The Second of Ten Wrong Paths – Four Fallacies About Universal Permanence
“Ananda, when a good practitioner’s mind is firm, clear, and proper in the cultivation of Samadhi, no demon can disturb him. He may then thoroughly investigate the origin of all categories of living beings, and he may observe the cause of its subtle, clear, and constant movement. But if he begins to speculate on the all-pervasive constancy, he could fall into one of the four wrong views about universal permanence:
“First wrong view – as he thoroughly investigates his mind and its experiences, he may come to the conclusion that they are all causeless. Because through his cultivation he sees that while all living beings in the ten directions undergoing ceaseless cycles of death and rebirth in the past twenty thousand eons, their minds and the minds’ experiences have not been lost. Therefore, he speculates that the mind and its experiences are perpetual.
“Second wrong view – as he thoroughly investigates the origins of the four primary elements, he may come to the conclusion that they are constant in nature. Because through his cultivation he sees that while all living beings in the ten directions undergoing ceaseless cycles of death and rebirth in the past forty thousand eons, there has been no alteration in the primary elements of their substances. Therefore, he speculates that the nature of the elements is permanent.
“Third wrong view – as he thoroughly investigates the sixth consciousness, the 7th consciousness, and the 8th consciousness (the storehouse consciousness), he may come to the conclusion that their nature is permanent. Because through his cultivation he sees that while all living beings in the ten directions undergoing ceaseless cycles of death and rebirth in the past eighty thousand eons, the original nature of their consciousness has been remaining the same. Therefore, he speculates that the nature of consciousness is permanent.
“Fourth wrong view – since he has put an end to the cognition skandha, he figures that there is no more coming into being or ceasing to be, that all the ebb and flow, rise and fall, have come to a permanent halt. Therefore, he speculates that this state of cessation is permanent.
“With such speculations, he loses the ground of proper, universal wisdom, takes a wrong path, and becomes confused about the nature of Bodhi. This is the second wrong path – the four fallacies about universal permanence.”
阿难！是三摩中诸善男子，凝明正心，魔不得便，穷生类本，观彼幽清常扰动元，于圆常中起计度者，是人坠入四遍常论。一者、是人穷心境性 ，二处无因。修习能知，二万劫中十方众生所有生灭，咸皆循环，不曾散失，计以为常。二者、是人穷四大元 ，四性常住。修习能知，四万劫中十方众生所有生灭，咸皆体恒，不曾散失，计以为常。三者、是人穷尽六根 ，末那执受，心意识中本元由处，性常恒故。修习能知，八万劫中一切众生循环不失，本来常住，穷不失性，计以为常。四者、是人既尽想元，生理更无流止运转。生灭想心今已永灭 ，理中自然成不生灭，因心所度，计以为常。由此计常，亡正遍知，堕落外道，惑菩提性。是则名为第二外道 ，立圆常论。
Buddha Mind 