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Question. 鈥� Since the four foundations of mindfulness (蝉尘峁泃测耻辫补蝉迟丑腻苍补) suffice to obtain the path (尘腻谤驳补),^[1] why talk about thirty-seven auxiliaries? Would it be for the sake of abridgment (蝉补峁僰峁�i辫迟别苍补 诲别艣补苍腻) that you speak of the four foundations of mindfulness and for the sake of expansion (惫颈蝉迟补谤别峁嘺 诲别艣补苍补),^[2] that you speak of the thirty-seven auxiliaries? Then that is not correct (ayukta) because, if one wants to expand, there would be innumerable (补辫谤补尘腻峁嘺辫补办峁�a) auxiliaries.

Answer. 鈥� 1. Although the four foundations of mindfulness are sufficient to attain the path, the four right efforts (蝉补尘测补办辫谤补诲丑腻苍补) and the other auxiliary dharmas must also be preached. Why? Among beings, minds (citta) are multiple (苍腻苍腻惫颈诲丑补) and varied (惫颈峁�a尘补); their fetters (samyojana) and the things that they love and those to which they are unattached also are multiple.

Although it is a single truth (别办腻谤迟丑补) and is of a single nature (别办补濒补办峁�a峁嘺), the Buddhadharma is expressed in distinct explanations (sa峁僢hinna诲别艣补苍补): twelve classes of texts (诲惫腻诲补艣腻峁単补诲丑补谤尘补辫谤补惫补肠补苍补) and eighty-four thousand dharmas (肠补迟耻谤艣墨迟颈蝉补丑补蝉谤补诲丑补谤尘补蝉办补苍诲丑补).^[3] If it were otherwise, after having preached the four noble Truths (腻谤测补蝉补迟测补) in the course of their first sermon, the Buddhas should stop and should preach nothing more. Because there are beings who detest suffering (诲耻岣�k丑补) and love happiness (sukha), the Buddhas preach the four truths: 1) physical and mental dharmas, etc. (办腻测颈办补肠补颈迟补蝉颈办腻诲颈诲丑补谤尘补) are all suffering and have no happiness (sukha); 2) the causes and conditions (hetupratyaya) of this suffering are craving (迟峁涐梗峁嚹�) and the other passions (办濒别艣补); 3) the cessation of this suffering (诲耻岣�k丑补nirodha) is called 苍颈谤惫腻峁嘺; 4) the way to reach 苍颈谤惫腻峁嘺 is the Path (尘腻谤驳补).

There are beings who, as a result of worries (产补丑耻肠颈苍迟腻), distractions (惫颈办峁�i辫迟补肠颈迟迟补) and misunderstanding (惫颈辫补谤测腻蝉补), cling (补产丑颈苍颈惫颈艣补苍迟别) to the body (办腻测补), feelings (惫别诲补苍腻), the mind (citta) and things and lead a bad life (尘颈迟丑测腻肠腻谤补). For these people the Buddhas preach the four foundations of mindfulness (蝉尘峁泃测耻辫补蝉迟丑腻苍补). It is the same for the other [auxiliary] dharmas of the Path: each of them is preached to a certain type of being. It is like a master physician (产丑补颈峁�a箩测补驳耻谤耻) who cannot cure all sickness with a single drug (产丑补峁�a箩测补): sicknesses (惫测腻诲丑颈) are dissimilar and the remedy to be applied is not single. In the same way, the Buddha adapts himself to the various types of mental illnesses (citta惫测腻诲丑颈) from which beings suffer and cures them with different remedies.

Sometimes the Buddha saves beings by preaching only one thing. Thus the Buddha said to a 产丑颈办峁�u: 鈥淭his is not yours, do not grasp it (na t膩vaka峁�, tan 尘腻 驳峁沨腻峁嘺).鈥� 鈥� The 产丑颈办峁�u said: 鈥淚 know it already, O Bhagavat.鈥� 鈥� The Bhagavat replied: 鈥淲hat do you know?鈥� 鈥� The 产丑颈办峁�u answered: 鈥淒harmas are not 鈥榤ine鈥� (腻迟尘墨测补); they should not be grasped.鈥�^[4]

Sometimes the Buddha saves beings by means of two things, concentration (sa尘腻dhi) and wisdom (辫谤补箩帽腻). Sometimes, by three things, morality (艣墨濒补), concentration and wisdom. Sometimes by four things, the four foundations of mindfulness (蝉尘峁泃测耻辫补蝉迟丑腻苍补).

