THE PATH
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka
72. In the description of talking: talking at is talking thus on seeing
people coming to the monastery, 'What have you come for, good people?
What, to invite bhikkhus? If it is that, then go along and I shall come
later with [my bowl]', etc.; or alternatively, talking at is talking by ad-
vertising oneself thus, 'I am Tissa, the king trusts me, such and such
king's ministers trust me'. [27] Talking is the same kind of talking on
being asked a question. Talking round is roundly talking by one who is
afraid of householders' displeasure because he has given occasion for it.
Talking up is talking by extolling people thus, 'He is a great landowner,
a great ship-owner, a great lord of giving'. Continual talking up is talk-
ing by extolling [people] in all ways.
73. Persuading is progressively involving22
[people] thus, 'Lay follow-
ers, formerly you used to give first-fruit alms at such a time; why do you
not do so now?' until they say, 'We shall give, venerable sir, we have
had no opportunity', etc.; entangling, is what is meant. Or alternatively,
seeing someone with sugarcane in his hand, he asks 'Where are you
coming from, lay follower?'—'From the sugarcane field, venerable sir'.
— 'Is the sugarcane sweet there?' — 'One can find out by eating, vener-
able sir'.— 'It is not allowed, lay follower, for bhikkhus to say "Give
[me some] sugarcane" '. Such entangling talk from such an entangler is
persuading. Persuading again and again in all ways is continual persuad-
ing.
74. Suggesting is insinuating by specifying thus, 'That family alone un-
derstands me; if there is anything to be given there, they give it to me
only'; pointing to, is what is meant. And here the story of the oil-seller
should be told.
23
Suggesting in all ways again and again is continual sug-
gesting.
75. Ingratiating chatter is endearing chatter repeated again and again
without regard to whether it is in conformity with truth and Dhamma.
Flattery is speaking humbly, always maintaining an attitude of inferio-
rity. Bean-soupery is resemblance to bean soup; for just as when beans
are being cooked only a few do not get cooked, the rest get cooked, so
too the person in whose speech only a little is true, the rest being false, is
called a 'bean soup'; his state is bean-soupery.
76. Fondling is the state of the act of fondling. [28] For when a man
fondles children on his lap or on his shoulder like a nurse—he nurses, is
the meaning—, that fondler's act is the act of fondling. The state of the
act of fondling is fondling.
77. In the description of hinting (nemittikata): a sign (nimitta) is any
bodily or verbal act that gets others to give requisites. Giving a sign is
making a sign such as 'What have you got to eat?', etc., on seeing
[people] going along with food. Indication is talk that alludes to requi-
sites. Giving indication: on seeing cowboys, he asks, 'Are these milk
cows' calves or buttermilk cows' calves?', and when it is said 'They are
milk cows' calves, venerable sir', [he remarks] 'They are not milk cows'
calves. If they were milk cows' calves the bhikkhus would be getting
milk', etc.; and his getting it to the knowledge of the boys' parents in
this way, and so making them give milk, is giving indication.
78. Indirect talk is talk that keeps near [to the subject]. And here there
should be told the story of the bhikkhu supported by a family. A bhik-
khu, it seems, who was supported by a family went into the house want-
ing to eat and sat down. The mistress of the house was unwilling to give.
On seeing him she said, 'There is no rice', and she went to a neighbour's
house as though to get rice. The bhikkhu went into the storeroom. Look-
ing round, he saw sugarcane in the corner behind the door, sugar in a
bowl, a string of salt fish in a basket, rice in a jar, and ghee in a pot. He
came out and sat down. When the housewife came back, she said, 'I did
not get any rice'. The bhikkhu said, 'Lay follower, I saw a sign just now
that alms will not be easy to get today'.— 'What, venerable sir?' — 'I
saw a snake that was like sugarcane put in the corner behind the door;
looking for something to hit it with, I saw a stone like a lump of sugar in
a bowl. When the snake had been hit with the clod, it spread out a hood
like a string of salt fish in a basket, and its teeth as it tried to bite the clod
were like rice grains in a jar. Then the saliva mixed with poison that
came out to its mouth in its fury was like ghee put in a pot'. She thought,
'There is no hoodwinking the shaveling', so she gave him the sugarcane
[29] and she cooked the rice and gave it all to him with the ghee, the
sugar and the fish.
79. Such talk that keeps near [to the subject] should be understood as
indirect talk. Roundabout talk is talking round and round [the subject] as
much as is allowed.
