Visuddhimagga - Notes VI

THE PATH
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka


35. Profitable in the sense of health, blamelessness, and pleasant result (see Pm.
463). Unprofitable in the opposite sense. Indeterminate because not describable
as either profitable or unprofitable (see Pm. 464). This is the first of the twenty-
two triads in the Abhidhamma Matika (Dhs., p. 1)
Pali has five principal words, ndma, vinndna, mano, citta, and ceto, against
the normal English consciousness and mind. While their etymology can be looked
up in the dictionary, one or two points need noting here. Ndma (rendered by
'mentality' when not used to refer to a name) is almost confined in the sense
considered to the expression ndma-rupa ('mentality-materiality') as the fourth
member of the dependent origination, where it comprises the three mental aggre-
gates of feeling, perception and formations, but not that of consciousness (vinndna).
Vinndna (rendered by 'consciousness') is, loosely, more or less a synonym for
mano and citta; technically, it is bare cognition considered apart from feeling,
perception or formations. Mano (rendered by 'mind'), when used technically, is
confined to the sixth internal base for contact (Ch. XV). Citta (rendered by
'mind' and 'consciousness' or '[manner of] consciousness'), when used techni-
cally, refers to a momentary type-situation considered as vinndna in relation to
the tone of its concomitant feeling, perception and formations. Possibly, a better
rendering would have been 'cognizance' throughout. It carries a flavour of its
etymological relative, cetand ('volition'). Ceto (another etymological relative,
rendered by 'heart'—i.e. 'seat of the emotions'—, 'will' or 'mind'), when used
loosely is very near to citta; but technically it is restricted to one or two such
expressions as ceto-vimutti ('mind-deliverance' or 'heart-deliverance*).
36. ' "Sense sphere" (kdmdvacara): here there are the two kinds of sense desire
(kdma), sense desire as basis (vatthu-kdma) and sense desire as defilement (kilesa-
kdma). Of these, sense desire as [objective] basis particularized as the five cords
of sense desire (panca-kdma-guna = dimensions of sensual desires), is desired
(kdmiyati). Sense desire as defilement, which is craving, desires (kdmeti). The
sense sphere (kdmdvacara) is where these two operate (avacaranti) together. But
what is that? It is the elevenfold sense-desire becoming, i.e. hell, asura demons,
ghosts, animals, human beings, and six sensual-sphere heavens. So too with the,
fine-material sphere and the immaterial sphere, taking 'fine-material' as craving
for the fine-material too, and 'immaterial' as craving for the immaterial too. It
crosses over (uttarati) from the world (loka), thus it is supramundane (lokut-
taraY (Pm. 464).
37. The meaning of the expression tathabhava-paccupatthana appears more
clearly where it is used again at §108. In this definition (sadhana) the function
(kicca-rasa) in fact describes the verb action (kicca) while the manifestation
(paccupatthana) describes the relevant nounal state (bhava). So 'tathabhava'
means that what has just been taken as a function (e.g. 'receiving') is to be taken
also as a state ('reception').
38. 'To the six kinds of objects all classed as limited, etc., past, etc., internal,
etc' (Pm. 474).
39. Registration consciousness does not, it is stated, occur with an object of
exalted consciousness—see VbhA. 154.


40. ' "The source it has come from, and so on" means the source it has come
from and its condition. Here, in the opinion of certain teachers the result of the
unprompted profitable is unprompted and the result of the prompted is prompted,
like the movement of the face's reflexion in a looking-glass when the face
moves; thus it is due to the source it has come from. But in the opinion of other
teachers the unprompted arises due to powerful kamma as condition and the
prompted does so due to weak kamma; thus it is due to its condition1
 (Pm. 474).
41. 'With respect to such unsublime objects as the forms of skeletons or ghosts'
(Pm. 476). See e.g. Vin.iii,104.
