THE PATH
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka
[THE TEN IMPERFECTIONS OF INSIGHT]
105. Now when he is a beginner of insight with this tender insight, ten
imperfections of insight arise in him. For imperfections of insight do not
arise either in a noble disciple who has reached penetration [of the truths]
or in persons erring in virtue, neglectful of their meditation subject and
idlers. They arise only in a clansman who keeps to the right course,
devotes himself continuously [to his meditation subject] and is a begin-
ner of insight. But what are these ten imperfections? They are: (1) illu-
mination, (2) knowledge, (3) rapturous happiness, (4) tranquillity, (5)
bliss (pleasure), (6) resolution, (7) exertion, (8) assurance, (9) equanim-
ity, and (10) attachment.
106. For this is said: 'How does the mind come to be seized by agitation
about higher states? When a man is bringing [formations] to mind as im-
permanent, illumination arises in him. He adverts to the illumination
thus, "Illumination is a [noble one's] state".
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The distraction due to that
is agitation. When his mind is seized by that agitation, he does not
understand correctly [their] appearance as impermanent, he does not
understand correctly [their] appearance as painful, he does not under-
stand correctly [their] appearance as not-self.
'Likewise, when he is bringing [formations] to mind as imperma-
nent, knowledge arises in him ... happiness ... tranquillity ... bliss ...
resolution ... exertion ... establishment ... equanimity ... attachment
arises in him. He adverts to the attachment thus, "Attachment is a [noble
one's] state". The distraction due to that is agitation. When his mind is
seized by that agitation, he does not correctly understand [their] appear-
ance as impermanent, [634] he does not correctly understand [their]
appearance as painful, he does not correctly understand [their] appear-
ance as not-self (Ps.ii,100).
107. 1. Herein, illumination is illumination due to insight.
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When it
arises, the meditator thinks, 'Such illumination never arose in me before.
I have surely reached the path, reached fruition'; thus he takes what is
not the path to be the path and what is not fruition to be fruition. When
he takes what is not the path to be the path and what is not fruition to be
fruition, the course of his insight is interrupted. He drops his own basic
meditation subject and sits just enjoying the illumination.
108. But this illumination arises in one bhikkhu illuminating only as
much as the seat he is sitting on; in another, the interior of his room; in
another, the exterior of his room; in another the whole monastery ... a
quarter league ... a half league ... a league ... two leagues ... three
leagues; in another bhikkhu it arises making a single light from the
earth's surface up to the Brahma-world. But in the Blessed One it arose
illuminating the ten-thousandfold world-element.
109. This story illustrates how it varies. Two elders, it seems, were sitting
inside a room with a double wall at Cittalapabbata. It was the Uposatha
of the dark of the moon that day. All directions were covered by a
blanket of cloud, and at night the four-factored gloom35
prevailed. Then
one elder said, 'Venerable sir, the flowers of the five colours on the lion
table on the shrine terrace are visible to me now'. The other said, 'What
you say is nothing wonderful, friend. Actually the fishes and turtles in
the ocean a league away are visible to me now'.
110. This imperfection of insight usually arises in one who has acquired
serenity and insight. Because the defilements suppressed by the attain-
ments do not manifest themselves, he thinks, 'I am an Arahant', like the
Elder MahA-NAga who lived at UccavAlika, like the Elder MahA-Datta
who lived at Hahkana, like the Elder Cula-Sumana who lived in the
Nikapenna meditation house at Cittalapabbata.
111. Here is one story as an illustration. The Elder Dhammadinna, it
seems, who lived at Talahgara—one of the great ones with cankers de-
stroyed who possessed the categories of discrimination—was the in-
structor of a large community of bhikkhus. One day, as he was sitting in
his own daytime quarters, he wondered, 'Has our teacher, the Elder
Maha-NAga who lives at UccavAlika, [635] brought his work of asceti-
cism to its conclusion, or not?'. He saw that he was still an ordinary
man, and he knew that if he did not go to him, he would die an ordinary
man. He rose up into the air with supernormal power and alighted near
the elder, who was sitting in his daytime quarters. He paid homage to
him, doing his duty, and sat down at one side. To the question 'Why
have you come unexpectedly, friend Dhammadinna?' he replied, 'I have
come to ask a question, venerable sir'. He was told, 'Ask, friend. If we
know, we shall say'. He asked a thousand questions.
