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B020302Sammohavinodanī aṭṭhakathā(removing delusion commentary)

English

This is the intention, the difference in wording was made here. 549. One with the perception of light means endowed with a perception that is pure and free from hindrances, capable of perceiving light seen both day and night. 550. Mindful and fully aware means endowed with mindfulness and knowledge. Both of these are mentioned because they are helpful for the perception of light. 553. Due to the absence of thīna and middha, in the passages describing the perception of light, "cast off," and so on, are merely synonyms for each other. There, "cast off" means because of casting off. The same method applies to the remaining passages. Here, "cast off" is mentioned in terms of abandoning one's own nature. "Vomited out" is mentioned in terms of showing a lack of regard. "Freed" is mentioned in terms of liberation from continuity. "Relinquished" is mentioned in terms of the absence of any place for what is freed. "Given up" is mentioned in terms of the abandonment of what was previously taken up. Or, because it is released by being thrown off, it means it is thrown off by overpowering it with the power of development. "Relinquished and given up" means that just as abandonment occurs only through suppression, and does not repeatedly take hold of continuity, so it is given up. It becomes light means it becomes radiant. Open means unobstructed. Pure means without defilements. Bright means very clear. 556. In restlessness and remorse, the nature of restlessness... Restlessness is the habit of the mind dwelling on an object unwillingly. Doubt is uncertainty about the true nature of things. Here too, the variation in wording, "may they be peaceful," should be understood in the same way as before. 558. "Having overcome doubt" means having crossed over and transcended doubt. In this explanation, "having crossed" is stated to show that doubt has not submerged him. "Having emerged" is to show his transcendence of it. "Having completely crossed" is to show that he has overcome the disturbances through the power of cultivation. "Gone to the far shore" means gone to the far shore of doubt, which is the state of being free from doubt. "Having attained the far shore" means that he has attained that same far shore through the practice of cultivation. Thus, it shows the fruitfulness of his practice. 559. "Without perplexity" means devoid of the perplexity that arises as, "How is this? How is this?" "In wholesome qualities" means in faultless qualities. "He does not doubt" means he does not generate doubt, thinking, "Are these wholesome?" "He does not waver" means he does not struggle or tire to discern those qualities by their nature. "He is without perplexity" means he is free from the perplexity of, "How are these wholesome?" "Without perplexity, having abandoned perplexity" is a synonym for that. Here, the meaning of the word is, "one who has emerged from perplexity" is without perplexity. "One from whom perplexity has departed" is one who has abandoned perplexity. 562. "Defilements" means things that are defilements. For they go to the mind and defile it. Therefore, they are called defilements. 563. "Weakening of wisdom" means that because these hindrances, when arising, do not allow unarisen mundane and supramundane wisdom to arise, and even if wisdom has arisen, they cut off and destroy the eight attainments or the five higher knowledges, therefore, they are called "weakening of wisdom." Indeed, the statement, "Unarisen wisdom does not arise, and arisen wisdom ceases," is also stated with this meaning in mind. Everything else here is straightforward, as it has all been explained below in the relevant places. 564. In the explanations beginning with "Quite secluded from sensual pleasures," whatever needs to be said, In the section on the arising of consciousness in the lower part (of the Dhammasangani Commentary), and in the exposition of the realm of form, it has already been stated here and there. The only difference is that in the expositions of the second, third, and fourth jhānas, instead of saying, as was said below, "the jhāna is of three factors, the jhāna is of two factors," it is said, "internal serenity," etc., and thus, by implication, those factors are taken together with serenity, etc., and "jhāna is serenity, joy, happiness, and one-pointedness of mind," and in this way, each jhāna is defined. This is the distinction here. 588. In the word-explanation of "That which the noble ones declare," although all the terms "declare, teach," etc., are mutually synonymous, even so, they declare by way of headings such as "one who is equanimous, mindful, and dwells in happiness," they teach by way of exposition, they make known by way of counter-exposition, they establish and set forth the meaning in that way, they explain by showing the cause of that meaning, they distinguish by showing the division of the wording, they make plain by removing the hidden and profound aspects and establishing the foundation of knowledge for the listeners, and they illuminate by dispelling the darkness of ignorance for the listeners in all these ways. Thus, the meaning should be understood. In the explanation of transcending, the meaning should be understood thus: transcending because of rising above those qualities in each case, surpassing by attaining a higher level, and completely transcending by not falling back from it. Commentary on the Suttanta Section. 