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B040101Visuddhimagga(purification path treatise)

English

"Thus, when kamma and result are proceeding with their causes; Like seeds and trees, the prior limit is not known; Nor in future transmigration is its non-proceeding seen. "Not understanding this meaning, the sectarians, not self-controlled; Grasping the notion of a being, No, those who hold views of eternalism and annihilationism; They grasp sixty-two views, mutually contradictory. Bound by the fetters of views, they are swept away by the current of craving; Swept away by the current of craving, they are not released from suffering. Having thus understood this, a monk, a disciple of the Buddha; Penetrates the profound, subtle, empty, and dependent condition. There is no action in the result, the result is not found in the action; Both are empty of each other, yet there is no result without action. Just as fire is not in the sun, nor in a jewel, nor in cow dung; It is not outside of these, but arises from the conditions. So too, the result is not found within the action; Nor is it outside the action, nor is the action found there. That action is empty of the result, the result is not found in the action; But taking action as a condition, from that the result arises. Herein, no god or Brahmā is the creator of transmigration; Pure phenomena proceed, due to conditions and constituents. 690. Having thus grasped the conditions of mind and matter in terms of the cycle of action and the cycle of results, all past, future, and present phenomena are known to him, whose doubt has been abandoned in the three times, in terms of decease and rebirth. This is his knowledge of comprehension. He thus understands: the aggregates that arose in the past due to action-conditions, ceased right there; but other aggregates arose in this existence due to past action-conditions. Not a single phenomenon came to this existence from a past existence. And in this existence too, the aggregates that arose due to action-conditions will cease, and others will arise in a future existence. Not a single phenomenon will go from this existence to a future existence. But just as the recitation from the teacher's mouth does not enter the pupil's mouth, yet the recitation does not fail to occur in his mouth due to that; just as water consecrated with mantras and drunk by a messenger does not enter the sick person's stomach, yet his illness does not fail to subside due to that; just as the image of the face in a mirror or other polished surface does not go into the mouth for adornment, yet there Without a cause, no adornment is manifest. The flame of one wick does not transfer to another wick, and yet, due to that condition, the flame does arise there. Just so, no phenomenon transfers from a past existence to this existence, or from this (existence) to a future existence, and yet, due to the aggregates, sense bases, and elements in a past existence, here, or due to the aggregates, sense bases, and elements here, the aggregates, sense bases, and elements do arise in a future existence. Just as eye-consciousness, Immediately after mind-element; It neither comes, Nor does it arise immediately. Just so at rebirth-linking, Mind-continuity flows; The former mind breaks up, The latter is born from that. No interval between them, No gap is found between them; Nothing goes from here, And rebirth-linking arises. 691. Thus, for one who knows all phenomena by way of decease and rebirth-linking, the knowledge of grasping the conditions of mind-and-matter in all ways becomes firm, and the sixteen kinds of doubt are thoroughly abandoned. Not only that, but also the eight kinds of doubt, such as "doubts about the Teacher" (Dhs. 1008), which arise in this way, are abandoned, and the sixty-two wrong views are suppressed. Thus, the knowledge that stands having overcome doubt concerning the three times by grasping the conditions of mind-and-matter in various ways is to be known as Purification by Overcoming Doubt. Knowledge of the Stability of Phenomena, Knowledge of Things as They Are, and Right View are also synonyms for this. For it has been said – "Ignorance is a condition, formations are conditioned. The wisdom that grasps conditions, (knowing) that both these phenomena are conditioned, is the Knowledge of the Stability of Phenomena." (Paṭi. Ma. 1.46). "Attending to impermanence, what phenomena does one know and see as they really are? How does right view come about? How, by that sequence, are all formations well-seen as impermanent? Where is doubt abandoned? Attending to suffering... (and) to non-self, what phenomena does one know and see as they really are?... Where is doubt abandoned?" Impermanent Therefore, attending to the sign, he knows and sees it as it really is, by that it is called right view. Thus, in consequence, all formations are well seen as impermanent. Here, doubt is abandoned. Attending to the occurrence as suffering, he knows and sees it as it