THE PATH
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka
[11. THE STATES ASSOCIATED WITH THE PATH, ETC.]
32. Now in order to appreciate the value of this same purification by
knowledge and vision with its four kinds of knowledge:
(1) Fulfilment of states sharing in enlightenment,
(2) Emergence, and (3) the coupling of the powers,
(4) The kinds of states that ought to be abandoned,
(5) Also the act of their abandoning,
(6) Functions of full-understanding, and the rest
As stated when truths are penetrated to,
(7) Each one of which ought to be recognized
According to its individual essence.
33. 1. Herein, the fulfilment of states sharing in enlightenment is the
fulfilledness of those states partaking in enlightenment. For they are the
following thirty-seven states: the four foundations of mindfulness (M.
Sutta 10), the four right endeavours (M.ii,ll), the four roads to power
(M.i,103), the five faculties (M.ii,12), the five powers (M.ii,12), the
seven enlightenment factors (M.i,ll), and the Noble Eightfold Path
(D.ii,311f.). And they are called 'partaking of enlightenment' because
they take the part of the Noble Eightfold Path, which is called 'enlight-
enment' in the sense of enlightening, and they 'take the part' of that be-
cause they are helpful.8
34. 'Foundation' (patthana) is because of establishment (upatthana) by
going down into, by descending upon, such and such objects.
9
Mindful-
ness itself as foundation (establishment) is 'foundation of mindfulness'.
It is of four kinds because it occurs with respect to the body, feeling,
consciousness, and mental objects (dhamma), taking them as foul, pain-
ful, impermanent, and not-self, and because it accomplishes the function
of abandoning perception of beauty, pleasure, permanence, and self. [679]
That is why 'four foundations of mindfulness' is said.
35. By it they endeavour (padahanti), thus it is endeavour (padhana); a
good endeavour is a right (samma) endeavour. Or alternatively: by its
means people endeavour rightly (samma padahanti), thus it is right
endeavour (sammappadhana). Or alternatively: it is good because of
abandoning the unseemliness of defilement, and it is endeavour because
of bringing about improvement and giving precedence (padhdna-bhdva-
kdrana) in the sense of producing well-being and bliss, thus it is right
endeavour. It is a name for energy. It accomplishes the functions of
abandoning arisen unprofitable things, preventing the arising of those
not yet arisen, arousing unarisen profitable things, and maintaining
those already arisen; thus it is fourfold. That is why 'four right endeav-
ours' is said.
36. Power (iddhi) is in the sense of success (ijjhana) as already de-
scribed (Ch. XII, §44). It is the road (basis—pada) to that power (for
that success—iddhi) in the sense of being the precursor of that success
which is associated with it and in the sense of being the prior cause of
that success which is its fruit, thus it is a road to power (basis for
success). It is fourfold as zeal (desire), and so on. That is why 'four
roads to power' are spoken of, according as it is said: 'Four roads to
power: the road to power consisting in zeal, the road to power consisting
in energy, the road to power consisting in [natural purity of] conscious-
ness, the road to power consisting in inquiry' (Vbh. 223). These are
supramundane only. But because of the words 'If a bhikkhu obtains
concentration, obtains mental unification by making zeal predominant,
this is called concentration through zeal' (Vbh. 216), etc., they are also
mundane as states acquired by predominance of zeal, etc., respectively.
37. 'Faculty' is in the sense of predominance, in other words, of over-
coming, because [these states, as faculties] respectively overcome faith-
lessness, idleness, negligence, distraction, and confusion.
'Power' is in the sense of unwaveringness because [these states, as
powers] are incapable of being overcome respectively by faithlessness,
and so on. Both are fivefold as consisting in faith, [energy, mindfulness,
concentration, and understanding]. That is why 'five faculties' and 'five
powers' is said.
38. Mindfulness, [investigation-of-states, energy, happiness, tranquillity,
concentration, and equanimity,] as factors in a being who is becoming
enlightened, are the 'seven enlightenment factors'. And right view, [right
thinking, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right
mindfulness, and right concentration,] are the eight 'path factors' in the
sense of being an outlet. Hence, 'seven enlightenment factors' and 'the
Noble Eightfold Path' is said.
