THE PATH
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka
[KNOWLEDGE OF RISE AND FALL —I]
93. Having purified his knowledge in this way by abandoning the per-
ceptions of permanence, etc., which oppose the contemplations of imper-
manence, etc., he passes on from comprehension knowledge and begins
the task of attaining that of contemplation of rise and fall, which is ex-
pressed thus: 'Understanding [630] of contemplating present states' change
is knowledge of contemplation of rise and fall* (Ps.i,l), and which comes
next after comprehension knowledge.
94. When he does so, he does it first in brief. Here is the text: 'How is it
that understanding of contemplating present states' change is knowledge
of contemplation of rise and fall? Present materiality is born [material-
ity]; the characteristic of its generation is rise, the characteristic of its
change is fall, the contemplation is knowledge. Present feeling ... per-
ception .:. formations ... consciousness ... eye ... (etc.) ... Present be-
coming is born [becoming]; the characteristic of its generation is rise, the
characteristic of its change is fall, the contemplation is knowledge'
(Ps.i,54).
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95. In accordance with the method of this text he sees the characteristic
of generation, the birth, the arising, the aspect of renewal, of born materi-
ality, as 'rise', and he sees its characteristic of change, its destruction, its
dissolution, as 'fall'.
96. He understands thus: 'There is no heap or store of unarisen mental-
ity-materiality [existing] prior to its arising. When it arises, it does not
come from any heap or store; and when it ceases, it does not go in any
direction. There is nowhere any depository in the way of a heap or store
or hoard of what has ceased. But just as there is no store, prior to its
arising, of the sound that arises when a lute is played, nor does it come
from any store when it arises, nor does it go in any direction when it
ceases, nor does it persist as a store when it has ceased (cf. S.iv,197), but
on the contrary, not having been, it is brought into being owing to the
lute, the lute's neck, and the man's appropriate effort, and having been,
it vanishes—so too all material and immaterial states, not having been,
are brought into being, and having been, they vanish'.
97. Having given attention to rise and fall in brief thus, he again [does
so in detail according to condition and instant by seeing those character-
istics] as given in the exposition of that same knowledge of rise and fall
thus:
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(1) He sees the rise of the materiality aggregate in the sense of
conditioned arising thus: With the arising of ignorance there is the aris-
ing of materiality; (2) ... with the arising of craving ... (3) ... with the
arising of kamma ... (4) he sees the rise of the materiality aggregate in
the sense of conditioned arising thus: With the arising of nutriment there
is the arising of materiality; (5) one who sees the characteristic of gen-
eration sees the rise of the materiality aggregate. One who sees the rise
of the materiality aggregate sees these five characteristics.
*(1) He sees the fall of the materiality aggregate in the sense of con-
ditioned cessation thus: With the cessation of ignorance there is the ces-
sation of materiality; (2) ... with the cessation of craving ... (3) ... with
the cessation of kamma ... (4) he sees the fall of the materiality aggre-
gate in the sense of conditioned cessation thus: With the cessation of
nutriment there is the cessation of materiality; [631] (5) one who sees the
characteristic of change sees the fall of the materiality aggregate. One
who sees the fall of the materiality aggregate sees these five characteris-
tics' (Ps.i,55f.).
Likewise: *(1) He sees the rise of the feeling aggregate in the sense
of conditioned arising thus: With the arising of ignorance there is the
arising of feeling; (2) ... with the arising of craving ... (3) ... with the
arising of kamma ... (4) he sees the rise of the feeling aggregate in the
sense of conditioned arising thus: With the arising of contact there is the
arising of feeling; (5) one who sees the characteristic of generation sees
the rise of the feeling aggregate. One who sees the rise of the feeling
aggregate sees those five characteristics.
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(1) He sees the fall of the feeling aggregate in the sense of condi-
tioned cessation thus: With the cessation of ignorance there is the cessa-
tion of feeling; (2) ... with the cessation of craving ... (3) ... with the
cessation of kamma ... (4) he sees the fall of the feeling aggregate in the
sense of conditioned cessation thus: With the cessation of contact there
is the cessation of feeling; (5) one who sees the characteristic of change
sees the fall of the feeling aggregate. One who sees the fall of the feeling
aggregate sees these five characteristics' (Ps.i,55f.).
And as in the case of the feeling aggregate, [that is, substituting
'contact' for the 'nutriment' in the case of materiality,] so for the percep-
tion and formations aggregates. So also for the consciousness aggregate
with this difference, that for the phrases containing 'contact' there are
substituted 'with the arising of mentality-materiality' and 'with the ces-
sation of mentality-materiality'.
