The Embrace of the Elements, Complete

This opens the particular summary verses distinguished (別嗢柁南辨), the second of three matters, beginning with general meaning and the rest (總義等), the first — this itself is the first of the elements' embrace's four particular verses, naming four matters to explain in the long-form section that follows: general meaning, distinct kinds, similar turning, and the three later seekings.

This opens the long-form explanation (長行釋), the second of the general-meaning verse's four matters, beginning with general meaning (總義), the first, beginning with marking and listing (標列) — an element abiding in its intrinsic nature is a naturally-so seed; an element increased through habituation is one built up through repeated conditioning. "Element" (界, dhātu) is elsewhere explained as the cause of all dharmas — the eighteen elements of six sense-faculties, six objects, and six consciousnesses — or as a boundary (as when a affliction is bounded to the desire, form, or formless realm), or as a category, or, in its oldest sense, as an intrinsic characteristic that never dissolves, hence also rendered "that which sustains" — as water sustains water's nature and fire sustains fire's, so earth, water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness together constitute every sentient being's own basis, and so "element" is also called "causal nature," since different causes give rise to different realms of existence, just as a human's realm of existence differs from an animal's.

This opens explaining each in turn (隨釋), beginning with elements abiding in their intrinsic nature (住自性界) — the six sense-faculties, six objects, and six consciousnesses each continue seed-to-seed within one's own continuum, each distinct from the others.

This opens distinct kinds (自類別), the second of the general-meaning verse's four matters, explaining that each of the eighteen elements itself contains distinct varieties, beginning with general marking (總標) — briefly, the elements number eighteen; but told in full, since beings' karmic destinies vary so widely, their true number is beyond counting.

This opens raising a simile (舉喻), the second — the akṣa (惡叉) is a tree whose fruit grows in clusters of three seeds fused at a single base, falling to the ground still clustered together, and is a stock simile in the treatises for interdependent afflictions, karma, and suffering, or simply for great multiplicity; though called one cluster, or one kind, it in fact contains countless individual seeds.

This opens similar turning (似轉), the third of the general-meaning verse's four matters, explaining how similar elements arise and reinforce one another, beginning with marking the distinction (標差別) — the seeds stored in the store-consciousness are themselves gathered through the power of decisive understanding built up in past lives: repeated evil understanding forms an evil element, repeated good understanding forms a good element, and this in turn shapes what a person is naturally drawn toward now.

This opens clarifying similar turning (明似轉), the second, beginning with marking (標) — those who share wholesome dispositions naturally become friends, as renunciants gravitate toward fellow renunciants, and those uninterested in the Dharma gravitate toward others likewise uninterested; the same holds for those sharing unwholesome dispositions.

This opens the three seekings (三求), the fourth and final matter of the general-meaning verse, explaining how sentient beings in the world pursue one of three seekings — along the holy life, toward existence, or toward desire — beginning with seeking along the holy life (依梵行求), the first of three, explaining beings who seek the uncontaminated noble path, beginning with bringing forth the gradual order of training (出學漸次), the first, beginning with distinguishing the mark individually (別辨相) — faith in the Three Jewels leads to going forth and receiving precepts, then to shame at one's own faults, then to unforgetting diligence in wholesome cultivation, and, resting on precepts and mindfulness together, to concentration, and finally, resting on concentration, to wisdom in accordance with truth.

This opens named "fulfillment attained" (名得圓滿), the second of seeking along the holy life's three matters — worldly right view arises from mental attention in accord with the Buddha's own teaching; generosity, free of craving, aversion, and delusion, adorns and assists the mind and provisions the path toward calming and contemplation; being easy to support and easy to satisfy, having few desires, and contentment together constitute a renunciant's adornment; and the four means of attraction (giving, kind speech, beneficial conduct, and cooperation) round out the seven qualities. Per the 披尋記, these match the Śrāvaka Ground's own verse on a śramaṇa's adornment: sincere faith without flattery, little illness, diligence and wisdom, few desires and contentment, easy to support and easy to satisfy, ascetic virtue and dignity, knowing moderation as a good person's way, the marks of intelligence, and patience, gentleness, and goodness.

This opens clarifying the establishment of elements (明安立界), the third of seeking along the holy life's three matters, explaining that sentient beings constantly turn together with their element, gathering with like kind, beginning with displaying the distinction (顯差別) — practitioners of the holy life gather with fellow practitioners; those who abandon it gather with others who likewise abandon it.

This opens seeking toward existence (依有求), the second of the three seekings, explaining beings who seek the form and formless realms' absorptions, beginning with distinguishing the conditions (辨為緣) — relishing meditative absorption's bliss and equanimity, still driven by the latent seed of ignorance, leads one to seek rebirth in the form or formless realms, tracing the same causal chain as dependent origination toward the great mass of suffering. Master Cháng Bǎi cites the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra's simile: on a perilous cliff overgrown with grass lies ambrosia that grants a thousand years of life and freedom from illness, yet the foolish, greedy for its taste, fail to notice the deep pit hidden just beneath and fall to their deaths, while the wise know to stay away entirely — however long a lifespan, so long as it remains within birth-and-death, it remains foul.

This opens seeking toward desire (依欲求), the third of the three seekings, explaining beings who seek the desire realm's objects, beginning with distinguishing the conditions (辨為緣) — grasping at a pleasing sign leads to desire, desire to restless investigation, investigation to longing and grief, and grief to bodily and mental agitation, driving ever more elaborate pursuit of the five sensory objects. Master Cháng Bǎi cites the Mahāstop-of-Concentration-and-Insight's five similes for the five desires' harm: form is like a burning gold ball, seizing it means being burned; sound is like a poisoned drum, hearing it means death; smell is like a nāga's held breath, breathing it in means illness; taste is like boiling honey syrup, tasting it means a scalded tongue, or honey smeared on a blade, licking it means a cut tongue; and touch is like a sleeping lion, approaching it means being mauled — only by first recognizing the five desires' danger and turning from them can one, in meditative cultivation, sever craving, aversion, torpor, restlessness, and doubt, abandon the five hindrances, and attain concentration.

This opens the long-form explanation (長行釋), the second of radiance and the rest's eight matters, beginning with the three and seven elements' mutual embrace (三七界相攝), the first, beginning with bringing forth the elements' distinctions (出界差別), the first, beginning with the three elements (三界) — the form realm here specifically denotes the meditative absorptions (though the desire realm is technically embraced within it as well); the formless realm comprises the four formless bases (space, consciousness, nothingness, and neither-perception-nor-non-perception); the cessation element denotes the attainment of the cessation of feeling and perception, and the extinguishing of the view of a real body.

This opens clarifying their mutual embrace (明其相攝), the second, explaining how the three elements embrace the seven, beginning with embracing all completely (具攝一切) — the three elements (form, formless, cessation) exhaustively contain the seven, mapping neatly onto each other.

This opens broadly explaining full knowledge and the rest (廣遍知等), the third of the three-and-seven elements' matters, beginning with marking what should be known (標應知) — four things to understand about the seven elements: knowing them fully, knowing how to attain them, knowing what their attainment looks like, and knowing what purpose that attainment serves.

This opens explaining each mark individually (別釋相), the second of broadly explaining full knowledge's two matters, beginning with full knowledge of the elements (於界遍知), the first, beginning with marking and listing the causes and conditions (標列因緣) — radiance, purity, and space are established relative to what they remedy (darkness, impurity, and the realm of form respectively); consciousness is established relative to space's narrowness against the immeasurable knowing mind; nothingness is established relative to consciousness's existence against its own non-existence; and neither-perception-nor-non-perception together with cessation are established relative to the surpassed peak of conditioned existence against the truly unsurpassed.

This opens explaining each mark in detail (別釋其相), the second, beginning with relative to the remedied and the remedy (待所治能治), the first — form's darkness (craving arisen through view or feeling) is remedied by radiance, cultivated through the first and second absorptions' liberations of contemplating form internally or externally while free of the notion of internal form; impurity is remedied by purity, cultivated through the fourth absorption's liberation of directly witnessing the pure; and the realm of form itself is remedied by empty space, cultivated through breaking through form entirely to attain the liberation of the base of infinite space.

