Shariputra Abhidharma Treatise (舍利弗阿毘曇論)

Shariputra Abhidharma Treatise, Volume 12

Translated by Tripitaka Master Dharmayashas and Dharmagupta of the Later Qin, from Kipin

Non-Questioning Section: Conditions Chapter 5

Good friendship is a skillful means, and good friendship brings liberation. Conditioned skillful means may bring holy forbearance but not wisdom; conditioned skillful means may bring holy wisdom but not forbearance; conditioned skillful means may involve questions and answers. Because of co-arising phenomena: if this exists, that exists; if this does not exist, that does not exist. If this arises, that arises; if this ceases, that ceases. With ignorance as condition, formations arise, and so on up to birth as condition, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, and distress come to be — thus the whole mass of suffering is complete. When ignorance ceases, formations cease, and so on up to when birth ceases, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, and distress cease. Thus the mass of suffering ceases. This is the accomplishment of conditioned skillful means.

If one has doubt regarding past conditions — "Did I exist in the past? Did I not exist in the past? What was I in the past? How was I in the past?" — and doubt regarding future conditions — "Will I exist in the future?" and so on up to "How will I exist in the future?" — and doubt regarding present conditions — "How do I exist? How do I not exist? What causes me to exist? Where am I born? Where has this being come from, and where will it go?" — and doubt regarding the Buddha: "Is the Blessed One a Buddha or not a Buddha? Does the Blessed One teach the Dharma well or teach the Dharma poorly? Does the Blessed One's community of disciples practice well or practice poorly?" — and doubt regarding practices: "Are formations permanent or impermanent? Are they suffering or not suffering? Are they self or not self? Is there tranquil Nirvana or not? Is there giving or no giving? Is there generosity or no generosity? Is there offering or no offering? Are there results and rewards of good and bad karma or not? Is there this life or not? Is there a next life or not? Are there parents or not? Are there celestial beings or not? Are there beings born by transformation or not? Are there in the world renunciants and priests who have correctly entered the right path and directly realized and proclaimed this for this life and the next, or not?" If one has doubt regarding the Dharma, with an unsettled mind, wavering, doubting, uncertain, with immeasurable doubts not exhausted — this is not liberation. At that time, none of this exists.

If there are renunciants or priests who follow other conditions — "This self and world are eternal; this is true, all else is false," and so on up to "the Thus-Gone One exists after death" or "does not exist after death" — at that time, none of this exists either. How much less could there be the accomplishment of noble conditioned skillful means? Ultimately, such defilements and stains do not exist.

