English
even reflecting, "It is given by me," even thinking, "I will rejoice in merit or remaining wholesome deeds," he thinks with one of those very things. Even rejoicing, he rejoices with one of those very things. Even reflecting, "It is rejoiced in by me," he reflects with one of those very things. Even thinking, "I will teach the Dhamma," he thinks with one of those very things. Even teaching, he teaches with one of those very things. Even reflecting, "It is taught by me," he reflects with one of those very things. Even thinking, "I will listen to the Dhamma," he thinks with one of those very things. Even listening, he listens with one of those very things. Even reflecting, "It is listened to by me," he reflects with one of those very things. Even thinking, "I will make my view straight," he thinks with one of those very things. But making it straight, he does it with one of the four conjoined with knowledge. Even reflecting, "My view is made straight," he reflects with one of the eight. In this place, four infinites are taken. For there are four infinites: space is infinite, world-systems are infinite, the multitude of beings Infinite, the Buddha's knowledge is infinite. For in the eastern direction of the sky, or in the western, northern, or southern directions, there is no limit, saying, "So many hundreds of leagues," or "So many thousands of leagues." Even an iron hammer the size of Mount Sineru, having split the earth in two and been thrown downwards, would be reduced to dust, unable to find a resting place; thus, the sky is called infinite. Even with hundreds or thousands of world-systems, there is no limit. Even if four Great Brahmās, born in the Akaniṭṭha heaven, endowed with speed capable of traversing a hundred thousand world-systems in the time it takes a swift arrow from a strong bowman to pass through the shadow of a palm tree, should run with that speed, intending to see the boundary of the world-system, they would die without seeing the boundary of the world-system; thus, world-systems are called infinite. Among so many world-systems, there is no measure of beings who live in water, on land, or in the air. Thus, the multitude of beings is called infinite. Even more infinite than that is the knowledge of the Buddha. Thus, in immeasurable world-systems, countless beings have many wholesome volitional consciousnesses associated with joy and knowledge arising. Many have many arising. All of those, by way of being in the sense sphere, by way of being associated with joy, by way of being associated with knowledge, by way of being volitional, come to oneness. There is only one volitional great consciousness associated with joy and having three roots. Likewise, a prompted great consciousness… and so on… likewise, a prompted consciousness associated with equanimity and dissociated from knowledge and having two roots. Thus, the All-Knowing Buddha, as if weighing all the wholesome sense-sphere consciousnesses arising in immeasurable world-systems among countless beings with a great scale, as if putting them in a gourd and measuring them, having determined them with his All-Knowing Knowledge, showed them by making eight divisions in the sense of "these are only eight." Furthermore, in this place, the accumulation of merit in six ways... Name is taken. Merit, indeed, is self-made, merit is other-made, merit is by one's own hand, merit is by command, merit is knowingly done, merit is unknowingly done. Therein, done by one's own nature is called "self-made." Done seeing another doing is called "other-made." Done with one's own hand is called "by one's own hand." Caused to be done by commanding is called "by command." Done believing in action and result is called "knowingly done." Done without knowing action and result is called "unknowingly done." Among these, even one doing self-made, does so with one of these eight wholesome consciousnesses. Even one doing other-made, even one doing by one's own hand, even one causing to be done by commanding, does so with one of these eight wholesome consciousnesses. Knowing doing, however, is with the four associated with knowledge. Unknowing doing is with the four dissociated from knowledge. Furthermore, in this place, four purities of offerings are taken – the lawfulness of requisites, greatness of intention, accomplishment of the object, superiority of virtue. Therein, requisites arisen by the Dhamma, by equality, are called "lawful." However, for one giving believing and trusting, there is "greatness of intention." Being a perfected one is "accomplishment of the object." The perfected one's rising from cessation itself is "superiority of virtue." For one able to give combining these four, sense-sphere wholesome gives result in this very existence, like Puṇṇa, Seṭṭhi, Ākāvaliya, Sumanamālākara, and others. In brief, however, all this sense-sphere wholesome