Fictive
creation
of the sphere of Rupadhatu is made up of t w o ay at anas.
AbhidharmakosabhasyamVol-4VasubandhuPoussinPruden1991
" These qualities of the Buddha are
231
? 235
possess them.
detachment, for the Buddha obtains all his qualities in a single stroke, from the beginning, at the moment of the Knowledge of
The Buddha alone acquires them through
236
his will, without effort; for the Buddha is the master of all the
Destruction, through detachment. dharmas that he possesses.
Later, he actualizes them at
***
We have explained the three categories, Absence of Conten-
tion, Knowledge Resulting from Resolution, the Unhindered
Knowledges, which are common to the Aryans. Among the
2bl qualities which also belong to ordinary persons {prthagjanas)
we must explain the Supernormal Knowledges.
42a-d. Realization of the knowledge of supernormal power, of ear, of the mind, of past existences, of death and rebirth, of the destruction of the cankers; this is the sixfold
238
There are six supernormal knowledges: 1. the supernormal
knowledge which consists of the realization of the knowledge of
the sphere of rddhi or supernormal power (that is to say,
supernormal knowledge.
239
which consists of the realization of the knowledge of divine
displacement and creation);
2. the supernormal knowledge
240
realization of the knowledge or consciousness of the mind of
hearing;
3. the supernormal knowledge which consists of the
another;
241
4.
242
the supernormal knowledge which consists of the 243
realization of the knowledge of the memory of past existences;
5. the supernormal knowledge which consists of the realization of
the knowledge of divine sight (of the death and birth of all
245
cankers.
Even though the sixth supernormal knowledge belongs only to
244
the realization of the knowledge of the destruction of the
beings);
and 6. the supernormal knowledge which consists of
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the Aryans, since the first five are also possessed by ordinary persons, and by reason of the characteristics of the greatest number of supernormal knowledges, here all of the supernormal knowledges are considered as common to the Aryans and to
246 ordinary persons.
247 42d. They are prajnd of deliverance.
They are by their nature the prajnd of the Path of Deliverance, 248
like the results of the religious life.
249 43a. Four are conventional knowledge.
Four, with the exception of the supernormal knowledge of the minds of others and the supernormal knowledge of the destruction of the cankers, are conventional knowledges (vii. 2).
43b. The knowledge of the mind of another is made up of five knowledges.
The fifth supernormal knowledge is by nature the knowledge
of dharmas, inferential knowledge, a knowledge of the Path,
conventional knowledge, and the knowledge of the mind of
250 another.
43c. The supernormal knowledge of the destruction of the
251 cankers is similar to the power.
Exactly like the power of the knowledge of the destruction of the cankers, this supernormal knowledge is made up of six or ten knowledges. So too, it can exist in all of the spheres and relates to all objects.
? 43d. Five exist in the Four Dhyanas. 252
The first five supernormal knowledges exist in the Four Dhyanas, that is to say, they are obtained by an ascetic in any of these Dhyanas.
***
Why do they not exist in the non-material absorptions, the Arupyas?
a. The first three have rupa for their object (see p. 1162, line 14). Thus one cannot produce them in the arupyas.
b. The knowledge of the mind of another is prepared through the gate of physical matter (rupa), that is to say through a path which has color and shape for its object. 253 Now the non-material absorptions do not have physical matter for their object.
? As for the memory of previous existences, the ascetic prepares for this by going over again and again the course of successive states {anupurvavasthantarasmaranat)\2bA now the non-material absorptions do not have the dharmas of Kamadhatu for their object, and when a memory of past existences is actualized, it bears, as the Sutra says, on the place, the gotta, etc. , and on material dharmasPb
d. In fact the ascetic who wishes to know the mind of another first considers, in his own series, the characteristics of his body and mind, "Such is my body, such is my mind. " As he has considered his own body and mind, in this same way, envisioning the series of another, he takes into consideration the characteristic of the body and mind of another: thus he knows the mind of another and the supernormal knowledge arises. When the supernormal knowledge is realized, the ascetic no longer considers the rupa of the body; he directly knows the mind. 256
e. The ascetic who wishes to remember his past existences, begins by grasping the characteristic of the mind which has just perished; from this mind, he again considers the states which it immediately succeeds in the present existence up to the mind at
? I: . ? /emembers one moment of mind of his llpantarabhava), this supernormal knowl- ^der for him to remember the previous
? preliminary exercise is the same. #eginner in the practice of this supernor- pse existences onlyintheir chronological
Lee is acquired, heremembers them by ' existences.
|'ly that which has been experienced
low can there be remembrance of the /; do not return here, the ascetic does not Ld he has not experienced them in their j p n s a r e n o t b o r n in this h e a v e n .
? ecause he has experienced them through [^ho remembers themunderstands, "The ? are such. " The experience, in fact, is
/Mid hearing.
H p m Arupyadhatu, arise here produce this f/>>y means of the seriesof another.
i\/ ? which consists of the memory of past ? re of a Dhyana, and one cannot, through [Wind which is in Arupyadhatu.
"yn by means of theirown series. 258
W the first three supernormal knowled- jlJpwledge of the sphereof rddhi, of divine h/jsht,--consists of the observation of |, fft. 259 W h e n this preparation is achieved,
)\\,(<? in each case.
e supernormal knowledges do not exist lypyadhatu260
? 44a. They have their own sphere or a lower sphere for their
261
domain.
Through the Supernormal Knowledge of magical power of a certain sphere, acquired in a certain dhydna (vii. 43d), one possesses the powers of displacement and creation (vii. 48) in this sphere or in a lower sphere, but not in a higher sphere.
So too, through the Supernormal Knowledge of divine hearing, one understands the sounds of the sphere to which the Supernor- mal Knowledge belongs, or the sounds of a lower sphere, but not the sounds of a higher sphere.
Through the Supernormal Knowledge of the mind of another, one does not know the mind of another when it is of a sphere higher than that of the Supernormal Knowledge.
Through the Supernormal Knowledge of the memory of past existences, one does not obtain the memory of existences in a sphere higher than that of the Supernormal Knowledge.
Consequently, a mind in Arupyadhatu cannot be attained either through the Supernormal Knowledge of the knowledge of the mind of another, nor through the Supernormal Knowledge of the memory of past existences, because this mind in Arupyadhatu is of
262
a sphere higher than that of the Supernormal Knowledges.
***
How are the Supernormal Knowledges acquired?
If they have not been acquired in a past life, they are acquired only through effort.
44b. Already cultivated, they are acquired through detach- ment.
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When they have been cultivated in a past life, they are acquired through detachment. [The ascetic takes possession of them through the sole fact that he detaches himself from Kumadhatu and enters a Dhyana]. Nevertheless, intense, they are acquired only through effort. Their manifestation always supposes an effort, except in the case of the Buddha, who acquires any of the Supernormal Knowledges through simple detachment, and actualized them at will (ii. 44a, vii. 41d).
44c. The third is made up of three applications of mindful-
263 ness.
The supernormal knowledge of the mind of another contains three applications of mindfulness,--vedand, citta, and dharma (vi. 14)--because it has the mind and its mental states for its object.
44d. Supernormal power, hearing, and sight make up the
264 first application of mindfulness.
