25th Imperishable, Knowledge of the Moments of Existence.

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

What then is knowledge of the moments of existence?

It is knowledge of all [the following] moments of existence in accordance [with their meaning (artha), though they be expressed by words (nāman) ]:

The knowledge that what pertains to the good and the bad, the blamable and the blameless, the sullied and the unsullied, the conditioned and the unconditioned, the worldly and the transcendent, the perfect and the low, what has a part in the impure and the pure, existence and extinction, the knowledge that those [moments of existence] are the same as [and of one taste (ekarasa) in] the [empty] sphere of all moments of existence, the knowledge that those [moments of existence] are the same as awakening [not different from the unconstructed knowledge (nirvikalpajñāna) of penetrating the sphere of all moments of existence (dharmadhātu) ], the knowledge that those are the same as the spheres of sense-perception [which, as described in section 10. f. 2, are the same as the sphere of all moments of existence], this is knowledge of the moments of existence.

Further, knowledge of the moments of existence is knowledge of thoughts as they arise and linger on in beings behaving according to desire, behaving according to artificial desire [as when coming in touch with others’ thoughts that produce desire, though originally not having much desire in oneself], behaving according to unartificial desire [having originally much desire], behaving according to desire which appears different from what it is [like apparent desire really being aversion, great desire seeming small or small desire seeming great], behaving according to desire for view-points, behaving according to excessive desire, behaving according to moderate desire, behaving according to slight desire, behaving according to desire which is not slight, behaving according to desire for conventions, behaving according to desire for practice, behaving according to desire for intention, behaving according to desire for determination, behaving according to desire for the essential characteristics [of moments of existence], behaving according to desire in opposition to the character [of desire, and thus not looking like desire], behaving according to desire establishing [in the world the twelvefold collection of scriptures], behaving according to desire because of conditions, behaving according to desire because of past conditions [having remembered the objects of desire in the past], behaving according to desire because of conditions in the future [wishing some particular form to appear in the future], behaving according to desire because of conditions in the present, beings with inner desire [for the taste of meditation (dhyānāsvāda) or mental desire which does not seem great outwardly], but no desire for outer things, beings with outer desire but no inner desire, beings with inner desire as well as desire for outer things, beings with no inner desire nor desire for outer things, beings with desire for forms, but no desire for sounds, tastes, smells or tangibles, beings with desire for sounds, but no desire for forms, tastes, smells or tangibles, beings with desire for smells, but no desire for forms, sounds, tastes or tangibles, beings with desire for tastes, but no desire for forms, sounds, smells or tangibles, beings with desire for tangibles but no desire for forms, sounds, smells or tastes, this is penetrating into living beings behaving according to desire.

Thus, in this way the [ways of] behaviour of living beings according to desire are twenty-one thousand, the [ways of] behaviour of living beings according to aversion are twenty-one thousand, the [ways of] behaviour of living beings according to delusion are twenty-one thousand, the [ways of] behaviour of living beings where the [three vices mentioneds] are present in equal amounts are twenty-one thousand. The knowledge of thoughts as they arise and linger on in beings behaving in eighty-four thousand ways, (p. 112) the knowledge of teaching religion accordingly to each individual [like teaching meditation on the unpleasant (aśubhabhāvanā) to the desirous (rāgin) ], the knowledge of not going beyond the proper time [in maturing and teaching], the knowledge of distinguishing between the recipients, the knowledge of teaching religion giving fruit, the knowledge of teaching the uninterrupted and unexcelled religion, that is knowledge of the moments of existence.