English
In each of the lights and so forth, he perceives, "This is mine, this I am, this is my self." Therefore, the ancients said: In light and in knowledge, and in rapture, he trembles; In tranquility and in pleasure, by which the mind quivers. In determination and in exertion, and in mindfulness, he trembles; In equanimity's turning towards, and in equanimity's delight. Discourse on the Discrimination of the Path and Not-Path 736. But the skillful, wise, discerning, intelligent meditator, when lights and so forth arise, either discerns and examines it with wisdom thus: "Indeed, this light has arisen for me, and indeed this is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to decay, subject to vanishing, subject to dispassion, subject to cessation." Or else, it occurs to him thus: "If the light were self, it would be proper to grasp it as 'self'. But this is non-self, grasped as 'self'. Therefore, it is non-self by reason of not being subject to control, impermanent by reason of existing and then ceasing, and suffering by reason of being oppressed by arising and vanishing." All this should be elaborated in the manner stated in the 'Seven Immaterial Things'. And as with the light, so too with the others. Having thus examined the light, he perceives, "This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self." Knowledge... and so forth... delight, he perceives, "This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self." Perceiving thus, he does not tremble or quiver in the lights and so forth. Therefore, the ancients said: These ten states, are discerned by his wisdom; The agitation of phenomena he is unskilled, and does not fall into distraction. Not falling into such distraction, having disentangled that thirty-two-fold tangle of defilements, he determines that phenomena such as the light are not the path. But the insight knowledge that is free from defilements and has entered the right course is the path. Thus he distinguishes the path and the non-path. The knowledge that stands having known "this is the path, this is not the path" is to be understood as the purification of knowledge and vision of the path and non-path. And by this much, he has made a determination of the three truths. How? In the purification of view, by the determination of mind-and-matter, the truth of suffering has been determined. In the purification by overcoming doubt, by the comprehension of conditions, the truth of origin has been determined. In this purification of knowledge and vision of the path and non-path, by the ascertainment of the right path, the truth of the path has been determined. Thus, even with mundane knowledge, the determination of the three truths has been made. Thus, in the Visuddhimagga, composed for the joy of good people, In the section on the development of wisdom, The exposition of the purification of knowledge and vision of the path and non-path, The twentieth chapter. 21. The exposition of the purification of knowledge and vision of the way. The discourse on the knowledge of arising and passing away free from defilements. 737. But insight that has reached its peak by means of eight knowledges, and the ninth, the knowledge conforming to the truths— this is called the purification of knowledge and vision of the way. By "eight knowledges" here, are to be understood these eight knowledges: the knowledge of contemplation of arising and passing away, which is insight free from defilements and has entered the right course; the knowledge of contemplation of dissolution; the knowledge of the manifestation of fear; the knowledge of contemplation of danger; the knowledge of contemplation of disenchantment; the knowledge of the desire for deliverance; the knowledge of contemplation of re-observation; and the knowledge of equanimity regarding formations. The "ninth, the knowledge conforming to the truths" is a designation for conformity. Therefore, one who wishes to achieve it should apply himself to these knowledges, starting with the knowledge of arising and passing away free from defilements. 738. Again, application to the knowledge of arising and passing away And for what purpose? For discerning the characteristics. For the knowledge of rise and fall, being defiled below by the ten corruptions, was unable to discern the three characteristics as they truly are. But when free from corruptions, it can. Therefore, here, for the purpose of discerning the characteristics, renewed effort should be made. 739. But due to the non-attention to what, and being concealed by what, do the characteristics not become manifest? First, the characteristic of impermanence, due to non-attention to rise and fall, and being concealed by continuity, does not become manifest. The characteristic of suffering, due to non-attention to constant oppression, and being concealed by postures, does not become manifest. The characteristic of non-self, due to non-attention to the analysis of various elements, and being