80. In the description of belittling: abusing is abusing by means of the
ten instances of abuse.
24
Disparaging is contemptuous talk. Reproach-
ing is enumeration of faults such as 'He is faithless, he is an unbeliever'.
Snubbing is taking up verbally thus 'Don't say that here'. Snubbing in
all ways, giving grounds and reasons, is continual snubbing. Or alterna-
tively, when someone does not give, taking him up thus, 'Oh, the prince
of givers!' is snubbing; and the thorough snubbing thus, 'A mighty prince
of givers!' is continual snubbing. Ridicule is making fun of someone
thus, 'What sort of a life has this man who eats up his seed [grain]?'.
Continual ridicule is making fun of him more thoroughly thus, 'What,
you say this man is not a giver who always gives the words "There is
nothing" to everyone?'.
81. Denigration25
is denigrating someone by saying that he is not a
giver, or by censuring him. All-round denigration is continual denigration.
Tale-bearing is bearing tales from house to house, from village to vil-
lage, from district to district, [thinking] 'So they will give to me out of
fear of my bearing tales'. Backbiting is speaking censoriously behind
another's back after speaking kindly to his face; for this is like biting the
flesh of another's back, when he is not looking, on the part of one who is
unable to look him in the face; therefore it is called backbiting. This is
called belittling (nippesikata) because it scrapes off (nippeseti)y wipes
off, the virtuous qualities of others as a bamboo scraper (velupesika)
does unguent, or because it is a pursuit of gain by grinding (nippimsitvd)
and pulverizing others' virtuous qualities, like the pursuit of perfume by
grinding perfumed substances; that is why it is called belittling.
82. In the description of pursuing gain with gain: pursuing is hunting
after. Got from here is got from this house. There is into that house.
Seeking is wanting. Seeking for is hunting after. Seeking out is hunting
after again and again. [30] The story of the bhikkhu who went round
giving away the alms he had got at first to children of families here and
there and in the end got milk and gruel should be told here. Searching,
etc., are synonyms for 'seeking', etc., and so the construction here should
be understood thus: going in search of is seeking; searching for is seek-
ing for; searching out is seeking out.
This is the meaning of scheming, and so on.
83. Now [as regards the words] The evil states beginning with (§42):
here the words beginning with should be understood to include the many
evil states given in the Brahmajala Sutta in the way beginning 'Or just as
some worthy ascetics, while eating the food given by the faithful, make a
living by wrong livelihood, by such low arts as these, that is to say, by
palmistry, by fortune-telling, by divining omens, by interpreting dreams,
marks on the body, holes gnawed by mice; by fire sacrifice, by spoon
oblation ...' (D.i,9).
84. So this wrong livelihood entails the transgression of these six train-
ing precepts announced on account of livelihood, and it entails the evil
states beginning with 'Scheming, talking, hinting, belittling, pursuing
gain with gain'. And so it is the abstinence from all sorts of wrong live-
lihood that is virtue of livelihood purification, the word-meaning of
which is this: on account of it they live, thus it is livelihood. What is
that? It is the effort consisting in the search for requisites. 'Purification'
is purifiedness. 'Livelihood purification' is purification of livelihood.
85. (d) As regards the next kind called virtue concerning requisites,
[here is the text: 'Reflecting wisely, he uses the robe only for protection
from cold, for protection from heat, for protection from contact with
gadflies, flies, wind, burning and creeping things, and only for the pur-
pose of concealing the private parts. Reflecting wisely, he uses alms
food neither for amusement nor for intoxication nor for smartening nor
for embellishment, but only for the endurance and continuance of this
body, for the ending of discomfort, and for assisting the life of purity:
"Thus I shall put a stop to old feelings and shall not arouse new feelings,
and I shall be healthy and blameless and live in comfort." Reflecting
wisely, he uses the resting place only for the purpose of protection from
cold, for protection from heat, for protection from contact with gadflies,
flies, wind, burning and creeping things, and only for the purpose of
warding off the perils of climate and enjoying retreat. Reflecting wisely,
he uses the requisite of medicine as cure for the sick only for protection
from arisen hurtful feelings and for complete immunity from affliction'
(M.i,10)]. Herein, reflecting wisely is reflecting as the means and as the
way;
26
by knowing, by reviewing, is the meaning. And here it is the re-
viewing stated in the way beginning 'For protection from cold' that
should be understood as 'reflecting wisely'.
