THE PATH
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka
[GENERAL]
102. The Helper, knower of five aggregates,
Had these five direct-knowledges to tell;
When they are known, there are concerning them
These general matters to be known as well.
103. Among these, the divine eye, called knowledge of passing away and
reappearance, has two accessory kinds of knowlege, that is to say, knowl-
edge of the future and knowledge of faring according to deeds. So these
two along with the five beginning with the kinds of supernormal power
make seven kinds of direct-knowledge given here.
104. Now in order to avoid confusion about the classification of their
objects:
The Sage has told four object triads
By means of which one can infer
Just how these seven different kinds
Of direct-knowledges occur.
105. Here is the explanation. Four object triads have been told by the
Greatest of the Sages. What four? The limited-object triad, the path-
object triad, the past-object triad, and the internal-object triad.
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106. (1) Herein, knowledge of supernormal power [430] occurs with re-
spect to seven kinds of object, that is to say, as having a limited or
exalted, a past, future or present, and an internal or external object.
How?
When he wants to go with an invisible body after making the body
dependent on the mind, and he converts the body to accord with the
mind (Ch. XII, §119), and he sets it, mounts it, on the exalted conscious-
ness, then taking it that the [word in the] accusative case is the proper
object,
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it has a limited object because its object is the material body.
When he wants to go with a visible body after making the mind depend-
ent on the body and he converts the mind to accord with the body and
sets it, mounts it, on the material body, then taking it that the [word in
the] accusative case is the proper object, it has an exalted object because
its object is the exalted consciousness.
107. But that same consciousness takes what has passed, has ceased, as
its object, therefore it has a past object. In those who resolve about the
future, as in the case of the Elder Maha-Kassapa in the Great Storing of
the Relics, and others, it has a future object. When the Elder Maha-
Kassapa was making the great relic store, it seems, he resolved thus,
* During the next two hundred and eighteen years in the future let not
these perfumes dry up or these flowers wither or these lamps go out',
and so it all happened. When the Elder Assagutta saw the Community of
Bhikkhus eating dry food in the Vattaniya Lodging he resolved thus,
'Let the water pool become cream of curd every day before the meal',
and when the water was taken before the meal it was cream of curd; but
after the meal there was only the normal water.
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108. At the time of going with an invisible body after making the body
dependent on the mind it has a present object.
At the time of converting the mind to accord with the body, or the
body to accord with the mind, and at the time of creating one's own
appearance as a boy, etc., it has an internal object because it makes
one's own body and mind its object. But at the time of showing ele-
phants, horses, etc., externally it has an external object.
This is how, firstly, the kinds of supernormal power should be un-
derstood to occur with respect to the seven kinds of object.
109. (2) Knowledge of the divine ear element occurs with respect to four
kinds of object, that is to say, as having a limited, and a present, and an
internal or external object. How?
Since it makes sound its object and since sound is limited (see
Vbh. 74), it therefore has a limited object.
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But since it occurs only by
making existing sound its object, it has a present object. At the time of
hearing sounds in one's own belly it has an internal object. At the time
of hearing the sounds of others it has an external object. [431] This is
how the knowledge of the divine ear element should be understood to
occur with respect to the four kinds of object.
110. (3) Knowledge of penetration of minds occurs with respect to eight
kinds of object, that is to say, as having a limited, exalted or measureless
object, path as object, and a past, future or present object, and an exter-
nal object. How?
At the time of knowing others' sense-sphere consciousness it has a
limited object. At the time of knowing their fine-material-sphere or im-
material-sphere consciousness it has an exalted object. At the time of
knowing path and fruition it has a measureless object. And here an
ordinary man does not know a stream-enterer's consciousness, nor does
a stream-enterer know a once-returner's, and so up to the Arahant's
consciousness. But an Arahant knows the consciousness of all the others.
And each higher one knows the consciousnesses of all those below him.
This is the difference to be understood. At the time when it has path con-
sciousness as its object it has path as object. But when one knows
another's consciousness within the past seven days, or within the future
seven days, then it has a past object and has a future object respectively.
111. How does it have a present object? 'Present' (paccuppanna) is of
three kinds, that is to say, present by moment, present by continuity, and
present by extent. Herein, what has reached arising (uppdda\ presence
(thiti), and dissolution (bhahga) is present by moment. What is included
in one or two rounds of continuity is present by continuity.