The supernormal knowledges of supernormal power, divine
hearing, and divine sight, make up the first application of
mindfulness, that is, the body as an application of mindfulness, for
they have rupa, color and shape, for their object. The supernormal
knowledge of supernormal power has four external dyatanas, with 265
the exception of sound, for its sphere. And divine hearing and divine sight have both sound and rupa for their domain.
If this is the case, how can the Supernormal Knowledge of the
266
divine sight know, as the Sutra explains,
endowed with bad physical actions, with bad vocal actions, deniers (apavddaka) of the Aryans, produce false views, attach themselves to views and to wrong actions, because of which, at the end of their lives, they fall into bad realms of rebirth. . /?
The Supernormal Knowledge of divine sight does not know
that "These beings
? that a being is endowed with a mental action, that a being has
conceived a false view, etc. But there is another knowledge which
267 accompanies the Supernormal Knowledge of divine sight, which
arises in the series of the Aryan, and which knows mental action, etc. As this knowledge is produced through the power of the Supernormal Knowledges of divine sight, it receives, together with this Supernormal Knowledge, the name of "Knowledge of death and rebirth. "
***
As their natures are not determined in the Karika, it follows in and of itself that the two Supernormal Knowledges of memory of past existences and the destruction of the cankers have for their
268 nature the four applications of mindfulness.
45a-b. The Supernormal Knowledges of hearing and sight
269 are neutral; the others are good.
The Supernormal Knowledges of divine hearing and divine sight are morally neutral, for, by nature, they are prajnd associated with auditory and visual consciousness.
If this is the case, how can one say that they are of the sphere of the Four Dhyanas? In fact, there is no visual or auditory consciousness in the Second Dhyana and above (146).
There is no contradiction here, for we express ourselves in this way by consideration of the organs. The organs, the ears and eyes, which are the support of the Supernormal Knowledges, are produced through the power of the Four Dhyanas and belong to their sphere: they therefore exist in the four spheres. The Supernormal Knowledge, being supported on the organ, is therefore said to be supported on (= exist in) the Four Dhyanas.
Or rather, we express ourselves in this way because we consider
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the dnantaryamdrga (or preparation, above p. 1160, line 25) of the Supernormal Knowledge; in fact the dnantaryamdrga of the Supernormal Knowledge of divine hearing and divine sight is
270
The other supernormal knowledges are good.
If this is the case, why does the Prakaranapdda say, "What is supernormal knowledge? It is good prajnd"?
This definition refers to the greater number of cases (bdhulika) or to the essential (prddhanika). The supernormal knowledges are, in the greater number of cases, good; and the good supernormal knowledges are the most essential.
#*#
According to the Sutra, there are three Asaiksa Wisdoms
211
(vidyd). To which supernormal knowledges do these wisdoms
correspond?
45c-d. Three supernormal knowledges are wisdom, [because they bring about the cessation of non-wisdom relative to
272
The three wisdoms,--the Asaiksa wisdom which consists of the realization of the knowledge of past lives, the Asaiksa wisdom which consists of the realization of the knowledge of the death and birth of all beings, and the Asaiksa wisdom which consists of the realization of the knowledge of the destruction of the cankers,-- are, in the order of the Sutra, the fifth, the second, and the sixth supernormal knowledges.
Why are these three supernormal knowledges called wisdoms
supported on four spheres, the Four Dhyanas.
(vidyd)?
the past, etc. ]
? 45d. Because they bring about the cessation of non-wisdom (ignorance) relating to the past, etc.
It is because the memory of past existences (=the fourth supernormal knowledge) brings about the cessation of error relating to the past, the knowledge of death and birth (=the fifth supernormal knowledge) brings about the cessation of error relating to the future, and the knowledge of the destruction of the cankers (=the sixth supernormal knowledge) brings about the
273
Which of these three supernormal knowledges really belongs to the Asaiksas?
46a. The last belongs to the Asaiksas.
The knowledge of the destruction of the cankers belongs only to the Arhat.
46a-b. The two others are said to belong to the Asaiksas
274 when they arise in the series of an Asaiksa.
The other two supernormal knowledges are said to belong to an Asaiksa when they arise in the series of an Asaiksa: by nature however, they are neither-Saiksa-nor-Asaiksa. (ii. 38a)
If this is so, why not admit that these two supernormal knowledges are, when they are produced in a Saiksa, the wisdom of a Saiksa.
46c-d. We admit that they exist in the Saiksa, but then they
are not called wisdoms because the series of the Saiksa is
cessation of error relating to the present.
associated with non-wisdom.
275
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In fact the Buddha did not say that these two supernormal knowledges are Saiksa dharmas.
Why?
When a series is associated with non-wisdom (avidyd, ignor- ance) it is not correct to give the name of wisdom (vidya) to the supernormal knowledge which is produced in this series, for the
276
277 The Sutra says that there are three methods of conversion.
To which supernormal knowledges do they correspond?
47a-b. The first, the third and the sixth are the methods of
278
The supernormal knowledges of rddhi, of the knowledge of the mind of another, and of the destruction of the cankers, are, in this order the three methods of conversion (prdtihdrya)'. "to carry off" {bar), that is, to convert, through miracles (rddhiprdtihdrya), through reading the mind of someone (ddesandprdtihdrya), and through the Teaching (anusasantpratiharya).
The prefix pra~ signifies ddikarman (initial action), and the prefix ^'-signifies bhrsam (forceful): these three supernormal knowledges are called prdtihdrya because, thanks to them, the work of conversion (harana) is begun (pra-) and done in an intense manner (ati-).
Through them, one carries away (haranti) the mind of persons to be converted, from the very first (dditas) and very forcefully (ati bhrdm).
supernormal knowledge is obscured by the non-wisdom.
***
conversion.
Or rather, they receive the name of prdtihdrya, for through
? them one first or forcefully makes oneself a master of persons who 279
hate {pratihata) the Good Law, or of those who are indifferent. Through them, one makes persons of hostile, unbelieving, or non-zealous mind, produce a mind of refuge, a mind of faith, or a
280 mind of practice.
47b. Conversion through the Teaching is the best. 281
Among the three methods of conversion, conversion through the Teaching is the best.
47c-d. Because it does not exist without supernormal knowledge, and because it confers the fruits of salvation and of well-being.
Conversion through miracles and conversion through reading
282 someone's mind can be produced by means of wisdom. There is
283
a wisdom called Gandharl: the person who possesses it can fly
284
through space. There is also a wisdom called Iksanika: person who possesses it can read the mind of others. Conversion through the Teaching cannot be realized by such means, and as a consequence, since it is never separated from the supernormal
285
knowledge of the destruction of the cankers, it is superior to the
other two.
Further, the first two methods of conversion are only capable of captivating the mind of another for a short period of time, and they do not produce any important results. But the third method of conversion causes others to produce beneficial results; for by means of this method of conversion, the preacher teaches, in truth, the means to salvation and to well-being.
***
the
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What is rddhi?
286
According to the Vaibhasikas, the word rddhi designates absorption or samddhi. The absorption is so named, for it is due to it that the work succeeds (samrdhyati).
What does rddhi consist of?
48a-b. From it, there arises displacement and fictive
287
creation.
Displacement (gati) is of three types: transport displacement, displacement through adhimoksa (intention), and rapid displace-
288
48c-d. Rapid displacement like the mind is unique to the
289
Master.