consciousness, having made "consciousness" and by way of variegated consciousness, is only one. By way of feeling, it is twofold: accompanied by joy, accompanied by equanimity. By way of the division of knowledge, it is fourfold. Indeed, great consciousness, accompanied by joy, associated with knowledge, unprompted, great consciousness, accompanied by equanimity, associated with knowledge, un An incited great consciousness and an unincited one, are one and the same, in the sense of being associated with knowledge, and in the sense of being unincited. Likewise, associated with knowledge and incited, without knowledge and unincited, and without knowledge and incited. Thus, in this fourfold division according to knowledge, there are four unincited and four incited, making eight wholesome consciousnesses. Knowing them as they are, the Blessed One, the All-Knowing, the Chief of Hosts, the Best of Sages, explains, teaches, makes known, establishes, discloses, analyzes, and clarifies. From the Aṭṭhasālinī, commentary on the Dhammasaṅgaṇi, The section on wholesome consciousness pertaining to the sense sphere is complete. Description of wholesome consciousness pertaining to the form sphere. The tetrad method: the first jhāna. 160. Now, to show the wholesome consciousness pertaining to the form sphere, the passage beginning with "Which states are wholesome?" is introduced. Here, "rūpa" means form existence, because it cultivates the path to rebirth in the form realm. "Upapatti" means arising, birth, production. "Magga" means means, way. The meaning here is: that which seeks, investigates, generates, produces that arising is the path. That is, by which path there is arising, birth, production in the form existence, that path is cultivated. But does this necessarily lead to rebirth in the form realm? No, it does not. For it is said, "Cultivate samādhi, monks, the one with samādhi knows and sees according to reality," and thus, by the part leading to penetration, there is also transcendence of the form existence. But there is no other path for rebirth in the form realm than this, therefore it is said, "cultivates the path to rebirth in the form realm." In meaning, this path is also volition, and the states associated with volition, and both of these. For here, in "I know both hell, Sāriputta, and the path leading to hell," volition is the path. "Faith, conscience, wholesomeness, and giving, these are the qualities followed by the virtuous; this they call the divine path, for by this the gods go." "Goes to the deva world." Here, the mental states associated with volition are called the path. "This, monks, is the path, this is the practice," in the Saṅkhārupapattisutta and others, both volition and the mental states associated with volition are called the path. But in this context, because of the word 'jhāna', the mental states associated with volition are intended. However, since the jhāna volition draws rebirth, both volition and the mental states associated with volition continue in the cycle. Develops means generates, produces, increases. This is the meaning of development here. Elsewhere, however, depending on the prefix, there are different meanings such as 'sambhāvanā', 'paribhāvanā', 'vibhāvanā'. There, "Here, Udayi, my disciples esteem highly in morality - the ascetic Gotama is virtuous, endowed with the ultimate aggregate of morality," this is called 'sambhāvanā'; it means esteeming. "Concentration cultivated by morality is of great fruit and benefit, wisdom cultivated by concentration is of great fruit and benefit, the mind cultivated by wisdom is completely freed from the taints," this is called 'paribhāvanā'; it means permeation. "Come, discern form, feeling... perception... volitions... discern consciousness," this is called 'vibhāvanā'; it means making disappear. "Furthermore, Udayi, the practice has been taught by me to my disciples, and practicing according to that, my disciples develop the four foundations of mindfulness," this is called development in the sense of producing and increasing. And this is what is intended in this context. Therefore it was said - 'develops means generates, produces, increases'. Why here, unlike the description of wholesome actions in the desire realm where the teaching is preceded by the Dhamma, is it preceded by the person? Because it is to be accomplished by practice. For this is to be accomplished by one of the four practices; it does not arise without practice like the desire realm. And this practice exists when there is one who practices. To show this meaning, making a discourse with the individual as foremost, he said, "He cultivates the path for the attainment of form." "Quite secluded from sensual pleasures" means having become secluded from sensual pleasures, being without, having departed. And that "eva"-sound here should be understood as definitive in meaning.