112. Herein, when someone goes to a well-lit place after sitting in the
dark, an object is not clear at first; until it becomes clear, one or two
rounds of continuity should be understood [to pass] meanwhile. And
when he goes into an inner closet after going about in a well-lit place, a
visible object is not immediately evident at first; until it becomes clear,
one or two rounds of continuity should be understood [to pass] mean-
while. When he stands at a distance, although he sees the alterations
(movements) of the hands of washermen and the alterations (movements)
of the striking of gongs, drums, etc., yet he does not hear the sound at
first (see Ch. XIV n. 22); until he hears it, one or two rounds of continu-
ity should be understood [to pass] meanwhile. This, firstly, is according
to the Majjhima reciters.
113. The Sarhyutta reciters, however, say that there are two kinds of con-
tinuity, that is to say, material continuity and immaterial continuity: that
a material continuity lasts as long as the [muddy] line of water touching
the bank when one treads in the water takes to clear,
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as long as the heat
of the body in one who has walked a certain extent takes to die down, as
long as the blindness in one who has come from the sunshine into a
room does not depart, as long as when, after someone has been giving
attention to his meditation subject in a room and then opens the shutters
by day and looks out, the dazzling in his eyes does not die down; and
that an immaterial continuity consists in two or three rounds of impul-
sions. Both of these are [according to them] called *present by continu-
ity'. [432]
114. What is delimited by a single becoming (existence) is called present
by extent, with reference to which it is said in the Bhaddekaratta Sutta:
'Friends, the mind and mental objects are both what is present. Con-
sciousness is bound by desire and greed for what is present. Because
consciousness is bound by desire and greed he delights in that. When he
delights in that, then he is vanquished with respect to present states'
And here 'present by continuity' is used in the Commentaries while
'present by extent' is used in the Suttas.
115. Herein, some
25
say that consciousness 'present by moment' is the
object of knowledge of penetration of minds. What reason do they give?
It is that the consciousness of the possessor of supernormal power and
that of the other arise in a single moment. Their simile is this: just as
when a handful of flowers is thrown into the air, the stalk of one flower
is probably struck by the stalk of another, and so too, when with the
thought 'I will know another's mind', the mind of a multitude is ad-
verted to as a mass, then the mind of one is probably penetrated by the
mind of the other either at the moment of arising or at the moment of
presence or at the moment of dissoluton.
116. That, however, is rejected in the Commentaries as erroneous, be-
cause even if one went on adverting for a hundred or a thousand years,
there is never co-presence of the two consciousnesses, that is to say, of
that with which he adverts and that [of impulsion] with which he knows,
and because the flaw of plurality of objects follows if presence [of the
same object] to both adverting and impulsion is not insisted on. What
should be understood is that the object is present by continuity and
present by extent.
117. Herein, another's consciousness during a time measuring two or
three cognitive series with impulsions extending before and after the
[strictly] currently existing cognitive series with impulsions, is all called
'present by continuity'. But in the Samyutta Commentary it is said that
'present by extent' should be illustrated by a round of impulsions.
118. That is rightly said. Here is the illustration. The possessor of super-
normal power who wants to know another's mind adverts. The adverting
[consciousness] makes [the other's consciousness that is] present by
moment its object and ceases together with it. After that there are four or
five impulsions, of which the last is the supernormal-power conscious-
ness, the rest being of the sense sphere. That same [other's] conscious-
ness, which has ceased, is the object of all these too, and so they do not
have different objects because they have an object that is 'present by
extent'. And while they have a single object it is only the supernormal-
power consciousness that actually knows another's consciousness, not
the others, just as in the eye-door it is only eye-consciousness that actu-
ally sees the visible datum, not the others.
119. So this has a present object in what is present by continuity and
what is present by extent. [433] Or since what is present by continuity
falls within what is present by extent, it can therefore be understood that
it has a present object simply in what is present by extent.
It has an external object because it has only another's mind as its
object.
This is how knowledge of penetration of minds should be under-
stood to occur with respect to the eight kinds of objects.
120. (4) Knowledge of past life occurs with respect to eight kinds of ob-
ject, that is to say, as having a limited, exalted, or measureless object,
path as object, a past object, and an internal, external or not-so-classifi-
able object. How?
At the time of recollecting sense-sphere aggregates it has a limited
object. At the time of recollecting fine-material-sphere or immaterial-
sphere aggregates it has an exalted object. At the time of recollecting a
path developed, or a fruition realized, in the past either by oneself or by
others, it has a measureless object. At the time of recollecting a path de-
veloped it has a path as object. Bui it invariably has a past object.