What is a condition? As the Buddha told the monks: "I will teach you conditions and conditioned phenomena. What is a condition? Ignorance conditions mental formations. Whether Buddhas arise in the world or not, this remains the nature of things, the order of reality. Having awakened to and fully understood that order of reality, the Tathāgata proclaims, teaches, reveals, analyzes, and makes it clear, saying: ignorance conditions mental formations, and so on up to birth conditions old age and death. If this is so, then it is so and not otherwise, not different, not something else. It is the constant law, the true law, the abiding of the law, the certainty of the law. Such a condition is called a condition. What are conditioned phenomena? Old age and death are impermanent, produced by conditioned forces, subject to ending, subject to change, subject to fading away, subject to cessation. And so on up to ignorance, which is impermanent, a conditioned phenomenon, subject to ending, subject to change, subject to fading away, subject to cessation. These are called conditioned phenomena. What is the method of understanding conditions? Whether it is that condition or this conditioned phenomenon, the insight and understanding of it—this is called the method of understanding conditions. Monks, how far does one go to be skilled in the method of understanding conditions? When one truly knows and truly sees that condition and this conditioned phenomenon as they really are—to that extent one is skilled in the method of understanding conditions. What is ignorance? Not knowing, the unwholesome root—this is called ignorance. What is ignorance conditioning mental formations? Ignorance conditions meritorious formations, non-meritorious formations, and imperturbable formations. What are non-meritorious formations? Unwholesome bodily action, unwholesome verbal action, unwholesome mental action. What is unwholesome bodily action? When a person lacks wisdom and has not cut off ignorance, and commits killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and other unwholesome bodily actions—this is called unwholesome bodily action. What is unwholesome verbal action? When a person lacks wisdom and has not cut off ignorance, and commits false speech, divisive speech, harsh speech, idle chatter, and other unwholesome verbal actions—this is called unwholesome verbal action. What is unwholesome mental action? When a person lacks wisdom and has not cut off ignorance, and gives rise to greed, hatred, and wrong view—this is called unwholesome mental action. These unwholesome bodily, verbal, and mental actions are called non-meritorious formations; ignorance conditions present actions. What are meritorious formations? Wholesome bodily action, wholesome verbal action, wholesome mental action. What is wholesome bodily action? When a person lacks wisdom and has not cut off ignorance, but does not kill, steal, or commit sexual misconduct, and performs other wholesome bodily actions—this is called wholesome bodily action. What is wholesome verbal action? When a person lacks wisdom and has not cut off ignorance, but does not lie, divide others, speak harshly, or chatter idly, and performs other wholesome verbal actions—this is called wholesome verbal action. What is wholesome mental action? When a person lacks wisdom and has not cut off ignorance, but is free from greed, free from hatred, and holds right view—this is called wholesome mental action. These wholesome bodily, verbal, and mental actions are called meritorious formations; ignorance conditions present actions. Furthermore, when a person lacks wisdom and has not cut off ignorance, and, withdrawn from sensual desires and unwholesome states, with applied and sustained attention, and with joy and happiness born of seclusion, accomplishes and dwells in the first jhāna—their bodily karma is the non-instructive precept, included in the sense sphere, known by the mind consciousness; their verbal karma is the non-instructive precept, included in the sense sphere, known by the mind consciousness; their mental karma arises from the mind—feeling, perception, intention, contact, and attention. Such wholesome bodily, verbal, and mental actions are called meritorious formations; ignorance conditions present actions. Furthermore, when a person lacks wisdom and has not cut off ignorance, and, with the settling of applied and sustained attention, with inner confidence, and with concentration born of samādhi, free of applied and sustained attention, accomplishes and dwells in the second jhāna—their bodily karma is the non-instructive precept, included in the sense sphere, known by the mind consciousness; their verbal karma is the non-instructive precept, included in the sense sphere, known by the mind consciousness; their mental karma arises from the mind—feeling, perception, intention, contact, and attention. Such wholesome bodily, verbal, and mental actions are called meritorious formations; ignorance conditions present actions. Furthermore, when a person lacks wisdom and has not cut off ignorance, and, with the fading away of joy, dwelling in equanimity, mindful and clearly comprehending, experiencing happiness in the body, and accomplishing and dwelling in the third jhāna as the noble ones describe it—their bodily karma is the non-instructive precept, included in the sense sphere, known by the mind consciousness; their verbal karma is the non-instructive precept, included in the sense sphere, known by the mind consciousness; their mental karma arises from the mind—feeling, perception, intention, contact, and attention. Such wholesome bodily, verbal, and mental actions are called meritorious formations; ignorance conditions present actions. Furthermore, when a person lacks wisdom and has not cut off ignorance, and, with the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the prior disappearance of elation and distress, and with purity of equanimity and mindfulness, neither painful nor pleasant, accomplishes and