English
even the fruit of Arahantship is called Nibbāna with residue. That is not intended here. And here, the destruction of defilements at the moment of the path is called 'with residue'. The non-arising of aggregates immediately after death is called 'without residue'. But since rebirth-linking aggregates arise only when defilements exist. When they do not exist, they do not arise. Therefore, they too are destroyed together with the destruction of defilements. However, the present aggregate-continuum, which continues until death, is the result and consequence of kamma and defilements that occurred in a previous existence, even for an Arahant, and this is established as a natural law for all beings. Therefore, even when defilements are destroyed, it continues until death. Its cessation at the moment of death is also merely a cessation by natural law. But the non-arising of rebirth immediately thereafter, that is accomplished together with the destruction of defilements. Not only the non-arising of rebirth immediately thereafter. But also the non-arising of a succession of existences in the beginningless cycle of transmigration thereafter, is accomplished together with that. All this is just one Nibbāna. Even so, this distinction is spoken of due to the slight difference in the presence or absence of remaining aggregates. The meaning is that 'it is said to be twofold by way of reason' referring to the slight reason for its twofold designation. But since conditioned phenomena, by their nature of being obstructed, constantly oppress people with various obstacles. They do not allow one to attain peaceful happiness. And because defilements have the nature of being signs... They are the basis, the ground, for all misfortunes such as old age and death. And because of their willed nature, they constantly generate the suffering of craving, which is the root of all suffering. Therefore, to show the three kinds of distinction by means of the qualities that are their opposites, it is said, "emptiness," and so on. There, it is empty because it is free from all hindrances. For when there is identity view, as many hindrances of evil deeds and hindrances of suffering in the lower realms as appear to the foolish, and as many hindrances of wholesome deeds as appear to the wise for protecting themselves from that, the cessation of identity view alone is able to cease all those hindrances rooted in identity view. No other can do so without it. Therefore, that cessation is free from those hindrances. Similarly, the destruction of lust alone is able to cease the hindrances rooted in lust. No other can do so without it. The destruction of hatred alone for those rooted in hatred. The destruction of delusion alone for those rooted in delusion, and so on, should be said. Thus, Nibbāna is called empty because it is free from all hindrances. Sign is called the gross form rooted in arising and occurrence. Endowed with which, conditioned phenomena become the basis, the ground, for all defilements and for old age and death. Similarly, they become the basis, the ground, for all Māras, all enemies, all misfortunes such as diseases. Because of which, they are also called the realm of Māra and the realm of death. They undergo distinction by way of time, direction, place, continuum, and so on, and by way of inferior, superior, and so on. Nibbāna, however, does not exist, being established by the destruction and cessation of all sign-phenomena. There is no sign in it, thus it is signless. For it stands eternally, destroying the sign-phenomena that are the basis for all defilements and other misfortunes, and thereby establishing the absence of those misfortunes. And it is not distinguished by time. "This is the Nibbāna of such and such a Buddha in such and such a past eon, this is in the future, this is now." Nor is it distinguished by direction. "This is such and such in the ten directions." Nibbāna is in this direction, this is for such-and-such. Nor is it differentiated by distinction of place or distinction of continuity. This is in the human world, this is in the deva world, this is in the brahma world, or this is for humans, this is for devas, this is for brahmas. Similarly, it is not differentiated by distinction of excellence, etc. This is for the All-Enlightened Buddhas. This is for the Paccekabuddhas. This is for the disciples of the Buddha. Aspiration, resolve, vow, wish, hope, hunger, thirst— these are one in meaning. And conditioned things, even if obtained, being subject to breaking up, the hope of obtaining them again and again increases suffering. There is no end to the suffering of hope. And all suffering is rooted in hope. There is no source of suffering like hope. Nibbāna, however, being itself the nature of quenching thirst, is said to be that which removes and dispels all aspiration, all vows of craving, and all vows of desire. Therefore, there is no aspiration in it; it is without aspiration. Here