English
, it is said, "Indeed, the knowledge of rise and fall saw the rise and fall of only those phenomena that have rise and fall," and "Indeed, the contemplation of dissolution saw the dissolution of only those phenomena that have dissolution," and "Indeed, the knowledge of the appearance of fear appeared as fear in only that which is fearful," and "Indeed, the contemplation of danger saw the danger in only that which has danger," and "Indeed, the knowledge of disenchantment became disenchanted with only that which is to be disenchanted with," and "Indeed, in that which is to be released, And this knowledge of the desire for release has arisen with the desire for release, and indeed, what should be contemplated has been contemplated by the knowledge of contemplation, and indeed, what should be regarded with equanimity has been regarded with equanimity towards formations. As if speaking in essence, it conforms to the proper function of these eight knowledges, and furthermore, to the thirty-seven factors of awakening, which are to be attained by that practice. Just as a righteous king, seated in the judgment hall, having heard the judgment of the judicial ministers, abandoning partiality, becoming impartial, approving, saying "Let it be so!" conforms to their judgment, and to the ancient royal law, so should this be understood. Indeed, the knowledge of conformity is like the king; the eight knowledges are like the eight judicial ministers; the thirty-seven factors of awakening are like the ancient royal law. There, just as the king, saying "Let it be so!" conforms to the judgment of the ministers, and to the royal law, even so, this (knowledge), arising concerning formations in terms of impermanence, etc., conforms to the proper function of the eight knowledges, and furthermore, to the thirty-seven factors of awakening. Therefore, it is called "knowledge conforming to the truths." The knowledge of conformity is concluded. Discourse on the Insight Leading to Emergence 805. And this knowledge of conformity is the culmination of the insight leading to emergence, which has formations as its object. However, the knowledge of change of lineage is the absolute culmination of the insight leading to emergence. Now, for the sake of clarity regarding that very insight leading to emergence, this comparison with the suttas should be understood. Thus: Indeed, this insight leading to emergence, in the Saḷāyatanavibhaṅga Sutta, is spoken of as "non-identification" thus: "Monks, relying on non-identification, taking non-identification as a basis, whatever equanimity is unified, unified by oneness, abandon that, transcend that." (MN 3.310) Thus it is called "non-identification." In the Alagaddūpama Sutta: "Disgusted, he becomes dispassionate; through dispassion, he is liberated." (MN Thus it is called 'disgust'. In the Susima Sutta: "First, Susima, there is knowledge of the stability of the Dhamma, afterwards, knowledge of Nibbāna." Thus it is called 'knowledge of the stability of the Dhamma'. In the Poṭṭhapāda Sutta: "First, Poṭṭhapāda, perception arises, afterwards, knowledge." Thus it is called 'foremost perception'. In the Dasuttara Sutta: "Purity of knowledge and vision of the way is an essential factor for purity." Thus it is called 'an essential factor for purity'. In the Paṭisambhidāmagga: "That desire for release, that contemplation of reflection, and that equanimity regarding formations— these qualities have one meaning, only the expressions differ." Thus it is called by these three names. In the Paṭṭhāna: "Conformity to the change of lineage, conformity to purification." Thus it is called by these three names. In the Rathavinīta Sutta: "Is it, friends, for the sake of the purity of knowledge and vision of the way that the holy life is lived under the Blessed One?" Thus it is called 'purity of knowledge and vision of the way'. Thus by many names, it was praised by the Great Seer; It is the insight leading to emergence, pure and tranquil. One who desires to emerge from the great fearful mire of suffering in saṃsāra, should constantly apply effort to that, being of a wise nature. Thus, in the Path of Purification, made for the joy of good people, in the section on the development of wisdom, the exposition of the purity of knowledge and vision of the way is the twenty-first chapter. 