Chapter IV +quot;And taking a pin, I pulled out the wick.+quot; A theme recurrent in the p
Chapter IV
==========
"And taking a pin,
I pulled out the wick."
A theme recurrent in the passages we have been considering is that
the abandonment of clinging/sustenance is effected through knowledge.
These four (modes of) sustenance have what as their cause,
what as their origin, from what are they born, from what do
they arise? These four (forms of) sustenance have craving
as their cause, craving as their origin, are born from
craving, and arise from craving.
And what does craving have as its cause...?...feeling...And
what does feeling have as its cause...?...contact...And what
does contact have as its cause...?...the six sense
spheres... And what do the six sense spheres have as their
cause...?... name & form...And what do name & form have as
their cause...?...consciousness...And what does
consciousness have as its cause...?...processes...And what
do processes have as their cause...?...ignorance...
And, monks, as soon as ignorance is abandoned in a monk, and
clear knowledge arises, he--from the fading of ignorance and
the appearance of clear knowledge--clings neither to sensual
pleasures as sustenance, nor to views as sustenance, nor to
precepts & practices as sustenance, nor to doctrines of the
self as sustenance. Not clinging (unsustained), he is not
agitated. Unagitated, he is totally unbound right within.
He discerns that 'Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled,
the task done. There is nothing further for this world.'
M 11
The word 'vijja'--translated here as clear knowledge--also means
'science.' And just as science implies a method, there is a method--a
discipline--underlying the knowledge that leads to Unbinding. That
method is described from a number of perspectives in the Canon, each
description stressing different aspects of the steps involved. The
standard formula, though, is the Noble Eightfold Path, also known as
the middle way.
There are these two extremes that one who has gone forth is
not to indulge in. What two? That which is devoted to
sensual pleasure with reference to sensual objects: base,
vulgar, common, ignoble, unprofitable; and that which is
devoted to self-affliction: painful, ignoble, unprofitable.
Avoiding both of these extremes, the middle way realized by
the Tathagata--producing vision, producing knowledge--leads
to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to
Unbinding.
And what is the middle way realized by the Tathagata
that--producing vision, producing knowledge--leads to calm,
to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding?
Precisely this Noble Eightfold Path: right view, right
intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood,
right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
S lvi.11
The eight factors of the path fall under three headings, the first
two factors coming under discernment, the next three under virtue, and
the final three under concentration. These three headings are called
the Threefold Training; the dynamic among them, leading to the
knowledge & vision of release, is one of natural cause & effect.
It is natural that in a virtuous person, one of consummate
virtue, freedom from remorse will arise...It is natural that
in a person free from remorse gladness will arise...that in
a glad person rapture will arise...that for an enraptured
person the body will be calmed...that a person of calmed
body will feel pleasure...that the mind of a person feeling
pleasure will become concentrated...that a person whose mind
is concentrated will see things as they actually are...that
a person seeing things as they actually are will grow
disenchanted & dispassionate...that a disenchanted &
dispassionate person will realize the knowledge & vision of
release.
A X.2
According to the standard description of the Eightfold Path, the
heading of discernment includes seeing things in terms of the four
noble truths about stress, and maintaining the intention to release
oneself from sensuality, to abandon ill will, and to avoid doing harm.
Virtue includes abstaining from lying, from divisive speech, from
harsh speech & idle chatter; from killing, stealing, & having illicit
sex; and from engaging in dishonest or abusive forms of making a
living, such as dealing in poison, slaves, weapons, intoxicants, or
animal flesh.
The factors that go into concentration, though, are somewhat more
complex.
And what, monks is right effort? There is the case where a
monk arouses desire, endeavors, arouses energy, extends &
exerts his mind for the sake of the non-arising of evil, bad
qualities that have not yet arisen...for the sake of the
abandonment of evil, bad qualities that have arisen...for
the sake of the arising of good, wise qualities that have
not yet arisen... (and) for the maintenance, non-confusion,
increase, plenitude, development, & culmination of good
qualities that have arisen. This, monks, is right effort.
And what is right mindfulness? There is the case where a
monk remains focused on the body in & of itself--ardent,
aware & mindful--putting away greed & sorrow with reference
to the world. He remains focused on feelings in & of
themselves...He remains focused on the mind in & of
itself... He remains focused on mental qualities in & of
themselves--ardent, aware & mindful--putting away greed &
sorrow with reference to the world.
Thus either internally he remains focused on the body in &
of itself, or externally...or both internally &
externally...or else he remains focused on the phenomenon of
arising with reference to the body...or the phenomenon of
passing away with reference to the body...or the phenomenon
of arising & passing away with reference to the body. Or,
simply thinking, 'There is a body,' his mindfulness is
present, just to the extent of knowledge & recollection.
And he remains independent, not sustained by (clinging to)
anything in the world. (Similarly with feelings, mind &
mental qualities.)
D 22
(See page 66 above, instructions to Bahiya.)
