English
" It is said: Indeed, the state of being divine abidings here should be understood in the sense of excellence and faultlessness. For these abidings are excellent because of the right practice towards beings. And just as the Brahmās abide with faultless minds, so yogis associated with these, having become like Brahmās, abide, therefore they are called divine abidings in the sense of excellence and faultlessness. But the answer to the question, "And why only four?" is this: Four because of the Visuddhimagga and others, But countless because of the aspects of welfare and so on; The order is how they arise, and they are immeasurable, Because the object is immeasurable, therefore they are immeasurables. For among these, since loving-kindness is by The path to purity is compassion for those prone to harm, is joy for those prone to discontent, is equanimity for those prone to lust. For the mind's attention to beings is fourfold, in terms of bringing benefit, removing harm, attaining prosperity, and not being negligent. Just as a mother feels towards her four sons, the infant, the sick, the youth, the busy one, wishing the infant to grow, the sick to recover, the youth to maintain his youth, and not interfering with the busy one, so too, one abiding in boundless states should be with all beings, in terms of loving-kindness and so on. Therefore, from the perspective of the path to purity and so on, the boundless states are four. But since these four should be cultivated by first approaching beings with the attitude of wishing them well, and loving-kindness is characterized by wishing them well; then, seeing, hearing, or considering the suffering of beings who are wished well, with the attitude of removing their suffering, and compassion is characterized by removing suffering; then, seeing their prosperity, those who are wished well and whose suffering is removed, with the attitude of rejoicing in their prosperity, and joy is characterized by rejoicing; then, afterwards, one should approach them with a neutral attitude, which is considered indifference, due to the absence of anything to be done, and equanimity is characterized by a neutral attitude; therefore, from the perspective of attitudes such as wishing well, loving-kindness is mentioned first. Then, the order of compassion, joy, and equanimity should be understood. But since all these occur in an immeasurable scope, they are called boundless states. For beings are immeasurable, being the scope of these states, and without grasping a measure, such as 'loving-kindness and so on should be cultivated towards one being in such and such a place,' they occur only in terms of pervading entirely. Therefore, it was said: From the perspective of the path to purity, the four, from the perspective of attitudes such as wishing well, in order, the order and how they occur in an immeasurable scope, that is why they are called boundless states. Thus, the immeasurable scope. Those that have one object also, among these, the first three are only of the first, second, third, and fourth jhānas. Why? Because they are not dissociated from joy. And why are they not dissociated from joy? Because they are an escape from ill-will and other things arisen from displeasure. But the last is only of the remaining one jhāna. Why? Because it is associated with the feeling of equanimity. For the equanimity of the divine abodes, which operates as a neutral attitude towards beings, does not occur without the feeling of equanimity. The Discourse on the Divine Abodes. The Discourse on the Unattractive 263. Now, to show the wholesome form-sphere [consciousness] that is entirely beneficial to beings of passionate temperament, proceeding with only one jhāna in various objects, again, "Which things are wholesome?" etc., is begun. There, in "accompanied by the perception of a bloated corpse," etc., "bloated" means swollen, like a bellows with air, upwards, due to the emptiness that has successively arisen from the cessation of life. Bloated is just bloated. Or, because of its repulsiveness, "disgustingly bloated" is bloated. This is a designation for a corpse of that kind. "Discolored" means of a changed blue color. Discolored is just discolored. Or, because of its repulsiveness, "disgustingly discolored" is discolored. This is a designation for a corpse of that kind, where the red color is in the places where flesh is elevated, the white color is in the places where pus has accumulated, and the blue color is generally, in the blue places, like a blue cloth worn. "Festering" means pus flowing out in the places where it is broken. Festering is just festering. Or, because of its repulsiveness, "disgustingly festering" is festering. This is a designation for a corpse of that kind. "Cut up" means determined by cutting in two, cut up is just cut up. Or, because of its repulsiveness, "disgustingly cut up" is cut up. This is a designation for a corpse cut in the middle. "Eaten away" means eaten in various ways from here and there by jackals and crows, etc. Eaten away is just eaten away. Or, because of its repulsiveness, "disgustingly eaten away" is eaten away. This is a designation for a corpse of that kind. This is a designation. Variously thrown, scattered. Scattered indeed, a scattered one. Or, repulsive, disgusting, scattered, thus a scattered one. 