22. Exposition of the Purity of Knowledge and Vision Discourse on the Knowledge of the First Path 806. After this, there is the knowledge of change of lineage. Because it is like an advertence to the path, it partakes neither of the purity of knowledge and vision of the way nor of the purity of knowledge and vision; it is merely unclassifiable in between. However, because it falls into the stream of insight, it is reckoned as insight. But the knowledge in these four paths— the path of stream-entry, the path of once-returning, the path of non-returning, and the path of arahantship— is called the purity of knowledge and vision. Now, desiring to accomplish the knowledge of the first path, By him nothing else is to be done. For whatever was to be done by him, that has been done by generating insight culminating in adaptation-knowledge. Thus, for him, with such arisen adaptation-knowledge, when the grossest veils of truth have been completely removed by his three adaptation-knowledges, according to their strength, his mind does not rush forth, does not settle, does not become attached, does not cling, does not stick, does not bind itself to all conditioned things. Like water from a lotus leaf, it recoils, shrinks back, turns away. All sign-objects, all occurrence-objects, appear as an obstruction. Then, for him, when all sign-objects and occurrence-objects appear as an obstruction, at the culmination of the cultivation of adaptation-knowledge, there arises the knowledge of change of lineage (gotrabhuñāṇa): taking the signless, the non-occurrence, the unconditioned, cessation, Nibbāna as its object; transcending the lineage of ordinary people, the designation of ordinary people, the plane of ordinary people; entering the lineage of noble ones, the designation of noble ones, the plane of noble ones; being the first turning, the first application, the first apprehension of Nibbāna as object; establishing its conditionality to the path in six ways: as immediate contiguity, as contiguity, as repeated practice, as strong support, as absence, and as disappearance; having reached its peak, being the summit of insight, and not turning back again. In reference to which it was said – ‘‘How is wisdom in turning away and turning back from external things the knowledge of change of lineage? It overcomes arising, thus it is gotrabhu. It overcomes occurrence... and distress, thus it is gotrabhu. It overcomes the external sign of formations, thus it is gotrabhu. It rushes towards non-arising, thus it is gotrabhu. It rushes towards non-occurrence... and non-distress, cessation, Nibbāna, thus it is gotrabhu. Having overcome arising, it rushes towards non-arising, thus it is gotrabhu.’’ (Paṭi. Ma. 1.59) All this should be elaborated. 807. Herein, this is an illustrative simile showing the manner of operation of adaptation-knowledge and change-of-lineage knowledge, even though they occur in one thought-process with one advertence, yet they operate on different objects – Just as one who desires to stand on the far bank, having crossed a great river, A man, running swiftly, on the near bank of a river, grasping a rope or a stick tied to a tree branch, leaps across, his body inclined and bent towards the far bank, reaching the upper part of the far bank, he lets go, swaying, falls onto the far bank, and slowly establishes himself. Just so, this meditator, desiring to establish himself in Nibbāna, which is the far bank of existences, rebirths, and abodes, running swiftly with insight into rise and fall, grasping the rope of form, or one of the sticks of feeling and so on, tied to the tree branch of his own body, (thinking) "impermanent," or "suffering," or "not-self," with an adaptive reflection, without letting go of it, with the first adaptive consciousness, he leaps across; with the second, like one whose body is inclined and bent towards the far bank, his mind is inclined and bent towards Nibbāna; with the third, like one who has reached the upper part of the far bank, he becomes close to Nibbāna, which is to be attained now; by the cessation of that consciousness, letting go of that conditioned object, with the lineage-changing consciousness, he falls into the unconditioned, Nibbāna, which is the far bank. But like that man, swaying due to not having practiced on a single object, he is not yet well-established; then he becomes established by the path-knowledge. Therein, the adaptive consciousness can dispel the defilement-darkness that conceals the truths, but cannot make Nibbāna its object. The lineage-changing consciousness can make Nibbāna its object, but cannot dispel the darkness that conceals the truths. Here is an analogy: A certain man with good eyesight, thinking "I will know the conjunction of stars," went out at night and looked up to see the moon. But the moon was not visible because it was covered by clouds. Then a wind arose and dispersed the thick clouds. Another dispersed the medium ones, another the subtle ones. Then that man, seeing the moon in the cloudless sky, understood the conjunction of stars. Therein, the three clouds are like the thick, medium, and subtle defilement-darkness that conceals the truths. The three winds are vi... The three conformity thoughts: Like a man with eyes, the change-of-lineage knowledge; like the moon, Nibbāna. Like each wind in order destroying the clouds, so each conformity thought dispels the darkness concealing the truth. Like that man seeing the pure moon in a cloudless sky, so the change-of-lineage knowledge sees pure Nibbāna when the darkness concealing the truth is gone.