42. See also MA.iv,124f. 'Here "kamma" is stored-up profitable kamma of the
sense sphere that has got an opportunity to ripen; hence he said "that has ap-
peared". "Sign of kamma" is the gift to be given that was a condition for the
volition at the moment of accumulating the kamma. "Sign of destiny" is the
visible-data base located in the destiny in which he is about to be reborn1
 (Pm.
477), See Ch. XVII, §136ff.
43. * "The sign of kamma" here is only the kamma's own object consisting of
an earth kasina, etc.* (Pm. 478).
44. * "With that same object": if kamma is the life-continuum's object, then it is
that kamma; if the sign of the kamma, or the sign of the destiny, then it is one of
those' (Pm. 478).
45. * "Occurring endlessly": this is, in fact, thus called "bhavahga" (life-contin-
uum, lit. "limb" (or "practice"—see Ch. II, §11) of becoming) because of its
occurring as the state of an anga ("limb" or "practice") of the rebirth-process be-
coming (uppatti-bhavaY (Pm. 478).
The word bhavahga appears in this sense only in the Patthana (See Tika-
Patthana, P.T.S. ed., pp. 159, 169, 324).
For the commentarial description of dream consciousness and kamma ef-
fected during dreams, see VbhA. (commentary to Nana-Vibhanga, Ekaka) and
A A. (commentary to A. Pancaka-nipata, no. 196), which largely but not entirely
overlap. Pm. says here: 'The seeing of dreams is done with consciousness con-
sisting only of the functional' (Pm. 478).
46. ' "A disturbance in the life-continuum" is a wavering of the life-continuum
consciousness; the meaning is that there is the arrival at a state that is a reason
for dissimilarity in its occurrence twice in that way. For it is called disturbance
(calana) because it is like a disturbance (movement) since there seems to be a
cause for an Occasion (avattha) in the mind's continuity different from the previ-
ous occasion. Granted, firstly, that there is impact on the sensitivity owing to
confrontation with an object, since the necessity for that is established by the ex-
istence of the objective field and the possessor of the objective field, but how
does there come to be disturbance (movement) of the life-continuum that has a
different support? Because it is connected with it. And here the example is this:
when grains of sugar are put on the surface of a drum and one of the grains of
sugar is tapped, a fly sitting on another grain of sugar moves' (Pm. 478).
47. ' "Next to adverting" means next to five-door adverting. For those who do
not admit the cognitive series beginning with receiving, just as they do not admit


the heart basis, the Pali has been handed down in various places in the way
beginning "For the eye-consciousness element as receiving (sampaticchandya
cakkhuviMdnadhdtuya)" (see Ch. IV, n.13); for the Pali cannot be contradicted'
(Pm. 479). The quotation as it stands is not traced to the Pitakas.
48. See Ch. IV, note 13.
49. * "I/.. . vivid (lit. large)": this is said because it is the occurrence of con-
sciousness at the end of the impulsions that is being discussed. For an object is
here intended as "vivid" when its life is fourteen conscious moments; and that
should be understood as coming into focus when it has arisen and is two or three
moments past' (Pm. 479).
50. 'This includes also the preliminary-work and the cleansing (see Ch. XXII,
note 7), not change-of-lineage only' (Pm. 479). See also Ch. IV, §74 and Ch.
XXI, §129.
51. * "That obtains a condition": any impulsion that has obtained a condition
for arising next to change-of-lineage, as that of the fine-material sphere, and so
on' (Pm. 479).
52. * "A very vivid one" is one with a life of sixteen conscious moments. For
registration consciousness arises with respect to that, not with respect to any
other. "Clear" means very evident, and that is only in the sense sphere; for regis-
tration arises with respect to that' (Pm. 479).
53. * "Previous kamma": this is said in order to show the differences in kinds
of registration; for kamma that generates rebirth-linking is not the only kind to
generate registration; other kinds of kamma do so too. But the latter generates
registration unlike that generatable by the kamma that generates rebirth-linking.
