English
by seeing the origin, its (of the path) causal state becomes manifest, (meaning) "this is not the cause for the attainment of Nibbana, this is the cause." By seeing cessation, the meaning of seeing, like seeing extremely subtle forms, thinking "how clear my eye is!", the clarity of the eye. By seeing suffering, the meaning of dominance, like seeing many sick, afflicted, and miserable people, the magnanimity of a sovereign. Thus, here, for each (truth), by way of its own characteristic, and by way of seeing the other truths, for each of the other three, four meanings are stated for each (truth) due to their manifestation. But at the moment of the path, all these meanings are penetrated by a single knowledge, which has the four functions regarding suffering, etc. As for those who desire a gradual realization, their further explanation is given in the Kathāvatthu of the Abhidhamma. Discourse on the Distinctions of Full Understanding, etc. 844. Now, among those four functions of full understanding, etc., that have been stated – Threefold is full understanding, likewise abandonment and realization; two developments are desired, the distinction there should be known. 845. "Threefold is full understanding" means that full understanding is threefold: understanding by knowing, understanding by scrutinizing, and understanding by abandoning. There, having stated "Knowledge is wisdom of direct knowledge in the sense of knowing" (Paṭisambhidāmagga, Mātika 1.20), and "Whatever phenomena are directly known, those phenomena are known" (Paṭisambhidāmagga 1.75) in brief, and "All, monks, is to be directly known. And what, monks, is all to be directly known? The eye, monks, is to be directly known" (Paṭisambhidāmagga 1.2) and so on, in detail, this is called understanding by knowing. Its unique domain is the direct knowing of mind-and-matter with their conditions. 846. Having stated "Knowledge is wisdom of full understanding in the sense of scrutinizing" (Paṭisambhidāmagga, Mātika 1.21), and "Whatever phenomena are fully understood, those phenomena are scrutinized" (Paṭisambhidāmagga 1.75) in brief, and "All, monks, is to be fully understood. And what, monks, is all to be fully understood? The eye, monks, is to be fully understood" (Paṭisambhidāmagga 1.21) and so on, in detail, this is called understanding by scrutinizing. Its aggregate... from the cemetery onwards, the unique stage up to the conformity knowledges, which proceeds by way of discerning impermanence, suffering, and non-self. 847. The knowledge of abandoning, which is called "knowledge in the sense of relinquishing" (Paṭisambhidāmagga, Matika 1.22), and is explained in detail as: "whatever states are abandoned, those states are relinquished" (Paṭisambhidāmagga 1.75), and proceeds in the manner of "by the contemplation of impermanence, one abandons the perception of permanence," is the full understanding of abandoning. The stage from the contemplation of dissolution up to the knowledge of the path is intended here. Or, since the full understanding of knowing and the full understanding of discerning are also for that purpose, and since those states one abandons are necessarily known and discerned, it should be understood that all three full understandings are the function of the path-knowledge in this way. 848. Likewise, abandoning. Abandoning, like full understanding, is also of three kinds: suppressive abandoning, substitutive abandoning, and eradicative abandoning. Among these, that which is the suppression of hindrances and other opposing states by means of this or that mundane concentration, like the suppression of moss by a pot placed in mossy water, this is called suppressive abandoning. In the Pāli text, however, "the suppressive abandoning of hindrances for one cultivating the first jhāna" (Paṭisambhidāmagga 1.24) mentions only the suppression of hindrances; this should be understood as being stated because of its obviousness. For hindrances do not easily overwhelm the mind in the pre-jhāna or post-jhāna stages, whereas applied thought and the like do so at the moment of application. Therefore, the suppression of hindrances is obvious. 849. But that which is the abandoning of this or that state to be abandoned by means of this or that component of insight-knowledge, by way of its opposition, like the darkness by a lamp shining in the night, this is called substitutive abandoning. For example, by the discernment of mind and matter, the personality view; by the comprehension of conditions, the views of no cause and wrong cause, and the defilement of doubt; by the comprehension of groups, the notion of "I" and "mine." of grasping the whole. By discerning path and non-path, of the perception of path in the non-path. By seeing arising, of the annihilation view. By seeing passing away, of the eternalist view. By the manifestation of fear, of the perception of fearlessness in what is fearful. By seeing danger, of the perception of delight. By