This displacement goes very quickly, like the mind; from whence its name of manojava. Only the Buddha possesses it, not other beings. The body arrives at a great distance even in the time it takes to think of arriving there. This is why the Buddha said that
290
48a. Rddhi is absorption.
ment like the mind.
the sphere of the Buddha is incomprehensible. possesses the other two displacements.
The Master also
48c-d. The others possess displacement of transport and of
adhimoksa.
? Sravakas and Pratyekabuddhas elevate their bodies and move,
through this adhimoksa the object comes quickly.
49a-c. Fictive creation in Kamadhatu is made up of four external ayatanas\ [it is of two types; fictive creation of the
294 sphere of Rupadhatu is made up of two dyatanas. ]
Fictive creation (nirmita) is of two types, of the sphere of
Kamadhatu, and of the sphere of Rupadhatu. The first consists of
the creation of physical matter, odor, taste, tangibles which are
291
displacement of adhimoksa, when one does it, through the power
as a bird
of intention (adhimoksa), what is distant becomes close:
gradually raises his body and moves.
As for the 293
295
the creation of physical matter and tangibles only, because odors
external,
and tastes do not exist in Rupadhatu.
with the exception of sound. The second consists of 296
49b. It is of two types.
Fictive creation in Kamadhatu is twofold, accordingly as it is connected with the body of the ascetic himself or with another: for example an ascetic transforms himself into a tiger, or he creates,
297
49c.
Fictive creation of the sphere of Rupadhatu is made up of t w o ay at anas.
The same holds true of fictive creations in Rupadhatu. A person who is in Kamadhatu and one who is in Rupadhatua are each capable of four types of fictive creations, so creation is eightfold.
But when a person in Rupadhatu produces a fictive creation in Kamadhatu, is it not found to possess odor and taste?
apart from himself, a tiger.
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No, there is no possession, no more so than a person does not possess clothing or attire, even though they are bound to his body, because these things, not being living organisms (asattvasamk- hydta, i. 10b), are not bound to the sense organs.
Yet certain masters say that a person in Rupadhatu can only create two ayatanas, physical matter and tangibles, for they fear that if this person creates odors, etc. , he will be found to possess odors, etc.
***
Is it through the supernormal knowledge of creation itself that the ascetic creates fictive, created objects (nirmita)?
No.
How is this?
It is created as a result of supernormal knowledge (abhijnd- phala, ii. 72b. English trans, p. 314).
What is this dharma that you term the result of supernormal knowledge?
49c-d. It is through a mind capable of creating fictive beings {nirmdnacitta) that one creates. They are fourteen in number.
A result of supernormal knowledge are minds capable of creating fictive, created objects. These minds are fourteen in number.
50a-b. They are the results of the Dhyanas, from the number of two up to five, in this order.
? These minds are fourteen in number, being differentiated by their Dhyana (fundamental Dhyana, muladhydna) which serves as their support.
Two minds are the results of the First Dhyana: the first of the sphere of Kamadhatu, and the second of the sphere of the First
298
Dhyana.
Three minds are the results of the Second Dhyana: two of the two lower spheres (Kamadhatu and the First Dhyana) and one of the same sphere as the Dhyana of which it is the result, so therefore of the Second Dhyana.
In the same way four and five minds are the results of the Third and Fourth Dhyanas. The mind capable of creating fictive objects, the result of a certain Dhyana, is of the sphere of this Dhyana or of a lower sphere.
299
The Dhyana mind of a lower sphere does not produce a mind capable of creating fictive beings (that is, a result of a Dhyana) of a higher sphere, because its power is too small.
A fictive being,--that is to say, a magical being--of a lower sphere, but which is the result of the Second Dhyana, prevails over, from the standpoint of its going and coming, a being of a higher
300
sphere, which is a result of the First Dhyana. The same for the
50b. They do not arise from a lower Dhyana.
following Dhyanas.
301
One obtains a mind capable of creating fictive beings, a result of a muladhydna, as one obtains the Dhyana, that is to say, through detachment, for the result is obtained at the same time as its support.
50c. One obtains them like a Dhyana
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50c-d. A mind capable of creating fictive beings proceeds from a pure Dhyana and from itself; [it produces the
302
two. ]
Its result, a mind capable of creating fictive beings, is produced from a Dhyana. This mind does not lead to a departure from contemplation.
50d. It produces the two.
A first mind capable of creating fictive beings arises from a pure (suddhaka, viii. 6) Dhyana. Then successive minds capable of creating fictive beings arise from a mind of their same type, that is to say, of the first, of the second. . . mind capable of creating fictive beings: the former mind of this series thus produces a subsequent mind capable of creating fictive beings. The last mind is followed by a pure Dhyana. Therefore the mind capable of creating fictive beings comes from two minds (a pure Dhyana and a mind capable of creating fictive beings) and produces these same two. This is to suppose that the person who has a mind which is capable of creating fictive beings--the result of an absorption, and morally neutral--does not again enter a Dhyana, that he would not depart from this Dhyana, in the same way that one enters through a door and leaves through this same door.
51a. One creation takes place through one mind of its sphere.
All the fictive, created (nirmita) things are created by a mind of their sphere, for a mind capable of creating fictive beings of a certain sphere does not produce a being belonging to another sphere.
? 51b. But speech also takes place through a mind of a lower
303 sphere.
Speech uttered by fictive (nirmita) being also depends, in certain cases, on a mind of a lower sphere.
Speech uttered by a fictive being in Kamadhatu or of the First Dhyuna takes place by virtue of a mind of the sphere of this created being. But a fictive being of a higher sphere, of the Second Dhyana, etc. , speaks by virtue of a mind of the First Dhyana: for in the higher spheres a mind endowed with vitarka and vicdra (ii. 33, English trans, p. 203) and capable of producing vijndpti (iv. 7d) does not exist.
51c. With the creator, except in the case of the Master.
When the nirmdtar, the person who produces fictive beings {nirmita), produces a number of fictive beings, all speak when their creator speaks, because their vdgvijndpti (iv. 3d) or vocal action, is common to all. This is why the stanza says, "When one speaks, namely the creator, all his creatures speak; when one
304
This rule does not refer to the Buddha, for he possesses a perfect mastery in absorption: at his will, fictive beings speak one after the other; they question the Buddha and the Buddha answers; the Buddha questions them and they respond.
***
But, one would say, when the mind which produces the voice arises, the mind capable of creating fictive beings no longer exists: therefore at this moment the fictive being does not exist; thus how does a fictive being speak?
remains silent, all remain silent/'
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5 Id. The fictive being speaks, because its creator sets speech into motion through another mind, after having empo- wered the fictive being.
Through the power of a mind previous to its entry into contemplation and creation, the creator empowers {adhitisphati) the fictive being, "May it last! " By means of another mind, he causes it to speak. Therefore, even though the fictive being speaks, the two minds,--that which creates it and that which causes it to speak,--are not simultaneous, and yet the vocal action takes place with the fictive being for its support.
305
It is not only for the duration of his own life that the creator is capable of empowering a thing in such a manner that it endures; his empowerment can also make the thing last after his own death.
It is thus, through his own empowerment that Kasyapa the
306 Great made his bones last until the advent of Maitreya.
52a. But not with respect to that which is not hard.
It is only a hard thing which is susceptible of being empowered for a long period of time. This is why Kasyapa the Great did not empower his flesh.
52b. Some other masters say no.
The body protected by the power of empowerment is not
capable of lasting beyond death. If the bones of Kasyapa last, it is
307 through the protection of the gods.