This opens relative to the narrow and the immeasurable (待狹小無量), the second — space itself, though vast, remains a single bounded object for consciousness; taking the immeasurable, boundless consciousness that knows space as the object instead, the base of infinite consciousness is established.

This opens relative to the existent and the non-existent (待有非有), the third — observing that consciousness itself is without real existence, relative to the lower base's sense that consciousness does exist, establishes the base of nothingness.

This opens relative to the surpassed and the unsurpassed (待有上無上), the fourth, beginning with bringing forth the two kinds (出二種) — neither-perception-nor-non-perception is the highest peak still within conditioned existence, "unsurpassed" only relative to the three realms; the cessation element, severing every affliction bound to self-view, both discriminated and innate, is unsurpassed absolutely, the arhat's own attainment.

This opens the means of attainment (於得方便), the second of explaining each mark individually's four matters, beginning with by formation-based absorption (由有行定), the first, beginning with marking its name (標得名) — taking a deliberately grasped mental image as the object, repeatedly recollected until absorption is attained, together with its accompanying ease, joy, or equanimity, constitutes a "formation-based" absorption.

This opens clarifying what is attained (明獲得), the second, beginning with marking (標) — the first five of the seven elements, from radiance through nothingness, all require deliberately grasping and sustaining a mental object.

This opens explaining (釋), the second, beginning with raising the perception of radiance (舉光明想) as the example — a practitioner first fixes a perceived sign of light clearly in mind, then, while seated in meditation, holds that same sign present and vivid throughout the sitting, exactly as a practitioner of buddha-recollection samādhi first cultivates a perception of light filling the surrounding space before visualizing the Buddha's form; beginning with the light perception in this way tends to keep the five hindrances from arising and makes absorption easier to attain.

This opens not by formation-based absorption (不由行定), the second of the means of attainment's two matters, beginning with distinguishing each (別辨), the first, attaining the absorption of the highest existence (獲得第一有定) — every attainment through the base of nothingness still relies on a grasped image, but neither-perception-nor-non-perception is entered by dissolving the sign itself rather than grasping one, though this is not yet the noble path, since it does not truly understand signs as impermanent, suffering, empty, and without self — a residual sense of "no mind" is itself still subtly grasped, hence "neither perception nor non-perception." Elder Miàojìng cautions that at this stage a practitioner may easily mistake that single subtle thought for an indestructible true self, giving rise to the view of a spiritual self.

This opens the attainment of the elements (於得諸界), the third of explaining each mark individually's four matters — radiance and purity liberate one from desire-realm craving, the four formless elements liberate one from form-realm craving, and cessation, permanently destroying craving for both realms, brings freedom from despondency toward the inferior and from arrogance toward one's own attainment. Per the 披尋記, being free of clinging to relish is "not despondent"; not giving rise to conceit is "not arrogant"; attaining liberation of mind is "abiding in liberation"; and dwelling in the nirvāṇa-element is "dwelling in liberation" — or, alternatively, "abiding in liberation" names the knowing wisdom itself, and "dwelling in liberation" names the suchness it takes as object. Whatever degree of these liberations a practitioner attains, mindfulness grows correspondingly strong, gentle, and free, entering, dwelling in, and emerging from absorption entirely at will.

This opens the purpose of attainment (於得所為), the fourth and final matter of explaining each mark individually, beginning with marking (標) — the seven elements just explained (radiance, purity, and the five formless-and-cessation elements) together yield the eight liberations, the classical meditative sequence beginning with contemplating form while possessing the notion of form. The text turns next to listing these eight liberations individually — not yet read, so no closure of this matter is claimed here.

This opens view (見), the second of radiance and the rest's eight matters, explaining the distinction between outside paths' wrong views and the true dharma's right view, beginning with the distinction in the bases of view (見處差別), the first, beginning with bringing forth the cause and condition (出因緣), the first, beginning with by teaching the essentials of the doctrine (由說法要), the first, beginning with general marking (總標) — outside teachers, wishing their disciples to advance toward one of three destinations, teach doctrines suited to each.

This opens explaining each individually (別釋), the second, beginning with bringing forth the conditions for teaching (出說緣), the first, beginning with toward the inferior desire realm (於劣欲界) — teachings aimed at securing human prosperity or rebirth among the desire realm's highest heaven.

This opens toward the middling form realm (於中色界), the second — teachings aimed at the form realm's pure heavens, such as cultivating the four immeasurables of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, or other methods for entering the four form-realm absorptions.

This opens by giving rise to notion and the rest (由起想等), the second of bringing forth the cause and condition's two matters, beginning with inferior, middling, and sublime notion (劣中妙想), the first — hearing the teacher's words, the disciple forms a corresponding mental grasp of the object taught.

This opens inferior, middling, and sublime view (劣中妙見), the second — the notion, once approved and delighted in, hardens into a fixed view, a stubborn conviction rather than a passing thought.

This opens naming the distinctions (名差別), the second of the distinction in the bases of view's two matters, beginning with the distinction of individuals (補特伽羅差別) — both the teacher who taught the doctrine and the disciple who received it are classified the same way, by the realm each is oriented toward.

This opens the distinction of kinds of rebirth (生類差別), the second — the same classification perpetuates itself onward, as teacher and disciple alike pass the doctrine to still further others, who attain the matching rebirth in turn.

This opens the distinction of elements (諸界差別), the third of naming the distinctions' matters, beginning with clarifying the establishment (明安立), the first, beginning with the inferior-middling-sublime distinction (劣中妙別) — this life's rebirth in the desire realm, compared against a possible future rebirth in the form or formless realm, establishes the same threefold grading among the elements themselves.

This opens distinguishing the ultimate meaning (簡勝義), the second of the distinction of elements' three matters, beginning with the teaching's terms (說語) — the buddhas, taking nirvāṇa itself as the sublime element, teach only what leads there; per the 披尋記, though the conventional truth's inferior-middling-sublime distinctions are still spoken of, they are inseparable from the ultimate truth, since correctly seeing even the conventional as unfindable is itself how one enters the ultimate.

This opens displaying that regression occurs (顯有退), the third of the distinction of elements' three matters, explaining why some practitioners fall away from the path, beginning with by a prior false view (由先妄見) — someone who once habituated outside-path views in a former life may, by favorable conditions, go forth as a Buddhist monastic in this one, yet the old confused seed remains latent, still capable of pulling their resolve away from the true path.

This opens the distinction of what views depend upon (見依差別), the second of view's two matters, explaining that although outside views may advance a follower through the inferior, middling, or sublime realms, all remain, relative to nirvāṇa, embraced within the inferior element, and now explaining broadly and briefly the distinction in what such views depend upon, beginning with speaking briefly (略說), the first, beginning with marking attainment and abandonment (標得捨) — per the 披尋記, three kinds of individuals hold their views with dull, medium, or sharp conviction, whether relying on another's view or on the view of no cause at all; relying instead on the true dharma permanently abandons both the affliction's active manifestation and its dormant seed together.

This opens explaining broadly (廣釋), the second of the distinction of what views depend upon's two matters, beginning with explaining the establishment of views (釋見施設) — the same fourteen unanswerable questions catalogued earlier (the world's eternality or finitude, the Tathāgata's postmortem status, the identity or difference of the life-principle and the body) constitute the outside paths' broad range of doctrines. The text turns next to the second matter under explaining broadly — not yet read, so no closure of this matter is claimed here.

This opens explaining the three distinctions (釋三差別), the second of explaining broadly's two matters, beginning with the first kind of individual (第一類補特伽羅), the first of three, beginning with distinguishing the mark of approving a view (辨忍見相) — the dull-natured disciple accepts whatever is taught wholesale, without ever examining it.

