English
The Origin of Methods 79. What is the origin of methods? The prior end is not known of ignorance and craving for existence. There, ignorance is a hindrance, craving is a fetter. Beings hindered by ignorance, bound by ignorance, wander on the side of ignorance; they are called view-followers. Beings fettered by craving, bound by craving, wander on the side of craving; they are called craving-followers. View-followers, having gone forth outside of this, dwell devoted to self-mortification. Craving-followers, having gone forth outside of this, dwell devoted to indulgence in sensual pleasures. What is the reason that view-followers, having gone forth outside of this, dwell devoted to self-mortification, and craving-followers, having gone forth outside of this, dwell devoted to indulgence in sensual pleasures? Outside of this, there is no ascertainment of truth, how then can there be a clear exposition of the Four Noble Truths, or skill in tranquility and insight, or the attainment of the bliss of appeasement? They, not knowing the bliss of appeasement, with perverted minds, said thus: "There is no happiness by happiness; happiness must be attained by suffering." "Whoever indulges in sensual pleasures, he increases the world; whoever increases the world, he generates much merit." With such perceptions and such views, desiring happiness through suffering, perceiving merit in sensual pleasures, they dwell devoted to self-mortification and devoted to indulgence in sensual pleasures. They, being thus experienced, only increase the disease, only increase the boil, only increase the dart. They, afflicted by disease, oppressed by boils, pierced by darts, making repeated appearances and disappearances in hell, animal wombs, ghost realms, and asura realms, experiencing destruction and annihilation, do not find medicine for the disease, boil, and dart. There, self-mortification and indulgence in sensual pleasures are defilement; tranquility and insight are purification. Self-mortification and indulgence in sensual pleasures are disease; tranquility and insight are the medicine that destroys disease. Self-mortification and indulgence in sensual pleasures are a boil. Tranquility and insight are the medicine for removing the boil. Self-mortification and indulgence in sensual pleasures are a dart. Tranquility and insight are the medicine for extracting the dart. Therein, defilement is suffering. Attachment to it, craving, is the origin. The cessation of craving is the cessation of suffering. Tranquility and insight are the path leading to the cessation of suffering. These are the four truths. Suffering is to be fully understood. The origin is to be abandoned. The path is to be developed. The cessation is to be realized. Therein, those prone to views regard form as self. Feeling... Perception... Mental formations... Consciousness... they regard as self. Those prone to craving regard the self as having form, or form in the self, or the self in form. The self as having feeling... The self as having perception... The self as having mental formations... The self as having consciousness, or consciousness in the self, or the self in consciousness. This is called the twenty-fold personality view. Its opposite is supramundane right view, accompanied by right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This is the Noble Eightfold Path. These are the three aggregates: the aggregate of morality, the aggregate of concentration, the aggregate of wisdom. The aggregate of morality and the aggregate of concentration are tranquility. The aggregate of wisdom is insight. Therein, personality is suffering. The origin of personality is the origin of suffering. The cessation of personality is the cessation of suffering. The Noble Eightfold Path is the path leading to the cessation of suffering. These are the four truths. Suffering is to be fully understood. The origin is to be abandoned. The path is to be developed. The cessation is to be realized. Therein, those who regard form as self, feeling... perception... mental formations... consciousness... as self, these are called annihilationists. Those who regard the self as having form, or form in the self, or the self in form. Those who regard the self as having feeling... Those who regard the self as having perception... Those who regard the self as having mental formations... ...those who take consciousness as self, or self in consciousness, or consciousness in self. These are called "eternalists." Therein, annihilationism and eternalism are both extremes; this is the arising of transmigration. Its opposite is the Middle Way, the Noble Eightfold Path; this is the cessation of transmigration. Therein, arising is suffering, its attachment, craving, is the origin, the cessation of craving is the cessation of suffering, the Noble Eightfold Path is the path leading to the cessation of suffering; these are the Four Noble Truths. Suffering is to be fully understood, the origin is to be abandoned, the path is to be developed, the cessation is to be realized. Therein, annihilationism and eternalism are, in brief, the twenty-fold view of self, in detail, the sixty-two wrong views. Their opposite are the forty-three factors of enlightenment, the eight liberations, the ten kasina bases. The sixty-two wrong views are the net of delusion, arising without beginning or end. The forty-three factors of enlightenment are the diamond of knowledge, tearing apart the net of delusion. Therein, delusion is ignorance, the net is craving for existence. Therefore it is said: "The prior end is not discerned of ignorance and craving for existence." 