THE PATH
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka
66. Any man who acquires this sign,
This tenfold skill will need to heed
In order absorption to gain
Thus achieving his bolder goal.
But if in spite of his efforts
No result comes that might requite
His work, still a wise wight persists,
Never this task relinquishing, [136]
Since a tiro, if he gives up,
Thinking not to continue in
The task, never gains distinction
Here no matter how small at all.
A man wise in temperament
n
Notices how his mind inclines:
Energy and serenity
Always he couples each to each.
Now his mind, seeing that it holds back,
He prods, now the restraining rein
Tightening, seeing it pull too hard;
Guiding with even pace the race.
Well-controlled bees get the pollen;
Well-balanced efforts meet to treat
Leaves, thread, and ships, and oil-tubes too,
Gain thus, not otherwise, the prize.
Let him set aside this lax
Also this agitated state,
Steering here his mind at the sign
As the bee and the rest suggest.
[THE FIVE SIMILES]
67. Here is the explanation of the meaning.
When a too clever bee learns that a flower on a tree is blooming, it
sets out hurriedly, overshoots the mark, turns back, and arrives when the
pollen is finished; and another, not clever enough bee, who sets out with
too slow a speed, arrives when the pollen is finished too; but a clever bee
sets out with balanced speed, arrives with ease at the cluster of flowers,
takes as much pollen as it pleases and enjoys the honey-dew.
68. Again, when a surgeon's pupils are being trained in the use of the
scalpel on a lotus leaf in a dish of water, one who is too clever applies
the scalpel hurriedly and either cuts the lotus leaf in two or pushes it
under the water, and another who is not clever enough does not even
dare to touch it with the scalpel for fear of cutting it in two or pushing it
under, but one who is clever shows the scalpel stroke on it by means of a
balanced effort, and being good at his craft he is rewarded on such
occasions.
69. Again when the king announces, * Anyone who can draw out a spi-
der's thread four fathoms long shall receive four thousand', one man
who is too clever breaks the spider's thread here and there by pulling it
hurriedly, and another who is not clever enough does not dare to touch it
with his hand for fear of breaking it, but a clever man pulls it out starting
from the end with a balanced effort, winds it on a stick, and so wins the
prize.
70. Again, a too clever [137] skipper hoists full sails in a high wind and
sends his ship adrift, and another, not clever enough skipper, lowers his
sails in a light wind and remains where he is, but a clever skipper hoists
full sails in a light wind, takes in half his sails in a high wind, and so
arrives safely at his desired destination.
71. Again, when a teacher says, * Anyone who fills the oil-tube without
spilling any oil will win a prize', one who is too clever fills it hurriedly
out of greed for the prize, and he spills the oil, and another who is not
clever enough does not dare to pour the oil at all for fear of spilling it,
but one who is clever fills it with a balanced effort and wins the prize.
72. Just as in these five similes, so too when the sign arises, one bhikkhu
forces his energy, thinking 'I shall soon reach absorption'. Then his
mind lapses into agitation because of his mind's over-exerted energy and
he is prevented from reaching absorption. Another who sees the defect in
over-exertion slacks off his energy, thinking 'What is absorption to me
now?'. Then his mind lapses into idleness because of his mind's too lax
energy and he too is prevented from reaching absorption. Yet another
who frees his mind from idleness even when it is only slightly idle and
from agitation when only slightly agitated, confronting the sign with
balanced effort, reaches absorption. One should be like the last-named.
73. It was with reference to this meaning that it was said above:
'Well-controlled bees get the pollen;
Well-balanced efforts meet to treat
Leaves, thread, and ships, and oil-tubes too,
Gain thus, not otherwise, the prize.
Let him set aside then this lax
Also this agitated state,
Steering here his mind at the sign
As the bee and the rest suggest'.
[ABSORPTION IN THE COGNITIVE SERIES]
74. So, while he is guiding his mind in this way, confronting the sign,
[then knowing] 'Now absorption will succeed', there arises in him mind-
door adverting with that same earth kasina as its object, interrupting the
[occurrence of consciousness as] life-continuum, and evoked by the con-
stant repeating of 'earth, earth'. After that, either four or five impulsions
impel on that same object, the last one of which is an impulsion of the
fine-material sphere. The rest are of the sense sphere, but they have
stronger applied thought, sustained thought, happiness, bliss, and unifi-
cation of mind than the normal ones. They are called 'preliminary work'
[consciousnesses] because they are the preliminary work for absorption;
[138] and they are also called 'access' [consciousnesses] because of their
nearness to absorption because they happen in its neighbourhood, just as
the words 'village access' and 'city access' are used for a place near to a
village, etc.; and they are also called 'conformity' [consciousnesses] be-
cause they conform to those that precede the 'preliminary work' [con-
sciousnesses] and to the absorption that follows. And the last of these is
also called 'change-of-lineage' because it transcends the limited [sense-
sphere] lineage and brings into being the exalted [fine-material-sphere]
lineage.
18
75. But omitting repetitions,
19
then either the first is the 'preliminary
work', the second 'access', the third 'conformity', and the fourth 'change-
of-lineage\ or else the first is 'access', the second 'conformity', and the
third 'change-of-lineage'. Then either the fourth [in the latter case] or the
fifth [in the former case] is the absorption consciousness. For it is only
either the fourth or the fifth that fixes in absorption. And that is accord-
ing as there is swift or sluggish direct-knowledge (cf. Ch. XXI, §117).
Beyond that, impulsion lapses and the life-continuum20
takes over.
76. But the Abhidhamma scholar, the Elder Godatta, quoted this text:
'Preceding profitable states are a condition, as repetition condition, for
succeeding profitable states' (Ptn.1,5), adding, 'It is owing to the repeti-
tion condition that each succeeding state is strong, so there is absorption
also in the sixth and seventh'.
77. That is rejected by the commentaries with the remark that it is
merely that elder's opinion, adding that 'It is only either in the fourth or
the fifth21
that there is absorption. Beyond that, impulsion lapses. It is
said to do so because of nearness of the life-continuum'. And that has
been stated in this way after consideration, so it cannot be rejected. For
just as a man who is running towards a precipice and wants to stop
cannot do so when he has his foot on the edge but falls over it, so there
can be no fixing in absorption in the sixth or the seventh because of the
nearness to the life-continuum. That is why it should be understood that
there is absorption only in the fourth or the fifth.
78. But that absorption is only of a single conscious moment. For there
are seven instances in which the normal extent
22
[of the cognitive series]
does not apply. They are in the cases of the first absorption, the mundane
kinds of direct-knowledge, the four paths, fruition next after the path,
life-continuum jhana in the fine-material and immaterial kinds of becom-
ing, the base consisting of neither perception nor non-perception as con-
dition for cessation [of perception and feeling], and the fruition attain-
ment in one emerging from cessation. Here the fruition next after the
path does not exceed three [consciousnesses in number]; [139] the [con-
sciousnesses] of the base consisting of neither perception nor non-per-
ception as condition for cessation do not exceed two [in number]; there
is no measure of the [number of consciousnesses in the] life-continuum
in the fine-material and immaterial [kinds of becoming]. In the remain-
ing instances [the number of consciousnesses is] one only. So absorption
is of a single consciousness moment. After that it lapses into the life-
continuum. Then the life-continuum is interrupted by adverting for the
purpose of reviewing the jhana, next to which comes the reviewing of
the jhana.
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