Right concentration is the practice of the four basic levels of
jhana.
These three factors are component parts of a single whole. In
fact, their balanced inter-relatedness is what makes them 'right.'
The first level of jhana requires the abandoning of bad mental
qualities (the Hindrances*), which is part of the duty of right
effort; and, as we saw in the description of breath meditation, jhana
begins with mindfulness of the present. As jhana is practiced &
mastered, good qualities (such as the Factors of Awakening*) are
fostered & maintained; physical processes are stilled so that mental
qualities may become clearly apparent as they occur; mindfulness is
made pure on the attainment of the fourth level of jhana; and all four
of the Applications of Mindfulness are developed.
On whatever occasion, monks, a monk breathing in long
discerns that he is breathing in long; or breathing out
long, discerns that he is breathing out long; or breathing
in short discerns that he is breathing in short; or
breathing out short, discerns that he is breathing out
short; trains himself to breathe in...&...out sensitive to
the entire body; trains himself to breathe in...&...out
calming the bodily processes: On that occasion, monks, the
monk remains focused on the body in & of itself--ardent,
aware & mindful--subduing greed & sorrow with reference to
the world...
On whatever occasion a monk trains himself to breathe in...
&...out sensitive to rapture; trains himself to breathe
in...&... out sensitive to pleasure; trains himself to
breathe in...&...out sensitive to mental processes; trains
himself to breathe in... &...out calming mental processes:
On that occasion the monk remains focused on feelings in &
of themselves--ardent, aware & mindful--subduing greed &
sorrow with reference to the world...
On whatever occasion a monk trains himself to breathe in...
&...out sensitive to the mind; trains himself to breathe
in... &...out satisfying the mind; trains himself to breathe
in...&... out steadying the mind; trains himself to breathe
in...&... out releasing the mind: On that occasion the monk
remains focused on the mind in & of itself--ardent, aware &
mindful--subduing greed & sorrow with reference to the
world...
On whatever occasion a monk trains himself to breathe in...
&...out focusing on inconstancy; trains himself to breathe
in...&...out focusing on dispassion; trains himself to
breathe in...&...out focusing on stopping; trains himself to
breathe in...&...out focusing on relinquishment: On that
occasion the monk remains focused on mental qualities in &
of themselves--ardent, aware & mindful--subduing greed &
sorrow with reference to the world.
M 118
In the Great Discourse on the Applications of Mindfulness, the
Buddha describes mindfulness of mental qualities in & of themselves,
in part, in terms of the Hindrances and the Factors of Awakening,
qualities that are respectively set aside & fostered in the practice
of jhana.
And how does a monk remain focused on mental qualities in &
of themselves with reference to the five Hindrances? There
is the case where, there being sensual desire present
within, a monk discerns that 'There is sensual desire
present within me.' Or, there being no sensual desire
present within, he discerns that 'There is no sensual desire
present within me.' He discerns how there is the arising of
unarisen sensual desire. And he discerns how there is the
abandoning of sensual desire once it has arisen. And he
discerns how there is no further appearance in the future of
sensual desire that has been abandoned. (The same formula
is repeated for the remaining Hindrances: ill will, sloth &
torpor, restlessness & anxiety, and doubt.)....
And how does a monk remain focused on mental qualities in &
of themselves with reference to the seven Factors of
Awakening? There is the case where, there being mindfulness
as a Factor of Awakening present within, a monk discerns
that 'Mindfulness as a Factor of Awakening is present within
me.' Or, there being no mindfulness as a Factor of
Awakening present within, a monk discerns that 'Mindfulness
as a Factor of Awakening is not present within me.' He
discerns how there is the arising of unarisen mindfulness as
a Factor of Awakening. And he discerns how there is the
development & consummation of mindfulness as a Factor of
Awakening once it has arisen. (The same formula is repeated
for the remaining Factors of Awakening: investigation of
phenomena, energy, rapture, serenity, concentration &
equanimity.)
D 22
Thus the practice of right mindfulness does not repress undesirable
mental qualities--i.e., it does not deny their presence. Rather, it
notices them as they occur so that the phenomenon of their occurrence
can be understood. Once they are understood for what they are as
phenomena, they lose their power and can be abandoned.
However, the practice of right mindfulness focuses, not on the
haphazard occurrence of mental qualities, but on the elimination of
undesirable qualities--the Hindrances--that obstruct jhana, and on the
development of desirable qualities--the Factors of Awakening--that it
fosters. As these factors are strengthened through the continued
practice of jhana, they make possible a clearer awareness of sensory
processes as they occur: The factors of rapture, serenity, &
equanimity, existing independently of the input of the five senses,
make the mind less involved in sensory pleasures, less inclined to
search for emotional satisfaction from them; the factors of
mindfulness, investigation of phenomena, effort, & concentration
enable clear insight into the events that make up sensory perception.
To see events in the body & mind simply as that--events,
conditioned, arising & passing away--creates a further sense of
distance, disenchantment, & de-identification.