2. Commentary on the Abhidhamma Section 623. In the Abhidhamma Section, the arrangement is made in the same way as it appears in the section on the arising of consciousness in the lower part. Therefore, the meaning of all the jhānas defined there as wholesome, resultant, and functional should be understood in the same way as stated there. All the distinctions such as the set of nine purifications are similar to what was stated there. Commentary on the Abhidhamma Section. 3. Commentary on the Questions Section 638. In the Questions Section, the nature of the jhānas as wholesome, etc., should be understood according to the Pāli text. However, in the case of the three jhānas in the object-triplet, the ninefold nature should be understood due to their object being a sign, and having a limited object, and so on. Here, the supramundane is of immeasurable object, either at the time of the path or at the time of fruition. The fourth jhāna may be of limited object. Here, of the thirteen fourth jhānas in terms of skill, the fourth jhāna of mastery in everything, the fourth jhāna of psychic power, the fourth jhāna of divine ear knowledge, the fourth jhāna of mind-penetrating knowledge, the fourth jhāna of knowledge of past lives, the fourth jhāna of divine eye knowledge, the fourth jhāna of knowledge of beings passing according to their deeds, the fourth jhāna of knowledge of the future, the fourth jhāna of the base of infinite space and so on, and the supramundane fourth jhāna. Therein, the fourth jhāna of mastery in everything has only an unclassifiable object. The fourth jhāna of psychic power, when one transforms the body at will, performing miracles with an invisible body, is of limited object due to the body being the object; when one transforms the mind at will, performing miracles with a visible body and going to the Brahma world, it is of great object due to the attainment-mind being the object. The fourth jhāna of divine ear knowledge is of limited object due to sound being the object. The fourth jhāna of mind-penetrating knowledge is of limited object when knowing minds in the sense-sphere, of great object when knowing minds in the form and formless spheres, of immeasurable object when knowing supramundane minds. However, a worldling who has gained mind-penetrating knowledge knows only the minds of worldlings, not of noble ones. A stream-enterer knows the minds of stream-enterers and worldlings; a once-returner knows the minds of once-returners and the two lower ones; a non-returner knows the minds of non-returners and the three lower ones; an arahant knows the minds of all. The fourth jhāna of knowledge of past lives is of limited object when recollecting aggregates in the sense-sphere, of great object when recollecting aggregates in the form and formless spheres, of immeasurable object when recollecting, "In the past, Buddhas, Paccekabuddhas, and arahants developed the path and realized fruition," of unclassifiable object when recollecting names and clans. The fourth jhāna with divine eye knowledge has a limited object because it takes color as its object. The fourth jhāna with knowledge of the destiny of beings has a limited object when recollecting past actions in the sense sphere; it has a sublime object when recollecting past actions in the form and formless spheres. The fourth jhāna with knowledge of the future has a limited object when knowing future rebirth in the sense sphere; it has a sublime object when knowing future rebirth in the form and formless existences; it has an immeasurable object when knowing that "in the future, Buddhas, Paccekabuddhas, and arahants will develop the path and realize the fruit"; it has an unspecifiable object when recollecting names and clans in the manner of "in the future, there will be a king named Sankha," etc. The fourth jhāna of the sphere of infinite space and the sphere of nothingness has an unspecifiable object. The fourth jhāna of the sphere of infinite consciousness and the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception has a sublime object. The fourth jhāna that is supramundane has an immeasurable object. Even for these twelve jhānas, this is the method of object determination.