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joint by joint, limit by limit, right there, and break apart, like sesame seeds thrown into a hot pan, crackling. Therefore, they are impermanent, suffering, non-self." Ah! For him thus discerning formations in their successive stages, the comprehension of form becomes subtle. 711. And concerning its subtlety, this is the simile. Indeed, a certain border-dweller, familiar with wood and grass torches, but who had never seen a lamp before, came to a city. Seeing a lamp burning in the marketplace, he asked a man: "Sir, what is this so delightful thing?" That man said to him: "What is delightful about this? This is a lamp, and its path, by the exhaustion of oil and the exhaustion of wick, will not even be perceived." Another man said to him: "This is coarse. For as this wick burns gradually, the flame will cease in its third part, in its third part, without reaching the other part." Another man said to him: "This too is coarse. For in this, between an inch and an inch, between a half-inch and a half-inch, in thread after thread, in fiber after fiber, the flame will cease without reaching the other fiber. And it is not possible to perceive the flame apart from the fiber." Therein, the knowledge of the man who said, "The lamp's path, by the exhaustion of oil and wick, will not even be perceived," is like the yogi's application of the three characteristics to form, defined by a hundred years, from its taking up and laying down. The knowledge of the man who said, "The flame will cease in its third part, in its third part, without reaching the other part of the wick," is like the yogi's application of the three characteristics to form, defined by the third portion of a hundred years, in terms of aging, growth, and cessation. The knowledge of the man who said, "The flame will cease between an inch and an inch, without reaching the other," is like the yogi's application of the three characteristics to form, defined by ten years, five years, four years, three years, two years, one year. The knowledge of the man who said, "The flame will cease between a half-inch and a half-inch, without reaching the other," is like the yogi's application of the three characteristics to form, defined by four-month and two-month periods, dividing one year into three or six parts according to each season. The knowledge of the man who said, "In thread after thread, the flame will cease without reaching the other..." Like a man's knowledge that it will cease, for the yogi, by dark and bright fortnights, by day and night, and by dividing one day-and-night into six parts, by forenoon and so on, the three characteristics are superimposed on the thus-defined form. Like a man's knowledge that "flames in each ray will cease without reaching one another," for the yogi, by advancing and so on, and in lifting and so on, by way of each single part, the three characteristics are superimposed on the thus-defined form. 712. He, having thus superimposed the three characteristics on forms of various kinds of growth, aging, and decline, again, having analyzed that same form, divides it into four parts by way of food-originated, and so on, and superimposes the three characteristics on each part. Therein, his food-originated form becomes manifest by way of hunger and satiety. Indeed, the form arisen at the time of hunger is withered and weary, like a burnt stump, and like a crow perched in an ash-basket, it is ill-colored and ill-formed. The form arisen at the time of satiety is nourished, plump, soft, smooth, and pleasant to touch. He, having comprehended that, (thinks): "The form existing at the time of hunger ceases right here without reaching the time of satiety. And the form arisen at the time of satiety also ceases right here without reaching the time of hunger. Therefore, it is impermanent, suffering, non-self." Thus, he superimposes the three characteristics on it. 713. The season-originated form becomes manifest by way of cold and heat. Indeed, the form arisen at the time of heat is withered, weary, and ill-colored. The form arisen by the cold season is nourished, plump, and smooth. He, having comprehended that, (thinks): "The form existing at the time of heat ceases right here without reaching the time of cold. The form existing at the time of cold ceases right here without reaching the time of heat. Therefore, it is impermanent, suffering, non-self." Thus, he superimposes the three characteristics on it. 714. The kamma-originated form becomes manifest by way of sense-doors. Indeed, at the eye-door, there are thirty kamma-originated forms by way of the eye-body-existence decad. And their supporting forms, arisen from season, mind, and food, are twenty-four, making fifty-four. Similarly, ear- and nose-originated... in the tongue-doors. In the body-door, by way of the body-decad and also by way of temperature-origin and so on, forty-four. In the mind-door, by way of the heart-base-body-decad and also by way of temperature-origin and so on, fifty-four, indeed. Having comprehended all that form, "The form arising in the eye-door, without reaching the ear-door, ceases right here. The form arising in the ear-door (ceases without reaching) the nose-door. The form arising in the nose-door (ceases without reaching) the tongue-door. The form arising in the tongue-door (ceases without reaching) the body-door. The form arising in the body-door, without reaching the mind-door, ceases right here, therefore it is impermanent, suffering, non-self." Thus, he applies the three characteristics there. 