true nature: the principle of the very nature of mind is, of itself, forever unmoving — hence it is called stopping; and so the Sūtra of Contemplating the Increase of Goodness says, "All sentient beings are, of themselves, already the concentration of cessation."

These three senses now serve to complete the three kinds of stopping given above: in terms of a concentration already present by following conditions and according with one's own nature, fixed-object stopping is spoken of; in terms of the dharma of concentration present in the fruit, restraining-the-mind stopping is spoken of; and owing to the unmoving nature already fully possessed, embodying-truth stopping is spoken of.

Second, clarifying the great intent of establishing stopping: this itself has four parts — first, clarifying the shallow and the deep; second, mutual antidoting; third, following inclination; fourth, matching capacity.

First, distinguishing that the marks of shallowness and depth differ among the three kinds of stopping: since one proceeds from the coarse into the fine, there is necessarily a sense of shallow and deep. Fixed-object stopping and restraining-the-mind stopping are both matters of practical technique, and so are coarse and shallow; embodying-truth stopping enters into the fine, and so is deep and subtle.

Second, clarifying that the three kinds of stopping mutually break through one another as antidotes: this is of two kinds — first, the deep breaking through the shallow; second, each breaking through the others in turn.

As for the deep breaking through the shallow: fixed-object stopping is established in order to break through the scattered mind that takes external objects. Restraining-the-mind stopping then breaks through fixed-object stopping in turn: the mind is not a material thing — how could it truly be fixed at the nose or the diaphragm or any such place? If one wishes to still it, one need only bring every chasing after objects to rest, restraining the mind instead to hold to the one. Embodying-truth stopping then breaks through the prior restraining-the-mind stopping in turn: the mind has no fixed shape or form, and its very nature cannot be found — how, then, could it be restrained at all? Once it is understood that mind is not fixed as mind, and no deluded thought arises, then a stopping that stops nothing, a stopping with nothing at all left to stop, is what is truly called stopping. A stopping that still has something to stop still depends on deluded thought, and so cannot properly be called stopping. This, then, is the deep breaking through the shallow, turning back to the very root and returning to the source — hence the three kinds of stopping are established in this order.

Second, as for each breaking through the others in turn: whenever, in the course of cultivating stopping, some wrong view arises, whichever of the three kinds of stopping serves as its antidote should be taken up in turn to break through it — this can be understood upon careful examination.

Third, as for following inclination: some people delight in settling the mind upon an object, others delight simply in restraining the mind, and others again in embodying truth. If one is taught according to what one delights in, the teaching is joyfully received and put into practice; but if it goes against one's own inclination, the mind has no wish to delight in it.

Fourth, as for matching capacity: this need not always follow mere inclination. There are cases where a person delights in and wishes for embodying truth, and yet does not thereby enter concentration; whereas if the mind is temporarily fixed upon holding to an object instead, the various dhyānas are brought forth. In such a case, the teaching should be given according to whatever is actually suited to the moment.

Third, clarifying the method of cultivating stopping: this too has three parts — cultivating fixed-object stopping; cultivating restraining-the-mind stopping; and cultivating embodying-truth stopping.

First, clarifying the method of cultivating fixed-object stopping: in brief, there are five places given — first, fixing the mind at the crown of the head; second, fixing the mind at the hairline; third, fixing the mind at the bridge of the nose; fourth, fixing the mind at the navel; fifth, fixing the mind at the ground-wheel, the base of the body. A foreign Tripiṭaka master named Kanacoṭi called this the five-gate dhyāna. Question: the mind can be fixed on any part of the body — why specify exactly these five places? Answer: these five places are especially convenient for applying the mind; other places are not proper seats of settling. Places such as the ribs and flanks are all uneven, and so are not spoken of. Just as the head, being round, corresponds to heaven, and the feet, being square, correspond to earth; the navel is the sea of vital energy; the nose is the gate of the breath; and the hairline is the place for cultivating the contemplation of bones — hence these are taken as the gates.

As for fixing the mind at the crown of the head: this is done because, when the mind is sunken and dull, prone to drowsiness, settling it above helps counter this; but if done for too long, it can cause a person to become light-headed, resembling wind-illness, or make them feel as though they have gained the power to fly — such faults as these mean it should not be used constantly. As for fixing the mind at the hairline: since the hair here is dark and the flesh pale, the mind settles here easily; it may also bring forth the underlying contemplation of bones — but if done too long, faults arise: the eyes tend to gaze upward, or one may see yellow, red, and other colors, like flowers or clouds, various such appearances, causing the feelings and deliberations to become inverted. As for fixing the mind at the bridge of the nose: the nose is the gate of the breath, and, being aware of the breath going out and coming in, moment by moment never remaining still, impermanence is easily realized; this also builds upon the underlying practice of mindfulness of the breath, and, the mind becoming still, dhyāna-concentration can be brought forth. As for fixing the mind below the navel: the navel is the sea of vital energy, also called the central palace; fixing the mind at the navel is able to remove many illnesses, and one may, at times, inwardly see the thirty-six impure substances of the body, bringing forth the special-excellences dhyāna and the like. As for fixing the mind at the ground-wheel: this is the lowest of all, and, the vital energy following the mind downward, the four elements become harmonized; this also builds upon the underlying cultivation of the contemplation of impurity, which for the most part arises from below — fixing the mind here can bring this forth as well. The gate of the contemplation of impurity takes these same five places as its object, keeping the mind from scattering — the intent behind distinguishing the cultivation of fixed-object stopping lies exactly here.

It is like a monkey that, finding a tree, leaps and bounds about — but if chained to a post, it will, in time, settle down of itself. The mind is exactly the same: once the mind comes to rest, but before entering concentration proper, there is a further kind of stopping, called fixed-mind stopping. Once concentration is actually attained, body and mind dissolve away, and stillness arises spontaneously of itself — this is stopping that has entered concentration.

Second, clarifying the cultivation of restraining-the-mind stopping: the mind has no shape or form, nor any location — how could it truly be fixed upon an object at all? It is only deluded thought and deliberation that must be restrained. If the mind is already settled and still, there is no need to restrain it further — one need only fix the mind, bringing every scattered thought to rest, and this is cultivating stopping.

Question: the mind has no up or down — yet at times it becomes too slack or too tense, or sinks or floats; what, then, is the method for adjusting it properly? Answer: though the mind truly has no up or down, in order to treat the troubles of sinking and floating, settling it lower or higher can be applied without fault to the practice. If the mind is floating and agitated, one may direct the intention downward to settle and still it; if the mind is sinking, one may direct it upward to settle and still it. Furthermore, settling the mind lower brings many benefits; in brief, two may be given: first, concentration is more easily attained; second, the many illnesses do not arise.

Third, clarifying the cultivation of embodying-truth stopping: by means of right wisdom, one embodies the fact that every dharma of the aggregates, sense-bases, and elements, the three poisons, the ninety-eight fetters, the twelve links of dependent origination, and every cause and result within the three realms, is, without exception, empty and still — as the Larger Sūtra says: "Form itself is emptiness; it is not that form ceases and thereby becomes emptiness — form's very nature is, of itself, empty. Emptiness is itself form, and form is itself emptiness. Apart from form there is no emptiness, and apart from emptiness there is no form. Sensation, perception, formations, and consciousness — every dharma whatsoever — are all exactly the same." Why is this? Now, actually observing that the aggregates, sense-bases, elements, and every other such dharma have no self-nature of their own — how could they possibly give rise to a self, a person, a sentient being, a life-span, or any of the other inverted notions?

How is emptiness to be known? Suppose it is said: the afflictions and karmic actions arisen in the past serve as cause, and the present taking hold of a body from one's parents serves as condition; when cause and condition come together, a result is thereby produced, and because there is a result, all the dharmas of the aggregates, sense-bases, elements, and the rest come to exist. If this is so — what kind of thing, exactly, is this karma, that it is able to serve as the cause of the result, the aggregates, and the rest?

If it is said that the wholesome mind of the past is itself the karma: the mind, and the mental factors that performed that good deed in the past, have already ceased and passed away — how, then, could they still serve as the cause of the present result, the aggregates, and the rest? If it is said that the mind itself is not the cause of the karma, but that the mind produces the karma, and the karma then follows along with the mind: since the mind ceases and changes, the karma too ought to cease and change along with it. And if the karma has already ceased and changed, how could it possibly bring about the present result, the aggregates, and the rest? If the karma has already ceased and changed, it should be known that this karma simply does not reach into the present at all. Why is this? Because the karma itself does not arrive here. And if a result is received without the karma itself ever arriving, this so-called result cannot properly be called a result at all — why is this? Because, without the karma, there is nothing for the result to answer to.

If it is said that, although the past mind has ceased and passed away, a subsequent mind arises in succession, and so the karma is able to follow along and arrive with this subsequent mind — then it ought equally to be said that, although the past karma has ceased and passed away, a subsequent karma arises in succession, and so it is able to reach into the present. But if this is so, a great fault follows. Why is this? At times the past wholesome mind ceases and an unwholesome mind arises in succession after it — and, by the same logic, the past wholesome karma ought then to cease and an unwholesome karma arise in succession after it, so that only unwholesome karma would ever be seen reaching into the present. If this is so, only unwholesome retribution ought to be received — how, then, could any wholesome fruit ever be obtained? If it is said that the karma arrives without following along with the mind at all, then this karma ought to have its own result entirely apart from the mind, received independently of it — but this is, in fact, not so.

Furthermore: if karma has a mark or characteristic, it is a conditioned dharma; and if it is conditioned, it must fall under the three marks of arising, abiding, and ceasing. And if it falls under these three marks, it is subject to arising and ceasing; and if it is subject to arising and ceasing, it cannot reach into the present at all. Since the past has already ceased, the original karma must likewise have ceased — so who, then, brings about this present result? It cannot be that karma newly arisen now is able to bring about the present result instead. One should know, then, that the notion of karma possessing a fixed mark or characteristic is untenable.

If it is said instead that karma, having no mark or characteristic, is nonetheless able to bring about a result — this too does not hold. Why is this? A dharma without any mark whatsoever is precisely an unconditioned dharma; and an unconditioned dharma has no karma in it at all — how, then, could it bring about a result? Furthermore, a dharma without any mark is precisely what is meant by emptiness itself; emptiness has no arising and ceasing — how, then, could it be called karma at all? And if it is said that emptiness, being without mark, is able to bring about a result, then the three unconditioned dharmas ought equally to be able to bring about a result — and since this cannot be so, how can it still be said that karma, being without mark, is able to bring about a result? Through causes and conditions such as these, karma can, in the end, never be found — one should know, then, that there is, in truth, no such thing as this karma at all.

