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B0102052107hārasampātabhūmi (honor perfection stage)

English

wholesome states to a greater extent." This is the four-fold arrangement. An instruction on the ground. What is the revolving arrangement there? That craving which arises from ignorance, this is the origin. That darkness which is bound for darkness, this is suffering. These two truths, suffering and origin, are illuminated by that discourse and teaching. That teaching is the foundation for the faculty of wisdom. By that non-delusion, the three roots of wholesome action reach fulfillment, the foundation for heaven. What is the distinction there? "Darkness bound for darkness" is not absolute. What is the reason? There is darkness and existence, in co-arising with a person whose wholesome light is experienced in successive lives. There is light and existence, in co-arising with a person whose unwholesome darkness is experienced in successive lives. The turning away from darkness is the opposite, thus by light, one is not bound for darkness. What is the explanation of terms there? That which is darkness, that is thus engaged in self-affliction, that is foolish through lack of faith, unwholesome, undeveloped, not seeing danger. That which is light, that is engaged in self-benefit, wise, wholesome, developed, seeing danger. This is the explanation of terms. What is the designation there? That person is designated by the designation of result, the state of being overcome by unwholesome (actions) is designated. (The person) is designated by the designation of the arising of wholesome states of light, and by the designation of the result of wholesome states. The descent: Those formations conditioned by ignorance, and old age and death, and ignorance, that is the foundation. By explanation, the arising of wisdom, the cessation of ignorance, which is up to the cessation of old age and death. These two states are included in the aggregate of formations. The Dharma-element and Dharma-sphere are the foundation by explanation in terms of elements. What is the purification there? The beginning of this discourse that has been taught. The determination is that the Blessed One speaks of darkness, he does not teach about a single individual. As far as the destination of beings, those who are reborn through unwholesome conduct, these are mostly designated as darkness. The light that is the arising of wholesome states in all beings, all that is called light. This is a single condition, the designation of wise attention for individuals of the four great elements. Among these, what is the prerequisite? For unwholesome, bad companionship is the condition, unwise attention is the cause. For wholesome, good companionship is the condition, wise attention is the cause. Among these, what is the superimposition? Here, someone is reborn in a low family, reborn in a low family, in forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, he is endowed with all human enjoyments and uses. Light is endowed with excellent wholesome things, endowed with all human enjoyments and uses. 105. Among these, what is the discourse leading to defilement and leading to penetration? "That bond is not called strong by the wise" is the verse. For what reason is that bond strong? For four reasons: it can be loosened by power, or by wealth, or by another, or by entreaty, or by reliance. But the craving for jewels and earrings, the longing for sons and wives, this is a mental bond for him. That cannot be loosened by power, or by wealth, or by another, or by entreaty, or by reliance. And there is no guarantor there. "This one has released from this bond" — neither a god nor a human. And this bond binds with the latent tendency of craving and with the six external sense bases. In forms, form-craving binds, up to mental phenomena, mental-phenomena-craving. The bond that is in this world is carried to the other world. That bond is born, that bond dies. That bond goes from this world to the other world. It cannot be loosened except by the Noble Path, this bond. Knowing the state of death and the state of rebirth as fearful, one abandons desire-craving. Having abandoned this desire-craving, one transcends it. And this world is the second beyond this. Among these, that which is from the bond The abandoning of formations, This is called effort In both situations. The good sage, Surrounded by bonds, Is not defiled. Just as, in attachments To sons and wives, He is not pierced by the dart, So it shows the abandoning of craving. This abandoning of the root of craving, In the excellent, Is heedfulness. Desire leads to heedlessness; For its abandoning, One delights in renunciation, And dwells heedfully. To abandon that intention, He does not long for this world, Nor for the other world. He does not long for Pleasant forms, delightful forms, Dependent on this world. Nor does he long for Pleasant forms, delightful forms, Dependent on the other world. Therefore it is said: "He does not long for this world