English
Therefore, it cannot, standing in the place of arrival, give a name to its own path. Another way: Abhidhamma is the teaching of ultimate reality. And the signless path has, in ultimate reality, only a single cause. How? By way of contemplating impermanence, signless liberation is spoken of. And by that liberation, the faculty of faith is excessive. That is not even a single factor in the Noble Path, and being a non-path factor, it cannot, in ultimate reality, give a name to its own path. But in the other two, by way of contemplating not-self, void liberation is spoken of, and by way of contemplating suffering, desireless liberation. In those, by void liberation, the faculty of wisdom is excessive, and by desireless liberation, the faculty of concentration. Those are factors of the Noble Path, and can, in ultimate reality, give a name to their own path. Even in the triad of objects of the path, in the division of the dominant conditions of the path, at the time when desire and mind are dominant, the state of being dominant of the path is not spoken of, precisely because those things are non-path factors. Thus is this to be understood. This here is a decision of the intellect of a certain teacher, free from the commentary. Thus, in every way, signless insight cannot, standing in the place of arrival, give a name to its own path, thus the signless path is not taken up. Some, however, say, "Even though the signless path, from the standpoint of arrival, does not obtain a name, yet by way of the sutta and by way of its qualities and by way of its object, What name does it get? they said. Having said this, they were refuted: The signless path gets its name from its qualities and its object, the empty and desireless paths should also get a name from their qualities and their object. But they do not get it. Why? This path gets its name from two reasons: from its essence and from its opposite; that is, from its nature and from its adversary. There, the empty and desireless paths get a name from both their essence and their opposite. For the empty and desireless paths are empty of greed, etc., and without desire for greed, etc., thus they get a name 'from their essence'. And the empty is the opposite of clinging to self, and the desireless is the opposite of desire, thus they get a name 'from their opposite'. But the signless path gets a name only from its essence, due to the absence of signs of greed, etc., and signs of permanence, etc., not from its opposite. For it is not the opposite of contemplating impermanence with the object of conditioned things. But the contemplation of impermanence stands in a favorable relation to it. In every way, in terms of Abhidhamma, there is no such thing as a signless path. But in terms of the Suttas, it is brought forth and explained thus: For at whatever time the arising of the path occurs, the three characteristics come into view as if with a single attention, and there is no such thing as the simultaneous appearance of the three. But this is said to show the clarity of the meditation subject. For initially, wherever the focus may be, the insight leading to arising, having considered whatever it arises from, stands in the place to be approached according to that very thing and gives a name to its path. How? For having focused on impermanence, etc., in whatever way, it is indeed fitting to see the other two characteristics as well. For the arising of the path does not occur merely from seeing one characteristic, therefore a bhikkhu focused on impermanence arises not only from impermanence, but also from suffering and non-self. The same is true for one focused on suffering and non-self. Thus, from the beginning, wherever attachment may arise, Vipassanā leading to detachment, Reflecting on whatever it reflects, Stands at the point of return, And gives a name to its path. There, for one detaching from impermanence, The path is called signless; For one detaching from suffering, It is desireless; For one detaching from non-self, It is emptiness. Thus, it is explained by bringing in the method of the Suttas. But what is the object of Vipassanā leading to detachment? It has the characteristics as its object. A characteristic is a concept, Not something that can be truly spoken of. For one who discerns the three characteristics, Impermanence, suffering, and non-self, The five aggregates are like a rotting corpse tied around the neck. Knowledge with the aggregates as its object detaches from the aggregates. Just as a monk, wishing to buy a bowl, Sees a bowl brought by a bowl-seller, Is delighted and thinks, "I will take it," But upon examining it, sees three holes, He is not attached to the holes, But he is attached to the bowl; Just so, having discerned the three characteristics, One is not attached to the aggregates. It should be understood that one detaches from the aggregates With knowledge that has the aggregates as its object. The same method applies to