52c-d. From the beginning, the ascetic creates a single creation through numerous minds capable of creating
52a. Empowerment continues after death.
? The Knowledges 1175 fictive beings; the contrary, when his practice is purified. 308
A beginner, by means of numerous minds capable of creating fictive beings, produces a single fictive being; later, when his practice is complete, the ascetic produces at his own will, by means of a single such mind, many or few creatures.
53a. Produced through meditation, it is neutral.
The mind capable of creating fictive beings, when it is acquired through meditation (that is, when it is the result of a Dhyana, or of a supernormal knowledge), is morally neutral: the result of a supernormal knowledge is in fact one of the classes of neutral items (ii. 71b).
53b. Innate, it is threefold.
But when it is innate, it can be good, bad, or neutral: for example gods, ndgas, etc. , who have been created with a view to aiding or harming.
Also capable of being created, among the ten material (rUpiri) dyatanas, are nine dyatanas, with the exclusion of sound, namely, the eye, visible things, the ear, the organ of smell, etc. 309
[But if nine dyatanas are capable of being created, there can therefore be creation of organs (indriya): there can therefore be an apparition of a new being (sattva), for the organs are of ? ? ? ? (color and shape) which belong to living beings. ]310
The organ is not capable of being created. Yet one can say without being incorrect that "creation consists of nine dyatanas" for creation--whether it refers to the transformation of the body of the creator or to the creation of a distinct body--consists of four dyatanas, physical matter {? ? ? ? ) odors, tastes, and tangible things, and does not exist independently of the five organs.
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311
meditation (or Dhyana), and innate.
It is also of three other types:
53c-d. Rddhi is also produced through mantras, plants, and actions; in all five types.
It is produced through meditation (bhavandja), or innate (upapattildbhika), or created through mantras (mantrakrta),
nb created through the use of drugs or medicines (osadhikrta) or
514 produced through karma (karmaja).
Examples of the fifth type (produced through karma) are the rddhi of Mandhatar, etc, and the rddhi of beings in intermediate existence (iii. 14d).
***
Are divine sight and the divine hearing called "divine" in the proper sense of the word, because they are of the nature of the organs of the gods, or rather figuratively so, because they are as if they were divine?
They are "as divine" in the case of the Bodhisattvas, Cakravar-
315 tins, and Grhapatiratnas.
316 When they are divine in the proper sense of the word
Rddhi is, we have said, of two types: produced through 312
54a-b. Divme sight and divine hearing are of pure tupa of 317
the sphere of the Dhyanas.
By reason of a preparatory exercise consisting of meditation on
? light and sound--the ascetic is in the Dhyanas, and in the eyes and ears of the ascetic--eyes and ears which are in Kamadhatu--there is found to be attracted (ii. 10a, English trans, p. 166) a pure rupa, & matter derived from the primary elements of the sphere of the Dhyana in which it exists, subtle and excellent. This rupa constitutes his eyes and ears; it sees and understands; it constitutes what is called divine sight and divine hearing. Arising by reason of physical matter (rupa) of the sphere of the Dhyanas, the organs are therefore divine in the proper sense of the word.
54c-d. They are always active, non-deficient; they bear on the distant, the subtle, etc.
Divine sight and divine hearing of this category, obtained 318
through meditation, are never tatsabhdga (i. 42), but are always accompanied by visual or auditory consciousness.
They are never deficient; for they come in pairs, and are in a good state (lit. "not seized by squinting"), as are the organs of beings born in Rupadhatu.
They grasp what is obscured, subtle, distant, etc. On this point, there is a stanza, "The eye of flesh does not see rupa which is distant, obscured, or subtle; it does not see in all directions. Divine
319 sight, the contrary. "
320
When one sees the rupas by means of divine sight, are the
objects of sight near or far away?
The objects are near or far away according to the person and according to the eye. If they desire to see, but make no effort to do so, Sravakas, Pratyekabuddhas and Buddhas see, respectively, a Sahasra, a Dvisahasra, or a Trisahasra universe (iii. 73). If they make an effort,
55a-b. The Arhat, the Rhinoceros and the Master see a
321 Dvisahasra, a Trisahasra, infinite universes.
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If a Sravaka, desiring to see by divine sight, makes a great
322
effort, he will see a Dvisahasra Madhyama Lokadhatu. Pratyekabuddha will see a Trisahasra Mahasahasra Lokadhatu. And the Buddha the Blessed One, will see the Asamkhya Loka- dhatu: he sees according as he desires.
Why is this?
As his knowledge extends to all the dharmas, so too his divine
sight extends to all the rupas.
***
Is only rddhi innate, or can other supernatural powers be innate?
323
Four powers,--divine hearing, divine sight, memory of past existences, and knowledge of the mind of another,--are also innate. But the innate powers are not called supernormal knowledges.
55c-d. Divine sight, when it is innate, does not see
324
It is not capable of seeing the color and shape of intermediate beings which are seen only by the divine sight of supernormal knowledge. For the rest, innate divine sight is similar to the divine sight of supernormal knowledge.
56a. This knowledge of the mind of another is of three types.
55c. The others are also innate.
intermediary beings.
A
? ^ _ _ The Knowledges 1179
This knowledge signifies the knowledge of the mind of another when it is innate. It can be three types: good, bad, or neutral.
56b. Also when it is produced through reflection (tarka) or through formulas (vidyd).
When it is produced through reflection or through formulas, the knowledge of the mind of another can be morally good, bad, or
b2b neutral. A person, through the study of the Iksanikasastra, is
capable of interpreting signs: his knowledge of the mind of
another is produced through reflection; so too one can know the
mind of another through mantras. But, produced by meditation or 326
Dhyana, this knowledge is only good.
A knowledge of the mind of another, and memory of past existences are innate in the beings in hell. Through these two knowledges,
327
From their birth and as long as they are not crushed by their sufferings, they know the minds of others and remember their past existences (see iv. 80d).
Beings in the other realms of rebirth where a knowledge of the mind of another and a memory of past existences are innate always know because their sufferings do not overwhelm them.
328
Among humans, the five powers, rddhi, etc. , described above, are not innate.
56c. The beings in hell know from the very beginning.
56d. Among humans, not innate.
If this is so, how do certain persons, the Bodhisattvas, naturally
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possess a remembranace of past existences?
The remembrance of past existences that they possess by nature is not innate among them, that is, acquired by the mere fact of their human birth; it results from certain actions.
How is this?
A knowledge of the memory of past existences is of three types: a result of meditation (the supernormal knowledge described above), innate (as among the gods), or realized through action (as is the case with the Bodhisattvas).
***
? 1. This Chapter is divided into two parts. The first deals with 1. the distinction between patience (ksdnti), knowledge (jfidna), and seeing (drf) (Kurika 1); 2. the characteristics of the ten knowledges (2-9); 3. the aspects of the ten knowledges (10-13b); 4. different questions, prainanirdeia (13c-27); and the second deals with the qualities (guna) which consist of knowledge (jtidnamaya (28-55). (This is according to the gloss of the Japanese editor, Kyokuga Saeki. )
Among Vasubandhu's sources, the Prakaranapdda, xiii. 10, fol. 14: definition of the ten jUdnas; dariana which is notjfidna; object of thejndnas (I4bll); reciprocal inclusion (15a3); why? (15a8); which jndna is sdsrava, andsrava, sdsravapratyaya, samskrta, etc. Pali sources, Samyutta, ii.
