THE PATH
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka
[3. KNOWLEDGE OF APPEARANCE AS TERROR]
29. As he repeats, develops and cultivates in this way the contemplation
of dissolution, the object of which is cessation consisting in the destruc-
tion, fall and breakup of all formations, then formations classed accord-
ing to all kinds of becoming, generation, destiny, station, or abode of
beings, appear to him in the form of a great terror, as lions, tigers,
leopards, bears, hyaenas, spirits, ogres, fierce bulls, savage dogs, rut-
maddened wild elephants, hideous venomous serpents, thunderbolts, char-
nel grounds, battlefields, flaming coal pits, etc., appear to a timid man
who wants to live in peace. When he sees how past formations have
ceased, present ones are ceasing, and those to be generated in the future
will cease in just the same way, then what is called knowledge of ap-
pearance as terror arises in him at that stage.
30. Here is a simile: a woman's three sons had offended against the
king, it seems. The king ordered their heads to be cut off. She went with
her sons to the place of their execution. When they had cut off the eldest
one's head, they set about cutting off the middle one's head. Seeing the
eldest one's head already cut off and the middle one's head being cut
off, she gave up hope for the youngest, thinking, 'He too will fare like
them'. Now the meditator's seeing the cessation of past formations is
like the woman's seeing the eldest son's head cut off. His seeing the
cessation of those present is like her seeing the middle one's head being
cut off. His seeing the cessation of those in the future, thinking 'Forma-
tions to be generated in the future will cease too', is like her giving up
hope for the youngest son, thinking 'He too will fare like them'. When
he sees in this way, knowledge of appearance as terror arises in him at
that stage.
31. Also another simile: a woman with an infected womb had, it seems,
given birth to ten children. [646] Of these, nine had already died and one
was dying in her hands. There was another in her womb. Seeing that
nine were dead and the tenth was dying, she gave up hope about the one
in her womb, thinking, 'It too will fare just like them'. Herein, the medi-
tator's seeing the cessation of past formations is like the woman's re-
membering the death of the nine children. The meditator's seeing the
cessation of those present is like her seeing the moribund state of the one
in her hands. His seeing the cessation of those in the future is like her
giving up hope about the one in her womb. When he sees in this way,
knowledge of appearance as terror arises in him at that stage.
32. But does the knowledge of appearance as terror [itself] fear or does
it not fear? It does not fear. For it is simply the mere judgement that past
formations have ceased, present ones are ceasing, and future ones will
cease. Just as a man with eyes looking at three charcoal pits at a city gate
is not himself afraid, since he only forms the mere judgement that all
who fall into them will suffer no little pain;—or just as when a man with
eyes looks at three spikes set in a row, an acacia spike, an iron spike, and
a gold spike, he is not himself afraid, since he only forms the mere
judgement that all who fall on these spikes will suffer no little pain;—so
too the knowledge of appearance as terror does not itself fear; it only
forms the mere judgement that in the three kinds of becoming, which
resemble the three charcoal pits and the three spikes, past formations
have ceased, present ones are ceasing, and future ones will cease.
33. But it is called 'appearance as terror' only because formations in all
kinds of becoming, generation, destiny, station, or abode are fearful in
being bound for destruction and so they appear only as a terror.
Here is the text about its appearance to him as terror: 'When he
brings to mind as impermanent, what appears to him as terror? When he
brings to mind as painful, what appears to him as terror? When he brings
to mind as not-self, what appears to him as terror? When he brings to
mind as impermanent, the sign appears to him as terror. When he brings
to mind as painful, occurrence appears to him as terror. When he brings
to mind as not-self, the sign and occurrence appear to him as terror'
(Ps.ii,63).
34. Herein, the sign is the sign of formations. This is a term for past,
future and present formations themselves. [647] He sees only the death
of formations when he brings them to mind as impermanent and so the
sign appears to him as a terror. Occurrence is occurrence in material and
immaterial becoming. He sees occurrence—though ordinarily reckoned
as pleasure—only as a state of being continuously oppressed when he
brings them to mind as painful, and so occurrence appears to him as a
terror.
He sees both the sign and the occurrence as empty, vain, void, with-
out power or guide, like an empty village, a mirage, a goblin city, etc.,
when he brings [them] to mind as not-self, and so the sign and occur-
rence appear to him as a terror.