there are two kinds of happiness: happiness of feeling and happiness of peace. Among these, the happiness of joy and gladness that arises from experiencing the attainments of humans, devas, and brahmas is called happiness of feeling. But that is subject to breaking up moment by moment, like lightning. And the attainments are impermanent. All of them only further increase the endless suffering of hope. Therefore, all happiness of feeling, because it generates the suffering of hope, is entirely suffering. As it is said: "Whatever is felt, all that is suffering." And when the General of the Dhamma was asked, "What, friend Sāriputta, is the happiness in Nibbāna, where there is no feeling?" it was said, "This, friend, is the happiness in Nibbāna, that there is no feeling there." Happiness of peace is the happiness of liberation from defilements, etc., and from suffering in the lower realms, etc., that have arisen in oneself or are ready to arise, due to one's own right effort. This alone is absolute happiness, unshakeable happiness. For when this is absent, for ordinary people experiencing human, divine, and brahma attainments, and also, by way of being certainly attained, the fears of Avīci hell and so on are indeed present. Therefore, for all suffering rooted in felt pleasure and desire, this term "undesired," illuminating the peace-pleasure, becomes a great quality-term of Nibbāna. By way of difference in aspect, meaning by way of difference in the three-fold division of qualities such as emptiness. And here, that which is the inward cessation, the wearing away, of defilements that have come having inwardly lain dormant in beginningless samsara, at the moment of the path. That, called the element of destruction, the element of cessation, is one mind-object base. It is one mind-object element. It is one ultimate reality. By way of destruction, by way of cessation, by way of existing in reality, it is not a conceptual form. By way of being perceived in its own nature in the body and in knowledge, indeed, there are two kinds of realization of Nibbāna: body-realization and knowledge-realization. As it is said: One who has arisen desire strives. Having striven, he weighs. Having weighed, he exerts. Being one who has exerted himself, he realizes the ultimate truth with the body. And with wisdom, having penetrated it, he sees. Therein, the inward cessation, the extinguishing, of defilements that have come having constantly inwardly tormented and burned in beginningless samsara, at the moment of the path, is called body-realization. Having thus realized with the body, again reflecting, he sees that inward cessation directly with knowledge. He knows, "My defilements are ceased." This is called knowledge-realization. Among these, body-realization expels endless, immeasurable suffering of cyclic existence. Knowledge-realization produces no small joy and gladness. In conceptual phenomena, there is no such realization. But of that cessation, by way of being an empty phenomenon, for those of dull intellect, a perception of emptiness, a perception of meaninglessness, arises in it. By way of being a signless phenomenon, in it, a perception of mere non-existence, a perception of non-existence in ultimate reality, arises. By way of being an undesired phenomenon, people under the sway of craving think there is no pleasure whatsoever in it. they think. But those who think that Nibbāna is not merely the cessation and destruction as described, for that is merely a state of non-existence, a conceptual designation. And Nibbāna is a reality with infinite qualities such as profundity, and a mere state of non-existence cannot be the basis for these. Nibbāna is said to be the supreme happiness. And no happiness can be obtained in a mere state of non-existence. Therefore, they desire that whatever is the cause of that cessation and destruction, and by the power of which that cessation and destruction is accomplished, that very thing is Nibbāna. For them, too, no additional benefit beyond the pacification of the suffering of existence is gained. And the terms of Nibbāna's qualities arise in opposition to infinite conditioned phenomena, not otherwise. Therefore, as many terms of imperfection as are found in conditioned phenomena, so many infinite terms of quality arise in their cessation and destruction. Even that cessation and destruction is difficult and profound to understand as a distinct phenomenon, because they consider it a mere state of non-existence, a conceptual designation. As for the profundity of its terms of quality, there is nothing to be said. And the happiness of peace is merely the cessation of the sufferings of existence. For it is said that their cessation is happiness. And their cessation is their complete destruction and cessation. Thus, the supreme happiness of that cessation and destruction is established as the culmination of all feelings of happiness included in the suffering of existence.