Knowing & seeing the eye as it actually is, knowing & seeing
forms...visual consciousness...visual contact as they
actually are, knowing & seeing whatever arises conditioned
by visual contact--experienced as pleasure, pain, or neither
pleasure nor pain--as it actually is, one is not infatuated
with the eye...forms...visual consciousness...visual
contact... whatever arises conditioned by visual contact and
is experienced as pleasure, pain, or neither pleasure nor
pain...
Knowing & seeing the ear...Knowing & seeing the nose...
Knowing & seeing the tongue...Knowing & seeing the body...
Knowing & seeing the intellect as it actually is, knowing &
seeing ideas...mental consciousness...mental contact as they
actually are, knowing & seeing whatever arises conditioned
by mental contact--experienced as pleasure, pain, or neither
pleasure nor pain--as it actually occurs, one is not
infatuated with the intellect...ideas...mental
consciousness...mental contact...whatever arises conditioned
by mental contact and is experienced as pleasure, pain, or
neither pleasure nor pain.
For him--remaining uninfatuated, unattached, unconfused--the
five aggregates for sustenance head toward future
diminution. The craving that makes for further
becoming--accompanied by passion & delight, relishing now
this & now that--is abandoned by him. His bodily
disturbances & mental disturbances are abandoned. His
bodily torments & mental torments are abandoned. His bodily
distresses & mental distresses are abandoned. He is
sensitive both to ease of body & ease of awareness.
Whatever view is his, is his as right view. Whatever
intention, as right intention. Whatever effort, as right
effort. Whatever mindfulness, as right mindfulness.
Whatever concentration, as right concentration: just as
earlier his actions, speech, & livelihood were already
well-purified. Thus for him the Noble Eightfold Path goes
to the culmination of its development...the four
Applications of Mindfulness go to the culmination of their
development...the seven Factors of Awakening go to the
culmination of their development. (And) for him these two
qualities occur in concert: tranquillity & insight.
M 149
With the union of tranquillity & insight at the culmination of the
path, Awakening occurs. The Canon records many instances where
Awakening is sudden & total, and many where it occurs in stages: The
reason for the difference isn't stated, but perhaps in sudden
Awakening the mind goes through the various stages in quick
succession. At any rate, a brief look at the stages will give
something of an idea of the dynamics of the mind's Unbinding.
The standard list of the stages gives four, and describes them in
terms of how many of the ten Fetters the mind sheds: (1) self-identity
views, (2) grasping at precepts and practices, (3) doubt, (4) sensual
passion, (5) irritation, (6) passion for form, (7) passion for
formlessness, (8) conceit, (9) restlessness, & (10) ignorance.
There are in this community of monks, monks who, with the total
ending of (the first) three Fetters, are Stream-winners, steadfast,
never again destined for states of woe, headed for self-awakening...
There are...monks who, with the total ending of (the first) three
fetters and the thinning out of passion, aversion, & delusion, are
Once-returners. After returning only once to this world they will put
an end to stress...
There are...monks who, with the total ending of the first set of
five Fetters, are due to be reborn (in the Pure Abodes), there to be
totally unbound, never again to return from that world...
There are...monks who are Arahants, whose mental effluents are
ended, who have reached fulfillment, done the task, laid down the
burden, attained the true goal, totally destroyed the fetter of
becoming, and who are released through right gnosis.
M 118
An alternative way of classifying the stages lists three:
There is the case of the monk who has attained full
accomplishment with regard to virtue, a modicum of
accomplishment with regard to concentration, and a modicum
with regard to discernment...
There is the case of the monk who has attained full
accomplishment with regard to virtue, full accomplishment
with regard to concentration, and a modicum of
accomplishment with regard to discernment...
There is the case of the monk who has attained full
accomplishment with regard to virtue, full accomplishment
with regard to concentration, and full accomplishment with
regard to discernment. With the ending of the mental
effluents, he remains in the effluentless release of
awareness & release of discernment, having known and made
them manifest for himself right in the present.
A iii.88
As the text makes clear, Stream-winners and Once-returners are
those who have fully developed virtue, Non-returners are those who
have fully developed virtue & concentration, and Arahants are those
who have fully developed all three parts of the path: virtue,
concentration, & discernment.
This is not to say, however, that Stream-winners have not developed
discernment to a fairly high degree. In fact, the unvarying
definition of Stream-winners is that they have 'seen with
discernment,' and their level of Awakening is called the arising of
the Dhamma eye. What they see with this Dhamma eye is always
expressed in the same terms:
Then Ven. Assaji gave this exposition of Dhamma to Sariputta
the Wanderer:
'Whatever phenomena arise from cause:
Their cause
& their cessation.
Such is the teaching of the Tathagata
the Great Contemplative.'
Then to Sariputta the Wanderer, as he heard this exposition
of Dhamma, there arose the dustless, stainless Dhamma eye:
Whatever is subject to origination is all subject to
cessation.
