English
Furthermore, regarding "not being subject to control," control (vasa) is a primary phenomenon in the continuum of a being. If there is a self, that self would also be the self of the primary control. In this way, that which is control, is self. That which is self, is control. And if this is so, one who grasps form as self grasps form, control, and self as one and the same. Likewise, for one who grasps feeling as self, perception, formations, consciousness as self. If this is so, a being, the five aggregates, control, and self— all these become one, and are counted as one being. For in this sense of control, it is not possible for one being to have two selves, three selves, many selves. Then, just as the control of a being operates, as desire arises, so too the five aggregates should always follow the control of the being. Why? Because there is no difference between a being, the five aggregates, and control. If they were to follow in this way, then the grasping, "Form is my self," "Feeling is my self," etc., would be valid. It would not be contrary to nature. But they do not follow in that way. For a person with an ugly, ill-favored body cannot make his body beautiful and well-favored by his own control. Thus, A bad sound or a good sound, a bad smell or a good smell. Nor can a blind person make it not blind. A deaf person not deaf. A sick person not sick. A leper not leprous. One with a boil not having a boil. An old person young. Nor can one make it ageless or deathless. Nor can one prevent falling into the lower realms. Or, having fallen, make one free from them. Similarly, a deva cannot be removed from devahood. Sakka from Sakkahood, Mara from Marahood, Brahma from Brahmahood. This method applies to the remaining aggregates too. But by following the ultimate truth, having attained the ultimate truth, there is no master-function or lord-function of one's own in the five aggregates. It is without a master, without a lord. And that being so, the grasping that says "this form is my self," making oneself its master and lord, is a wrong grasping. But in the world, the great mass of people do not know, do not see, do not penetrate the dependent origination of phenomena. For them, in the continuum of aggregates proceeding by way of successive conditions, there are various ways of being subject to control by way of conventional truth. And various terms like master, lord, and ruler are found in the world. They, not stopping at the mere terms of master, lord, and ruler that arise by way of conventional truth, but taking them to be ultimate truth, grasp wrongly. Here it might be said: Is not control desire? And a being, desiring to go, goes. Desiring to stand, stands. If so, then his five aggregates are indeed subject to his will. No, they are not. Why? Because they are subject to conditions. Thus, the desire to go might arise from external wealth. Or from various enjoyments. Or from various other reasons. There, for those who lack wealth, whatever suffering might arise, bodily or mental. From that suffering arises the desire for wealth. From the desire for wealth arise desires to go, etc. Similarly, in desires for various enjoyments and desires for various actions. There is no need to speak of desires rooted in various sufferings, fears, and calamities. Similarly, various objects Knowledge, rooted in the suffering of enticement, and in desires rooted in the agitation of various thoughts. Thus, even control is only described as dependent on conditions. "Going" is the five aggregates proceeding in the manner of going. By whatever cause, such as wealth, that control arises. Going also arises by that very cause, and by conditions like the support of food. But control is only a partial condition for going. For without other conditions, it cannot arise by itself. How then can it produce going? Thus in standing and so on. And this being so, it is proper to say that these five aggregates are described as dependent on conditions. Not as described as dependent on control. Moreover, a being, a mere concept, who desires to go, goes. But the five aggregates, being momentary phenomena, do not go. What arises, arises and breaks up right there. By way of continuity, the sign of the manner of going is perceived. Thus, there is no subjection to control. Let there be breaking up right there. If there is uninterrupted continuity, going is indeed accomplished. And if going is accomplished, there is no fault with momentary breaking up, you say? There is. For momentary death is indeed the charnel ground for a being. When obstacles arise or one stumbles, a going being sometimes meets death or suffering akin to death. "Nimitta" (sign) means that which measures or causes defilements to proceed. And "sign of perversion" is the functional sign that arises by way of perverted phenomena. Craving itself is aspiration, this is the connection. A heap of great dangers is a great heap of dangers. The characteristic