English
Notes 3 & 4 Sampaticcana (Oo£oS££i2) and santirana (e325^i^d>) respectively. The act of investigation here is confined to the object presented to the mind and is therefore more or less ot a passive nature. Note 5 Conation or desire-to-do (chando c5^@2S5) is akin to inten- tion or purposive volition, and a muddle-headed and foolish man has no volition deserving the name of purposive. 83 CHAPTER X. IMMORAL CONCOMITANTS Of immoral concomitants, the four called 'mental properties common to all immoral consciousness' obtain in all the twelve classes of immoral consciousness, to wit : — (i) dulness (mohd ®®j®3) (2) impudence (ahirikan Cfd^S'sSo) , recklessness of consequences (anottappan ^®3tyC3C) (4) distraction ! uddhaccan C®^*) (5) greed (lobho ®C'®^*) obtains only in the 8 kinds of consciousness rooted in appetite. (6) error (ditthi ^ciS) obtains in the 4 kinds of conscious- ness connected with erroneous views. 7) conceit* (man5 ^y&'S^i) obtains in the four kinds of consciousness, disconnected from erroneous views. 8' Hate (dos5 ®C,®aa), (9) envy ;issa ^C££23), (10; selfishness ^macchanyan @855ceo) and fii) worry ,kukkuccan Cj^S3S;^€€)o). These four obtain in the two kinds of consciousness connected with aversion. (12) sloth [tUlnah 32O0), and (13) torpor (middhan ®®i) obtain in the five kinds of immoral consciousness wiiich are volitional. (14) perplexity (vicikiccha SJ^tSSefa) obtains only in the kind of consciousness that is accompanied by perplexity. Note i The teachers refer to the inconstant association of conceit or pride with such views. 'Pride sometimes', that is, when 84 a real superiority over others is the cause of selt-advertisemcnt and complacency. A similar reminder is made in the case of 'sloth and torpor' occurring in volitional consciousness. They so occur when the mind is unfit for work. ** Sabbapuiifiesu cattard Idbhamulctayo kata dosamulesu cattaro sasankhare dvayan tatha vicikiccha vicikiccha cittecati catuddasa dvadasakusaleslveva sampayujjanti pancadha" In all demeritorious thoughts there are four, rooted in greed three, rooted in hate (our, vohtional two, and in consciousness conjoined with perplexity, doubt. In five ways the 14 immoral mental properties are bound to the 12 classes of immoral con- sciousness. 1. DULNHSS OR DHLUSION Dulness or delusion (s@3(£Q0d molio^ is that state associated with consciousness which prevents it trom seeing an object in reality, that is in the ultimate and highest sense. It is like looking at an object with the eyes closed or with a blue- coloured glass. When there is no dulness in consciousness, it will be only thinking of the object. When dulness is associated with consciousness, the real nature of an object cannot be seen. It is a great immoral property. It is the root of all evil. It is synonymous with Ignorance or Nescience (avijja CjpSdda) which according to dependent origination (Paticca sammuppada cS£)0 00^0:^3^' is one of the two origins of the wheel of samsara or of birth and death and not the origin of the world which has no beginning, no end. How is the real and true nature of the object not seen by dulness ? The characteristic feature of dulness is ignorance of the beginning, the end, both the beginning and end, and the law of dependent origination which teaches that all phenomena arise depending on one or more causes and that all conditioned and composite things are subject to impermnnence, sorrow and devoid ol a sub- stantial entity. In the manner that absolute darkness produced 85 by the four factors viz. a thick forest, night without any phase of the moon, midnight, thick and dark clouds, prevent one from seeing a blue or yellow object, the four factors above stated owing to dulness, will prevent one from seeing the truth of the three salient marks of impermanence, sorrow and soul- lessness. By reason of this dulness or ignorance, one treads a wrong path, heedless of the eightfold noble path, and conse- quently gets reborn in the four planes of infra-human existence. 1, IMPUDENCE Impudence (ahirikan q'S'.SfSio) is a state associated with consciousness which prevents a person from being ashamed to commit an immoral act. It is like a pig in regard to excreta. If impudence does not arise in consciousness, consciousness will not think of doing immoral deeds. When it arises in consciousness it will think of doing immoral deeds. ^ RECKLESSNESS OE CONSEQUENCES Recklessness of consequences (anottappan Cp(©25D3G3t33::!^' ) is a state associated with consciousness which prevents one from being frightened to commit an immoral act. It is like fleas alighting on fire. If this property is not associated with consciousness, consciousness will be frightened to do any wrong deeds. When it is associated with consciousness it will not be frightened to do any immoral act. How is this property likened to fleas ? Where there is a burning lamp, the fleas, owing to their ignorance and craving for visual objects which are attractive, alight on the lamp and get burnt. Similarly, people being under the delusion that killing, committing adultery, drinking and so on brin^ on happiness without any ill effects, commit bad deeds by speech, body and thought, and consequently suffer in the four planes of misery. 4. DISTRACTION Distraction i^uddhacca C^^^) is a state associated with consciousness which makes one excited and distracted. It is like a tjuantity of ash disturbed by the pelting of a stone or a flag affected by strong wind. If distraction does not exist in consciousness, it will be steady and one-pointed. When distraction is associated with consciousness, it becomes excited,, shaky and distracted, and never one-pointed or concentrated. 86 Although there are other mental properties, because this state of ■distraction is associated with consciousness in a very high degree, we have a class of consciousness called " upekkha sahagata uddhacca sampayuttaii cittan ", consciousness accompanied by indifference and conjoined with distraction. As the above four are associated always with all the i 2 classes ■of immoral consciousness they are known as mental properties common to all classes ol immoral consciousness sabbakusala sadharana cetasika ca S)S^ o ?S CO (3 oooSad-C^/ (s8ts6tS3). 5. GREED. Greed (;SQ3(caD3 lobhd) is :i state associated u irh con- sciousness which causes attachment to an object. It is compared to dirt in a dress, to a piece of flesh inside an unused vessel made of clay, and to a sticky substance improvised for the purpose of entrapping monkeys. In the latter case, when any eatables such as ripe fruits and so on are placed over the sticky substance, the monkey's fore limbs, hind limbs and the mouth get stuck to the sticky substance, when he makes an attempt to snatch the fruits by keeping a limb at a time, and lastly his mouth. In the same manner people who have a craving for sensuous pleasures get attracted to the five objects of sense and indulge in them excessively and unduly and are born in planes of misery. When there is no greed in consciousness it will not get attached to the object. It is only when greed is associated with consciousness that it gets attached to the object. This too is a root of immoral consciousness and a very powerful one. It IS this greed that signifies the 2nd Ariyan Truth, the cause of 111. 6. ERROR Error (dirthi 5SS) is a state associated with consciousness which makes a wrong impression of an object or an idea. It is like the appearance of a glare like water. Erroneous perceptions, views and ideas may be compared to a magic show or an unsafe path leading to a place wherein ghosts dwell. Just as a magician can transform pieces of plate, stones and so on, to silver, gold and any other substance he desires, even so by reason of erroneous perceptions, views and ideas one thinks that a sentient being possesses a substantial entity, a soul or an atman, when there 87 is in a being no such personal entity and that a being is only a life-flux, a continuity of material and immaterial qualities constituting matter and mind. The heinous offences of killing, drinking intoxicants and so on, are not considered as sins. He conceives that he would be, after death, born in an Everlasting Heaven or a Brahmaloka.