If karma cannot be found at all, how can it still be said that the aggregates, sense-bases, elements, and the rest all arise from an internal karmic cause? Nor do they arise from an external condition alone: if a result definitely arose merely from external conditions, then whenever any two things of yin and yang came together, a result, and the aggregates and the rest, ought to arise there as well. But if this were so, there would be no need to wait for karma sustaining consciousness to arrive before birth could occur at all — hence it is known that this does not arise from external condition alone either. If it is said that cause and condition come together, and therefore the result, the aggregates, and the rest arise: if each of cause and condition already contains arising within itself, then, when they come together, there ought to be two arisings; but if neither contains arising at all, how could arising possibly occur once they come together? And if it is said that arising occurs apart from both cause and condition, this too does not hold — for if arising through cause and condition is already untenable, how much more untenable is arising with no cause or condition whatsoever? If there could be arising with no cause or condition at all, the very meaning of cause and effect would collapse: those in the world who do good ought then to receive evil retribution, and those who do evil ought to receive good retribution, and there would be no reason for anyone to cultivate the path at all — this would utterly destroy the world's own principle of good and evil, cause and effect, and is called a great wrong view.

One should know, then, that the aggregates, sense-bases, and every other such dharma do not exist from an internal cause alone, nor from an external condition alone, nor from cause and condition coming together, nor without any cause or condition at all. If they are not truly existent in any of these ways, they are empty. And if, within this very emptiness where nothing at all exists, existence is still conceived, one should know that this is nothing but ignorance and inverted thinking, falsely conceiving existence where there is none.

If one comes to understand clearly that everything conceived through such inverted thinking is, in every case, illusory and unreal, just like a dream or a magical apparition — possessing only a name, and even that name-dharma being itself unfindable — then the path of language is cut off, the sphere of mental activity is extinguished, and all is, in the end, empty and still, just like empty space itself.

If a practitioner embodies the knowledge that all dharmas are like empty space, there is nothing to grasp and nothing to reject, nothing to depend on and nothing to lean against, nothing to abide in and nothing to cling to. And if the mind is free of grasping and rejecting, depending and leaning, abiding and clinging, then every deluded thought, every inverted notion, every karmic action of birth-and-death is thereby brought entirely to rest — unconditioned, free of desire, free of thought, free of activity, free of fabrication and construction, free of display and of speech, free of contention and of striving, dissolved away into purity, like great nirvāṇa itself. This is what is called true stopping. This, then, is a stopping that stops nothing, a stopping with nothing left to stop — this is what is called embodying-truth stopping. Hence the sūtra says in verse:
"Within all dharmas whatsoever, causes and conditions are empty, with no master over them;
Stilling the mind, one reaches the very source — hence one is called a śramaṇa."

Fourth, clarifying the verification of stopping: there are two differing interpretations here. One master says: "Stopping has no distinct realization of its own — it can only serve as the preliminary expedient means for the other dhyānas. If there is any realization at all, it belongs properly to one of those other dhyānas." This point will be treated further below, exactly where the arising of wholesome roots is clarified. A second master says: "Stopping not only generally brings forth every dhyāna in common, but also has its own distinct method of realization — namely, the five-wheel dhyāna. Why is this? Every other dharma-gate has its own distinct method of settling and cultivating the mind, and only afterward brings forth dhyāna in its own particular sequence." Here, it is clarified that this stopping alone, simply by restraining the mind to a single place, brings forth the five wheels of itself — just as, when clear water is free of ripples, the ten thousand reflections all appear within it of themselves; stopping is exactly the same.

Here, then, the five wheels realized through stopping are clarified. The five wheels are: the earth wheel; the water wheel; the wind wheel; the golden-sand wheel; and the vajra wheel. Each of these five names is borrowed as a comparison to establish its name. They are called, in general, "wheels" because a wheel turns — just as a worldly wheel, once turning, moves from one place to another. The wheels clarified within dhyāna are exactly the same: the earth wheel, for instance, is so named because it turns the scattered mind of the lower stage away and moves it to a higher stage. This holds, in the same way, all the way up to the vajra wheel, which turns one all the way to the ultimate fruit of no-more-learning.

First, the earth wheel: earth has two properties — first, sustaining and remaining unmoved; second, giving birth to the ten thousand things. If a practitioner, through stopping, realizes the concentration of the "not-yet-arrived" state, the mind suddenly becomes deep and still, and one becomes aware of oneself that the mark of body and mind is empty, dissolving away into concentration; the dharma of concentration itself then sustains the mind unmoved — hence it is called sustaining. And because the "not-yet-arrived" state gives rise to the various merits of the first dhyāna, this matches the property of giving birth to the ten thousand things.

Second, the water wheel: water has two properties — first, moistening and nurturing growth; second, being soft and pliant in its own nature. If the practitioner, within the earth wheel, realizes the samādhi of the water wheel, the various merits of dhyāna are thereby brought forth: the water of concentration moistens the mind, and one becomes aware of oneself that wholesome roots are growing within the mind — this is the meaning of moistening. And because concentration is attained, body and mind become soft and pliant, arrogance is subdued, and the mind comes to follow wholesome dharmas — this is the meaning of softness; hence it is called the water wheel.

Third, the wind wheel: worldly wind has three properties — first, traveling through open space without obstruction; second, stirring the ten thousand things; third, being able to destroy. When the practitioner brings forth the samādhi of the wind wheel, it is exactly the same: if, through dhyāna-concentration, an approximate wisdom and unobstructed skillful means are brought forth, this is like wind traveling through open space, unobstructed in every direction. As for stirring: having attained the path of skillful means, one is able to strike and rouse forth every kind of world-transcending wholesome root, and merit grows accordingly. As for destroying: skillful wisdom is able to crush and destroy every wrong view and affliction. If a follower of the two lesser vehicles attains this samādhi of the wind wheel, this is precisely the arising of an approximate, uncontaminated understanding through the five expedient means. If it is a bodhisattva, this is precisely entering the iron wheel of the ten stages of faith. This is called the wind wheel.

Fourth, the golden-sand wheel: gold here serves as a metaphor for truth, and sand serves as a metaphor for non-attachment. If the practitioner brings forth the true wisdom that severs the views and the discursive afflictions, undefiled and unattached, the fruits of the three lower paths are attained. If it is a bodhisattva, this is precisely entering the stages of the three levels of worthies and the ten grounds, able to break through every affliction as countless as sand and dust. This is called the golden-sand wheel.

Fifth, the vajra wheel: the ninth unobstructed path is called the vajra-wheel samādhi. Just as vajra, being hard in its very substance and sharp in its function, is able to crush and shatter every other thing, the vajra samādhi is exactly the same: undisturbed by any deluded confusion, it is able to sever every fetter, and thereby accomplishes arhatship. Within a bodhisattva's mind, this is precisely the vajra-like prajñā that breaks through the subtle delusion of ignorance and realizes the wisdom that knows all things in every mode — also called the pure-and-undefiled dhyāna. In dependence on this dhyāna, the bodhisattva attains the fruit of great bodhi.

Furthermore: just as a wheel, without an ox to drive it, will never turn on its own, the dhyāna-concentration of the five wheels is exactly the same. Although each stage possesses its own wondrous merits, if embodying-truth stopping is not taken as the guide, and cultivation is not carried out free of attachment, then obstruction arises at every single stage, and the wheel's own function fails. Here, because the practitioner skillfully cultivates embodying-truth stopping, free of attachment, they are able to turn from the very first mind all the way to the ultimate fruit, and the wheel's function is thereby accomplished. Hence the Lotus Sūtra says: "Sentient beings are attached everywhere they turn; the Buddha leads them so that they may find their way out." One should know, then, that a practitioner who skillfully cultivates the gate of stopping is thereby able to be complete in the dhyāna-concentration of the five wheels, and realize the noble fruits of all three vehicles.

Second, clarifying how to verify wholesome and unwholesome capacity: once a practitioner has properly cultivated the gate of stopping and brought every scattered thought to rest, the mind becomes clear and still; and because the mind is still, wholesome roots from past lives naturally come to be brought forth of themselves. Where there is nothing wholesome present, unwholesome dharmas are instead brought forth. Hence the sūtra says: "First stir it through concentration, then draw it out through wisdom."

Since stopping serves as the first gate, one or the other of these two things — the wholesome or the unwholesome — is bound to occur, and the practitioner must clearly recognize its mark, so that nothing goes against the correct path in taking up and setting aside; hence this distinction must be made. Here, within the topic of wholesome and unwholesome capacity, there are two parts: clarifying how to verify wholesome capacity, and clarifying how to verify unwholesome capacity. As for the actual order in which the wholesome and the unwholesome arise, however, this follows each individual practitioner — it is not necessarily fixed that the wholesome always arises first and the unwholesome only afterward.

First, clarifying how to verify wholesome capacity: this itself has four parts — first, listing the topics of the wholesome dharmas; second, directly clarifying the marks of wholesome roots arising; third, verifying whether they are genuine or false; fourth, distinguishing that the arising of dhyāna through this is not fixed.

First, listing the topics of the wholesome dharmas: the wholesome is of two kinds — external wholesomeness, and internal wholesomeness. Here, within external wholesomeness, the wholesome is manifold; in brief, five kinds are given: giving; upholding the precepts; filial devotion to parents and teachers; faith and reverence toward the Triple Gem, together with diligent offering; and reading, reciting, and studying the teachings. These five wholesome roots, in brief, serve to indicate the different marks by which external wholesomeness arises. The reason all five are classed as external wholesomeness is that their original practice is, in every case, cultivated within a scattered mind, not yet able to leave the desire realm behind or bring forth any dhyāna-concentration free of contamination — hence they are called external wholesomeness.

Second, clarifying internal wholesomeness: this is precisely the five-gate dhyāna — the gate of mindfulness of the breath; the gate of the contemplation of impurity; the gate of loving-kindness; the gate of causation; and the gate of the buddha-recollection samādhi. These five dharma-gates, taken together, encompass every dhyāna, and bring forth every uncontaminated attainment — hence they are called internal wholesomeness.