39. So there are these thirty-seven states partaking of enlightenment.
Now in the prior stage when mundane insight is occurring, they are
found in a plurality of consciousnesses as follows: the foundation of
mindfulness consisting in contemplation of the body [is found] in one
discerning the body in the fourteen ways;
10
the foundation of mindful-
ness consisting in contemplation of feeling, in one discerning feeling in
the nine ways; the foundation of mindfulness consisting in contempla-
tion of mind, in one discerning the [manner of] consciousness in sixteen
ways; [680] the foundation of mindfulness consisting in contemplation
of mental objects, in one discerning mental objects in the five ways. And
at the time when, on seeing an unprofitable state arisen in someone else,
which has not yet arisen in his own person, he strives for its non-arising
thus, 'I shall not behave as he has done in whom this is now arisen, and
so this will not arise in me', then he has the first right endeavour; when,
seeing something unprofitable in his own behaviour, he strives to aban-
don it, then he has the second; when he strives to arouse jhana or insight
so far unarisen in this person, he has the third; and when he arouses
again and again what has already arisen so that it shall not diminish, he
has the fourth. And at the time of arousing a profitable state with zeal as
the motive force, there is the road to power consisting in zeal, [and so on
with the remaining three roads to power]. And at the time of abstaining
from wrong speech there is right speech, [and so on with abstaining from
wrong action and wrong livelihood].
11
At the time of arising of [any one of] the four kinds of [path]
knowledge, [all these states] are found in a single consciousness. In the
moment of fruition the thirty-three excepting the four right endeavours
are found.
40. When these are found in a single consciousness in this way, it is the
one kind of mindfulness whose object is nibbana that is called 'the four
foundations of mindfulness' because it accomplishes the function of
abandoning the [four] perceptions of beauty, etc., in the [four things]
beginning with the body. And also the one kind of energy is called 'four
right endeavours' because it accomplishes the [four] functions beginning
with preventing the arising of the unarisen [unprofitable]. But there is no
decrease or increase with the rest.
41. Furthermore it is said of them:
Nine in one way, one in two ways,
Then in four ways, and in five ways,
In eight ways, and in nine ways, too—
So in six ways they come to be.
42. (i) Nine in one way: these nine are zeal, consciousness, happiness,
tranquillity, equanimity, thinking, speech, action, and livelihood, and
they are found 'in one way' as road to power consisting in zeal, etc.,
since they do not belong to any other group, (ii) One in two ways: faith is
found 'in two ways', as a faculty and as a power, (iii) Then in four ways,
and (iv) in five ways: the meaning is that another one is found in four
ways and another in five. Herein, concentration is the 'one in four ways'
since it is a faculty, a power, an enlightenment factor, and a path factor;
understanding is the 'one in five ways' since it is these four and also a
road to power, (v) In eight ways, and (vi) in nine ways, too: the meaning
is that another one is found in eight ways and another in nine ways.
Mindfulness is the one 'in eight ways' since it is the four foundations of
mindfulness, a faculty, a power, an enlightenment factor, and a path
factor; energy is the one 'in nine ways' since it is four right endeavours,
a road to power, a faculty, a power, an enlightenment factor, and a path
factor. [681] So:
43. States sharing in enlightenment
Are fourteen, undistributed;
They total thirty-seven states
Among the groups distributed.
While each performs the proper task
That to its special lot falls due,
They all come into being when
The Noble Eightfold Path comes true.
This is how, firstly, the 'fulfillment of states partaking in enlighten-
ment' should be understood here.
44. 2. Emergence and 3. coupling of the powers: the resolution of the
compound vutthanabalasamayoga is: vutthanah c'eva bala-samayogo
ca.
[2. Emergence:] mundane insight induces no emergence either from
occurrence [of defilement internally], because it does not cut off origi-
nating, which is the act of causing occurrence,
12
or from the sign [of
formations externally], because it has the sign as object.
