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B030309Abhidhammamātikāpāḷi(abhidharma summary verses)

English

unlimited fair and ugly ones, perfectly pure blue, yellow, red, white" (Dha. Sa. 211 ff.) – Eight spheres of mastery were taught, and these are only in the kasiṇas, due to the distinction in the arising of jhāna by mastering and attaining, and due to the distinction in the object. Here, "perceiving formlessness internally" means without the preliminary perception based on the internal form in the kasiṇa, either because it has not been attained or because it is useless. "One sees forms externally" means one sees the eight kasiṇa forms externally, both in terms of preliminary practice and in terms of attainment. "Limited ones" means of small size, and seeing them and mastering them, one who is skilled in grasping, having obtained a ladleful of rice, and thinking, "What is there to eat here?" gathers it all together and makes it into one mouthful. Just so, one who is superior in knowledge, thinking, "What is there to attain in this limited object? This is not my burden," masters them and produces attainment together with the arising of the sign. Therefore, that jhāna is called "sphere of mastery." "Unlimited ones" means large ones. "Having mastered them" means a great glutton... Having obtained any object, like a bowl of food, the adept in knowledge, having obtained the immeasurable, establishes absorption, thinking, "Let it be this or something else, what should be focused on here?" "Golden and unsightly" means colors that are pure and impure. For pure colors are blue and so on, and impure colors are golden and unsightly, which are intended here. These too, "Whether they are golden or unsightly, they are only abhibhāyatana due to limited or unlimited scope," are described in the commentaries. Because of the existence of color perception, the former abhibhāyatana are said to be fourfold here, due to the complete distinction of having or not having color perception. But the four, blue and so on, are easily ascended to due to their very pure color, and the adept in knowledge overcomes them and establishes absorption. Therefore, even in the absence of a specific object, it should be understood that each of these eight abhibhāyatana is eightfold due to the particularity of the arising of jhāna. The discussion of the abhibhāyatana. Again, they are each threefold, according to the abhibhāyatana, and also according to the vimokkha. For the Blessed One has taught three vimokkha: "One who has form sees forms; one who is inwardly without perception of form sees forms outwardly; one is intent only on the beautiful." And these, by focusing on the kasiṇa, due to the particularity of the arising of jhāna, and due to the particularity of the object of meditation, what is this called "being intent"? It is thoroughly freeing oneself from opposing qualities, and thoroughly delighting in the objects. It means proceeding in the object without apprehension, free from anxiety, like the lying down of a child who has relaxed his limbs in the lap of his father or mother. Here, "one who has form" means that the form jhāna produced inwardly in the hair and so on is called form, and one has that, therefore one is "one who has form." For inwardly too, having focused on the color kasiṇa, blue in the hair and so on, yellow in the bile and so on, red in the flesh and so on, and white in the teeth and so on, For one developing preliminary work, rūpa jhānas arise, and having opened up the kasiṇa, arūpa jhānas also arise. "He sees forms" means he sees external blue kasiṇa forms, etc., with the jhāna-eye. This shows the attainment of jhāna in kasiṇas with internal and external objects. "Internally, perceiving formlessness" means one who has not generated rūpāvacara jhāna in his own hair, etc. This shows the attainment of jhāna externally. "He is intent on what is beautiful" means this shows the attainment of jhāna in the very pure blue color kasiṇas, etc., with the intention "beautiful." Thus, even without a difference in object, due to the special arising of jhāna according to intention, it should be understood that these three vimokkhas are each threefold. The discourse on vimokkha. Just as with vimokkha, so too with difference in practice, they are each fourfold: painful practice, slow insight; painful practice, quick insight; pleasant practice, slow insight; pleasant practice, quick insight. Therein, the jhāna-development that occurs from the beginning of the first combination up to the arising of access concentration is called "practice." That is painful for some, due to the density of the arising of opposing factors such as the hindrances, and is unpleasant to cultivate; for some, it is pleasant due to the absence of that. However, the wisdom that occurs from access concentration up to attainment concentration is called "insight." That is slow for some, not quickly occurring, and quick for some. For one who cultivates what is unsuitable, the