English
the gratification of jhāna is the abandoning of the defilement of sensual passion, the gratification of jhāna is the arising of phenomena that are causes of sensual passion, and the cessation of these phenomena, the jhānas are the higher pleasant equanimity, the abandoning of sensual actions and defilements is the gratification. Thus, again, the gratification of jhāna is a great dwelling, in a world-dwelling not oppressed, in opportunities for awakening, this jhāna will depart from abandoning. This is the non-obstruction, in a world-dwelling without obstruction, this jhāna is a search, for beings who have attained beginningless saṃsāra, the benefit of abandoning saṃsāra, that which is the gratification of jhāna, belongs to one who meditates on the body, not on jhāna. By those who meditate on jhāna, not on jhāna, not touching, he meditates on what is not jhāna, the terms of one who meditates on blemish, are not followed, but are in opposition. 78. What then is skill in jhāna? Skill in attainment is skill in jhāna, skill in jhāna distinction is skill in jhāna, skill in jhāna interval is skill in jhāna, skill in emerging from attainment is skill in jhāna, skill in the nature of jhāna is skill in jhāna, skill in the danger of jhāna. Skill in jhāna, skill in escape in jhāna, skill in jhāna, skill in taking up the fruit of jhāna, by the fruit of jhāna, in the fruit of reflection, the nature of not falling away, and even playing in the generated jhāna, one obtains a special share of jhāna. This, moreover, is the removal of existence, and the grasping of the sign of the object, the power of non-striving, and one-pointedness of mind, accompanied by movement in the signs, not sinking by the power of tranquility, and in jhāna, the path-fruit tranquility, in the course of concentration, the power of mindfulness that grasps the preceding and succeeding signs of equanimity, and the common power of those vipassanās that have arisen. Now, what is jhāna perfection? Supreme perfection is loving-kindness. "Beings are attached to sensual pleasures, beings are attached to the fetters of sensual pleasures" (to be seen in Udāna 63 Udāna), in which Sutta, by the method of teaching, two truths are pointed out: suffering and its origin. By the method of analysis, for those who do not see fault in the things that are fetters, "they will cross the flood" - this is not possible. "They will not cross" - this is the reasoning and the analysis. What is the proximate cause for this? "Beings are attached to sensual pleasures" means the five strands of sensual pleasure; that is the proximate cause for craving for sensual pleasure. "Not seeing fault in the fetters" is the proximate cause for ignorance. For never would beings attached to the fetters cross the vast, great flood; that is the proximate cause for clinging. "Beings are attached to sensual pleasures" - sensual pleasures are of two kinds: material sensual pleasures and defilement sensual pleasures. There, defilement sensual pleasures are craving for sensual pleasure, connected with craving for sensual pleasure, craving for form, craving for existence, by the method of characteristics. "Not seeing fault in the fetters" refers to the fetter. What is the proximate cause for the desire-passion there? Pleasant feeling and two faculties: the faculty of pleasure and the faculty of joy. Thus, by grasping pleasant feeling, all three feelings are grasped. When the aggregate of feeling is grasped, all five aggregates are grasped. Form, sound, smell, taste, and touch are grasped; when material sensual pleasures are grasped, all six external sense bases are grasped. In the internal and external... One who is mindful in the sense-bases, this is called the characteristic method. Where one who dwells in gross defilements, in all defilements, is not dispassionate towards those that are subtler. There, the outer fetter is 'mine', the inner fetter is 'I'. What is the Blessed One's intention there? Those who wish to cross the flood, they will dwell contemplating the danger in things that lead to fetters. This is the Blessed One's intention here. Being attached to sensual pleasures means: to what they are attached, by what they are attached, and for whom they are attached. This fourfold aspect is common to all methods. 