"Impulsion consciousness": this is said in order to show what defines the regis-
tration; for it is said, "Registration is definable by impulsion" (?). The word
"etc." includes rebirth-linking, however; for that is not a condition for registra-
tion that is more outstanding than itself. "Any condition": any condition from
among the desirable objects, etc., that has combined (samaveta) to produce the
arising of registration' (Pm. 479).
54. 'This should be regarded as a secondary characteristic (upalakkhana) of
profitable feeling, that is to say, the fact that whatever profitable feeling there is,
is all associated with profitable consciousness. That, however, is not for the
purpose of establishing its profitableness. For the profitableness of profitable
feeling is not due to its association with profitable consciousness, but rather to
wise attention and so on. That is why he said "as to kind". So too in the case of
the unprofitable and so on' (Pm. 481).
55. Sambhoga—'exploiting': not in this sense in P.T.S. Diet, (see also Ch.
XVII, §51).
56. 'Pleasure and pain respectively gratify and afflict by acting in one way on
the body and in another way on the mind, but not so equanimity, which is why
the latter is described as of one class.
'Just as, when a man places a piece of cottonwool on an anvil and strikes it
with an iron hammer, and his hammer goes right through the cotton and hits the


anvil, the violence of the blow is great, so too because the violence of the im-
pact's blow is great, body-consciousness is accompanied by pleasure when the
object is a desirable or desirable-neutral one, and by pain when the object is an
undesirable or undesirable-neutral one. [It is the impact of primary matter (tan-
gible object) on the primaries of the body.]
'Herein, though profitable-resultant and unprofitable-resultant conscious-
ness discriminated according to the desirable and undesirable might logically be
associated with pleasure and pain, nevertheless the eight kinds of consciousness
that have the eye, etc., as their support ((34)-(37) and (50)-(53)) are invariably
associated only with equanimity, because of the gentleness of the impact's blow
in the case of two instances of derived matter, like that of two pieces of cotton
wool' (Pm. 482). For simile see DhsA. 263.
57. * "The characteristic of agglomerating" means the characteristic of adding
together (sampindana); then they are said to have the function of accumulating,
for the dhammas in the formations aggregate are so described because volition is
their basis' (Pm. 484).
58. Vipphdra—'intervening' here is explained by Pm. (p. 484) as vydpdra (in-
terest or work); not in this sense in P.T.S. Diet. See Ch. VI, n.6.
59. Yevdpanaka (ye-vd-pana-lca) is commentarial shorthand derived from the
DhammasanganI phrase 'ye-vd-pana tasmim samaye ahne pi atthi paticca-samup-
pannd arupino dhamma'—'Or whatever other immaterial conditionally-arisen
states (phenomena) there are too on that occasion' (Dhs. 1). Cf. also M.i,85.
60. ' "Ay the act of touching too": by this he shows that this is its individual
essence even though it is immaterial. And the characteristic of touching is obvi-
ous in its occurrence in such instances as, say, the watering of the mouth in one
who sees another tasting vinegar or a ripe mango, the bodily shuddering in a
sympathetic person who sees another being hurt, the trembling of the knees in a
timid man standing on the ground when he sees a man precariously balanced on
a high tree branch, the loss of power of the legs in one who sees something
terrifying such as apisdea (goblin)' (Pm. 484-85).
6L For 'non-adherent' see §46.
4
 "On any one side" means on any one side of itself, like a pair of planks
and so on. "Non-adherent" means not sticking (asamsilissamdna). It is only the
impact without adherence that contact shares with visible data and sound, not the
objective field. Just as, though eye and ear are non-adherent respectively to
visible data snd sounds still they have the word "touched" used of them, so too it
can be said of contact's touching and impinging on the object. Contact's imping-
ing is the actual concurrence (meeting) of consciousness and object' (Pm. 485).
62. Adhitthana—'habitat' (or site or location or foundation): this meaning not
given in P.T.S. Diet.