Knowledge of appearance as terror is ended.
[4. KNOWLEDGE OF DANGER]
35. As he repeats, develops and cultivates the knowledge of appearance
as terror he finds no asylum, no shelter, no place to go to, no refuge in
any kind of becoming, generation, destiny, station, or abode. In all the
kinds of becoming, generation, destiny, station, and abode there is not a
single formation that he can place his hopes in or hold on to. The three
kinds of becoming appear like charcoal pits full of glowing coals, the
four primary elements like hideous venomous snakes (S.iv,174), the five
aggregates like murderers with raised weapons (S.iv,174), the six inter-
nal bases like an empty village, the six external bases like village-raiding
robbers (S.iv,174-75), the seven stations of consciousness and the nine
abodes of beings as though burning, blazing and glowing with the eleven
fires (see S.iv,19), and all formations appear as a huge mass of dangers
destitute of satisfaction or substance, like a tumour, a disease, a dart, a
calamity, an affliction (see M.i,436). How?
36. They appear as a forest thicket of seemingly pleasant aspect but
infested with wild beasts, a cave full of tigers, water haunted by mon-
sters and ogres, an enemy with raised sword, poisoned food, a road beset
by robbers, a burning coal, a battlefield between contending armies ap-
pear to a timid man who wants to live in peace. And just as that man is
frightened and horrified and his hair stands up when he comes upon a
thicket infested by wild beasts, etc., and he sees it as nothing but danger,
so too when all formations have appeared as a terror by contemplation of
dissolution, this meditator sees them as utterly destitute of any core or
any satisfaction and as nothing but danger.
37. 'How is it that understanding of appearance as terror is knowledge
of danger? [648]
'(l.a.) Understanding of appearance as terror thus, "Arising is ter-
ror", is knowledge of danger. Understanding of appearance as terror
thus, "Occurrence is terror" ... "The sign is terror" ... "Accumulation is
terror" ... "Rebirth-linking is terror" ... "Destiny is terror" ... "Genera-
tion is terror" ... "Re-arising is terror" ... "Birth is terror" ... "Ageing is
terror" ... "Sickness is terror" ... "Death is terror" ... "Sorrow is terror"
... Understanding of appearance as terror thus, "Lamentation is terror",
is knowledge of danger. Understanding of appearance as terror thus,
"Despair is terror", is knowledge of danger.
*(l-b.) Knowledge of the state of peace is this: "Non-arising is safety".
Knowledge of the state of peace is this: "Non-occurrence is safety" ...
(etc.) ... Knowledge of the state of peace is this: "Non-despair is safety".
'(I.e.) Knowledge of the state of peace is this: "Arising is terror;
non-arising is safety". Knowledge of the state of peace is this: "Occur-
rence is terror; non-occurrence is safety" ... (etc.) ... Knowledge of the
state of peace is this: "Despair is terror; non-despair is safety".
*(2.a.) Understanding of appearance as terror thus, "Arising is suf-
fering", is knowledge of danger. Understanding of appearance as terror
thus, "Occurrence is suffering" ... (etc.) ... "Despair is suffering" is
knowledge of danger.
*(2.b.) Knowledge of the state of peace is this: "Non-occurrence is
bliss" ... (etc.) ... Knowledge of the state of peace is this: "Non-despair
is bliss".
*(2.c.) Knowledge of the state of peace is this: "Arising is suffering;
non-arising is bliss". Knowledge of the state of peace is this: "Occur-
rence is suffering; non-occurrence is bliss" ... (etc.) ... Knowledge of
the state of peace is this: "Despair is suffering; non-despair is bliss".
*(3.a.) Understanding of appearance as terror thus, "Arising is
worldly", is knowledge of danger. Understanding of appearance as terror
thus, "Occurrence is worldly" ... (etc.)... "Despair is worldly" is knowl-
edge of danger.
*(3.b.) Knowledge of the state of peace is this: "Non-arising is un-
worldly". Knowledge of the state of peace is this: "Non-occurrence is
unworldly" ... (etc.) ... Knowledge of the state of peace is this: "Non-
despair is unworldly".
4
(3.c.) Knowledge of the state of peace is this: "Arising is worldly;
non-arising is unworldly". Knowledge of the state of peace is this:
"Occurrence is worldly; non-occurrence is unworldly" ... (etc.) ...
