English
Indeed, all these dhammas exist in seventeen categories: based on the five contacts, based on the jhāna factors, based on the faculties, based on the path factors, based on the strengths, based on the roots, based on the paths of action, based on the world-guardians, based on tranquility, based on lightness, based on gentleness, based on proficiency, based on skillfulness, based on uprightness, based on mindfulness and clear comprehension, based on serenity and insight, based on exertion and non-distraction. The Discourse on the Enumeration of Dhammas is concluded. The Discourse on the Specification of Kāmāvacara Kusala 2. Now, to explain those fifty-six terms from the Discourse on the Enumeration of Dhammas, which are established in the Pāli, the Discourse on Specification is begun with the question, "What is the contact at that time?" and so on. Here, the meaning of the question is this: At the time when a kāmāvacara kusala citta, accompanied by joy, tri-hetuka, unprompted, and great, arises, contact is said to be present at that time. What is that contact? The meaning should be understood in this way for all the questions. "Yo tasmiṃ samaye phasso" means, the contact that arises at that time due to the act of touching, that is the contact. This is called the nature term, because it reveals the nature of contact. "Phusanā" means the act of touching. "Samphusanā" means the act of touching, stated with the prefix "sam" to enhance the term. "Samphusitattaṃ" means the state of having touched. The connection here is this: The contact at that time is due to the act of touching, the touching at that time, the complete touching at that time, the state of having completely touched at that time; or, the contact at that time is due to the act of touching, and by another way, touching, complete touching, the state of having completely touched, is said. This is the At that time, there is contact. In the explanations of feeling and the rest, the application of words should be understood in this way. Herein, this is a general analysis of inflections. Those more than fifty words that the Blessed One first set forth by dividing the wholesome consciousness belonging to the desire realm, establishing them as a matrix, and then taking each word and assigning it an inflection, those words, when inflected, are inflected for three reasons; when they are different, they become different for four reasons. And here, further explanation goes into two places. How? Indeed, these are inflected by way of the letter, by way of the prefix, and by way of the meaning; in these three ways, they are inflected. Therein, anger, being angry, the state of being angry; hatred, being hostile, the state of being hostile; thus, inflection by way of the letter should be understood. Here, indeed, the single anger has gone into inflection in this way by way of the letter. Conduct, investigation, subsequent investigation, close investigation; thus, inflection by way of the prefix should be understood. Wisdom, skill, cleverness, intelligence, thought, examination; thus, inflection by way of the meaning should be understood. In the explanation of the word "contact," these three inflections are obtained. For "contact is touching," there is inflection by way of the letter. "Complete touching" is by way of the prefix. "The state of complete touching" is by way of the meaning. In this way, in all word explanations, inflection should be understood. But those that are different are different for four reasons: difference in name, difference in characteristic, difference in function, and difference in rejection. Therein, what is ill-will at that time? "That which at that time is hatred, being hostile," here, whether it is ill-will or hatred, both of these are just anger, having gone to difference by name. Thus, difference "by difference in name" should be understood. And by way of essence, the five aggregates are a single aggregate. Here, form has the characteristic of being formed, feeling has the characteristic of feeling, Perception has the characteristic of perceiving, Volition has the characteristic of intending, Consciousness has the characteristic of cognizing. Thus, the five aggregates exist with this difference in characteristics. In this way, difference should be understood as "difference in characteristics." The four right efforts: "Here, a bhikkhu generates zeal for the non-arising of evil, unwholesome qualities... ...strives, makes an effort, exerts his mind" (Vibha. 