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B040101Visuddhimagga(purification path treatise)

English

first grasps the causes and conditions of this physical body thus: "This body, when it comes into being, does not arise within lotuses, water-lilies, white lotuses, fragrant flowers, etc., nor within jewels, pearls, necklaces, etc., but rather, between the stomach and intestines, with the abdominal wall behind, and the backbone in front, surrounded by intestines and entrails, itself foul-smelling, disgusting, repulsive, in an extremely confined, foul-smelling, disgusting, repulsive place, like putrid fish, putrid gruel, snot, and excrement, how does it arise? For this body, thus coming into being, 'ignorance, craving, clinging, kamma' – these four phenomena are the causes as producers, and 'nutriment' is the condition as a supporter; thus, five phenomena are the causes and conditions. Among these, the three, ignorance and so on, are like the mother for a child, as a strong support for this body. Kamma is like the father, the generator of the son. Nutriment is like the wet-nurse, the sustainer of the child." Having thus grasped the conditions of the physical body, again, he grasps the conditions of the mental body according to the method beginning with "Eye and forms, dependent on them, eye-consciousness arises." He, thus seeing the arising of name-and-form from conditions, just as it is now, so too in the past, it arose from conditions, and in the future, it will arise from conditions – thus he contemplates. 680. As he thus contemplates, that fivefold doubt concerning the past, which is stated as: "Did I exist in the past? Did I not exist in the past? What was I in the past? How was I in the past? Having been what, what was I in the past?" (M.N. 1.18; S.N. 2.20) – that fivefold doubt is abandoned. And also that concerning the future, "Shall I exist in the future... I shall be, I shall not be, What shall I be, How shall I be, Having been what, what shall I be in the future? Thus, five kinds of doubt are stated. And concerning the present, when one doubts internally about the present time: Am I, Am I not, What am I, How am I, From where has this being come, Where will it go? Thus, six kinds of doubt are stated. All of that is abandoned. 681. Another sees the cause of mind (nāma) as twofold, common and uncommon, and the cause of matter (rūpa) as fourfold, based on kamma and so on. Indeed, the cause of mind is twofold: common and uncommon. Therein, the six doors like the eye, and the six objects like forms, are the common cause of mind, since all kinds of mind, divided into wholesome and so on, arise from them. Attention (manasikāra) and so on are the uncommon cause. For proper attention, listening to the good Dhamma, and so on, are only for the wholesome; the opposite is for the unwholesome; kamma and so on are for the result (vipāka); life-continuum (bhavaṅga) and so on are for functional consciousness (kiriya). As for matter, kamma, consciousness, temperature, and food— this is the fourfold cause based on kamma and so on. Therein, kamma, being past, is the cause of matter arisen from kamma. Consciousness, arising, is the cause of matter arisen from consciousness. Temperature and food, at the moment of persistence, are the causes of matter arisen from temperature and food. Thus, one grasps the causes of mind and matter in this way. Having thus seen the arising of mind and matter from their causes, he comprehends that just as this exists now, so too in the past, it arose from causes, and in the future, it will arise from causes. For him who comprehends thus, doubt concerning all three times is abandoned, in the manner stated. 682. Another, seeing the decay of these formations, which are called mind and matter, and the dissolution of the old, realizes that this decay and death of formations occurs when there is birth. Death, birth exists when becoming exists, becoming exists when clinging exists, clinging exists when craving exists, craving exists when feeling exists, feeling exists when contact exists, contact exists when the six sense bases exist, the six sense bases exist when name-and-form exists, name-and-form exists when consciousness exists, consciousness exists when volitional formations exist, volitional formations exist when ignorance exists. Thus, in the manner of dependent origination in reverse order, he grasps the conditions of name-and-form. Then, by this same method, his doubt is abandoned. 683. Another, by way of dependent origination in direct order, as previously explained in detail, "Indeed, with ignorance as condition, volitional formations [arise]," grasps the conditions of name-and-form. Then, by this same method, his perplexity is abandoned. 