English
Therefore, he said: "Therefore, it causes the sixth or seventh (jhana) to arise." This is the Elder's statement. It is rejected, because it is not supported by the suttas, by what is in conformity with the suttas, or by the teachings of the teachers. Saying, "This is merely the Elder's own opinion," it is rejected. But the sutta phrase "former wholesome states" is not the reason (for this rejection), because the strength gained from the condition of repetition is not absolute. For instance, even the first volition, without repeated practice, is experienced in this very life. The second volition, with repeated practice, up to the sixth volition, is experienced in subsequent lives. If the sixth and seventh (volitions) are weak due to exhausted impulsion, and not strong due to the condition of repetition, then how can the seventh impulsion-volition be experienced in a subsequent existence and be immediate? This distinction is not due to gaining strength from the condition of repetition. What then? It is due to the distinction of the state of action. For the state of action is threefold: initial, middle, and final. There, in the final state, due to the nature of being the concluding volition, it is experienced in a subsequent existence, etc. It should be understood that this is not due to its strength. And they say, "Because the resultant continuum, being an immediate condition for rebirth, is thus conditioned by an immediate condition." Therefore, the exhausted impulsion of the sixth and seventh, due to their tendency towards decline, cannot be denied. "Preceding states of consciousness" means three or four states of consciousness. Here, in this contemplation of the body. "Desiring to attain purity" means desiring to comprehend and desiring to enter. There, desiring to comprehend by way of discerning and turning away, and desiring to enter by way of discerning – thus it should be understood. "Mastery in adverting, entering... etc. ... attained mastery" – here, these five masteries should be known: having emerged from the first jhana, when adverting to the first thought-application, having cut off the life-continuum, immediately after the arising of adverting, the thought-application... Four impulsion moments or five impulsion moments impel, then two life-continuum moments, then again, an advertence to the object of investigation, and then impulsion moments, as said before. Thus, when one is able to direct the mind continuously to the five jhāna factors, then the mastery of advertence is perfected for him. This mastery, interrupted by two life-continuum moments, and having reached its peak, is found in the Buddha's Twin Miracle, or in the case of others, like the General of the Dhamma, when they arise and arise, in the time of producing the swifter mastery of advertence. And that is temporary, for a short time, not like the Buddha's Twin Miracle, which is of a longer duration. Indeed, it is said to be unique to the Teacher, not shared by disciples. Beyond this, there is no swifter mastery of advertence. The ability to enter quickly, like Venerable Mahāmoggallāna's taming of the Naga king Nandopananda, is called the mastery of entering. Here, immediately after the desire to enter, when two life-continuum moments have arisen, cutting off the life-continuum, and immediately after the arisen advertence, the quick ability to enter is the mastery of entering. And this mastery of entering, having reached its peak, is found in the Teacher's Dhamma teaching. Referring to that, it is said: "Indeed, Aggivessana, at the conclusion of that very talk, on that very former sign of concentration, I settle my mind internally, I calm it, I make it one-pointed, I concentrate it, whereby I constantly dwell." Beyond this, there is no swifter mastery of entering. The ability to sustain jhāna for a moment, like a snap of the fingers, or for ten snaps of the fingers, is called the mastery of determination. Similarly, the ability to emerge from jhāna, having been endowed with jhāna for a light moment, like a snap of the fingers, or for ten snaps of the fingers, is called the mastery of emergence. Here, the occurrence of the life-continuum mind is called emergence from jhāna. And here, just as the ability to determine, through prior preparation, "I will sustain jhāna for just this much time," is the mastery of determination, so too, " "For just this much time, having become endowed with jhana, I will emerge from jhana"—this ability to emerge, by way of prior preparation, is known as mastery in emerging, which is called skill in emerging from attainments. However, mastery in reviewing is said to be the same as mastery in adverting. For there, the reviewing impulsion-moments immediately follow adverting. Indeed, to the extent that mastery in adverting is perfected, to that extent mastery in reviewing should be understood as perfected. To show in detail the meaning briefly stated as "or preceded by the