A Study On The Epistemological Characteristics Of "Three Kinds Of Mental Applications" Of Sarvāstivāda

The discussion of the causes of misunderstandings and how to obtain true knowledge（*yathāvaj-j?āna-dar?ana）can be said to be the core topics of deep concern in Abhidharma Buddhism.In Sarvāstivāda,all existence does not go beyond the realm of the specific characteristic of dharmas（sva-lak?a?a）and the common characteristic of dharmas（sāmānya-lak?a?a）.Therefore,the system of practical doctrines based on the direct perception of truth（tattva）must be closely related to the theory of the tri-temporal existence of dharmas centered on the specific characteristic of dharmas and the common characteristic of dharmas,and the related epistemology.However,the prior research on the specific characteristic and the common characteristic basically focused on the field of epistemology and ontology of dharmas.Considering that both the specific characteristic and the common characteristic are put forward in the context of meditation practice,it is necessary to turn our attention to the meditation theory which is its theoretical foothold.Based on the method of philosophical concept speculation and supplemented by the philological method of the collation and analysis of Sanskrit,Tibetan and Chinese texts,and this dissertation investigates the discussion on the three kinds of mental applications in its spiritual praxis,and finds out the theoretical consistency between the theory of practice and its theory of epistemology and the theory of the tri-temporal existence of dharmas,based on the orthodox documents of Sarvāstivāda including the Mahāvibhā?ā and the *Nyāyānusāra.At the same time,it analyzes and discusses the philosophical connotation of Sarvāstivāda’s practice theory based on the theory of epistemology and ontology.Although this paper discusses the theory of Sarvāstivāda’s spiritual praxis with the structure of the Abhidharmako?a’s samāpatti-nirde?a as the main line,the statement of meditation theory as an established fact is not the interest of this study,which is the embodiment of the essential difference between this paper and the previous research on Sarvāstivāda’s practice theory.The main research contents and key problems to be solved in this paper include the following aspects:first,through the way of in terms of the way,the nature,the mode of activity（ākāra）,the objects（ālambana）of contemplation and other factors closely related to epistemology as the research object to analyze the mental application of resolve（adhimukti-manaskāra）,the mental application on the specific characteristic of dharmas（svalak?a?a-manaskāra）and the mental application on the common characteristic of dharmas（sāmānyalak?a?amanaskāra）of various modes of meditation and their significance to the practical goal;Secondly,by comparing the differences between various meditation modes in each stage of spiritual practice,this paper reveals the decisive conditions affecting the sequential setting of spiritual practice modes in each stage,so as to reveal the internal logic of the practice theory of some organizations;Finally,it analyzes the existence state of the specific characteristic of dharmas and the common characteristic of dharmas and the relationship between them,and tries to give an epistemological interpretation and interpretation of Sarvāstivāda’s practice theory with this as the central context.In addition to the above core topics,this paper also attempts to make a detailed discussion on the following key issues,so as to further highlight and deepen the theme of this study.The first thing to be solved is the specific content of the division of real existence（dravya-sat）and combined existence（praj?apti-sat）in ontology and epistemology,and the influence of this division on the meaning of the mental application of resolve（adhimukti-manaskāra）in Sarvāstivāda’s practice theory;The second is about the real existence（tattva）and the connotation and boundary of truth（satya）in Sarvāstivāda’s theory.And discusses how this problem directly determines the ultimate goal of practice theory,the object field of practice and the methodology of practice;The final question to be dealt with is how the different divisions of the levels of the common characteristic of dharmas affect the Mundane path（lauikika-mārga）and the Noble path（ārya-mārga）the specific development path of the two practical theories and their position in the Soteriology.Through the analysis and comparison of various modes of meditation of the mental application of resolve,the mental application on the specific characteristic of dharmas and the mental application on the common characteristic of dharmas,it is not difficult to find that the development of Sarvāstivāda’s spiritual practice theory is based on the theory of reality and epistemology.In short,in the practice of the above three modes of meditation,the nature of the objects of meditation change from conventional truth（sa?v?ti-satya）to absolute truth（paramārtha-satya）,the scope of the objects of meditation are changed from the specific characteristic of one dharma to the common characteristics of all dharmas.Through this step-by-step way of meditation,practitioners gradually improve their insight into the real existence,and finally obtain the ability to directly perceive the highest and most common state of all dharmas-“Sixteen common characteristics”.Therefore,the spiritual practice path of the meditator can be said to be the process of “eye turn”,that is,the eye first turns from the name（nāma）of the conventional truth to the special real existence,and then sees their most common existence state-“Sixteen common characteristics”.