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B030309Abhidhammamātikāpāḷi(abhidharma summary verses)

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and the ability to be employed in beneficial activities, like the purity of gold, so it should be seen. Bodily proficiency and mental proficiency have the characteristic of the non-ailment of body and mind, the taste of suppressing their ailment, the manifestation of being without distress, and they should be seen as the opposites of defilements that cause ailment, such as lack of faith. Bodily rectitude and mental Uprightness, and mental uprightness, have the characteristic of suppressing crookedness, manifesting as non-deceitfulness, and should be seen as the opposite of crookedness, deceit, and fraud. All these qualities, such as tranquility, should be understood as having body and mind as their foundation. Can't these qualities like tranquility eliminate agitation, that these qualities like tranquility are not distinct and separate? No, they cannot; they can only do so together, otherwise their arising is impossible. Just as when tranquility and the like are present, non-delusion and shame arise as direct opposites to delusion and shamelessness, so too, these should be understood as the desired opposites of agitation and the like. Because here, opposites must be removed in pairs, therefore they are divided into these two, not non-delusion and the like, it should be known. In application, 'desire' is a designation for the wish to do, therefore it has the characteristic of the wish to do, the function of seeking an object, manifesting as the need for an object, that itself is its foundation. In grasping an object, this should be seen as the mind's outstretched hand. And since this operates with detachment and the like, together with renunciation and the like, in a manner of wishing to do that is unlike greed, therefore it arises even in non-trainees. But greed operates only in a manner of clinging, preceded by perversions of beauty and pleasure, this is the distinction between them. Likewise, the distinction between loving-kindness, compassion, and the like, and greed and the like, should be understood accordingly. Conviction is resolution. It has the characteristic of determination, the function of non-wavering, manifesting as certainty, having the object to be determined as its foundation, and should be seen as immovable in the object, like a boundary post. But isn't faith also called conviction? Indeed, it is said that the faculty of faith performs the function of conviction, having the characteristic of conviction. It is true, but that is conviction in the sense of confidence, while this is conviction in the sense of certainty, whether rightly or wrongly, so there is no contradiction. Attention is doing, mind is doing, it is mind-doing, Because it makes the mind different from the previous mind, it is also mind-doing. It is of three kinds: Leading to the object, Leading to the process, Leading to the impulsion. Among them, attention leading to the object is what is meant here. It has the characteristic of directing, Its function is to apply the associated factors to the objects, Its manifestation is facing towards the object, Its proximate cause is the object, It is included in the aggregate of mental formations. It should be seen as the charioteer of the associated factors, Because it leads them to the object. But attention leading to the process is a designation for five-door adverting. Attention leading to the impulsion is for mind-door adverting, But these are not intended here. Here, this attention, merely by way of application, Applies the associated factors to the object, Like intention in the manner of mental action, But thinking, in the manner of conception, And in the manner of focusing, is what applies. Therefore, in the analysis of terms, "Thought and conception, and factors of absorption" are said, This is the distinction between them. Neutrality in those various things is evenness there. It has the characteristic of balancing the mind and mental factors, Its function is to prevent excess or deficiency, Or its function is to cut off partiality, Its manifestation is a state of neutrality, Its proximate cause is the balanced arising of associated factors. It should be seen as the charioteer who is neutral, Of the associated factors that are balanced in their arising, Like a well-trained horse. Because it causes the hearts of the good to tremble when there is the suffering of others, it is compassion, Or it cuts off or harms the suffering of others, Or it is extended to those who are suffering, it is compassion. It has the characteristic of acting to remove the suffering of others, Its function is intolerance of the suffering of others, Its manifestation is non-harming, Its proximate cause is seeing the helplessness of those overcome by suffering. Those who possess it rejoice, Or one rejoices oneself, Or it is merely rejoicing, thus gladness. It has the characteristic of joy, Its function