THE PATH
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka
PART I
VIRTUE
(Sila)
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato
sammasambuddhassa
CHAPTER I
DESCRIPTION OF VIRTUE
(Sila-niddesa)
[I. INTRODUCTORY]
1. [1] 'When a wise man, established well in virtue,
Develops consciousness and understanding,
Then as a bhikkhu ardent and sagacious
He succeeds in disentangling this tangle' (S.i,13).
This was said. But why was it said? While the Blessed One was
living at Savatthi, it seems, a certain deity came to him in the night, and
in order to do away with his doubts, he asked this question:
'The inner tangle and the outer tangle—
This generation is entangled in a tangle.
And so I ask of Gotama this question:
Who succeeds in disentangling this tangle?' (S.i,13).
2. Here is the meaning in brief. Tangle is a term for the network of
craving. For that is a tangle in the sense of lacing together, like the
tangle called network of branches in bamboo thickets, etc., because it
goes on arising again and again up and down1
among the objects [of con-
sciousness] beginning with what is visible. But it is called the inner
tangle and the outer tangle because it arises [as craving] for one's own
requisites and another's, for one's own person and another's, and for the
internal and external bases [for consciousness]. Since it arises in this
way, this generation is entangled in a tangle..As the bamboos, etc., are
entangled by the bamboo tangle, etc., so too this generation, in other
words, this order of living beings, is all entangled by the tangle of crav-
ing—the meaning is that it is intertwined, interlaced by it. [2] And be-
cause it is entangled like this, so I ask of Gotama this question, that is
why I ask this. He addressed the Blessed One by his race name as
Gotama. Who succeeds in disentangling this tangle: who may disen-
tangle this tangle that keeps the three kinds of existence entangled in this
way? — What he asks is, who is capable of disentangling it?
3. However, when questioned thus, the Blessed One, whose knowledge
of all things is unimpeded, deity "of deities, excelling Sakka [Ruler of
Gods], excelling Brahma, fearless in the possession of the four kinds of
perfect confidence, wielder of the ten powers, all-seer with unobstructed
knowledge, uttered this stanza in reply to explain the meaning:
'When a wise man, established well in virtue,
Develops consciousness and understanding,
Then as a bhikkhu ardent and sagacious
He succeeds in disentangling this tangle'.
4. My task is now to set out the true sense,
Divided into virtue and the rest,
Of this same verse composed by the Great Sage.
There are here in the Victor's Dispensation
Seekers gone forth from home to homelessness,
And who although desiring purity
Have no right knowledge of the sure straight way
Comprising virtue and the other two,
Right hard to find, that leads to purity—
Who, though they strive, here gain no purity.
To them I shall expound the comforting Path
Of Purification, pure in expositions,
Relying on the teaching of the dwellers
In the Great Monastery;
2
let all those
Good men who do desire purity
Listen intently to my exposition.
5. Herein, purification should be understood as nibbana, which being
devoid of all stains, is utterly pure. The path of purification is the path to
that purification; it is the means of approach that is called the path. The
meaning is, I shall expound that path of purification.
6. In some instances this path of purification is taught by insight alone,
3
according as it is said:
'Formations are all impermanent:
When he sees thus with understanding
And turns away from what is ill,
That is the path to purity' (Dh. 277). [3]
And in some instances by jhana and understanding, according as it is,
said:
'He is near unto nibbana
In whom are jhana and understanding' (Dh. 372).
And in some instances by deeds (kamma), etc., according as it is said:
'By deeds, vision and righteousness,
By virtue, the sublimest life—
By these are mortals purified,
And not by lineage and wealth' (M.iii,262).
And in some instances by virtue, etc., according as it is said:
'He who is possessed of constant virtue,
Who has understanding, and is concentrated,
Who is strenuous and diligent as well,
Will cross the flood so difficult to cross' (S.i,53).
And in some instances by the foundations of mindfulness, etc., according
as it is said: 'Bhikkhus, this path is the only way for the purification of
beings ... for the realization of nibbana, that is to say, the four founda-
tions of mindfulness' (D.ii,290); and similarly in the case of the right
efforts, and so on. But in the answer to this question it is taught by virtue
and the other two.
7. Here is a brief commentary [on the stanza]. Established well in
virtue: standing on virtue. It is only one actually fulfilling virtue who is
here said to 'stand on virtue'. So the meaning here is this: being estab-
lished well in virtue by fulfilling virtue. A man: a living being. Wise:
possessing the kind of understanding that is born of kamma by means of
a rebirth-linking with triple root-cause. Develops consciousness and under-
standing: develops both concentration and insight. For it is concentration
that is described here under the heading of 'consciousness', and insight
under that of 'understanding'.
4
Ardent (atdpin): possessing energy. For
it is energy that is called 'ardour' (dtdpa) in the sense of burning up and
consuming (atdpana-paritdpana) defilements. He has that, thus he is
ardent. Sagacious: it is understanding that is called 'sagacity'; possess-
ing that, is the meaning. This word shows protective understanding. For
understanding is mentioned three times in the reply to the question.