concealed by compactness, does not become manifest. But having grasped rise and fall, when continuity is broken, the characteristic of impermanence becomes manifest as it truly is. Having attended to constant oppression, when the postures are revealed, the characteristic of suffering becomes manifest as it truly is. Having analyzed the various elements, when compactness is broken down, the characteristic of non-self becomes manifest as it truly is. 740. Here, the distinction between impermanence, the characteristic of impermanence, suffering, the characteristic of suffering, non-self, and the characteristic of non-self should be understood. Therein, impermanence is the five aggregates. Why? Because of their arising, passing away, and alteration, or because of their ceasing to be after having been. Arising, passing away, and alteration is the characteristic of impermanence, or the mode of change called ceasing to be after having been. But by the saying, "What is impermanent is suffering" (Saṃyutta Nikāya 3.15), that same five aggregates are suffering. Why? Because of constant oppression; the mode of constant oppression is the characteristic of suffering. But by the saying, "What is suffering is non-self" (Saṃyutta Nikāya 3.15), that same five aggregates are non-self. Why? Because of not being subject to control; the mode of not being subject to control is the characteristic of non-self. All of this, this practitioner discerns as it truly is, by means of the knowledge of contemplation of rise and fall, which is free from corruptions and is called insight that has entered the path. The knowledge of rise and fall, free from defilements, is completed. Discourse on the Knowledge of Contemplating Dissolution 741. When he thus observes again and again, "impermanent, suffering, non-self," weighing and examining material and immaterial phenomena, that knowledge becomes keen and flows. Formations appear quickly. As knowledge flows keenly and formations appear quickly, one does not reach the arising, or the standing, or the continuing, or the sign. Mindfulness stands firm only on decay, dissolution, breaking up, and cessation. For him, seeing "thus arising, thus this formation ceases," at this point, the insight knowledge called "contemplation of dissolution" arises. Concerning which it was said: "How is wisdom, insight, knowledge, in contemplating dissolution, by reflecting on the object? When the mind arises with a material object, it breaks up. Reflecting on that object, one contemplates the dissolution of that mind. How does one contemplate? One contemplates as impermanent, not as permanent. One contemplates as suffering, not as pleasure. One contemplates as non-self, not as self. One becomes disenchanted, not delighted. One becomes dispassionate, not passionate. One ceases, not originates. One relinquishes, not grasps. Contemplating as impermanent, one abandons the perception of permanence. Contemplating as suffering, one abandons the perception of pleasure. Contemplating as non-self, one abandons the perception of self. Becoming disenchanted, one abandons delight. Becoming dispassionate, one abandons passion. Ceasing, one abandons origination. Relinquishing, one abandons grasping. When the mind arises with a feeling object... and so on... a perception object... a formation object... a consciousness object... an eye object... and so on... an old age and death object, it arises and breaks up... and so on... relinquishing, one abandons grasping. And the passing of things, And the turning away of wisdom; And the power of attention, Is insight by reflection. Following the object, Both are established as one; Devotion to cessation, Is insight into the characteristic of dissolution. Reflecting on the object, And contemplating dissolution; And the appearance of emptiness, Is insight of higher wisdom. Skilled in the three contemplations, and the four insights; Skillful in the three applications, he does not waver in various views. "That is knowledge by way of knowing, wisdom by way of understanding, therefore it is said, 'wisdom in the contemplation of dissolution, which is the discernment of the object, is knowledge in insight.'" Here, "discernment of the object" means having discerned and known any object, seeing it as perishing and vanishing. "Wisdom in the contemplation of dissolution" means the wisdom that arises from discerning the object as perishing and vanishing, which is the contemplation of its dissolution. This is called "knowledge in insight." "How does that happen?" This is the meaning of the question prompted by the desire to explain. Then, to show how it happens, "the object being form," and so on, is stated. Here, "the mind arises and dissolves with form as its object" means the mind arises and dissolves with form as its object. Or, it means the mind arises and dissolves in the state of having form as its object. "Discerning that object" means having discerned and known that form-object,