86. Herein, the robe is any one of those beginning with the inner cloth.
He uses: he employs; dresses in [as inner cloth], or puts on [as upper
garment]. Only [31] is a phrase signifying invariability in the definition
of a limit
27
of a purpose; the purpose in the meditator's making use of
the robes is that much only, namely, protection from cold, etc., not more
than that. From cold: from any kind of cold arisen either through distur-
bance of elements internally or through change in temperature externally.
For protection: for the purpose of warding off; for the purpose of elimi-
nating it so that it may not arouse affliction in the body. For when the
body is afflicted by cold, the distracted mind cannot be wisely exerted.
That is why the Blessed One permitted the robe to be used for protection
from cold. So in each instance, except that from heat means from the
heat of fire, the origin of which should be understood as forest fires, and
so on.
87. From contact with gadflies and fliest wind and burning and creep-
ing things: here gadflies are flies that bite; they are also called 'blind
flies'. Flies are just flies. Wind is distinguished as that with dust and that
without dust. Burning is burning of the sun. Creeping things are any
long creatures such as snakes and so on that move by crawling. Contact
with them is of two kinds: contact by being bitten and contact by being
touched. And that does not worry him who sits with a robe on. So he
uses it for the purpose of protection from such things.
88. Only: the word is repeated in order to define a subdivision of the
invariable purpose; for the concealment of the private parts is an invari-
able purpose; the others are purposes periodically. Herein, private parts
are any parts of the pudendum. For when a member is disclosed, con-
science (hiri) is disturbed (kuppati), offended. It is called 'private parts'
(hirikopina) because of the disturbance of conscience (hiri-kopana). For
the purpose of concealing the private parts: for the purpose of the con-
cealment of those private parts. [As well as the reading 'hirikopina-
paticchddanattharh'] there is a reading ' hirikopinam paticchddanattham'.
89. Alms food is any sort of food. For any sort of nutriment is called
'alms food' (pindapdta—lit. lump-dropping) because of its having been
dropped (patitatta) into a bhikkhu's bowl during his alms round (pindolya).
Or alms food (pindapdta) is the dropping (pdta) of the lumps (pinda); it
is the concurrence (san/zipdta), the collection, of alms (bhikkhd) ob-
tained here and there, is what is meant.
Neither for amusement: neither for the purpose of amusement, as
with village boys, etc.; for the sake of sport, is what is meant. Nor for
intoxication: not for the purpose of intoxication, as with boxers, etc.; for
the sake of intoxication with strength and for the sake of intoxication
with manhood, is what is meant. [32] Nor for smartening: not for the
purpose of smartening, as with royal concubines, courtesans, etc.; for the
sake of plumpness in all the limbs, is what is meant. Nor for embellish-
ment: not for the purpose of embellishment, as with actors, dancers, etc.;
for the sake of a clear skin and complexion, is what is meant.
90. And here the clause neither for amusement is stated for the purpose
of abandoning support for delusion; nor for intoxication is said for the
purpose of abandoning support for hate; nor for smartening nor for em-
bellishment is said for the purpose of abandoning support for greed. And
neither for amusement nor for intoxication is said for the purpose of
preventing the arising of fetters for oneself. Nor for smartening nor for
embellishment is said for the purpose of preventing the arising of fetters
for another. And the abandoning of both unwise practice and devotion
to indulgence of sense pleasures should be understood as stated by these
four. Only has the meaning already stated.
91. Of this body: of this material body consisting of the four great
primaries. For the endurance: for the purpose of continued endurance.
And continuance: for the purpose of not interrupting [life's continued]
occurrence, or for the purpose of endurance for a long time. He makes
use of the alms food for the purpose of the endurance, for the purpose of
the continuance, of the body, as the owner of an old house uses props for
his house, and as a carter uses axle grease, not for the purpose of amuse-
ment, intoxication, smartening, and embellishment. Furthermore, endur-
ance is a term for the life faculty. So what has been said as far as the
words for the endurance and continuance of this body can be understood
to mean: for the purpose of maintaining the occurrence of the life faculty
in this body.
92. For the ending of discomfort: hunger is called 'discomfort' in the
sense of afflicting. He makes use of alms food for the purpose of ending
that, like anointing a wound, like counteracting heat with cold, and so
on. For assisting the life of purity: for the purpose of assisting the life of
purity consisting in the whole dispensation and the life of purity consist-
ing in the path. For while this [bhikkhu] is engaged in crossing the desert
of existence by means of devotion to the three trainings depending on
bodily strength whose necessary condition is the use of alms food, he
makes use of it to assist the life of purity just as those seeking to cross
the desert used their child's flesh,
28
just as those seeking to cross a river
use a raft, and just as those seeking to cross the ocean use a ship.
