English
And further it has been said: "Just as, friend, dependent on wood, dependent on creepers, dependent on clay, dependent on grass, space enclosed goes by the designation of 'house'; even so, friend, dependent on bones, dependent on sinews, dependent on flesh, dependent on skin, space enclosed goes by the designation of 'form'." And further it has been said: Only suffering arises, suffering persists and vanishes; Nothing but suffering arises, nothing but suffering ceases. Elucidation of name-and-form by similes. 673. Thus, by hundreds of suttas, only name-and-form has been revealed, not a being, not a person. Therefore, just as when the parts like axle, wheels, frame, and pole are arranged in a certain way, there is merely the designation 'chariot', but in ultimate reality, when each part is examined, there is no such thing as a chariot. And just as when the house-parts like wood are arranged in a certain way, enclosing space, there is merely the designation 'house', but in ultimate reality, there is no such thing as a house. And just as when fingers and thumb are arranged in a certain way, there is merely the designation 'fist'. And in the case of the body, strings, etc., 'lute'. And in the case of elephants, horses, etc., 'army'. And in the case of walls, houses, gates, etc., 'city'. And when trunk, branches, leaves, etc., are arranged in a certain way, there is merely the designation 'tree', but in ultimate reality, when each component is examined, there is no such thing as a tree. Even so, when the five aggregates of clinging exist, there is merely the designation 'being', 'person', but in ultimate reality... when each phenomenon is examined in the ultimate sense, there is no being that is the basis for the grasp of ‘‘I am’’ or ‘‘I exist.’’ In the ultimate sense, there is only mind and matter. Indeed, the vision of one who sees thus is called seeing things as they are. 674. But whoever abandons this seeing things as they are and grasps that ‘‘a being exists,’’ would he acknowledge its destruction or its non-destruction? Acknowledging its non-destruction, he falls into eternalism. Acknowledging its destruction, he falls into annihilationism. Why? Because there is no other (being) that is a consequence of that (being), just as curds are a consequence of milk. One who grasps ‘‘the being is eternal’’ is called clinging. One who grasps ‘‘it is annihilated’’ is called overshooting. Therefore, the Blessed One said: ‘‘By two views, bhikkhus, devas and humans are beset: some cling, some overshoot, but the clear-sighted see. ‘‘And how, bhikkhus, do some cling? Devas and humans, bhikkhus, delight in existence, are fond of existence, are pleased with existence. When the Dhamma is taught for the cessation of existence, their minds do not incline, do not become serene, do not settle, do not become resolute. Thus, bhikkhus, do some cling. ‘‘And how, bhikkhus, do some overshoot? Some, indeed, bhikkhus, being wearied of existence, ashamed of existence, disgusted with existence, rejoice in non-existence, thinking: ‘Indeed, sirs, when this self is annihilated, destroyed with the breaking up of the body, and does not exist after death, this is peaceful, this is excellent, this is the truth.’ Thus, bhikkhus, do some overshoot. ‘‘And how, bhikkhus, do the clear-sighted see? Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu sees what has come to be as what has come to be. Having seen what has come to be as what has come to be, he practices for the revulsion, dispassion, and cessation of what has come to be. Thus, bhikkhus, do the clear-sighted see’’ (Iti. 49). 675. Therefore, just as a wooden machine is empty, lifeless, and without volition, yet by the combination of wood and ropes, it moves and stands still, and appears as if it has volition and activity; similarly, this mind and matter are empty which is lifeless and without striving, yet by means of their mutual combination, it goes and it stands. It should be seen as if it has striving and activity. Therefore, the ancients said: "Name and form truly exist here, No being or person is found therein; This is empty, constructed like a machine, A heap of suffering, like grass and sticks." And this should not be understood only by the simile of a wooden machine, but also by other similes, such as bundles of reeds – just as when two bundles of reeds are placed leaning on each other, one is a support for the other, when one falls, the other also falls, even so, in the five-constituent existence, name and form proceed leaning on each other, one is a support for the other. When one falls due to death, the other also falls. Therefore, the ancients said: "Name and form are a pair, both depend on each other; When one breaks up, both conditions break up." 676. And just as when a sound arises depending on a drum struck by a stick, the drum is one thing, the sound is another, drum and sound are unmixed, the drum is empty of sound, the sound is empty of the drum, and