contemplation of disenchantment, of the perception of delight. By the desire to be released, of the state of not desiring to be released. By reflection, of non-reflection. By equanimity, of non-equanimity. By conformity, the abandoning of grasping what is contrary to truth. Or again, in the eighteen great insights: By contemplation of impermanence, of the perception of permanence. By contemplation of suffering, of the perception of pleasure. By contemplation of non-self, of the perception of self. By contemplation of disenchantment, of delight. By contemplation of dispassion, of passion. By contemplation of cessation, of origination. By contemplation of relinquishment, of grasping. By contemplation of destruction, of the perception of solidity. By contemplation of dissolution, of accumulation. By contemplation of change, of the perception of permanence. By contemplation of signlessness, of signs. By contemplation of desirelessness, of desire. By contemplation of emptiness, of clinging. By insight into phenomena with higher wisdom, of clinging to the taking of essence. By knowledge and vision of things as they are, of clinging to delusion. By contemplation of danger, of clinging to attachment. By contemplation of reflection, of non-reflection. By contemplation of turning away, the abandoning of clinging to fetters. This too is abandonment by way of substitution. 850. Therein, how by the seven contemplations beginning with impermanence, the abandonments of perceptions beginning with permanence occur, that has already been stated in the contemplation of dissolution. Now, contemplation of destruction is the knowledge of one who sees destruction thus: "impermanent in the sense of destruction," having analyzed the solidity. By that, the perception of solidity is abandoned. Contemplation of dissolution is – By sequence of objects, both are discerned as one; Adherence to cessation, is insight into the characteristic of dissolution. – Having seen the dissolution of formations directly and by inference, as thus stated, and adherence to that cessation which is called dissolution, by that, the accumulation is abandoned. For the sake of whom one would accumulate, "they are thus subject to dissolution." when one sees thus, the mind does not incline to accumulation. Observation of change is seeing things otherwise, going beyond each specific division like the septad of form. Or it is seeing the change of what has arisen by both aging and death, by which the perception of permanence is abandoned. Observation of signlessness is the same as observation of impermanence, by which the sign of permanence is abandoned. Observation of the unaspired is the same as observation of suffering, by which the aspiration for happiness, the longing for happiness, is abandoned. Observation of emptiness is the same as observation of non-self, by which the clinging, "there is a self," is abandoned. Observation of phenomena with higher wisdom: "Reflecting on the object, and observing its dissolution; and the establishment of emptiness, is observation with higher wisdom." Thus, this observation, having known the object like form, and having seen the dissolution of that object and the mind that takes that object, and having taken emptiness by way of dissolution, thinking, "only formations break up, it is the death of formations, there is no other being," is called observation of phenomena with higher wisdom, because it is higher wisdom and observation in phenomena. By this, the clinging to grasping a core essence is abandoned, because the absence of a permanent essence and the absence of a self-essence are well seen. Knowledge and vision of things as they really are is the full comprehension of dependent name-and-form, by which the clinging of delusion is abandoned, which arises from thoughts like, "was I in the past?" and from thoughts like, "the world arises from a creator." Observation of danger is the knowledge of seeing danger in all existences, arising by way of the manifestation of fear, by which the clinging to attachment is abandoned, thinking, "nothing is seen to which one should cling." Observation of reflection is the knowledge of reflection, making a means for release, by which non-reflection is abandoned. Observation of turning away is equanimity towards formations and conformity. Then, his mind, like a drop of water on a slightly tilted lotus leaf, from all formations... It is said that it shrinks, it shrivels, it rolls back. Therefore, by that, the abandonment of attachment to fetters occurs. The abandonment of the arising of defilements, of attachment to defilements such as the fetter of sensual desire, this is the meaning. Thus, the abandonment by substitution should be understood in detail. But in the Pāli, it is briefly stated as: "and the abandonment by substitution for wrong views, for one who cultivates concentration leading to penetration." 851. But that abandonment, by the knowledge of the noble path,