English
For birth conditioned by existence is the suffering of birth. Like a lotus, the wheel of knives, appearing as form, appearing as a woman and so on, generates various kinds of trouble. All misfortunes, greed and so on, and birth and so on, are like poison, non-existent, and fearful, and are to be seen as the opposite of the deathless and so on. "Having let go, it grasps another" shows the similarity to a monkey in that just as a monkey, having let go of a branch it has grasped, is unable to remain in the air, so too, having let go of a grasped object, it is unable to continue without grasping another. Even pierced by an arrow through the bone, a vicious horse, an unbroken colt, does not submit to training. A performer on stage is a stage performer. 184. "Dependent on the eye and forms," and so on, the singular and plural designations for doors and objects are due to the conditionality of consciousness for single and multiple continua, and because they are of single and multiple kinds. In "all phenomena," the word "all" is to be understood as referring to a partial all, either in the sense of the aforementioned consciousness or the aforementioned object, depending on the context. In the designation of the mind-consciousness element, "the mind-element arises immediately after the eye-consciousness element has arisen and ceased; and immediately after the mind-element has arisen and ceased, consciousness arises," it is also possible to interpret the meaning as: just as the mind-element arises immediately after the eye-consciousness element, so too, consciousness arises immediately after the mind-element, and all consciousness that continues until another mind-element arises is spoken of as a single entity. If this is the case, then mind-consciousness... There is no possibility of the mind-element arising immediately after the knowledge-element being a mind-consciousness-element. For the illustration of the sequence of the five-consciousness-elements and the mind-element is to show that a citta, delimited by its distinct nature and place of arising, is a mind-consciousness-element, not merely by its immediate arising. Thus, it is appropriate to show the unity in that distinct nature. Even if unity is not established, when one of those distinct natures is shown, it should be understood that all other such natures are also shown in general. If, with the word "pi" (also) in the collection of mind-consciousness-elements, it is said that "a citta arises immediately after the mind-consciousness-element... and that is a mind-consciousness-element," and thus the mind-element arising after the bhavanga is excluded by the mention of mind-consciousness-element, then no, because its being a mind-consciousness-element is not established. For what is questioned cannot itself be the answer. By the dual mention of "manodhātuyāpi" (also the mind-element) and "manoviññāṇadhātuyāpi" (also the mind-consciousness-element), the distinct nature of the two from each other is shown. Therefore, it should be understood that the mind-element of adverting is excluded from being a mind-consciousness-element. Its nature as a mind-element, distinct from a mind-consciousness-element, has been stated as "or the first apprehension arises in all phenomena," and so on. "Sā sabbāpi" (all of it) is merely an example. For mind-consciousness-element is not only that which ends in javana; tadārammaṇa and others are also indeed such. Thus, having shown all mind-consciousness-elements by their distinct nature from the five-consciousness-elements and the mind-element, he then states "manañca paṭicca" (dependent on mind) and so on, to show the javana mind-consciousness-element as pre-eminent by way of the mind-door. If the meaning were taken that only the cittas ending in javana by way of the six doors are shown here as "mind-consciousness-elements," then the teaching would be incomplete, as cuti, paṭisandhi, and bhavanga would not be included. Therefore, the meaning should be understood in the way stated. Or, other cittas which have the same characteristics as the six-door cittas are to be understood as shown by "mind-consciousness element." In the phrase "depending on" where it occurs, as in "the mind experiences its range of objects" (M.N. 1.455), it is proper to separate it. But here, in places like "depending on the eye," the intention is that just as the eye and so on are made to be the basis of advertence by the word "and," so too, in places where "depending on the mind" occurs, advertence should be made to be based solely on the mind-door, which is the bhavanga. The commentary on the Abhidhamma analysis is finished. 3. Commentary on the Questioner The questioner is clear, as its method has been stated earlier. The commentary on the questioner is finished. The commentary on the Analysis of Elements is finished. 