“Contemplate form as a mass of gathered bubbles;
contemplate feeling as a floating foam;
contemplate perception as a mirage shimmering in the heat;
contemplate formations as a banana tree (for the banana tree has no core, no basis, no solid reality);
contemplate consciousness as an illusion.
Regarding the five aggregates of grasping, the perception of their insubstantiality should always be kept before you.
All dharmas are empty of self and what belongs to a self.
Whose form is this? Whose feeling? Whose perception? Whose formations? Whose consciousness?
All dharmas are empty, free from self and what belongs to a self.”
— Mahā-prajñā-pāramitā Sūtra, Chapter 60-2: “The Section on Characteristics Leading to Understanding”
The mind, with regard to the worldly conditions, remains unmoved and untroubled, free from defilement and dwelling in peace.
(The worldly conditions: gain and loss, defamation and praise, honor and ridicule, suffering and happiness.)
This body contains hair, body hair, nails and teeth, skin, flesh, tendons, bones, bone marrow, spleen, heart, liver, pleural membrane, kidneys, lungs, large intestine, small intestine, the stomach and intestines with new food, old food (excrement), bile, phlegm, pus and blood, sweat, fat, tears, plasma, saliva, mucus, synovial fluid, urine, brain, and the brain membrane. — ‘The Thirty-One Parts of the Body’.
Frequent recitation reveals the impurity of the body, cuts off sensual desire, and contemplates impermanence.
Awakened and free from delusion.
Upright and free from evil.
Pure and free from defilement.
Observant of the precepts and never violating them.
In Mahāyāna Buddhism, being able to constantly recall these four points when encountering various conditions and circumstances is called the “Mirror of the Four Dharmas.”
Attachment to the self, blind adherence to mistaken precepts, and doubt about the Dharma are the three fundamental afflictions that hinder beings from escaping the cycle of birth and death.
Eliminating these three errors is required to attain the fruit of Sotāpanna (the first stage of enlightenment), marking the practitioner’s entry from an ordinary being into the initial stage of the path to liberation.
Once these three errors are corrected, one attains Sotāpanna, and will no longer fall into the lower realms (the animal realm, the hell realm, or the hungry ghost realm).
Causes for rebirth in the hell realm: extreme anger and resentment.
Causes for rebirth in the hungry ghost realm: insatiable greed and obtaining benefits by any means.
Causes for rebirth in the animal realm: ingratitude or shameless behavior.
The term 「淫怒痴薄」 (yīn nù chī bó) refers to the state where the Three Poisons of "lust/greed (淫/贪), hatred (怒/瞋), and delusion (痴)" have become weakened, diminished, or attenuated.
1. The Three Poisons (三毒 / Sān Dú)
The term 「淫怒痴」 (yín nù chī) is an older, earlier translation for 「贪、瞋、痴」 (Tān, Chēn, Chī), also known as the Three Poisons (三毒 / Tri-viṣa).
淫 (Yín): Refers to Greed/Lust/Craving (贪爱, Tān Ài). This is the attachment and craving for the Five Desires (wealth, sex, fame, food, sleep) or the Five Aggregates of Sense Objects (form, sound, smell, taste, touch).
怒 (Nù): Refers to Hatred/Aversion (瞋恨, Chēn Hèn). This is the arising of resentment and anger toward conditions that are displeasing, unsatisfactory, or contrary to one's desires and cravings.
痴 (Chī): Refers to Delusion/Ignorance (愚痴, Yú Chī). This is the inability to correctly discern principles (such as good and evil, cause and effect), leading to confusion and the creation of unwholesome karma.
薄 (Bó): Means weakened, diminished, attenuated, or sparse.
2. The Spiritual State: 「淫怒痴薄」
The state of 「淫怒痴薄」 specifically denotes a significant achievement in a practitioner's progress toward eliminating mental afflictions (烦恼, Kleśas).
It is typically associated with the Second Stage of the Śrāvakayāna (Hearer Vehicle), which is the fruit of Sīkāgāmin-phala (斯陀含果).
The Sīkāgāmin (斯陀含), literally meaning "Once-Returner" (一往来), is also specifically named "Weakening of Lust, Hatred, and Delusion (薄淫怒痴)".
A Noble One (圣者) who attains this stage has:
Completely eradicated the Views and Thoughts/Delusions of View (见惑, Darśana-heya) across the Three Realms (欲界, Kāma-dhātu; 色界, Rūpa-dhātu; 无色界, Ārūpya-dhātu).
Further eradicated a significant portion of the Delusions of Thought/Afflictions of Cultivation (思惑, Bhāvanā-heya) within the Desire Realm (欲界).
This results in the Three Poisons—lust/greed, hatred, and delusion—becoming markedly weakened/attenuated, though they are not yet fully extinguished.
Upon attaining this fruit, the Noble One will return and be reborn (往来) in the Desire Realm (among humans or gods) a maximum of only one more time before achieving final liberation (究竟解脱).