So there are fifty characteristics stated with the ten in the case of
each aggregate by seeing rise and fall, by means of which he gives
attention in detail according to condition and according to instant
(moment) in this way: 'The rise of materiality is thus; its fall is thus; so
it rises, so it falls'.
98. As he does so his knowledge becomes clearer thus: 'So, it seems,
these states, not having been, are brought into being; having been, they
vanish'.
When he thus sees rise and fall in the two ways, according to condi-
tion and according to instant, the several truths, aspects of the dependent
origination, methods, and characteristics become evident to him.
99. When he sees the arising of aggregates with the arising of ignorance
and the cessation of aggregates with the cessation of ignorance, this is
his seeing of rise and fall according to condition. When he sees the rise
and fall of aggregates by seeing the characteristic of generation and the
characteristic of change, this is his seeing of rise and fall according to
instant. For it is only at the instant of arising that there is the characteris-
tic of generation, and only at the instant of dissolution that there is the
characterisic of change.
100. So when he sees rise and fall in the two ways, according to condi-
tion and according to instant thus, the truth of origination becomes evi-
dent to him through seeing rise according to condition owing to his
discovery of the progenitor. [632] The truth of suffering becomes evi-
dent to him through seeing rise according to instant owing to his discov-
ery of the suffering due to birth. The truth of cessation becomes evident
to him through seeing fall according to condition owing to his discovery
of the non-arising of things produced by conditions when their condi-
tions do not arise. The truth of suffering becomes evident to him too
through seeing fall according to instant owing to his discovery of the
suffering due to death. And his seeing of rise and fall becomes evident to
him as the truth of the path thus: 'This is the mundane path' owing to
abolition of confusion about it.
101. The dependent origination in forward order becomes evident to him
through seeing rise according to condition owing to his discovery that
'When this exists, that comes to be' (M.i,262). The dependent origina-
tion in reverse order becomes evident to him through seeing fall accord-
ing to condition owing to his discovery that 'When this does not exist,
that does not come to be' (M.i,264). Dependently-arisen states become
evident to him through seeing rise and fall according to instant owing to
his discovery of the characteristic of the formed; for the things possessed
of rise and fall are formed and conditionally arisen.
102. The method of identity becomes evident to him through seeing rise
according to condition owing to his discovery of unbroken continuity in
the connexion of cause with fruit. Then he more thoroughly abandons
the annihilation view. The method of diversity becomes evident to him
through seeing rise according to instant owing to his discovery that each
[state] is new [as it arises]. Then he more thoroughly abandons the
eternity view. The method of uninterestedness becomes evident to him
through seeing rise and fall according to condition owing to his discov-
ery of the inability of states to have mastery exercised over them. Then
he more thoroughly abandons the self view. The method of ineluctable
regularity becomes evident to him through seeing rise according to con-
dition owing to his discovery of the arising of the fruit when the suitable
conditions are there. Then he more thoroughly abandons the moral-
inefficacy-of-action view.
103. The characteristic of not-self becomes evident to him through see-
ing rise according to condition owing to his discovery that states have no
curiosity and that their existence depends upon conditions. The charac-
teristic of impermanence becomes evident to him through seeing rise and
fall according to instant owing to his discovery of non-existence after
having been and owing to his discovery that they are secluded from past
and future. The characteristic of pain becomes evident to him [through
that] too owing to his discovery of oppression by rise and fall. And the
characteristic of individual essence becomes evident to him [through
that] too owing to his discovery of delimitation [of states] by rise and
fall.
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And in the characteristic of individual essence the temporariness
of the characteristic of what is formed becomes evident to him [through
that] too owing to his discovery of the non-existence of fall at the instant
of rise and the non-existence of rise at the instant of fall.
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104. When the several truths, aspects of the dependent origination, meth-
ods, and characteristics have become evident to him thus, then forma-
tions appear to him as perpetually renewed: 'So these states, it seems,
being previously unarisen, arise, and being arisen, they cease'. [633]
And they are not only perpetually renewed, but they are also short-lived
like dew-drops at sunrise (A.iv,137), like a bubble on water (S.iii,141),
like a line drawn on water (A.iv,137), like a mustard seed on an awl's
point (Nd.1,42), like a lightning flash (Nd.143). And they appear with-
out core, like a conjuring trick (S.iii,141), like a mirage (Dh.46), like a
dream (Sn. 807), like the circle of a whirling firebrand ( ? ), like a goblin
city ( ? ), like froth (Dh. 46), like a plantain trunk (S.iii,142), and so on.
At this point he has attained tender insight-knowledge called con-
templation of rise and fall, which has become established by penetrating
the fifty characteristics in this manner: 'Only what is subject to fall
arises; and to be arisen necessitates fair. With the attainment of this he
is known as a 'beginner of insight'.
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