English
6. The Ground for the Collection of Meanings of Discourses 60. The teaching of the Blessed Buddhas is gathered in three ways: in aggregates, elements, and sense bases. Therein, the five aggregates: the aggregate of form up to the aggregate of consciousness. The ten form bases: eye and forms, up to body and tangibles— this is the aggregate of form. Therein, the six classes of feeling are the aggregate of feeling: feeling born of eye-contact up to feeling born of mind-contact— this is the aggregate of feeling. Therein, the six classes of perception are the aggregate of perception: perception of forms up to perception of mental objects— these six classes of perception— this is the aggregate of perception. Therein, the six classes of volition are the aggregate of formations: volition concerning forms up to volition concerning mental objects— these six classes of volition— this is the aggregate of formations. Therein, the six classes of consciousness are the aggregate of consciousness: eye-consciousness up to mind-consciousness— these six classes of consciousness— this is the aggregate of consciousness. These are the five aggregates. What is their full understanding? "Impermanent, suffering, perception, not-self"— this is their full understanding. Therein, what is the meaning of "aggregate"? "Collection" is the meaning of aggregate, "heap" is the meaning of aggregate, "mass" is the meaning of aggregate. Just as a mass of matter, a mass of forest, a mass of wood, a mass of fire, a mass of water, a mass of wind— thus, in the aggregates, all are included; such is the meaning of aggregate. Therein, the eighteen elements: the eye element, the form element, the eye-consciousness element... ...the mind element, the mental object element, the mind-consciousness element. These are the eighteen elements. Their full understanding: "Impermanent, suffering, perception, not-self"— this is their full understanding. Therein, what is the meaning of "element"? It is said: "component" is the meaning of element. "Component" means: our eye's sensitivity is the eye element. Thus, in the five elements, again, "cutting off craving" is the meaning of element. For the eye element is cut off. Thus, in the five, again it is said: "inherent nature" is the meaning of element. Just as, by nature, this person is bilious, phlegmatic, windy, or a combination— thus, the natural eye element is dear to ten, and among all sense faculties... ...and so on... The meaning of element is 'different-kind'. Among these, what are the twelve sense-bases? Six internal and six external. The eye-base up to the mind-base are internal, The form-base up to the phenomenon-base are external. These are the twelve sense-bases. What is the full understanding of these? Impermanent, suffering, perception, not-self— This is their full understanding. Moreover, there are two kinds of full understanding: Understanding by knowing and understanding by abandoning. Among these, understanding by knowing is: Impermanent, suffering, perception, not-self— This is understanding by knowing. Understanding by abandoning, however, Is the abandoning of lust and craving— This is understanding by abandoning. Among these, what is the meaning of 'sense-base'? It is said, the meaning of 'aspect' is the meaning of 'sense-base'. Just as a gold-worker, a base-metal-worker, Just as by those two aspects, those various cows stand out. Thus, by these, the cows of consciousness and mental factors stand out, And kamma, defilements, and suffering-states. Again it is said, the meaning of 'income' is the meaning of 'sense-base'. Just as a king's income comes from his revenues, Thus, the meaning of 'income' is the meaning of 'sense-base'. 61. The Four Noble Truths: Suffering, origin, cessation, and path. Suffering, in brief, is the practice of Dhamma and the mind. Origin, in brief, is ignorance and craving. Cessation, in brief, is knowledge and liberation. Path, in brief, is tranquility and insight. Among these, what are the thirty-seven factors of awakening? The four foundations of mindfulness up to the Noble Eightfold Path— Thus, these are the thirty-seven factors of awakening. Those states that lead to Nibbāna for the Buddhas, Blessed Ones, Paccekabuddhas, and disciples of the past, future, and present— That path is the four foundations of mindfulness. What are the four? Here, a monk dwells contemplating the body in the body, Right efforts...and so on... Bases of psychic power...and so on... Faculties...and so on... Powers...and so on... Among these, what is the meaning of 'faculty'? The meaning of 'lord' is the meaning of 'faculty', The meaning of 'dominance' is the meaning of 'faculty', The meaning of 'clarity' is the meaning of 'faculty', The meaning of 'action unique to it' is the meaning of 'faculty', The meaning of 'unconquerable' is the meaning of 'power', The meaning of 'strength' is the meaning of 'power', The meaning of 'support' is the meaning of 'power'. for strength, for support, for