English
2. Explanation of the Guhaṭṭhaka Sutta Now, the explanation of the Guhaṭṭhaka Sutta will be given – 7. A being in the cave, greatly covered, A person standing, deeply immersed in delusion; Far from seclusion is such a one, For desires in the world are not easily abandoned. "A being in the cave, greatly covered." Indeed, "being" is said, but first, the "cave" must be spoken of. The cave is called the body. "Body" or "cave" or "frame" or "compound" or "boat" or "chariot" or "banner" or "anthill" or "city" or "nest" or "hut" or "tumor" or "pot" or "serpent" – these are all designations for the body. "A being in the cave" means: in the cave, a being is attached, stuck, clinging, bound, fastened, entangled. Just as a tumor is attached, stuck, clinging, bound, fastened, entangled to a wall-post or an elephant's tusk; even so, in the cave, a being is attached, stuck, clinging, bound, fastened, entangled. For this was said by the Blessed One – "Whatever desire, Rādha, whatever passion, whatever delight, whatever craving, whatever clinging and grasping, whatever mental resolve, adherence, and underlying tendency there is in form, there one is attached, there one is stuck; therefore, one is called a being. Whatever desire, Rādha, whatever passion, whatever delight, whatever craving, whatever clinging and grasping, whatever mental resolve, adherence, and underlying tendency there is in feeling… in perception… in mental formations… in consciousness, there one is attached, there one is stuck; therefore, one is called a being. ‘Being’ is a designation for attachment." – A being in the cave. "Greatly covered" means: covered by many defilements, covered by lust, covered by hatred, covered by delusion, covered by anger, covered by resentment, covered by denigration, covered by insolence, covered by envy, covered by avarice, covered by deceit, covered by craftiness, covered by obstinacy, covered by arrogance, covered by conceit, covered by excessive pride, covered by intoxication, covered by heedlessness. Covered, completely covered, utterly covered, enveloped by all defilements, by all evil conduct, by all torments, by all fevers, by all distresses, by all unwholesome volitional formations. covered, concealed, hidden, shrouded, obscured— a being deeply covered in the cave. "A man stands deeply immersed in delusion"— a man stands, a man stands attached through passion, stands hateful through aversion, stands deluded through ignorance, stands bound through conceit, stands grasped through views, stands distracted through restlessness, stands uncertain through doubt, stands firm through latent tendencies. Thus, "a man stands." This was said by the Blessed One: "There are, bhikkhus, forms cognizable by the eye, desirable, lovely, agreeable, pleasing, associated with sensual pleasure, and exciting passion. If a bhikkhu delights in them, welcomes them, and remains clinging to them. There are, bhikkhus, sounds cognizable by the ear... smells cognizable by the nose... tastes cognizable by the tongue... tangibles cognizable by the body... mental phenomena cognizable by the mind, desirable, lovely, agreeable, pleasing, associated with sensual pleasure, and exciting passion. If a bhikkhu delights in them, welcomes them, and remains clinging to them." Thus, "a man stands." This was said by the Blessed One: "If, bhikkhus, consciousness stands, it stands supported by form, with form as its object, with form as its foundation, with delight as its lure; it comes to growth, increase, and abundance. If, bhikkhus, consciousness stands, it stands supported by feeling... supported by perception... If, bhikkhus, consciousness stands, it stands supported by volitional formations, with volitional formations as its object, with volitional formations as its foundation, with delight as its lure; it comes to growth, increase, and abundance." Thus, "a man stands." This was also said by the Blessed One: "If, bhikkhus, there is passion, there is delight, there is craving for edible food, consciousness is established there, it grows there. Where consciousness is established and grows, there is a descent of name-and-form. Where there is a descent of name-and-form, there is a growth of volitional formations. Where there is a growth of volitional formations, there is a renewed production of future existence. Where there is future renewal of becoming, there is in that future birth, old age, and death. Where there is in the future birth, old age, and death, that, monks, I say is sorrowful, stained, and distressed. Thus stands the man. If, monks, in the nutriment of contact... in the nutriment of mental volition... in the nutriment of consciousness... there is lust, there is delight, there is craving, consciousness is established there, grown. Where consciousness is established, grown, there is the descent of name-and-form. Where there is the descent of name-and-form, there is the growth of formations. Where there is the growth of formations, there