THE PATH
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka
[COMPREHENSION OF THE MATERIAL]
22. While comprehending materiality he should see how materiality is
generated,
13
that is to say, how this materiality is generated by the four
causes beginning with kamma. Herein, when materiality is being gener-
ated in any being, it is first generated from kamma. For at the actual
moment of rebirth-linking of a child in the womb, first thirty instances of
materiality are generated in the triple continuity, in other words, the
decads of physical [heart-] basis, body, and sex. And those are generated
at the actual instant of the rebirth-linking consciousnesses arising. And
as at the instant of its arising, so too at the instant of its presence and at
the instant of its dissolution.
14
23. Herein, the cessation of materiality is slow and its transformation
ponderous, while the cessation of consciousness is swift and its transfor-
mation quick (light); hence it is said, 'Bhikkhus, I see no other one thing
that is so quickly transformed as [614] the mind' (A.i,10).
24. For the life-continuum consciousness arises and ceases sixteen times
while one material instant endures. With consciousness the instant of
arising, instant of presence, and instant of dissolution are equal; but with
materiality only the instants of arising and dissolution are quick like
those [of consciousness], while the instant of its presence is long and
lasts while sixteen consciousnesses arise and cease.
25. The second life-continuum arises with the prenascent physical
[heart-] basis as its support, which has already reached presence and
arose at the rebirth-linking consciousnesses instant of arising. The third
life-continuum arises with the prenascent physical basis as its support,
which has already reached presence and arose together with that [sec-
ond life-continuum consciousness]. The occurrence of consciousness
can be understood to happen in this way throughout life. But in one who
is facing death sixteen consciousnesses arise with a single prenascent
physical [heart-] basis as their support, which has already reached
presence.
26. The materiality that arose at the instant of arising of the rebirth-
linking consciousness ceases along with the sixteenth consciousness
after the rebirth-linking consciousness. That arisen at the instant of
presence of the rebirth-linking consciousness ceases together with
the instant of arising of the seventeenth. That arisen at the instant of its
dissolution ceases on arriving at the instant of presence of the seven-
teenth.
15
It goes on occurring thus for as long as the recurrence [of
births] continues.
Also seventy instances of materiality occur in the same way with the
sevenfold continuity [beginning with the eye decad] of those apparition-
ally born.
[(a) KAMMA-BORN MATERIALITY]
27. Herein, [as regards kamma-born materiality] the analysis should be
understood thus: (1) kamma, (2) what is originated by kamma, (3) what
has kamma as its condition, (4) what is originated by consciousness that
has kamma as its condition, (5) what is originated by nutriment that has
kamma as its condition, (6) what is originated by temperature that has
kamma as its condition (cf. Ch. XI, §§111-114).
28. Herein, (1) kamma is profitable and unprofitable volition. (2) What
is originated by kamma is the kamma-resultant aggregates and the sev-
enty instances of materiality beginning with the eye decad. (3) What has
kamma as its condition is the same [as the last] since kamma is the
condition that upholds what is originated by kamma.
29. (4) What is originated by consciousness that has kamma as its
condition is materiality originated by kamma-resultant consciousness.
(5) What is originated by nutriment that has kamma as its condition is
so called since the nutritive essence that has reached presence in the
instances of materiality originated by kamma originates a further octad-
with-nutritive-essence-as-eighth, and the nutritive essence there that has
reached presence also originates a further one, and so it links up four
or five occurrences of octads. (6) What is originated by temperature
that has kamma as its condition is so called since the kamma-born fire
element that has reached presence originates an octad-with-nutritive-es-
sence-as-eighth, which is temperature-originated, and the temperature in
that originates a further octad-with-nutritive-essence-as eighth, and so it
links up four or five occurrences of octads.
This is how the generation of kamma-born materiality in the first
place should be seen. [615]
[(b) CONSCIOUSNESS-BORN MATERIALITY]
30. Also as regards the consciousness-born kinds, the analysis should be
understood thus: (1) consciousness, (2) what is originated by conscious-
ness, (3) what has consciousness as its condition, (4) what is originated
by nutriment that has conciousness as its condition, (5) what is origi-
nated by temperature that has consciousness as its condition.
31. Herein, (1) consciousness is the 89 kinds of consciousness. Among
these:
Consciousnesses thirty-two,
And twenty-six, and nineteen too,
Are reckoned to give birth to matter,
Postures, also intimation;
Sixteen kinds of consciousness
Are reckoned to give birth to none.