Question: internal wholesomeness is measureless — how can only five gates be spoken of? Answer: though the five names are few, the practice behind them extends through every dhyāna. Why is this? The gate of mindfulness of the breath extends all the way to the root dhyānas, the sixteen special excellences, the thorough-and-bright contemplation, and other such dhyāna-samādhis. The gate of the contemplation of impurity extends to the nine contemplations, the liberations, the transcendence samādhi, and other such dhyāna-samādhis. The gate of loving-kindness extends to the four immeasurable minds and other such dhyāna-samādhis. The gate of causation extends all the way to the twelve links of dependent origination, the Four Noble Truths, and the other wisdom-conduct dhyāna-samādhis. The gate of buddha-recollection extends all the way to the nine kinds of great dhyāna and the one hundred eight samādhis.

Furthermore: the first, the gate of counting the breath, is precisely the worldly dhyāna of the ordinary person; next, the gate of impurity is precisely a world-transcending dhyāna, practiced by śrāvakas; next, the gate of loving-kindness is precisely what both ordinary people and the noble cultivate together, for the sake of great merit, entering the four immeasurable minds; next, the gate of causation is precisely what is practiced by pratyekabuddhas; and next, the gate of buddha-recollection, whose merit is vast and expansive, is precisely what is practiced by bodhisattvas. This, in brief, clarifies the shallow-to-deep sequence and marks of the five gates.

Furthermore: the dhyāna-concentration of the five gates serves as the antidote to the four divisions of affliction, and the four divisions of affliction give rise to the eighty-four thousand forms of worldly defilement — hence it should be known that the five gates are likewise able to lead out from these eighty-four thousand dharma-gates. Speaking in this way, then, though only five gates are named, every internal wholesomeness is thereby encompassed in full. What the Ābhidharma masters clarify as the five contemplations that still the mind, arising at the initial stage of worthies, has points of overlap with what is given here.

Second, next clarifying the marks of wholesome roots arising: this too has two parts — clarifying the marks of external wholesome roots arising, and clarifying the marks of internal wholesome roots arising. What, then, are the marks of external wholesome roots arising? External wholesomeness is not of one kind only; here, following the topics already given above, five kinds are set out in brief:

First: if, while the practitioner sits in still concentration, various sorts of clothing, bedding, food and drink, treasures, fields and gardens, ponds, or carriages suddenly appear — or if, because the mind is still, one becomes able of oneself to let go of stinginess and greed, the mind moving toward generosity, giving without any reluctance — one should know that this is the mark of the two kinds of wholesome roots, from habituation and from retribution, arising through giving in the past and in this present life.

Second: if the practitioner, within stopping and still concentration, suddenly sees their own body handsome and dignified in form, the robes they wear pure and in accordance with the Dharma, freshly bathed and clean, obtaining fine, pure things — or if, because the mind is still, precept-observance and patience arise within the mind, so that one naturally distinguishes the light offense from the grave, and even at the slightest offense the mind grows fearful, forbearing and humble — one should know that this, too, is the mark of the two kinds of wholesome roots, from habituation and from retribution, arising through precepts and patience in the past and in this present life.

Third: if the practitioner, while sitting, suddenly sees teachers and monastics, parents, relatives, and family members wearing pure clothing, joyful, content, and dignified — or if, because the mind is still, kindness, reverence, filial devotion, and brotherly respect arise naturally within the mind — one should know that this, too, is the mark of the two kinds of wholesome roots, from habituation and from retribution, arising through filial devotion toward one's elders in the past and in this present life.

Fourth: if the practitioner, while sitting, suddenly sees stūpas and temples, revered images, sūtra texts, or a pure assembly of monastics gathered for a dharma-offering, adorned and solemn — or if, within the still mind, faith and reverence arise, honoring the Triple Gem, the mind delighting in making offerings, diligent and vigorous, never growing weary — one should know that this, too, is the mark of the two kinds of wholesome roots, from habituation and from retribution, arising through faith and reverence toward the Triple Gem, together with diligent offering, in the past and in this present life.

Fifth: if the practitioner, while sitting, because the mind is clear and still, sees themselves expounding the Tripiṭaka, or listening to and reciting the Mahāyāna together with the virtuous of the four assemblies — or if, at times, because the mind is still, reading and reciting come naturally and easily, so that whatever is heard is understood at once, or one is naturally able to comprehend the Tripiṭaka and the Mahāyāna sūtras, distinguishing their meaning without any obstruction — one should know that all of this is the mark of the two kinds of wholesome roots, from habituation and from retribution, arising through reading, reciting, and study in the past and in this present life.

When the practitioner sees such various favorable marks as these, and wholesome states of mind are brought forth, this is not itself dhyāna-concentration — for the most part it is merit cultivated within a scattered mind in the past and in this present life, now brought forth through the power of the stilled mind: the various appearances seen all belong to the manifestation of the retribution-cause, while the arising of wholesome mind is, in every case, the arising of the habituation-cause. Such cases are many and cannot be exhaustively described; this, in brief, indicates only the general sense of it.

Furthermore: in the arising of the two causes, habituation and retribution, practitioners' capacities differ. Some practitioners bring forth only the mark of the retribution-cause, without bringing forth the wholesome mind of the habituation-cause; some bring forth only the wholesome mind of the habituation-cause, without bringing forth the mark of the retribution-cause; some bring forth both causes, habituation and retribution, together; and some bring forth neither. Matters such as these, bound up in causes and conditions difficult to fathom, could hardly be explained through careless guesswork.

Question: how can wholesome roots cultivated with a scattered mind manifest within a still mind? Answer: within dhyāna-concentration, one can even see the afflictions and unwholesome karmic actions arisen in the past and in this present life — how much more, then, can wholesome roots, which accord with principle, fail to be seen?

Question: among such marks as these that are seen, is it also possible that some are the work of demons? Answer: yes, some are indeed the work of demons. If one wishes to distinguish them: a demon, simply put, is named "the killer." Whenever such marks as these arise and cause the practitioner's mind and consciousness to become agitated and disordered, or cause afflictions to increase, pressing in and obstructing, bringing many hindrances and obstacles that are of no benefit to the concentrated mind — all of this is the work of a demon. As for the arising of a genuine wholesome root: the practitioner becomes aware of it directly, and, upon seeing such a mark, although dhyāna-concentration is not yet realized, body and mind become clear and bright, the faculties become pure, the body gains vigor and color, what one undertakes turns out well, and wholesome thoughts are brought forth; from this point on, one becomes aware that the mind and spirit are easily gathered in, body and mind are at peace, and free of any fault. One should know that this is the mark of a wholesome root arising.

Furthermore: in such matters as these, when it is a genuine wholesome root arising, the mark of the retribution-cause appears only briefly and then passes away, while the wholesome mind of the habituation-cause continues on without interruption. But if it is a mark made by a demon, it fails to disappear for a very long time, and even once it passes, it returns again, pressing in and disturbing the practitioner — the wholesome mind arises only briefly and then vanishes again, and at times even turns into an unwholesome thought; one should know that this is deviant. Furthermore, the marks of the deviant and the correct are extremely difficult to fathom — without drawing close to an enlightened teacher, one should not presume to judge them for oneself.

Question: do these wholesome roots always arise beforehand, or can they also arise within deep concentration, at the very time the various dhyānas are actually realized? Answer: this is not fixed either way — it is not necessarily the case that they are always seen only prior to concentration. It is simply that external wholesomeness is the coarser of the two, and so it has been clarified first.

Second, what is meant by the marks of internal wholesome roots arising? Here, internal wholesome roots arising is distinguished with reference to the five-gate dhyāna. Within these five gates, each gate opens into three, giving fifteen kinds of wholesome roots arising in all. First, clarifying that the gate of mindfulness of the breath has three differing marks of wholesome roots arising: the wholesome root of counting the breath; the wholesome root of following the breath; and the wholesome root of contemplating the breath.

First, the wholesome root of counting the breath: the practitioner, skillfully cultivating the three kinds of stopping as given above, body and mind harmonized, brings forth the dhyānas of the desire realm and the "not-yet-arrived" state; body and mind become deep and empty, still, and the concentrated mind at peace. Afterward, whether in one sitting, two sittings, or over the course of ten days, a month, or a year, once rest is properly regulated and the concentrated mind no longer regresses, then, within concentration, the mind suddenly becomes aware of body and mind in motion, and the eight tactile sensations arise one after another in sequence — this is precisely the mark of the wholesome root of the root first dhyāna arising. Within this concentration, joy, happiness, and a wholesome, peaceful mind arise beyond what words can convey. Having thus brought forth the first dhyāna, one goes on to bring forth the second, third, and fourth dhyānas, the formless attainments, and the rest.

Second, the arising of the wholesome root of following the breath: likewise, within the still concentration of the desire realm and the "not-yet-arrived" state, one suddenly becomes aware of the breath going out and in, long or short, and of every pore of the body open and porous; the mind then clearly sees the thirty-six substances within the body, just as one might open a granary and see grain, millet, hemp-seed, and beans — the mind is greatly astonished and delighted, still and at ease, every bodily formation set to rest, feeling joy and happiness and the rest. This is the mark of the special-excellences dhyāna's wholesome root arising.

Third, clarifying the arising of the wholesome root of contemplating the breath: likewise, within the fine, still mind of the desire realm and the "not-yet-arrived" state, one suddenly sees one's own breath going out and in through every pore, unobstructed throughout the body, growing gradually clearer and sharper, as though seeing, through a fine silk gauze, the layered skin, and, in the same way, the flesh and bones beneath; one also sees the eighty thousand households of worms within the body, coarse and fine, long and short, along with their speech and sound, the concentrated mind's joy and happiness doubled beyond what was said above; or one sees one's own body as though it were a plantain trunk, a mass of foam, or the reflection of a cloud. This is the mark of the thorough-and-bright contemplation's wholesome root arising.

Second, clarifying that the contemplation of impurity has three differing marks of wholesome roots arising: the nine contemplations; the liberations; and the great contemplation of impurity.

First, the wholesome root of the nine contemplations: likewise, within the still concentration of the desire realm and the "not-yet-arrived" state, one suddenly sees the swollen corpse of some man or woman; at that moment the mind is startled awake, grieving over its own past confusion and delusion, and grows disgusted with the five desires it once loved, never to draw near them again; or one sees marks of livid discoloration, blood-smeared flesh, festering pus, gnawed and scattered remains, and scattered, decaying white bones. This is the mark of the nine contemplations' wholesome root arising.

Second, clarifying the arising of the wholesome root of the liberations: likewise, within the still concentration of the desire realm and the "not-yet-arrived" state, one suddenly sees one's own inner body impure, swollen, and scattered; or one sees one's own white bones, from head to foot, joint propping joint, until the skeleton itself gleams with light — the concentrated mind at peace, disgusted with the five desires, no longer attached to self or person. This is the mark of the liberations' wholesome root arising.

