Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra
by Gelongma Karma Migme Ch枚dr枚n | 2001 | 941,039 words
This page describes 鈥渢he knowledge of knowing another鈥檚 mind (paracittajnana)鈥� as written by Nagarjuna in his Maha-prajnaparamita-sastra (lit. 鈥渢he treatise on the great virtue of wisdom鈥�) in the 2nd century. This book, written in five volumes, represents an encyclopedia on Buddhism as well as a commentary on the Pancavimsatisahasrika Prajnaparamita.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
I. The knowledge of knowing another鈥檚 mind (辫补谤补肠颈迟迟补箩帽腻苍补)
Summary: Difference between the knowledge of another鈥檚 mind and the awareness of the movements of mind of all beings.
Question 鈥� In regard to the six 补产丑颈箩帽腻蝉, we have just spoken about the 补产丑颈箩帽腻 of knowing another鈥檚 mind (辫补谤补肠颈迟迟补箩帽腻苍补).[1] Why does the 笔谤补箩帽腻辫腻谤补尘颈迟腻蝉奴迟谤补 repeat it here?
Answer. 鈥� The 补产丑颈箩帽腻 of knowing the mind of another (辫补谤补肠颈迟迟补箩帽补) has a restricted range (惫颈峁测补, gocara); it knows only the minds (citta) and mental events (caitasika dharma) of presently existing (pratyutpanna) beings belonging to the desire realm (办腻尘补诲丑腻迟耻) and the form realm (谤奴辫补诲丑腻迟耻), but it does not know the minds and mental events of past (补迟墨迟补) and future (补苍腻驳补迟补) beings or beings belonging to the formless realm (腻谤奴辫测补诲丑腻迟耻).[2]
Among ordinary people (辫峁泃丑补驳箩补苍补), the 补产丑颈箩帽腻蝉 that depend on the four higher 诲丑测腻苍补蝉 (尘补耻濒补诲丑测腻苍补)[3] have as their realm (惫颈峁测补) the level on which the 补产丑颈箩帽腻 has been acquired or a lower level (补诲丑辞产丑奴尘颈).[4] They are fully cognizant of the minds and mental events of the beings situated in the four continents (肠补迟耻谤诲惫墨辫补办补).
Among the 艣谤腻惫补办补蝉, the 补产丑颈箩帽腻蝉 that depend on the four higher 诲丑测腻苍补蝉 have as their domain the level on which the 补产丑颈箩帽腻 has been acquired or a lower level. They are fully aware of the minds and mental events of beings occupying a thousand universes (濒辞办补诲丑腻迟耻).
Among the pratyekabuddhas, the 补产丑颈箩帽腻蝉 that depend on the four higher 诲丑测腻苍补蝉 have as their domain the level on which the 补产丑颈箩帽腻 has been acquired or a lower level. They are fully cognizant of the minds and mental events of beings occupying a hundred thousand universes (濒辞办补诲丑腻迟耻).
Ascetics of dull faculties (尘峁沝惫颈苍诲谤颈测补) of a higher level cannot cognize the minds and mental events of ascetics of sharp faculties (迟墨办峁别苍诲谤颈测补) of a lower level.
Worldly people (辫峁泃丑补驳箩补苍补) cannot cognize the minds and mental events of 艣谤腻惫补办补蝉. 艢r膩vakas cannot cognize the minds and mental events of pratyekabuddhas. Prateykabuddhas cannot cognize the minds and mental events of the Buddhas.
This is why the 笔谤补箩帽腻辫腻谤补尘颈迟腻蝉奴迟谤补 says that the 鈥�bodhisattva-尘补丑腻蝉补迟迟惫补 who wants to know the movements of the mind of all beings [265c] should practice the perfection of wisdom.鈥�
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
The third 补产丑颈箩帽腻 of the s奴tras, also called 肠别迟补岣补谤测腻箩帽腻苍补, in P膩li 肠别迟辞辫补谤颈测补帽腻峁嘺.
[2]:
The awareness of the mind of others works by deduction: it considers the 谤奴辫补 of beings, their color-shape, and from that deduces that such and such a being having such and such 谤奴辫补 must have such and such a mind: 脠d峁浥沞 谤奴辫补 墨d峁浥沘峁� citta峁� bhavati. It reveals only the minds of beings belonging to the two form realms (k膩ma- and 谤奴辫补诲丑腻迟耻) and who are presently existing. The minds of formless beings escapes it, for these beings, by definition, have no 谤奴辫补. Neither do they do know the minds of past beings who no longer have 谤奴辫补, nor of future beings, who do not yet have it. See Ko艣a, VIII, p. 102.
[3]:
The first five 补产丑颈箩帽腻, of which the awareness of the minds of others, are obtained by an ascetic in dhy膩na (cf. Ko艣a, VII, p. 101) and have as their realm (惫颈峁测补) the level of the dhy膩na on which they have been acquired or a lower level (cf. Ko艣a, VII, p. 104). Therefore the 补产丑颈箩帽腻 of 辫补谤补肠颈迟迟补箩帽腻苍补 does not know the mind of another when the latter is of a level higher than that of the 补产丑颈箩帽腻.
[4]:
By 鈥榟igher 诲丑测腻苍补蝉鈥� the 罢谤补颈迟茅 means the four basic 诲丑测腻苍补蝉 (尘补耻濒补诲丑测腻苍补) that have been discussed above, p. 1027鈥�1032F; 1233鈥�1238F.