4. Analysis of Truths 1. Suttanta Analysis Commentary on the Summary 189. "The order of the Dispensation" refers to the Noble Truths, or the teaching of the Noble Truths. For the entire Dispensation, the Buddha's word, is not devoid of truth, so it proceeds in the truths. Or, the Dispensation, consisting of morality, concentration, and wisdom, proceeds in these. Therefore, that in which it proceeds is "order" (kamo). What proceeds? The Dispensation. The order of the Dispensation (sāsanakkamo) means the truths are called the places where the Dispensation occurs, and the teaching of them is by that designation. "Thus" means of that very nature. "Unaltered" means not of a false nature. "Not otherwise" means devoid of any other mode. "Suffering as suffering" means unpleasantness due to its nature and its cause, the meaning of oppression. In both ways, it is torment, or the meaning of torment is the combination of defilement-burning, or affliction. This is the distinction among them. Or, oppression is harming individuals; torment is its own sharp nature, torment. Here, the meaning of oppression is the mode of suffering's manifestation by its own nature. The others are modes of manifestation by showing the origin, path, and cessation, respectively. This is the distinction of all four. "Accumulation" (āyūhanaṃ) is the spreading out and gathering together, the production of suffering, by delighting in various places. Or, "income" (āyaṃ) is what comes from the origin, suffering. Its accumulation, its occurrence, is āyūhanaṃ; this is the mode of its manifestation by its own nature. "Source" (nidānaṃ) is what lays down suffering, "This is that suffering." It means it arises as if making one accept. And by the seeing of suffering, this meaning of origin becomes manifest. From the meanings of connection and obstruction, by the seeing of cessation and the path, and these should be seen as ways of preventing the path of the fetters of transmigration. Beings escape here, or it is an escape because it is itself escaped, disjoined from all conditioned things, a state of relinquishing all attachments. This is its way of becoming manifest by its nature. The meanings of detachment, the unconditioned, the deathless, the ways of manifesting the seeing of suffering in the origin and the path, or the cessation of origin, the unconditioned, the imperishable. Going forth from transmigration is the exit. This is its way of being revealed in essence, by the other seeings of suffering, origin, and cessation. There, the attainment of Nibbāna itself, by way of cutting off obstructions, is the sign of Nibbāna, the meaning of cause. Because wisdom is predominant, the seeing of Nibbāna by the path, or the seeing of the Four Noble Truths, is the meaning of seeing. In the seeing of the Four Noble Truths and the calming of the defilements, suffering, and fever, the path factors exercise dominance over the associated phenomena, thus it is the meaning of the path's dominance. Or specifically, the path factors become dominant as objects, as it is said "phenomena dominant in the path," thus that is their way of dominance. This is the connection, "he said thus and so." There, the meaning of comprehension is the meaning of what is to be comprehended, or the meaning that is the object of comprehension is the meaning of comprehension, or the way of the occurrence of comprehension itself is the meaning of comprehension, and here it should be seen as shown by what is to be comprehended, by oppression and so on. The despised void is suffering. In phrases like "coming together, met," because the meaning of conjunction is not found in the use of the word 'āgama' alone or 'eta' alone, but is found in the use of the prefix 'saṃ-', it is said "it indicates conjunction." Similarly in "arisen, appeared." The word 'aya', established in the meaning of going, like the word 'hetu' (cause), indicates a cause; by producing its own result, it proceeds, or from this, results come, thus 'aya'. The cause of arising in conjunction, 'samudaya', when used separately here... Also, prefix-words, connected with a root, indicate the meaning of connection and the meaning of production, as qualifiers of verbs, it should be understood. The absence of lamentation here is cessation; by this, it shows Nibbāna's state of separation from suffering. When that is fully attained, for the person who has attained it, there is an absence of lamentation, because the cessation, which is the opposite of lamentation known as 'arising', has been attained; in this sense, "absence of lamentation in this" is indeed the compound word 'nirodha'. Here, the absence of suffering belongs to the person, not to Nibbāna itself. Non-arising is indeed cessation, non-arising cessation. Non-occurrence in future existences and so on, but not destruction; rejecting the word 'nirodha' which means destruction, it takes the word meaning non-arising. In this sense, applying the effect to the cause, the condition for cessation is called cessation. And the path is for a person's attainment of the cessation of suffering.