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B0102052108suttavebhaṅgiyaṃ (scriptures analysis stage)

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English

8. Analysis of the Discourses 118. The prior end is not known of ignorance and craving for existence. There, for beings shrouded by ignorance, bound by craving, the prior end is not known. There, those beings bound by craving, are much given to attachment, weak in insight. But those beings of abundant views, are much given to insight, weak in attachment. There, beings of craving nature are attached to the perception of a self, not seeing arising and passing away. They perceive a self in the five aggregates: "a self possessing form, or form in the self, or the self in form." Thus for the five aggregates. They perceive a self in other aggregates. Those beings of abundant views, practicing insight, perceive the aggregates directly as self. They perceive form as self. "What is form, that is the self. What I am, that is form." He sees the destruction of form; this is an annihilationist. Thus, the first five wrong views regarding the five aggregates lead to five kinds of annihilationism: "the soul is the same as the body." In each single aggregate, with the last three terms, it leads to eternalism: "the soul is different from the body." Outside of this, those renunciants of craving nature are devoted to the practice of sensual pleasure. Therefore, those of view nature, as a consequence, are devoted to the practice of self-mortification. Therefore, by that very pleasure of views, this is the external application. There, those beings of view nature who enter the noble Dhamma and Vinaya, become Dhamma-followers. Those beings of craving nature who enter the noble Dhamma and Vinaya, become faith-followers. There, those beings of view nature, have a view of aversion towards sensual pleasures, but their latent tendencies towards sensual pleasures are not uprooted. They live devoted to the practice of self-mortification. For them, the Teacher teaches the Dhamma. Or another disciple teaches that there is no benefit in sensual pleasures. And they, having already been uninterested in sensual pleasures, renounce sensual pleasures with little difficulty. They are not overcome by mental suffering. Therefore, it is said is called "pleasant practice." But those beings of craving-nature, they are attached to sensual pleasures. For them, the Teacher teaches the Dhamma. Or some other bhikkhu [teaches] that there is no benefit in sensual pleasures. They abandon what is dear with difficulty. Therefore it is called "painful practice." Thus all these beings proceed in two practices, in pain and in pleasure. Among these, those beings of view-nature, they are of two kinds: with dull faculties and with keen faculties. Among these, those beings of view-nature with keen faculties abandon with ease, and quickly realize. Therefore it is called "pleasant practice with quick realization." Among these, those beings of view-nature with dull faculties, compared to the keen-facultied ones, realize more slowly. They abandon with ease, and realize slowly. Therefore it is called "pleasant practice with slow realization." Among these, beings of craving-nature are of two kinds: with keen faculties and with dull faculties. Among these, those beings of craving-nature with keen faculties abandon with difficulty, and quickly realize. Therefore it is called "painful practice with quick realization." Among these, those beings of craving-nature with dull faculties, compared to the keen-facultied ones, realize more slowly. They abandon with difficulty, and realize slowly. Therefore it is called "painful practice with slow realization." These four practices are without a fifth, without a sixth. Whoever has attained Nibbāna or will attain Nibbāna, it is through these four practices and no others. This refers to defilements by means of the fourfold practice. That which is to be indicated in the noble Dhamma by the fourfold path, this is called the "Lion's Play" method. 119. Herein are the four nutriments. The four perversions, attachments, yokes, ties, influxes, floods, darts, stations of consciousness, wrong courses of action— thus all these are ten terms. This is the comparison of the Sutta. The four nutriments. Among these, that which is physical food and that which is contact-food, these for those of craving-nature... not to be abandoned. Therein, that food of mental volition and that food of consciousness, these are to be abandoned by the practice of view. The first food is the first perversion, the second food is the second perversion, the third food is the third perversion, the fourth food is the fourth perversion. These four perversions are without a fifth, without a sixth. And these are the measure of the four foods. Therein, one standing in the first perversion grasps at sensual pleasures; this is the clinging to sensual pleasures. One standing in the second perversion grasps at future existence; this is the clinging to rites and rituals. One standing in the third