Knowledge of the state of peace is this: "Despair is worldly; non-despair
is unworldly".
*(4.a.) Understanding of appearance as terror thus, "Arising is for-
mations", is knowledge of danger. Understanding of appearance as terror
thus, "Occurrence is formations" ... (etc.) ... "Despair is formations" is
knowledge of danger.
4
(4.b.) Knowledge of the state of peace is this: "Non-arising is nib-
bana". Knowledge of the state of peace is this: "Non-occurrence is nib-
bana" ... (etc.) ... Knowledge of the state of peace is this "Non-despair
is nibbana".
'(4.c.) Knowledge of the state of peace is this: "Arising is forma-
tions; non-arising is nibbana". Knowledge of the state of peace is this:
"Occurrence is formations; non-occurrence is nibbana" ... (etc.)... Knowl-
edge of the state of peace is this: "Despair is formations; non-despair is
nibbana". [649]
'He contemplates as suffering
Arising, occurrence, and the sign,
Accumulation, rebirth-linking—
And this his knowledge is of danger.
'He contemplates as bliss no arising,
And no occurrence, and no sign,
No accumulation, no rebirth-linking—
And this his knowledge is of peace.
This knowledge about danger has
Five sources for its origin;
Knowledge of peace has also five—
Ten knowledges he understands.
* When skilled in these two kinds of knowledge
The various views will shake him not.
* Knowledge is in the sense of that being known and understanding
is in the sense of the act of understanding that. Hence it was said: "Un-
derstanding of appearance as terror is knowledge of danger" ' (Ps.i,59f.).
38. Herein, arising is appearance here [in this becoming] with previous
kamma as condition. Occurrence is the occurrence of what has arisen in
this way. The sign is the sign of all formations. Accumulation is the
kamma that is the cause of future rebirth-linking. Rebirth-linking is fu-
ture appearance. Destiny is the destiny in which the rebirth-linking takes
place. Generation is the generating of aggregates. Re-arising is the oc-
currence of kamma-result stated thus, 'In one who has attained [to it] or
in one who has been reborn [in it]' (Dhs. §1282). Birth is birth with be-
coming as its condition, itself a condition for ageing and so on. Ageing,
sickness, death, etc., are obvious.
39. And here only the five beginning with arising are mentioned as
actual objects of knowledge of danger; the rest are synonyms for them.
For the pair, generation and birth, are synonyms both for arising and for
rebirth-linking. The pair, destiny and re-arising, are synonyms for
occurrence. Ageing, etc., are synonyms for the sign. Hence it was said:
'He contemplates as suffering
Arising, occurrence, and the sign,
Accumulation, rebirth-linking—
And this his knowledge is of danger*.
And:
This knowledge about danger has
Five sources for its origin' (§37).
40. Knowledge of the state of peace is this: 'Non-arising is safety', etc.:
this, however, should be understood as said for the purpose of showing
the opposite kind of knowledge to knowledge of danger. Or when it is
stated in this way, that there is safety without terror and free from dan-
ger, it is for the purpose of comforting those who are upset in their hearts
by seeing danger through appearance as terror. Or else, when arising,
etc., have clearly appeared to a man as terror, his mind inclines towards
their opposites, and so this is said [650] for the purpose of showing the
advantages in the knowledge of danger established by the appearance as
terror.
41. And here (La.) what is terror is certainly (2.a) suffering, and what is
suffering is purely (3.a.) worldly since it is not free from the worldliness
of the rounds [of becoming], of the world, and of defilements,
13
and what
is worldly consists solely of (4.a) formations. Therefore it is said that
(2.a) understanding of appearance as terror thus,
f
Arising is suffering',
is knowledge of danger, and so on. And while this is so, still there is a
difference to be understood here in the way these things [beginning with
'arising'] occur, since there is a difference in their mode with the mode
of terror, the mode of suffering, and the mode of worldliness.
42. Ten knowledges he understands: one who understands knowledge of
danger understands, penetrates, realizes, ten kinds of knowledge, that is,
the five based on arising, etc., and the five on non-arising and so on.
When skilled in these two kinds of knowledge: with skill in the two, that
is, knowledge of danger and knowledge of the state of peace. The vari-
ous views will shake him not: he does not vacillate about views that
occur such as 'The ultimate nibbana is here and now*. The rest is clear.
Knowledge of contemplation of danger is ended.
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