63. The four factors of stream-entry (see S.v,347) are: waiting on good men,
hearing the Good Dhamma, wise attention, and practice in accordance with the
Dhamma. Again they are: absolute confidence in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and
the Sangha, and possession of noble virtue (S.v,343).


64. 'Apildpana ("not wobbling'*) is the steadying of an object, the remembering
and not forgetting it, keeping it as immovable as a stone instead of letting it go
bobbing about like a pumpkin in water' (Pm. 487).
65. 'And here by tranquillization, etc., of consciousness only consciousness is
tranquillized and becomes light, malleable, wieldy, proficient and upright. But
with tranquillization, etc., of the [mental] body also the material body is tranquil-
lized, and so on. This is why the twofoldness of states is given by the Blessed
One here, but not in all places' (Pm. 489).
66. * "The act of resolving" should be understood as the act of being convinced
(sannitthdna) about an object, not as trusting (pasddanay (Pm. 489). See §140.
67. * Because the path consciousnesses have nibbana as their object and because
compassion, gladness, etc., have living beings as their object, there is no com-
passion, etc., in the path' (Pm. 491).
68. * Because the paralysis (samhanana) of consciousness comes about through
stiffness, but that of matter through torpor like that of the three aggregates
beginning with feeling, therefore torpor is manifested as nodding and sleep' (Pm.
493).
69. Kukata is not in P.T.S. Diet. It is impossible to render into English this
'portmanteau' etymology, e.g. kucchita-kata—kukata, kukutatd ... kukkucca,
which depends mostly on a fortuitous parallelism of meaning and verbal forms in
the Pali. While useless to strict modern etymologists, it has a definite semantic
and mnemonic use.
70. * "Mere steadiness in occurrence" is mere presence for a moment. That it is
only "mere steadiness in occurrence" owing to the mere condition for the steadi-
ness of the mind (ceto) is because of lack of real steadiness due to absence of
decidedness (nicchaya), and it is incapable of being a condition for such steadi-
ness in continuity (see §188) as the steadiness of consciousness stated thus: "like
the steadiness of a flame sheltered from a draught" (Ch. XIV, §139)' (Pm. 495).
71. *Here when the time is delimited by death and rebirth-linking the term
"extent" is applicable. It is made known through the Suttas in the way beginning
"Was I in the past?" (M.i,8); for the past state is likewise mentioned as "extent"
in the Bhaddekaratta Sutta too in the way beginning "He does not follow what is
past (the past extent)" (M.iii,188). But when it is delimited in the ultimate sense
as in the Addhaniruttipatha Sutta thus, "Bhikkhus, there are three extents, the
past extent, the future extent, and the present extent" (Iti. 53), then it is appropri-
ate as delimited by moment. Herein, the existingness of the present is stated thus,
"Bhikkhus, of matter that is born ... manifested, it is said that 'It exists'"
(S.iii,72), and pastness and futureness are respectively called before and after
that' (Pm. 496).
72. 'Cold temperature is like with cold, and hot with hot. But that temperature
which falls on the body, whether hot or cold, and occurs as a continuity in one
mode, being neither less nor more, is called "single temperature". The word
"single" is used because of the plurality of "like" temperature. So too with
nutriment. "In one cognitive series, in one impulsion" refers respectively to five


door and mind-door consciousness. The explanations of continuity and period are
given in the Commentaries for the purpose of helping the practice of insight'
(Pm. 496).
73. In these two paragraphs 'past' and 'future
1
 refer not to time, as in the other
paragraphs, but to the materiality.
74. * "Cause" (hetu) is what gives birth (janaka); "condition" (paccaya) is what
consolidates (upatthambhaka). Their respective functions are arousing and con-
solidating. Just as the seed's function is to arouse the sprout and that of the earth,
etc., is to consolidate it, and just as kamma's function is to arouse result as
matter that is due to kamma performed, and that of nutriment is to consolidate it,
so the function of those [conditions] that give birth to each material group and
each thought-arising and serve as kamma and proximity-conditions, etc., for
them, and the function of those that consolidate them and serve as conascence,
prenascence, and postnascence condition^ for them may be construed accord-
ingly as appropriate.