This opens the second kind of individual (第二類補特伽羅), the second of three, beginning with distinguishing the mark of approving a view (辨忍見相) — a middling-capacity disciple weighs conflicting doctrines somewhat, settling on one view among many rather than accepting everything wholesale.

This opens the third kind of individual (第三類補特伽羅), the third of three, beginning with generally marking the sharp faculty (總標利根) — a sharp-minded disciple, perhaps one who had studied the Buddhadharma in a former life, investigates every doctrine rigorously and rejects them all as unsatisfying.

This opens distinguishing each kind of view-based conduct (別辨見行), the second of the third kind of individual's two matters, beginning with marking and listing the two kinds (標列二種) — one sharp-minded skeptic simply settles into rejecting everything without further ambition; the other, though likewise rejecting every doctrine offered, still burns to know what is actually true.

This opens explaining their distinction (釋其差別), the second of distinguishing each kind of view-based conduct's two matters, beginning with the first kind (第一類), the first, beginning with distinguishing the mark of non-approval (辨不忍相) — this thoroughgoing skeptic, having rejected every outside doctrine, rejects even the Buddhadharma itself the same way, sliding into pure nihilism (an "everything is nothing" view) which, however it presents itself as having no position at all, is in fact still its own fixed, quietly clung-to view — and, ironically, just as combative and quarrelsome toward every other view-holder as the doctrines it claims to reject.

This opens the second kind (第二類), the second, beginning with bringing forth the intention to seek understanding (出求解意) — unlike the nihilist who settles into contentious rejection, this skeptic, still hungry to know what is actually true, brings their total skepticism directly to the Buddha and his disciples and openly admits it.

This opens leading into the true dharma (引入正法), the second of the second kind's structure, explaining how the Buddha and his noble disciples guide such a person toward the true dharma, beginning with skillfully praising and encouraging (方便讚勵) — the Buddha's counter-question is a masterstroke: by asking whether the skeptic also rejects "nothing should be approved" as a view, he reveals that the true dharma itself already shares the skeptic's own rejection of every fixed doctrine, without collapsing into nihilism. Per the 披尋記, once every view's active affliction and latent seed is permanently severed, no future view can ever again defile the mind.

This continues skillfully praising and encouraging — the Buddha affirms that this rare, thoroughgoing skeptic, precisely because of their uncompromising rejection of every doctrine, already stands remarkably close to the noble disciples' own accomplishment, needing only to carry that same rejection all the way through to its natural completion.

This opens spurring the wish forward (策發希欲), the second of leading into the true dharma's three matters — having first been affirmed rather than argued with, the skeptic's own secret admiration for what the Buddha's disciples have accomplished becomes the very seed the Buddha then nurtures into a genuine wish to seek right understanding.

This opens teaching the essentials of the doctrine (宣說法要), the third of leading into the true dharma's three matters, beginning with generally marking the purpose (總標所為) — the power of discerning reflection is the wisdom gained through careful analysis, able to temporarily suppress affliction's manifestation (as in guarding the sense-faculties) without yet uprooting its seed; the power of cultivation is the wisdom born of actual meditative practice, at minimum the threshold concentration preceding the first absorption, strong enough to sever the seed itself, not merely its manifestation.

This opens explaining each the bases of abandonment (別釋捨依), the second of teaching the essentials of the doctrine's structure, beginning with by the power of discerning reflection (依思擇力), the first, beginning with contemplating the faults (觀諸過患) — seeing clearly that every fixed view breeds only conflict without benefit is the very reflection that loosens one's own grip on holding views at all, exactly mirroring the noble disciples' refusal to answer speculative questions.

This opens by the power of cultivation (依修習力), the second of explaining each the bases of abandonment's two matters, explaining that severing the latent tendency's very seed requires actual meditative cultivation beyond reflection alone, beginning with distinguishing (辨), the first, contemplating impermanence (觀無常) — cultivating mindfulness of the body through contemplating its impermanence, and the feelings arising from it, gives rise to right view of no-self, severing both the active manifestation and the seed of affliction together.

This opens contemplating destruction (觀壞滅), the second — constantly holding the perception that this body must inevitably perish keeps one from clinging to painful, pleasant, or neutral feelings alike, experiencing each free of craving, aversion, and delusion even while still alive.

This opens explaining every point in turn (隨釋一切), the third of teaching the essentials of the doctrine's structure, beginning with explaining the faults (釋諸過患) — craving, aversion, and delusion drive attachment across all three times: grasping the already-relinquished past, indulging the present, and courting a defiled future, binding one to suffering throughout.

This opens explaining opposition, contention, and the rest (釋違諍等), the second — per the 披尋記, harm through bodily, verbal, and mental karma toward oneself and others is called harm precisely because such karma may injure oneself, injure others, or injure both together.

This opens notion (想), the third of radiance and the rest's eight matters, explaining that notion, too, arises dependent on causes and conditions — since an element (a seed) already exists, a corresponding notion arises, and that notion in turn plants further seeds of the same kind, showing how a single moment's mind already contains the potential for all three realms, and so notions deserve constant, careful observation — beginning with distinguishing the distinction (辨差別), the first of two matters, beginning with raising desire, craving, aversion, and harm (舉欲貪恚害), the first of three, beginning with bringing forth their element (出彼界) — even a practitioner cultivating the impurity contemplation or loving-kindness may not yet have uprooted every seed of craving and aversion; whatever grossness remains in the store-consciousness stays capable of sprouting into full manifestation the moment conditions ripen. Per the Determination Chapter, a seed is not something separate from the present mind-body continuum, findable if the body were dissected apart, but simply the functional capacity, established relative to the present continuum, by which future dharmas arise — a useful, provisional label, not a literal thing.

This opens clarifying how notion arises (明想生), the second — the latent seed of craving or aversion requires only a matching object and wrong mental attention to sprout into a full, grasping notion.

This opens broadly explaining firm grasping (廣堅執), the third of raising desire, craving, aversion, and harm's matters, explaining how wrong mental attention hardens into fixed grasping and generates faults, beginning with giving rise to the faults (發起過患), the first, beginning with marking and listing (標列) — a fault felt in this very life, and a fault whose seed carries forward, ripening in a future one.

This opens raising the question (徵起), the second — setting up the threefold explanation that follows.

This opens explaining each in turn (隨釋), the third, beginning with named "firmly grasped notion" (名堅執想) — the notion's own power, once it arises, reinforces itself, generating the same agitated craving and pursuit as before, unless checked immediately. Per the 披尋記, this repetition of a formerly-experienced object's discrimination, now amplified by the notion's own accumulated force, is precisely what "firm grasping" describes.

This opens giving rise to the present fault (生現過患), the second of explaining each in turn's three matters, explaining the distinct marks of fault that arise while seeking desired objects, beginning with bringing forth its origin in wrong conduct (出由邪行), the first — the three domains are bodily, verbal, and mental karma, through which the firmly grasped notion drives one into wrong conduct toward others. Per the Bodhisattva Ground, wrong conduct means either failing to do what should be done, or doing what should not be done.

This opens distinguishing the marks of fault (辨過患相), the second, beginning with having suffering, having deprivation (有苦有匱乏), the first — failing to obtain what one seeks through wrong conduct generates active bodily and mental suffering; even without that active suffering, the mere unfulfilled presence of the desired object itself already constitutes a lack. Per the treatise's earlier discussion of karma's faults, this distinction is explained in fuller detail elsewhere.

This opens regressing from wholesome dharmas (退失善法), the second of broadly explaining firm grasping's matters, explaining why precepts, concentration, and wisdom regress, beginning with clarifying the harm of being burned (明被燒害) — even a practitioner who keeps their precepts outwardly may still harbor the seed of desire or aversion; should firm grasping ignite, it burns through their still-fragile wholesome roots exactly as fire tears through a hut of dry reeds, insects and all.