indeed, just as sound arises depending on the drum, so name arises depending on form. Therefore, the ancients said: "The five, with contact as the fifth, do not arise from the eye, Nor from form, nor between the two; They arise conditioned by a cause, Just as sound from a struck drum. "The five, with contact as the fifth, do not arise from the ear, Nor from sound, nor between the two... (and so on) "The five, with contact as the fifth, do not arise from the nose, Nor from smell, nor between the two... (and so on) "The five, with contact as the fifth, do not arise from the tongue, Nor from taste, nor between the two... (and so on) "The five, with contact as the fifth, do not arise from the body, Nor from touch, nor between the two... (and so on) Not from the base-form do they arise... Conditioned things flow, Nor do they issue from mind-objects; Conditioned things arise dependent on a cause, Just as a sound from a struck drum. 677. Moreover, here, mind is without power, it cannot function by its own power, it does not eat, it does not drink, it does not speak, it does not adopt a posture. Form also is without power, it cannot function by its own power. For it has no desire to eat, nor a desire to drink, no desire to speak, no desire to adopt a posture. But dependent on mind, form functions, dependent on form, mind functions. When there is mind's desire to eat, desire to drink, desire to speak, desire to adopt a posture, form eats, drinks, speaks, adopts a posture. For the elucidation of this matter, they give this simile – Just as if a man born blind and a cripple wished to go to a certain direction. The man born blind said to the cripple thus: ‘‘Friend, I am able to do the work of feet with my feet, but I have no eyes with which I might see the even and uneven.’’ The cripple also said to the man born blind thus: ‘‘Friend, I am able to do the work of eyes with my eyes, but I have no feet with which I might advance or retreat.’’ So the man born blind, pleased and delighted, placed the cripple on his shoulder. The cripple, sitting on the shoulder of the man born blind, said thus: ‘‘Release the left, take the right, release the right, take the left.’’ There, the man born blind, without power, weak, does not go by his own power, by his own strength, the cripple also, without power, weak, does not go by his own power, by his own strength, yet their going does not fail by depending on each other. Even so, mind is without power, it does not arise by its own power, nor does it function in those various actions. Form also is without power, it does not arise by its own power, nor does it function in those various actions, yet their arising, dependent on each other, does not fail. or becoming does not occur. Therefore it is said: “They are not born by their own power, Nor do they stand by their own power; Subject to other conditions, They are born, compounded, weak in self. “And they are born from other causes, Arisen from other objects; By conditions of objects, And by other conditions, these are manifested. “Just as humans, relying on a ship, go on the ocean; Even so, relying on form, the mind-body proceeds. “And just as a ship, relying on humans, goes on the ocean; Even so, relying on mind, the form-body proceeds. “Both go relying on each other, humans and ship on the ocean; Thus mind and form, both are mutually dependent.” Thus, for one who, by various methods, distinguishes mind-and-form, overcoming the perception of a being, and standing on the ground of non-delusion, the true seeing of mind-and-form is to be known as Purity of View. The analysis of mind-and-form is also called the discernment of formations. Thus, in the Path of Purification, composed for the joy of good people, In the section on the development of wisdom, The exposition of Purity of View, The eighteenth chapter. 19. Exposition of Purity by Overcoming Doubt Discourse on the Comprehension of Conditions 678. The knowledge that stands, having overcome doubt concerning the three times, by comprehending the conditions of this very mind-and-form, is called Purity by Overcoming Doubt. A bhikkhu wishing to achieve this, just as a skilled physician, seeing a disease, seeks its origin; or just as a compassionate person, seeing a young, weak, supine child lying in the street, considers, “Whose child is this?” and seeks its parents; even so, he seeks the causes and conditions of that mind-and-form. He reflects from the outset: “This mind-and-form is not without cause, for then it would be the same everywhere, always, and for everyone. It is not caused by a lord or the like, for lords and the like do not exist apart from mind-and-form. And those who say that lords and the like are merely mind-and-form ...they arise, from the attainment of a causeless state for their name-and-form, reckoned as lord and so on. Therefore, it must exist by causes and conditions. What then are they? 679. He, thus reflecting on the causes and conditions of name-and-form,