Third, clarifying the arising of the wholesome root of the great contemplation of impurity: likewise, within the concentration of the desire realm and the "not-yet-arrived" state, one sees one's own body and the bodies of others, and every flying bird and running beast, every garment, every food and drink, every mountain forest and tree, all of it equally impure; or one sees a single household, a single village, a single land, and, further still, the ten directions, all of it equally impure; or one sees white bones, down to one's own white bones gleaming with light. This is the mark of the great contemplation of impurity and the stations of mastery arising. When this contemplation arises, it is able to break through every attached mind.

Third, clarifying that the contemplation of loving-kindness has three differing marks of wholesome roots arising: loving-kindness that takes sentient beings as its object; loving-kindness that takes dharma as its object; and objectless loving-kindness.

First, the arising of loving-kindness that takes sentient beings as its object: likewise, within the still concentration of the desire realm and the "not-yet-arrived" state, the mind suddenly arises, holding sentient beings in loving-kindness — first taking the mark of a loved one's happiness as its object, and, through this, concentration is brought forth, peaceful and joyful, until even neutral persons and enemies are all seen gaining happiness, without anger, without resentment, without enmity, without vexation, vast and measureless, filling all ten directions. This is the mark of loving-kindness that takes sentient beings as its object arising. Compassion that takes sentient beings as its object may likewise arise, and joy and equanimity in the same way.

Second, clarifying the arising of loving-kindness that takes dharma as its object: likewise, within the still concentration of the desire realm and the "not-yet-arrived" state, one suddenly becomes aware that everything, within and without, is nothing but the dharma of the aggregates and sense-bases — what arises, only dharma arises; what ceases, only dharma ceases — and one no longer sees any sentient being, self, or what belongs to a self, but only the five aggregates, and, within the aggregate of sensation, a pleasant sensation. Having come to know this, one takes this very pleasant sensation as the object from which loving-kindness-concentration is brought forth, without anger, without resentment, without enmity, without vexation, vast and measureless, filling all ten directions — this is loving-kindness that takes dharma as its object. Compassion that takes dharma as its object may likewise arise, and joy and equanimity, following the same pattern as loving-kindness's wholesome root arising.

Third, clarifying the arising of objectless loving-kindness: likewise, within the concentration of the desire realm and the "not-yet-arrived" state, one suddenly awakens to the fact that no dharma whatsoever is either existent or nonexistent, and one no longer sees either of the two extremes — that is, whether "sentient being" or "not a sentient being," whether "dharma" or "not a dharma," none of it can be found, and so there is nothing at all to take as an object. Because there is no object, inverted thinking comes to rest, still and at ease, and the mind accords with loving-kindness-concentration, viewing all things equally, all of it sharing in this same ease, without anger, without resentment, without enmity, without vexation, vast and measureless, filling all ten directions — this is the mark of objectless loving-kindness's wholesome root arising. Objectless compassion-concentration may likewise arise, and joy and equanimity in the same way.

Fourth, clarifying that the contemplation of causation has three differing marks of wholesome roots arising: the twelve links across the three periods of time; the twelve links as karmic result; and the twelve links within a single thought-moment.

First, clarifying the arising of the wholesome root of the twelve links across the three periods of time: likewise, within the concentration of the desire realm and the "not-yet-arrived" state, the awakened mind suddenly arises, tracing back through the three periods of time — from ignorance in the past onward — and one no longer sees any dharma such as a self, a person, or ignorance itself as either cut off or permanent, able thereby to break through the net of sixty-two kinds of wrong views. The mind attains right concentration, at peace and still, contemplative wisdom clear, penetrating without obstruction, body and speech pure, right conduct accomplished. This is the mark of the twelve links across the three periods of time, the wisdom of this contemplation, arising.

Second, clarifying the arising of the wholesome root of the twelve links as karmic result: likewise, within the concentration of the desire realm and the "not-yet-arrived" state, one suddenly becomes aware that mind and consciousness have grown clear and sharp, and reflects directly: "When I was first born, I took hold of a portion of my parents' bodies and made it my own — this is called kalala. At the time of kalala, this is named ignorance; through causes and conditions there is then formation, consciousness, and so on up through old age and death — this is called the twelve links. But at the time of kalala, there was only the coming together of three things, with no person and no self in it at all — the three things themselves are not real. Now, ignorance and the other dharmas of the twelve links — on what, in the end, do they actually depend? And if ignorance and the other dharmas are not seen to definitely exist, how could they be said to definitely not exist either?" Reflecting in this way, one breaks through the two views of existence and nonexistence, the mind returning to the correct path, according with right concentration; wisdom and understanding are brought forth, and every deviant conduct is left behind. This is the mark of the twelve links as karmic result, the understanding of this contemplation, arising. This account of the twelve links is given in full in the Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra. What is clarified here as the mark of causation is exactly the same as suffering and its accumulation — the first two of the Four Noble Truths — and the arising of the Four Noble Truths' own wholesome root may likewise be clarified along these same lines.

Third, clarifying the arising of the wholesome root of the twelve links within a single thought-moment: likewise, within the still concentration of the desire realm and the "not-yet-arrived" state, one suddenly becomes aware that the mind of a single instant has no person and no self in it, its very nature originally without reality. Why is this? Whenever a single thought arises, it necessarily depends on causes and conditions; and what is meant by causes and conditions here is precisely the twelve links in full — and since conditions have no nature of their own, how could a single thought-moment possibly have any fixed reality? Once the reality of a single thought-moment can no longer be found, the deviant grasping at a fixed worldly nature is thereby broken through; the mind accords with right concentration, and wisdom is brought forth as though gushing from a spring, body and speech pure, every deviant conduct left behind. This is the mark of the twelve links within a single thought-moment's wholesome root arising. This account of the twelve links, too, is given in full in the Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra, and the arising of the Four Noble Truths' own wholesome root, complete within a single mind, may likewise be clarified along these same twelve links.

Fifth, clarifying that buddha-recollection has three differing marks of wholesome roots arising: recollecting the response-body buddha; recollecting the reward-body buddha; and recollecting the dharma-body buddha. The meaning of these three buddha-bodies is given in full detail in the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra.

First, clarifying the arising of the wholesome root of recollecting the response-body buddha: likewise, within the still concentration of the desire realm and the "not-yet-arrived" state, one suddenly recalls the Buddha's own merit, and reflects: "Throughout innumerable asaṃkhyeya kalpas in the past, the Tathāgata, for the sake of all sentient beings, fully practiced the six pāramitās; because of every merit and every wisdom, his body possesses the excellent marks and radiant light, his mind possesses wisdom that illuminates all things completely; he subdued demons and enemies, awakened of himself without a teacher, awakened himself and awakened others, turned the wheel of the true Dharma, and brought universal salvation to all — and even after entering nirvāṇa, his relics and his teachings continue broadly to benefit sentient beings. Such merits as these are measureless and boundless." Reflecting in this way, a mind of reverence and love at once arises, samādhi is brought forth, and one enters concentration in peace and joy; or, within concentration, one sees the Buddha's own bodily form, and a wholesome mind is brought forth; or one hears the Buddha expounding the Dharma, the mind pure with faith and understanding. Such excellent, wholesome states as these are not of one kind only — this is the mark of recollecting the response-body buddha's wholesome root arising.

Second, clarifying the arising of the wholesome root of recollecting the reward-body buddha: likewise, within the still, fine mind of the desire realm and the "not-yet-arrived" state, one suddenly recalls: "The true and perfectly complete reward-body of every buddha in the ten directions abides forever, deep and unmoving; form and mind alike pure, subtle and still; merit and wisdom filling the entire dharma-realm; neither arising nor ceasing, neither fabricated nor conditioned. How, then, could there truly be a birth in a royal palace, or truly a passing away between twin trees? It is only for the sake of transforming sentient beings that the buddha-lands of the ten directions respond, each according to its own arising and ceasing. Such merits as these are measureless, boundless, and inconceivable." Reflecting in this way, the mind becomes concentrated and at peace, samādhi is brought forth, understanding clear. Or, within concentration, one beholds inconceivable dharma-states of the Buddha, and thereupon measureless vows and practices, measureless merit, and measureless wisdom-samādhi dharma-gates are brought forth — this is the mark of recollecting the reward-body buddha's wholesome root arising.

Third, clarifying the arising of the wholesome root of recollecting the dharma-body buddha: likewise, within the still concentration of the desire realm and the "not-yet-arrived" state, one suddenly recalls: "The true mark of every buddha's dharma-body in the ten directions is just like empty space." One thereupon awakens to the fact that every dharma is, in itself, originally unarisen, and so now has no cessation either — neither existent nor nonexistent, neither coming nor going, neither increasing nor decreasing, neither object nor knowing subject, neither cause nor effect, neither permanent nor cut off, neither bound nor liberated, neither birth-and-death nor nirvāṇa, deep and pure; whether a buddha appears or not, the mark of this nature remains forever the same — sentient beings and every buddha share this one and the same true mark, and this is precisely the dharma-body buddha. Hence the Larger Sūtra says: "The true mark of every dharma, just as it is." Every dharma, just as it truly is, is itself the Buddha — apart from this, there is no separate buddha to be found. Reflecting in this way, samādhi manifests before one, and true wisdom is brought forth; measureless dharma-gates are penetrated at once, still and unmoving, every inconceivable state manifesting, within concentration, as an accomplished mark. This is given in full in the purification of the six sense-faculties in the Lotus Sūtra — this is the mark of recollecting the dharma-body buddha's wholesome root arising.

What has been clarified here — the marks of the fifteen gates of dhyāna brought forth through stopping — has, in every case, been discussed only with reference to the very first dhyāna's initial, faint outline. The marks of realization for every dhyāna-concentration cannot possibly be conveyed in full through writing; this has only been given to show that practitioners differ in their past habituation, and so the dhyānas they bring forth differ as well. Should one wish to discuss the fifteen gates of dhyāna in full — the vast and far-reaching marks of both their phenomenal conduct and their underlying principle — this belongs to the seventh great section below, on cultivation and realization, where each will be distinguished in some part, from beginning to end.