Mv i.23.5
For this realization to occur, it must follow on a glimpse of what
stands in opposition to 'all that is subject to origination,' i.e., a
glimpse of the Unconditioned--deathlessness.
(Immediately after winning to the Stream) Sariputta the
Wanderer went to where Moggallana the Wanderer was staying.
Moggallana the Wanderer saw him coming from afar, and on
seeing him said, 'Your faculties are bright, my friend; your
complexion pure & clear. Could it be that you have attained
the Deathless?'
'Yes, my friend, I have....'
Mv i.23.5
Although their Awakening is not yet complete, Stream-winners see
enough of the Deathless to remove all doubt in the Buddha's teachings.
To Upali the householder, as he was sitting right there,
there arose the dustless, stainless Dhamma eye: Whatever is
subject to origination is all subject to cessation.
Then--having seen the Dhamma, having reached the Dhamma,
known the Dhamma, plunged entirely into the Dhamma, having
crossed over & beyond doubt, having had no more
questioning-- Upali the householder gained fearlessness and
was independent of others with regard to the Teacher's
message.
M 56
Their glimpse of deathlessness is also enough to convince
Stream-winners of the worthlessness of self-identity views that center
around the five aggregates of sustenance, all of which come under the
category of 'all that is subject to origination.'
Magandiya, it is just as if there were a blind man who
couldn't see black objects...white...blue...yellow...red...
the sun or the moon. Now suppose that a certain man were to
take a grimy, oil-stained rag and fool him, saying, 'Here,
my good man, is a beautiful, clean, spotless white cloth.'
The blind man would take it and wear it.
Then suppose his friends, companions & relatives took him to
a doctor and the doctor treated him with medicine: purges
from above & purges from below, ointments &
counter-ointments and treatments through the nose. And
thanks to the medicine his eyesight would appear & grow
clear. Then together with the arising of his eyesight, he
would abandon whatever passion & delight he felt for that
grimy, oil-stained rag. And he would regard that man as an
enemy & no friend at all, and think that he deserved to be
killed. 'My gosh, how long have I been fooled, cheated, &
deceived by that man & his oil-stained rag!--"Here, my good
man, is a beautiful, clean, spotless white cloth."'
In the same way, Magandiya, if I were to teach you the
Dhamma--this freedom from Disease, this Unbinding--and you
on your part were to understand that freedom from Disease
and see that Unbinding, then together with the arising of
your eyesight, you would abandon whatever passion & delight
you felt with regard for the five aggregates for sustenance.
And it would occur to you, 'My gosh, how long have I been
fooled, cheated, & deceived by this mind! For in clinging,
it was just form that I was clinging to...it was just
feeling...just perception...just mental processes... just
consciousness that I was clinging to. With my clinging as
condition, there arises becoming...birth...ageing & death...
sorrow, lamentation, pains, griefs, & despairs. And thus is
the origin of this entire mass of stress.'
M 75
Because they realize that their glimpse of the goal came through
an act of discernment, Stream-winners no longer grasp at precepts &
practices. What this means is that they no longer view mere adherence
to precepts & practices as a sufficient means to the goal in & of
itself, although they continue to abide by the precepts of right
speech, action, & livelihood and by the practice of jhana that
fostered their discernment to begin with. Having seen the efficacy of
their own actions, they will never intentionally do evil again. This
is what perfects their virtue. Still, they have yet to fully
comprehend the practice of jhana, and so their minds remain attached
to the phenomena--with & without form--on which that practice is
based. As the texts say, they are bound by their incomplete mastery
of concentration & discernment, and by seven remaining Fetters to the
cycle of birth & death.
As for Non-returners, they have mastered jhana to the extent that
they can use it as a vantage point for watching the arising & passing
away that occurs in reference to the five senses, while the pleasure,
rapture, & equanimity it offers serve them as a fulcrum point for
uprooting any desire for the pleasures of those five senses, together
with all feelings of irritation that come when such desires are not
met.
They, too, have seen the Deathless, but as with Stream-winners,
their discernment is not yet fully comprehensive: They have yet to
turn it on the act of seeing: the tools--tranquillity & insight--that
lead to that discernment, and the subtle levels of passion & delight
that accompany it.
The texts express this point in a variety of ways. Some passages
simply list the Fetters that Non-returners have yet to abandon:
passion for form, passion for formlessness, conceit, restlessness, &
ignorance. Others give more experiential accounts of what is
happening in a Non-returner's mind. From reading these latter
accounts it is possible to see how the five Fetters in the list are
interconnected: Although Non-returners shed attachment to
self-identity views back when they attained Stream entry, they still
have a lingering sense of the conceit 'I am', associated with the five
aggregates for sustenance--possessing form & formless--as they
function subtly in the arising of tranquillity & insight as a process
of becoming. And while they have gained enough insight into the five
senses to let go of any attachment to them, they still suffer from a
certain amount of ignorance concerning the subtler level of becoming
inherent in that conceit, and this leads to refined forms of passion &
delight that keep them restless & bound to the sixth sense: the mind.