112. The elder replied without hesitation to each question. To the remark
'Your knowledge is very keen, venerable sir; when was this state at-
tained by you?' he replied, 'Sixty years ago, friend'.—'Do you practise
concentration, venerable sir?'—'That is not difficult, friend'.—'Then make
an elephant, venerable sir'. The elder made an elephant all white. 'Now,
venerable sir, make that elephant come straight at you with his ears
outstretched, his tail extended, putting his trunk in his mouth and making
a horrible trumpeting'. The elder did so. Seeing the frightful aspect of
the rapidly approaching elephant, he sprang up and made to run away.
Then the elder with cankers destroyed put out his hand, and catching him
by the hem of his robe, he said, 'Venerable sir, is there any timidity in
one whose cankers are destroyed?'.
113. Then he recognized that he was still an ordinary man. He knelt at
Dhammadinna's feet and said, 'Help me, friend Dhammadinna'. — 'Ven-
erable sir, I will help you; that is why I came. Do not worry'. Then he
expounded a meditation subject to him. The elder took the meditation
subject and went up on to the walk, and with the third footstep he
reached Arahantship. The elder was a bhikkhu of hating temperament, it
seems. Such bhikkhus waver on account of illumination.
114. 2. Knowledge is knowledge due to insight. As he is estimating and
judging material and immaterial states perhaps knowledge that is unerr-
ing, keen, incisive, and very sharp arises in him, like a lightning flash.
115. 3. Rapturous happiness is happiness due to insight. Perhaps at that
time the five kinds of happiness, namely, minor happiness, momentary
happiness, showering happiness, uplifting happiness, and pervading (rap-
turous) happiness arise in him filling his whole body.
116. 4. Tranquillity is tranquillity due to insight. As he is sitting at that
time in his night or day quarters perhaps [636] there is no fatigue or
heaviness or rigidity or unwieldiness or sickness or crookedness in his
body and his mind, but rather his body and mind are tranquillized, light,
malleable, wieldy, quite sharp and straight. With his body and mind
aided by this tranquillity, etc., he experiences at that time the super-
human delight with reference to which it is said:
A bhikkhu when his mind is quiet
Retires to an empty place,
And his right insight in the Dhamma
Gives him superhuman delight.
It is because he comprehends
The rise and fall of aggregates
That he finds happiness and joy
And knows it to be deathless' (Dh. 373-74).
This is how tranquillity, associated with lightness, etc., arises in
him, bringing about this superhuman delight.
117. 5. Bliss (pleasure) is bliss due to insight. At that time perhaps
there arises in him exceedingly refined bliss (pleasure) flooding his whole
body.
118. 6. Resolution is faith. For strong faith arises in him in association
with insight in the form of extreme confidence of consciousness and its
concomitants.
119. 7. Exertion is energy. For well-exerted energy, neither too lax nor
too strained, arises in him in association with insight.
120. 8. Assurance (lit. establishment) is mindfulness. For well-estab-
lished (well-assured), well-founded mindfulness, which is dug in and as
immovable as the king of mountains, arises in him in association with
insight. Whatever subject he adverts to, consciously reacts to, gives at-
tention to, reviews, appears to him (he is assured of) owing to mindful-
ness, which descends into it,
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enters into it, just as the other world does
to one who has the divine eye.
121. 9. Equanimity is both equanimity about insight and equanimity in
adverting.
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For equanimity about insight, which is neutrality about for-
mations, arises strongly in him at that time. It is also equanimity in ad-
verting in the mind door. For whatever the subject he adverts to, his
adverting works as incisively and sharply as a lightning flash, like a red-
hot spear plunged into a basket of leaves.
