THE PATH
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka
[DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT]
21. Now with the clause And not overlook any of the directions for
development (Ch. III, §28) the time has come for the detailed exposition
of all meditation subjects, starting with the earth kasina.
[THE EARTH KASINA]
[123] When a bhikkhu has thus severed the lesser impediments,
then, on his return from his alms round after his meal and after he has
got rid of drowsiness due to the meal, he should sit down comfortably in
a secluded place and apprehend the sign in earth that is either made up or
not made up.
22. For this is said:
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'One who is learning the earth kasina apprehends
the sign in earth that is either made up or not made up; that is bounded,
not unbounded; limited, not unlimited; with a periphery, not without a
periphery; circumscribed, not uncircumscribed; either the size of a bushel
(suppa) or the size of a saucer (sardva). He sees to it that that sign is
well apprehended, well attended to, well defined. Having done that, and
seeing its advantages and perceiving it as a treasure, building up respect
for it, making it dear to him, he anchors his mind to that object, thinking
"Surely in this way I shall be freed from ageing and death". Secluded
from sense desires ... he enters upon and dwells in the first jhana ...'.
23. Herein, when in a previous becoming a man has gone forth into
homelessness in the Dispensation or [outside it] with the rishis' going
forth and has already produced the jhana tetrad or pentad on the earth
kasina, and so has such merit and the support [of past practice of jhana]
as well, then the sign arises in him on earth that is not made up, that is to
say, on a ploughed area or on a threshing floor, as in the Elder Mallaka's
case.
It seems that while that venerable one was looking at a ploughed
area the sign arose in him the size of that area. He extended it and
attained the jhana pentad. Then by establishing insight with the jhana
as the basis for it, he reached Arahantship.
[MAKING AN EARTH KASINA]
24. But when a man has had no such previous practice, he should make
a kasina, guarding against the four faults of a kasina and not overlooking
any of the directions for the meditation subject learnt from the teacher.
Now the four faults of the earth kasina are due to the intrusion of blue,
yellow, red or white. So instead of using clay of such colours, he should
make the kasina of clay like that in the stream of the Ganga,
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which is
the colour of the dawn. [124] And he should make it not in the middle of
the monastery in a place where novices, etc., are about but on the con-
fines of the monastery in a screened place, either under an overhanging
rock or in a leaf hut. He can make it either portable or as a fixture.
25. Of these, a portable one should be made by tying rags of leather or
matting onto four sticks and smearing thereon a disk of the size already
mentioned, using clay picked clean of grass, roots, gravel, and sand, and
well kneaded. At the time of the preliminary work it should be laid on
the ground and looked at.
A fixture should be made by knocking stakes into the ground in the
form of a lotus calyx, lacing them over with creepers. If the clay is
insufficient, then other clay should be put underneath and a disk a span
and four fingers across made on top of that with the quite pure dawn-
coloured clay. For it was with reference only to measurement that it was
said above either the size of a bushel or the size of a saucer (§22). But
that is bounded, not unbounded was said to show its delimitedness.
26. So, having thus made it delimited and of the size prescribed, he
should scrape it down with a stone trowel—a wooden trowel turns it a
bad colour, so that should not be employed—and make it as even as the
surface of a drum. Then he should sweep the place out and have a bath.
On his return he should seat himself on a well-covered chair with legs a
span and four fingers high, prepared in a place that is two and a half
cubits [that is, two and a half times elbow to finger-tip] from the kasina
disk. For the kasina does not appear plainly to him if he sits further off
than that; and if he sits nearer than that, faults in the kasina appear. If he
sits higher up, he has to look at it with his neck bent; and if he sits lower
down, his knees ache.
[STARTING CONTEMPLATION]
27. So, after seating himself in the way stated, he should review the
dangers in sense desires in the way beginning * Sense desires give little
enjoyment' (M.i,91) and arouse longing for the escape from sense de-
sires, for the renunciation that is the means to the surmounting of all
suffering. He should next arouse joy of happiness by recollecting the
special qualities of the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha; then awe
by thinking 'Now this is the way of renunciation entered upon by all
Buddhas, Paccekabuddhas and noble disciples
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; and then eagerness by
thinking 'In this way I shall surely come to know the taste of the bliss of
seclusion'. [125] After that he should open his eyes moderately, appre-
hend the sign, and so proceed to develop it.
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28. If he opens his eyes too wide, they get fatigued and the disk be-
comes too obvious, which prevents the sign becoming apparent to him.
If he opens them too little, the disk is not obvious enough, and his mind
becomes drowsy, which also prevents the sign becoming apparent to
him. So he should develop it by apprehending the sign (nimitta), keeping
his eyes open moderately, as if he were seeing the reflection of his face
(mukha-nimitta) on the surface of a looking-glass.
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29. The colour should not be reviewed. The characteristic should not
be given attention.
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But rather, while not ignoring the colour, attention
should be given by setting the mind on the [name] concept as the most
outstanding mental datum, relegating the colour to the position of a
property of its physical support. That [conceptual state] can be called by
any one he likes among the names for earth (pathavf) such as 'earth'
(pathavi), 'the Great One' {mahi), 'the Friendly One' (medini), 'ground'
(bhumi), 'the Provider of Wealth' (vasudha), 'the Bearer of Wealth'
(vasudhard), etc., whichever suits his manner of perception. Still 'earth'
is also a name that is obvious, so it can be developed with the obvious
one by saying 'earth, earth'. It should be adverted to now with eyes
open, now with eyes shut. And he should go on developing it in this way
a hundred times, a thousand times, and even more than that, until the
learning sign arises.