Change-of-lineage knowledge does not induce emergence from oc-
currence [internally] because it does not cut off originating, but it does
induce emergence from the sign [externally] because it has nibbana as its
object; so there is emergence from one. Hence it is said, * Understanding
of emergence and turning away from the external is knowledge ofchange-
of-lineage' (Ps.i,66). Likewise the whole passage, 'Having turned away
from arising, it enters into non-arising, thus it is change-of-lineage. Hav-
ing turned away from occurrence ... (etc.—for elision see Ch. XXI, §37)
... [Having turned away from the sign of formations externally, it enters
into cessation, nibbana, thus it is change-of-lineage]' (Ps.i,67), should be
understood here.
These four kinds of [path] knowledge emerge from the sign because
they have the signless as their object, and also from occurrence because
they cut off origination. So they emerge from both. Hence it is said:
45. 'How is it that understanding of emergence and turning away from
both is knowledge of the path?
'At the moment of the stream-entry path, right view in the sense of
seeing (a) emerges from wrong view, and it emerges from defilements
and from the aggregates that occur consequent upon that [wrong view],
13
and (b) externally it emerges from all signs; hence it was said: Under-
standing of emergence and turning away from both is knowledge of the
path. Right thinking in the sense of directing emerges from wrong think-
ing ... Right speech in the sense of embracing emerges from wrong
speech ... Right action in the sense of originating emerges from wrong
action ... Right livelihood in the sense of cleansing emerges from wrong
livelihood ... Right effort in the sense of exerting emerges from wrong
effort ... Right mindfulness in the sense of establishment emerges from
wrong mindfulness ... Right concentration in the sense of non-distrac-
tion emerges from wrong concentration and it emerges from defilements
and from the aggregates that occur consequent upon that [wrong concen-
tration], and externally it emerges from all signs; hence it was said:
Understanding of emergence and turning away from both is knowledge
of the path.
'At the moment of the once-return path, right view in the sense of
seeing ... Right concentration in the sense of non-distraction (a) emerges
from the gross fetter of greed for sense desires, from the gross fetter of
resentment, from the gross inherent tendency to greed for sense desires,
and from the gross inherent tendency to resentment, [and it emerges
from defilements and from the aggregates consequent upon that, and (b)
externally it emerges from all signs; hence it was said: Understanding of
emergence and turning away from both is knowledge of the path].
'At the moment of the non-return path, right view in the sense of
seeing ... Right concentration in the sense of non-distraction (a) emerges
[682] from the residual fetter of greed for sense desires, from the resid-
ual fetter of resentment, from the residual inherent tendency to greed for
sense desires, from the residual inherent tendency to resentment, [and it
emerges from defilements and from the aggregates that occur consequent
upon that, and (b) externally it emerges from all signs; hence it was said:
Understanding of emergence and turning away from both is knowledge
of the path].
'At the moment of the Arahant path, right view in the sense of
seeing ... Right concentration in the sense of non-distraction (a) emerges
from greed for the fine-material [existence], from greed for immaterial
[existence], from conceit (pride), from agitation, from ignorance, from
the inherent tendency to conceit (pride), from the inherent tendency to
greed for becoming, from the inherent tendency to ignorance, and it
emerges from defilements and from the aggregates that occur consequent
upon that, and (b) externally it emerges from all signs; hence it was said:
Understanding of emergence and turning away from both is knowledge
of the path' (Ps.i,69f.).
46. [3. Coupling of the powers:] At the time of developing the eight
mundane attainments the serenity power is in excess, while at the time of
developing the contemplations of impermanence, etc., the insight power
is in excess. But at the noble path moment they occur coupled together
in the sense that neither one exceeds the other. So there is coupling of
the powers in the case of each one of these four kinds of knowledge,
according as it is said: 'When he emerges from the defilements associ-
ated with agitation, and from the aggregates, his mental unification, non-
distraction, concentration, has cessation as its domain. When he emerges
from the defilements associated with ignorance and from the aggregates,
his insight in the sense of contemplation has cessation as its domain. So
serenity and insight have a single nature in the sense of emergence, they
are coupled together, and neither exceeds the other. Hence it was said:
He develops serenity and insight coupled together in the sense of emer-
gence' (Ps.ii,98).
'Emergence' and 'coupling of the powers' should be understood
here in this way.
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