122. 10. Attachment is attachment due to insight. For when his insight
is adorned with illumination, etc., attachment arises in him, which is
subtle and peaceful in aspect, and it relies on (clings to) that insight; and
he is not able to discern that attachment as a defilement. [637]
123. And as in the case of illumination, so too in the case of the other
imperfections that may arise, the meditator thinks thus: 'Such knowledge
... such rapturous happiness ... tranquillity ... bliss ... resolution ...
exertion ... assurance ... equanimity ... attachment never arose in me
before. I have surely reached the path, reached fruition'. Thus he takes
what is not the path to be the path and what is not fruition to be fruition.
When he takes what is not the path to be the path and what is not fruition
to be fruition, the course of his insight is interrupted. He drops his basic
meditation subject and sits just enjoying the attachment.
124. And here illumination, etc., are called imperfections because they
are the basis for imperfection, not because they are [kammically] unprof-
itable. But attachment is both an imperfection and the basis for imperfec-
tion.
As basis only they amount to ten; but with the different ways of
taking them they come to thirty.
125. How? When a man takes it thus, 'Illumination has arisen in me', his
way of taking is due to [false] view. When he takes it thus, 'How agree-
able this illumination that has arisen is', his way of taking is due to pride
(conceit). When he relishes the illumination, his way of taking is due to
craving. So there are three ways of taking it in the case of illumination,
that is to say, due to [false] view, to pride (conceit), and to craving.
Likewise with the rest. So they come to thirty with the three ways of
taking them. Owing to their influence an unskilful, unwary meditator
wavers and gets distracted about illumination, etc., and he sees each one
of them—illumination and the rest—as 'This is mine, this is I, this is my
self (M.i,135). Hence the Ancients said:
'He wavers about illumination,
And knowledge, rapturous happiness,
About the tranquilness, the bliss,
Whereby his mind becomes confused;
He wavers about resolution,
Exertion, and assurance, too,
The adverting-equanimity,
And equanimity and attachment' (Ps.ii,102).
126. But when illumination, etc., arise, a skilful, wary meditator who is
endowed with discretion either defines and examines it with understand-
ing thus: 'This illumination has arisen.
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But it is impermanent, formed,
conditionally arisen, subject to destruction, subject to fall, subject to
fading away, subject to cessation'. Or he thinks: 'If illumination were
self, it would be right to take it as self; but being not-self, it is taken as
self. Therefore it is not-self in the sense of no power being exercisable
over it; it is impermanent in the sense of non-existence after having
come to be; it is painful in the sense of oppression by rise and fall', all of
which should be treated in detail according to the method given under
the immaterial septad (§83). And as in the case of illumination, so too
with the rest.
127. Having investigated it thus, he sees the illumination as 'This is not
mine, this is not I, this is not my self. [638] He sees knowledge ... (etc.)
... attachment as 'This is not mine, this is not I, this is not my self.
Seeing thus, he does not waver or vacillate about the illumination, and so
on. Hence the Ancients said:
'So when a man of understanding has
Examined these ten things and is now skilled
In agitation about higher states
He no more falls a prey to wavering' (Ps.ii,102).
128. So he unravels this thirtyfold skein of imperfections without falling
a prey to wavering. He defines what is the path and what is not the path
thus: 'The states consisting in illumination, etc., are not the path; but it is
insight knowledge that is free from imperfections and keeps to its course
that is the path'.
129. The knowledge that is established in him by his coming to know the
path and the not-path thus, 'This is the path, this is not the path', should
be understood as the purification by knowledge and vision of what is the
path and what is not the path.
130. So at this point the defining of three truths has been effected by him.
How? The defining of the truth of suffering has been effected with the
defining of mentality-materiality in the purification of view. The defin-
ing of the truth of origination has been effected with the discerning of
conditions in the purification by overcoming doubt. The defining of the
truth of the path has been effected with the emphasizing of the right path
in this purification by knowledge and vision of what is the path and what
is not the path. So the defining of three truths has been effected firstly by
means of mundane knowledge only.
The twentieth chapter called 'The Description
of Purification by Knowledge and Vision of What
Is the Path and What is Not the Path' in the Trea-
tise on the Development of Understanding in the
Path of Purification composed for the purpose of
gladdening good people.
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