dwells in the fourth jhāna—their bodily karma is the non-instructive precept, included in the sense sphere, known by the mind consciousness; their verbal karma is the non-instructive precept, included in the sense sphere, known by the mind consciousness; their mental karma arises from the mind—feeling, perception, intention, contact, and attention. Such wholesome bodily, verbal, and mental actions are called meritorious formations; ignorance conditions present actions. These are called meritorious formations. What are imperturbable formations? When a person lacks wisdom and has not cut off ignorance, and, completely transcending perceptions of form, with the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, and not attending to diverse perceptions, accomplishes and dwells in the sphere of infinite space—their bodily karma is the non-instructive precept, included in the sense sphere, known by the mind consciousness; their verbal karma is the non-instructive precept, included in the sense sphere, known by the mind consciousness; their mental karma arises from the mind—feeling, perception, intention, contact, and attention. Such wholesome bodily, verbal, and mental actions are called imperturbable formations; ignorance conditions present actions. Furthermore, when a person lacks wisdom and has not cut off ignorance, and, completely transcending the sphere of infinite space, accomplishes and dwells in the sphere of infinite consciousness—their bodily karma is the non-instructive precept, included in the sense sphere, known by the mind consciousness; their verbal karma is the non-instructive precept, included in the sense sphere, known by the mind consciousness; their mental karma arises from the mind—feeling, perception, intention, contact, and attention. Such wholesome bodily, verbal, and mental actions are called imperturbable formations; ignorance conditions present actions. Furthermore, when a person lacks wisdom and has not cut off ignorance, and, completely transcending the sphere of infinite consciousness, accomplishes and dwells in the sphere of nothingness—their bodily karma is the non-instructive precept, included in the sense sphere, known by the mind consciousness; their verbal karma is the non-instructive precept, included in the sense sphere, known by the mind consciousness; their mental karma arises from the mind—feeling, perception, intention, contact, and attention. Such wholesome bodily, verbal, and mental actions are called imperturbable formations; ignorance conditions present actions. Furthermore, when a person lacks wisdom and has not cut off ignorance, and, completely transcending the sphere of nothingness, accomplishes and dwells in the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception—their bodily karma is the non-instructive precept, included in the sense sphere, known by the mind consciousness; their verbal karma is the non-instructive precept, included in the sense sphere, known by the mind consciousness; their mental karma arises from the mind—feeling, perception, intention, contact, and attention. Such wholesome bodily, verbal, and mental actions are called imperturbable formations; ignorance conditions present actions. These are called imperturbable formations. Furthermore, when a person lacks wisdom and has not cut off ignorance, and performs unwholesome bodily, verbal, and mental actions, then, because of performing unwholesome actions, when the body breaks up and life ends, they fall into hell, the animal realm, or the realm of hungry ghosts. Through the cause and condition, they fall into hell, the animal realm, or the realm of hungry ghosts and receive a five-aggregate body. Thus, conditions in this life lead to results in a future life; this is called ignorance conditioning future actions. Furthermore, when a person lacks wisdom and has not cut off ignorance, and performs tainted wholesome bodily actions that will lead to rebirth in the desire realm, performs tainted wholesome verbal and mental actions that will lead to rebirth in the desire realm, and having performed these wholesome actions, when the body breaks up and life ends, they are born among humans or in the desire-realm heavens. Through the cause and condition, they receive a five-aggregate body among humans or in the desire-realm heavens. Thus, conditions in this life lead to results in a future life; this is called ignorance conditioning future actions. Furthermore, when a person lacks wisdom and has not cut off ignorance, and performs tainted wholesome bodily actions that will lead to rebirth in the form realm, performs tainted wholesome verbal and mental actions that will lead to rebirth in the form realm, and having performed these wholesome actions, when the body breaks up and life ends, they are born in the form-realm heavens. Through the cause and condition, they receive a five-aggregate body in the form-realm heavens. Thus, conditions in this life lead to results in a future life; this is called ignorance conditioning future actions. Furthermore, when a person lacks wisdom and has not cut off ignorance, and performs tainted wholesome bodily, verbal, and mental actions that will lead to rebirth in the formless realm, and having performed these wholesome actions, when the body breaks up and life ends, they are born in the formless-realm heavens. Through the cause and condition, they receive a four-aggregate body in the formless-realm heavens. Thus, conditions in this life lead to results in a future life; this is called ignorance conditioning future actions. As the Buddha said: "Ānanda, mental formations have a condition." Thus, Ānanda asked and then received an answer. What conditions mental formations? Ignorance conditions mental formations. This is the answer. Ānanda, if there were no ignorance, would there be mental formations? "No, World-Honored One." Ānanda, because of the cause and condition, there are mental formations; if ignorance conditions mental formations, as was just said. Therefore it is taught.