[198b] Thus, although the four foundations of mindfulness are enough to attain the Path, there are other dharmas that differ in practice (腻肠腻谤补), concepts (vikalpa), quantity and point of view. This is why the four right efforts (蝉补尘测补办辫谤补诲丑腻苍补) and the other [auxiliary] dharmas must also be preached.

2. Furthermore, the bodhisattva-尘补丑腻蝉补迟迟惫补蝉 have a power of faith (艣谤补诲诲丑腻产补濒补) so great that they save all beings, and so the Buddha preaches the thirty-seven auxiliaries to them simultaneously. And although he preaches other dharmas favorable to the Path, such as the ten concepts (诲补艣补蝉补峁僯帽腻),^[5] etc., all are included (蝉补峁僩峁沨墨迟补) in the thirty-seven auxiliaries. These thirty-seven are a collection of all the remedies (蝉补谤惫补产丑补颈峁�a箩测补蝉补蝉补峁僺补谤驳补) that can cure all the illnesses (惫测腻诲丑颈) of beings. This is why it is not necessary to multiply the auxiliaries to the Path infinitely. Similarly, although the Buddha possesses innumerable powers (bala), we speak only of ten powers, for they are enough to save beings.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

The fourth noble Truth concerning the path to the cessation of suffering is so complex that it consists not only of the eightfold path (a峁ａ弓膩峁単a尘腻谤驳补) preached by the Buddha but also the thirty-seven auxiliaries to enlightenment (产辞诲丑颈辫腻办峁�i办补) and a whole infinity of dharmas.

The person who raises the objection is here contesting the need to speak of the thirty-seven auxiliaries in detail, as some of them are enough to lead to 苍颈谤惫腻峁嘺 This is mainly the case of the four foundations of mindfulness since the Buddha stated in the Majjhima I, p. 63:

Eh膩yano aya峁� bhikkhave satt膩na峁� visuddhiy膩 sokaparividdav膩va峁� satikka尘腻ya dukkhadomanass膩na峁� atthaga尘腻ya 帽膩yassa adhiga尘腻ya nibb膩nassa sacchikiriy膩ya, yadida峁� catt膩ro satipa峁�峁環膩n膩 ti. 鈥� 鈥淭here is one single way, O monks, leading to the purification of beings, to the transcending of sorrow and lamentation, to the disappearance of suffering and sadness, to the attainment of knowledge and realization of 苍颈谤惫腻峁嘺; this is the four foundations of mindfulness.鈥�

But the objection does not hold, for although the 蝉尘峁泃测耻辫补蝉迟丑腻苍补s and the other auxiliaries to enlightenment constitute paths that are sufficient to the attainment of enlightenment, they are not suitable for all adepts indiscriminately: each must choose the one best suited to his own capacities and aptitude. Hence the need to propose a complete listing of auxiliaries to adepts without, however, excluding an infinity of other practices which will make up the object of chapters XXXII to XXXVIII.

[2]:

The Dharma may be preached in an abbreviated form (蝉补峁僰峁�i辫迟别苍补) or in a long form (惫颈蝉迟补谤别峁嘺): cf. Anguttara, I, p. 53; II, p. 189.

[3]:

Two different classifications of the Buddhist scriptures already mentioned above (p. 27F, 560F). For details see F. Lamotte, Histoire du bouddhisme indien, p. 157鈥�163.

[4]:

狈补迟耻尘丑腻办补蝉耻迟迟补 in Samyutta, III, p. 33鈥�34, and Tsa a han, T 99, no, 269, k. 10, p. 70b, repeated in the 础濒补驳补诲诲奴辫补尘补蝉耻迟迟补 in Majjhima, I, p. 140鈥�141: Ya峁� bhikkhave na tumh膩ka峁� ta峁� pajahatha, ta峁� vo pah墨na峁� d墨gharatta峁� hit膩ya sukh膩ya bhavissati. Ki帽 ca bhikkhave na tumh膩ka峁�: R奴pa峁� bhikkhave na tumh膩ka峁�, ta峁� pajahatha, ta峁� vo pah墨na峁� d墨gharatta峁� hit膩ya sukh膩ya bhavissati. Vedan膩 pe. Sa帽膩 pe. Sa峁卥h膩r膩 pe, Vi帽帽膩na峁� pe.

[5]:

See below, chap. XXXVII.