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J4 Four theories regarding finiteness.
K1 Describes the source and shows the error.

Sutra:

Further, in his practice of samadhi, the good person's mind is firm, unmoving, and proper and can no longer be disturbed by demons. He can thoroughly investigate the origin of all categories of beings and contemplate the source of the subtle, fleeting, and constant fluctuation. But if he begins to speculate about the making of certain distinctions, he could fall into error with four theories of finiteness.

Commentary:

Further, in his practice of samadhi, the good person's mind is firm, unmoving, and proper and can no longer be disturbed by demons. This refers to any good person who cultivates the samadhi of directing the hearing inward to listen to his own nature, thus attaining perfect penetration of the ear organ. When he has broken through the three skandhas of form, feeling and thinking, he has solid samadhi and his mind is proper. Thus, the demons of the heavens and those of external sects cannot affect him in any way. When the two skandhas of form and feeling still existed, the demons from the heavens were able to disturb his mind directly. When he reached the thinking skandha, the demons could no longer do so; they had to possess another person in order to disrupt his samadhi. Now, at the stage of the formations skandha, the demons cannot disturb his samadhi even if they possess another person. That's what is meant by a "firm, unmoving, and proper" mind. The demons can not get at him.

He can thoroughly investigate the origin of all twelve categories of beings and contemplate the source of the subtle, fleeting, and constant fluctuation. He contemplates this most concealed, ephemeral nature of living beings, within the subtle movement of the formations skandha. But if he begins to speculate about the making of certain distinctions. He ponders and reflects, and makes four kinds of distinctions, which will be discussed below. He could then fall into error with four theories of finiteness. Once he gets to thinking, he comes up with four theories of finiteness which belong to external teachings.

K2 Detailed explanation of their appearance.
L1 Speculation regarding the three periods of time.

Sutra:

First, this person speculates that the origin of life flows and functions ceaselessly. He judges that the past and the future are finite and that the continuity of the mind is infinite.

Commentary:

The first of the four distinctions regards the three periods of time, the past, the present, and the future. It's said, "You may search for the mind in the three periods of time, but the mind is not there." The mind of the past cannot be obtained, the mind of the present cannot be obtained, and the mind of the future cannot be obtained. Why not? Let's consider the past. What is the past? The past has already gone by, so the mind of the past cannot be obtained. As for the present it never stops. Right now, you say this is the present, but it has already become the past. If you then say this is the present it too has passed. The present never stays fixed, so where is your present mind? What about the future mind? The future has not come yet. Since it hasn't arrived, it doesn't exist, either. Therefore,

You may search for the mind in the three periods of time,
but it is not there.
Where there is no mind, false conditions do not exist.

Since even the mind is gone, where could there be any false thoughts? If you can understand this principle, you will find that there actually aren't any! In the treasury of the Tathagata, there is nothing at all.

This cultivator, however, has developed an attachment. What is he attached to? The ideas of finite and infinite. He says things are either finite or infinite, setting up so-called "theories" of what is finite and infinite. First, this person speculates that the origin of life flows and functions ceaselessly. In the state of the formations skandha, he conjectures that the origin of the twelve categories of living beings flows and functions without interruption. This ceaseless flowing and functioning is a manifestation of the formations skandha.

At that time, he judges that the past and the future are finite. He says that the past and the future are both bounded, but that's nonsense. How could the past and the future be finite? Based on his false speculations and attachments, he says that they are finite, but in fact, they are infinite. In the course of cultivation, his mind has become muddled, and he has no wisdom. Having broken through the thinking skandha, he gets confused and strays off the proper path in the formations skandha. That's why he makes conjectures of the finite and the infinite. And he reckons that the continuity of the mind is infinite. He says, "This present mind continues without interruption in the present. It has no limit or boundary, and is infinite."

L2 Speculation regarding what he hears and sees.

Sutra:

Second, as this person contemplates an interval of eighty thousand eons, he can see living beings; but earlier than eighty thousand eons is a time of stillness in which he cannot hear or see anything. He regards as infinite that time in which nothing is heard or seen, and as finite that interval in which living beings are seen to exist.