As regards the sense sphere, thirty-two consciousnesses, namely, the
eight profitable consciousnesses ((l)-(8)), the twelve unprofitable ((22)-
(33)), the ten functional excluding the mind element ((71)-(80)), and the
two direct-knowledge consciousnesses as profitable and functional, give
rise to materiality, to postures, and to intimation. The twenty-six con-
sciousnesses, namely, the ten of the fine-material sphere ((9)-(13), (81)-
(85)) and the eight of the immaterial sphere ((14)-(17), (86)-(89)) ex-
cluding the resultant [in both cases], and the eight supramundane ((18)-
(21), (66)-(69)), give rise to materiality, to postures but not to intimation.
The nineteen consciousnesses, namely, the ten life-continuum conscious-
nesses in the sense sphere ((41)-(49), (56)), the five in the fine-material
sphere ((57)-(61)), the three mind elements ((39), (55), (70)), and the one
resultant mind-consciousness element without root-cause and accompa-
nied by joy (40), give rise to materiality only, not to postures or to inti-
mation. The sixteen consciousnesses, namely, the two sets of five con-
sciousnesses ((34)-(38), (50)-(54)), the rebirth-linking consciousness of
all beings, the death consciousness of those whose cankers are destroyed,
and the four immaterial resultant consciousnesses ((62)-(65)) do not give
rise to materiality or to postures or to intimation. And those herein that
do give rise to materiality do not do so at the instant of their presence or
at the instant of their dissolution, for consciousness is weak then. But it
is strong at the instant of arising. Consequently it originates materiality
then with the prenascent physical basis as its support.
32. (2) What is originated by consciousness is the three other imma-
terial aggregates and the seventeenfold materiality, namely, the sound
ennead, bodily intimation, verbal intimation, the space element, light-
ness, malleability, wieldiness, growth, and continuity.
(3) What has consciousness as its condition is the materiality of
fourfold origination stated thus: Tostnascent states of consciousness and
consciousness-concomitants are a condition, as postnascence condition,
for this prenascent body' (Ptn.1,5).
33. (4) What is originated by nutriment that has consciousness as its
condition-, the nutritive essence that has reached presence in conscious-
ness-originated material instances originates a further octad-with-nutri-
tive-essence-as-eighth, and thus links up two or three occurrences of
octads.
34. (5) What is originated by temperature that has consciousness as its
condition: the consciousness-originated temperature that has [616] reached
presence originates a further octad-with-nutritive-essence-as-eighth, and
thus links up two or three occurrences.
This is how the generation of consciousness-born materiality should
be seen.
[(c) NUTRIMENT-BORN MATERIALITY]
35. Also as regards the nutriment-born kinds, the analysis should be
understood thus: (1) nutriment, (2) what is originated by nutriment, (3)
what has nutriment as its condition, (4) what is originated by nutriment
that has nutriment as its condition, (5) what is originated by temperature
that has nutriment as its condition.
36. Herein, (1) nutriment is physical nutriment. (2) What is originated
by nutriment is the fourteenfold materiality, namely, (i-viii) that of the
octad-with-nutritive-essence-as-eighth originated by nutritive essence that
has reached presence by obtaining as its condition kamma-born material-
ity that is clung to (kammically acquired) and basing itself on that,
16
and
(ix) space element, (x-xiv) lightness, malleability, wieldiness, growth,
and continuity.
(3) What has nutriment as its condition is the materiality of fourfold
origination stated thus: 'Physical nutriment is a condition, as nutriment
condition, for this body' (Ptn.1,5).
37. (4) What is originated by nutriment that has nutriment as its condi-
tion: the nutritive essence that has reached presence in nutriment-origi-
nated material instances originates a further octad-with-nutritive-essence-
as-eighth and the nutritive essence in that octad originates a further
octad, and thus links up the occurrence of octads ten or twelve times.
Nutriment taken on one day sustains for as long as seven days; but
divine nutritive essence sustains for as long as one or two months. The
nutriment taken by a mother originates materiality by pervading the
body of the child [in gestation]. Also nutriment smeared on the body
originates materiality. Kamma-born nutriment is a name for nutriment
that is clung to. That also originates materiality when it has reached
presence. And the nutritive essence in it originates a further octad. Thus
it links up four or five occurrences.
38. (5) What is originated by temperature that has nutriment as its con-
dition: nutriment-originated fire element that has reached presence origi-
nates an octad-with-nutritive-essence-as-eighth that is thus temperature-
originated. Here this nutriment is a condition for nutriment-originated
material instances as their progenitor. It is a condition for the rest as
support, nutriment, presence, and non-disappearance.