'Because there is similarity and dissimilarity in temperature, etc., in the way
stated, the pastness, etc., of material instances originated by it are stated accord-
ing to continuity. But there is no such similarity and dissimilarity in the kamma
that gives birth to a single becoming, so instead of stating according to continu-
ity the pastness, etc., of material instances originated by that, it is stated accord-
ing to what consolidates. However, when there comes to be reversal of sex, then
the male sex disappears owing to powerful unprofitable kamma, and the female
sex appears owing to weak profitable kamma; and the female sex disappears
owing to weak unprofitable kamma, while the male sex appears owing to power-
ful profitable kamma (see DhsA. 321). So there is in fact dissimilarity in what is
originated by kamma and consequent dissimilarity in what is past, etc., in accor-
dance with the continuity of these as well. But it is not included because it does
not happen always' (Pm. 497).
75. Niyakajjhatta—'internally in the sense of one's own': four kinds of ajjhatta
(internal, lit. 'belonging to oneself) are mentioned in the commentaries and sub-
commentaries (see DhsA. 46): gocarajjhatta—internally as range or resort
(MA.iv,161; ii,90, 292), ajjhattajjhata—internally as such (Pm. 152), niyak-
ajjhatta—internally in the sense of one's own (Ch. IV, §141, IX, §114, this ref.;
MA.iv,161), visayajjhatta—internally as objective field (MA.iv, 160).
76. Profitable result is superior because it produces a desirable object (see Pm.
498). This question is treated at length at VbhA. 9f.
77. 'The feeling that accompanies the faith, etc., occurring in one who sees an
image of the Buddha or who hears the Dhamma, even for a whole day, is
"present" ' (Pm. 499).
78. 'Consciousness dominates because of the words "Dhammas have mind as
their forerunner" (Dh.l), "Dhammas (states) that have parallel turn-over with
consciousness" (Dhs.§1522), and "The king, lord of the six doors" (?)' (Pm.503).
79. Burmese ed. of the Sammohavinodani (Khandha Vibhanga Commentary) in
the identical passage, reads vedanddayo anasava pi sasava pi atthi. The P.T.S.
and Harvard eds. read vedanddayo anasava pi atthi.


80. Avarodha—'inclusion*: not in P.T.S. Diet. The term etaparama— 'the widest
limit* is not mentioned in P.T.S. Diet. See M.i,80, 339; S.v,119; MA.iii,281. Cf.
also etdvaparama, M.i, 246.
81. 'When all formed dhammas are grouped together according to similarity,
they naturally fall into five aggregates. Herein, it is the items that are the same
owing to the sameness consisting respectively in "molesting", etc., that are to be
understood as "similar". Among them, those that are strong in the volition whose
nature is accumulating with the function of forming the formed, are called the
formations aggregate. And the others, that is, contact, etc., which are devoid of
the distinguishing characteristics of "being molested", etc., may also be so re-
garded under the generality of forming the formed. But the similarities consisting
in touching are not describable separately by the word "aggregate", and so that is
why no aggregates of contact, etc., have been stated by the Perfect One who
knows the similarities of dhammas. "Bhikkhus, whatever ascetics or brahmans
there are who are asserters of eternity and declare the self and the world to be
eternal, all do so depending and relying on these same five aggregates or on one
or other of them" (cf. S.iii,46), and so on' (Pm. 503).
82. The aggregates of virtue, concentration, understanding, liberation, and knowl-
edge and vision of liberation (S.i,99), etc.