Herein, the first is native understanding, the second is understanding
consisting in insight, while the third is the protective understanding that
guides all affairs. He sees fear (bhayam ikkhati) in the round of rebirths,
thus he is a bhikkhu. He succeeds in disentangling this tangle: [4] Just as
a man standing on the ground and taking up a well-sharpened knife
might disentangle a great tangle of bamboos, so too, he—this bhikkhu
who possesses the six things, namely, this virtue, and this concentration
described under the heading of consciousness, and this threefold under-
standing, and this ardour—, standing on the ground of virtue and taking
up with the hand of protective-understanding exerted by the power of
energy the knife of insight-understanding well-sharpened on the stone of
concentration, might disentangle, cut away and demolish all the tangle of
craving that had overgrown his own life's continuity. But it is at the
moment of the path that he is said to be disentangling that tangle; at the
moment of fruition he has disentangled the tangle and is worthy of the
highest offerings in the world with its deities. That is why the Blessed
One said:
'When a wise man, established well in virtue,
Develops consciousness and understanding,
Then as a bhikkhu ardent and sagacious
He succeeds in disentangling this tangle'.
8. Herein there is nothing for him to do about the [native] understand-
ing on account of which he is called wise; for that has been established
in him simply by the influence of previous kamma. But the words ardent
and sagacious mean that by persevering with energy of the kind here de-
scribed and by acting in full awareness with understanding he should,
having become well established in virtue, develop the serenity and in-
sight that are described as concentration and understanding. This is how
the Blessed One shows the path of purification under the headings of
virtue, concentration and understanding there.
9. What has been shown so far is the three trainings, the dispensation
that is good in three ways, the necessary condition for the threefold
clear-vision, etc., the avoidance of the two extremes and the cultivation
of the middle way, the means to surmounting the states of loss, etc., the
abandoning of defilements in three aspects, prevention of transgression
etc., purification from the three kinds of defilements, and the reason for
the states of stream-entry and so on. How?
10. Here the training of higher virtue is shown by virtue; the training of
higher consciousness, by concentration; and the training of higher un-
derstanding, by understanding.
The dispensation's goodness in the beginning is shown by virtue.
Because of the passage 'And what is the beginning of profitable things?
Virtue that is quite purified' (S.v,143), and because of the passage begin-
ning 'The not doing of any evil' (Dh.183), virtue is the beginning of the
dispensation. And that is good because it brings about the special quali-
ties of non-remorse,
5
and so on. Its goodness in the middle is shown by
concentration. [5] Because of the passage beginning 'Entering upon the
profitable' (Dh.183), concentration is the middle of the dispensation.
And that is good because it brings about the special qualities of super-
normal power, and so on. Its goodness in the end is shown by under-
standing. Because of the passage 'The purifying of one's own mind—
this is the Buddhas' dispensation' (Dh.183), and because understanding
is its culmination, understanding is the end of the dispensation. And that
is good because it brings about equipoise with respect to the desired and
the undesired. For this is said:
'Just as a solid massive rock
Remains unshaken by the wind,
So too, in face of blame and praise
The wise remain immovable' (Dh. 81).
11. Likewise the necessary condition for the triple clear-vision is shown
by virtue. For with the support of perfected virtue one arrives at the three
kinds of clear-vision, but nothing besides that. The necessary condition
for the six kinds of direct-knowledge is shown by concentration. For
with the support of perfected concentration one arrives at the six kinds of
direct-knowledge, but nothing besides that. The necessary condition for
the categories of discrimination is shown by understanding. For with the
support of perfected understanding one arrives at the four kinds
of discrimination, but not for any other reason.
6
And the avoidance of the extreme called devotion to indulgence of
sense desires is shown by virtue. The avoidance of the extreme called
devotion to mortification of self is shown by concentration. The cultiva-
tion of the middle way is shown by understanding.
12. Likewise the means for surmounting the states of loss is shown by
virtue; the means for surmounting the element of sense desires, by con-
centration; and the means for surmounting all becoming, by understand-
ing.
And the abandoning of defilements by substitution of opposites is
shown by virtue; that by suppression is shown by concentration; and that
by cutting off is shown by understanding.
13. Likewise prevention of defilements' transgression is shown by vir-
tue; prevention of obsession (by defilement) is shown by concentration;
prevention of inherent tendencies is shown by understanding.
And purification from the defilement of misconduct is shown by
virtue; purification from the defilement of craving, by concentration;
and purification from the defilement of (false) views, by understanding.
14. [6] Likewise the reason for the states of stream-entry and once-
return is shown by virtue; that for the state of non-return, by concentra-
tion; that for Arahantship by understanding. For the stream-enterer is
called 'perfected in the kinds of virtue'; and likewise the once-returner.
But the non-returner is called 'perfected in concentration'. And the Ara-
hant is called 'perfected in understanding' (see A.i,233).
15. So thus far these nine and other like triads of speciaf qualities have
been shown, that is, the three trainings, the dispensation that is good in
three ways, the necessary condition for the threefold clear-vision, the
avoidance of the two extremes and the cultivation of the middle way, the
means for surmounting the states of loss, etc., the abandoning of defile-
ments in three aspects, prevention of transgression, etc., purification from
the three kinds of defilements, and the reason for the states of stream-
entry, and so on.
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