231
? 235
possess them.
detachment, for the Buddha obtains all his qualities in a single stroke, from the beginning, at the moment of the Knowledge of
The Buddha alone acquires them through
236
his will, without effort; for the Buddha is the master of all the
Destruction, through detachment. dharmas that he possesses.
Later, he actualizes them at
***
We have explained the three categories, Absence of Conten-
tion, Knowledge Resulting from Resolution, the Unhindered
Knowledges, which are common to the Aryans. Among the
2bl qualities which also belong to ordinary persons {prthagjanas)
we must explain the Supernormal Knowledges.
42a-d. Realization of the knowledge of supernormal power, of ear, of the mind, of past existences, of death and rebirth, of the destruction of the cankers; this is the sixfold
238
There are six supernormal knowledges: 1. the supernormal
knowledge which consists of the realization of the knowledge of
the sphere of rddhi or supernormal power (that is to say,
supernormal knowledge.
239
which consists of the realization of the knowledge of divine
displacement and creation);
2. the supernormal knowledge
240
realization of the knowledge or consciousness of the mind of
hearing;
3. the supernormal knowledge which consists of the
another;
241
4.
242
the supernormal knowledge which consists of the 243
realization of the knowledge of the memory of past existences;
5. the supernormal knowledge which consists of the realization of
the knowledge of divine sight (of the death and birth of all
245
cankers.
Even though the sixth supernormal knowledge belongs only to
244
the realization of the knowledge of the destruction of the
beings);
and 6. the supernormal knowledge which consists of
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the Aryans, since the first five are also possessed by ordinary persons, and by reason of the characteristics of the greatest number of supernormal knowledges, here all of the supernormal knowledges are considered as common to the Aryans and to
246 ordinary persons.
247 42d. They are prajnd of deliverance.
They are by their nature the prajnd of the Path of Deliverance, 248
like the results of the religious life.
249 43a. Four are conventional knowledge.
Four, with the exception of the supernormal knowledge of the minds of others and the supernormal knowledge of the destruction of the cankers, are conventional knowledges (vii. 2).
43b. The knowledge of the mind of another is made up of five knowledges.
The fifth supernormal knowledge is by nature the knowledge
of dharmas, inferential knowledge, a knowledge of the Path,
conventional knowledge, and the knowledge of the mind of
250 another.
43c. The supernormal knowledge of the destruction of the
251 cankers is similar to the power.
Exactly like the power of the knowledge of the destruction of the cankers, this supernormal knowledge is made up of six or ten knowledges. So too, it can exist in all of the spheres and relates to all objects.
? 43d. Five exist in the Four Dhyanas. 252
The first five supernormal knowledges exist in the Four Dhyanas, that is to say, they are obtained by an ascetic in any of these Dhyanas.
***
Why do they not exist in the non-material absorptions, the Arupyas?
a. The first three have rupa for their object (see p. 1162, line 14). Thus one cannot produce them in the arupyas.
b. The knowledge of the mind of another is prepared through the gate of physical matter (rupa), that is to say through a path which has color and shape for its object. 253 Now the non-material absorptions do not have physical matter for their object.
? As for the memory of previous existences, the ascetic prepares for this by going over again and again the course of successive states {anupurvavasthantarasmaranat)\2bA now the non-material absorptions do not have the dharmas of Kamadhatu for their object, and when a memory of past existences is actualized, it bears, as the Sutra says, on the place, the gotta, etc. , and on material dharmasPb
d. In fact the ascetic who wishes to know the mind of another first considers, in his own series, the characteristics of his body and mind, "Such is my body, such is my mind. " As he has considered his own body and mind, in this same way, envisioning the series of another, he takes into consideration the characteristic of the body and mind of another: thus he knows the mind of another and the supernormal knowledge arises. When the supernormal knowledge is realized, the ascetic no longer considers the rupa of the body; he directly knows the mind. 256
e. The ascetic who wishes to remember his past existences, begins by grasping the characteristic of the mind which has just perished; from this mind, he again considers the states which it immediately succeeds in the present existence up to the mind at
? I: . ? /emembers one moment of mind of his llpantarabhava), this supernormal knowl- ^der for him to remember the previous
? preliminary exercise is the same. #eginner in the practice of this supernor- pse existences onlyintheir chronological
Lee is acquired, heremembers them by ' existences.
|'ly that which has been experienced
low can there be remembrance of the /; do not return here, the ascetic does not Ld he has not experienced them in their j p n s a r e n o t b o r n in this h e a v e n .
? ecause he has experienced them through [^ho remembers themunderstands, "The ? are such. " The experience, in fact, is
/Mid hearing.
H p m Arupyadhatu, arise here produce this f/>>y means of the seriesof another.
i\/ ? which consists of the memory of past ? re of a Dhyana, and one cannot, through [Wind which is in Arupyadhatu.
"yn by means of theirown series. 258
W the first three supernormal knowled- jlJpwledge of the sphereof rddhi, of divine h/jsht,--consists of the observation of |, fft. 259 W h e n this preparation is achieved,
)\\,(<? in each case.
e supernormal knowledges do not exist lypyadhatu260
? 44a. They have their own sphere or a lower sphere for their
261
domain.
Through the Supernormal Knowledge of magical power of a certain sphere, acquired in a certain dhydna (vii. 43d), one possesses the powers of displacement and creation (vii. 48) in this sphere or in a lower sphere, but not in a higher sphere.
So too, through the Supernormal Knowledge of divine hearing, one understands the sounds of the sphere to which the Supernor- mal Knowledge belongs, or the sounds of a lower sphere, but not the sounds of a higher sphere.
Through the Supernormal Knowledge of the mind of another, one does not know the mind of another when it is of a sphere higher than that of the Supernormal Knowledge.
Through the Supernormal Knowledge of the memory of past existences, one does not obtain the memory of existences in a sphere higher than that of the Supernormal Knowledge.
Consequently, a mind in Arupyadhatu cannot be attained either through the Supernormal Knowledge of the knowledge of the mind of another, nor through the Supernormal Knowledge of the memory of past existences, because this mind in Arupyadhatu is of
262
a sphere higher than that of the Supernormal Knowledges.
***
How are the Supernormal Knowledges acquired?
If they have not been acquired in a past life, they are acquired only through effort.
44b. Already cultivated, they are acquired through detach- ment.
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When they have been cultivated in a past life, they are acquired through detachment. [The ascetic takes possession of them through the sole fact that he detaches himself from Kumadhatu and enters a Dhyana]. Nevertheless, intense, they are acquired only through effort. Their manifestation always supposes an effort, except in the case of the Buddha, who acquires any of the Supernormal Knowledges through simple detachment, and actualized them at will (ii. 44a, vii. 41d).
44c. The third is made up of three applications of mindful-
263 ness.
The supernormal knowledge of the mind of another contains three applications of mindfulness,--vedand, citta, and dharma (vi. 14)--because it has the mind and its mental states for its object.
44d. Supernormal power, hearing, and sight make up the
264 first application of mindfulness.
The supernormal knowledges of supernormal power, divine
hearing, and divine sight, make up the first application of
mindfulness, that is, the body as an application of mindfulness, for
they have rupa, color and shape, for their object. The supernormal
knowledge of supernormal power has four external dyatanas, with 265
the exception of sound, for its sphere. And divine hearing and divine sight have both sound and rupa for their domain.