684. Another says: "In the former kamma-existence, delusion is ignorance, exertion is volitional formations, delight is craving, approaching is clinging, volition is becoming. These five phenomena in the former kamma-existence are conditions for rebirth here. Here, rebirth is consciousness, descent is name-and-form, sensitivity is sense-base, contacted is contact, felt is feeling. These five phenomena in this resultant-existence are conditions for kamma done previously. Here, due to the maturity of the sense-bases, delusion is ignorance... (and so on)... volition is becoming. These five phenomena in this kamma-existence are conditions for future rebirth." Thus, in terms of the kamma-cycle and the result-cycle, he grasps the conditions of name-and-form. 685. Therein, kamma is fourfold: kamma to be experienced in this very life, kamma to be experienced in the next life, kamma to be experienced in subsequent lives, and defunct kamma. Among these, in a single javana-process, the first volitional thought, whether wholesome or unwholesome, is called kamma to be experienced in this very life. It yields results in this very existence. However, if it is unable to do so, then according to this triad: "defunct kamma: there was no kamma-result, there will be no kamma-result, there is no kamma-result," it becomes defunct kamma. But the seventh volitional thought, which brings about a result, is kamma to be experienced in the next life. This is called kamma. It gives results in the very next existence. If it cannot do so, in the manner stated, it is called defunct kamma. Between the two, the five impulsion volitions are called kamma to be felt in later existences. When it gets an opportunity in the future, then it gives results. As long as the cycle of existence continues, there is no such thing as defunct kamma. 686. Again, kamma is fourfold: that which is weighty, that which is habitual, that which is proximate, or that which is accumulated. Among these, whether wholesome or unwholesome, among weighty and non-weighty, that which is weighty, such as matricide or exalted kamma, that alone ripens first. Similarly, among habitual and non-habitual, that which is habitual, whether good conduct or bad conduct, that alone ripens first. Proximate kamma is that which is recollected at the time of death. For whatever the dying person can recollect, by that alone he is reborn. But that which is free from these three, repeatedly practiced, is called accumulated kamma; in the absence of those, it draws forth rebirth. 687. Again, kamma is fourfold: generative, supportive, obstructive, and destructive. Among these, generative kamma is both wholesome and unwholesome. It generates result aggregates of form and formless realms, both at rebirth and during life. Supportive kamma, however, cannot generate results itself; it supports the arising happiness and suffering in the results generated by rebirth given by another kamma, and prolongs the duration. Obstructive kamma afflicts and hinders the arising happiness and suffering in the results generated by rebirth given by another kamma, and does not allow the duration to continue. Destructive kamma, being itself wholesome or unwholesome, destroys another weak kamma, obstructs its result, and creates an opportunity for its own result. When an opportunity is thus created by kamma, that result is said to have arisen. Thus, the difference in kamma and the difference in results of these twelve kammas are known by the Buddhas' knowledge of kamma and its results. appears as it truly is, not common to disciples. But by the insight-meditator, the interval of kamma and the interval of result should be known in part. Therefore, this distinction of kamma is revealed by a mere glance at the entrance. 688. Thus, having cast this twelvefold kamma into the kamma-round, one grasps the conditions of mind-and-matter in terms of the kamma-round and the result-round. Seeing the arising of mind-and-matter from conditions in terms of the kamma-round and the result-round, one thinks: "Just as this now, so in the past it arose from conditions in terms of the kamma-round and the result-round; and in the future too, it will arise from conditions in terms of the kamma-round and the result-round." Thus, kamma and kamma-result, the kamma-round and the result-round, the arising of kamma and the arising of result, the continuity of kamma and the continuity of result, action and the fruit of action. From kamma, results arise, the result is born of kamma; From kamma, rebirth comes, thus the world proceeds. One discerns. To one discerning thus, that sixteenfold doubt, spoken of in the manner "Was I in the past?" and so on, regarding the past and so forth, all of it is abandoned. Only mind-and-matter is seen to proceed in all existences, wombs, destinies, stations, and abodes, in terms of cause and effect. One does not see an agent apart from the cause, nor a feeler of results apart from the arising of results. But when there is a cause, the wise speak of "an agent"; and when there is the arising of results, they speak of "a feeler," by mere convention. This is clearly seen by one's right wisdom. 689. Therefore, the ancients said: "There is no doer of kamma, nor a feeler of the result; Pure phenomena proceed, this is right view.