perversion grasps at wrong view; this is the clinging to views. One standing in the fourth perversion grasps at the aggregates as self; this is the clinging to the doctrine of self. Therein, one standing in the clinging to sensual pleasures covets and binds to sensual pleasures; this is the bodily knot of covetousness. One standing in the clinging to rites and rituals binds to ill-will; this is the bodily knot of ill-will. One standing in the clinging to views binds to adherence; this is the bodily knot of adherence. One standing in the clinging to the doctrine of self binds to proliferation; this is the bodily knot of dogmatic adherence to "this is the truth". His bound defilements flow out as taints. And something is called remorse. Those remorses are latent tendencies. Therein, by the bodily knot of covetousness, the taint of sensual desire; by the bodily knot of ill-will, the taint of existence; by the bodily knot of adherence, the taint of views; by the bodily knot of dogmatic adherence to "this is the truth", the taint of ignorance. These four taints, having reached a state of fullness, become floods; therefore, they are called "floods". Therein, the taint of sensual desire is the flood of sensual desire; the taint of existence is the flood of existence; the taint of ignorance is the flood of ignorance; the taint of views is the flood of views. These four floods, having entered the underlying tendencies, are called accompanied by latent tendencies. They are darts, striking the heart and remaining there. Therein, the flood of sensual desire is the dart of lust; the flood of existence is the dart of hatred; the flood of ignorance is the dart of delusion; the flood of views is the dart of views. By these four darts, consciousness, being consumed, stands in four phenomena: in form, in feeling, in perception, in mental formations. These four consciousnesses... Standings. There, by the dart of lust, consciousness accompanied by delight, abiding in form, stands. By the dart of hatred, abiding in feeling, by the dart of delusion, abiding in perception, by the dart of wrong view, consciousness accompanied by delight, abiding in formations, stands. From the four stations of consciousness, four kinds of wrong courses are taken: desire, hatred, fear, delusion. By lust, desire takes the wrong course, by hatred, hatred takes the wrong course, by delusion, delusion takes the wrong course, by wrong view, fear takes the wrong course. Thus, this is action, and these are defilements. This is the cause of transmigration. 120. Here are these four directions: physical food, the perversion of "beautiful in the ugly," clinging to sensual pleasures, the yoke of sensual pleasures, the bodily knot of covetousness, the canker of sensual pleasures, the flood of sensual pleasures, the dart of lust, the station of consciousness abiding in form, the taking of the wrong course by desire. This is the first direction. Contact as food, the perversion of "pleasure in suffering," clinging to rites and rituals, the bodily knot of ill-will from the yoke of existence, the canker of existence, the flood of existence, the dart of hatred, the station of consciousness abiding in feeling, the taking of the wrong course by hatred. This is the second direction. Mental volition as food, the perversion of "self in non-self," clinging to views, the yoke of views, the bodily knot of clinging to views, the canker of views, the flood of views, the dart of wrong view, the station of consciousness abiding in perception, the taking of the wrong course by fear. This is the third direction. Consciousness as food, the perversion of "permanent in the impermanent," clinging to the doctrine of self, the yoke of ignorance, the bodily knot of adherence to "this is the truth," the canker of ignorance, the flood of ignorance, the dart of delusion, the station of consciousness abiding in formations, the taking of the wrong course by delusion. This is the fourth direction. Thus, by the first word of these ten suttas, there is an illumination of the first direction. This is called "illumination of the directions." By the four perversions, the illumination of the directions in the unwholesome side, connecting with defilement, this is the ground for the illumination of the directions in the unwholesome side. What is the meaning of these phenomena, which are the first words of the five or ten suttas? There is one meaning, only the expression is different. So the second, so the third, so the fourth. This is the first correlation. By this same method. And all defilements are to be set aside in four ways. Then, on the side of skillfulness, there are four paths, four jhānas, four foundations of mindfulness, four abodes: divine, brahmā, noble, and imperturbable. four right efforts, four wonders, marvelous phenomena, four determinations, four concentrations: concentration of desire, concentration of effort, concentration of mind, concentration of investigation. Four qualities conducive to happiness,

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