If this is the case, how can the Supernormal Knowledge of the
266
divine sight know, as the Sutra explains,
endowed with bad physical actions, with bad vocal actions, deniers (apavddaka) of the Aryans, produce false views, attach themselves to views and to wrong actions, because of which, at the end of their lives, they fall into bad realms of rebirth. . /?
The Supernormal Knowledge of divine sight does not know
that "These beings
? that a being is endowed with a mental action, that a being has
conceived a false view, etc. But there is another knowledge which
267 accompanies the Supernormal Knowledge of divine sight, which
arises in the series of the Aryan, and which knows mental action, etc. As this knowledge is produced through the power of the Supernormal Knowledges of divine sight, it receives, together with this Supernormal Knowledge, the name of "Knowledge of death and rebirth. "
***
As their natures are not determined in the Karika, it follows in and of itself that the two Supernormal Knowledges of memory of past existences and the destruction of the cankers have for their
268 nature the four applications of mindfulness.
45a-b. The Supernormal Knowledges of hearing and sight
269 are neutral; the others are good.
The Supernormal Knowledges of divine hearing and divine sight are morally neutral, for, by nature, they are prajnd associated with auditory and visual consciousness.
If this is the case, how can one say that they are of the sphere of the Four Dhyanas? In fact, there is no visual or auditory consciousness in the Second Dhyana and above (146).
There is no contradiction here, for we express ourselves in this way by consideration of the organs. The organs, the ears and eyes, which are the support of the Supernormal Knowledges, are produced through the power of the Four Dhyanas and belong to their sphere: they therefore exist in the four spheres. The Supernormal Knowledge, being supported on the organ, is therefore said to be supported on (= exist in) the Four Dhyanas.
Or rather, we express ourselves in this way because we consider
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the dnantaryamdrga (or preparation, above p. 1160, line 25) of the Supernormal Knowledge; in fact the dnantaryamdrga of the Supernormal Knowledge of divine hearing and divine sight is
270
The other supernormal knowledges are good.
If this is the case, why does the Prakaranapdda say, "What is supernormal knowledge? It is good prajnd"?
This definition refers to the greater number of cases (bdhulika) or to the essential (prddhanika). The supernormal knowledges are, in the greater number of cases, good; and the good supernormal knowledges are the most essential.
#*#
According to the Sutra, there are three Asaiksa Wisdoms
211
(vidyd). To which supernormal knowledges do these wisdoms
correspond?
45c-d. Three supernormal knowledges are wisdom, [because they bring about the cessation of non-wisdom relative to
272
The three wisdoms,--the Asaiksa wisdom which consists of the realization of the knowledge of past lives, the Asaiksa wisdom which consists of the realization of the knowledge of the death and birth of all beings, and the Asaiksa wisdom which consists of the realization of the knowledge of the destruction of the cankers,-- are, in the order of the Sutra, the fifth, the second, and the sixth supernormal knowledges.
Why are these three supernormal knowledges called wisdoms
supported on four spheres, the Four Dhyanas.
(vidyd)?
the past, etc. ]
? 45d. Because they bring about the cessation of non-wisdom (ignorance) relating to the past, etc.
It is because the memory of past existences (=the fourth supernormal knowledge) brings about the cessation of error relating to the past, the knowledge of death and birth (=the fifth supernormal knowledge) brings about the cessation of error relating to the future, and the knowledge of the destruction of the cankers (=the sixth supernormal knowledge) brings about the
273
Which of these three supernormal knowledges really belongs to the Asaiksas?
46a. The last belongs to the Asaiksas.
The knowledge of the destruction of the cankers belongs only to the Arhat.
46a-b. The two others are said to belong to the Asaiksas
274 when they arise in the series of an Asaiksa.
The other two supernormal knowledges are said to belong to an Asaiksa when they arise in the series of an Asaiksa: by nature however, they are neither-Saiksa-nor-Asaiksa. (ii. 38a)
If this is so, why not admit that these two supernormal knowledges are, when they are produced in a Saiksa, the wisdom of a Saiksa.
46c-d. We admit that they exist in the Saiksa, but then they
are not called wisdoms because the series of the Saiksa is
cessation of error relating to the present.
associated with non-wisdom.
275
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In fact the Buddha did not say that these two supernormal knowledges are Saiksa dharmas.
Why?
When a series is associated with non-wisdom (avidyd, ignor- ance) it is not correct to give the name of wisdom (vidya) to the supernormal knowledge which is produced in this series, for the
276
277 The Sutra says that there are three methods of conversion.
To which supernormal knowledges do they correspond?
47a-b. The first, the third and the sixth are the methods of
278
The supernormal knowledges of rddhi, of the knowledge of the mind of another, and of the destruction of the cankers, are, in this order the three methods of conversion (prdtihdrya)'. "to carry off" {bar), that is, to convert, through miracles (rddhiprdtihdrya), through reading the mind of someone (ddesandprdtihdrya), and through the Teaching (anusasantpratiharya).
The prefix pra~ signifies ddikarman (initial action), and the prefix ^'-signifies bhrsam (forceful): these three supernormal knowledges are called prdtihdrya because, thanks to them, the work of conversion (harana) is begun (pra-) and done in an intense manner (ati-).
Through them, one carries away (haranti) the mind of persons to be converted, from the very first (dditas) and very forcefully (ati bhrdm).
supernormal knowledge is obscured by the non-wisdom.
***
conversion.
Or rather, they receive the name of prdtihdrya, for through
? them one first or forcefully makes oneself a master of persons who 279
hate {pratihata) the Good Law, or of those who are indifferent. Through them, one makes persons of hostile, unbelieving, or non-zealous mind, produce a mind of refuge, a mind of faith, or a
280 mind of practice.
47b. Conversion through the Teaching is the best. 281
Among the three methods of conversion, conversion through the Teaching is the best.
47c-d. Because it does not exist without supernormal knowledge, and because it confers the fruits of salvation and of well-being.
Conversion through miracles and conversion through reading
282 someone's mind can be produced by means of wisdom. There is
283
a wisdom called Gandharl: the person who possesses it can fly
284
through space. There is also a wisdom called Iksanika: person who possesses it can read the mind of others. Conversion through the Teaching cannot be realized by such means, and as a consequence, since it is never separated from the supernormal
285
knowledge of the destruction of the cankers, it is superior to the
other two.
Further, the first two methods of conversion are only capable of captivating the mind of another for a short period of time, and they do not produce any important results. But the third method of conversion causes others to produce beneficial results; for by means of this method of conversion, the preacher teaches, in truth, the means to salvation and to well-being.
***
the
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What is rddhi?
286
According to the Vaibhasikas, the word rddhi designates absorption or samddhi. The absorption is so named, for it is due to it that the work succeeds (samrdhyati).
What does rddhi consist of?
48a-b. From it, there arises displacement and fictive
287
creation.
Displacement (gati) is of three types: transport displacement, displacement through adhimoksa (intention), and rapid displace-
288
48c-d. Rapid displacement like the mind is unique to the
289
Master.
This displacement goes very quickly, like the mind; from whence its name of manojava. Only the Buddha possesses it, not other beings. The body arrives at a great distance even in the time it takes to think of arriving there. This is why the Buddha said that
290
48a. Rddhi is absorption.
ment like the mind.
the sphere of the Buddha is incomprehensible. possesses the other two displacements.