the example of the bad dream. Thus, the Blessed One, in distinguishing the supramundane jhāna, Brought in two methods: The fourfold and the fivefold in the purification practice. Likewise, in the emptiness of purification, the emptiness practice, In the desirelessness of purification, the desirelessness practice. Why did he bring them in this way? Because of the inclinations of individuals and the skill of the teaching. Both of these should be understood in the same way as stated below. Thus, in "cultivating supramundane jhāna," There are two methods in the purification practice, The fourfold and the fivefold; Likewise, in all the remaining five sections, Ten methods are distinguished. Supramundane wholesome, miscellaneous talk Here is the miscellaneous: Internal and external, In the five forms and formless, Seven- or eight-factored transformation, Sign, practice, and attainment. Supramundane path He, having settled inwardly, emerges inwardly; having settled inwardly, emerges outwardly; having settled outwardly, emerges outwardly; having settled outwardly, emerges inwardly. Having settled on form, emerges from form; having settled on form, emerges to the formless. Having settled on the formless, emerges from the formless; having settled on the formless, emerges to form; at a single stroke, emerges from the five aggregates. 'Seven- or eight-membered transformation'— that path can be eight-membered or seven-membered. The enlightenment factors can be seven or six. But jhāna can be five-membered or four-membered; or three-membered or two-membered. Thus, the transformation of members, seven, eight, and so on, should be understood. 'Sign, path, and lord'— 'sign' means from where the emergence occurs; 'path and lord' means the movement and non-movement of the path and the lord should be understood. There, in 'having settled inwardly, emerges inwardly,' and so on, here someone from the beginning settles inwardly on the five aggregates, having settled, sees them as impermanent, and so on. Since emergence from the path does not occur by merely seeing the pure inward, it must also be seen outwardly, therefore, he also sees the aggregates of others, the ungrasped formations, as impermanent, suffering, and not-self. He contemplates inwardly at times, outwardly at times. While he contemplates thus, during the time of inward contemplation, insight is conjoined with the path. Thus, 'having settled inwardly, emerges inwardly' is named. But if during the time of outward contemplation, insight is conjoined with the path, thus, 'having settled inwardly, emerges outwardly' is named. This same method applies to emergence having settled outwardly, both outwardly and inwardly. Another from the beginning settles on form, having settled, distinguishes between primary form and derived form, and sees them as impermanent, and so on. Since emergence does not occur by merely seeing pure form, Even the immaterial must be seen, therefore, having made that form the object, feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness arising from it are discerned as "this is immaterial," and seen as impermanent, etc. At times he contemplates form, at times the immaterial. While he contemplates thus, at the time of contemplating form, insight is conjoined with the path. Thus, it is said that he has overcome form by clinging to form. But if, at the time of contemplating the immaterial, insight is conjoined with the path, thus, it is said that he has overcome form by clinging to the immaterial. This is the method of overcoming both the immaterial and form by clinging to the immaterial. "Whatever is of the nature to arise, all that is of the nature to cease" thus, by clinging, at the time of overcoming in this way, it is said that he overcomes the five aggregates all at once. This is the insight of a bhikkhu with sharp insight and great wisdom. Just as if, for a man afflicted with hunger, having placed a lump of excrement in the middle, they were to bring a bowl full of food with various delicious flavors, he, pushing aside the seasoning with his hand, seeing that lump of excrement, and asking, "What is this?" and being told it is a lump of excrement, would say, "Fie, fie, take it away!" and would have no attachment to the food or the bowl. This should be seen as analogous. For the time of his delight in seeing the bowl of food is like the time when this bhikkhu, as an ignorant worldling, grasped the five aggregates as "I" and "mine." The time of seeing the lump of excrement is like the time of discerning the three characteristics. The time of having no attachment to the food or the bowl is to be understood as the time when the bhikkhu with sharp insight and great wisdom overcomes the five aggregates all at once, saying, "Whatever is of the nature to arise, all that is of the nature to cease." In "transformation into seven or eight factors," this transformation of factors, described above, should be understood as it occurs.