English
In the three kinds of action, The feeling of action in the realm of desire is coarse, The feeling of action in the realm of form is subtle. That too is coarse, The feeling of action in the formless realm is subtle. Thus far, undifferentiated. But differentiated, In the action in the realm of desire, differentiated by way of rootlessness and so on, The feeling of rootless action is coarse, That with roots is subtle. Even of that, That with two roots is coarse, That with three roots is subtle. Even there, That with prompting is coarse, That without prompting is subtle. In the first jhāna, the feeling of action is coarse, In the second jhāna, it is subtle. That too is coarse, In the third… …in the fourth, it is subtle. That too is coarse, The feeling of action in the sphere of infinite space is subtle. S Also coarse, and consciousness…etc… Feeling born of neither perception nor non-perception is subtle. That which is coarse is inferior. That which is subtle is superior. 13. In the Distance Pair, unwholesome feeling is distant from wholesome and indeterminate feelings by way of difference in kind and non-association. In this manner, distance should be understood in all instances. Even if three people, each associated with unwholesome feeling, etc., or with painful feeling, etc., are sitting on the same seat, still those feelings of theirs are truly distant by way of difference in kind and non-association. The same method applies to those associated with attained feeling, etc. But the unwholesome is near to the unwholesome by way of similarity in kind and likeness. In this manner, nearness should be understood in all instances. Even if, among three people associated with unwholesome feeling, etc., one is in the realm of desire, one in the realm of form, and one in the formless realm, still those feelings of theirs are truly near by way of similarity in kind and likeness. The same method applies to those associated with wholesome feeling, etc. "That same" or "that other," here, without considering the preceding method, it should be spoken of only as "that same" or "that other." And in speaking, nearness should not be extracted from distance, but distance should be extracted from nearness. For unwholesome things are of two kinds: accompanied by greed and accompanied by aversion. Therein, that accompanied by greed is near to that accompanied by greed, but distant from that accompanied by aversion. That accompanied by aversion is near to that accompanied by aversion, but distant from that accompanied by greed. Even that accompanied by aversion, if determinate, is near to the determinate. Thus, the indeterminate. And following in detail, as expanded in the Coarse Pair, the distinction between spontaneously arisen and prompted, and among those accompanied by greed, etc., the distinction between associated with views, etc., each category of feeling should be understood as near to that same category of feeling, but distant from the other. This is the Exposition of the Aggregate of Feeling. 3. Exposition of the Aggregate of Perception 14. In the Exposition of the Aggregate of Perception, "whatever perception" encompasses perception in the four planes. "Perception born of eye-contact," etc., are like past instances. They are stated not to show the nature of what is undefined. There, those born from or in eye-contact are called born of eye-contact. The same method applies to the rest. Here, the first five are based on the eye-faculty, etc. Those born of mind-contact are based on the heart-base, or are without a base. All are sense-perceptions of the four planes of existence. 17. In the designation of the gross pair, contact born of resistance means contact that arises relying on the resistant eye-faculty, etc., as a base, and concerning resistant forms, etc., as an object, is called contact born of resistance. Those born from or in that are called born of contact of resistance. Sense-perception born of eye-contact…pe… sense-perception born of body-contact is a name from that same base. Sense-perception of form…pe… sense-perception of tactile objects is a name from that same object. But this is a name from base and object. For this sense-perception born of contact of resistance is said to arise relying on resistant bases, and concerning resistant objects. Sense-perception born of mind-contact is also a name for this by way of synonym. For mind is the eye-consciousness. The contact born with that is called mind-contact. Those born in that mind-contact, or from that mind-contact, are called born of mind-contact. Likewise, mind is ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-consciousness. The contact born with that is called mind-contact. Those born in that mind-contact, or from that mind-contact, are called born of mind-contact. Sense-perception born of verbal designation is also a name for this by way of synonym. For the three immaterial aggregates, becoming round on their own backs, make the name