Furthermore: within the desire realm and the "not-yet-arrived" state, with body and mind clear and still, one may bring forth the contemplations of impermanence, suffering, no-self, impurity, the world as something to be wearied of, food as impure, death, severance, separation, and cessation; or one may bring forth recollection of the Buddha, the Dharma, the Saṅgha, the precepts, generosity, and the heavens; or one may bring forth the foundations of mindfulness, the right efforts, the bases of supernormal power, the faculties, the powers, the factors of enlightenment, and the path; or one may bring forth the contemplations of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, and the sixteen aspects of the Four Noble Truths; or one may bring forth the six pāramitās, the four means of gathering others, the four unhindered eloquences, and every other such merit of vow and practice; or one may bring forth the divine ear, knowledge of others' minds, recollection of past lives, and the other supernormal powers; or one may bring forth inner emptiness, outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, and, further still, the emptiness of no-dharma and of dharma, among the eighteen kinds of emptiness; or one may bring forth the samādhi of self-nature, the ten powers, the buddha-lineage, samāpatti, the Śūraṅgama, the lion's roar, and other such samādhi-gates; or one may bring forth the revolving dhāraṇī, the dhāraṇī of a hundred thousand million revolutions, the dhāraṇī of the skillful means of the dharma-sound, and every other such dhāraṇī-gate. Such various dhyāna-samādhis as these differ in their states, and their marks are manifold; the vast and deep marks of these various dhyāna-samādhis' states will be distinguished in full in the seventh great section below, on cultivation and realization.

Third, verifying whether wholesome roots are genuine or false: in brief, this has two parts — directly clarifying how to verify whether they are genuine or false; and discriminating whether something is demonic or not.

First, clarifying how to verify whether they are genuine or false: if, within concentration, the various wholesome roots of dhyāna are brought forth, there is, among them, both the genuine and the false, and one must not carelessly take up or set aside either at random. Why is this? If, when the various dhyāna-samādhis are brought forth, the mind fails to distinguish them properly, one may see a demonic concentration and take it to be a wholesome root arising, the mind grasping at it with attachment — and, through this deviance, fall ill and become deranged. Or, conversely, if it is truly a wholesome root but one takes it to be a demonic concentration, the mind grows doubtful and abandons it, thereby losing the benefit that was truly wholesome — this matter is difficult to discern. If one wishes to tell them apart, one should verify them by means of two methods, and thereby know the genuine from the false: mark-verification; and dharma-verification.

As for mark-verification, this has two parts: the deviant, and the correct. As for the deviant: when, within the root dhyānas, the various tactile sensations arise, whichever single sensation arises, if a deviant dharma is present within it, this is precisely a deviant mark. Deviant dharmas are manifold; here, with reference to a single tactile sensation, ten pairs of deviant dharmas are given in brief, to clarify the deviant marks: excess or deficiency in the sensation itself; concentration or agitation; emptiness or existence; brightness or darkness; sorrow or joy; pain or pleasure; wholesome or unwholesome; foolishness or cleverness; bondage or liberation; and a mind too rigid or too soft. These ten pairs, clarifying the deviant marks, are each distinguished in terms of excess on the one hand or insufficiency on the other.

First, excess or deficiency in the sensation itself: as when, for instance, the tactile sensation of movement arises — the body moves, the hands rise, and the feet follow along, yet an onlooker sees the practitioner slumped as though asleep, or as though possessed, the body and hands moving about in disorder, or, while sitting, one sees various strange states — this is the mark of excess. As for deficiency: when the sensation of movement first arises, whether upward or downward, before it has spread through the whole body it gradually dissolves and collapses, so that the state is lost entirely, and while sitting one feels desolate and empty, unable to sustain the body at all — this is the mark of deficiency.

Second, concentration or agitation: as for concentration, when the sensation of movement arises, consciousness and the body become bound by the concentration itself, no longer free, and, through this, one may even fall into a deviant concentration, failing to emerge even after seven days. As for agitation: when the sensation of movement arises, the mind and intention become disturbed and disordered, chasing after one thing after another without ever settling.

Third, emptiness or existence: as for emptiness, when the sensation arises, one no longer sees the body at all, taking this to be the realization of an emptiness-concentration. As for existence: when the sensation arises, one feels the body hard and rigid, just like wood or stone.

Fourth, brightness or darkness: as for brightness, when the sensation arises, one sees various external lights and colors, even the sun, moon, and stars, and lights of blue, yellow, red, and white. As for darkness: when the sensation arises, body and mind grow dim and dark, as though entering a darkened room.

Fifth, sorrow or joy: as for sorrow, when the sensation arises, the mind grows feverish and distressed, haggard and unhappy. As for joy: when the sensation arises, the mind is greatly delighted, stirred and unable to settle.

Sixth, pain or pleasure: as for pain, when the sensation arises, body and mind ache and suffer everywhere. As for pleasure: when the sensation arises, one feels an intense delight, craving and clinging to it without end.

Seventh, wholesome or unwholesome: as for the wholesome, when the sensation arises, the mind thinks of external, scattered wholesome discursive thought, breaking the samādhi apart. As for the unwholesome: when the sensation arises, states of mind such as shamelessness and lack of conscience, and other unwholesome minds, arise at once.

Eighth, foolishness or cleverness: as for foolishness, when the sensation arises, the mind and consciousness grow foolish and confused, deluded, dull, and inverted. As for cleverness: when the sensation arises, sharp discursive views arise in the mind as deviant cleverness, breaking the samādhi apart.

Ninth, bondage or liberation: as for bondage, when the sensation arises, the five hindrances and other afflictions cover over and obscure the mind and consciousness. As for liberation: when the sensation arises, one supposes oneself to have realized the concentration of emptiness or signlessness, to have attained the path and its fruit, severed the fetters, and become liberated — giving rise to overweening pride.

Tenth, a mind too rigid or too soft: as for rigidity, when the sensation arises, the mind becomes hard and unyielding, unable to move freely in or out, just like a tile or a stone, difficult to turn or change, and unresponsive to the wholesome path. As for softness: when the sensation arises, the will of the mind becomes weak and yielding, easily broken down, just like soft mud, unfit to be shaped into any vessel.

Such twenty kinds of unwholesome tactile sensations as these disturb the sitting mind, break dhyāna-concentration apart, and cause the mind to become deviant — this is the mark of a deviant concentration arising.

Furthermore: whenever any of these twenty deviant dharmas arises, if one fails to distinguish it as deviant and false, and the mind grows attached and clinging to it, this may cause one to lose one's mind and run wild — singing or wailing, laughing or weeping, at times startled and running madly about, at times falling ill, at times even dying, at times wishing to throw oneself from a cliff or into a fire, or to strangle or otherwise injure oneself. Such hindrances and afflictions as these are not of one kind only.

Furthermore: among these twenty deviant dharmas, whenever any single one of them arises, if it happens to correspond with any one of the spirit-practices of the ninety-six paths, and one fails to recognize this, then, in thinking of that path and practicing that dharma, within whatever is thereby attained, the spirit follows the thought and enters in directly. Through this, one comes to realize a spirit's own dharma-gate, the spirit lending it its own power — bringing forth, at times, deep deviant concentrations, and eloquence and apparent wisdom, knowledge of fortune and misfortune in the world, strange and marvelous spiritual powers, manifesting rare and wondrous feats that move sentient beings, spreading deviant transformation widely; at times committing great evil and destroying others' wholesome roots, or, though outwardly doing good, acting in a manner mixed through with falsehood.

People of the world, lacking wisdom, seeing only someone extraordinary, take them to be a sage or a noble one, and believe in and submit to them with a deeply devoted mind. Yet inwardly, such a person's mind is inverted, devoted single-mindedly to spirit-practices, and constantly teaching others through spirit-practices — so that those who believe and follow them come to break the correct precepts, break right view, break proper conduct, and break the purity of their livelihood. At times they devour filth and excrement, go about naked and shameless, showing no reverence toward the Triple Gem, their parents, or their teachers; or they destroy sūtra texts, images, stūpas, and temples, committing every manner of grave offense, cutting off wholesome roots entirely, all while displaying an outward appearance of equanimity; or they praise themselves, proclaiming that what they do is itself the true equality, so that in following what is not the path they see no hindrance or obstruction whatsoever, while disparaging others who cultivate what is truly wholesome, calling it not the correct path at all; or they teach that there is no cause and no effect, or teach a deviant cause and a deviant effect.

Such deviant teachings as these run rampant, corrupting and disordering the true Dharma; and whoever hears and accepts them has their mind stained by this deviant dharma — inwardly coming to realize a deviant dhyāna, a deviant samādhi, a deviant wisdom and severance, and various such deviant dharma-gates, while outwardly possessing inexhaustible eloquence, an awe-inspiring manner that sways others; and so such a person gains fame, followers, offerings, veneration, praise, and other such benefits. Hence the Sūtra of the Ninety-Six Paths says: when such a person expounds the teaching, spirits lend their power, so that everyone who hears it cannot help but believe and accept it, and everyone who sees it cannot help but come to love and revere it. Because of such matters as these, one's attachment grows deeply fixed and cannot be turned back, and deviant, inverted conduct proliferates in every manner, not of one kind only. If this is how it is, one should know that such a person has become far removed from the noble Dharma, and, when body and life come to an end, falls into the three lower destinies — this matter is explained in full in the Larger Sūtra and in the Mahāyāna treatise. If one wishes to know the marks of spirits, one should search the Sūtra of the Ninety-Six Paths, and, examining it carefully, distinguish like from like — the matter can then be understood.

Question: for someone who corresponds to a deviant dharma and does evil, the fault is plain in this present life, and, when life ends in this way, they will be born into the three lower destinies. But for someone whose mind is false while outwardly doing good, what is the fault in this present life, and where, then, are they reborn when life ends? Answer: such a person's body and speech act wholesomely, and although this resembles the Buddhadharma, their understanding and mind are deviant; if they fail to recognize this, it obstructs the arising of the three vehicles' uncontaminated attainment. Although they never truly encounter the truth, within their own inverted mind they may, at times, still be able to promote and display the Triple Gem, and urge others toward wholesome cultivation. When such a person's life ends, they will not necessarily fall into hell, into the animal realm, or among the hungry ghosts, but instead, following whichever spirit-dharma they corresponded to, will be born together with that same spirit in one place, becoming, in turn, one of its own followers. At times they may even be born among humans or gods. Hence the Sūtra of the Ninety-Six Paths says that, of these paths, more than sixty of the higher kind, being weighed down with deviance and grave offense, all require incantations to treat them; while more than twenty of the lower kind, their deviant confusion and offense being slight, require only recognition alone.