79. What are the three perversions and their proximate causes? For the perversion of consciousness, the perversion of view, the perversion of perception, these three perversions have the three unwholesome roots as their proximate cause. The three unwholesome roots are the proximate cause of ignoble and noble actions. And the fault of the four clingings is seen as an unwholesome root. It is the proximate cause of ignoble and noble actions. Just as one gives protection to a mother, or a father, or another, or again, to a noble bhikkhu. There, if another acts wrongly by body or by speech. There, he, taking up ill-will, protecting those noble ones with protection, shelter, and guard, gives protection to the noble ones. When protection is given to them, if someone acts wrongly there. There, he, taking up ill-will, performs an action born of fault. He who there, unwholesomely, obstructs the faculties, that protection for them, a perception from the right, this is a noble reason for me. Again, wrong conduct there, this ill-will, ignoble action, greed and delusion, these are hindrances, these are words. These are the four clingings. By these four clingings, that clinging, whether of a woman or a man, for their five aggregates, that very clinging is the origin. This is suffering and its origin, that is the method of teaching. There, those who do not proceed in sensual pleasures, they proceed by contemplating the danger. Thus, the desire to depart from the sense-sphere, this is called the desire for renunciation. He who there is not attached... If one purifies something of defilements, or washes it, this is the wish for non-ill-will. Whatever harms, this is the wish for harming. Thus, these three intentions, driven by renunciation, are: the intention of renunciation, the intention of non-ill-will, the intention of non-harming. Therein, the intention of renunciation is non-greed; the intention of non-ill-will is non-hatred; the intention of non-harming is non-delusion. These three roots of skillfulness are beneficial in the eight attainments, and they lead to the cessation of the four clingings. And if one were to perform action again, dark or bright, they lead to the abandonment of its result. This action, neither dark nor bright, leads to the exhaustion of action. Therein, the cessation of the three roots of unskillfulness, this is cessation. That very path, the practice therein, these are the two truths, these are the four truths, a turning, a carrying. As for those bound to sensual pleasures, those who are trainees, they are bound in one way. Those who are ordinary people, they are bound in two ways. This question should be answered by distinguishing. Although a stream-enterer partakes, yet he is not bound by attachment, for he strives for decrease, not for increase. Indeed, a trainee partakes of sensual pleasures due to defilements. But an ordinary person partakes of sensual pleasures for the arising of defilements. Therein, "Will those bound to sensual pleasures cross the four floods?" This should be answered by distinguishing. This is the distinction. 80. "Turning away" means those who are neither attached to sensual pleasures nor bound by fetters, they will cross the vast, great flood. This is the opposite of the Sutta. "Synonyms" means whoever is bound to sensual pleasures, and whatever quality of sensual pleasures is there, therein one is bound by poison. And whatever are the supporting conditions of sensual pleasures, therein one is bound by poison. Therein, these are the synonyms for sensual pleasures: fruit, dust, dart, boil, affliction. Or whatever other synonyms there are, therein one is bound by poison, this is the synonym. Bound, fettered, infatuated, greedy, obsessed, fallen into sensual pleasures, released, dwelling much therein. Or whatever other synonyms there are, this is called a synonym. For the designation of the sphere of sensual pleasures, kil... Designated by the designation of this sphere, "mind" is a synonym. A being dwells mostly in that, or whatever else. These are designated by the designation of the sphere of sense-desires, by the designation of the sphere of defilements. Designated by the designation of seed. Formations are designated by the designation of fetters. Clinging is designated by the designation of cause. A person is designated by the designation of individuality. "Descent" means by this dependent origination, suffering and its origin. Whatever defilements, whatever formations, and fetters, among the five aggregates, the aggregate of formations, among the sense-bases of phenomena, the unwholesome sense-bases of phenomena, among the faculties, the faculty of pleasure, and the faculty of joy— this is the descent of the faculties. "Purification" is this much. This very beginning should be indicated as the meaning of the Sutta. "Determination" means these phenomena are designated as having oneness, are designated as having difference. Whatever perceptions are external in sense-desires, those are designated as having difference. Beings in the five strands of sense-desire, these obsessions and perversions are designated as having difference, they would cross the flood. "Extensive, great" means ignorance is designated as having oneness. "Support" means what is its cause, what is its condition? It is a condition by way of object-condition. And unwise attention is a condition by way of decisive-support condition. Ignorance is a condition by way of contiguity-condition. The latent tendency of lust is a condition by way of root-condition. This is the cause, this is the condition. "Imposition of condition" means those beings in sense-desires,