This opens clarifying the means (明方便), the second of notion's two matters, explaining the difference between possessing and lacking the threefold wisdom, beginning with by possessing the three kinds of wisdom (由具三慧) — the threefold wisdom loosens the grip of unwholesome notions like desire, aversion, and harm, while firming up wholesome notions like renunciation in their place, exactly the reverse of what firm grasping does when the wisdoms are absent. The text turns next to explaining the case of lacking the threefold wisdom — not yet read, so no closure of this matter is claimed here.

This opens what is rare and wondrous (希奇), the fourth of radiance and the rest's eight matters, beginning with marking and listing the two dharmas (標列二法) — teaching universal no-self while simultaneously upholding karma's unfailing law of cause and effect is itself the Buddha's most rare and wondrous accomplishment, since these two truths appear, to the ordinary mind, to be in tension.

This opens broadly explaining sentient beings' elements (廣有情界), the second of what is rare and wondrous's two matters, beginning with bringing forth the two categories (出二品類) — the Buddha's teaching on unfailing karma applies equally to those still at home and those who have gone forth, each pursuing their own kind of goal with a matching fivefold structure of elements.

This opens explaining each element in turn (隨釋其界), the second of broadly explaining sentient beings' elements's matters, beginning with distinguishing each (別辨), the first, the householder class (在家品), a fivefold structure, beginning with named "the element of initiation" (名發起界) — a householder's very first motivating action is directed toward securing wealth for daily livelihood.

This opens named "the element of vigor" (名勢力界), the second — facing obstacles before wealth is secured, the mind grows bold and determined to obtain it.

This opens named "the element of sustaining" (名任持界), the third — once wealth is secured, minor disasters and irritations still cannot dislodge one's determination to protect and keep it.

This opens named "the element of renunciation" (名出離界), the fourth — per the 披尋記, "one's own domain" is the desire realm and "another domain" the form realm's grounds; delighting in desires is "not yet rejected," growing weary of them is "already rejected" — describing the shift from pursuing wealth to pursuing meditative absorption instead.

This opens the renunciant class (出家品), the second of five, beginning with named "the element of initiation" (名發起界) — mirroring the householder's initial pursuit of wealth, the renunciant's initial motivating action is the decisive wish to go forth.

This opens named "the element of vigor" (名勢力界), the second — undaunted confidence in one's ability to attain the vast wholesome dharmas of the path, from the two provisions through the transcendent noble path itself.

This opens named "the element of sustaining" (名任持界), the third — enduring exposure to weather, the fatigue of sustained practice, the hindrances that arise in meditation, and bodily illness from imbalanced elements, all without abandoning the resolve to pursue the vast wholesome dharmas.

This opens named "the element of renunciation" (名出離界), the fourth — attaining the wisdom of hearing is not the endpoint but the spur to press on toward thinking and cultivation, and each meditative attainment likewise spurs the next, never resting content at any inferior stage.

This opens distinct natures (差別性), the fifth of radiance and the rest's eight matters, explaining how an element differs from other kinds and within its own kind, beginning with marking (標).

This opens questioning (徵), the second — setting up the enumeration that follows.

This opens listing (列), the third — the eighteen elements' seeds differ from each other across kinds, yet within a single kind (such as feeling), further distinctions still remain.

This opens explaining (釋), the fourth, beginning with the distinct nature of another kind (他類差別性) — each of the eighteen elements has its own distinct kind and function, differing from every other element.

This opens establishment (安立), the sixth of radiance and the rest's eight matters, beginning with marking (標) — the three kinds of "threefold realms" are: the desire, form, and formless realms; or the form realm, formless realm, and cessation element; or the non-final emergence elements (form and formless realms) together with the truly final emergence element (cessation). The two elements of emergence are the five factors of emergence free of conceit, and the six factors of emergence.

This opens questioning (徵), the second — setting up the fourfold enumeration to follow. The text turns next to listing these four causes and conditions individually — not yet read, so no closure of this matter is claimed here.

This opens listing (列), the third — external non-emergence versus emergence from the five external sense-desires establishes the desire, form, and formless realms; internal non-emergence versus emergence from the internal six bases establishes the form realm, formless realm, and cessation element; non-final versus final emergence establishes the same three by whether affliction's seed, not merely its manifestation, has been uprooted; and freedom from conceit, through complete penetration, establishes the elements of emergence themselves.

This opens explaining (釋), the fourth of establishment's matters, beginning with external non-emergence and emergence (外不出離出離), the first, beginning with distinguishing (辨), the first, the desire realm (欲界) — desire-realm beings depend constantly on the five external sense-objects for their very survival, making craving toward them almost unavoidable without constant vigilance, though the Buddha repeatedly taught his disciples to use only the barest requisites rather than seeking out refined ones.

This opens the form realm (色界), the second, beginning with the first meditative absorption (最初靜慮) — recognizing that a life chasing sense-desire is unsatisfying, and cultivating the impurity contemplation to emerge from it, leads first to the form realm's initial absorption.

This opens the formless realm (無色界), the third, beginning with the base of infinite space (空無邊處) — emerging from every perception of form's obstructive quality, whatever its color, shape, or expression, one contemplates form as empty and enters the base of infinite space.

This opens internal non-emergence and emergence (內不出離出離), the second of establishment's four causes, explaining the second triad of three realms, beginning with distinguishing (辨), the first, the form realm (色界) — unlike a desire-realm being, who might be born missing an eye or limb, a form-realm being's body is always physically complete.

This opens the formless realm (無色界), the second — no physical body at all remains, only the aggregates of feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness, gathered under the mental base.

This opens non-final emergence and final emergence (非畢竟出離出離), the third of establishment's four causes, beginning with distinguishing (辨), the first, non-final emergence (非畢竟出離) — a form-realm being no longer manifests desire, but its seed remains unsevered; the same holds for a formless-realm being relative to form — as long as self-grasping persists at all, no true, final emergence has occurred.

This opens final emergence (畢竟出離), the second — only the cessation element, corresponding to the suchness of no-self, brings every conditioned dharma to a complete and final stillness.

This opens stillness (寂靜), the seventh of radiance and the rest's eight matters, explaining stillness's nature as distinct from affliction, beginning with distinguishing liberation (辨解脫), the first of two matters, beginning with general marking (總標) — a monastic devoted to stillness, sustaining calming and contemplation together, shows five telltale marks of a mind that has genuinely attained liberation.

This opens clarifying what is depended upon (明所依), the second of stillness's two matters, explaining the dharma and discipline that stillness relies upon, beginning with bringing forth the well-taught dharma (出善說法) — per the 披尋記, "equal view" names the teacher's and disciples' identical guidance toward liberation (no difference in what should be done), while "supreme view" names their shared realization of nirvāṇa's stillness; whoever asks the Buddha or any of his noble disciples how to sever affliction receives the identical answer, since the goal and the method taught are one and the same for all.

This opens distinguishing that the outside paths lack this (簡外道無), the second — unlike the Buddha and his disciples, whose teaching and realization are perfectly unified, outside teachers each pursue distinct, individual doctrines that never converge on nirvāṇa at all, and so this twofold rare and wondrous unity of view and speech belongs to the true dharma alone.

This opens the foolish (愚夫), the eighth and final matter of radiance and the rest, explaining the distinguishing marks of the foolish and the wise, beginning with bringing forth the two marks (出二相), the first of two matters, beginning with raising the fool's kind (舉愚類), the first, beginning with marking and listing (標列) — an unlearned, foolish ordinary being both delights in harmful conduct and lacks skill in the four domains of elements, bases, dependent origination, and what is and is not the case.

This opens explaining each in turn (隨釋), the second of raising the fool's kind's matters, beginning with conduct able to draw both oneself and others toward what is without benefit (能引自他無義利行), the first of two, beginning with marking and listing the four sufferings (標列四苦) — suffering caused by external forces, suffering arising from within, suffering spanning every time period, and suffering that harms both self and other through one's own body.

