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B0102051801mahāvaggo (great chapter)

English

are of one establishment, and understanding in the sense of accomplishing by way of resolution of the perception of ease and the perception of lightness is knowledge in psychic power? Here, a bhikkhu cultivates the basis of psychic power endowed with the volitional formations of concentration due to desire; he cultivates the basis of psychic power endowed with the volitional formations of concentration due to energy; he cultivates the basis of psychic power endowed with the volitional formations of concentration due to thought; he cultivates the basis of psychic power endowed with the volitional formations of concentration due to investigation. He develops and tames his mind in these four bases of psychic power, he makes it soft and workable. Having developed and tamed his mind in these four bases of psychic power, having made it soft and workable, he places the body in the mind, and the mind in the body; he transforms the mind by means of the body, and the body by means of the mind; he resolves the mind by means of the body, and the body by means of the mind; having transformed the mind by means of the body, and the body by means of the mind, having resolved the mind by means of the body, and the body by means of the mind, he abides having entered the perception of ease and the perception of lightness into the body. With such a mind, developed, purified, and cleansed, he directs and inclines his mind to the knowledge of psychic power. He experiences various kinds of psychic power. 102. Being one, he becomes many; being many, he becomes one; manifestation and disappearance; he goes unimpeded through walls, through ramparts, through mountains, just as in space; he dives in and out of the earth, just as in water; he walks on water without parting it, just as on earth; he travels through space sitting cross-legged, [to be seen in Dī. Ni. 1.238] Just as a bird, a fowl, these moon and sun, so mighty, so powerful, touches with its hand, strokes; even up to the Brahma-world, he wields power with his body. That, in the sense of knowing, is knowledge, in the sense of understanding, is wisdom. Therefore it is said: “The body and the mind, a single determination, a perception of ease and a perception of lightness, in the sense of succeeding by means of resolution, is wisdom in psychic power and knowledge.” The exposition of the knowledge of psychic power is the fiftieth. 51. The exposition of the knowledge of the purification of the ear-element. 103. How, by means of the expansion of thought, is wisdom in comprehending the diverse and unified sound-signs the knowledge of the purification of the ear-element? Here a monk develops the basis of psychic power endowed with concentration due to desire... concentration due to effort... concentration due to mind... concentration due to investigation, accompanied by the volitional formations of exertion. He, in these four bases of psychic power, cultivates and tames his mind, makes it soft and workable. He, having cultivated and tamed his mind in these four bases of psychic power, having made it soft and workable, attends to the sound-sign of sounds even far away, attends to the sound-sign of sounds even nearby, attends to the sound-sign of gross sounds, attends to the sound-sign of subtle sounds, attends to the sound-sign of very fine sounds, attends to the sound-sign of sounds even from the eastern direction, attends to the sound-sign of sounds even from the western direction, attends to the sound-sign of sounds even from the northern direction, attends to the sound-sign of sounds even from the southern direction, attends to the sound-sign of sounds even from the south-eastern intermediate direction, attends to the sound-sign of sounds even from the north-western intermediate direction, attends to the sound-sign of sounds even from the north-eastern intermediate direction, attends to the sound-sign of sounds even from the south-western intermediate direction, attends to the sound-sign of sounds even from the downward direction. He attends to it in mind, and from the upper direction he attends to the sound-sign of sounds in mind. He, with his mind thus developed, purified and cleansed, directs and inclines his mind to the knowledge of the purification of the ear-element. He, with the divine ear-element, purified and surpassing human, hears both sounds— divine and human, those far and near. That is knowledge by way of knowing, wisdom by way of understanding. Therefore it is said: “Wisdom in comprehending the diverse and single sound-signs by way of the expansion of thought is the knowledge of the purification of the ear-element.” The exposition of the knowledge of the purification of the ear-element is the fifty-first. 52. The exposition of the knowledge of penetrating minds 104. How is wisdom in comprehending the diverse and single courses of consciousness by way of the expansion of the three minds and by way of the clarity of the faculties the knowledge of penetrating minds? Here a monk develops the basis of psychic power endowed with concentration due to desire and volitional formations of exertion; concentration due to energy... concentration due to mind... concentration due to investigation, endowed with volitional formations of exertion, develops the basis of psychic power. He, in these four bases of psychic power, develops and tames his mind, makes it pliant, workable. He, having developed and tamed his mind in these four bases of psychic power, having made it pliant, workable, thus understands: “This form arises from the faculty of joy, this form arises from the faculty of sorrow, this form arises from the faculty of equanimity.” He, with his mind thus developed, purified and cleansed, directs and inclines his mind to the knowledge of penetrating minds. He comprehends mind with mind of other beings, other persons, and understands: a mind with lust as “a mind with lust,” a mind without lust as “a mind without lust,” a mind with hatred... a mind without hatred... a mind with delusion... a mind without delusion... a constricted mind... a scattered mind... an exalted mind... an unexalted mind... a surpassable mind... an unsurpassed The mind with lust, or the mind concentrated, or the mind not concentrated, or the mind liberated, or the mind not liberated, he understands: "the mind is not liberated." That is knowledge by way of knowing, wisdom by way of understanding. Therefore it is said: "Wisdom that comprehends the minds of others, is the wisdom that, by means of the clarity of the faculties, penetrates the diverse and unified consciousness-conduct arising from the three minds' fluctuations." The fifty-second section: The exposition of the knowledge of comprehending the minds of others. 53. The exposition of the knowledge of recollection of past lives. 105. How is the wisdom that penetrates the diverse and unified karma-fluctuations of phenomena that arise dependently, the knowledge of recollection of past lives? Here, a bhikkhu, with concentration due to desire... having made it pliant and workable, understands thus: "When this exists, that comes to be; with the arising of this, that arises. That is to say: With ignorance as condition, volitional formations; with volitional formations as condition, consciousness; with consciousness as condition, name-and-form; with name-and-form as condition, the six sense bases; with the six sense bases as condition, contact; with contact as condition, feeling; with feeling as condition, craving; with craving as condition, clinging; with clinging as condition, existence; with existence as condition, birth; with birth as condition, old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair come to be. Thus arises this entire mass of suffering." With his mind thus developed, purified, brightened, he directs and inclines his mind to the knowledge of recollection of past lives. He recollects his manifold past lives, that is to say: one birth, two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, twenty births, thirty births, forty births, fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births, many eons of cosmic contraction, many eons of cosmic expansion, many eons of both contraction and expansion: "There I was of such a name, of such a clan, of such a color, of such a food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, with such a lifespan. Having passed away from there, I arose there. There too I was of such a name, of such a clan, of such a... of such a color, of such a food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, of such a life-span, having passed away from there, he has arisen here.” Thus he recollects his manifold past existences, with their aspects and details. That is knowledge by way of knowing, wisdom by way of understanding. Therefore it is said: “The wisdom that thoroughly comprehends the diversity and unity of phenomena that arise from conditions, and the various results of karma, is the knowledge of the recollection of past existences.” The fifty-third is the description of the knowledge of the recollection of past existences. 54. Description of the Divine Eye Knowledge 106. How is the wisdom that sees diverse and unified forms and signs by way of radiance, the divine eye knowledge? Here, a bhikkhu cultivates the base of psychic power endowed with the volitional formations of concentration due to desire; he cultivates the base of psychic power endowed with the volitional formations of concentration due to energy… and so on… concentration due to mind… and so on… concentration due due to investigation. He develops and tames his mind in these four bases of psychic power, makes it pliant and workable. Having developed and tamed his mind in these four bases of psychic power, having made it pliant and workable, he attends to the perception of light, he resolves on the perception of day – “as by day, so by night; as by night, so by day.