There is the case, Ananda, where a monk...enters & remains
in the first jhana: refreshment & pleasure born of
withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation.
He regards whatever phenomena there that are connected with
form (body), feeling, perceptions, mental processes, &
consciousness as inconstant, stressful, a disease, a cancer,
an arrow, painful, an affliction, alien, a dissolution, a
void, not self.
He turns his mind away from those phenomena, and having done
so, inclines his mind to the quality of deathlessness:
'This is peace, this is exquisite--the resolution of all
mental processes; the relinquishment of all the
paraphernalia of becoming; the ending of craving;
dispassion; stopping; Unbinding.' Having attained this
point, he reaches the ending of the mental effluents. Or,
if not, then--through passion & delight for this very
phenomenon (the discernment inclining to deathlessness) and
from the total ending of the first of the five Fetters--he
is due to be reborn (in the Pure Abodes), there to be
totally unbound, never again to return from that world.
(Similarly with each of the remaining levels of jhana.)
M 64
Several strands of our discussion converge at this passage. To
begin with, the act of discernment described here--inclining the mind
to the Deathless--is identical with the object of concentration
described by the Buddha at A x.6 (see page 35). This would thus be an
instance of tranquillity occurring in concert with insight (see page
102).
Secondly, as the passage points out, the crucial difference between
Arahants and Non-returners is whether or not the mind feels passion &
delight for this act of discernment. Here the distinctions concerning
sustenance & clinging raised at the beginning of Chapter III (see page
44) come subtly into play. Any act of discernment, even on this
level, comes under the five aggregates for sustenance, as composed of
perception, mental processes, & consciousness. If not fully seen for
what it is, it can thus act as a phenomenon offering sustenance (or as
a clingable phenomenon). Any passion & delight for it--and these
themselves are perceptions & mental processes--function as refined
sustenance/clinging in the modes of views (of inferior/superior),
mental absorption, & a sense of 'I am' involved in the act of
discerning. Thus the mind still contains the conditions for becoming
on a refined level, and this stands in the way of its total freedom.
Bound by both
the yoke of sensuality
& the yoke of becoming,
Beings continue in transmigration,
returning to birth & death.
Those who have abandoned sensuality
without reaching the ending of the effluents,
are bound by the yoke of becoming:
Non-returners they are called.
While those who have cut off doubt
have no more conceit
or renewal of becoming.
They who have reached
the ending of the effluents,
while in the world,
have gone beyond.
Iti 96
Ven. Khemaka, a Non-returner, speaks shortly before he
attains Arahantship: 'Just like the scent of a blue, red,
or white lotus: If someone were to call it the scent of a
petal or the scent of the color or the scent of a filament,
would he be speaking correctly?'
'No, friend.'
'Then how would he describe it if he were describing it
correctly?'
'...As the scent of the flower.'
'In the same way, friends, I don't say that this "I am" is
form, nor that this "I am" is other than form. I don't say
that this "I am" is feeling...perception...mental
processes....I don't say that this "I am" is consciousness,
nor that this "I am" is other than consciousness. It's just
that for me the "I am" with regard to the five aggregates
for sustenance has not been removed, although I don't regard
them as "This is me."
'...Just like a cloth, spotted & stained, whose owners give
it over to a washerman: The washerman scrubs it with salt
earth or lye or cow-dung and then rinses it in clear water.
Now even though the cloth is clean and spotless, it still
has a slight, lingering residual scent of salt earth or lye
or cow-dung. The washerman gives it to the owners, the
owners put it away in a wicker box filled with incense, and
its slight, lingering residual scent of salt earth, lye, or
cow-dung disappears.
'In the same way, even though a noble disciple has abandoned
the five lower Fetters, he still has with regard to the five
aggregates for sustenance a slight, lingering residual "I
am" conceit, an "I am" desire, an "I am" propensity. But at
a later time he keeps focusing on the phenomena of arising &
passing away with regard to the five aggregates of
sustenance: "Such is form, such its origin, such its
disappearance. Such is feeling...Such is perception...Such
are mental processes...Such is consciousness, such its
origin, such its disappearance." As he keeps focusing on
the arising & passing away of these five aggregates for
sustenance, the slight, lingering residual "I am" conceit,
"I am" desire, "I am" propensity he had with regard to them
disappears.'
S xxii.89
Only when discernment is so fully developed & totally comprehensive
that it has no lingering conceits, desires or propensities for
anything--not even for the mental processes of passion & delight that
condition subtle levels of becoming around the act of discerning--can
it complete its emancipation from the six spheres of sensory contact
that make up the All.
Moggallana (shortly before becoming an Arahant): Briefly,
sir, in what respect is a monk--released through the ending
of craving--utterly complete, utterly free from bonds, a
follower of the utterly chaste life, utterly consummate:
foremost among human & heavenly beings?