390; Dī. Ni. 2.402). It is the same energy, but it comes in four places with a difference in function. In this way, difference should be understood as "difference in function." The four unwholesome qualities: reliance on anger, not reliance on the good teaching; reliance on arrogance, not reliance on the good teaching; reliance on gain, not reliance on the good teaching; reliance on honor, not reliance on the good teaching, and so on (A. Ni. 4.44). However, in these, difference should be understood as "difference in rejection." These four kinds of difference, however, are not obtained only in contact, but are obtained in all groups of five beginning with contact. For contact has the name "contact"... ...consciousness has the name "consciousness." Contact has the characteristic of contacting, feeling has the characteristic of feeling, perception has the characteristic of perceiving, volition has the characteristic of intending, consciousness has the characteristic of cognizing. Similarly, contact has the function of contacting, feeling has the function of experiencing, perception has the function of perceiving, volition has the function of intending, consciousness has the function of cognizing. In this way, difference should be understood as "difference in function." Difference in rejection is not present in the group of five beginning with contact. However, in the designation of non-greed, etc., it is obtained in the way that non-greed is non-coveting, a state of non-coveting, etc. Thus, difference should be understood as "difference in rejection." In this way, all four kinds of difference should be understood in terms of being obtainable in the designation of all terms. However, further explanation goes to two places: either it is praise of the meaning of the word, or it is strengthening. For just as by pressing with the tip of a stick, when only "contact" is said, this word is not called flowery, adorned, and embellished. Again and again, in terms of the letter, in terms of the prefix, in terms of the meaning, "contact, contacting, touches..." "Not touched" means fully blossomed, adorned, and embellished. Just as after bathing a young boy, dressing him in beautiful clothes, adorning him with flowers, applying collyrium to his eyes, and placing a single vermilion dot on his forehead, that is not called a decorative mark. But when dots are made surrounded by various colors, it is called a decorative mark. This should be understood as such. This is called 'meaning-explanation'. Repeatedly uttering by way of consonants, by way of prefixes, and by way of meaning is called strengthening. Just as saying 'friend' or 'venerable sir' or 'demon' or 'snake' is not called strengthening. But saying 'friend, friend', 'venerable sir, venerable sir', 'demon, demon', 'snake, snake' is called strengthening. Just so, just once, like pressing with the tip of a stick, saying 'contact' is not called strengthening of the word. But only by repeatedly saying 'contact, touching, thorough touching, touched' by way of consonants, by way of prefixes, and by way of meaning is it called 'strengthening'. Thus, this further explanation goes to two places. In all the word-explanations obtainable by way of this, the meaning should be understood. 'That at that time is contact' means at what time the first sense-sphere great wholesome consciousness arises, at that time this is called contact, this is the meaning. This is the explanation of the word-explanation of contact. But in the word-explanations of feeling and the others after this, we will explain only the distinctions. The rest should be understood in the same way as said here. 3. In "That at that time," although it was begun with "What at that time is feeling?", "that" is said by way of suitability. In "born of contact of the mind-element cognizing that," "born of that" means suitable and appropriate to that pleasant happiness. For this word "born of that" also has the meaning of suitability. As he said, "How does she consult, suitable and appropriate to that?" Born from those objects, such as forms, and from the causes of this happiness, they are called "tajjā" (born from that). Mind-consciousness itself, in the sense of being without a self, is a "dhātu," hence mind-consciousness-element. Born from contact, or born in contact, is "samphassajaṃ" (born from contact). Because it depends on the mind, it is "cetasikaṃ" (mental). In the sense of being sweet, it is "sātaṃ" (pleasant). This is what is said: That which at that time, with the meaning as stated, is the "samphassajaṃ cetasikaṃ sātaṃ" (pleasant mental state born of contact) of that "tajjāya manoviññāṇadhātuyā" (mind-consciousness-element born from that), that is "vedanā" (feeling) at that time. Thus, the connection with all the words should be understood. Now, in "cetasikaṃ sukhaṃ," etc., by the word "cetasikaṃ" (mental), bodily pleasure is rejected, and by the word "sukhaṃ" (happiness), mental suffering is rejected. "Cetosamphassajaṃ" means born from mind-contact. "Sātaṃ sukhaṃ vedayitaṃ" means experiencing pleasantness, not experiencing unpleasantness; experiencing happiness, not experiencing suffering. After that, the three words are stated in the feminine gender. "Sātā vedanā" means pleasant feeling, not unpleasant; "sukhā vedanā" means happy feeling, not suffering. This is the meaning here. 4. In the designation of perception, "tajjāmanoviññāṇadhātusamphassajāti" means