Simple Summary
In simple terms, 「淫怒痴薄」 is the state in spiritual cultivation where the three most fundamental afflictions—greed/craving, hatred/aversion, and delusion/ignorance—have been substantially weakened and diminished.
**“The sequential characteristics of dharmas” (法次法相)** refers to the features and laws by which all dharmas (phenomena) arise, change, and cease in a specific sequence.
**Literal meanings:**
* **法 (dharma):** phenomena, elements, events, mental states, consciousness, material forms—everything that exists.
* **次:** sequence, order, stages.
* **相 (lakṣaṇa):** characteristics, appearances, modes of manifestation.
**Combined:**
**法次法相 = the sequence of dharmas + the characteristics of dharmas.**
That is, how all phenomena arise one after another, what features they display, and how they transform and disappear.
Examples of sequential patterns:
* Cause → condition → result
* Contact → feeling → perception → intention
* Thought → emotion → action
* Impermanence → suffering → non-self
The four characteristic phases of any phenomenon:
* **Appearance (生相)**
* **Duration (住相)**
* **Change (异相)**
* **Disappearance (灭相)**
Like observing the entire life cycle of a flower in nature:
* Seed (cause)
* Sprouting (appearance)
* Blooming (duration)
* Withering (change, disappearance)
The order (**sequence**) and the features (**characteristics**) of these stages together illustrate **the “sequential characteristics of dharmas.”**
Buddhism simply extends this principle to *all* mental and physical phenomena.
Buddhism holds that **to see the sequential characteristics of dharmas is to see reality itself.**
Because:
* Seeing the *sequence* → reveals causality and dependent origination
* Seeing the *characteristics* → reveals impermanence, suffering, and non-self
From this insight arises wisdom (prajñā).
Why Most Research on the Yijing Is Garbage
1. Although the Yijing speaks of change, it speaks even more about the changes brought about by the human mind. Its original intent is to enable people to transform their destiny through the cultivation of thought. Obsessively discussing hexagram images or elaborating on the extended meanings of the Xici deviates from the Yijing’s fundamental purpose of using the mind to reshape fate.
2. At its culmination, the Yijing states, “Those who truly know do not divine; those who are truly good do not practice augury.” Divination—prediction itself—is merely conjecture about phenomena. Seeking auspiciousness and avoiding misfortune is in fact the greatest misunderstanding of what auspiciousness and misfortune really are. They transform into one another and generate one another; they are not fundamentally opposed. For a person who keeps their thoughts upright, the Yijing’s most frequently used term is “no fault.” Put plainly, if one consistently does what is reasonable, one will not go wrong.
Thunder moving, wind rising; thunder ceasing, wind calming. When thunder is swift, wind is fierce; when thunder is gentle, wind is harmonious. Thunder and wind acting together to express the qi of yin and yang—this is the Hexagram of Constancy.
Translated into modern terms, it means: if over a long period one simply does what ought to be done, one will be without fault.
3. The Yijing is not success studies, nor investment strategy, nor a handbook for officialdom; the Yijing is ethics. Beginning with Confucius, the Yijing was transformed from a shamanistic manual of divination into a text integrated with moral and ethical thinking. Unfortunately, after the Song dynasty, in order to satisfy those seeking wealth or office, the commentarial tradition of the Yijing once again strayed into the low-level cultural supply of hexagram images, appended phrases, and even yin-yang calculations. In particular, many so-called “masters of Chinese learning” in modern Taiwan and Hong Kong, under the banner of culture, in fact peddle vulgarized interpretations—using Yijing hexagrams to explain workplaces, investments, and even history. The flood of modern short videos further fuels people’s craving to predict the future.
4. If research on the Yijing is not grounded in ethical interpretation, it is better not to study it at all. Relying solely on casting, interpreting, or transforming hexagrams cannot change destiny. Only the mind and one’s actions can change destiny. If one goes down the misguided path of prediction, it would be better not to read the Yijing, and the “masters” would do better to keep quiet.
Having become dispassionate towards the Form Realm (Rūpa-dhātu), the mind-made fetter pertaining to form (rūpa) is also cut off. When the mind-made fetter pertaining to form is cut off, the support/clinging for consciousness (viññāṇa) is also cut off; consciousness no longer stands, it no longer increases, grows, or expands.
> Having become dispassionate towards the realms of Feeling (Vedanā), Perception (Saññā), and Volitional Formations (Saṅkhāra), the mind-made fetters pertaining to feeling, perception, and volitional formations are also cut off. When the mind-made fetters pertaining to feeling, perception, and volitional formations are cut off, the support/clinging for consciousness is also cut off; consciousness no longer stands, it no longer increases, grows, or expands.
> When consciousness no longer stands, it does not increase; when it does not increase, it does not perform any activity; when it does not perform any activity, it is at rest (or dwells); when at rest, it is content (or satisfied); when content, it is liberated; being liberated, one takes nothing in the world (of phenomena); taking nothing, one is not attached; being unattached, one realizes Nibbāna for oneself.