Furthermore: even though such a person is born among gods or humans, they remain secretly and constantly bound to the way of demons and deviance — delighting in drawing near to deviant teachers, delighting in hearing deviant teachings, delighting in practicing deviant paths, making offerings to, drawing close to, praising, and extolling those who cultivate deviant conduct; while, upon meeting those who rightly study the three vehicles, they take no delight in drawing near, and may even grow disturbed and hostile. Hence the Lotus Sūtra says: "Whether a demon, a demon's son, a demon's daughter, a demon's subject, or one possessed by a demon." The Larger Sūtra likewise says: "Whether a demon among the gods, or a demon among humans." Hence it is known that although such a person is born among humans or gods, they remain bound to demons, constantly giving rise to demonic karma — and even should they obtain ordination, they still create demonic karma. Hence the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: "In the five hundred years after the Buddha has passed from the world, the way of demons will gradually flourish; demons will become monks, and corrupt and disorder the Buddhadharma." This, too, is discussed at length in the Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra's own broad treatment of the marks of demonic karma, which should be examined at length there.

Just as the deviant marks within this single tactile sensation of movement are as described, the remaining seven tactile sensations likewise possess these same deviant marks in full, and should be distinguished individually. And just as the deviant marks within the root dhyānas are as described, the remaining fourteen gates of dhyāna, and every dhyāna's phenomenal conduct and underlying principle alike, all have their own deviant and false dharmas — the matter is manifold, and cannot be described in full.

Question: when a deviant tactile sensation arises, must all twenty deviant matters given above arise together in full, or need they not be complete? Answer: whether complete or incomplete makes no difference either way. If, when the sensation arises, even a single deviant dharma is present and is not removed at once, one falls into a deviant concentration regardless — how much more so if all twenty deviant dharmas are present together? Why is this? It is like twenty people traveling together: if even one among them is a thief, all nineteen others are led astray. Within dhyāna it is exactly the same — a single unwholesome dharma is enough to break every wholesome quality apart, and cannot be called right concentration at all, let alone when many such dharmas are present. This, in brief, distinguishes the marks within a single tactile sensation; the deviant marks within the remaining seven sensations follow the same pattern.

Furthermore: there are, besides this, deviant dharmas from other dhyāna-gates that may enter into this same concentration, and these too should be recognized — that is, the deviant dharmas belonging to the states of other dhyāna-gates. For instance, when the contemplation of impurity itself enters into this same concentration, its own twenty deviant dharmas may likewise enter along with it; and the remaining fourteen gates of dhyāna should each be distinguished individually in the same way — this should be explained at length elsewhere. Should the practitioner happen to realize such a dharma, one must skillfully recognize it, illuminating it through skillful means, and, by not clinging to this deviant, concentrated dharma, it will of itself simply pass away.

Second, clarifying the correct marks: if, when the tactile sensation of movement arises, none of the twenty unwholesome dharmas given above is present, and all ten kinds of wholesome dharma are present in full. The ten kinds of wholesome dharma are: the mark of the sensation itself in accordance with the Dharma; the mark of concentration in accordance with the Dharma; the mark of emptiness in accordance with the Dharma; the mark of brightness in accordance with the Dharma; the mark of joy in accordance with the Dharma; the mark of pleasure in accordance with the Dharma; the mark of wholesomeness in accordance with the Dharma; the mark of wisdom in accordance with the Dharma; the mark of liberation in accordance with the Dharma; and the mark of a well-regulated mind in accordance with the Dharma. What is meant by "in accordance with the Dharma"? Whatever runs contrary to the twenty unwholesome marks given above, at peace and pure, harmonized and moderate — this is precisely what is meant by "in accordance with the Dharma," and is called the correct mark. This matter will be distinguished further below, in the seventh great section, within the clarification of realizing the awakening-factors of the root first dhyāna. Just as the correct marks within this single tactile sensation of movement are as described, the correct marks within the remaining seven sensations may all be understood by the same pattern.

Question: throughout this, one has spoken only in terms of concrete phenomena — if one distinguishes what is deviant and what is correct, what is false and what is genuine, what should be rejected and what should be taken up, simply by following these marks, is this not itself a kind of inverted, deluded thinking, falling into deviance? Answer: "correct" is of two kinds — worldly correctness, and world-transcending correctness. Speaking in terms of the marks of worldly wholesome dharmas, this is worldly correctness; speaking in terms of the marks of world-transcending, liberating wholesome dharmas, this is world-transcending correctness. What has been clarified here, the ten correct marks within the root tactile sensations, is precisely the distinguishing of worldly correctness. As the Mahāyāna treatise says: "Through worldly right view, world-transcending right view is attained. If worldly right view is destroyed, world-transcending right view is destroyed along with it." Hence, wishing now to clarify the world-transcending correct Dharma, one must first clarify the worldly correct Dharma. Wishing to disclose principle through phenomena, borrowing the near at hand to illuminate the far, one must first distinguish the correct mark of the initial tactile sensation within the root, phenomenal dhyāna.

Furthermore: when the tactile sensation arises inwardly, one may also see the thirty-six substances, or bring forth loving-kindness, causation, right wisdom, buddha-recollection, and the other dhyāna-concentrations. If there is genuine merit, peace, and accordance with the Dharma, aiding and enriching the joy of the sensation, this too is the arising of a wholesome root from past lives, each of these likewise having its own ten correct marks, and all of them being right concentration. But for one who wishes to cultivate the root dhyānas to their own completion, none of these marks should be seized upon — whether they pass away or do not pass away makes no difference to the root dhyāna's own progress. In this latter age, however, practitioners' wholesome roots are thin and slight, and, at the moment the tactile sensation is realized, most do not bring forth these other phenomenal or principled states within dhyāna at all; fearing that some who do bring them forth might fail to recognize them, this point is given here in brief. The correct marks arising within the remaining fourteen gates of dhyāna should likewise each be distinguished at length, each according to its own kind.

Second, clarifying how to verify the deviant from the correct by means of the dharma: there exist deviant dhyānas whose marks are so subtle and fine, so difficult to distinguish, so closely resembling a genuine dhyāna, that marks alone cannot tell them apart; one should verify them instead by three methods: settling the mind deep in concentration and refining it there; treating it by cultivating the very method through which it arose; and analyzing it through wisdom. As the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: "To know true gold, one should test it three ways — by burning, striking, and polishing." The practitioner is exactly the same, difficult to recognize by any single means. If one wishes to distinguish it, one likewise needs three tests: one should share a task with it; if sharing a task does not reveal it, one should dwell with it for a long time; if dwelling with it for a long time does not reveal it, one should observe it through wisdom. Here, this same sense is borrowed to clarify the deviant and correct marks of dhyāna-concentration.

For instance, when the tactile sensation of movement arises, if the deviant and the correct are not yet clear, one should enter deeply into the concentrated mind, neither taking up nor rejecting whatever state has arisen, simply settling the mind in equanimity. If it is a genuine wholesome root, the power of concentration will grow ever deeper and the wholesome root ever more manifest; if it is the work of a demon, it will, before long, collapse of itself.

Second, treating it by cultivating the very method through which it arose: for instance, if the contemplation of impurity itself arises, one returns to cultivating the contemplation of impurity — if, as one cultivates it, the state grows ever clearer and brighter, this is not false. But if, through cultivating the very method, it gradually collapses and dissolves instead, one should know that this is precisely a deviant mark.

Third, observing it through wisdom: one observes the dharma that has arisen, tracing and examining it back to its root source, and, finding no place where it truly arises, coming to know deeply that it is empty and still, the mind no longer abiding in or clinging to it — the deviant will then vanish of itself, and the correct will then manifest of itself. It is just like burning true gold: this only increases its own light and color; but if it is false gold, it turns black and crumbles of itself. Distinguishing them in this way, verifying them through these three methods, the deviant and the correct can be known. Settling the mind in concentration is comparable to polishing; treating it through the original method is comparable to striking; and observing it through wisdom is comparable to burning with fire. And again: dwelling with it for a long time is comparable to polishing, sharing a task with it is like striking, and burning with fire is precisely comparable to observing through wisdom. Every other dhyāna-concentration should be verified after this same pattern, and the deviant and the correct can then be known.

Second, discriminating whether something is demonic or not: this itself has two parts — clarifying the marks of what is genuinely demonic; and clarifying the marks of what is not demonic. Here, two differing kinds of "demonic dhyāna" are clarified.

First, clarifying that the dhyāna itself is not demonic, but a demon has entered into it: as when a practitioner, within a correctly settled mind, brings forth the various dhyāna-concentrations, and an evil demon, fearing that the practitioner's path is growing too exalted, seeks to cause disturbance by entering into that very dhyāna — if the mind then grows attached and clinging, or gives rise to worry and fear, the demon thereby gains its opening. But if one is able to use the mind as described above to repel it, the demonic deviance is dispelled, just as clouds part to reveal the sun, and the concentrated mind grows bright and pure once more.

Second, clarifying dhyāna that is, from the very start, entirely the work of a demon, deceiving and confusing the practitioner: if one recognizes that it is not genuine and treats it by the methods given, then, once the demon has withdrawn, not the slightest trace of any dhyāna-dharma remains at all.

Next, clarifying what is not, in fact, demonic: a karmic offense obstructing the dhyāna may resemble the work of a demon, while, in actual principle, it is not demonic at all — and this is difficult to distinguish. If one uses the methods given above to repel it, it will, in the end, never depart; but if one is able to diligently cultivate repentance, once the offense is removed and extinguished, the dhyāna-concentration will naturally grow clear of itself. Furthermore: at times, when entering concentration, one's skillful means may simply be unskillful, causing the resulting state to fail to accord with the Dharma; if one instead applies skillful means properly, what is then realized will be clear and pure — hence it should be known that this, too, is not the work of any demon.

Fourth, next distinguishing that dhyāna's arising through this is not fixed: in brief, this has five parts — directly distinguishing that dhyāna's arising through both phenomenal and principle cultivation is not fixed; clarifying the reasons dhyāna arises at all; distinguishing how much dhyāna arises; clarifying whether one's wholesome roots from past lives are exhausted; and distinguishing this in terms of the contaminated and the uncontaminated.

First, distinguishing beforehand that the arising of dhyāna through both phenomenal and principle cultivation is not fixed. Question: as clarified above, of the three kinds of stopping, fixed-object stopping and restraining-the-mind stopping are both phenomenal stopping, and so should bring forth only phenomenal dhyāna-concentration; embodying-truth stopping alone, being principle stopping, should bring forth only dhyāna-concentration of principle. Why, then, do all three kinds of stopping bring forth both phenomenal and principle dhyānas alike? This would seem to blur cause and effect together with no distinction left between them. Answer: this does not follow. What this school clarifies as phenomenal and principle cultivation follows entirely the practitioner's own capacity and conditions, and so the dharmas brought forth differ accordingly — how could there possibly be any fixed distinction? As clarified above, the three kinds of stopping, if spoken of briefly, would indeed combine as the question suggests into phenomenal and principle cultivation alone; but if distinguished in full, they should instead open into four cultivations. Within these four cultivations, there are two approaches: distinguishing the four cultivations with reference to the gate of stopping; and distinguishing the four cultivations with reference to the gate of contemplation.