'One hand by one, one foot by one, one head' thus, of a corpse thrown here and there, this is a designation. And slain, and that, by the former method, a scattered one, thus slain and scattered. In the manner of a crow's footprint, on the limbs and members, having struck with a weapon, of a corpse scattered in the manner described, this is a designation. Blood drips, scatters, flows here and there, thus bloody. Of a corpse smeared with dripping blood, this is a designation. Puḷavā are called worms. It scatters worms, thus worm-infested. Of a corpse full of worms, this is a designation. Bone itself is bony. Or, repulsive, disgusting, bone, thus bony. Even of a chain of bones, even of a single bone, this is a designation. And these, beginning with the bloated, even for signs arisen dependent on them, and for those who have regained jhāna in the signs, these are the same names. Therein, the perception arisen by way of appanā in the bloated sign is bloated perception. Associated with that bloated perception, by way of conjunction, is associated with bloated perception. The same method applies to those associated with livid perception, and so on. Whatever method of cultivation should be spoken of here, that is all spoken of in the Visuddhimagga (Visuddhi. 1.103 ff). The remaining commentary on the Pāli should be understood in the manner described below. Only here, as with the equanimity Brahmavihāra by way of the fourth jhāna, by way of the first jhāna, in each one there are twenty-five units. And because the unattractive object is not to be increased, a sign arisen in a limited place of the bloated, a limited object, in a great place, an immeasurable object, should be understood. The same method applies to the rest. Thus, the unattractive, with beautiful qualities, Whose fame is praised by the ten hundred-eyed one; Which the Ten-Powered One spoke, For the sake of each jhāna. Thus, by the method of the Pāli, so much. Having known those signs; In those very signs, this miscellaneous talk should also be understood. For in these, one who has attained jhāna anywhere, being very calmed of lust, is like one without lust, with unagitated behavior. Even so, this division of the foul is to be understood as being both in terms of the condition of the body and in terms of the variety of lustful character. For a corpse, coming to a state of repulsiveness, might come to be in a state of bloating, or come to be in one of the states of blue-black, etc. Thus, whatever kind it is possible to obtain, in that kind, 'bloated repulsive,' 'blue-black repulsive,' thus the sign should be taken. Thus, it should be understood that the ten divisions of the foul have been spoken of in terms of the condition of the body. Here, in particular, the bloated is suitable for one lusting for the body's shape, as it reveals the degeneration of the body's shape. The blue-black is suitable for one lusting for the body's color, as it reveals the degeneration of the skin's color. The festering is suitable for one lusting for the body's scent, aroused by garlands, etc., as it reveals the foulness associated with body odor. The fissured is suitable for one lusting for the solidity of the body, as it reveals the hollowness within. The gnawed is suitable for one lusting for the abundance of flesh in parts of the body such as the breasts, as it reveals the destruction of the accumulation of flesh. The scattered is suitable for one lusting for the grace of limbs and extremities, as it reveals the scattering of limbs and extremities. The hacked and scattered is suitable for one lusting for the beauty of the body's structure, as it reveals the alteration and disintegration of the body's structure. The bloody is suitable for one lusting for the beauty produced by adornment, as it reveals the repulsiveness of being smeared with blood. The worm-infested is suitable for one lusting for self-regard in the body, as it reveals the body's commonality with swarms of various worms. The skeleton is suitable for one lusting for the beauty of teeth, as it reveals the repulsiveness of the body's bones. Thus, it should be understood that the ten divisions of the foul have been spoken of even in terms of lustful character. But since in this ten-fold foulness, Just as a boat on a swift-flowing river with unstable banks stays in place only with the help of oars, and cannot be kept in place without oars, so too, because of the weakness of the object, the mind stays focused only with the power of initial thought, and cannot be kept in place without initial thought.