of emptiness in the aggregates is indeed very profound. It is the domain of knowledge itself. And the perception of emptiness is directly opposite to views, thus it says, "by way of the perception of emptiness in the formations," and so on. There, "accomplishment of purpose" is indeed the accomplishment of the purpose reckoned as the attainment of path and fruit. "Self" is attachment, attachment to self. "Grasps" means grasping. Clinging. is the meaning. The grasping called view is view-grasping. And that is an attachment to meaning, and it is view-grasping, so it is a dispute. Its opposite is the knowledge of non-self contemplation. Successive becoming is power. It means growing in succession. "Having contemplated thus" means having contemplated in the manner of emptiness. For the noble person who is liberated. "The characteristic of impermanence is not very profound. It is also an object of faith. And the characteristic of exaltation, I, conceit, rooted in the delusion of permanence and eternality in the aggregates, is an opponent of faith," so it says, "by means of the perception of impermanence," and so on. "Of that which is attached to the sign" means of that which is attached to the sign of permanence and eternality. "Of the grasping of conceit" means of the grasping called conceit. "By faith also" the word "also" includes knowledge. The characteristic of suffering is that which generates fear and urgency. It is the opposite of the craving-agitation of one who is greedy for objects. Especially suitable for concentration, so it says, "by means of the perception of suffering," and so on. "Of the three qualities" means of the three faculty-qualities, namely, the faculty of wisdom, the faculty of faith, and the faculty of concentration. "Or by means of the going of insight" means by means of the cause of arrival, which is called insight leading to emergence. Now, what was said before, "and for the attainment of the condition of being a cause for the division of the seven noble persons." There, to show the division of the seven noble persons, "therein," and so on, was said. Here, "one who follows the Dhamma" means "Dhamma" is called wisdom, as in "truth, Dhamma, intellect, generosity." One who intensely follows the Dhamma is a Dhamma-follower. It means that one obtains the path at the beginning by following the power of wisdom. Or, "Dhamma" is called the conditioned Dhamma in the sense of being without a self and without a living being. And the perception of emptiness is especially the perception of pure Dhamma. Thus, one who follows the pure Dhamma, who follows by the movement of knowledge, is a Dhamma-follower. Here, "attained to view" means "view" is called seeing-knowledge. From the beginning, Starting from pure vision, endowed with vision, by the power of vision alone, easily attains this and that path and fruit. Thus, "one attained to vision." By that power of vision and wisdom, freed from the bonds of defilements. Thus, "one freed by wisdom." Firm conviction in the momentary nature of conditioned phenomena is called "unwavering faith." Here, "unwavering faith" is faith conjoined with knowledge. And "knowledge" is the knowledge of seeing the signs of the momentary nature of conditioned phenomena. For when such knowledge exists, unwavering faith arises there, not otherwise. One who follows faith is "a faith-follower." It is said that by the power of faith alone, one first attains the noble path. Freed by the power of faith is "one freed by faith." Here, "witness" in "one who is a body-witness" means "seen directly." Which is also called "that which proves." One who has obtained a direct witness in one's own body is "a body-witness." Indeed, a person who contemplates suffering is full of urgency. And urgency is the basis for strenuous effort. For it is said that one who is urgent strives wisely. Therefore, he, engaging in development by way of urgency, whatever is to be attained by human strength, that he attains. And attaining, he obtains a direct witness in his own body. It is said that he obtains directly seen jhanic pleasure or path-and-fruit pleasure. "One freed in both ways" means freed from the form-body by the formless jhānas, and from the mind-body by the path and fruit of arahantship; thus, freed from both parts of the body. And here, there are three noble persons: one with an excess of wisdom, one with an excess of faith, and one with an excess of energy. Therein, the Dhamma-follower, the one attained to vision, and the one freed by wisdom are called "those with an excess of wisdom." The faith-follower and the one freed by faith are called "those with an excess of faith." The body-witness and the one freed in both ways are to be understood as "those with an excess of energy." And this method of classifying persons is stated according to the Paṭisambhidāmagga. However, in the Abhidhamma, in the Puggalapaññatti, the one freed by faith and the body-witness