The Buddha: There is the case, Moggallana, of the monk who
has heard, 'All things are unworthy of attachment.' Having
heard that all things are unworthy of attachment, he fully
knows every thing. Fully knowing every thing, he fully
comprehends every thing. Fully comprehending every thing,
then whatever feeling he experiences--pleasure, pain,
neither pleasure nor pain-- he keeps focusing on
impermanence with regard to it, keeps focusing on
dispassion, focusing on stopping, focusing on relinquishing.
As he keeps focusing on impermanence...
dispassion...stopping...relinquishing with regard to that
feeling, he is unsustained by (does not cling to) anything
in the world. Unsustained, he is not agitated. Unagitated,
he is unbound right within: 'Birth is ended, the holy life
fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for this
world.'
It is in this respect, Moggallana, that a monk, in brief, is
released through the ending of craving, utterly complete,
utterly free from bonds, a follower of the utterly chaste
life, utterly consummate: foremost among human & heavenly
beings.
A vii.58
He who knows the All
from all around,
Who is not aroused
by anything at all,
Having totally comprehended
the All,
Has overcome
all stress.
Iti 7
Now when a monk discerns--as they actually are--the origin &
passing away of the six spheres of (sensory) contact, their
allure, their drawbacks & the emancipation from them, then
he discerns that this (discernment) is superior to all these
(things).
D 1
With ignorance as condition, there occur processes; with
processes as condition, (sensory) consciousness; with
(sensory) consciousness as condition, name & form; with name
& form as condition, the six (sense) spheres....
But with the remainderless fading & stopping of ignorance,
processes stop. With the stopping of processes, (sensory)
consciousness stops. With the stopping of (sensory)
consciousness, name & form...the six (sense)
spheres...contact...
feeling...craving...clinging...becoming...birth stops. With
the stopping of birth--ageing & death, sorrow, lamentation,
pain, & grief (all) stop. Thus is the stopping of this
entire mass of stress.
M 115
That which arises in dependence on the eye as pleasure or
joy, that is the allure of the eye. Whatever aspects of the
eye are inconstant, stressful, & subject to change, that is
the drawback of the eye. Whatever is the subduing of
passion & desire, the abandoning of passion & desire for the
eye, that is the emancipation from the eye. (Similarly with
the ear, nose, tongue, body, & intellect, and with forms,
sounds, odors, flavors, tactile sensations, & ideas.)
S xxxv.13-14
This, the unsurpassed, foremost state of peace, has been
realized by the Tathagata: liberation, through lack of
clinging/sustenance, having known, as they actually are, the
origin, the passing away, the allure, the drawbacks of--and
the emancipation from--the six spheres of (sensory) contact.
M 102
This unsurpassed, foremost state of peace that comes as the mind
realizes emancipation from the All, is totally Unconditioned.
There is, monks, an unborn--unbecome--unmade--uncompounded.
If there were not that
unborn--unbecome--unmade--uncompounded, there would not be
the case that emancipation from the
born--become--made--compounded would be discerned. But
precisely because there is
an--unborn--unbecome--unmade--uncompounded, emancipation
from the born--become--made--compounded is thus discerned.
Ud viii.3
Where water, earth, fire and wind have no footing
There the stars do not shine
The sun is not visible
The moon does not appear
Darkness is not found.
And when a sage, a worthy one, through wisdom
has known (this) for himself
Then from form & name
from pleasure & pain,
He is freed.
Ud ii.10
Having fully realized the Unconditioned, the mind no longer falls
under the sway of stress & inconstancy. No longer engrossed, it finds
that its sense of participation & engagement in all the processes of
experience disbands once & for all.
Ven. Nandaka: 'Sisters, it is just as if a skilled butcher
or butcher's apprentice, having killed a cow, were to carve
it up with a sharp carving knife so that--without damaging
the substance of the inner flesh, without damaging the
substance of the outer hide--he would cut, sever & detach
only the skin muscles, connective tissues, & attachments in
between; and having cut, severed & detached the outer skin,
and then covering the cow again with that very skin, he were
to say that the cow was actually joined to the skin: Would
he be speaking rightly?'
'No, sir. Why is that?...because no matter how much he
might say that the cow was actually joined to the skin, the
cow would still be disjoined from the skin.'
'This simile, sisters, I have given to convey a message.
The message is this: The substance of the inner flesh
stands for the six inner sense spheres (the senses); the
substance of the outer hide stands for the six outer sense
spheres (their objects). The skin muscles, connective
tissues, & attachments in between stand for passion &
delight. And the sharp knife stands for noble discernment,
which cuts, severs, & detaches the defilements, fetters, &
attachments in between.'
M 146
Although the senses & their objects are there just as before, the
fundamental affective link that ties the mind to sensations has been
cut. And its cutting means unconditional freedom for the mind.
Ven. Maha Kaccayana: 'Concerning the brief statement the
Master made, after which he entered his dwelling without
expounding the detailed meaning--i.e., "A monk should
investigate in such a way that, his consciousness neither
externally scattered & diffused, nor internally fixated, he
would from lack of clinging/sustenance be unagitated.
