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B040101Visuddhimagga(purification path treatise)

English

723. Having thus purified his knowledge by abandoning the opposites of the contemplation of impermanence and so on, such as the perception of permanence and so on, and having gone beyond the knowledge of comprehension, he begins the practice for the attainment of that contemplation of arising and passing away which is called ‘‘wisdom in contemplating the change of present phenomena, knowledge in contemplating arising and passing away’’ — immediately after the knowledge of comprehension. As he begins, he begins briefly. Here is the Pāli text: ‘‘How is there wisdom in contemplating the change of present phenomena, knowledge in contemplating arising and passing away? Form that has arisen is present; its characteristic of origination is arising, its characteristic of change is passing away; the contemplation is knowledge. Feeling that has arisen… perception… volitional formations… consciousness… the eye that has arisen… …existence that has arisen is present; its characteristic of origination is arising, its characteristic of change is passing away; the contemplation is knowledge’’ — this has been said. Thus, by this Pāli method, the characteristic of origination of the arisen mind-and-matter, the coming into being, the arising, the new appearance as "arising," the characteristic of change, the decay, the breaking up as "passing away," he discerns. He thus understands: "Of this mind-and-body, before its arising, when it had not yet arisen, there is no heap or accumulation. Even as it arises, there is no coming from a heap or an accumulation. Even as it ceases, there is no going to directions or intermediate directions. Even when it has ceased, there is no remaining in one place as a heap, an accumulation, or a store. Just as when a lute is being played, of the sound that arises, there is no prior accumulation before its arising. Nor does it come from an accumulation as it arises. Nor does it go to directions or intermediate directions as it ceases. Nor does it remain accumulated anywhere after ceasing. But rather, dependent on the lute and the sound-box, and the appropriate effort of the person, it comes into being having not been, and having been, it ceases. In the same way, all phenomena, both material and immaterial, come into being having not been, and having been, they cease." 724. Having thus briefly attended to arising and passing away, again, in the analysis of this very knowledge of arising and passing away – "From the arising of ignorance, there is the arising of form" – in the sense of the arising of conditions, he sees the arising of the form aggregate. "From the arising of craving… from the arising of kamma… from the arising of nutriment, there is the arising of form" – in the sense of the arising of conditions, he sees the arising of the form aggregate. Even seeing the characteristic of production, he sees the arising of the form aggregate. Seeing the arising of the form aggregate, he sees these five characteristics. "From the cessation of ignorance, there is the cessation of form" – in the sense of the cessation of conditions, he sees the passing away of the form aggregate. "From the cessation of craving… from the cessation of kamma… from the cessation of nutriment, there is the cessation of form" – in the sense of the cessation of conditions, he sees the passing away of the form aggregate. Even seeing the characteristic of change, he sees the passing away of the form aggregate. Even seeing the passing away of the form aggregate, he sees these five characteristics." (Paṭisambhidāmagga 1.50). Likewise, "From the arising of ignorance, there is the arising of feeling" – in the sense of the arising of conditions, the arising of the feeling aggregate... he sees. From the arising of craving… from the arising of kamma… from the arising of contact, there is the arising of feeling. Thus, by way of the arising of conditions, he sees the arising of the aggregate of feeling. Even seeing the characteristic of origination, he sees the arising of the aggregate of feeling. Seeing the arising of the aggregate of feeling, he sees these five characteristics. From the cessation of ignorance… from the cessation of craving… from the cessation of kamma… from the cessation of contact, there is the cessation of feeling. Thus, by way of the cessation of conditions, he sees the passing away of the aggregate of feeling. Even seeing the characteristic of change, he sees the passing away of the aggregate of feeling. Seeing the passing away of the aggregate of feeling, he sees these five characteristics. And just as for the aggregate of feeling, so too for the aggregates of perception, mental formations, and consciousness. But there is this distinction: in the place of contact for the aggregate of consciousness, it is said: ‘from the arising of name-and-form, from the cessation of name-and-form’. Thus, in seeing the arising and passing away of each aggregate, ten by ten, fifty characteristics are stated. By means of these, he thoroughly attends to ‘thus is the arising of form, thus is the passing away of form, thus form arises, thus form passes away’ both by way of condition and by way of moment. 725. As he thus attends, his knowledge becomes clearer: ‘Indeed, these phenomena, not having been, come into being; having been, they pass away’. As he thus sees the arising and passing away in two ways, both by way of condition and by way of moment, the distinctions of the characteristics of the truths and dependent origination become manifest. 726. When he sees the arising of the aggregates from the arising of ignorance and so forth, and the cessation of the aggregates from the cessation of ignorance and so forth, this is his seeing of arising and passing away by way of condition. But when he sees the arising and passing away of the aggregates by seeing the characteristics of origination and change, this is his seeing of arising and passing away by way of moment. For the characteristic of origination is in the moment of arising. And the characteristic of change is in the moment of dissolution. 727. Thus, as he sees the arising and passing away in two ways, both by way of condition and by way of moment, by seeing the arising by way of condition, the truth of origin It becomes manifest from understanding its generator. By seeing the arising moment by moment, the truth of suffering becomes manifest from understanding the suffering of birth. By seeing the passing away due to conditions, the truth of cessation becomes manifest from understanding the non-arising of things with conditions through the non-arising of conditions. By seeing the passing away moment by moment, the truth of suffering itself becomes manifest from understanding the suffering of death. And that seeing of its arising and passing away, this is the worldly path, so the truth of the path becomes manifest from the destruction of delusion therein. 728. And by seeing its arising due to conditions, the direct dependent origination becomes manifest, from understanding "When this exists, that comes to be." By seeing the passing away due to conditions, the reverse dependent origination becomes manifest, from understanding "With the cessation of this, that ceases." But by seeing the arising and passing away moment by moment, the dependently originated phenomena become manifest from understanding the characteristic of the conditioned. For the conditioned are subject to arising and passing away, and they are dependently originated. 729. And by seeing its arising due to conditions, the unity aspect becomes manifest from understanding the unbroken continuity of the stream through the cause-and-effect connection. Then one abandons the annihilation view much more thoroughly. By seeing the arising moment by moment, the diversity aspect becomes manifest from understanding the arising of new and new things. Then one abandons the eternalist view much more thoroughly. And by seeing its arising and passing away due to conditions, the non-agent aspect becomes manifest from understanding the non-subservient nature of phenomena. Then one abandons the self-view much more thoroughly. But by seeing the arising due to conditions, the suchness aspect becomes manifest from understanding the arising of results in accordance with their conditions. Then one abandons the inaction view much more thoroughly. 730. And by seeing its arising due to conditions, the characteristic of non-self becomes manifest from understanding the phenomena's unwilling, condition-bound existence. By seeing the arising and passing away moment by moment, the characteristic of impermanence becomes manifest from understanding their non-existence after having been, (and from understanding) the past and future and from the understanding of the non-existence of a self. The characteristic of suffering also becomes manifest from the understanding of being oppressed by arising and passing away. The characteristic of inherent nature also becomes manifest from the understanding of being delimited by arising and passing away. In the characteristic of inherent nature, the temporary nature of the characteristic of conditioned things also becomes manifest from the understanding of the absence of passing away at the moment of arising, and the absence of arising at the moment of passing away. 731. To him, for whom the characteristics and distinctions of the truths and dependent origination have thus become manifest, conditioned things appear as if they are always new, thinking: "Indeed, these phenomena, which have never arisen before, now arise; and having arisen, they cease." And not only are they always new, but they are also short-lived, like a dewdrop at sunrise, like a water bubble in water, like a line drawn on water, like a mustard seed on the tip of an awl, or like a flash of lightning.