English
Fifth Stage What is the analysis of methods? Where the sixteen methods are distinguished letter by letter. Therein, the first is the exposition method. Therein, this verse: whether wholesome or unwholesome, or truths, or a part of a truth. What is expounded? In the Sutta, investigation is the exposition method. For example, the exposition of the Noble Truths: the four truths, both common and uncommon. And the eighteen terms concerning suffering: seven terms briefly, by physical and mental suffering, by association with the unpleasant and separation from the pleasant, and by the three conditioned things. Therein, the three conditioned characteristics are the three kinds of suffering: arising is a conditioned characteristic, suffering due to formations is also a conditioned characteristic, and suffering due to change is also a conditioned characteristic, and suffering due to suffering. Of these three conditioned characteristics, in the three feeling-planes: neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, arising is a conditioned characteristic, and suffering due to formations is also a conditioned characteristic. Pleasant feeling, suffering due to change is also a conditioned characteristic. Painful feeling, suffering due to suffering is also a conditioned characteristic. In these nine terms, in the first seven terms, in the sixteen terms, suffering should be sought. And the eleven characteristics of suffering are indicated in the exposition. And the characteristic of appearance is birth, and the characteristic of disappearance is death. Thus, fifteen terms should be made in detail. Thus, common and uncommon, in seven and ten terms, in the three kinds of foundations of the teaching, in the eighteen kinds of Sutta-bases, in the ten kinds of Sutta-contents, in the sixteen kinds of methods, and in the twenty-one kinds of analytical investigation, this is expounded. And what is expounded as it truly is, this is called the exposition method. What is the investigation method? A word, a problem, and a question, what is before and what is after; And that is the sequence, the investigation, the method is called investigation. Ho. They utter the first word. What is its meaning? That which the Blessed One was asked by the venerable Ajita, that is to be taken. How many words were asked in the verse, "By what is the world enveloped?" These are four words. Thus, it is a question for explanation. By how many words the Blessed One explained the words, and the elucidation of the words in the question, this is called "word." "Question" means these four words. How many questions? One, or two, or more? These four words are one question. The expression follows the meaning. Even many words ask about one meaning. These four words, following that expression, are just one question. "By what is the world enveloped?" asks about the world. "By what does it not shine? What is its defilement, tell me?" asks about the same. "What is its great fear?" asks about the same. Thus, an expression following the meaning is one question. That question is fourfold: to be answered categorically, to be answered analytically, to be answered with a counter-question, to be set aside. Therein, "The eye is impermanent" is to be answered categorically. "That which is impermanent is suffering" is to be answered analytically. It might be impermanent, but not the eye. And those sense bases that are not the eye, they too are impermanent, but not the eye itself. This is to be answered analytically. "That which is the eye, is it the faculty of sight?" is to be answered with a counter-question. "Is that eye the Tathāgata?" is to be set aside. "Apart from the eye?" is a question to be set aside. What was the Blessed One asked in this question? The defilement of the world was asked. What is the reason? For defilement is threefold: defilement of craving, defilement of views, and defilement of misconduct. Therein, "enveloped by ignorance" shows ignorance. "Craving" shows craving. "Great fear" shows the result of unwholesome kamma. "The stream" means that it is not possible that a wholesome kamma's pleasant feeling will have a painful feeling as its result. Thus, the Blessed One explains: "enveloped by ignorance" with four words. O world... thus it is said. 45. Further, he asks in return, the verse 'Streams flow everywhere'. He asks four lines, the Blessed One answers with two lines. Whatever streams there are in the world, mindfulness is their dam; I declare the restraint of streams, by wisdom are these closed. These four lines he answers with two lines. Being asked about this state, being asked about the purification of that defiled world, the streams are designated as the six bodies of craving, by way of abundant expression, through all sense-bases. He asks 'by what are these streams dammed?' meaning the abandonment of obsessions. He asks 'by what are the streams closed?' meaning the uprooting of latent tendencies. There, the Blessed