Nor the other world." That abandoning of his Is cutting off, As taught by the sage In the Aṭṭhakavagga. That opposition here, The non-longing in the Aṭṭhakavagga, Is here a state of being unsupported. Thus, by this craving, And his attachment to it, And to sensual objects, All these desires Are shown in one verse. Therefore the Blessed One teaches: "Having cut even this, They wander forth, Without expectation, Having abandoned all desires." For this verse, There are two kinds of explanation: The explanation by correlation, And the explanation by convention. Just as this verse Is part of defilement And part of penetration, So by that verse, There is an explanation Of both defilement-related And penetration-related aspects. Thus, the verse, Or the Sutta, Is taught in all verses And explanations. 106. What is the teaching there? With what intention Was this Sutta taught? "Those beings Who are of a lustful nature, They will abandon desires." This was the Blessed One's intention there. What is the analysis there? For whom the defilements Of ten bases Are overcome, Vomited forth, And known. What are the ten kinds? Defilements and desires, And the lower and higher fetters, The ten bases of sense. This is the analysis. What is the reasoning there? Those who are attached, They are bound By strong bonds. This is the reasoning. What is the proximate cause there? Attachment to jewel earrings, Of the sense of 'mine'. the basis of non-standing. Expectation is the basis of a past object with attachment. Cutting even this is the basis of development. Among these, what is the characteristic? The one whose mind is attached to jewels and earrings, who is entangled in the sense of "I," who is entangled in the sense of "mine," who is attached to children and spouses, who is attached to fields and property. This characteristic is a garland. Among these, what is the four-fold garland? What is the intention of the Blessed One in this Sutta? Those who desire Nibbāna will abandon craving for children and spouses. This is the intention of the Blessed One there. These are the four truths. Among these, what is the turning? The craving for children and spouses, this is the origin. The clung-to aggregates, and the grasping of forms in external forms, this is suffering. That which is to be cut there, this is cessation. That by which it is broken, this is the path. "Division" means there is no ground for division. "Changing" means the opposite is indicated. Among these, what is the synonym? The synonym is indicated. Among these, what is the descent? There is craving; a being has descended into it. Dependent on that, consciousness, up to old age and death. The feeling there, this is ignorance. From the arising of knowledge, the cessation of ignorance, up to the cessation of old age and death. Among these, what is the purification? The pure beginning of the verse. Among these, what is the determination? "That is not a strong bond, say the wise," is designated as a unity, not as a diversity. The four attachments: attachment to sensual pleasures, attachment to form, attachment to existence, attachment to views, are designated as a unity. Among these, what is the requisite? For those whose attachment is to jewels and earrings, the perception of beauty is the cause, and the grasping of signs and details is the condition. For those by whom these are cut, the perception of ugliness is the cause, and the removal of the grasping of signs and details is the condition. Among these, what is the superimposition? "Attached to jewels and earrings, deluded, even wicked, yet cutting even this, they wander forth." This means they are abandoned for the sake of full understanding, for the sake of avoidance, for the sake of relinquishment. This is the superimposition. 107. Whatever is mental, whatever is conceived, in detail, the accumulation, or mental or physical or mental action. For what reason? For mental volition is called mental action; that volition is action, that which is mental, and these three actions, physical and verbal, are designated. Physical action and verbal action, when they are wholesome, and one undertakes and grasps what is dear by body and speech, this is called the grasping of precepts and vows. These three kinds of formations are volitional: meritorious, demeritorious, and imperturbable; dependent on them, consciousness arises, and this is the support for the stability of consciousness. That which is the perception of beauty, the perception of pleasure, and the perception of self. This is mental. When consciousness, which is associated with form, stands, supported by form, established in form, nourished by delight, it grows, increases, and expands; this is volition, so that the clinging which is established in the stabilities of consciousness, as the initial arising and support, this is called mental. For one who is established there, the attachment and clinging to the formless, this too is a tremor, an inclination towards pleasant forms, dear and delightful forms, this is mental.