THE PATH
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka
47. 4. The kinds of states that ought to be abandoned, 5. also the act
of their abandoning: now which states are to be abandoned by which
kind of knowledge among these four should be understood, and also the
act of abandoning them. For they each and severally bring about the
abandoning of the states called fetters, defilements, wrongnesses, worldly
states, kinds of avarice, perversions, ties, bad ways, cankers, floods,
bonds, hindrances, adherences, clingings, inherent tendencies, stains, un-
profitable courses of action, and unprofitable thought-arisings.
48. Herein, the fetters are the ten states beginning with greed for the
fine material, so called because they fetter aggregates [in this life] to
aggregates [of the next], or kamma to its fruit, or beings to suffering.
For as long as those exist there is no cessation of the others. And of these
fetters, greed for the fine material, greed for the immaterial, conceit
(pride), agitation, and ignorance are called the five higher fetters because
they fetter beings to aggregates, etc., produced in the higher [forms of
becoming], [683] while false view of individuality, uncertainty, adher-
ence to rites and rituals, greed for sense desires, and resentment are
called the five lower fetters because they fetter beings to aggregates, etc.,
produced in the lower [forms of becoming].
49. The defilements are the ten states, namely, greed, hate, delusion,
conceit (pride), [false] view, uncertainty, stiffness [of mind], agitation,
consciencelessness, shamelessness. They are so called because they are
themselves defiled and because they defile their associated states.
50. The wrongnesses are the eight states, namely, wrong view, wrong
thinking, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort,
wrong mindfulness, wrong concentration, which with wrong knowledge
and wrong deliverance,
14
come to ten. They are so called because they
occur wrongly.
51. The worldly states are the eight, namely, gain, loss, fame, disgrace,
pleasure, pain, blame, and praise. They are so called because they con-
tinually succeed each other as long as the world persists. But when the
worldly states are included, then by the metaphorical use of the cause's
name [for its fruit], the approval that has the gain, etc., as its object and
the resentment that has the loss, etc., as its object should also be under-
stood as included.
52. The kinds of avarice are the five, namely, avarice about dwellings,
families, gain, Dhamma, and praise, which occur as inability to bear
sharing with others any of these things beginning with dwellings.
53. The perversions are the three, namely, perversion of perception, of
consciousness, and of view, which occur apprehending objects that are
impermanent, painful, not-self, and foul (ugly), as permanent, pleasant,
self, and beautiful.
54. The ties are the four beginning with covetousness, so called because
they tie the mental body and the material body. They are described as
4
the bodily tie of covetousness, the bodily tie of ill will, the bodily tie of
adherence to rites and rituals, and the bodily tie of insisting (misinter-
preting) that "This [only] is the truth" ' (Vbh. 374).
55. Bad ways is a term for doing what ought not to be done and not
doing what ought to be done, out of zeal (desire), hate, delusion, and
fear. They are called 'bad ways' because they are ways not to be trav-
elled by noble ones.
56. Cankers (asava): as far as (a) change-of-lineage [in the case of
states of consciousness] and as far as (a) the acme of becoming [in the
case of the kinds of becoming, that is to say, the fourth immaterial state,]
there are exudations (savana) owing to the [formed nature of the] object.
This is a term for greed for sense desires, greed for becoming, wrong
view, and ignorance, because of the exuding (savana) [of these defile-
ments] from unguarded sense-doors like water from cracks in a pot in
the sense of constant trickling, or because of their producing (savana)
the suffering of the round of rebirths.
15
[684]
The floods are so called in the sense of sweeping away into the
ocean of becoming, and in the sense of being hard to cross.
The bonds are so called because they do not allow disengagement
from an object and disengagement from suffering. Both * floods' and
'bonds' are terms for the cankers already mentioned.
57. The hindrances are the five, namely lust, [ill will, stiffness and tor-
por, agitation and worry, and uncertainty,] in the sense of obstructing
and hindering and concealing [reality] from consciousness (Ch. IV, §86).
58. Adherence (misapprehension—pardmdsa) is a term for wrong view,
because it occurs in the aspect of missing the individual essence of a
given state (dhamma) and apprehending (dmasana) elsewise (parato) an
unactual individual essence.