This opens explaining each distinction (釋其差別), the second, beginning with suffering distinguished by others (他差別苦), the first — plagues, human-caused disasters (such as extreme weather from environmental degradation), and even the collective dread of disasters not yet arrived, are all suffering imposed from without, which a fool's harmful conduct only makes more likely to befall, since natural and social calamity alike arise from beings' collective affliction and shared karma.

This opens suffering distinguished internally (內差別苦), the second, beginning with bringing forth its dominant force (出增上) — bodily illness from imbalance among the elements, and the mental anguish of losing what is loved or wanted, together constitute suffering that arises from within rather than from an external cause.

This opens suffering distinguished by time (時差別苦), the third — both the externally- and internally-caused sufferings just described span all three time periods without exception.

This opens broadly explaining skillfulness (廣善巧), the second of the foolish's two matters, beginning with skill in the elements (界善巧), a thirteen-part enumeration, beginning with the eye and the rest, the eighteen elements (眼等十八界) — the six faculties (support), six objects, and six consciousnesses (each faculty's own-kind continuity conditioned by its matching object) together constitute the classic eighteen elements. Per the 披尋記, the eye element through the mind element are the "support"; the form element through the dharma element are the "object"; and the eye-consciousness element through the mind-consciousness element are each faculty's "own-kind continuity."

This opens earth and the rest, the six elements (地等六界), the second, beginning with marking (標) — the five sense-faculties (or their objects) can equally be reorganized under a different, sixfold classification.

This opens desire and the rest, the six elements (欲等六界), the third — desire, aversion, and harm form the defiled triad; renunciation, freedom from aversion, and freedom from harm form their matching pure antidotes, together a third sixfold reclassification, per the 披尋記, of defiled versus pure elements.

This opens suffering and the rest, the six elements (苦等六界), the fourth, beginning with marking their establishment (標建立) — a fourth sixfold reclassification, this time organized by the five kinds of feeling together with the ignorance that, depending on how it colors each feeling, gives rise to craving, aversion, or delusion in turn.

This opens feeling and the rest, the four elements (受等四界), the fifth — feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness pervade all three realms equally (unlike the aggregate of form, present only in the desire and form realms), yielding this fourfold reclassification of the "name" side of name-and-form.

This opens the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm (欲界色界無色界), the sixth — this returns to the same threefold realm structure established earlier under external non-emergence and emergence, now recast as a graded progression from impure (desire) through purified (form) to pure and superior (formless).

This opens the form realm, the formless realm, and the cessation element (色界無色界滅界), the seventh — likewise returning to the second threefold realm structure established earlier under internal non-emergence and emergence.

This opens the past element, the future element, and the present element (過去界未來界現在界), the eighth — time itself is established relative to conditioned dharmas such as the six internal and external bases; whether one hears true or false teaching, and reflects rightly or wrongly upon it, determines emergence or non-emergence across all three time periods; though outside paths, too, speak of past, present, and future, only the true dharma actually teaches the correct means of emerging from the three realms across time, culminating in the unconditioned. The text turns next to the ninth of the thirteen elements — not yet read, so no closure of this matter is claimed here.

This opens the inferior realm, the middling realm, and the sublime realm (劣界中界妙界), the ninth of skill in the elements' thirteen matters, beginning with marking their establishment (標建立) — the same three realms can be graded not by realm-of-rebirth but purely by how much suffering and affliction each contains.

This opens explaining each mark individually (別釋相), the second — the desire realm, with its gross, easily-felt suffering and affliction, is the inferior realm; the form realm, with lighter suffering and affliction, is the middling realm; the formless realm, with the least of either, is the sublime realm — though this same inferior-middling-sublime grading can equally apply within a single realm, as between the hells and the human or heavenly destinies.

This opens the wholesome realm, the unwholesome realm, and the neutral realm (善界不善界無記界), the tenth — what must be relinquished belongs to the unwholesome realm, what must be cultivated as an antidote belongs to the wholesome realm, and what pertains to neither (such as ordinary bodily comportment, or the equanimity present when cultivating an antidote) belongs to the neutral realm; alternatively, since all three remain conditioned dharmas still to be relinquished in favor of the unconditioned, the noble path itself serves as antidote to all three together.

This opens the realm of the trainee, the realm of the adept beyond training, and the realm neither trainee nor adept (學界無學界非學非無學界), the eleventh — the trainee, from stream-entry through non-return, has diminished but not eliminated bondage (severing progressively more of the 112 afflictions of the path of seeing and the desire realm's nine grades of the path of cultivation); the arhat is free of bondage entirely; and the unawakened ordinary being remains fully bound.

This opens the contaminated realm and the uncontaminated realm (有漏界無漏界), the twelfth — worldly dharmas shared with ordinary beings are contaminated (even the trainee's own worldly conduct remains contaminated so long as affliction persists, with only the arhat's shared conduct becoming uncontaminated); the transcendent dharmas unique to trainees and arhats, unshared with ordinary beings, are uncontaminated.

This opens the conditioned realm and the unconditioned realm (有為界無為界), the thirteenth and final matter, beginning with marking their establishment (標建立) — worldly dharmas are conditioned, impermanent, marked by arising, abiding, and ceasing, and always surpassable by something further; transcendent dharmas are unconditioned, permanently abiding, free of arising and ceasing, and unsurpassable by anything at all.

This opens the remaining skillfulnesses (餘善巧), the second of broadly explaining skillfulness's two matters, beginning with pointing to the three kinds (指其三種) — having explained skill in the elements at exhaustive length, the treatise points elsewhere (the Śrāvaka Ground, and the Determination Chapter's discussion of the six skillfulnesses in the aggregates, elements, bases, dependent origination, what is and is not the case, and the faculties) for the remaining three domains, rather than repeating them here.

This opens distinguishing what is and is not the case (辨處非處), the second of the remaining skillfulnesses's two matters, beginning with marking reliance on two kinds of conduct (標依二行) — correctly understanding cause and effect requires seeing both the gate of continued rebirth in the five destinies (good cause, pleasant fruit; bad cause, painful fruit) and the gate of liberation through the precepts, concentration, and wisdom leading to nirvāṇa.

This opens briefly distinguishing the three kinds (略辨三種), the second — unwholesome karma heading toward the lower destinies is inferior; the ten wholesome courses of action heading toward heaven are middling; the transcendent conduct of the noble path is supreme.

This opens broadly explaining why (廣釋所以), the third of distinguishing what is and is not the case's matters, beginning with conduct heading toward the favorable destinies (趣善趣行), the first, beginning with marking (標) — the ten wholesome courses of action can secure the very pinnacle of worldly fulfillment, though this pinnacle remains, in the end, still within saṃsāra's cycle.

This opens conduct heading toward nirvāṇa (趣涅槃行), the second, beginning with marking what it realizes (標能證) — unlike conduct heading toward the favorable destinies, which secures only worldly fulfillment, conduct heading toward nirvāṇa realizes the emptiness of self and dharmas across all three vehicles' enlightenment.

This opens explaining the most supreme (釋最勝), the second, beginning with relative to all of them (於彼一切) — among śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, and buddha enlightenment, the Buddha's own unsurpassed enlightenment stands utterly without peer across every world-system.

This opens relative to every world (於諸世間), the second, beginning with marking (標) — even śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha enlightenment, lesser than the Buddha's own, already surpass anything the ordinary world can offer.

This opens questioning (徵), the second — setting up the explanation that follows.

This opens explaining each in turn (隨釋), a tenfold structure, beginning with intrinsic nature (自性), the first — pleasant, painful, and neutral feeling constitute feeling's own defining nature, shared with no other dharma.

This opens cause and condition (因緣), the second — painful, pleasant, and neutral contact, arising from the faculty, object, and consciousness coming together, give rise respectively to painful, pleasant, and neutral feeling; per the 披尋記, cold weather brings painful contact, pleasant weather brings pleasant contact, and ordinary weather brings neutral contact, illustrating how each kind of contact conditions its matching feeling.