93. Thus I shall put a stop to old feelings and shall not arouse new
feelings: [33] thus as a sick man uses medicine, he uses [alms food,
thinking]: 'By use of this alms food I shall put a stop to the old feeling of
hunger, and I shall not arouse a new feeling by immoderate eating, like
one of the [proverbial] brahmans, that is, one who eats till he has to be
helped up by hand, or till his clothes will not meet, or till he rolls there
[on the ground], or till crows can peck from his mouth, or till he vomits
what he has eaten. Or alternatively, there is that which is called "old
feelings" because, being conditioned by former kamma, it arises now in
dependence on unsuitable immoderate eating—I shall put a stop to that
old feeling, forestalling its condition by suitable moderate eating. And
there is that which is called "new feeling" because it will arise in the
future in dependence on the accumulation of kamma consisting in mak-
ing improper use [of the requisite of alms food] now—I shall also not
arouse that new feeling, avoiding by means of proper use the production
of its root*. This is how the meaning should be understood here. What
has been shown so far can be understood to include proper use [of
requisites], abandoning of devotion to self-mortification, and not giving
up lawful bliss (pleasure).
94. And I shall be healthy: 'In this body, which exists in dependence on
requisites, I shall, by moderate eating, have health called "long endur-
ance" since there will be no danger of severing the life faculty or inter-
rupting the [continuity of the] postures'. [Reflecting] in this way, he
makes use [of the alms food] as a sufferer from a chronic disease does of
his medicine. And blameless and live in comfort (lit. 'and have blame-
lessness and a comfortable abiding'): he makes use of them thinking: 'I
shall have blamelessness by avoiding improper search, acceptance and
eating, and I shall have a comfortable abiding by moderate eating'. Or he
does so thinking: 'I shall have blamelessness due to absence of such
faults as boredom, sloth, sleepiness, blame by the wise, etc., that have
unseemly immoderate eating as their condition; and I shall have a com-
fortable abiding by producing bodily strength that has seemly moderate
eating as its condition'. Or he does so thinking: 'I shall have blameless-
ness by abandoning the pleasure of lying down, lolling and torpor, through
refraining from eating as much as possible to stuff the belly; and I shall
have a comfortable abiding by controlling the four postures through
eating four or five mouthfuls less than the maximum'. For this is said:
'With four or five lumps still to eat
Let him then end by drinking water,
For energetic bhikkhus' needs
This should suffice to live in comfort'
(Thag. 983).
29
[34]
Now what has been shown at this point can be understood as discern-
ment of purpose and practice of the middle way.
95. Resting place (sendsana): this is the bed (sena) and seat (dsana).
For wherever one sleeps (seti), whether in a monastery or in a lean-to,
etc., that is the bed (sena); wherever one seats oneself (dsati), sits (nisi-
dati), that is the seat (dsana). Both together are called 'resting-place' (or
'abode'— sendsana).
For the purpose of warding off the perils of climate and enjoying
retreat: the climate itself in the sense of imperilling (parisahana) is
'perils of climate' (utu-parissaya). Unsuitable climatic conditions that
cause mental distraction due to bodily affliction can be warded off by
making use of the resting place; it is for the purpose of warding off these
and for the purpose of the pleasure of solitude, is what is meant. Of
course, the warding off of the perils of climate is stated by [the phrase]
'protection from cold', etc., too; but, just as in the case of making use of
the robes the concealment of the private parts is stated as an invariable
purpose while the others are periodical [purposes], so here also this [last]
should be understood as mentioned with reference to the invariable ward-
ing off of the perils of climate. Or alternatively, this 'climate' of the kind
stated is just climate; but 'perils' are of two kinds: evident perils and
concealed perils, (see Nd.1,12). Herein, evident perils are lions, tigers,
ctc.y while concealed perils are greed, hate, and so on. When a bhikkhu
knows and reflects thus in making use of the kind of resting place where
these [perils] do not, owing to unguarded doors and sight of unsuitable
visible objects, etc., cause affliction, he can be understood as one who
'reflecting wisely makes use of the resting place for the purpose of
warding off the perils of climate'.
