The Third of Ten Wrong Paths – Four Fallacies on Partial Impermanence and Partial Permanence
“Further, 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 contemplate the source of its subtle, clear, and constant movement. But if he begins to speculate on the self and others, he could fall into one of the four wrong views about partial impermanence and partial permanence:
“First, as he observes the wondrously bright mind pervading all the worlds throughout the ten directions, he may come to the conclusion that its profound clarity is the ultimate spiritual self, which is unmoving, illuminating, and pervading the ten directions, and within which all beings go through birth and death by themselves. Therefore, he speculates that the nature of his mind is permanent, while the beings within it are impermanent.
“Second, instead of observing his own mind, he may contemplate the countless worlds throughout the ten directions and regard those that are in the eon of declining as impermanent, while those that are not in the eon of decay as permanent.
“Third, he may focus the observation on his own mind, finding it to be refined and subtle, like the finest dust motes floating and swirling in the ten directions with an unchanging nature, and yet it is exactly this mind causing his body to be or not to be. He may then speculate that the indestructible aspect of his mind to be his permanent nature, while the destructible aspect of him, which is subject to death and rebirth, to be impermanent.
“Fourth, knowing that the cognition skandha has ended, while the mental formation skandha is still flowing, he may then speculate that the constant flux is permanent, while the skandhas of form, perception, and cognition are impermanent, since they have ceased functioning.
“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 third wrong path – the four fallacies on partial impermanence and partial permanence.”
又三摩中诸善男子，坚凝正心，魔不得便，穷生类本，观彼幽清常扰动元，于自他中起计度者，是人坠入四颠倒见，一分无常，一分常论。一者、是人观妙明心遍十方界，湛然以为究竟神我。从是则计 ，我遍十方，凝明不动，一切众生于我心中自生自死。则我心性，名之为常；彼生灭者，真无常性。二者、是人不观其心，遍观十方恒沙国土。见劫坏处 ，名为究竟无常种性；劫不坏处，名究竟常。三者、是人别观我心，精细微密，犹如微尘流转十方，性无移改，能令此身即生即灭。其不坏性 ，名我性常；一切死生从我流出，名无常性。四者、是人知想阴尽，见行阴流。行阴常流，计为常性；色受想等 ，今已灭尽，名无常性。由此计度，一分无常，一分常故，堕落外道，惑菩提性。是则名为第三外道，一分常论。
Buddha Mind 