This opens view (見), the third, explaining the right view one should hold when experiencing feeling, beginning with bringing forth what should be contemplated (出應觀), the first, toward pleasant feeling (於樂受) — a single moment's craving for pleasant feeling already sets in motion craving, clinging, and the entire chain leading to future birth, aging, sickness, and death.

This opens toward painful feeling (於苦受), the second — the sharp, wounding quality of painful feeling is precisely why the simile of a still-embedded poisoned arrow fits it so well.

This opens defilement (染), the fourth, explaining the affliction that feeling gives rise to, beginning with marking the name "defilement" (標名雜染) — craving hides within pleasant feeling like a shadow, rarely noticed amid the pleasure itself; aversion deepens with painful feeling the longer one complains without resolution; and even the deep stillness of neutral feeling, mistaken for something ultimate, still harbors ignorance of its impermanent, selfless nature.

With this, explaining the latent tendency (釋彼隨眠) closes entirely, closing defilement (染2: 標名雜染/釋彼隨眠) entirely. Per the 披尋記, "each feeling's own distinct object" means the desirable, undesirable, or neutral object encountered, and conditioning these three in turn gives rise to craving, aversion, and delusion's active manifestation respectively — cultivating the holy life must therefore aim at uprooting the latent tendency itself, not merely suppressing its temporary manifestation.

This opens the one who repeatedly takes rebirth (數取趣), the fifth, explaining how an ordinary being experiences feeling from various angles, beginning with lacking discerning power and possessing discerning power (無思擇力有思擇力), the first, beginning with raising the case of lacking discerning power (舉無思擇) — without the wisdom to discern feeling clearly, painful feeling brings acute distress, while craving for pleasant feeling and confusion about neutral feeling both remain, since their seeds are still unsevered; per the 披尋記, throughout the three realms, wherever there is craving for an object, that very craving confuses one about the object known, and this is precisely why feeling is likened to a bottomless, utterly dark pit.

This opens mind unliberated and mind liberated (心未解脫心已解脫), the second of the one who repeatedly takes rebirth's matters, beginning with raising the unliberated case (舉未解脫), the first, beginning with marking the simile for painful feeling (標喻苦受) — an unliberated mind, struck by painful feeling, suffers twice over, like an arrow-wound compounded by a second arrow.

This opens explaining the simile's mark (釋其喻相), the second — the first arrow is the raw feeling itself, compounded by craving, aversion, or delusion's active manifestation; the second arrow is the karma this generates, ripening into future birth, aging, sickness, and death.

This opens reversing to the liberated mind (翻心解脫), the second of mind unliberated and mind liberated's matters, beginning with citing the distinction (例相違) — a liberated mind is free of craving, aversion, and delusion, generates no further karma, and no longer cycles through birth-and-death's suffering.

This opens turning (轉), the sixth topic, explaining the mark of feeling's activity as it arises within body and mind, beginning with contemplating it like a whirlwind (觀如旋風) — a feeling that flares and vanishes almost as soon as it arises, only to be immediately succeeded by another in a similar vein, is exactly like a gust of whirling wind, gone the instant it is felt.

This opens distinctions (差別), the seventh topic, explaining the different classes of feeling, beginning with general marking (總標) — beyond the basic threefold division of pleasant, painful, and neutral, feeling's basis may correspond to either a defiled or a pure state of mind, yielding further important distinctions.

This opens explaining each individually (別辨), the second, beginning with savored feeling and unsavored feeling (有味無味受), the first — ordinary beings relish and cling to their feelings with delight; the noble ones, though they still feel, do so with wisdom that never relishes or clings, and so remain free of craving even while experiencing the same range of feeling.

This opens the principle (道理), the eighth topic, explaining why painful feeling and the remaining feelings are all suffering, beginning with explaining each individually (別辨), the first, toward painful feeling (於苦受) — every being, without exception, already recognizes painful feeling as suffering directly, requiring no further proof.

This opens toward the remaining feelings (於餘受), the second, beginning with marking that they are suffering (標是苦) — unlike painful feeling, pleasant and neutral feeling require some explanation before their nature as suffering becomes clear.

This opens stillness (寂靜), the ninth topic, explaining feeling's three kinds of stillness, beginning with briefly marking and listing (略標列) — the first absorption stills the desire realm's sorrow, the second stills suffering, the third stills joy, the fourth stills pleasure, each higher ground stilling what belongs to the one below it; the cessation attainment stills feeling only temporarily, resuming once the practitioner emerges; but only the arhat's permanent severance of every affliction brings feeling to a truly final, ultimate stillness, never to arise again.

This opens explaining the distinction (釋差別), the second, beginning with distinguishing the names (簡得名) — "stillness" names a merely temporary quieting of affliction born from feeling; "cessation" names its final, permanent end.

This opens explaining each mark individually (別釋相), the second, beginning with explaining stillness (釋寂靜), the first, beginning with the first meaning (第一義) — entering the first absorption itself immediately stills the mind's compulsion to endlessly generate desire-driven discourse.

This opens the long-form explanation (長行釋), a sevenfold structure, beginning with feeling's arising (受生起), the first of seven, beginning with briefly marking and listing (略標列) — desire for a future object, lingering thought on a past one, and contact with a present one are the three conditions giving rise to feeling across all three times.

This opens explaining each mark individually (別釋相), the second, beginning with bringing forth the assembly of sentient beings (出有情眾), the first, beginning with questioning (徵).

This opens marking (標), the second — setting up the eightfold classification of beings that follows.

This opens listing (列), the third — householders and renunciants form one broad pairing; freedom or non-freedom from desire-realm craving forms a second; freedom or non-freedom from the first absorption's craving forms a third; and outside-path practitioners of worldly absorption (complete with wrong view) versus inner-dharma practitioners of worldly or transcendent absorption (complete with right view) forms a fourth — eight classes covering every sentient being's relationship to feeling's three conditions.

This opens matching to feeling's conditions (配諸受緣), the second of explaining each mark individually's matters, beginning with the assembly not yet free of craving and already free of craving (未離貪已離貪眾), the first of four, beginning with generally marking the three conditions (總標三緣) — attachment toward a desired future object, mental attention dwelling on a past one, and the object itself currently present, together match the earlier three conditions of desire, investigation, and contact. Per the 披尋記, though only "not yet free of craving toward sense-desires" is named here, this implicitly embraces the remaining conditions of investigation and contact as well.

This opens explaining each of the two assemblies individually (別釋二眾), the second, beginning with the householder assembly (在家眾), the first, explaining the mark of householders not yet free of desire-realm craving, beginning with the first meaning (第一義) — attachment drives pursuit of desired objects, wrong mental attention idealizes past experience of them, and the object's own presence draws current enjoyment; all three keep desire, investigation, and contact perpetually restless, generating feeling continuously.

This opens the second meaning (第二義), the second, beginning with explaining (釋), the first, beginning with clarifying the following turning (明隨轉) — per the 披尋記, "initial" refers back to the three conditions just described giving rise to defiled feeling, and "in succession" describes what follows once that feeling, left unclung-to-yet-unrelinquished, perpetuates itself without end, since no wisdom or method has yet been applied to escape it.

This opens named "the condition" (名為緣), the second — desire, investigation, and contact's own sustained manifestation, together with the unbroken chain of affliction they condition, is itself precisely what "restlessness" names. The text turns next to further explaining this condition of restlessness — not yet read, so no closure of explaining (釋2) or clarifying the following turning's parent structure is claimed here.

This opens the renunciant assembly (出家眾), the second of explaining each of the two assemblies individually's matters, explaining renunciants not yet or already free of craving, beginning with the first meaning (第一義), beginning with distinguishing (辨), the first, not yet free of craving (未離貪), the first, beginning with investigation and contact manifest (尋觸現行) — a renunciant, having already given up outward pursuit of sense-desires, still carries unresolved investigation of past pleasures and contact with present ones whenever alone and unguarded.