This is how the generation of nutriment-born materiality should be
seen.
[(d) TEMPERATURE-BORN MATERIALITY]
39. Also as regards the temperature-born kinds, the analysis should be
understood thus: (1) temperature, (2) what is originated by temperature,
(3) what has temperature as its condition, (4) what is originated by tem-
perature that has temperature as its condition, (5) what is originated by
nutriment that has temperature as its condition.
40. Herein, (1) temperature is the fire element of fourfold origination;
but it is twofold as hot temperature and cold temperatuure. (2) What is
originated by temperature: the temperature of fourfold origination that
has reached presence by obtaining a clung-to condition originates materi-
ality in the body. [617] That materiality is fifteenfold, namely, sound
ennead, space element, lightness, malleability, wieldiness, growth, conti-
nuity. (3) What has temperature as its condition is so called since tem-
perature is a condition for the occurrence and for the destruction of
materiality of fourfold origination.
41. (4) What is originated by temperature that has temperature as its
condition: the temperature-originated fire element that has reached pres-
ence originates a further octad-with-nutritive-essence-as-eighth, and the
temperature in that octad originates a further octad Thus temperature-
originated materiality both goes on occurring for a long period and also
maintains itself as well in what is not clung to.
17
42. (5) What is originated by nutriment that has temperature as its con-
dition: the temperature-originated nutritive essence that has reached pres-
ence originates a further octad-with-nutritive-essence-as-eighth, and the
nutritive essence in that originates a further one, thus it links up ten or
twelve occurrences of octads.
Herein, this temperature is a condition for temperature-originated
material instances as their progenitor. It is a condition for the rest as
support, presence, and non-disappearance.
This is how the generation of temperature-born materiality should
be seen.
One who sees the generation of materiality thus is said to 'compre-
hend the material at one time* (§21).18
[COMPREHENSION OF THE IMMATERIAL]
43. And just as one who is comprehending the material should see the
generation of the material, so too one who is comprehending the imma-
terial should see the generation of the immaterial. And that is through
the eighty-one mundane arisings of consciousness, that is to say, it is by
kamma accumulated in a previous becoming that this immaterial [men-
tality] is generated. And in the first place it is generated as [one of] the
nineteen kinds of arisings of consciousness as rebirth-linking (Ch. XVII,
§130). But the modes in which it is generated should be understood
according to the method given in the Description of the Dependent
Origination (Ch. XVII, §§134f.). That same [nineteenfold arising of con-
sciousness is generated] as life-continuum as well, starting from the con-
sciousness next to rebirth-linking consciousness, and as death conscious-
ness at the termination of the life span. And when it is of the sense
sphere, and the object in the six doors is a vivid one, it is also generated
as registration.
44. In the course of an existence, eye-consciousness, together with its
associated states, supported by light and caused by attention is generated
because the eye is intact and because visible data have come into focus.
For it is actually when a visible datum has reached presence that it
impinges on the eye at the instant of the eye-sensitivity's presence. When
it has done so, the life-continuum arises and ceases twice. Next to arise
is the functional mind element with that same object, accomplishing the
function of adverting. Next to that, eye-consciousness, which is the re-
sult of profitable or of unprofitable [kamma] and sees that same visible
datum. [618] Next, the resultant mind element, which receives that same
visible datum. Next, the resultant root-causeless mind-consciousness ele-
ment, which investigates that same visible datum. Next, the functional
mind-consciousness element without root-cause and accompanied by equa-
nimity, which determines that same visible datum. Next, [it is generated
either] as one from among the profitable ((1)-(8)), unprofitable ((22)-
(33)), or functional ((71) and (73)-(80)) kinds of consciousness belong-
ing to the sense sphere, either as consciousness accompanied by equa-
nimity and without root-cause (71),
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or as five or seven impulsions.
Next, in the case of sense-sphere beings, [it is generated] as any of the
eleven kinds of registration consciousness conforming [as to object] with
the impulsions. The same applies to the remaining doors. But in the case
of the mind door exalted consciousnesses also arise.
This is how the generation of the immaterial should be seen in the
case of the six doors.
One who sees the generation of the immaterial thus is said to 'com-
prehend the immaterial at another time' (§21).
45. This is how one [meditator] accomplishes the development of
understanding, progressing gradually by comprehending at one time the
material and at another time the immaterial, by attributing the three char-
acteristics to them.
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