When...from lack of clinging/ sustenance he would be
unagitated, there is no seed for the conditions of future
birth, ageing, death, or stress"--I understand the detailed
meaning of this statement to be this:
'How is consciousness said to be scattered & diffused?
There is the case where a form is seen with the eye, and
consciousness follows the drift of (lit.: 'flows after') the
image of the form, is tied to the attraction of the image of
the form, is chained to the attraction of the image of the
form, is fettered & joined to the attraction of the image of
the form: Consciousness is said to be externally scattered
& diffused. (Similarly with the remaining senses.)
'And how is consciousness said not to be externally
scattered & diffused? There is the case where a form is
seen with the eye, and consciousness does not follow the
drift of the image of the form, is not tied to...chained
to...fettered & joined to the attraction of the image of the
form: Consciousness is said not to be externally scattered
& diffused. (Similarly with the remaining senses.)
'And how is the mind said to be internally fixated? There
is the case where a monk...enters & remains in the first
jhana. His consciousness follows the drift of the rapture &
pleasure born of withdrawal, is tied to...chained...fettered
& joined to the attraction of the rapture & pleasure born of
withdrawal. Or further...he enters & remains in the second
jhana. His consciousness follows the drift of the rapture &
pleasure born of composure, is tied to...chained...fettered
& joined to the attraction of the rapture & pleasure born of
composure. Or further...he enters & remains in the third
jhana....His consciousness follows the drift of the
equanimity & pleasure...Or further...he enters & remains in
the fourth jhana. His consciousness follows the drift of
the neither pleasure nor pain, is tied to...chained
to...fettered & joined to the attraction of the neither
pleasure nor pain: The mind is said to be internally
fixated.
'And how is the mind said not to be internally fixated?
There is the case where a monk...enters & remains in the
first jhana. His consciousness does not follow the drift of
the rapture & pleasure born of withdrawal, is not tied
to...chained to...fettered & joined to the rapture &
pleasure born of withdrawal. (And similarly with the
remaining levels of jhana.)
'And how is agitation caused by clinging/sustenance? There
is the case of an uninstructed, run-of-the-mill person...who
assumes the body to be the self, or the self as possessing
the body, or the body as in the self or the self as in the
body. His body changes & is unstable. Because of the
change and instability of his body, consciousness alters in
accordance with the change in the body. With the
concomitant arising of agitation born from this alteration,
the mind stays consumed. And because of the consumption of
awareness, he feels fearful, threatened, & solicitous. It
is thus, friends, that agitation is caused by
clinging/sustenance. (And similarly with feeling,
perception, mental processes & consciousness.)'
'And how is non-agitation caused by lack of clinging/
sustenance? There is the case of an instructed noble
disciple... who does not assume the body to be the self, or
the self as possessing the body, or the body as in the self
or the self as in the body. His body changes & is unstable,
but consciousness does not for that reason alter in
accordance with the change in the body. His mind is not
consumed with any concomitant agitation born from such a
change. Because his awareness is not consumed, he does not
feel fearful, threatened, or solicitous. It is thus,
friends, that nonagitation is caused by lack of
clinging/sustenance. (And similarly with feeling,
perception, mental processes & consciousness.)'
M 137
One who is dependent has wavering. One who is independent
has no wavering. There being no wavering, there is calm.
There being calm, there is no desire. There being no
desire, there is no coming or going. There being no coming
or going, there is no passing away or arising. There being
no passing away or arising, there is neither a here nor a
there nor a between-the-two. This, just this, is the end of
stress.
Ud viii.4
Sensing a feeling of pleasure, he (a person who has reached
the goal: This is the continuation of the passage on pages
74-75) discerns that it is fleeting, not grasped at, not
relished. Sensing a feeling of pain....Sensing a feeling of
neither pleasure nor pain, he discerns that it is fleeting,
not grasped at, not relished. Sensing a feeling of
pleasure, he senses it disjoined from it. Sensing a feeling
of pain....Sensing a feeling of neither pleasure nor pain,
he senses it disjoined from it. When sensing a feeling
limited to the body, he discerns that 'I am sensing a
feeling limited to the body.' When sensing a feeling
limited to life, he discerns that 'I am sensing a feeling
limited to life.' He discerns that 'With the break-up of
the body, after the termination of life, all that is
experienced, not being relished, will grow cold right here.'
Just as an oil lamp burns in dependence on oil & wick; and
from the termination of the oil & wick--and from not being
provided any other sustenance--it goes out unnourished; even
so, when sensing a feeling limited to the body, he discerns
that 'I am sensing a feeling limited to the body.' When
sensing a feeling limited to life, he discerns that 'I am
sensing a feeling limited to life.' He discerns that 'With
the break-up of the body, after the termination of life, all
that is sensed, not being relished, will grow cold right
here.'