really is... ...attending to the sign and the occurrence as not-self, he knows and sees them as they really are, by that it is called right view. Thus, in consequence, all phenomena are well seen as not-self. Here, doubt is abandoned. "And that knowledge of things as they really are, and that right view, and that overcoming of doubt, are these phenomena different in meaning and different in expression, or are they one in meaning, only the expression being different?" "And that knowledge of things as they really are, and that right view, and that overcoming of doubt, these phenomena are one in meaning, only the expression is different." (Paṭisambhidāmagga 1.227) But the meditator endowed with this knowledge gains confidence in the Buddha's dispensation, gains a footing, is destined for liberation, and is called a minor stream-enterer. Therefore, bhikkhu, ever mindful, of name-and-form in every way; should grasp the conditions, desiring the overcoming of doubt. Thus, in the Visuddhimagga, made for the joy of good people, in the section on the development of wisdom, the exposition called "Purification by Overcoming Doubt" is the nineteenth chapter. 20. Exposition of the Purification of Knowledge and Vision of What is Path and Not Path Discourse on Comprehension Knowledge 692. "This is the path, this is not the path"— the knowledge that stands, having thus known the path and the not-path, is called the Purification of Knowledge and Vision of What is Path and Not Path. One who wishes to achieve this should first engage in insight meditation, which is called comprehension by groups. Why? Because for a meditator who has begun insight, the knowledge of what is path and not path arises with the appearance of effulgence and so on. Indeed, for a meditator who has begun insight, when effulgence and so on appear, the knowledge of what is path and not path arises, and comprehension by groups is the beginning of insight. Therefore, this is taught immediately after the overcoming of doubt. Moreover, since the knowledge of what is path and not path arises when the full understanding of examination is present, and the full understanding of examination is the full understanding of the known Therefore, even by one wishing to accomplish that purification of knowledge and vision of the path and not-path, effort should first be made in the contemplation of groups. 693. Herein is the determination: There are three worldly kinds of full understanding: full understanding as knowing, full understanding as scrutinizing, and full understanding as abandoning. Concerning which it is said: "The wisdom of direct knowledge is knowledge in the sense of knowing. The wisdom of full understanding is knowledge in the sense of scrutinizing. The wisdom of abandoning is knowledge in the sense of relinquishing." (Paṭisambhidāmagga 1.75) Therein, the wisdom that proceeds by discerning the individual characteristics of those respective phenomena, such as "form has the characteristic of being afflicted, feeling has the characteristic of feeling," is called full understanding as knowing. The wisdom of insight, focused on characteristics, that proceeds by imposing the general characteristics upon those very phenomena, in the manner of "form is impermanent, feeling is impermanent," and so on, is called full understanding as scrutinizing. But the wisdom of insight, focused on characteristics, that proceeds by abandoning the perception of permanence and so forth in those very phenomena, is called full understanding as abandoning. Therein, from the discernment of formations up to the comprehension of conditions is the stage of full understanding as knowing. For in this interval, the penetration of the individual characteristics of phenomena is predominant. But from the contemplation of groups up to the contemplation of rise and fall is the stage of full understanding as scrutinizing. For in this interval, the penetration of the general characteristics is predominant. Starting with the contemplation of dissolution and upwards is the stage of full understanding as abandoning. For from that point, one contemplating as impermanent abandons the perception of permanence; one contemplating as suffering abandons the perception of pleasure; one contemplating as not-self abandons the perception of self; one becoming disenchanted abandons delight; one becoming dispassionate abandons lust; one ceasing abandons origination; one relinquishing abandons grasping (Paṭisambhidāmagga 1.52). Thus, the seven contemplations that accomplish the abandoning of the perception of permanence and so forth are predominant. Thus, in these three full understandings, since the discernment of formations and the comprehension of conditions have been accomplished, by this meditator only full understanding as knowing has been attained, and the others are yet to be attained. Therefore it is said, "Because full understanding as scrutinizing..." As knowledge proceeds, knowledge of the path and not-path arises,