121. Herein, although knowledge of penetration of minds and knowledge
of faring according to deeds also have a past object, still, of these two,
the object of the knowledge of penetration of minds is only conscious-
ness within the past seven days. It knows neither other aggregates nor
what is bound up with aggregates [that is, name, surname, and so on]. It
is said indirectly that it has a path as object since it has the consciousness
associated with the path as its object. Also, the object of knowledge of
faring according to deeds is simply past volition. But there is nothing,
whether past aggregates or what is bound up with aggregates, that is not
the object of knowledge of past life; for that is on a par with omniscient
knowledge with respect to past aggregates and states bound up with
aggregates. This is the difference to be understood here.
122. This is the method according to the Commentaries here. But it is
said in the Patthana: 'Profitable aggregates are a condition, as object
condition, for knowledge of supernormal power, for knowledge of pene-
tration of minds, for knowledge of past life, for knowledge of faring
according to deeds, and for knowledge of the future* (Ptn. 1,154), and
therefore four aggregates are also the objects of knowledge of penetra-
tion of minds and of knowledge of faring according to deeds. And there
too profitable and unprofitable [aggregates are the object] of knowledge
of faring according to deeds.
123. At the time of recollecting one's own aggregates it has an internal
object. At the time of recollecting another's aggregates it has an external
object. At the time of recollecting [the concepts consisting in] name,
race (surname) in the way beginning, *In the past there was the Blessed
One Vipassin. His mother was Bhandumati. His father was Bhandumant'
(see D.ii,6-7), and [the concept consisting in] the sign of earth, etc., it
has a not-so-classifiable object. And here the name and race (surname,
lineage) must be regarded not as the actual words but as the meaning of
the words, which is established by convention and bound up with aggre-
gates. For the actual words [434] are 'limited' since they are included by
the sound base, according as it is said: 'The discrimination of language
has a limited object' (Vbh. 304). Our preference here is this.
This is how the knowledge of past life should be understood to
occur with respect to the eight kinds of object.
124. (5) Knowledge of the divine eye occurs with respect to four kinds of
object, that is to say, as having a limited, a present, and an internal or
external object. How? Since it makes materiality its object and material-
ity is limited (see Vbh. 62) it therefore has a limited object. Since it
occurs only with respect to existing materiality it has a present object.
At the time of seeing materiality inside one's own belly, etc., it has an
internal object. At the time of seeing another's materiality it has an
external object. This is how the knowledge of the divine eye should be
understood to occur with respect to the four kinds of object.
125. (6) Knowledge of the future occurs with respect to eight kinds of ob-
ject, that is to say, as having a limited or exalted or immeasurable object,
a path as object, a future object, and an internal, external, or not-so-
classifiable object. How? At the time of knowing this, 'This one will be
reborn in the future in the sense sphere', it has a limited object. At the
time of knowing, 'He will be reborn in the fine-material or immaterial
sphere,' it has an exalted object. At the time of knowing, 'He will de-
velop the path, he will realize fruition,' it has an immeasurable object.
At the time of knowing, 'He will develop the path', it has a path as
object too. But it invariably has a future object.
126. Herein, although knowledge of penetration of minds has a future
object too, nevertheless its object is then only future consciousness that
is within seven days; for it knows neither any other aggregate nor what
is bound up with aggregates. But there is nothing in the future, as
described under the knowledge of past life (§121), that is not an object
of knowledge of the future.
127. At the time of knowing, * I shall be reborn there', it has an internal
object. At the time of knowing, 'So-and-so will be reborn there', it has
an external object. But at the time of knowing name and race (surname)
in the way beginning, 'In the future the Blessed One Metteyya will arise.
His father will be the brahman Subrahma. His mother will be the brah-
mani Brahmavati' (see D.iii,76), it has a not-so-classifiable object in the
way described under knowledge of past life (§123).
This is how the knowledge of the future should be understood.
128. (7) Knowledge of faring according to deeds occurs with respect to
five kinds of object, that is to say, as having a limited or exalted, a past,
and an internal or external object. How? At the time of knowing sense-
sphere kamma (deeds) it has a limited object. [435] At the time of
knowing fine-material-sphere or immaterial-sphere kamma it has an ex-
alted object. Since it knows only what is past it has a past object. At the
time of knowing one's own kamma it has an internal object. At the time
of knowing another's kamma it has an external object. This is how the
knowledge of faring according to deeds should be understood to occur
with respect to the five kinds of object.
129. And when [the knowledge] described here both as 'having an inter-
nal object' and 'having an external object' knows [these objects] now
internally and now externally, it is then said that it has an internal-exter-
nal object as well.
The thirteenth chapter concluding 'The Descrip-
tion of Direct-knowledge' in the Path of Purifica-
tion composed for the purpose of gladdening good
people.
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