This opens the second meaning (第二義), the second, beginning with distinguishing (辨), a fourfold structure, beginning with craving, investigation, and contact all not yet stilled (貪欲尋觸皆未寂靜), the first — a practitioner whose desire-realm craving remains fully intact carries all three conditions unresolved together.

This opens desire already stilled, investigation not yet stilled (欲已寂靜尋未寂靜), the second — having attained the first absorption, desire-realm craving is severed, but investigation's own restlessness, still present in this first absorption, remains.

This opens desire and investigation stilled, contact not yet stilled (欲尋寂靜觸未寂靜), the third — spanning from the second absorption all the way up through the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, desire and investigation are both stilled, yet contact with the present remains unstilled, since a subtle sense of a self experiencing equanimity, and the ignorance underlying it, still persists.

This opens outside paths entering worldly absorption (入世間定諸外道眾), the second of feeling's four matched assemblies — even outside-path practitioners capable of genuine worldly absorption remain bound by the wrong view underlying it, generating feeling and attachment despite whatever temporary freedom from desire they achieve, since their afflictive seeds remain unsevered.

This opens inner-dharma practitioners entering worldly absorption (入世間定諸內法眾), the third — even a Buddhist practitioner with right view, so long as it remains merely worldly right view and self-grasping is not yet severed, still generates feeling and attachment from the residual afflictive seeds this self-grasping conditions.

This opens inner-dharma practitioners entering transcendent absorption (入出世定諸內法眾), the fourth and final of feeling's four matched assemblies, explaining those who have genuinely realized the uncontaminated noble path, beginning with clarifying their wish (明彼欲), the first, beginning with not yet stilled (未寂靜) — a trainee progressing from stream-entry toward once-return, non-return, or arhatship still carries the wholesome wish for the next attainment, and this wish itself, per the 披尋記, remains a condition generating feeling until the task is fully complete.

This opens the general, detailed summary (總料簡), the third of feeling's arising's matters, reconsidering everything just explained through the lens of the four truths, beginning with embraced within the truth of suffering (苦法攝), the first of four, beginning with undifferentiated condition (無差別緣) — however many further conditions may be distinguished, contact remains the single universal condition underlying every kind of feeling without exception.

This opens embraced within the truth of origination (集法攝), the second — ignorance itself rests on mental attention not in accordance with truth, and this, sustained across the mental continuum through karma and its ripening, is exactly what "origination" describes.

This opens embraced within the truth of cessation (滅法攝), the third — mental attention not in accordance with truth ceasing brings ignorance's cessation, ignorance's cessation brings suffering's cessation, and suffering's cessation brings feeling's own cessation in turn.

This opens the inferior grade and the rest (劣等), the second of the second sub-verse's seven topics, explaining the first absorption's capacity to sever and cultivate, the graded joy/bliss/equanimity from the desire realm through the four absorptions, and the fourth absorption's thorough purity, beginning with toward the first meditative absorption (於初靜慮) — per the Grounds of Meditative Attainment, the first absorption's joy of emergence severs five dharmas (joy induced by desire, sorrow induced by desire, joy induced by unwholesomeness, sorrow induced by unwholesomeness, and equanimity induced by unwholesomeness) and cultivates five to fulfillment (delight in one's own pure conduct, joy at abandoning the hindrances, ease from bodily and mental pliancy, the happiness of freedom from desire's affliction, and one-pointed samādhi) — the practitioner no longer finds joy or sorrow in the coarse pleasures of the five senses, having tasted the far subtler joy of meditative absorption instead.

This opens toward the desire realm and the four meditative absorptions (於欲界及四靜慮), the second — per the 瑜伽論記, joy is inferior in the desire realm, middling in the first absorption, supreme in the second; bliss is inferior in the desire realm and first absorption, middling in the second, supreme in the third; and equanimity is inferior at the second absorption and below, middling in the third, supreme in the fourth.

This opens distinct marks among feelings (諸受相差別), the third of the second sub-verse's seven topics, beginning with marking and listing ten marks (標列十相) — feeling reduces to a single "one feeling" in the ultimate sense (all feeling is suffering); to two (bodily and mental) by what turning depends on; to three (pleasant/painful/neutral) by intrinsic mark; to four by realm (desire/form/formless/unbound); to five by faculty (pleasure/pain/joy/sorrow/equanimity); to six by the sense-doors; to eighteen "mental approach" feelings by the gate of defilement; to thirty-six by pairing what is to be remedied against its remedy; to a hundred and eight by further tripling across the three times; and, at the finest grain, to truly innumerable feelings arising moment by moment.

This opens explaining each in turn (隨釋), beginning with ultimate meaning (勝義), the first of ten marks, beginning with relating a different position (敘異說) — some hold that neutral feeling is not truly a third, independent kind of feeling at all, but merely the absence of the other two, provisionally spoken of as if it were its own category.

This opens displaying the true meaning (顯實義), the second, beginning with distinguishing each kind individually (別辨種類), the first, beginning with sense-pleasure and the pleasure of renunciation (欲遠離樂), the first, beginning with marking the two kinds (標二種) — the Buddha's own clarification distinguishes ordinary sensory pleasure from the far subtler pleasure found through renouncing it.

This opens broadly explaining the pleasure of renunciation (廣遠離), the second, beginning with marking and listing (標列) — the pleasure of renunciation itself further divides into three distinct grades.

This opens explaining each in turn (隨釋), the second — inferior pleasure spans the first absorption through the base of nothingness; middling pleasure is the still stillness of the topmost existence, neither-perception-nor-non-perception; and supreme pleasure is the noble ones' most sublime attainment, the cessation of feeling and perception itself.

This opens distinguishing the explanation (辨說), the third, beginning with explained by way of pleasant feeling (依樂受說), the first — relative to sense-pleasure, even the ordinary pleasant feeling of the first three absorptions already counts as a kind of stillness.

This opens explained by way of neutral feeling (依捨受說), the second — relative to the first three absorptions' pleasant feeling, the fourth absorption and above's equanimity counts as a further, deeper stillness.

This opens the most still pleasure (最寂靜樂), the second of distinguishing each kind individually's matters, beginning with raising liberation from craving (舉貪解脫) — beyond every meditative gradation of stillness just described, the Buddha points to a still more ultimate pleasure: the mind's actual liberation from craving's defilement itself.

This opens generally embracing all of it (總攝一切), the second of displaying the true meaning's matters, beginning with marking and listing (標列) — every pleasure just discussed reduces to three: what must be renounced (sense-pleasure), what must be cultivated as a still-surpassable abiding (every meditative attainment through the cessation attainment), and the truly unsurpassed abiding pleasure of final liberation from craving, aversion, and delusion.

This opens explaining each in turn (隨釋), a threefold structure, beginning with pleasure that should be renounced (應遠離樂), the first — ordinary sensory pleasure, arising from the five sense-desires, is exactly what should be renounced.

This opens pleasure that should be cultivated, an abiding pleasure with something still above it (應修習有上住樂), the second, beginning with pleasure that should be cultivated (應修習樂) — every meditative absorption's pleasure, from the first through the very peak of conditioned existence, is worth cultivating, though something still lies beyond it.

This opens ultimate, final liberation's unsurpassed abiding pleasure (最極究竟解脫無上住樂), the third of explaining each in turn's matters, beginning with pointing to what was said before (指前說) — this circles back to the three most still pleasures already named: freedom from craving, aversion, and delusion. Per the 披尋記, these three are attainable only within the uncontaminated realm.

This opens explaining the name "pleasure" (釋樂名), the second, beginning with marking and distinguishing the cessation attainment (標簡滅定) — paradoxically, the cessation attainment's "pleasure" consists precisely in feeling nothing at all, not in experiencing some positive sensation.

This opens displaying its distinction (顯彼差別), the second, beginning with marking it named "pleasure" (標名樂) — the cessation attainment's stillness so closely resembles nirvāṇa's own peace that it too earns the name "pleasure," by analogy.