formless... establishes insight," the section beginning "how" was spoken. There, "having comprehended the jhana factors" means having comprehended the jhana factors such as initial application, and the states associated with them, by way of their own characteristics, functions, etc. For "jhana factors" here is merely an example; indeed, one who sees the jhana factors also sees the states associated with them. "Their support, the heart-base": Just as a man, having seen a snake inside a house, pursuing it, sees its lair, even so this meditator, examining those formless states, searching "on what do these states depend?", sees their support, the heart-base. Here, in "jhana factors are formless," the inclusion of associated states should also be understood. Having shown the comprehension of form preceded by the formless, now, showing the comprehension of the formless preceded by form, he says "or else," etc. In "in the parts such as hair... and having comprehended the forms dependent on them," here, in the hair, the characteristic of hardness should be understood as the earth element, there, the characteristic of cohesion as the water element, the characteristic of maturing as the fire element, the characteristic of distension as the air element. Thus, in each and every part, the four great elements should be comprehended. Then, by this, in the elements that have become manifest by their true essential characteristics, in the hair, for instance, the four elements described, and the color, odor, taste, and nutritive essence dependent on them, which arise from kamma... Life and body-sensitivity, thus, by way of the body-decad, ten forms. And there, due to the existence of gender, by way of the gender-decad, ten forms. The nutrition-originated nutriment-octad, season-originated and mind-originated, and other twenty-four, thus, in the four origins, in the twenty-four constituents, forty-four forms are to be understood. Sweat, tears, phlegm, snot, these, in the four season- and mind-originated groups, by way of two nutriment-octads, sixteen, sixteen forms. Intestinal contents, feces, pus, urine, in these four season-originated groups, by way of the season-originated nutriment-octad itself, eight, eight forms are to be understood. This is the method for the thirty-two aspects. But those other four fire-elements, and six wind-elements, which become manifest in these thirty-two aspects, thus ten aspects become manifest. There, in the kamma-born fire-element that digests food and so on, the nutriment-octad and life, thus nine forms. Likewise, in the mind-born respiration-element, the nutriment-octad and sound, thus nine. In the remaining eight of the four origins, the life-ennead and three nutriment-octads, thus thirty-three, thirty-three forms are to be understood. Thus, in detail, by way of the forty-two aspects, when these primary and derived forms become manifest, by way of the bases and doors, the five eye-decads and so on, and the heart-base decad, thus other sixty forms are to be understood. But if, having grasped form through this and that aspect, when grasping the formless, due to its subtlety, the formless does not become manifest, then, without abandoning the task, form itself should be repeatedly contemplated, attended to, grasped, and defined. Indeed, as his form becomes well-cleansed, unentangled, and very pure, so too, the formless phenomena which are its objects become manifest of their own accord. Just as for a man with eyes, looking at the image of his face in an impure mirror, the image is not perceived, so not the mirror... He throws it away, then he cleans it again and again. In that purified mirror, the image itself becomes manifest. Just so, that bhikkhu, without abandoning the task, should repeatedly contemplate form, attend to it, comprehend it, and define it. As his form becomes well-cleansed, disentangled, and thoroughly purified, so too, the formless phenomena, having that as their object, become manifest of themselves. Thus, for him who has thoroughly purified the comprehension of form, the formless phenomena arise in three ways: by way of contact, or by way of feeling, or by way of consciousness. How? For one who comprehends the elements in this way: "Hair is the earth element, with the characteristic of hardness... (and so on)... in-breaths and out-breaths are the earth element, with the characteristic of hardness," the first impact is contact. The feeling associated with that is the feeling aggregate. Perception is the perception aggregate. Volition, together with contact, is the volition aggregate. Mind is the consciousness aggregate. Thus, formless phenomena arise by way of contact. For another, "Hair is the earth element, with the characteristic of hardness... (and so on)... in-breaths and out-breaths are the earth element, with the characteristic of hardness" – the feeling of experiencing the taste of that object is the feeling aggregate. The perception associated with that