One teaches mindfulness at the six doors, for whoever dwells with full awareness, his faculties become guarded by mindfulness as a doorkeeper. There, when the faculties are guarded, whatever insight arises, that insight leads to the complete abandonment of those respective streams, and of that ignorance by which the world is covered. Thus, the streams become closed, and then he asks further. Having come to ask the Blessed One, 'where do wisdom and mindfulness, and this mind-and-matter, cease?' These four lines the Blessed One answers with one line. This question which you asked, Ajita, I tell you that... With the cessation of consciousness, herein it ceases. By this question, what does he ask? He asks about the Nibbāna-element without remainder, the Blessed One answers with the Nibbāna-element without remainder. There, with the first question, he asks about defilement. With the second question, he asks about purification. With the third question, he asks about the Nibbāna-element with remainder. With the fourth question, he asks in return about the Nibbāna-element without remainder. Then he asks further in return. And those who are reckoned as accomplished in the Dhamma, and those many trainees here; Their conduct, O discerning one, being asked, please tell me, O venerable one. And these... He asks four terms. And how many are those questions, the counted dhammas, and Arahants, and trainees? What is first and what is last, this is the meaning. There, which does he ask first, which afterwards? He asks about the Arahant first. In the trainee-dhamma, by which term are the Arahants taken as "counted dhammas"? And by "many" are the trainees taken. "For them, for me, the skilled one" is a common term he asks the Blessed One. For him, common and uncommon things are to be asked in the questions. The Blessed One answers that. Not asked in that way, what was asked first, that he answers last. What was asked last, he answers first. And what was asked: "What is the conduct of the purified and those purifying?" This he asked: "He should not crave for sensual pleasures." "He should be undisturbed in mind" — the Blessed One wards off obsessions with thoughts. But two obsessions are by undisturbed thought, as stated in the hindrances. "Skilled in all dhammas" — thus he answers about the Arahant. "By what does one cross the flood?" — this verse has four terms. There are four questions. What is the reason? For here, the expression does not follow the meaning, as in the first Ajita's questions. For that, there are not many answers in one part. There are many questions, not just one. He asks all, answered before, as the fourth in Ajita's questions. What is truly sought here by the connection of terms for investigation, the answers are truly sought in that way. Whoever again asks thus here, in that asking, this is the manner: "Inner tangle, outer tangle" — this verse (SN 1.29) should be sought for the question and answer. "How is it answered?" The Blessed One answers. "A wise person established in virtue" — this verse. There, for the development of mind, there is serenity; for the development of wisdom, there is insight. There, it is thus inferred: Those dhammas that are abandoned by serenity and by insight, these are the inner tangle, the outer tangle. There is the answer. By tranquility, lust is abandoned; by insight, ignorance. Lust rooted in oneself is an inner tangle; lust rooted in external objects is an outer tangle. Self-view rooted in oneself—this is an inner tangle. Sixty-one views rooted in external objects are an outer tangle. Indeed, that which is rooted in oneself, that which will be part of views—this is a tangle. Thus, in brief, whatever craving and views are rooted in oneself— this is an inner tangle. Whatever craving and views are rooted in external objects— this is an outer tangle. Just as the deity asks the Blessed One, "Four-wheeled, nine-doored," in the verse [in the Saṃyutta Nikāya]. There the Blessed One explains, "Having cut the thong and the strap," in the verse. Here the Blessed One explains the path leading to the cessation of suffering. By this explanation, the Blessed One is inferred to have designated the defilements in the previous verse. Indeed, "four-wheeled" means four hands and feet. "Nine-doored" means nine openings of wounds. Just as "four-wheeled" means the four attachments; from attachment as a condition, becoming arises; with the cessation of attachment, the cessation of becoming. "Nine-doored" means nine kinds of conceit. Indeed, suffering due to the nature of conceit is "I am better, I am equal, I am worse"—three triads full. Lust for the five sense objects is connected with the triad. There, "thong" is explained as craving. "Strap" explains conceit, "desire, greed, and evil" is lust for the five sense objects. There, "evil greed" is designated as craving with its roots. "Craving rooted in ignorance" means craving rooted in ignorance, the abandoning of craving and views.