strength. Therein, what are the seven factors of awakening? Mindfulness as a factor of awakening up to equanimity as a factor of awakening. Therein, what is the eightfold path? Right view up to right concentration. Therein, the eightfold path means the aggregates: the aggregate of virtue, the aggregate of concentration, and the aggregate of wisdom. Therein, what is right speech, what is right action, what is right livelihood— this is the aggregate of virtue. What is right mindfulness, what is right effort, what is right concentration— this is the aggregate of concentration. What is right thought, what is right view— this is the aggregate of wisdom. Thus, these are the three trainings. Thus, in these three ways, the ten steps... (and so on). Therein, the meditator, established in the aggregate of virtue, does not grasp at the unwholesome root of hatred, uproots the latent tendency of hatred, extracts the dart of hatred, fully understands painful feeling, transcends the sense-sphere. Established in the aggregate of concentration, he does not grasp at the unwholesome root of greed, uproots the latent tendency of lust, extracts the dart of greed, fully understands pleasant feeling, transcends the form-sphere. Established in the aggregate of wisdom, he does not grasp at the unwholesome root of delusion, uproots the latent tendency of ignorance, extracts the dart of delusion and the dart of wrong view, fully understands neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, transcends the formless-sphere. Thus, by means of the three aggregates, he does not grasp at the three unwholesome roots, extracts the four darts, fully understands the three feelings, transcends the three realms. 62. Therein, what is ignorance? That which is not knowing the four noble truths, in detail, just as doubt should be made in the case of living beings. Therein, what is consciousness? The six classes of consciousness, feeling, perception, volition, contact, attention— this is mentality. Therein, what is form? That which is of the four great elements, the designation of form derived from the four great elements. Thus, the former mentality and this form, both are called mentality-and-form. Therein, the six sense bases mean the six internal sense bases: the eye as an internal sense base, up to the mind the internal sense-base. Contact means the six kinds of contact: eye-contact up to mind-contact, that is contact. Feeling means the six kinds of feeling. Craving means the six kinds of craving. Clinging means the four kinds of clinging: sensual clinging, view clinging, rites-and-rituals clinging, self-doctrine clinging, that is clinging. Existence means the three kinds of existence: sensual existence, form existence, formless existence. What is birth there? That which is the first arising of aggregates, the first arising of elements, the first arising of sense-bases, birth, coming to be, descent, re-arising, the manifestation of aggregates, this is birth. What is old age there? Old age means that which is brokenness, grayness, wrinkled skin, the separation and discoloration of the four great elements, decay, decline, deterioration, loss of life, wearing away, breakdown of faculties, accumulation, ripening, this is old age. What is death there? Death means that which is the passing away, the falling away, death, the completion of time, the breaking up of the bloated, the cutting off of the life-faculty of the body of those beings in this or that group of beings, this is death. Thus, the former old age and this death, both of these are old age and death. There, the darkness and gloom, characterized by not knowing things as they are, is ignorance, the proximate cause of volitional formations. Volitional formations are characterized by constructing, their manifestation is the accumulation and bringing about of rebirth. They are the proximate cause of consciousness. Consciousness is characterized by knowing the object, it is the proximate cause of name-and-form. Name-and-form is characterized by many interdependencies, it is the proximate cause of the six sense-bases. The six sense-bases are characterized by the differentiation of faculties, they are the proximate cause of contact. Contact is characterized by convergence, it is the proximate cause of feeling. Feeling is characterized by experiencing, it is the proximate cause of craving. Craving is characterized by clinging, it is the proximate cause of clinging. Clinging is characterized by grasping and holding on, it is the proximate cause of existence. Existence is characterized by various destinations and scattering, it is the proximate cause of birth. The manifestation of aggregates Birth is characterized by coming into being, it is the basis for aging. Aging is characterized by drawing near to decay, it is the basis for death. Death is characterized by the cessation of life and the end of the life-span, it is the basis for suffering. Suffering is characterized by bodily affliction,