THE PATH
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka
[THE IMMATERIAL SEPTAD]
76. The headings of what was called above 'the immaterial septad' are
these: (1) by groups, (2) by pairs, (3) by moments, (4) by series, (5) by
removal of [false] view, (6) by abolition of conceit, (7) by ending of
attachment.
77. 1. Herein, by groups means the states belonging to the contact
pentad.
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How? Here 'he comprehends by groups' [means that] a bhikkhu
considers thus: The states belonging to the contact pentad arising in the
comprehending of head hairs as 'impermanent, painful, not-self; the
states belonging to the contact pentad arising in the comprehending of
body hairs as ... in the contemplation of brain as 'impermanent, painful,
not-self;—all these states disintegrate section by section, term by term,
like crackling sesamum seeds put into a hot pan, each without reaching
the next: therefore they are impermanent, painful, not-self. This, firstly,
is the method according to the Discourse on Purification.
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78. According to the Discourse on the Noble Ones' Heritages, however,
he is said to 'comprehend by groups' when by means of a subsequent
consciousness he comprehends as 'impermanent, painful, not-self that
consciousness which occurred [comprehending] materiality as 'imper-
manent, painful, not-self in the seven instances of the material septad
given above. As this method is more suitable we shall therefore confine
ourselves to it in explaining the rest.
79. 2. By pairs: after the bhikkhu has comprehended as 'impermanent,
painful, not-self the materiality of the 'taking up and putting down'
(§46f.), he comprehends that consciousness [with which he was compre-
hending the materiality] too as 'impermanent, painful, not-self by means
of a subsequent consciousness. After he has comprehended as 'imperma-
nent, painful, not-self the materiality of the 'disappearance of what
grows old in each stage' and that 'arising from nutriment', 'arising from
temperature', *kamma-born', 'consciousness-originated' and 'natural', he
comprehends that consciousness too as 'impermanent, painful, not-self
by means of a subsequent consciousness. In this way he is said to com-
prehend by pairs.
80. 3. By moments: after the bhikkhu has comprehended as 'imperma-
nent, painful, not-self the materiality of the 'taking up and putting down',
he comprehends that first consciousness [with which he was compre-
hending the materiality] as 'impermanent, painful, not-self by means of
a second consciousness, and that second consciousness by means of a
third, and the third by means of a fourth, and the fourth by means of a
fifth, and that too he comprehends as 'impermanent, painful, not-self.
After he has comprehended as 'impermanent, painful, not-self the materi-
ality of 'disappearance of what grows old in each stage' and that 'arising
from nutriment', 'arising from temperature', [627] 'kamma-born', 'con-
sciousness-originated' and 'natural', he comprehends that first conscious-
ness as 'impermanent, painful, not-self by means of a second conscious-
ness, and that second consciousness by means of a third, and the third by
means of a fourth, and the fourth by means of a fifth, and that too he
comprehends as 'impermanent, painful, not-self. Comprehending thus
four [consciousnesses] from each discerning of materiality he is said to
comprehend by moments.
81. 4. By series: after he has comprehended as 'impermanent, painful,
not-self the materiality of the 'taking up and putting down', he compre-
hends that first consciousness as 'impermanent, painful, not-self by means
of a second consciousness, and the second by means of a third, and the
third by means of a fourth ... and the tenth by means of an eleventh, and
that too he comprehends as 'impermanent, painful, not-self. After he
has comprehended as 'impermanent, painful, not-self the materiality of
the 'disappearance of what grows old in each stage' and that 'arising
from nutriment', 'arising from temperature', 'kamma-born', 'conscious-
ness-originated' and 'natural', he comprehends that consciousness as
'impermanent, painful, not-self by means of a second consciousness,
and the second by means of a third, ... and the tenth by means of an
eleventh, and that too he comprehends as 'impermanent, painful, not-
self. It would be possible to go on comprehending it in this way with
serial insight even for a whole day. But both the material meditation
subject and the immaterial meditation subject become familiar when the
comprehending is taken as far as the tenth consciousness. That is why it
is said26
that it can be stopped at the tenth. It is when he comprehends in
this way that he is said to comprehend by series.
82. 5. By removal of [false] view, 6. by abolition of conceit, 7. by end-
ing of attachment: there is no individual method for any of these three.
But when he has discerned this materiality as described above and this
immateriality as described here, then he sees that there is no living being
over and above the material and the immaterial. As soon as he no longer
sees a being, the perception of a being is removed. When he discerns
formations with consciousness from which perception of a being has
been removed, then [false] view does not arise in him. When [false]
view does not arise in him, then [false] view is said to be removed.
When he discerns formations with consciousness from which [false]
view has been removed, then conceit does not arise in him. When con-
ceit does not arise, conceit is said to be abolished. When he discerns
formations with consciousness from which conceit has been abolished,
then craving does not arise in him. When craving does not arise in him,
attachment is said to be ended. This firstly is what is said in the Dis-
course on Purification.