83. 'The matter of the body is like the prison because it is the site of the punish-
ment. Perception is like the offence because owing to perception of beauty, etc.,
it is a cause of the punishment, which is feeling. The formations aggregate is like
the punisher because it is a cause of feeling. Consciousness is like the offender
because it is afflicted by feeling. Again, matter is like the dish because it bears
the food. Perception is like the curry sauce because, owing to perception of
beauty, etc., it hides the food, which is feeling. The formations aggregate is like
the server because it is a cause of feeling; and service is included since one who
is taking a meal is usually served. Consciousness is like the eater because it is
helped by feeling' (Pm. 504). For cdraka (prison^see Ch. XVI, §18.
84. P.T.S. and Harvard eds. both read visesato ca suldram pi ajjhattikarh ruparh.
But Burmese ed. of SammohavinodanI in identical passage reads visesato ca
subhdrammanam pi oldrikam pi ajjhattika-rupam.
CHAPTER XV
1. The following words in §3 are not in P.T.S. Diet.: cakkhati (it relishes),
rupayati (it makes visible—only referred to under rupa), sappati (it is emitted;
pass, of sapati, to swear (Ud. 45)), uddhariyati (it is uttered, lit. 'is carried up
to'), gandhayati (it is smelt), sucayati (it betrays), rasati (it tastes). Burmese ed.
of VbhA. reads manayati (not in P.T.S. Diet.) for mundti in parallel passage.
Pm. (p. 508) explains cakkhati (relishes) semantically by 'tasting a flavour
as in "relishing" honey or sauce' and cites M.i,503. Linguistically it connects the
word with dcikkhati (to show).
'When a visible form (rupa) undergoes, like the visible aspect of a chame-
leon, an alteration in appearance (colour) at times when [the mind is] dyed with


greed or corrupted with hate, etc., it makes visible what state [is prevalent] in the
heart (i.e. the mind) and makes that evident as though it were an actual visible
object; the meaning is that it demonstrates it by giving it, as it were, a graspable
entity (saviggaha). Or the word rupa means demonstration, and that is the same
as evidencing. Or the word rupa can be regarded as evidencing of elements too,
since it has many meanings. Rupayati (it makes visible) is a derivative (nib-
bacana) of the word rupa that expresses appearance (colour), while ruppati (it is
molested) is a derivative that expresses the materiality aggregate. [As to sound]
only the sound of words (vacana-sadda) would be covered by the meaning "is
uttered (uddhariyati)", and here sound is not only the sound of words, but rather
all that can be cognized by the ear is what "is emitted (sappati)"; the meaning is
that by means of its own conditions it is emitted (sappiyati), is made cognizable
by the ear' (Pm. 508) (cf. also sappati, to crawl).
* "It evokes life (jivitam avhayati)" owing to appetite for tastes in food
(dhdra), which is the cause of life (jivita), since the act of swallowing is rooted
in approval of tastes. This is the linguistic characteristic of the word jivhd (tongue)'
(Pm. 509).
2. The following words in §4 are not in P.T.S. Diet.: dyatana (actuating: verbal
n. fm. dyatati, to actuate); tanana (range: verbal n. fm. tanoti, to provide a range
for, to extend—q.v. P.T.S. Diet.—; mentioned under dyatana, base); nayana (lead-
ing on: verbal n. fm. neti, to lead on; lit. meaning not in P.T.S. Diet.); dyatati (to
actuate—'cakkhuvinhdnddinam uppddanam dyatanam, Pm.). See also dydpenti
at Ps.ii,21.
3. Akara means either a mine or a store (P.T.S. Diet, apparently believes in
mining for pearls—see ratandkard).
4. * Because of the absence of anything whatever not included in the twelve
bases, there is no arguing that they are more than twelve' (Pm. 510).
5. ' "In other words, the life-continuum mind19
: that which occurs twice in
disturbance (see Ch. XIV, n.46). Only when there has been the occurrence of the
life-continuum in a state of disturbance (iff a state of dissimilar occurrence) is
there the arising of adverting, not otherwise. Taking it thus as the reason for
adverting, what is called "life-continuum mind" is a door of arising. "Not com-
mon to air means not common to eye-consciousness and the rest' (Pm. 510).