First, distinguishing the four cultivations with reference to the gate of stopping: phenomenal stopping, namely fixed-object and restraining-the-mind stopping, is precisely phenomenal cultivation; principle stopping, namely embodying-truth stopping, is precisely principle cultivation; phenomenal-and-principle stopping, namely stopping that takes the conventional as its object while still embodying truth, is precisely phenomenal-and-principle cultivation; and neither-phenomenal-nor-principle stopping, namely the stopping that sets to rest the distinguishing of both extremes, is precisely neither-phenomenal-nor-principle cultivation.

Second, distinguishing the four cultivations with reference to the gate of contemplation: phenomenal contemplation, namely mindfulness of the breath, the contemplation of impurity, and the like, is precisely phenomenal cultivation; principle contemplation, namely the contemplations of emptiness, signlessness, and the like, is precisely principle cultivation; phenomenal-and-principle contemplation, namely the paired contemplation of the two truths, is precisely phenomenal-and-principle cultivation; and neither-phenomenal-nor-principle contemplation, namely the correct contemplation of the middle way, is precisely neither-phenomenal-nor-principle cultivation.

Here, in order to establish the point that dhyāna's arising through the gate of stopping is not fixed, only the four kinds of stopping are used to clarify cultivation: within each of these four cultivations there are, in turn, four kinds of unpredictable arising, so that the four cultivations together give sixteen kinds of unpredictable dhyāna-arising in all. Once the practitioner has properly recognized this pattern, one comes to understand of oneself that phenomenal and principle cultivation alike bring forth every dhyāna-samādhi in common, and the mind is left with no doubt about it. What, then, is meant by saying that each of the four kinds of stopping has, in turn, four kinds of unpredictable arising?

Here, first distinguishing the unpredictable arising of dhyāna through phenomenal cultivation: this itself has four differing kinds. First, some practitioners, settling the mind in phenomenal stopping such as fixed-object stopping or restraining-the-mind stopping, bring forth phenomenal dhyāna-concentration in turn — namely the four root dhyānas, the four immeasurable minds, the four formless attainments, and the dhyāna-samādhis among the nine contemplations, the liberations, the stations of mastery, and the totality-bases. Second, some practitioners, settling the mind in phenomenal stopping, bring forth only dhyāna-concentration of principle — namely the wisdom-conduct dhyāna-samādhis of principle among emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment, the Four Noble Truths, and the twelve links of dependent origination. Third, some practitioners, settling the mind in phenomenal stopping, bring forth both phenomenal and principle dhyāna-concentration together — namely the phenomenal dhyāna-samādhis among the four root dhyānas, the four immeasurable minds, the four formless attainments, the nine contemplations, the liberations, the stations of mastery, and the totality-bases, together with the wisdom-conduct dhyāna-samādhis of principle among emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment, the Four Noble Truths, and the twelve links of dependent origination — even the special-excellences dhyāna and the thorough-and-bright contemplation both belong to this phenomenal-and-principle dhyāna-concentration. Fourth, some practitioners, settling the mind in phenomenal stopping, bring forth instead neither-phenomenal-nor-principle dhyāna-concentration — namely the samādhi of self-nature, the bodhisattva's other unshared samādhis, the Lotus Samādhi, the samādhi of a single practice, the Śūraṅgama, the lion's roar, and the other middle-way-embracing dhyāna-samādhis, extending even to the ten powers, the fearlessnesses, and the unshared qualities.

Question: if one cultivates phenomenal stopping, should this not bring forth only phenomenal dhyāna-concentration? How, then, can it bring forth dhyāna-samādhis and unshared dharmas of principle, or of neither phenomenon nor principle? Answer: the arising of dhyāna is of two kinds — attainment through skillful means cultivated in the present; and the arising of wholesome roots from past lives. If phenomenal cultivation brings forth phenomenal dhyāna in turn, this is, for the most part, present attainment through cultivation. But if phenomenal cultivation brings forth dhyāna-samādhis of principle, or of neither phenomenon nor principle, this is, in every case, the arising of dhyāna-concentration's wholesome roots from past lives. As the Ābhidharma masters distinguish, cultivation has two senses: the cultivation of attainment, and the cultivation of exercise. The cultivation of attainment refers to what was not originally attained; the cultivation of exercise refers to what was already attained before. The present case follows this same pattern — hence, with reference to phenomenal cultivation alone, there are four kinds of unpredictable dhyāna-arising.

Furthermore: what is clarified here, within the internal expedient means, only distinguishes the arising of wholesome roots from past lives through stopping — hence, although the marks of both phenomenal and principle dhyāna-samādhis arising have been described, all of it has been given only in brief and only at a shallow, introductory level. Should one wish to discuss cultivation brought to its own completion, cause matching effect from beginning to end, and the vast, deep marks of every dhyāna-samādhi's phenomenal conduct and underlying principle, this belongs entirely to the seventh great section, where it will at last be distinguished in full.

Question: if phenomenal cultivation can bring forth unshared dharmas of neither-phenomenal-nor-principle dhyāna-samādhi, all of it obtained through habituation-causes from former lives, then everyone who cultivates according to phenomenal practice ought to attain the Śūraṅgama and every other unshared dhyāna-samādhi as well. If this is so, why do all the buddhas of the ten directions so earnestly praise prajñā-pāramitā, saying that if a practitioner acts exactly as they have heard, they are thereby complete in every buddha-dharma? Answer: this challenge only further establishes the very point being made here. Why is this? If a practitioner has, in the past, already encountered measureless buddhas, heard prajñā-pāramitā expounded by them, and acted exactly as heard, then, in this present life, whatever is cultivated will bring forth every unshared dharma of neither-phenomenal-nor-principle dhyāna-samādhi naturally, of itself. But if one did not hear prajñā in the past and did not cultivate prajñā, then, even hearing it and cultivating it in this present life, it cannot be brought forth — how much less could it be brought forth by neither hearing nor cultivating it at all? Furthermore: even if one hears prajñā and cultivates prajñā in this present life without it being brought forth, should one, in a future life, encounter buddhas and bodhisattvas, hear prajñā-pāramitā expounded, and act exactly as heard, then every unshared Mahāyāna dhyāna-samādhi will thereupon be brought forth in full — hence it is known that, in every case, it is hearing prajñā and acting exactly as heard that is able to bring it forth; this is never without its own cause and condition. This is precisely why all the buddhas of the ten directions so earnestly praise prajñā-pāramitā: if one acts exactly as one has heard, one becomes thereby complete in every buddha-dharma — and this precisely establishes the point made here.

Furthermore: through the power of skillful means of prajñā-pāramitā, a practitioner is able, within phenomenal cultivation itself, to already be complete in neither-phenomenal-nor-principle cultivation — and, cultivating with courage and diligence, constant and unbroken, is thereby able to bring forth every unshared dharma of neither-phenomenal-nor-principle dhyāna-samādhi. Question: how does this differ from what was said before? Answer: here, a fourfold distinction should be made: the cause strong but the condition weak; the cause weak but the condition strong; cause and condition both strong; and cause and condition both weak. First, the cause strong but the condition weak, able to bring forth unshared dharmas of neither-phenomenal-nor-principle dhyāna-samādhi, is exactly as distinguished before. Second, the cause weak but the condition strong, able to bring forth the same, is precisely what has just been clarified here. Third, cause and condition both strong, able to bring forth the same: this combines the prior case with the present one exactly, and such a person attains the dharma in the most excellent way of all. Fourth, cause and condition both weak: in this present life, it may or may not be brought forth at all, and even if dhyāna is brought forth, it is feeble and shallow, not at all firm, and prone to regress — this is all that even the very best practitioners of this latter age generally attain. Of the three cases given above, one may find perhaps one such person in ten thousand, or perhaps none at all.

Second, next distinguishing the unpredictable arising of dhyāna through principle cultivation: this likewise has four differing kinds. First, some practitioners, settling the mind in embodying-truth, principle stopping, bring forth dhyāna-concentration of principle in turn — namely every dhyāna-samādhi of principle among emptiness, signlessness, and the like. Second, some practitioners, settling the mind in principle stopping, bring forth only phenomenal dhyāna-concentration — namely every phenomenal dhyāna-samādhi among the root dhyānas, the liberations, and the rest. Third, some practitioners, settling the mind in principle stopping, bring forth both phenomenal and principle dhyāna-concentration together — namely every phenomenal-and-principle dhyāna-samādhi among the root dhyānas, the liberations, emptiness, signlessness, and the rest. Fourth, some practitioners, settling the mind in principle stopping, bring forth instead neither-phenomenal-nor-principle dhyāna-concentration — namely every unshared dharma of middle-way-embracing dhyāna-samādhi among the samādhi of self-nature and the rest. The full distinguishing of these dhyāna-marks, and of the meaning behind their unpredictable cultivation and arising, follows the same pattern already given in the first case above.

Third, next distinguishing the unpredictable arising of dhyāna through phenomenal-and-principle cultivation: this likewise has four differing kinds. First, some practitioners, settling the mind in phenomenal-and-principle stopping that takes the conventional as its object while still embodying truth, bring forth phenomenal-and-principle dhyāna-concentration in turn. Second, some practitioners, settling the mind in phenomenal-and-principle stopping, bring forth only phenomenal dhyāna-concentration. Third, some practitioners, settling the mind in phenomenal-and-principle stopping, bring forth only dhyāna-concentration of principle. Fourth, some practitioners, settling the mind in phenomenal-and-principle stopping, bring forth instead neither-phenomenal-nor-principle dhyāna-concentration, namely the samādhi of self-nature and every other unshared, middle-way-embracing dhyāna-samādhi. The full distinguishing of these dhyāna-marks, and of the meaning behind their unpredictable cultivation and arising, follows the same pattern already given in the earlier cases above.

