English
And the arisen ones cease, There is no remaining aggregates. Because it is to be designated by taking that as a basis, There are no remaining aggregates here. without remainder of clinging. Because it is attainable by a special knowledge perfected through unremitting effort, and by the word of the Omniscient One, Nibbāna is not non-existent in ultimate reality. For it has been said: "There is, monks, the unborn, unbecome, unmade, unconditioned." This is the introduction to the discourse of determination in the exposition of the cessation of suffering. Discourse on the Exposition of the Path 562. The eight qualities stated in the exposition of the path leading to the cessation of suffering, though already explained in essence in the exposition of the aggregates, here we speak of them for the sake of understanding their specific nature as they occur simultaneously. In brief, for the yogi who has entered upon the penetration of the Four Noble Truths, Right View is the eye of wisdom, having Nibbāna as its object, eradicating the latent tendency of ignorance. It has the characteristic of right seeing; its function is to reveal the elements; its manifestation is the destruction of the darkness of ignorance. For one thus endowed with right view, Right Intention is the mental application to the state of Nibbāna, associated with that view, destroying wrong intention. It has the characteristic of right mental application; its function is to fix the mind; its manifestation is the abandonment of wrong intention. For one thus seeing and intending, Right Speech is the abstention from wrong speech, associated with that, eradicating verbal misconduct. It has the characteristic of restraint; its function is to abstain; its manifestation is the abandonment of wrong speech. For one thus abstaining, Right Action is the abstention from killing and so forth, associated with that, cutting off wrong action. It has the characteristic of undertaking; its function is to abstain; its manifestation is the abandonment of wrong action. And that abstention from wrong livelihood, which is the purification of those Right Speech and Right Action, associated with them, cutting off deception and so forth, is called Right Livelihood. It has the characteristic of purification; its function is to maintain a proper livelihood; its manifestation is the abandonment of wrong livelihood. Then, for one established in that ground of virtue, called Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood, the corresponding and associated exertion of effort, cutting off laziness, this is called Right Effort. It has the characteristic of exertion; of unarisen unwholesome... the flavor of producing, etc., its proximate cause is the abandonment of wrong effort. For one thus striving, the non-forgetfulness of mind, which is associated with that, and which dispels wrong mindfulness, is called right mindfulness. It has the characteristic of presence, the flavor of non-forgetfulness, its proximate cause is the abandonment of wrong mindfulness. For the mind thus guarded by supreme mindfulness, the one-pointedness of mind, which is associated with that, and which shatters wrong concentration, is called right concentration. It has the characteristic of non-distraction, the flavor of unification, its proximate cause is the abandonment of wrong concentration. This is the method in the exposition of the path leading to the cessation of suffering. Thus, in this, the determination of birth, etc., should be understood. 563. By the function of knowledge: the determination should be understood also by the function of truth-knowledge. For truth-knowledge is twofold: knowledge of comprehension and knowledge of penetration. Among these, knowledge of comprehension is mundane, and it occurs in cessation and the path by way of hearsay, etc. Knowledge of penetration is supramundane, and taking cessation as its object, it penetrates the four truths by way of function. As it is said: “Whoever, monks, sees suffering, he also sees the origin of suffering, he also sees the cessation of suffering, he also sees the path leading to the cessation of suffering,” all that should be said. Its function will become manifest in the purification of knowledge and vision. As for this mundane knowledge, knowledge of suffering, occurring by way of obsession and overwhelming, removes the view of a self-body. Knowledge of origin removes the annihilation view. Knowledge of cessation removes the eternalist view. Knowledge of the path removes the inaction view. Or, knowledge of suffering removes the error regarding the result, which is the perception of permanence, beauty, and pleasure in aggregates devoid of permanence, beauty, and pleasure. Knowledge of origin removes the error regarding the cause, which is the assumption of a cause in what is not a cause, such as the world arising from a god, prime matter, time, or nature. Knowledge of cessation removes the error regarding cessation, which is the grasping of liberation in the formless realms, world-mounds, etc. Knowledge of the path removes the error regarding the pure path, which is the impure path, divided into the pursuit of sensual pleasures and the practice of self-mortification. It turns back the error in the means that arises from attachment. Therefore, it is said: ‘‘In the world, in the origin of the world, In the attainment of the world's good, in the auspicious, and in its means; A person is bewildered, As long as they do not know the truths.’’ Thus, here, the determination should be understood also from the perspective of the function of knowledge. 564. The divisions of what is included: In the truth of suffering, indeed, all remaining phenomena are included, except for craving and the canker-free phenomena. In the truth of origin, thirty-six courses of craving. The truth of cessation is unmixed. In the truth of the path, by way of Right View, are the power of investigation, the basis of success, the faculty of wisdom, the power of wisdom, and the enlightenment factor of investigation of phenomena. By way of Right Intention, the three intentions of renunciation and so forth. By way of Right Speech, the four good conducts of speech. By way of Right Action, the three good conducts of body. By way of Right Livelihood, little-wishing and contentment. Or, because all these — Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood — are the virtue dear to the noble ones, and because the virtue dear to the noble ones is to be grasped by the hand of faith, due to their existence, there are the faculty of faith, the power of faith, and the basis of success of desire. By way of Right Effort, the four kinds of right exertions, the faculty of energy, the power of energy, and the enlightenment factor of energy. By way of Right Mindfulness, the four kinds of establishments of mindfulness, the faculty of mindfulness, the power of mindfulness, and the enlightenment factor of mindfulness. By way of Right Concentration, the three concentrations such as with initial and sustained application, mental concentration, the faculty of concentration, the power of concentration, and the enlightenment factors of rapture, tranquility, concentration, and equanimity are included. Thus, here, the determination should be understood also from the perspective of the divisions of what is included. 565. From the perspective of analogy: Indeed, the truth of suffering should be seen like a burden; the truth of origin like the taking up of a burden; the truth of cessation like the laying down of a burden; the truth of the path like the means of laying down a burden. And the truth of suffering like a disease; the truth of origin like the cause of disease; the truth of cessation like the alleviation of disease; the truth of the path like medicine. Or the truth of suffering like a famine; the truth of origin like a drought; the truth of cessation like abundance; su The path-truth is like rain. And also, by methods of enemy, root of enmity, eradication of enmity, and means of eradicating enmity; by methods of poisonous tree, root of tree, cutting off the root, and means of cutting it off; by methods of fear, root of fear, fearlessness, and means of attaining it; and by efforts to reach the far shore from the near shore of the great flood— these should be understood as analogies. Thus, in this context, the determination should be understood by analogy. 566. By way of four: Here there is suffering, not noble truth; there is noble truth, not suffering; there is both suffering and noble truth; there is neither suffering nor noble truth. This method applies to origination and so on. Therein, phenomena associated with the path and the fruits of recluseship are suffering by way of *saṅkhāra-dukkha* —according to "what is impermanent is suffering"— but not noble truth. Cessation is noble truth, not suffering. The other two noble truths might be suffering due to impermanence, but not in the sense for the full understanding of which the holy life is lived in the Blessed One. However, in every respect, the five aggregates of clinging are both suffering and noble truth, except for craving. Phenomena associated with the path and the fruits of recluseship, in the sense for the full understanding of which the holy life is lived in the Blessed One, are neither suffering nor noble truth. Thus, by applying this appropriately to origination and so on, the determination by way of four should be understood here. 567. Here, by way of emptiness and one-fold, etc.: First, by way of emptiness, in the ultimate sense, all truths are to be understood as empty due to the absence of an experiencer, a doer, one who is extinguished, or one who goes. Therefore it is said: "Indeed, there is only suffering, no one who suffers; No doer, only action exists. There is extinguishment, no person extinguished; There is a path, no one who goes." Or else, Empty of permanence, beauty, happiness, and self,