English
excellent, very pleasing, and highly esteemed. Those objects are the object-dominance condition. Here, "extremely desirable" means whether they are desirable by nature or undesirable, objects intensely wished for by that particular person are here called "extremely desirable." However, from the perspective of phenomena, excluding the two mind-arisings rooted in aversion, the two mind-arisings rooted in delusion, and the mind-arising of body-consciousness accompanied by pain, all remaining sense-sphere consciousnesses and mental factors, and all form, formless, and supramundane consciousnesses and mental factors, are all extremely desirable forms. Among these, only for one who highly esteems sense-objects is there the object-dominance condition. For one who does not highly esteem them, there is no object-dominance condition. However, there is no such thing as a meditator who has attained jhānas not highly esteeming the exalted jhānas they have attained, nor noble disciples not highly esteeming the supramundane phenomena they have attained. Which phenomena are conditioned by that condition? The eight consciousnesses rooted in greed, the eight sense-sphere wholesome consciousnesses, the four sense-sphere functional consciousnesses associated with knowledge, and the eight supramundane consciousnesses are conditioned by that condition. Among these, the six mundane objects are conditions for the consciousnesses rooted in greed. The seventeen mundane wholesome (consciousnesses) for the four knowledge-associated... of applied wholesome states. These wholesome states, and the fruits of the lower paths, and Nibbāna, are for the four knowledge-associated wholesome states. The path and fruits of Arahantship, and Nibbāna, are for the four knowledge-associated functional states. Nibbāna is for the eight supramundane states of consciousness. In what sense is it an object? In what sense is it a predominant condition? It is an object in the sense of being that which is clung to. It is a predominant condition in the sense of being dominant. What is the sense of dominance? The state of being master in the mind and mental factors that proceed by making oneself important, that is the sense of dominance. Like masters in the world, the object-predominant condition phenomena should be seen. Like servants, the conditioned phenomena should be seen. In the Sutasoma Jātaka, King Porisāda, making human flesh important, for the sake of human flesh, abandoned his kingdom and wandered in the forest. There, the qualities of smell and taste in human flesh are the object-predominant condition. The greed-rooted consciousness of King Porisāda is the conditioned phenomenon. King Sutasoma, making the truth-dharma important, for the sake of the truth-dharma, abandoning the prosperity of his kingdom, his relatives, and his own life, again went into the hands of King Porisāda. There, the truth-dharma is the object-predominant condition. The wholesome consciousness of King Sutasoma is the conditioned phenomenon. This is the method for all objects that are made important. What is the co-nascence-predominant condition? The four phenomena that have attained the state of predominance are the predominant condition: desire, consciousness, energy, investigation. What phenomena are conditioned by that condition? The mind and mental factors associated with the predominant condition, and the mind-born material phenomena arising from the predominant condition, are conditioned by that condition. In what sense is it co-nascent? In what sense is it predominant? It is co-nascent in the sense of co-arising. It is predominant in the sense of overpowering the co-nascent phenomena. There, in the sense of co-arising, it means that a phenomenon, while arising itself, causes co-nascent phenomena to arise together with itself. That is the sense of co-arising for its own co-nascent phenomena. In the sense of overpowering, it means overwhelming. by meaning. Just as a Wheel-turning King, by the power of his merit, overcomes and overwhelms all the inhabitants of the island, and makes them subject to his will, and all the inhabitants of the island become subject to his will. So too, these four qualities, having attained the state of dominance, overcome and overwhelm the co-arisen qualities in their respective spheres, and make them subject to their will, and the co-arisen qualities become subject to their will. Or just as in a pillar of stone, the earth element, in a mass of water, the water element, in a mass of fire, the fire element, in a mass of wind, the wind element, overcoming and overwhelming the three co-arisen elements, make them follow their course, and the co-arisen elements follow their course, even so, these four qualities, having attained the state of dominance, by their power, make the co-arisen qualities follow their course, and the co-arisen qualities follow their course. Thus, by the meaning of overcoming