practice is painful, and the insight is slow; for one who cultivates what is suitable, the practice is pleasant, and the insight is quick. Mixture should be understood according to the cultivation of suitable and unsuitable at different times. Similarly, for one who does not complete preliminary duties such as cutting off obstacles, the practice is painful; for one who completes them, the practice is pleasant. For one who does not complete skill in attainment, the insight is slow; for one who completes it, the insight is quick. Or, due to the sharpness or mildness of the defilements and faculties, the first, the fourth by reversal, and the middle two by mixture, should be understood. These should be examined. Or the distinction of these should be understood by way of being skilled or unskilled in serenity and insight depending on whether craving and ignorance are overcome or not. It should be seen that the difference in practice and higher knowledge of the second jhāna and so on also occurs by way of attaining the first jhāna and so on. Thus, it should be understood that they are each fourfold by way of practice. The discourse on practice. Just as by practices, so also by difference of object, they are each fourfold: limited with a limited object, limited with an immeasurable object, immeasurable with a limited object, immeasurable with an immeasurable object. Therein, that which is of little quality, which cannot be a condition for a higher jhāna, this is limited. But that which occurs in an unexpanded object, that is said to have a limited object, so it is limited with a limited object. The immeasurable and the immeasurable object are the opposite of that. The other two in the middle should be understood by a mixture of those two. Thus, it should be understood that they are fourfold by difference of object. The discourse on object. Just as by practice and object, so also by way of dominances, a fourfoldness for each and again a threefoldness by way of the inferior triad should be connected and understood. The discourse on the root division of the ten kasinas is finished. Just as in the kasina roots, so also in the brahma-vihāra roots, the division should be understood as appropriate. For the four jhānas from the beginning are each threefold by way of loving-kindness, compassion, and gladness: accompanied by loving-kindness, accompanied by compassion, accompanied by gladness. But the fifth jhāna is of one kind by way of the brahma-vihāra of equanimity: accompanied by equanimity. For in the first three, the fifth jhāna does not arise. Why? Because of non-separation from joy, because of the respective escape from ill-will, harming, and discontent that arise from joy. And in the latter, the triad and the fourth jhāna do not arise. Why? Because of association with the feeling of equanimity, and because of its occurrence in a neutral manner as an escape from aversion and resentment. Again, those should be connected with the differences of practice, object, dominance, and inferior triad in the manner stated earlier. To be understood. Herein, limited object is due to limited beings as object, Unlimited object is due to numerous beings as object, And the expansion should be understood as reaching absorption in one being, then gradually extending to beings in one dwelling, one street, one village, and so on. In the exposition of the Dhamma, herein, thirty-five mental states are associated with compassion but devoid of sympathetic joy, among them, four such as desire, and compassion, only these five are those that lead to absorption, and compassion is fixed, it should be understood. Likewise, with sympathetic joy. Only, sympathetic joy devoid of compassion is fixed and occurs, this is the distinction here. In the remaining two divine abodes, however, and in all objects such as kasiṇa and the impure, thirty-four mental states are devoid of both compassion and sympathetic joy, and there, four such as desire are those that lead to absorption, it should be understood. This is the discourse on the basic division of the divine abodes. But due to the variety of the impure, only the first jhāna is of ten kinds, associated with the bloated corpse perception, the bluish, festering, split, gnawed, scattered, mutilated, scattered, bloody, worm-infested, and skeleton perceptions, in these ten kinds of impure objects, due to repulsiveness and weakness, the jhāna stands only by the power of initial thought, not without initial thought, like a boat on a fast-flowing river without the strength of oars, therefore, only the first jhāna arises here, as seen in the advantages of serenity and insight, and here, with the abandonment of the hindrances, joy and happiness arise, like for one throwing flowers on a heap of excrement upon seeing the prospect of much gain, and like for a sick person relieved of suffering from disease upon the occurrence of vomiting and purging, it should be seen. But that ten kinds of first jhāna should be understood