81. Therein, one of a view-dominated nature, having gone forth in this Dispensation, lives constantly in the practice of purification, is intensely reverent towards purification. One of a craving-dominated nature, having gone forth in this Dispensation, lives constantly in the practice of training, is intensely reverent towards training. One of a view-dominated nature, entering the fixed course of rightness, becomes a Dhamma-follower. One of a craving-dominated nature, entering the fixed course of rightness, becomes a faith-follower. One of a view-dominated nature attains liberation by an easy path with slow direct knowledge, or with swift direct knowledge. One of a craving-dominated nature attains liberation by a difficult path with slow direct knowledge, or with swift direct knowledge. Therein, for what reason does one of a craving-dominated nature attain liberation by a difficult path with slow direct knowledge, or with swift direct knowledge? For indeed, his sensual pleasures are not abandoned. Being separated from sensual pleasures, he withdraws with difficulty and understands the Dhamma slowly. But whoever is of a speculative nature, he is from the very beginning disinterested in sensual pleasures. Being separated from them, he quickly renounces and quickly understands the Dhamma. The painful path is also of two kinds: slow comprehension and quick comprehension. The pleasant path is also of two kinds: slow comprehension and quick comprehension. Beings are also of two kinds: with dull faculties and with keen faculties. Those with dull faculties, they renounce slowly and understand the Dhamma slowly. Those with keen faculties, they renounce quickly and understand the Dhamma quickly. These are the four paths. Whoever has gone forth or goes forth or will go forth, they do so by these four paths. Thus the Noble Ones declare the fourfold path for the turning away from the delight of craving for existence, which is served by the unwise, dear to fools, and dwells in attachment. This is called the ground of the method of turning away from delight, therefore it is said: "by the calming of craving and ignorance." 82. Indeed, among those who explain what is wholesome and unwholesome, they should be examined in two ways: those who follow the cycle of the world and those who follow the turning away from the world. The cycle is called saṃsāra. The turning away is Nibbāna. Kamma and defilements are the cause of saṃsāra. There, kamma should be indicated as volition and mental factors. How should that be seen? By accumulation, all defilements should be indicated by the four perversions. Where should they be seen? In the ten-object heap of defilements. Which are the ten objects? The four nutriments, the four perversions, the four clingings, the four bonds, the four knots, the four taints, the four floods, the four darts, the four stations of consciousness, the four wrong courses of action. In the first nutriment, the first perversion, in the second nutriment, the second perversion, in the third nutriment, the third perversion, in the fourth nutriment, the fourth perversion. In the first perversion, the first clinging. In the second perversion, the second clinging, in the third perversion, the third clinging, in the fourth perversion, the fourth There is clinging. In the first clinging, the first bondage, in the second clinging, the second bondage, in the third clinging, the third bondage, in the fourth clinging, the fourth bondage. In the first bondage, the first knot, in the second bondage, the second knot, in the third bondage, the third knot, in the fourth bondage, the fourth knot. In the first knot, the first outflow, in the second knot, the second outflow, in the third knot, the third outflow, in the fourth knot, the fourth outflow. In the first outflow, the first flood, in the second outflow, the second flood, in the third outflow, the third flood, in the fourth outflow, the fourth flood. In the first flood, the first dart, in the second flood, the second dart, in the third flood, the third dart, in the fourth flood, the fourth dart. In the first dart, the first station of consciousness, in the second dart, the second station of consciousness, in the third dart, the third station of consciousness,