The requisite of medicine as cure for the sick: here 'cure' (paccaya
= going against) is in the sense of going against (pati-ayand) illness; in
the sense of countering, is the meaning. This is a term for any suitable
remedy. It is the medical man's work (bhisakassa kammam) because it is
permitted by him, thus it is medicine (bhesajja). Or the cure for the sick
itself as medicine is 'medicine as cure for the sick'. Any work of a
medical man such as oil, honey, ghee, etc., that is suitable for one who is
sick, is what is meant. A 'requisite' (parikkhdra), however, in such pas-
sages as 'It is well supplied with the requisites of a city' (A.iv,106) is
equipment; in such passages as 'The chariot has the requisite of virtue,
the axle of jhana, the wheel of energy' (S.v,6) [35] it is an ornament; in
such passages as 'The requisites for the life of one who has gone into
homelessness that should be available' (M.i,104), it is an accessory. But
here both equipment and accessory are applicable. For that medicine as a
cure for the sick is equipment for maintaining life because it protects by
preventing the arising of affliction destructive to life; and it is an acces-
sory too because it is an instrument for prolonging life. That is why it is
called 'requisite'. So it is medicine as cure for the sick and that is a
requisite, thus it is a 'requisite of medicine as cure for the sick'. [He
makes use of] that requisite of medicine as cure for the sick; any requi-
site for life consisting of oil, honey, molasses, ghee, etc., that is allowed
by a medical man as suitable for the sick, is what is meant.
97. From arisen: from born, become, produced. Hurtful: here 'hurt (af-
fliction)' is a disturbance of elements, and it is the leprosy, tumours,
boils, etc., originated by that disturbance. Hurtful (yeyydbddhika) be-
cause arisen in the form of hurt (bydbddha). Feelings: painful feelings,
feelings resulting from unprofitable kamma—from those hurtful feel-
ings. For complete immunity from affliction: for complete freedom from
pain; so that all that is painful is abandoned, is the meaning.
This is how this virtue concerning requisites should be understood.
In brief its characteristic is the use of requisites after wise reflection.
The word-meaning here is this: because breathing things go {ayanti),
move, proceed, using [what they use] in dependence on these robes, etc.,
these robes, etc., are therefore called requisites (paccaya = ger. of pati +
ayati); 'concerning requisites' is concerning those requisites.
98. (a) So, in this fourfold virtue, Patimokkha restraint has to be under-
taken by means of faith. For that is accomplished by faith, since the
announcing of training precepts is outside the disciples' province; and
the evidence here is the refusal of the request to [allow disciples to]
announce training precepts (see Vin.iii, 9-10). Having therefore under-
taken through faith the training precepts without exception as announced,
one should completely perfect them without regard for life. For this is
said: [36]
'As a hen guards her eggs,
Or as a yak her tail,
Or like a darling child,
Or like an only eye—
So you who are engaged
Your virtue to protect,
Be prudent at all times
And ever scrupulous' (?).
Also it is said further: 'So too, sire, when a training precept for disciples
is announced by me, my disciples do not transgress it even for the sake
oflife'(A.iv,201).
99. And the story of the elders bound by robbers in the forest should be
understood in this sense.
It seems that robbers in the MahavattanI Forest bound an elder with
black creepers and made him lie down. While he lay there for seven days
he augmented his insight, and after reaching the fruition of non-return,
he died there and was reborn in the Brahma-world. Also they bound an-
other elder in Tambapanni Island (Ceylon) with string creepers and made
him lie down. When a forest fire came and the creepers were not cut, he
established insight and attained nibbana simultaneously with his death.
When the Elder Abhaya, a preacher of the Digha NikAya, passed by with
five hundred bhikkhus, he saw [what had happened] and he had the
elder's body cremated and a shrine built. Therefore let other clansmen
also:
Maintain the rules of conduct pure,
Renouncing life if there be need,
Rather than break virtue's restraint
By the World's Saviour decreed.
100. (b) And as Patimokkha restraint is undertaken out of faith, so re-
straint of the sense faculties should be undertaken with mindfulness. For
that is accomplished by mindfulness, because when the sense faculties'
functions are founded on mindfulness, there is no liability to invasion by
covetousness and the rest. So, recollecting the Fire Discourse, which
begins thus, 'Better, bhikkhus, the extirpation of the eye faculty by a
red-hot burning blazing glowing iron spike than the apprehension of
signs in the particulars of visible objects cognizable by the eye' (S.iv,168),
this [restraint] should be properly undertaken by preventing with unre-
mitting mindfulness any apprehension, in the objective fields consisting
of visible data, etc., of any signs, etc., likely to encourage covetousness,
etc., to invade consciousness occurring in connexion with the eye door,
and so on.
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