Thus a monk so endowed is endowed with the highest resolve
for discernment--for this, the knowledge of the passing away
of all stress, is the highest noble discernment.
His release, being founded on truth, does not fluctuate, for
whatever is deceptive is false; Unbinding--the
undeceptive--is true. Thus a monk so endowed is endowed
with the highest resolve for truth, for this--Unbinding, the
undeceptive--is the highest noble truth.
Whereas formerly he foolishly had taken on & brought to
completion the paraphernalia of becoming, he has now
abandoned them, their root destroyed, like an uprooted palm
tree, deprived of the conditions of development, not
destined for future arising. Thus a monk so endowed is
endowed with the highest resolve for relinquishment, for
this--the renunciation of all the paraphernalia of
becoming--is the highest noble relinquishment.
Whereas formerly he foolishly had greed--as well as desire &
infatuation--he has now abandoned them, their root
destroyed...not destined for future arising. Whereas
formerly he foolishly he had malice--as well as ill-will &
hatred--he has now abandoned them....Whereas formerly he
foolishly had ignorance--as well as delusion & confusion--he
has now abandoned them, their root destroyed like an
uprooted palm tree, deprived of the conditions of
development, not destined for future arising. Thus a monk
so endowed is endowed with the highest resolve for calm, for
this--the calming of passions, aversions, & delusions--is
the highest noble calm. 'One should not be negligent of
discernment, should guard the truth, be devoted to
relinquishment and train only for calm.' Thus it was said,
and in reference to this was it said.
'He has been stilled where the currents of construing do not
flow. And when the currents of construing do not flow, he
is said to be a sage at peace:' Thus it has been said.
With reference to what was it said? 'I am' is a construing.
'I am this' is a construing. 'I shall be' is a construing.
'I shall not be'...'I shall be possessed of form'...'I shall
not be possessed of form'...'I shall be percipient'...'I
shall not be percipient'... 'I shall be neither percipient
nor non-percipient' is a construing. Construing is a
disease, construing is a cancer, construing is an arrow. By
going beyond all construing, he is called a sage at peace.
Furthermore, a sage at peace is not born, does not age, does
not die, is unagitated and free from longing. He does not
have anything whereby he would be born. Not being born,
will he age? Not ageing, will he die? Not dying, will he
be agitated? Not being agitated, for what will he long? It
was in reference to this that it was said, 'He has been
stilled where the currents of construing do not flow. And
when the currents of construing do not flow, he is said to
be a sage at peace.'
M 140
Sariputta: And how, my friend, is a monk's mind
well-composed by means of awareness? 'My mind is without
passion'--his mind is well-composed by means of awareness.
'My mind is without aversion'...'My mind is without
delusion'...'My mind is not subject to passion'...'to
aversion'... 'to delusion'--his mind is well-composed by
means of awareness. 'My mind is destined not to return to
states of sensuality'...'to states of form'...'to states
without form'-- his mind is well-composed by means of
awareness.
Even if powerful forms cognizable by the eye come into the
visual range of a monk whose mind is thus rightly released,
his mind is neither overpowered nor even engaged. Being
still, having reached imperturbability, he focuses on their
passing away. And even if powerful
sounds...smells...tastes... tactile sensations...Even if
powerful ideas cognizable by the intellect come into the
mental range of a monk whose mind is thus rightly released,
his mind is neither overpowered nor even engaged. Being
still, having reached imperturbability, he focuses on their
passing away.
Just as if there were a stone column, sixteen spans tall, of
which eight spans were rooted below ground, and then from
the east there were to come a powerful wind storm: The
column would not shiver nor quiver nor quake. And then from
the west...the north...the south there were to some a
powerful wind storm: The column would not shiver nor quiver
nor quake. Why? Because of the depth of the root and the
well-buriedness of the stone column. In the same way, my
friend, even if powerful forms cognizable by the eye come
into the visual range of a monk whose mind is thus rightly
released...etc....his mind is neither overpowered nor even
engaged.
A ix.26
Everywhere
the sage
independent
holds nothing dear or undear.
In him
lamentation & selfishness
like water on a white lotus
do not adhere.
As a water bead on a lotus leaf,
as water on a red lily,
does not adhere,
so the sage
does not adhere
to the seen, the heard or the sensed;
for, cleansed,
he does not construe
by means of the seen, the heard or the sensed.
In no other way
does he ask for purity,
for neither impassioned
nor dispassioned
is he.
Sn iv.6
This radical freedom--unattached to sensation, untouched by the
power of passion, aversion, & delusion--is the Unbinding experienced
in the present life.
Sister Patacara:
Washing my feet, I noticed
the
water.
And in watching it flow from high
to
low,
my heart was composed
like a fine thoroughbred steed.
Then taking a lamp, I entered the hut,
checked the bedding,
sat down on the bed.
And taking a pin, I pulled out the wick:
Like the flame's unbinding
was the liberation
of awareness.
Thig v.10
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