English
But those who say, "A stream-enterer, having begun insight meditation with the intention of attaining fruition attainment, becomes a once-returner. And a once-returner becomes a non-returner," they should be told, "If that were so, a non-returner would become an Arahant, an Arahant a Paccekabuddha, and a Paccekabuddha a Buddha. Therefore, this is nothing, and it is also rejected by the Pāḷi itself," this should not be accepted. Rather, this should be accepted: for a trainee too, only the fruit arises, not the path. And if he has attained the path of the first jhāna, then the fruit of the first jhāna arises for him. S If he is one who has attained any of the second jhānas and so on, he is one who has attained any of the second jhānas and so on. Thus, for him, there is entry. "Three, friends, are the conditions for the stability of the signless liberation of mind: non-attention to all signs, attention to the signless element, and prior preparation." By this saying, for him, there is stability in three ways. Therein, "prior preparation" means a determination of time before the attainment. Because it is determined, "I will emerge at such and such a time," for him, there is stability until that time does not arrive. Thus, for him, there is stability. "Two, friends, are the conditions for emerging from the signless liberation of mind: attention to all signs, and non-attention to the signless element." By this saying, for him, there is emergence in two ways. Therein, "all signs" means the signs of form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness. Although one does not attend to all of these simultaneously, this is said in an all-inclusive way. Therefore, when one attends to that which is the object of the life-continuum, there is emergence from the attainment of fruition. Thus, his emergence should be understood. What is immediately after fruition? And of what is fruition immediately after? Immediately after fruition, there is either fruition itself, or the life-continuum. But fruition is immediately after the path, it is immediately after fruition, it is immediately after the change-of-lineage, it is immediately after the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception. Therein, in the path-process, it is immediately after the path. The latter (fruition) is immediately after the former (fruition). In the attainments of fruition, the former (fruition) is immediately after the change-of-lineage. Here, "change-of-lineage" should be understood as adaptation-knowledge. For this is said in the Paṭṭhāna: "For an Arahant, adaptation-knowledge is a condition by way of immediate contiguity for the attainment of fruition. For trainees, adaptation-knowledge is a condition by way of immediate contiguity for the attainment of fruition." By which fruition there is emergence from cessation, that immediately after the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception. There, excluding the fruition arisen in the path-process, all the rest is said to occur by way of fruition-attainment. Thus, this arises in the path-process or in fruition-attainment, by way of arising, The appeased torment, The deathless object, pure; Having vomited worldly bait, peaceful, The supreme fruit of recluseship. Infused with vitality, pure, With bliss; By which, with extreme delight, Like honey with the deathless. That bliss, for that noble one, Is the supreme essence; Having developed the wisdom of fruition, Because the wise one finds it. Therefore, the experience of the essence Of this noble fruition here; Is called the benefit Of the development of insight. The Discourse on the Attainment of Cessation 867. The ability to attain the attainment of cessation: Not only is it the experience of the essence of noble fruition, but this ability to attain the attainment of cessation should also be understood as a benefit of the development of this wisdom. Herein, for the elucidation of the attainment of cessation, is a series of questions: What is the attainment of cessation? Who attains it? Who does not attain it? Where is it attained? Why is it attained? How does its attainment occur? How does it remain? How does one emerge from it? To what is the mind of one who has emerged inclined? What is the difference between one who has died and one who has attained it? Is the attainment of cessation conditioned or unconditioned, mundane or supramundane, produced or unproduced? 868. Therein, what is the attainment of cessation? It is the non-occurrence of mind and mental factors by way of gradual cessation. Who attains it, and who does not attain it? All ordinary people, stream-enterers, once-returners, and dry-insight non-returners and Arahants do not attain it. However, non-returners who have attained the eight attainments, and Arahants who have destroyed the taints, do attain it. "Because of being endowed with two powers, and by the appeasement of the three formations, by mastery over sixteen knowledge-functions, and nine concentration-functions, wisdom is the attainment of cessation. that it is said "knowledge." And this accomplishment, apart from those who have attained the eight attainments, the non-returners, and the Arahants, no one else possesses. Therefore, only they attain them, not others. 869. What are the two powers here…pe… what is mastery? There is nothing for us to say here. All of this has been stated in the explanation of this topic. As it is said – "By two powers" means two powers: the power of serenity and the power of insight. What is the power of serenity? The one-pointedness of mind, non-distraction, by way of renunciation, is the power of serenity. By way of non-ill-will… by way of the perception of light… by way of non-distraction…pe… by way of breathing in contemplating relinquishment… by way of breathing out contemplating relinquishment, the one-pointedness of mind, non-distraction, is the power of serenity. In what sense is it the power of serenity? By the first jhāna, it does not waver from the hindrances, thus it is the power of serenity. By the second jhāna, from initial and sustained application…pe… by the attainment of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, it does not waver from the perception of the dimension of nothingness, thus it is the power of serenity. It does not waver, does not shake, does not tremble from restlessness, and from defilements associated with restlessness, and from the aggregates, thus it is the power of serenity. This is the power of serenity. What is the power of insight? The contemplation of impermanence is the power of insight. The contemplation of suffering… the contemplation of non-self… the contemplation of disenchantment… the contemplation of dispassion… the contemplation of cessation… the contemplation of relinquishment is the power of insight. The contemplation of impermanence in form…pe… the contemplation of relinquishment in form is the power of insight. In feeling… in perception… in mental formations… in consciousness… in the eye…pe… in old age and death, the contemplation of impermanence. The contemplation of relinquishment in old age and death is the power of insight. In what sense is it the power of insight? By the contemplation of impermanence, it does not waver from the perception of permanence, thus it is the power of insight. By the contemplation of suffering, it does not waver from the perception of happiness… by the contemplation of non-self, it does not waver from the perception of self… by the contemplation of disenchantment, it does not waver from delight… by the contemplation of dispassion, it does not waver from passion… by the contemplation of cessation, it does not waver from origination. It does not tremble... By the contemplation of relinquishment, in grasping, it does not tremble – this is the power of insight. In ignorance, and in defilements accompanied by ignorance, and in the aggregates, it does not tremble, it does not waver, it does not shake – this is the power of insight. This is the power of insight. And by the calming of the three formations. By the calming of which three formations? For one who has attained the second jhana, initial and sustained application, the verbal formations, are calmed. For one who has attained the fourth jhana, in-breaths and out-breaths, the bodily formations, are calmed. For one who has attained the cessation of perception and feeling, perception and feeling, the mental formations, are calmed. By the calming of these three formations. By the sixteen courses of knowledge. By which sixteen courses of knowledge? The contemplation of impermanence is a course of knowledge. Of suffering... of non-self... of disenchantment... of dispassion... of cessation... of relinquishment... of turning away is a course of knowledge. The path of stream-entry is a course of knowledge. The attainment of the fruit of stream-entry is a course of knowledge. The path of once-returning... ...the attainment of the fruit of arahantship is a course of knowledge. By these sixteen courses of knowledge. By the nine courses of concentration. By which nine courses of concentration? The first jhana is a course of concentration. The second jhana... ...the attainment of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception is a course of concentration. For the attainment of the first jhana, initial application and sustained application and rapture and pleasure and one-pointedness of mind... ...for the attainment of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, initial application and sustained application and rapture and pleasure and one-pointedness of mind. By these nine courses of concentration. Mastery means five masteries: mastery in adverting, mastery in attaining, mastery in resolving, mastery in emerging, mastery in reviewing. One adverts to the first jhana wherever one wishes, however one wishes, for as long as one wishes; there is no slowness in adverting – this is mastery in adverting.