59. The clingings are the four beginning with sense-desire clinging de-
scribed in all their aspects in the Description of the Dependent Origina-
tion (Ch. XVII, §240f.).
60. The inherent tendencies are the seven, namely, greed for sense
desires, etc., in the sense of inveterate ness, stated thus: the inherent ten-
dency to greed for sense desires, the inherent tendency to resentment,
conceit (pride), [false] view, uncertainty, greed for becoming, and igno-
rance. For it is owing to their inveteracy that they are called inherent
tendencies (anusaya) since they inhere (anusenti) as cause for the arising
of greed for sense desires, etc., again and again.
61. The stains are the three, namely, greed, hate, and delusion. They are
so called because they are themselves dirty like oil, black, and mud, and
because they dirty other things.
62. The unprofitable courses of action are the ten, namely, killing living
things, taking what is not given, sexual misconduct; false speech, mali-
cious speech, harsh speech, gossip; covetousness, ill will, and wrong
view. They are so called since they are both unprofitable action (kamma)
and courses that lead to unhappy destinies.
63. The unprofitable thought-arisings are the twelve consisting of the
eight rooted in greed, the two rooted in hate, and the two rooted in
delusion (Ch. XIV, §89f.).
64. So these [four kinds of knowledge] each and severally abandon
these states beginning with the fetters. How?
The five states eliminated by the first knowledge in the case of the
fetters, firstly, are: false view of personality, doubt, adherence to rites
and rituals, and then greed for sense desires and resentment that are
[strong enough] to lead to states of loss. The remaining gross greed for
sense desires and resentment are eliminated by the second knowledge.
Subtle greed for sense desires and resentment are eliminated by the third
knowledge. The five beginning with greed for the fine material are only
[actually] eliminated by the fourth knowledge.
In what follows, we shall not in every instance specify the fact with
the expression 'only [actually]'; nevertheless, whatever we shall say is
eliminated by one of the [three] higher knowledges should be understood
as only the [residual] state eliminated by the higher knowledge; for that
state will have already been rendered not conducive to states of loss by
the preceding knowledge.
65. In the case of the defilements, [false] view and uncertainty are elimi-
nated by the first knowledge. Hate is eliminated by the third knowledge.
Greed, delusion, conceit (pride), mental stiffness, agitation, conscienceless-
ness, and shamelessness are eliminated by the fourth knowledge.
66. In the case of the wrongnesses, wrong view, false speech, wrong
action, and wrong [685] livelihood are eliminated by the first knowl-
edge. Wrong thinking, malicious speech, and harsh speech are elimi-
nated by the third knowledge. And here only volition is to be understood
as speech. Gossip, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, wrong concentra-
tion, wrong deliverance, and wrong knowledge are eliminated by the
fourth knowledge.
67. In the case of the worldly states, resentment is eliminated by the
third knowledge, and approval is eliminated by the fourth knowledge.
Some say that approval of fame and praise is eliminated by the fourth
knowledge.
The kinds of avarice are eliminated by the first knowledge only.
68. In the case of the perversions, the perversions of perception, con-
sciousness, and view, which find permanence in the impermanent and
self in the not-self, and the perversion of view finding pleasure in pain
and beauty in the foul, are eliminated by the first knowledge. The per-
versions of perception and consciousness finding beauty in the foul are
eliminated by the third path. The perversions of perception and con-
sciousness finding pleasure in the painful are eliminated by the fourth
knowledge.
69. In the case of ties, the bodily ties of adherence to rites and rituals
and of the insistence (misinterpretation) that 'This is the truth' are elimi-
nated by the first knowledge. The bodily tie of ill will is eliminated by
the third knowledge. The remaining one is eliminated by the fourth path.
The bad ways are eliminated by the first knowledge only.
70. In the case of the cankers, the canker of view is eliminated by the
first knowledge. The canker of sense desire is eliminated by the third
knowledge. The other two are eliminated by the fourth knowledge.
The same thing applies in the case of the floods and the bonds.
