English
At the mind-door, during the preliminary stage of javanas with past, future, and present objects, as well as concepts and nibbāna as objects, it has past, future, present, and objects that are not to be specified. In the aforementioned types of form-sphere jhānas, the fourth jhāna that is the basis for all, the fourth ākāsa kasiṇa jhāna, the fourth āloka kasiṇa jhāna, the fourth brahmavihāra jhāna, and the fourth ānāpāna jhāna, these five have only objects that are not to be specified. "The fourth jhāna of psychic power," when transforming the mind in terms of the body, since it functions regarding the past jhāna consciousness that is the basis, has a past object. In the deposit of the great elements, for elders like Mahākassapa Thera, when intending the future, it has a future object. It is said that Mahākassapa Thera, while making the deposit of the great elements, intended that for eighteen plus two hundred years in the future, these fragrances should not fade, the flowers should not wither, the lamps should not go out. Everything was just as he intended. Assagutta Thera, seeing the Saṅgha of monks eating dry food in the residence, intended, "May there be water bowls every day, and may there be yogurt juice before the meal." Before the meal, the yogurt juice was taken; after the meal, it was natural. However, when making the body dependent on the mind, during the time of going with an invisible body, or when performing another miracle, the body... Because it arises focusing on the present, it has a present object. The fourth, divine ear, arises focusing only on an existing sound, so it has a present object. The fourth, knowledge of others' minds, for one knowing the minds of others within seven days past or future, has a past object and a future object. But beyond seven days, one cannot know it. For that is the domain of knowledge of the past and future. But when knowing the present, it has a present object. And this present is of three kinds: momentary present, continuum present, and duration present. Therein, that which has attained arising, abiding, and ceasing is the "momentary present." That which is included in one, two, or three continuum moments is the "continuum present." Therein, for one sitting in the dark and going to a place of light, the object is not immediately clear; but until it becomes clear, in this interval, one, two, or three continuum moments should be understood. For one walking in a place of light and entering a dark room, the form is not immediately clear; but until it becomes clear, in this interval, one, two, or three continuum moments should be understood. And having stood far away and seen the hand gestures of washermen and the gestures of striking drums and kettledrums, one does not immediately hear the sound; but until one hears it, in this interval too, one, two, or three continuum moments should be understood. Thus far the Middle Reciters. But the Combined Reciters, having stated two continua, "form continuum and formless continuum," say, "For one who has stepped into water and gone, until the water line not stepped into on the shore clears up, for one who has come from a journey, until the heat in the body subsides, for one who has come from the sun and entered a room, until the darkness disappears, for one who has contemplated a meditation subject inside a room and opened a window during the day and looked out, until the trembling of the eyes subsides, this is called the form continuum; two or three moments of impulsion are called the formless continuum," and having said that, "both of these are the continuum present." They call it "name." But "name" is truly present, limited to one existence. Referring to that, in the Bhaddekaratta Sutta, it is said, "Whatever, friend, is mind and mental phenomena, both are present. If consciousness is bound by desire and lust in that present moment, because consciousness is bound by desire and lust, it delights in that, and delighting, it is attached to present phenomena." The "continuity-present" is mentioned in the commentaries here. The "truly-present" is in the sutta. Here, some say, "The momentary-present mind is the object of the knowledge of reading minds." Why? Because the mind of both the one with psychic power and the other arises in one moment. And this is their simile: just as when a handful of flowers is thrown into the sky, surely one flower pierces one stem, stem pierces stem, so when the mind of the crowd is directed wholesale, thinking, "I will know the mind of another," surely one mind pierces another mind in the arising-moment, or the persisting-moment, or the dissolving-moment. But that is rejected in the commentaries as illogical, because even if one directs the mind for a hundred or a thousand years, the two minds, the one with which one directs and the one with which one knows, cannot exist together, and because the directing-impulsions would reach an unintended place and would have different objects. But it should be understood that both the continuity-present and the truly-present are objects. There, whatever is the mind of another in the time equal to the two-impulsion-series, as past and future from the current impulsion-series, all of that is called the continuity-present. But what is said in the commentary, "The truly-present should be shown by way of the impulsion-sequence," is well said. Here is the explanation: one with psychic power, desiring to know the mind of another, directs the mind. The directing, having made the momentary-present its object, ceases together with it. Then there are four or five impulsions, of which the last is a psychic mind, the rest are sense-sphere minds. For all of them, the same mind and object are stopped. And they do not have different objects. Indeed, due to being present objects in the way of the immediate present, they have one object. Even in having one object, only the mind of psychic power knows the mind of another, not the others; just as at the eye-door, only eye-consciousness sees form, not the others. Thus, this is a present object in terms of both the continuous present and the immediate present. Or, since even the continuous present falls into the immediate present, therefore it should be understood that this is a present object in terms of the immediate present. The fourth of the knowledge of previous existence, in remembering names and clans, and in reflecting on the sign of Nibbāna, has a novel object, and at other times, only a past object. The fourth of the knowledge that accords with karma is also only a past object. Although the knowledges of previous existence and penetration of mind are past objects, yet for the knowledge of previous existence, there is nothing that is not an object among the past aggregates and what is connected to the aggregates. For that is in accordance with the knowledge of omniscience in regard to the past aggregates and things connected to the aggregates. And for the knowledge of penetration of mind, only the mind that has passed within seven days is the object. For that does not know another aggregate or what is connected to an aggregate, but because it has the object of the mind associated with the path, it is said to have the path as its object by way of implication. And for the knowledge that accords with karma, only past volition is the object. This distinction should be understood. This is the method of the commentary here. But since it is said in the Paṭṭhāna, "Wholesome aggregates are a condition by way of object condition for the knowledge of psychic power, the knowledge of penetration of mind, the knowledge of recollection of previous existence, the knowledge that accords with karma, and the knowledge of the future," therefore, all four aggregates are the object of the knowledge of penetration of mind and the knowledge that accords with karma. Even there, for the knowledge that accords with karma, only wholesome and unwholesome aggregates are the object. The fourth of the knowledge of the divine eye, because it has an existing color as its object, Only the present object. Knowledge of the future, the fourth, has only the future object. For it, like the knowledge of past lives, in matters connected to the aggregates of the future, is of the same nature as the knowledge of the Omniscient One. Although mind-reading knowledge also has a future object, it only takes as its object a thought that will arise within seven days. This, however, includes thoughts and things connected to aggregates that will arise even hundreds of thousands of eons in the future. The four rūpāvacara jhānas and so on, because they occur by focusing on a single object among the past, future, and present, should be understood as having objects that are definitely not to be stated. 1435. In the internal triad, non-sensory dependent rūpa and nibbāna are external. Just as what is sensory dependent, though said to be external in another person's continuum, is internal to oneself because it is included in one's own continuum, so it is said to be external because there is no way in which it could be internal, not because the mere fact of being internal is impossible. But in the triad of internal objects, externality is stated with reference to the mere impossibility of being internal. It is said that, "Without acknowledging that the object of the realm of nothingness is internal, external, or both internal and external, solely on the basis of the mere abandonment of internal things, one should not say that the realm of nothingness is an internal object," and so on. There, not only that itself is an object not to be stated, but also its attending, the access thoughts, the thoughts reviewing that object, and the unwholesome thoughts that occur in connection with it through enjoyment and so on, are all objects not to be stated. But they are already included when that is stated, so they are not stated separately.