30. When, while he is developing it in this way, it comes into focus
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as
he adverts with his eyes shut exactly as it does with his eyes open, then
the learning sign is said to have been produced. After its production he
should no longer sit in that place;
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he should return to his own quarters
and go on developing it sitting there. But in order to avoid the delay of
foot washing, a pair of single-soled sandals and a walking stick are
desirable. Then if the new concentration vanishes through some unsuit-
able encounter, he can put his sandals on, take his walking stick, and go
back to the place to reapprehend the sign there. When he returns he
should seat himself comfortably and develop it by reiterated reaction to
it and by striking at it with thought and applied thought.
[THE COUNTERPART SIGN]
31. As he does so, the hindrances eventually become suppressed, the
defilements subside, the mind becomes concentrated with access concen-
tration, and the counterpart sign arises.
The difference between the earlier learning sign and the counterpart
sign is this. In the learning sign any fault in the kasina is apparent. But
the counterpart sign [126] appears as if breaking out from the learning
sign, and a hundred times, a thousand times more purified, like a look-
ing-glass disk drawn from its case, like a mother-of-pearl dish well
washed, like the moon's disk coming out from behind a cloud, like
cranes against a thunder cloud. But it has neither colour nor shape; for if
it had, it would be cognizable by the eye, gross, susceptible of compre-
hension [by insight—(see Ch. XX, §2f.)] and stamped with the three
characteristics.
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But it is not like that. For it is born only of perception
in one who has obtained concentration, being a mere mode of appear-
ance.
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But as soon as it arises the hindrances are quite suppressed,
the defilements subside, and the mind becomes concentrated in access
concentration.
[THE TWO KINDS OF CONCENTRATION]
32. Now concentration is of two kinds, that is to say, access concentra-
tion and absorption concentration: the mind becomes concentrated in
two ways, that is, on the plane of access and on the plane of obtainment.
Herein, the mind becomes concentrated on the plane of access by the
abandonment of the hindrances, and on the plane of obtainment by the
manifestation of the jhana factors.
33. The difference between the two kinds of concentration is this. The
factors are not strong in access. It is because they are not strong that
when access has arisen, the mind now makes the sign its object and now
re-enters the life-continuum,
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just as when a young child is lifted up and
stood on its feet, it repeatedly falls down on the ground. But the factors
are strong in absorption. It is because they are strong that when absorp-
tion concentration has arisen, the mind, having once interrupted the flow
of the life-continuum, carries on with a stream of profitable impulsion13
for a whole night and for a whole day, just as a healthy man, after rising
from his seat, could stand for a whole day.
[GUARDING THE SIGN]
34. The arousing of the counterpart sign, which arises together with
access concentration, is very difficult. Therefore if he is able to arrive at
absorption in that same session by extending the sign, it is good. If not,
then he must guard the sign diligently as if it were the embryo of a
Wheel-turning Monarch (World-ruler).
So guard the sign, nor count the cost,
And what is gained will not be lost;
Who fails to have this guard maintained
Will lose each time what he has gained. [127]
35. Herein, the way of guarding it is this:
(1) Abode, (2) resort, (3) and speech, (4) and person,
(5) The food, (6) the climate, (7) and the posture—
Eschew these seven different kinds
Whenever found unsuitable.
But cultivate the suitable;
For one perchance so doing finds
He need not wait too long until
Absorption shall his wish fulfil.
36. 1. Herein, an abode is unsuitable if, while he lives in it, the un~
arisen sign does not arise in him or is lost when it arises, and where
unestablished mindfulness fails to become established and the uncon-
centrated mind fails to become concentrated. That is suitable in which
the sign arises and becomes confirmed, in which mindfulness becomes
established and the mind becomes concentrated, as in the Elder Padhaniya-
Tissa, resident at Nagapabbata. So if a monastery has many abodes he
can try them one by one, living in each for three days, and stay on where
his mind becomes unified. For it was due to suitability of abode that
five hundred bhikkhus reached Arahantship while still dwelling in the
Lesser Naga Cave (Cula-ndga-lena) in Tambapanni Island (Ceylon) after
appre-hending their meditation subject there. But there is no counting
the stream-enterers who have reached Arahantship there after reaching
the noble plane elsewhere. So too in the monastery of Cittalapabbata,
and others.
37. 2. An alms-resort village lying to the north or south of the lodg-
ing, not too far, within one kosa and a half, and where alms food is
easily obtained, is suitable. The opposite kind is unsuitable.
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38. 3. Speech: that included in the thirty-two kinds of aimless talk is
unsuitable; for it leads to the disappearance of the sign. But talk based on
the ten examples of talk is suitable, though even that should be discussed
with moderation.
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39. . 4. Person: one not given to aimless talk, who has the special quali-
ties of virtue, etc., by acquaintanceship with whom the unconcentrated
mind becomes concentrated, or the concentrated mind becomes more so,
is suitable. One who is much concerned with his body,
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who is addicted
to aimless talk, is unsuitable; for he only creates disturbances, like muddy
water added to clear water. And it was owing to one such as this that the
attainments of the young bhikkhu who lived at Kotapabbata vanished,
not to mention the sign. [128]
40. 5. Food: Sweet food suits one, sour food another. 6. Climate: a
cool climate suits one, a warm one another. So when he finds that by
using certain food or by living in a certain climate he is comfortable, or
his unconcentrated mind becomes concentrated, or his concentrated mind
becomes more so, then that food or that climate is suitable. Any other
food or climate is unsuitable.
41. 7. Postures: walking suits one; standing or sitting or lying down
suits another. So he should try them, like the abode, for three days each,
and that posture is suitable in which his unconcentrated mind becomes
concentrated or his concentrated mind becomes more so. Any other should
be understood as unsuitable.
So he should avoid the seven unsuitable kinds and cultivate the
suitable. For when he practises in this way, assiduously cultivating the
sign, then 'he need not wait too long until absorption shall his wish
fulfil'.
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