This opens explaining each individually (別釋), the second, beginning with named "view, most supreme" (名見最勝) — the view of impermanence pertains only to conditioned dharmas, while the view of no-self embraces both conditioned and unconditioned dharmas alike, and so surpasses it, needing no further view beyond itself.

This opens named "the rest, most supreme" (名餘最勝), the second, beginning with marking and listing the four gates (標列四門) — hearing the true dharma, the four form-realm absorptions, the three lower formless attainments (together with the four absorptions forming the seven "supports" for contemplating no-self), and a human or heavenly existence, together provide the means by which the view of no-self actually exhausts the contaminants. Per the 瑜伽論記, human existence is favored for its three excellences — superior memory, superior capacity for the holy life, and superior valor — while an alternative reading identifies "existence" here with the once-returner's fruit, since that single remaining rebirth, whether human or heavenly, is destined to be one's last.

This opens knowing the distinctions (知差別), the fifth of the second sub-verse's seven topics, explaining full knowledge of the four noble truths and the distinct matters of defilement and purification, beginning with knowing the severance, realization, and cultivation of the four truths' distinctions (知斷證修四諦差別), the first of two matters, beginning with general marking (總標) — the same fourfold structure of full knowledge, liberation, realization, and cultivation applied earlier to the truths in general is here reapplied specifically to feeling.

This opens explaining each individually (別釋), the second of knowing the severance, realization, and cultivation of the four truths' distinctions's matters, beginning with liberation regarding the truth of suffering (解脫苦諦), the first — fully knowing the three realms' every feeling as suffering, reaching suffering's own limit, is complete liberation regarding the first truth.

This opens liberation regarding the truth of origination (解脫集諦), the second — permanently exhausting craving and views, origination's own cause, constitutes superior liberation regarding the second truth.

This opens bearing witness to the truth of cessation (作證滅諦), the third — directly bearing witness that feeling should be wearied of, departed from, and liberated from is precisely realizing the third truth.

This opens the distinct matters of defilement and purification (辰二雜染清淨境事差別), the second of knowing the distinctions's two matters, beginning with embraced within the defiled class (巳一雜染品攝), a single, extensive tenfold matter — one, life depends on the four foods; two, name and form mutually condition each other's continuation in saṃsāra; three, entering formless formations' impermanent nature requires contemplating dependent origination (cross-referenced to fascicle 93's teaching that seeing feeling's momentary, changing states of intensity is the very gateway to realizing consciousness's subtle impermanence); four, the four foods are also the basis of mental defilement; five, the five aggregates, every kind, are entirely suffering; six, the six internal and external bases, through contact, generate the experience of karmic fruit; seven, the seven stations of consciousness are where joyful, blissful consciousness delights to abide; eight, the eight worldly concerns (gain and loss, disrepute and fame, praise and blame, suffering and pleasure) are the basis of craving and aversion; nine, the three realms' nine grounds are where joy and delight in clinging lead to rebirth; and ten, the ten unwholesome courses of action are the basis leading to the evil destinies.

This opens questioning (問), the sixth of the second sub-verse's seven topics, explaining who is and is not worth discussing the dharma with, beginning with marking the doctrine to be questioned (標應問論) — everything just explained about defilement, purification, severance, realization, and cultivation should prompt genuine questions and discussion among practitioners.

This opens bringing forth the two distinctions (出二差別), the second — a discussion begins by briefly marking out the essential point when the listener has not yet grasped it, and proceeds to fuller explanation once understanding has taken root.

This opens distinguishing its causes and conditions (辨其因緣), the third, beginning with general marking (總標) — some questioners are worth engaging, others are not, each determined by four distinct causes and conditions.

This opens explaining each individually (別釋), the second, beginning with not to be discussed with (不應與言), a threefold structure, beginning with listing (列) — direct perception here means the shared, ordinary worldly perception evident to all, not the uncontaminated transcendent direct perception; what accords with reason means valid inference; and cause and non-cause mean what does and does not fit the principle of dependent origination, worldly and transcendent alike.

This opens explaining (釋), the second — someone who cannot grasp even a directly-shown fact (such as impermanence displayed by a flower blooming and withering), nor a validly reasoned inference (such as non-self inferred from impermanence), nor the promise that personal practice itself will bring understanding, nor even the Buddha's or a noble one's own direct teaching, has closed themselves off to every possible avenue of understanding.

This opens one who can be discussed with (應可與言), the second, beginning with rightly distinguishing the mark (正辨相), the first, beginning with distinguishing (辨), a fourfold structure, beginning with categorical answer (一向記) — these four truths (universal impermanence, universal selflessness, the unsatisfactoriness of every rebirth, and karma's unfailing law) admit no qualification whatsoever and are answered identically by the Buddha and every one of his disciples alike.

This opens analytical answer (分別記), the second — deliberate karma may be wholesome or unwholesome, repented or unrepented, so a blanket claim that it always brings suffering needs careful qualification; likewise, equanimity is shared by both ordinary beings deep in worldly absorption (who have not severed self-grasping) and arhats (who have), so equanimity alone does not guarantee nirvāṇa — both questions require careful analysis before answering, not a flat yes or no.

This opens counter-questioning answer (反問記), the third, beginning with regarding karma (於造業) — since karma may be wholesome or unwholesome, leading to entirely different destinies, the question itself needs clarification before any answer can be given.

This opens answering (記), the seventh and final of the second sub-verse's seven topics, explaining how the inner dharma's predictions differ from outside paths', beginning with bringing forth the two kinds of prediction (出二記別), the first of two matters, beginning with marking and listing (標列) — per the 披尋記, these two predictions rest on the two truths: relative to the conventional truth, the prediction is shared with outside paths; relative to the ultimate truth, it is unshared.

This opens explaining each in turn (隨釋), the second, beginning with shared with outside paths (共外道), the first — the Buddha, like outside-path teachers possessing the heavenly eye, is able to predict a disciple's future rebirth, a conventional-truth ability shared between them.

This opens unshared with outside paths (不共外道), the second, beginning with distinguishing from the other (簡他) — the Buddha, unlike outside-path teachers, never predicts a truly existing self passing continuously from one life to the next, since dependently arisen dharmas have no controlling agent, no experiencer, no independent function, no freedom of their own, arising from causes and conditions, originally nonexistent and now existent, existent and then dispersed — only dharmas displaying and moistening one another, falling into a continuum, with no real self or person anywhere to be found; outside paths, by contrast, predict a permanent, unchanging person passing from this death to that birth, exactly the point on which the inner dharma differs. The text turns next to further explaining this unshared prediction — not yet read, so no closure of unshared with outside paths (未一簡他's parent 午二不共外道2) is claimed here.

This opens displaying the inner dharma's own teaching (顯自), the second of unshared with outside paths's matters, beginning with clarifying consciousness's basis (明識依住), explaining where a sentient being's deluded, discriminating consciousness rests, beginning with marking and listing the two bases (標列二依) — subtle self-craving (self-love, self-delusion, self-view, self-conceit) and the grosser basis of the mental faculty and physical senses together keep this consciousness perpetually burning, life after life.

This opens explaining the mark of this basis (釋依住相), a threefold structure, beginning with consciousness in the desire and form realms (欲色界識) — for beings in these two realms, consciousness rests on the full pairing of name and physical form, persisting for as long as craving and lifespan both allow.

This opens consciousness in the formless realm (無色界識), the second — lacking physical form entirely, formless-realm consciousness rests on name alone, still clinging to the equanimity of meditative absorption and the aggregates of feeling, perception, and formation.

This opens clarifying skillful avoidance of others' doctrines (明善避他), the second of answering's two matters, beginning with marking and listing two kinds of debate (標列二論) — outside paths sometimes treat the fourteen categorically-unanswerable questions as though they had a definite answer after all, a confusion the Buddha skillfully avoids by simply setting such questions aside; conversely, outside paths, lacking decisive wisdom, sometimes waver on questions that in fact have a firm, categorical answer, a confusion the Buddha likewise avoids by answering decisively whenever a decisive answer is truly warranted.