715. Mind-originated (form) becomes manifest by way of being joyful or sorrowful. Indeed, form arisen at a time of joy is smooth, soft, plump, and pleasant to touch. That arisen at a time of sorrow is withered, weary, and discolored. Having comprehended that, "The form arising at a time of joy, without reaching a time of sorrow, ceases right here. The form arising at a time of sorrow, without reaching a time of joy, ceases right here, therefore it is impermanent, suffering, non-self." Thus, he applies the three characteristics there. As he thus comprehends mind-originated form and applies the three characteristics there, this meaning becomes manifest – Life and existence, and all joys and sorrows; are conjoined with a single mind, a moment passes swiftly. Eighty-four thousand, aeons stand those devas; Yet even they do not stand, conjoined with two minds. Those that ceased for one dying, or for one remaining here; All aggregates are alike, gone without rebirth-linking. And those that broke immediately (after), and those that will break in the future; Among those that ceased in between, there is no difference in characteristic. By what is not arisen, one is not born, by what is present, one lives; The world dies with the mind's dissolution, a designation for ultimate reality. Broken, gone to no repository, there is no heap in the future; Even those that have arisen and stand, at the tip of an awl Like a mustard cake. And for things arisen, their breaking is foremost; They stand as things to decay, unmixed with the old. From the unseen they come, broken, to the unseen they go; Like lightning in the sky, they arise and they vanish. (Mahāni. 10) 716. Thus, having applied the three characteristics to things like food, he again applies the three characteristics to natural formations of matter. Natural formations of matter are those external forms not bound by faculties, such as iron, lead, tin, gold, silver, pearls, gems, lapis lazuli, conch shells, rocks, coral, rubies, heartwood, earth, stones, mountains, grass, trees, vines, and so on, which arise from the beginning of the evolving aeon. This becomes evident through things like an asoka sprout. Indeed, an asoka sprout is initially light red, then after two or three days, it becomes dark red, again after two or three days, it becomes dull red, then the color of a young leaf, then the color of a mature leaf, then the color of a green leaf. Then the color of a dark green leaf. From the time it is dark green, maintaining a continuous succession of similar forms, in about a year, it becomes a yellow leaf, breaks off from its stalk, and falls. Taking this, he reflects: "The form existing at the light red stage ceases without reaching the dark red stage. The form existing at the dark red stage [ceases without reaching] the dull red stage. The form existing at the dull red stage [ceases without reaching] the young leaf color stage. The form existing at the young leaf color stage [ceases without reaching] the mature leaf color stage. The form existing at the mature leaf color stage [ceases without reaching] the green leaf color stage. The form existing at the green leaf stage [ceases without reaching] the dark green leaf color stage. The form existing at the dark green leaf color stage [ceases without reaching] the yellow leaf stage. The form existing at the yellow leaf stage ceases without even reaching the time of breaking off from the stalk and falling. Therefore, he applies the three characteristics: 'It is impermanent, suffering, non-self.'" Thus, having applied the three characteristics there, in this way he contemplates all natural formations of matter. Thus, having applied the three characteristics in terms of the seven kinds of matter, he contemplates the formations. Contemplation of the seven kinds of immateriality Now, 717. As for what was said, "in the manner of the seven formless beings," this is the matrix: from the cluster, from the pair, from the moment, from the sequence, from the removal of views, from the removal of conceit, and from the exhaustion of craving. Therein, "from the cluster" means phenomena with contact as the fifth. How does one contemplate from the cluster?