The Master also
48c-d. The others possess displacement of transport and of
adhimoksa.
? Sravakas and Pratyekabuddhas elevate their bodies and move,
through this adhimoksa the object comes quickly.
49a-c. Fictive creation in Kamadhatu is made up of four external ayatanas\ [it is of two types; fictive creation of the
294 sphere of Rupadhatu is made up of two dyatanas. ]
Fictive creation (nirmita) is of two types, of the sphere of
Kamadhatu, and of the sphere of Rupadhatu. The first consists of
the creation of physical matter, odor, taste, tangibles which are
291
displacement of adhimoksa, when one does it, through the power
as a bird
of intention (adhimoksa), what is distant becomes close:
gradually raises his body and moves.
As for the 293
295
the creation of physical matter and tangibles only, because odors
external,
and tastes do not exist in Rupadhatu.
with the exception of sound. The second consists of 296
49b. It is of two types.
Fictive creation in Kamadhatu is twofold, accordingly as it is connected with the body of the ascetic himself or with another: for example an ascetic transforms himself into a tiger, or he creates,
297
49c.
Fictive creation of the sphere of Rupadhatu is made up of t w o ay at anas.
The same holds true of fictive creations in Rupadhatu. A person who is in Kamadhatu and one who is in Rupadhatua are each capable of four types of fictive creations, so creation is eightfold.
But when a person in Rupadhatu produces a fictive creation in Kamadhatu, is it not found to possess odor and taste?
apart from himself, a tiger.
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292
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No, there is no possession, no more so than a person does not possess clothing or attire, even though they are bound to his body, because these things, not being living organisms (asattvasamk- hydta, i. 10b), are not bound to the sense organs.
Yet certain masters say that a person in Rupadhatu can only create two ayatanas, physical matter and tangibles, for they fear that if this person creates odors, etc. , he will be found to possess odors, etc.
***
Is it through the supernormal knowledge of creation itself that the ascetic creates fictive, created objects (nirmita)?
No.
How is this?
It is created as a result of supernormal knowledge (abhijnd- phala, ii. 72b. English trans, p. 314).
What is this dharma that you term the result of supernormal knowledge?
49c-d. It is through a mind capable of creating fictive beings {nirmdnacitta) that one creates. They are fourteen in number.
A result of supernormal knowledge are minds capable of creating fictive, created objects. These minds are fourteen in number.
50a-b. They are the results of the Dhyanas, from the number of two up to five, in this order.
? These minds are fourteen in number, being differentiated by their Dhyana (fundamental Dhyana, muladhydna) which serves as their support.
Two minds are the results of the First Dhyana: the first of the sphere of Kamadhatu, and the second of the sphere of the First
298
Dhyana.
Three minds are the results of the Second Dhyana: two of the two lower spheres (Kamadhatu and the First Dhyana) and one of the same sphere as the Dhyana of which it is the result, so therefore of the Second Dhyana.
In the same way four and five minds are the results of the Third and Fourth Dhyanas. The mind capable of creating fictive objects, the result of a certain Dhyana, is of the sphere of this Dhyana or of a lower sphere.
299
The Dhyana mind of a lower sphere does not produce a mind capable of creating fictive beings (that is, a result of a Dhyana) of a higher sphere, because its power is too small.
A fictive being,--that is to say, a magical being--of a lower sphere, but which is the result of the Second Dhyana, prevails over, from the standpoint of its going and coming, a being of a higher
300
sphere, which is a result of the First Dhyana. The same for the
50b. They do not arise from a lower Dhyana.
following Dhyanas.
301
One obtains a mind capable of creating fictive beings, a result of a muladhydna, as one obtains the Dhyana, that is to say, through detachment, for the result is obtained at the same time as its support.
50c. One obtains them like a Dhyana
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50c-d. A mind capable of creating fictive beings proceeds from a pure Dhyana and from itself; [it produces the
302
two. ]
Its result, a mind capable of creating fictive beings, is produced from a Dhyana. This mind does not lead to a departure from contemplation.
50d. It produces the two.
A first mind capable of creating fictive beings arises from a pure (suddhaka, viii. 6) Dhyana. Then successive minds capable of creating fictive beings arise from a mind of their same type, that is to say, of the first, of the second. . . mind capable of creating fictive beings: the former mind of this series thus produces a subsequent mind capable of creating fictive beings. The last mind is followed by a pure Dhyana. Therefore the mind capable of creating fictive beings comes from two minds (a pure Dhyana and a mind capable of creating fictive beings) and produces these same two. This is to suppose that the person who has a mind which is capable of creating fictive beings--the result of an absorption, and morally neutral--does not again enter a Dhyana, that he would not depart from this Dhyana, in the same way that one enters through a door and leaves through this same door.
51a. One creation takes place through one mind of its sphere.
All the fictive, created (nirmita) things are created by a mind of their sphere, for a mind capable of creating fictive beings of a certain sphere does not produce a being belonging to another sphere.
? 51b. But speech also takes place through a mind of a lower
303 sphere.
Speech uttered by fictive (nirmita) being also depends, in certain cases, on a mind of a lower sphere.
Speech uttered by a fictive being in Kamadhatu or of the First Dhyuna takes place by virtue of a mind of the sphere of this created being. But a fictive being of a higher sphere, of the Second Dhyana, etc. , speaks by virtue of a mind of the First Dhyana: for in the higher spheres a mind endowed with vitarka and vicdra (ii. 33, English trans, p. 203) and capable of producing vijndpti (iv. 7d) does not exist.
51c. With the creator, except in the case of the Master.
When the nirmdtar, the person who produces fictive beings {nirmita), produces a number of fictive beings, all speak when their creator speaks, because their vdgvijndpti (iv. 3d) or vocal action, is common to all. This is why the stanza says, "When one speaks, namely the creator, all his creatures speak; when one
304
This rule does not refer to the Buddha, for he possesses a perfect mastery in absorption: at his will, fictive beings speak one after the other; they question the Buddha and the Buddha answers; the Buddha questions them and they respond.
***
But, one would say, when the mind which produces the voice arises, the mind capable of creating fictive beings no longer exists: therefore at this moment the fictive being does not exist; thus how does a fictive being speak?
remains silent, all remain silent/'
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5 Id. The fictive being speaks, because its creator sets speech into motion through another mind, after having empo- wered the fictive being.
Through the power of a mind previous to its entry into contemplation and creation, the creator empowers {adhitisphati) the fictive being, "May it last! " By means of another mind, he causes it to speak. Therefore, even though the fictive being speaks, the two minds,--that which creates it and that which causes it to speak,--are not simultaneous, and yet the vocal action takes place with the fictive being for its support.
305
It is not only for the duration of his own life that the creator is capable of empowering a thing in such a manner that it endures; his empowerment can also make the thing last after his own death.
It is thus, through his own empowerment that Kasyapa the
306 Great made his bones last until the advent of Maitreya.
52a. But not with respect to that which is not hard.
It is only a hard thing which is susceptible of being empowered for a long period of time. This is why Kasyapa the Great did not empower his flesh.
52b. Some other masters say no.
The body protected by the power of empowerment is not
capable of lasting beyond death. If the bones of Kasyapa last, it is
307 through the protection of the gods.