Key Terminology Explained
* 色界贪 (Lí sè jiè tān): Dispassion towards the Form Realm (Rūpa-dhātu).
* 色意生缚 (Sè yì shēng fù): Mind-made fetter pertaining to form (rūpa). A "fetter" (samyojana) is a bond that ties a being to the cycle of existence.
* 识攀缘 (Shì pān yuán): The clinging or support for consciousness (viññāṇa). Pān yuán literally means "clinging" or "taking hold of."
* 受、想、行界 (Shòu, xiǎng, xíng jiè): The realms (or aggregates/groups) of Feeling (Vedanā), Perception (Saññā), and Volitional Formations (Saṅkhāra). Together with Form (Sè) and Consciousness (Shì), these are the Five Aggregates (Pañca-skandha).
* 识无所住 (Shì wú suǒ zhù): Consciousness has no standing place; it is unsupported.
* 无所取 (Wú suǒ qǔ): Takes nothing; non-taking.
* 自觉涅槃 (Zì jué niè pán): Realizes Nibbāna (Nirvana) for oneself.
Kulhar: The Disposable Clay Cup of the Indian Subcontinent
Kulhar (also spelled Kulhad or Kulha) originated in the Indian Subcontinent, with a history dating back at least 3,000 years. They were used at roadside tea stalls and during religious festivals in ancient India.
Key Characteristics:
• Hand-thrown from natural clay.
• Unglazed, making them eco-friendly and naturally biodegradable/weatherable.
• Originally intended as a single-use cup (discarded after use to return to the soil).
Traditional Use:
The most traditional use of the Kulhad is defined by its cycle:
• Used once
• Discarded back into the earth immediately after use
• Naturally degrades and returns to the ground
Usage and Sensory Experience:
1. Drinking Chai (Indian Milk Tea): Hot chai poured into the terracotta cup absorbs some of the liquid and imparts a subtle earthy aroma (often called matka flavor or sondhi khushboo).
2. Drinking Lassi (Indian Yogurt Drink): It brings a rich, intense flavor, and the cup's porosity adds a unique texture and mouthfeel.
Archaeological Evidence at Buddhist Sites:
Archaeological findings at Buddhist sites, such as Nalanda, commonly include unglazed terracotta cups similar to the kulhad. Large quantities of these terracotta cups have been found at the following Buddhist sites:
• Kapilavastu
• Sravasti (where the Buddha spent the most time)
• Rajgir
• Nalanda
• Sarnath
These pottery pieces are almost identical in shape to the modern kulhad. This vessel was widely used by the common people and the monastic community (Sangha) of the time.
Philosophical Reflection:
The most traditional use of the Kulhad perfectly embodies the Buddhist concepts of "impermanence" (Anicca), "non-self" (Anatta), and the "arising and ceasing of conditioned phenomena" (Pratītyasamutpāda - dependent origination):
Born of the Earth → Used for Drink → Broken and Returned to Earth → Non-attachment, Non-accumulation, Non-striving (Non-fabrication).
All conditioned things are impermanent; they are subject to arising and ceasing. Having arisen, they cease; Nirvana is bliss/peace.
All conditioned phenomena are subject to decay/inherently impermanent (or 'contain the inherent nature of destruction'). We should work out our own liberation with diligence. - This was the Tathagata's last instruction.
All conditioned phenomena are truly impermanent; were it not so, it would be impossible.
Four rivers flow into the sea and lose their original names; likewise, when people from the four castes renounce the world, they all become members of the Śākya lineage.”
Whether laypeople or monastics, all should follow the rules of morality and ethics, and conduct themselves in accordance with the Dharma. If they do so, they will flourish and not fall into decline.
Be a lamp unto the Dharma，be a lamp unto yourself, do not rely on others.
All conditioned phenomena are impermanent; they arise and pass away.
Such is the true nature of all things: that which is closest to us will eventually part and become separated from us. Once a thing is born and takes form, it inherently contains the certainty of separation. To wish that it never disperses—how could that be possible? There is no such principle in the world.
“Desire has been exhausted. The causes have been extinguished. From this point on, there will be no further rebirth.”
Around the 5th to 6th century BCE, the religious and social life of the Hindu tradition divided a person’s life into four stages:
1. Brahmacarya (the period of disciplined study),
2. Gṛhasthya (the householder stage),
3. Vānaprasthya (the forest-dwelling or retirement stage), and
4. Sannyāsa (the renunciate stage).
In other words, every Hindu, in the later stage of life, was expected to withdraw from worldly ties and enter a life of renunciation and spiritual practice. The religious ideas and practices of that time had a profound influence on the Buddha. Thus, at the age of twenty-nine, he left his princely life of comfort and privilege to seek the truth. Ultimately, he attained perfect enlightenment.