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A Buddhist Manual of Psychological Ethics of the Fourth Century B.C - Caroline A. F. Rhys Davids, 1900 - Complete Book

English

And he quotes a yet unedited sutta (Atthanaparikappa sutta), but which is repeated in A. i. 222, that it is easier for the four elements to change their essential character, than for the seeker of Nirvana (the Noble Student) to alter his high estate (Asl. 336). ^ Here follow the remaining pairs of correlated terms, making up the categories of form under the Dual Aspect. * Literally, ' which has been grasped at ' or ' laid hold of.' This and the cognate terms are discussed under the ' Group on Grasping,' § 1213 et seq. It is disappointing to find that, with the exception of two items in the list of things ' grasped at,' or come into being through the action of karma (the two phrases are approximately equivalent), the Cy. does not discuss the inclusion of any. One would have liked to hear, e.g., why, of all sense-objects, sounds alone are * not the issue of grasping ' {cf. the heresy con- cerning sound as result [of karma, K. V. 466], and why the elements of space and of fluidity may and may not be the 202 The spheres of sight, hearing, smell, taste, body-sensi- bility, femininity, masculinity, vitality, or whatever form there exists through karma having been wrought, whether it be in the spheres of visible forms, odours, tastes, or the tangible ; the element of space, the fluid element, the in- tegration or the subsistence of form,^ or bodily nutriment — this is that form which is the issue of grasping. [654] What is that form which is not the issue of grasping ? The sphere of sound, bodily and vocal intimation, light- ness, plasticity and wieldiness of form, decay and imper- manence of form, or whatever other form exists which is not due to karma having been wrought, whether it be in the sphere of visible forms, smells, tastes, or the tangible ; the element of space or that of fluidity ; the integration or the subsistence of form, or bodily nutriment— this is that form which is not the issue of grasping. [655] What is that form which is both the issue of grasping and favourable to grasping (u p a d i n n 'u p a d a- n i y a m) ? The spheres of the five senses, femininity, masculinity and vitality, or whatever other form exists through karma having been wrought, whether it be in the spheres of issue of grasping, or what they have to do with it in any way. Concerning the two items above mentioned, how is it, asks the Cy. (337), Hhat " decay and impermanence " are classed with respect to what is due, and what is not due to the performance of karma ? They are classed with what is not the issue of grasping. That which has sprung from conditions other than karma is included under " not due to the performance of karma. . . ." And as these two forms arise neither from karma, nor from form-producing conditions other than karma, they are therefore not classi- fied with reference to karma. How they are acquired will become evident later.' ^ For rupasantati read rupassa santati. 203 visible forms, odours, tastes or the tangible, in the elements of space or fluidity, in the integration or the subsistence of form or in bodily nutriment — this is that form which is both the issue of grasping and favourable to grasping. [656] What is that form which is not the issue of grasp- ing, but is favourable to grasping (anupadinn' upada- n i y a m) ?^ The sphere of sounds, bodily and vocal intimation, the lightness, plasticity, wieldiness, decay and impermanence of form, or whatever other form exists which is not due to karma having been wrought, whether it be in the sphere of visible forms,^ smells, tastes, the tangible, in the element of space or of fluidity, in the integration, or the subsis- tence of form, or in bodily nutriment — this is that form which is not the issue of grasping but is favourable to grasping. [657] What is that form which is visible ? The sphere of visible forms — this is that form which is visible. [658] What is that form which is invisible ? The sphere of vision . . . and bodily nutriment — this is that form which is invisible.^ ^ The privative prefixed to the first half of this dvandva- compound does not apply to the latter half. All form is upadaniyam — see § 595 and t/. Dh. S. § 1538. Hence to get, as we do, a positive answer would, if upadaniyam were to be taken negatively, be a very patent infringement of the law of contradiction. The distributed negative is given by anupadinnanupiidaniyani as in § 992. ^ I have elided saddayatanam, and, on the next line, inserted apodhatu, as consistent with § 654. C/. §§ 747, 750, and K. ^ The answer in § 658 recurs with its elided passage very often, but it is not easy to point out the foregoing answer of which it is an abbreviation. For §§ 653, 655 include * visible form,' 'which is absurd.' And they do not include ' sound,' which is invisible. I suggest that 204 [659] What is that form which reacts and impinges^ (s a p p a t i g h a m) ? The spheres of vision, hearing, smell, taste, body-sensi- bility ; the spheres of visible forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles — this is that form which reacts and impinges. [660] What is that form which does not react or impinge ? Femininity . . . and bodily nutriment — this is that form which does not react or impinge. [661] What is that form which is faculty (i n d r i y a m) ? The faculties (or personal potentialities)^ of vision, hear- ing, smell, taste, body-sensibility, femininity, masculinity, vitality — this is that form which is faculty. [662] What is that form which is not faculty ? The spheres of visible form . . . and bodily nutriment — this is that form which is not faculty.^ § 596 is referred to, with the implication that * the sphere of visible form ' must be omitted. All the other terms in § 596, if understood as strictly abstract sensibility or sen- sation, or as abstract ideas, are inaccessible to sight. Even in kabalinkaro aharo, it is only the vatthu, or em- bodiment of the concept of nutriment, that is visible. And similarly, whereas one's bodily gestures are visible, the * intimation ' given is a matter of inference, a mental con- struction. ^ Both terms have been applied in the detailed theory of sense given in § 597 et seq. ^ Keeping to § 596 as the norm for these abbreviated replies, we may assume that these two (§§ 659 and 660) divide out that answer between them. Impact and reac- tion, as here understood, belong exclusively to the sphere of sensation. The term patigho has an emotional and moral significance elsewhere in this work, and means re- pulsion, repugnance. See § 1060. ^ § 596 would seem to be divided also and differently by the indriyam sections. What is na indriyarn, not having hvva^i^, are thus the five kinds of sense-objects, intimation, space, the three modes of form, and the course 205 [663] What is that form which is Great Phenomenon (mahabhutam)? The sphere of the tangible and the element of fluidity — this is that form which is Great Phenomenon. [664] What is that form which is not Great Pheno- menon ? The sphere of vision . . . and bodily nutriment — this is that form which is not Great Phenomenon.^ [665] What is that form which is intimation (viniiatti)? Bodily and vocal intimation ^ — this is that form which is intimation. [666] What is that form which is not intimation ? The sphere of vision . . . and bodily nutriment — this is that form which is not intimation. [667] What is that form which is sprung from thought (citta-samutthrma m)^ ? of the evolving rebirth of form as represented in abstract idea. ^ This pair of relatives coincides with the first pair of attributes taken inversely: forms underived and derived (pp. 172-97). ^ See above, §§ 636, 637. The abbreviated answer con- cerning the other relative will presumably be the entire list given in § 596, with the exception of the two modes of intimation. 3 Cf. below, §§ 1195, 1196, and above, § 636, note. Here, after being silent over the last ten questions, the Cy. resumes its parable (p. 337), without, however, throw- ing much light on these to us obscure distinctions. This and the next two pairs of questions and answers refer to form of some kind as brought into relation with an intelli- gent agent. And the purest instance of this is those groups of phenomena which are brought into play when the agent is expressing himself.