See M.i,293.
6. * "Condition" is kamma, etc., "destiny" is from hell upwards; "order [of
beings]" refers to^such species as elephants, horses, etc., or to the castes of the
khattiyas (warrior nobles), and so on; "person" refers to any given living being's
continuity' (Pm. 511).
7. There are eighty-one mundane sorts of consciousness; and since there is no
path or fruition without jhana, when the four paths and four fruitions are multi-
plied by the five jhanas, there are forty kinds of supramundane consciousness: 81
+ 40=121.
8. ' "Physical basis" is that consisting of the eye, etc.; according to that. "Prog-
ress" is painful progress, and the other three. "And so on" refers to jhana, pre-
dominance, plane, object, and so on' (Pm. 512).


9. 'Blue is similar to blue; it is dissimilar to any other colour. "Condition" is
kamma, and so on' (Pm. 512).
10. The verb dahati, the basis of all these derivatives, means literally 'to put'.
'There are five meanings stated, since the word dhdtu (element, sort, "putting")
has its form established (siddha) here by (a) the transitive (kattu), (b) the intran-
sitive (kamma), (c) the abstract noun (bhdva), (d) the instrumental case (kdrana),
and (e) the causative voice (adhikarana). Supramundane elements do not sort out
(yidahanti) the suffering of the round of rebirths; on the contrary, they destroy
(vidharhsenti) it. That is why "mundane" is specified1
 (Pm. 513).
11. ' "Are elements since they cause [a state's] own individual essence to be
borne": here, while the establishment of the word's form should be understood
as "dadhdtl ti dhdtu (it puts, sorts, thus it is an element)", still taking the word
dhd to share the meanings [of both dadhdti and dhdreti (see Ch. XI, §104)], there
is also the meaning of the active voice different from the first, because the
meanings of vidhdna (sorting out) and dhdrana (causing to bear) are uncon-
nected. The causing of the bearing of mere individual essences without any
permanent living being, is a basic meaning of the word dhdtu (element), and so it
is stated separately' (Pm. 513).
12. ' "Are elements like those elements": here, just as the word "lion" (siha),
which is properly applicable to the bearer of a mane, [is used] of a man, so too
the word "element", which is properly applicable to the constituents of marble, is
used of the eye and so on' (Pm. 513).
13. ' "Successive definition of cause and fruit" is just the state of cause and
fruit' (Pm. 514).
14. 'It is the mere cessation of the mind-consciousness element and mental-data
element because it is the ceasedness of thought-arisings in the fourth immaterial
state' (Pm. 514).
15. In Ch. XIV, §§35-70, the material instances listed total 28, that is, 4 primary
elements, 9 sense faculties (excluding the tangible-data faculty, which is the 3
elements except water), and 15 kinds of subtle materiality beginning with the
femininity faculty (cf. treatment at Dhs. §596). Other lists, however, sometimes
give a total of 26 kinds, that is, 10 sense faculties (including the tangible-data
faculty, which is the 3 primary elements) and 16 kinds of subtle materiality, that
is, the above-mentioned 15 plus the water element, which is listed then after the
space element (cf. treatment at Dhs. §653 and list at MA.ii,261). See Table I.
16. 'Here the word "etc." stands for the mind-consciousness element's states
where suitable as root-cause, predominance, kamma, kamma-result, nutriment,
faculty, jhana, and path conditions' (Pm. 516).
17. 'I.e. subtle materiality and nibbana' (Pm. 516).
18. ' "Life-continuum mind" is the life-continuum consciousness occurring twice
in disturbance' (Pm. 516).
19. 'Formed elements are secluded in both instances (i.e. when past and future)
because their individual essences are unapprehendable then' (Pm. 516).


20. Adhararani (adho-arani)—* lower fire-stick' and uttararani (uttara-arani)—
'upper fire-stick' are not in P.T.S. Diet, as such.