52c-d. From the beginning, the ascetic creates a single creation through numerous minds capable of creating
52a. Empowerment continues after death.
? The Knowledges 1175 fictive beings; the contrary, when his practice is purified. 308
A beginner, by means of numerous minds capable of creating fictive beings, produces a single fictive being; later, when his practice is complete, the ascetic produces at his own will, by means of a single such mind, many or few creatures.
53a. Produced through meditation, it is neutral.
The mind capable of creating fictive beings, when it is acquired through meditation (that is, when it is the result of a Dhyana, or of a supernormal knowledge), is morally neutral: the result of a supernormal knowledge is in fact one of the classes of neutral items (ii. 71b).
53b. Innate, it is threefold.
But when it is innate, it can be good, bad, or neutral: for example gods, ndgas, etc. , who have been created with a view to aiding or harming.
Also capable of being created, among the ten material (rUpiri) dyatanas, are nine dyatanas, with the exclusion of sound, namely, the eye, visible things, the ear, the organ of smell, etc. 309
[But if nine dyatanas are capable of being created, there can therefore be creation of organs (indriya): there can therefore be an apparition of a new being (sattva), for the organs are of ? ? ? ? (color and shape) which belong to living beings. ]310
The organ is not capable of being created. Yet one can say without being incorrect that "creation consists of nine dyatanas" for creation--whether it refers to the transformation of the body of the creator or to the creation of a distinct body--consists of four dyatanas, physical matter {? ? ? ? ) odors, tastes, and tangible things, and does not exist independently of the five organs.
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311
meditation (or Dhyana), and innate.
It is also of three other types:
53c-d. Rddhi is also produced through mantras, plants, and actions; in all five types.
It is produced through meditation (bhavandja), or innate (upapattildbhika), or created through mantras (mantrakrta),
nb created through the use of drugs or medicines (osadhikrta) or
514 produced through karma (karmaja).
Examples of the fifth type (produced through karma) are the rddhi of Mandhatar, etc, and the rddhi of beings in intermediate existence (iii. 14d).
***
Are divine sight and the divine hearing called "divine" in the proper sense of the word, because they are of the nature of the organs of the gods, or rather figuratively so, because they are as if they were divine?
They are "as divine" in the case of the Bodhisattvas, Cakravar-
315 tins, and Grhapatiratnas.
316 When they are divine in the proper sense of the word
Rddhi is, we have said, of two types: produced through 312
54a-b. Divme sight and divine hearing are of pure tupa of 317
the sphere of the Dhyanas.
By reason of a preparatory exercise consisting of meditation on
? light and sound--the ascetic is in the Dhyanas, and in the eyes and ears of the ascetic--eyes and ears which are in Kamadhatu--there is found to be attracted (ii. 10a, English trans, p. 166) a pure rupa, & matter derived from the primary elements of the sphere of the Dhyana in which it exists, subtle and excellent. This rupa constitutes his eyes and ears; it sees and understands; it constitutes what is called divine sight and divine hearing. Arising by reason of physical matter (rupa) of the sphere of the Dhyanas, the organs are therefore divine in the proper sense of the word.
54c-d. They are always active, non-deficient; they bear on the distant, the subtle, etc.
Divine sight and divine hearing of this category, obtained 318
through meditation, are never tatsabhdga (i. 42), but are always accompanied by visual or auditory consciousness.
They are never deficient; for they come in pairs, and are in a good state (lit. "not seized by squinting"), as are the organs of beings born in Rupadhatu.
They grasp what is obscured, subtle, distant, etc. On this point, there is a stanza, "The eye of flesh does not see rupa which is distant, obscured, or subtle; it does not see in all directions. Divine
319 sight, the contrary. "
320
When one sees the rupas by means of divine sight, are the
objects of sight near or far away?
The objects are near or far away according to the person and according to the eye. If they desire to see, but make no effort to do so, Sravakas, Pratyekabuddhas and Buddhas see, respectively, a Sahasra, a Dvisahasra, or a Trisahasra universe (iii. 73). If they make an effort,
55a-b. The Arhat, the Rhinoceros and the Master see a
321 Dvisahasra, a Trisahasra, infinite universes.
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If a Sravaka, desiring to see by divine sight, makes a great
322
effort, he will see a Dvisahasra Madhyama Lokadhatu. Pratyekabuddha will see a Trisahasra Mahasahasra Lokadhatu. And the Buddha the Blessed One, will see the Asamkhya Loka- dhatu: he sees according as he desires.
Why is this?
As his knowledge extends to all the dharmas, so too his divine
sight extends to all the rupas.
***
Is only rddhi innate, or can other supernatural powers be innate?
323
Four powers,--divine hearing, divine sight, memory of past existences, and knowledge of the mind of another,--are also innate. But the innate powers are not called supernormal knowledges.
55c-d. Divine sight, when it is innate, does not see
324
It is not capable of seeing the color and shape of intermediate beings which are seen only by the divine sight of supernormal knowledge. For the rest, innate divine sight is similar to the divine sight of supernormal knowledge.
56a. This knowledge of the mind of another is of three types.
55c. The others are also innate.
intermediary beings.
A
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This knowledge signifies the knowledge of the mind of another when it is innate. It can be three types: good, bad, or neutral.
56b. Also when it is produced through reflection (tarka) or through formulas (vidyd).
When it is produced through reflection or through formulas, the knowledge of the mind of another can be morally good, bad, or
b2b neutral. A person, through the study of the Iksanikasastra, is
capable of interpreting signs: his knowledge of the mind of
another is produced through reflection; so too one can know the
mind of another through mantras. But, produced by meditation or 326
Dhyana, this knowledge is only good.
A knowledge of the mind of another, and memory of past existences are innate in the beings in hell. Through these two knowledges,
327
From their birth and as long as they are not crushed by their sufferings, they know the minds of others and remember their past existences (see iv. 80d).
Beings in the other realms of rebirth where a knowledge of the mind of another and a memory of past existences are innate always know because their sufferings do not overwhelm them.
328
Among humans, the five powers, rddhi, etc. , described above, are not innate.
56c. The beings in hell know from the very beginning.
56d. Among humans, not innate.
If this is so, how do certain persons, the Bodhisattvas, naturally
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possess a remembranace of past existences?
The remembrance of past existences that they possess by nature is not innate among them, that is, acquired by the mere fact of their human birth; it results from certain actions.
How is this?
A knowledge of the memory of past existences is of three types: a result of meditation (the supernormal knowledge described above), innate (as among the gods), or realized through action (as is the case with the Bodhisattvas).
***
? 1. This Chapter is divided into two parts. The first deals with 1. the distinction between patience (ksdnti), knowledge (jfidna), and seeing (drf) (Kurika 1); 2. the characteristics of the ten knowledges (2-9); 3. the aspects of the ten knowledges (10-13b); 4. different questions, prainanirdeia (13c-27); and the second deals with the qualities (guna) which consist of knowledge (jtidnamaya (28-55). (This is according to the gloss of the Japanese editor, Kyokuga Saeki. )
Among Vasubandhu's sources, the Prakaranapdda, xiii. 10, fol. 14: definition of the ten jUdnas; dariana which is notjfidna; object of thejndnas (I4bll); reciprocal inclusion (15a3); why? (15a8); which jndna is sdsrava, andsrava, sdsravapratyaya, samskrta, etc. Pali sources, Samyutta, ii.