Commentary:

What is the second distinction? It is the distinction of what he can see and hear and what he cannot see and hear. He takes what he can see and hear as one side, and what he cannot see and hear as the other side, so he falls into duality again. Neither side is the Middle Way.

Second, as this person contemplates an interval of eighty thousand eons, he can see living beings. When he sits in meditation, his samadhi allows him to contemplate an interval as long as eighty thousand great eons, and he can perceive all the twelve categories of beings within that time. But earlier than eighty thousand eons is a time of stillness in which he cannot hear or see anything. He can see with extreme clarity the events within the interval of eighty thousand eons. He can see beings undergoing endless rounds of birth and death. But he cannot see or hear what is happening outside of that interval.

He regards as infinite and unbounded that time in which nothing is heard or seen, and as finite and bounded that interval in which living beings are seen to exist. He falls into duality again, becoming attached to existence and nonexistence. Attaching to nonexistence means clinging to emptiness. Attaching to existence means clinging to forms. Neither accords with the Middle Way. Therefore the Buddha criticizes such a person for following an external sect.

L3 Speculation regarding self and others.

Sutra:

Third, this person speculates that his own pervasive knowledge is infinite and that all other people appear within his awareness. And yet, since he himself has never perceived the nature of their awareness, he says they have not obtained an infinite mind, but have only a finite one.

Commentary:

Third, this person speculates that his own pervasive knowledge is infinite. The third distinction is the distinction between self and others. "Others" refers to living beings, and "self" refers to the cultivator himself. He makes yet another false speculation and becomes attached to it. He says, 'I feel that I possess the wisdom of pervasive knowledge." What is meant by pervasive knowledge? Pervasive knowledge means there is nothing that is not known; therefore, it has the quality of being infinite. And he says that all other people, all living beings, appear within his awareness. They are all contained within his wisdom. And yet, since he himself has never perceived the nature of their awareness, he says they have not obtained an infinite mind, but have only a finite one. Living beings have not obtained a boundless mind, but he himself has. Because he does not know the nature of their knowledge, he says that they have not obtained a boundless mind and do not have boundless wisdom, but have only a bounded wisdom. That is the distinction of self and others.

L4 Speculation regarding production and destruction.

Sutra:

Fourth, this person thoroughly investigates the formations skandha to the point that it becomes empty. Based on what he sees, in his mind he speculates that each and every living being, in its given body, is half living and half dead. From this he concludes that everything in the world is half finite and half infinite.

Commentary:

Fourth, this person thoroughly investigates the formations skandha to the point that it becomes empty. What is the fourth distinction? It is that of the living and the dead. He examines the formations skandha to the utmost extent, until it becomes empty. Based on what he sees and understands from his investigations, in his mind he speculates that each and every living being, in its given body, is half living and half dead. This is another false speculation and false attachment. He sees any given living being's body as half living and half dead. Since living beings are like that he draws conclusions about the whole world. From this he concludes that everything in the world is half finite and half infinite. Life is on the side of the finite, and death is on the side of the infinite. That's his conjecture. The more he runs, the farther away he gets.

K3 Concludes that it is an externalist teaching.

Sutra:

Because of these speculations about the finite and the infinite, he will fall into externalism and become confused about the Bodhi nature. This is the fourth external teaching, which postulates finiteness.

Commentary:

Because of these four speculations about the finite and the infinite. What does he conjecture? If it's not finite, then it's infinite. If it's not infinite, then it's finite. He keeps going back and forth like this, and generally does not stay on the Middle Way. He either goes too far or does not go far enough. Either he runs far away, or he doesn't even take a single step. Therefore, he will lose proper and pervasive knowledge and fall into externalism.

External teachings either go too far, or else they don't go far enough. Neither going too far nor coming up short is the Middle Way. We should cultivate the Middle Way. The Buddha spoke of the ultimate truth of the Middle Way as neither falling into emptiness nor falling into existence. If you lean to the side of emptiness or the side of existence, then you fall into duality. It's called an external teaching because there are two sides. And he will become confused about the true Bodhi nature. He does not recognize Bodhi. This is the fourth external teaching, which postulates finiteness.