Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra
by Gelongma Karma Migme Chödrön | 2001 | 941,039 words
This page describes “the seven classes of auxiliaries” as written by Nagarjuna in his Maha-prajnaparamita-sastra (lit. “the treatise on the great virtue of wisdom”) in the 2nd century. This book, written in five volumes, represents an encyclopedia on Buddhism as well as a commentary on the Pancavimsatisahasrika Prajnaparamita.
Abhidharma auxiliaries (C): The seven classes of auxiliaries
1. The dharmas where mindfulness (smṛti) is focused (upatiṣṭhati) on the objects of knowledge (prajñālambana) are called ‘foundations of mindfulness’(smṛtyupasthāna).
2. Those that destroy bad dharmas and move in the right path (samyagmārga) are called ‘right effort’ (samyakpradhāna).
3. When the concentrated mind (pragṛhītacitta) stops worrying (āśvasiti) about things (ālambana), there is ‘foundations of magical power’ (ṛddhipāda).
4. When a mind of dull knowledge (mṛdujñānacitta) is acquired, there is ‘faculties’ (indriya).[1]
5. When a mind of sharp knowledge (tīkṣṇajñānacitta) is acquired, there is ‘powers’ (bala).[2]
6. By the practice of the path of meditation (bhāvanāmārgavyāpāra), there is ‘[factors] of enlightenment’ (saṃbodhyaṅga).
7. By the practice of the path of seeing (darśanamārgavyāpāra), there is ‘[factors] of the path’ (mārgāṅga).
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
The punctuation in Taisho is defective, the period should be placed between ken and li.
[2]:
Śraddhā, vīrya, smṛti and prajñā are called faculties (indriya) when they are weak, called powers or strengths (bala) when they are strong; cf. Kośa, VI, p. 286.