【修持轨理 The Meditation Session】善根 The cooperative condition

【修持轨理】

万一不行怎么办呢？欸，他下面告诉我们了，实际上我们大部分人都还不够，说：
【又自相续中，若无能生道之顺缘积集资粮，及除逆缘净治业障二助缘者，唯励力修所缘行相之正因，亦难生起。】
假定我们自己的身心上头，这样子的话，我们没有这个善根，这个善根需要什么？要罪障净除、资粮集聚。这个资粮是生道的那个顺缘，所以能生起的这个顺缘是什么？积聚资粮。还有呢？障碍要除掉，所谓逆缘就是障碍。如果说，障碍没有净除，资粮没有积聚，这个两个不具足。这两个什么？修道的助缘，如果是没有这个，你拼命地虽然去跑到那里要想观想什么，没有用！所以，如果说你没有两个助缘，努力去修这个行相的正因——所谓「正因」，就是现在你因地当中努力观，观了半天嘛积得那个果，就观起来了。

来源 SOURCE：

日常师父法语 22B 22’53”手抄稿第三册 P210L8

22B 22’53” Vol 3 of Master Jih-Chang’s Discourse P210L8
English Lamrim Volume 1, P94

【The Meditation Session】

What if you are still unable to do this, what should you do? Eh, he tells us what to do next. In fact, most of us are not ready yet. It says,

【Preparation: (5) The cooperative conditions for the production of the path in your mind are (1) the accumulation of the collections, which are favorable conditions, and (2) the purification of your mind from obscurations, which are unfavorable conditions. [56] If you lack these cooperative conditions, it is extremely difficult to produce the path, even if you take pains to sustain the meditations that are the substantial causes of the path. 】

If this is the case for us, it means we lack virtuous roots. What is required to have virtuous roots? It requires the purification of your mind from obscurations and the accumulation of the collections. The collections are the favorable conditions, that are cooperative conditions for the production of the path. So what are the favorable conditions for the production of the path? They are the accumulation of the collections. What else? The obstacles will need to be eliminated. The unfavorable conditions are obstacles. If the obstacles are not cleared away and the collections not accumulated, then you will lack these two conditions. What are these two conditions? They are the cooperative conditions for the path. If you do not have them, even if you use up all your energy to contemplate and visualize something, it will be futile! Therefore, if you do not have these two cooperative conditions and you try to sustain the meditation that are the substantial causes of the path - the so-called "substantial causes" of the path means, if you strive to imagine/visualise [the objects, i.e. gurus of the vast and profound lineages] in this causal period, and you are able to produce the effect of having these objects clearly present after much effort. [That is,] if you lack these 2 cooperative conditions, you will not be able to produce the path no matter how hard you try.