co-arisen qualities. Here one might say, if "dominance" means overcoming co-arisen qualities, then in that case, let desire stand aside, greed alone would be "dominance," for it is stronger than desire, and operates by overcoming the co-arisen qualities. It is said, greed is stronger than desire only in foolish ordinary people. But in the wise, desire itself is stronger than greed, and operates by overcoming the co-arisen qualities. For if greed alone were stronger than desire, how could these beings, having fallen into the hands of greed, reject the perfections of existence and the perfections of enjoyment, fulfill the qualities of renunciation, and escape from the suffering of the cycle of rebirths? But because desire itself is stronger than greed, therefore these beings, having fallen into the hands of greed, reject the perfections of existence and the perfections of enjoyment, fulfill the qualities of renunciation, and escape from the suffering of the cycle of rebirths. Therefore, desire itself is stronger than greed, desire itself is dominance, not greed. This same principle applies to hatred and so on. There, in the world, in great and very difficult deeds of men, the present When established, these four qualities conduce to the accomplishment of work. How? Many people with weak desire, seeing great, very difficult human tasks, lose their desire. They do not wish to do them, thinking "This is beyond our scope," they set them aside indifferently. But one with abundant desire, seeing such human tasks, becomes highly desirous. He wishes to do them exceedingly, thinking "This is my domain," he proceeds with determination. Drawn by desire, until that work is not accomplished, he cannot abandon that work in between. And this being so, even that very great work will be accomplished at some time. And many people with weak energy, seeing such tasks, lose their energy. Thinking "Doing this work will cause me much physical or mental suffering," they turn away. But one with abundant energy, seeing such human tasks, becomes highly energetic. He wishes to rise up and do them right now. Even doing that work for a long time, even experiencing much physical or mental suffering, he does not become weary of that energetic work. He cannot exist without great work-energy. Spending day and night with such energy, he finds mental happiness. And this being so, even that very great work will be accomplished at some time. And many people with weak focus, seeing such tasks, lose their focus. They do not even make it an object again. But one with abundant focus, seeing such tasks, becomes highly focused. He cannot even divert his mind. He is constantly bound in thought there. Being under the sway of his mind, even doing that work for a long time, (the rest) should be stated according to the method of the desire-dominant section, beginning with "even much physical suffering," and so on. And many people with dull wisdom, seeing such tasks, lose their insight. They do not even see the beginning of the tasks, nor do they see the end. They are like those entering darkness. Their mind does not even incline to do those tasks. But one with abundant wisdom... Seeing such deeds, he becomes one with developed wisdom. He sees the beginning of deeds, he sees the end. He sees the result, he sees the benefit. He also sees various means for the successful completion of deeds with ease. It should be said that he performs that deed for a long time, by way of the dominance of energy, and so on. Here, however, it should be said as "by a great investigation of deeds" and "by such an investigation of deeds." Thus, when great and very difficult human deeds are present in the world, these four qualities lead to the success of deeds. And because these four dominants exist, special individuals are seen in the world, Omniscient Buddhas are seen, Omniscient Bodhisattas are seen, Paccekabuddhas are seen, Paccekabodhisattas are seen, Chief Disciples, Great Disciples, and Disciple Bodhisattas are seen. And in the world, by means of such special individuals, for the benefit, welfare, and happiness of beings in the world, special kinds of wisdom and skills, and special kinds of consumable goods are seen. The exposition of the Dominance Condition is concluded. 4. Contiguity Condition What is the Contiguity Condition? The group of mental and mental concomitant phenomena that ceased in the immediately preceding moment is the Contiguity Condition. What phenomenon is conditioned by the Contiguity Condition? The group of mental and mental concomitant phenomena that arose in the immediately following moment is conditioned by that condition. In one existence, the rebirth consciousness is the contiguity condition for the first life-continuum consciousness. The first life-continuum consciousness is the contiguity condition for the second life-continuum consciousness, and so on, it should be said. But when, as stated in the Dhammayamaka,