is the future renewal of becoming. Where there is the future renewal of becoming, there is in that future birth, old age, and death. Where there is in the future birth, old age, and death, that, monks, I say is sorrowful, stained, and distressed. Thus stands the man. He is immersed in delusion. Delusions are called the five strands of sensual pleasure. Forms cognizable by the eye, desirable, agreeable, charming, lovely, connected with sensual pleasure, enticing; Sounds cognizable by the ear... Odours cognizable by the nose... Tastes cognizable by the tongue... Tangibles cognizable by the body, desirable, agreeable, charming, lovely, connected with sensual pleasure, enticing. For what reason are the five strands of sensual pleasure called delusions? Mostly gods and humans are deluded, greatly deluded, completely deluded by the five strands of sensual pleasure, deluded, greatly deluded, completely deluded, blinded by ignorance, covered, veiled, obscured, hidden, concealed, obstructed. For that reason, the five strands of sensual pleasure are called delusions. "He is immersed in delusion" means he is immersed, plunged, deeply plunged, sunk in delusion – thus stands the man, immersed in delusion. Such a one is far from seclusion. Seclusion means three kinds of seclusion – physical seclusion, mental seclusion, seclusion from defilements. What is physical seclusion? Here a monk resorts to a secluded dwelling: a forest, the root of a tree, a mountain, a ravine, a mountain cave... Graveyard, forest, open air, straw heap. He dwells secluded in body. He goes alone, he stands alone, he sits alone, he makes his bed alone, he enters the village for alms alone, he returns alone, he sits in solitude alone, he undertakes walking meditation alone, he moves, dwells, acts, behaves, maintains, lives, passes his life alone. This is bodily seclusion. What is mental seclusion? For one who has attained the first jhana, the mind is secluded from the hindrances. For one who has attained the second jhana, the mind is secluded from initial and sustained thought. For one who has attained the third jhana, the mind is secluded from rapture. For one who has attained the fourth jhana, the mind is secluded from pleasure and pain. For one who has attained the dimension of infinite space, the mind is secluded from perceptions of form, perceptions of sensory impact, and perceptions of diversity. For one who has attained the dimension of infinite consciousness, the mind is secluded from the perception of the dimension of infinite space. For one who has attained the dimension of nothingness, the mind is secluded from the perception of the dimension of infinite consciousness. For one who has attained the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, the mind is secluded from the perception of the dimension of nothingness. For a stream-enterer, the mind is secluded from identity view, doubt, clinging to rules and observances, the underlying tendency to views, the underlying tendency to doubt, and defilements associated with these. For a once-returner, the mind is secluded from gross fetters of sensual desire, gross fetters of aversion, gross underlying tendencies to sensual desire, gross underlying tendencies to aversion, and defilements associated with these. For a non-returner, the mind is secluded from subtle fetters of sensual desire, subtle fetters of aversion, subtle underlying tendencies to sensual desire, subtle underlying tendencies to aversion, and defilements associated with these. For an Arahant, the mind is secluded from craving for form, craving for the formless, conceit, restlessness, ignorance, the underlying tendency to conceit, the underlying tendency to craving for existence, the underlying tendency to ignorance, defilements associated with these, and all external signs. This is mental seclusion. What is seclusion from acquisitions? Acquisitions are called defilements, and aggregates, and volitional formations. Seclusion from acquisitions is called is the deathless, Nibbāna. That which is the calming of all formations, the relinquishing of all attachments, the destruction of craving, dispassion, cessation, Nibbāna. This is detachment from attachments. And physical seclusion for those whose bodies are secluded, who delight in renunciation; and mental seclusion for those whose minds are purified, who have attained supreme clarity; and detachment from attachments for those persons without attachments, who have gone to the unconditioned. Indeed, far from seclusion. He who is thus dwelling in the cave (of the body), thus covered by many defilements, thus immersed in delusion, he is far from physical seclusion, far from mental seclusion, far from detachment from attachments, very far, exceedingly far, not near, not close, not in the vicinity of seclusion. Such a one means: one who is of that kind, of that nature, of that sort, of that counterpart, who is immersed in delusion – indeed, such a one is far from seclusion.