Fourth, next distinguishing the unpredictable arising of dhyāna through neither-phenomenal-nor-principle cultivation: this likewise has four differing kinds. First, some practitioners, settling the mind in neither-phenomenal-nor-principle stopping that sets to rest the distinguishing of both extremes, bring forth neither-phenomenal-nor-principle dhyāna in turn, namely the samādhi of self-nature and every other unshared, middle-way-embracing dhyāna-samādhi. Second, some practitioners, settling the mind in neither-phenomenal-nor-principle stopping, bring forth only phenomenal dhyāna-concentration, namely every phenomenal dhyāna-samādhi among the root dhyānas, the eight liberations, and the rest. Third, some practitioners, settling the mind in neither-phenomenal-nor-principle stopping, bring forth only dhyāna-concentration of principle, namely every dhyāna-samādhi of principle among emptiness, signlessness, and the rest. Fourth, some practitioners, settling the mind in neither-phenomenal-nor-principle stopping, bring forth both phenomenal and principle dhyāna-concentration together, namely every phenomenal-and-principle dhyāna-samādhi among the root dhyānas, the liberations, emptiness, signlessness, and the rest. The full distinguishing of these dhyāna-marks, and of the meaning behind their unpredictable cultivation and arising, follows the same pattern already given in the first case above.

Here, distinguished only with reference to the four cultivations within the gate of stopping, there are sixteen kinds of unpredictable dhyāna-arising. If further distinguished with reference to the four cultivations within the gate of contemplation, there are likewise sixteen kinds of unpredictable dhyāna-arising. Taking stopping and contemplation together, there are thirty-two kinds of unpredictable dhyāna-arising in all. These thirty-two are distinguished only with reference to practitioners of the dharma-practice type; if one considers practitioners of the faith-practice type, whose dhyāna-arising and awakening to the path upon hearing the teaching-gate of stopping-and-contemplation expounded are likewise unpredictable, there are again thirty-two kinds — the matter being similar, it is not given here in full. Taken together in this general way, there are, in brief, sixty-four kinds in all. If distinguished fully according to the capacities of practitioners across the three vehicles, there are one hundred ninety-two differing kinds of dhyāna-arising. And if one traces through every dhyāna in fine detail, distinguishing the arising-marks in terms of the deviant and the correct as well, the number becomes measureless.

All of this, however, is distinguished strictly with reference to the practitioner's own state of mind — these are not idle words spoken without purpose. One should know that the dharma of dhyāna's arising is inconceivable, precisely the domain of buddhas and bodhisattvas, not even something the two lesser vehicles can fathom — how much less could an ordinary person hope to measure it? Should a practitioner wish to both practice and teach others, one must recognize at least some small part of this; to presume, in error, to set oneself up as one's own teacher instead would bring the fault of harming both oneself and others — and whatever cultivation one undertakes would then be without the benefit of true wisdom.

Second, clarifying the reasons the various dhyāna-samādhis arise at all: there are, here, two differing explanations. One master says: "One need only cultivate entry into concentration as described above, and every dhyāna will arise of itself, with no need to labor over any further practice." This master relies exclusively on the method of stopping to teach students in every matter, much like an old-fashioned physician who relies solely on milk as medicine. The present treatise does not follow this view. Why is this? Stopping is a single method — if the method that brings something forth is likewise supposed to be only a single thing, then, given that practitioners bring forth such different dhyānas through this same stopping, how could this possibly be attributed to stopping alone? Not only would this be mistaken in principle, it would also run contrary to the Buddha's own teaching-gate.

A second master says: "The various dhyānas already experienced and habituated to in past lives serve as the wholesome-root cause; cultivating stopping in this present life serves as the condition through which concentration is attained — this is why what arises differs from person to person." The meaning of this can be readily seen. It is like dry land: although it holds various kinds of medicinal herbs, trees, and thickets, each with its own name and form, if they were not all equally moistened by the same single rain, how could their different kinds possibly grow and flourish as they do? This is exactly the same. As for the sense given in the Mahāyāna teaching of the seven treasures hidden within a dark room, a vase, a basin, or a well, this is a separate discussion, treated elsewhere.

Third, clarifying how much dhyāna arises: although it has been distinguished above that stopping, as a cause, brings forth every dhyāna-samādhi in common, practitioners' own capacities differ, and so what actually arises is not without its own difference in quantity. Some people bring forth only a single gate of dhyāna; others bring forth two gates, three, four, or five; and some single individuals bring forth all fifteen gates and every dhyāna-samādhi together — this cannot be judged as fixed in advance. Why is this so? It is entirely because practitioners' past habituation-causes are unequal in their partiality or completeness, and differ in thickness or thinness, and also because of the difference, in this present life, between diligence and laziness, and between skillful means joined with wisdom and skillful means without it — hence what arises differs in superiority and inferiority, taking countless divergent paths and forms. This, in brief, clarifies the marks of how much dhyāna arises.

Fourth, clarifying that dhyāna brought forth through stopping may or may not be fully exhausted. Here, taking what is most easily shown, this is first distinguished with reference to the contemplation of impurity alone: some practitioners have already, in past lives, cultivated and attained the contemplation of impurity together with the flowing light of the white bones. If, now, within stopping, only the contemplation of impurity is brought forth, without yet attaining the flowing light of the white bones, this is called "not exhausted"; if brought forth in full, this is called "exhausted." If what was habituated in the past has already spent its full force, then, even continuing to cultivate stopping, no further progress will be made. But if one instead applies the mind single-mindedly to contemplating the white bones in earnest, refining the skeletal figure, researching and cultivating it without pause, one will come to a realization: according to whatever the mind contemplates, the state gradually opens and develops further, coming to completion as the eight liberations, with observing, refining, perfuming, and mastering all present in full. This, however, is precisely the accomplishment of skillful, diligent cultivation in this present life, and has nothing to do with the arising of any wholesome root habituated in the past.

Question: when the state within cultivating stopping fails to progress, need this necessarily be because the habituation-cause has already been exhausted? Might it not instead be because some karmic offense is obstructing one's own past wholesome root, preventing it from growing and developing further? Answer: your question is indeed correct — this is a separate matter, a path of its own, and does not rule out that some cases are, in fact, simply exhausted, with no karmic offense involved at all; in such cases, skillful means are necessary, cultivating in reliance on the contemplative method just as described, before completion can be reached. Here, one should distinguish this by passing through five kinds of practitioner capacity: those prone to regression; those who merely maintain their ground; those who abide steadily; those who progress; and those who penetrate through. The distinctions among these are not recorded here in full. The marks of exhaustion or non-exhaustion for the remaining fourteen dhyānas may be understood by this same pattern.

Fifth, distinguishing this in terms of the contaminated and the uncontaminated. Question: as clarified above, the marks of the fifteen gates of dhyāna-samādhi arising include, among them, both the contaminated and the uncontaminated. Contaminated wholesomeness, having already been experienced and attained in the past, can indeed have a habituation-cause behind its arising; but the uncontaminated was, by definition, never experienced before at all — how, then, could it possibly have a habituation-cause from the past behind its arising? Answer: the uncontaminated is of two kinds — uncontaminated conduct-practice, and uncontaminated wisdom-practice. Uncontaminated conduct-practice, being itself a phenomenal dharma serving as an antidote, does not definitely take truth itself as its object — hence it can have a habituation-cause from the past behind its arising. Uncontaminated wisdom-practice, on the other hand, does definitely take truth itself as its object — hence it cannot definitely be said to have a habituation-cause from the past behind its arising. This, too, is of two further kinds: cultivation that takes principle as its object, clarifying wisdom-practice in this sense; and the arising of wisdom that sees principle, taking truth directly as its object, clarifying wisdom-practice in this other sense. Cultivation that takes principle as its object can indeed have a habituation-cause behind its arising. The arising of wisdom that sees principle, although it, too, takes truth as its object, has no habituation-cause behind its arising.

The arising of wisdom that sees truth is, again, of two kinds: the arising of approximate wisdom; and the arising of true, genuine wisdom. The arising of approximate wisdom may, in some cases, have a habituation-cause behind its arising. The arising of true, genuine wisdom has no habituation-cause behind its arising. The arising of true, genuine wisdom is, again, of two kinds: the arising of uncontaminated attainment on the path of vision, such as the forbearance of suffering; and the arising of uncontaminated attainment on the path of cultivation across the three realms, such as unobstructed liberation. If uncontaminated attainment on the path of vision, such as the forbearance of suffering, arises, it is never, under any account, said to have a habituation-cause behind its arising. If uncontaminated attainment on the path of cultivation arises, the teaching on this point is not fixed: if one follows the Sarvāstivādin interpretation, then, for the retrogressible — once-returners, non-returners, and arhats who regress back to the fruit of stream-entry and later realize the fruit again — there is indeed a habituation-cause behind this arising; but for the non-retrogressible, since those who have attained the three higher fruits have, by definition, no sense of realizing them anew, none of these is distinguished as having a habituation-cause behind its arising. If one follows the interpretation given by the Dharmaguptakas, then the true, uncontaminated attainment arising at all four fruits has, in every case, no habituation-cause behind its arising.

Question: according to the Abhidharma's own distinction, only the very first arising of an uncontaminated state has no cause of its own kind behind it at all — how, then, can it now be said, without qualification, that the true, uncontaminated attainment arising at all four fruits has no habituation-cause behind it? Answer: what is clarified here regarding dhyāna-samādhis' arising through a habituation-cause carries a different sense altogether: what is meant here specifically refers to wholesomeness already experienced and attained in the past, lost through regression in between, and now, through stopping, brought forth once again — this is what is meant by "arising through a habituation-cause." The true, uncontaminated attainment arising at the four fruits, however, involves no cause of ever having been experienced in a former life and then lost through regression in between — how, then, could this possibly be classed together with dhyāna now brought forth again through cultivating stopping? If one speaks generally of the first grade of the true, uncontaminated understanding of mind serving as the basis for the second grade of uncontaminated mind, and so on in the same way up through the ninth grade — with reference to this sense of a habituation-cause, then the uncontaminated attainment arising at all four fruits could indeed be called an arising through a habituation-cause. But since what is clarified here does not take this sense of a habituation-cause as its reference, it is instead said that what arises at the four fruits is, in every case, not an arising from any habituation-cause wholesome root.

Furthermore: a practitioner who, in past lives, cultivated phenomenal and principle dhyāna-samādhis without yet bringing them to completed realization, and who, in this present life, has that wholesome root come to ripeness, brought forth in full through cultivating stopping as its condition — this, too, is an arising of a wholesome root through a habituation-cause. This is comparable to the Buddha's own summons, "Welcome, monk!," through which the uncontaminated is brought forth at once, the three insights and the eight liberations all complete together in that same instant. The distinguishing of what is both contaminated and uncontaminated together, and, further still, what is neither contaminated nor uncontaminated, may be understood by this same pattern.