sense-perception born of verbal designation for the sense-perception born with themselves. But without synonym, sense-perception born of contact of resistance means sense-perception of the five doors, sense-perception born of verbal designation means sense-perception of the mind-door. There, sense-perception of the five doors is gross, because it can be known by looking. For they know by looking that one is dwelling on it passionately, that one is dwelling on it angrily. Here is the thing: Two women were sitting, spinning thread. Two young boys were wandering in the village, and one, going ahead, looked at one of the women. The other asked him, "Why did he look at you?" "That monk did not look at me with lustful thoughts, but looked at me with the thought of a younger sister." After they had wandered in the village and were sitting in the assembly hall, the other monk asked that monk, "Did you look at that woman?" "Yes, I looked." "Why?" "Because she resembled my sister, I looked at her," he said. Thus, it should be understood that even with the five-door consciousness, it is possible to know after looking. But this is based on a pleasing object. Some, however, explain it as a rapid process. But mind-door consciousness is subtle, since even when sitting on the same couch or the same seat, if someone is thinking or pondering something else, one can know what he was thinking or pondering only by asking him and based on his words. The rest is similar to the feeling aggregate. This is the exposition of the perception aggregate. 4. Exposition of the Aggregate of Mental Formations 20. In the exposition of the aggregate of mental formations, "whatever mental formations" encompasses mental formations of the four planes of existence. "Volition born of eye-contact," etc., are stated to show the nature of the mental formations mentioned in terms of past, etc. "Born of eye-contact," etc., have the same meaning as stated earlier. "Volition" is stated as the chief mental formation in the lower category. In the lower category, at least four mental formations arise together with eye-consciousness, as mentioned in the Pāli. Among them, volition is chief, being prominent in the sense of instigation. Therefore, this alone is taken. But the mental formations associated with it are taken when it is taken. Here too, the first five are based on the eye-sense-door, etc. Mind-contact-born is based on the heart-base or is without a base. All are volitions of the four planes. The rest is similar to the feeling aggregate. This is the exposition of the aggregate of mental formations. 5. Exposition of the Aggregate of Consciousness 26. In the exposition of the aggregate of consciousness, "whatever consciousness" encompasses consciousness of the four planes of ex It encompasses consciousness. "Eye-consciousness" and so on are stated to show the nature of consciousness defined by past and other divisions. Among these, the five, eye-consciousness and so on, have the eye-faculty and so on as their bases, while mind-consciousness has both the heart-base and no base. All four-plane consciousness. The rest is similar to the feeling aggregate. This is the exposition of the consciousness aggregate. Miscellaneous Discourse Now, regarding the five aggregates, the miscellaneous should be understood in sixteen aspects: by way of arising, by way of sequence, by way of duration, by way of single arising and diverse ceasing, by way of non-arising and single ceasing, by way of single arising and single ceasing, by way of non-arising and diverse ceasing, by way of past, future, and present, by way of internal and external, by way of gross and subtle, by way of inferior and superior, by way of far and near, by way of condition, by way of origin, and by way of being conditioned. There, arising is twofold: womb-born arising and spontaneous arising. Womb-born arising should be understood thus: for beings born from the womb, at the moment of rebirth, the five aggregates arise together, neither after nor before. At that moment, the continuum of form appearing, called the "embryo," is minute. It is said to be the amount that a small fly can drink in one breath, and then it is said again, "This is too much; it is like the drop that remains on the tip of a fine needle after being dipped into oil and lifted." That too is rejected, and it is said, "It is like the drop that remains on the tip of a hair after being drawn from oil." That too is rejected, and it is said, "In this country, if a human hair is split into eight parts, one such part is the size of a hair of the Uttarakurus; it is like the drop that remains on the tip of that hair after being drawn from clear sesame oil." That too is rejected, and it is said, "This is too much; jātiuṇṇā is the name of a subtle wool; it is like the drop that remains on the tip of one strand of that wool after being dipped into clear sesame oil and lifted." And that is clear, bright, untroubled, and pure. Like a drop of sesame oil,