83. But in the Discourse on the Noble Ones' Heritages, after setting
forth the headings thus: 'As removal of [false] view, as abolition of
conceit, as ending of attachment', the following method is set forth:
'There is no removal of [false] view in one who takes it thus, "I see with
insight, my insight"; [628] there is removal of [false] view in one who
takes it thus, "Only formations see formations with insight, comprehend,
define, discern, and delimit them". There is no abolition of conceit in
one who takes it thus, "I see thoroughly with insight, I see well with
insight"; there is abolition of conceit in one who takes it thus, "Only
formations see formations with insight, comprehend, define, discern, and
delimit them". There is no ending of attachment in one who is pleased
with insight thus, "I am able to see with insight"; there is ending of
attachment in one who takes it thus, "Only formations see formations
with insight, comprehend, define, discern, and delimit them".
84. There is removal of [false] view in one who sees thus: "If forma-
tions were self, it would be right to take them as self; but being not-self
they are taken as self. Therefore they are not-self in the sense of no
power being exercisable over them; they are impermanent in the sense of
non-existence after having come to be; they are painful in the sense of
oppression by rise and fall".
85. 'There is abolition of conceit in one who sees thus: "If formations
were permanent, it would be right to take them as permanent; but being
impermanent they are taken as permanent. Therefore they are imperma-
nent in the sense of non-existence after having come to be; they are
painful in the sense of oppression by rise and fall; they are not-self in the
sense of no power being exercisable over them".
86. 'There is ending of attachment in one who sees thus: "If formations
were pleasant, it would be right to take them as pleasant; but being
painful they are taken as pleasant. Therefore they are painful in the sense
of oppression by rise and fall; they are impermanent in the sense of non-
existence after having come to be; they are not-self in the sense of no
power being exercisable over them".
87. 'Thus there comes to be the removal of [false] view in one who sees
formations as not-self; there comes to be the abolishing of conceit in one
who sees them as impermanent; there comes to be the ending of attach-
ment in one who sees them as painful. So this insight is valid in each
instance'.
88. This is how he comprehends formations by attributing the three
characteristics to them by means of the immaterial septad.
At this stage both the material meditation subject and the immaterial
meditation subject have become familiar to him.
[THE EIGHTEEN PRINCIPAL INSIGHTS]
89. Having thus become familiar with the material and immaterial medi-
tation subjects, and so having penetrated here already a part of those
eighteen principal insights
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which are later on to be attained in all their
aspects by means of full-understanding as abandoning starting with con-
templation of dissolution, he consequently abandons things opposed [to
what he has already penetrated].
90. Eighteen principal insights is a term for understanding that consists
in the kinds of insight beginning with contemplation of impermanence.
Now as regards these: (1) One who develops the contemplation of im-
permanence abandons the perception of permanence, (2) one who devel-
ops the contemplation of pain [629] abandons the perception of pleasure,
(3) one who develops the contemplation of not-self abandons the percep-
tion of self, (4) one who develops the contemplation of dispassion aban-
dons delighting, (5) one who develops the contemplation of fading away
abandons greed, (6) one who develops the contemplation of cessation
abandons origination, (7) one who develops the contemplation of relin-
quishment abandons grasping, (8) one who develops the contemplation
of destruction abandons the perception of compactness, (9) one who de-
velops the contemplation of fall [of formations] abandons accumulation
[of kamma], (10) one who develops the contemplation of change aban-
dons the perception of lastingness, (11) one who develops the contem-
plation of the signless abandons the sign, (12) one who develops the con-
templation of the desireless abandons desire, (13) one who develops the
contemplation of voidness abandons misinterpreting (insistence), (14)
one who develops the insight into states that is higher understanding
abandons misinterpreting (insistence) due to grasping at a core, (15) one
who develops correct knowledge and vision abandons misinterpreting
(insistence) due to confusion, (16) one who develops the contemplation
of danger abandons misinterpreting (insistence) due to reliance, (17) one
who develops the contemplation of reflexion abandons non-reflexion,
(18) one who develops the contemplation of turning away abandons mis-
interpreting (insistence) due to bondage (see Ps.i,32f.).
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91. Now the meditator has seen formations by means of the three char-
acteristics beginning with impermanence, and so he has therefore al-
ready penetrated among these eighteen insights the contemplations of
impermanence, pain and not-self. And then (1) the contemplation of
impermanence and (11) the contemplation of the signless are one in
meaning and different only in the letter, and so are (2) the contempla-
tion of pain and (12) the contemplation of the desireless, and so are
(3) the contemplation of not-self and (13) the contemplation of void-
ness (see Ps.ii,63). Consequently these have been penetrated by him
as well. But (14) insight into states that is higher understanding is all
kinds of insight, and (15) correct knowledge and vision is included in
purification by overcoming doubt (Ch. XIX). Consequently these two
have been penetrated by him as well. As to the remaining kinds of
insight, some have been penetrated and some not. We shall deal with
them below.
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92. For it was with reference only to what has already been penetrated
that it was said above 'having thus become familiar with the material
and immaterial meditation subjects, and so having penetrated here
already a part of those eighteen principal insights, which are later on
to be attained in all their aspects by means of full understanding as aban-
doning starting with contemplation of dissolution, he consequently
abandons things opposed [to what he has already penetrated]' (§89).
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