is absence of envy, Its manifestation is dispelling discontent, Its proximate cause is seeing the success of beings. Why are loving-kindness and equanimity not mentioned here? Because they are taken up. Indeed, loving-kindness is friendliness, proceeding as benefiting beings. And equanimity is neutrality, proceeding as neutrality towards liked and disliked beings. These qualities are fixed, but their manifestation as loving-kindness or equanimity towards beings is unfixed. Abstinence from bodily misconduct is abstinence from bodily misconduct. The same method applies to the other two terms. But these three, in terms of characteristic, have the characteristic of non-transgression of the objects of bodily misconduct, etc., the function of shrinking away from them, the manifestation of their non-action, the proximate cause of qualities such as faith, shame, fear of wrongdoing, and fewness of desires, and the nature of the mind turning away from evil deeds. Thus, the determination should be understood in terms of characteristic, etc. In summary, these thirty-nine qualities that are distinguished in this sense-sphere first wholesome state are fourfold in terms of aggregates: the aggregate of feeling, the aggregate of perception, the aggregate of mental formations, and the aggregate of consciousness. Therein, feeling of joy in the sense of a heap is the aggregate of feeling, similarly, perception is the aggregate of perception, the mind is the aggregate of consciousness, and the remaining thirty-six qualities, beginning with contact, should be understood as the aggregate of mental formations. But if an aggregate is in the sense of a heap, then it is fitting that the aggregate of mental formations consists of many qualities such as contact, but how can the three, feeling, etc., be aggregates? By way of convention. For the term "aggregate," though established for each of the feelings, perceptions, and consciousnesses that are distinct in terms of past, etc., is used by way of conventional designation of the community even for each feeling, etc., that is a part of them, just as in cases such as "the tree is being cut" when a branch of a tree is being cut. Thus, they are fourfold in terms of aggregates. Again, they are twofold in terms of sense bases: the mind base and the object-of-mind base. Here, the mind is the mind base in the sense of a place of arising and confluence, but the remaining thirty-eight qualities are the object-of-mind base. Thus, they are twofold in terms of sense bases. Again, they are twofold in terms of elements: the mind-consciousness element and the object-of-mind element. Here, the mind, the element of mind-consciousness, is for the sake of life, the remaining are elements of phenomena. Thus, twofold by way of elements. Likewise, by way of nutriment and non-nutriment. There, these three phenomena, contact, volition, and consciousness, are called respectively "nutriment of contact, nutriment of volition, nutriment of consciousness" due to their specific conditioning nature, the rest are not nutriment. But are these not conditions, that they should be called non-nutriment? No, they are conditions, but not specific conditions, while contact and the like are specific conditions for those phenomena, and they nourish feelings and the like in particular. For the nutriment of contact nourishes the three kinds of feeling, the nutriment of volition nourishes the three existences, the nutriment of consciousness nourishes rebirth-linking and name-and-form. But is that not result, while this is wholesome consciousness? Although it is so, it is called nutriment of consciousness because of its similarity. Or, since these "immaterial nutriment are a condition by way of nutriment for associated phenomena and for material phenomena arising from them" (Paṭṭhāna 1.1.15), therefore, like material food, they are nutriment for the mental body by way of supporting the material body, thus these alone should be understood as "nutriment." Thus, twofold by way of nutriment and non-nutriment. Likewise, by way of faculties and non-faculties. There, these eight phenomena, confidence, energy, mindfulness, concentration, non-delusion, mind, pleasant feeling, and life, are called respectively "faculty of confidence, faculty of energy, faculty of mindfulness, faculty of concentration, faculty of wisdom, faculty of mind, faculty of pleasant feeling, faculty of life" due to their dominating nature, the rest are not "faculties." Thus, twofold by way of faculties and non-faculties. Likewise, by way of jhāna-factors and non-jhāna-factors. There, these five phenomena, initial application, sustained application, rapture, pleasant feeling, and concentration, are called "jhāna-factors" due to their nature of contemplating, the others are "non-jhāna-factors." Thus, twofold by way of jhāna-factors and non-jhāna-factors. Likewise, by way of path-factors and non-path-factors. There, these eight phenomena, non-delusion, initial application, the three abstinences, energy, mindfulness, concentration,