71. In the case of the hindrances, the hindrance of uncertainty is elimi-
nated by the first knowledge. The three, namely, lust, ill will, and worry,
are eliminated by the third knowledge. Stiffness and torpor and agitation
are eliminated by the fourth knowledge.
Adherence is eliminated by the first knowledge only.
72. In the case of the clingings, since according to what is given in the
texts all worldly states are sense desires, that is, sense desires as object
(see Nd.1,1-2), and so greed both for the fine material and the immaterial
falls under sense-desire clinging, consequently that sense-desire clinging
is eliminated by the fourth knowledge. The rest are eliminated by the
first knowledge.
73. In the case of the inherent tendencies, the inherent tendencies to
[false] view and to uncertainty are eliminated by the first knowledge.
The inherent tendencies to greed for sense desires and to resentment are
eliminated by the third knowledge. The inherent tendencies to conceit
(pride), to greed for becoming, and to ignorance are eliminated by the
fourth knowledge.
74. In the case of the stains, the stain of hate is eliminated by the third
knowledge, the others are eliminated by the fourth knowledge.
75. In the case of the unprofitable courses of action, killing living things,
taking what is not given, sexual misconduct, false speech, and wrong
view are eliminated by the first knowledge. The three, namely, malicious
speech, harsh speech, and ill will, are eliminated by the third knowledge.
Gossip and covetousness are eliminated by the fourth knowledge.
76. In the case of the unprofitable thought-arisings, the four associated
with [false] view, and that associated with uncertainty, making five, are
eliminated by the first knowledge. The two associated with resentment
are eliminated by the third knowledge. The rest are eliminated by the
fourth knowledge.
77. And what is eliminated by any one of them is abandoned by it. That
is why it was said above,
4
So these [four kinds of knowledge] each and
severally abandon these states beginning with the fetters'.
78. 5. The act of the abandoning: but how then? Do these [knowledges]
abandon these states when they are past, or when they are future, or
when [686] they are present? What is the position here? For, firstly, if
[they are said to abandon them] when past or future, it follows that the
effort is fruitless. Why? Because what has to be abandoned is non-
existent. Then if it is when they are present, it is likewise fruitless be-
cause the things to be abandoned exist simultaneously with the effort,
and it follows that there is development of a path that has defilement, or
it follows that defilements are dissociated [from consciousness] though
there is no such thing as a present defilement dissociated from con-
sciousness.
16
79. That is not an original argument; for in the text first the question is
put: 'When a man abandons defilements, does he abandon past defile-
ments? Does he abandon future defilements? Does he abandon present
defilements?'. Then the objection is put in this way: 'If he abandons past
defilements, he destroys what has already been destroyed, causes to
cease what has already ceased, causes to vanish what has already van-
ished, causes to subside what has already subsided. What is past, which
is non-existent, that he abandons'. But this is denied in this way: 'He
does not abandon past defilements'. Then the objection is put in this
way: 'If he abandons future defilements, he abandons what has not been
born, he abandons what has not been generated, he abandons what has
not arisen, he abandons what has not become manifest. What is future,
which is non-existent, that he abandons'. But this is denied in this way:
'He does not abandon future defilements'. Then the objection is put in
this way: 'If he abandons present defilements, then though inflamed with
greed he abandons greed, though corrupted with hate he abandons hate,
though deluded he abandons delusion, though shackled17
he abandons
conceit (pride), though misconceiving he abandons [false] view, though
distracted he abandons agitation, though not having made up his mind he
abandons uncertainty, though having inveterate habits he abandons in-
herent tendency, dark and bright states occur coupled together, and there
is development of a path that has defilement'. But this is all denied in
this way: 'He does not abandon past defilements, he does not abandon
future defilements, he does not abandon present defilements'. Finally it
is asked: 'Then there is no path development, there is no realization of
fruition, there is no abandoning of defilements, there is no penetration to
the Dhamma (convergence of states)?'. Then it is claimed: 'There is path
development ... there is penetration to the Dhamma (convergence of
states)'.
And when it is asked, 'In what way?', this is said: 'Suppose there
were a young tree with unborn fruit, and a man cut its root, then the
unborn fruits of the tree would remain unborn and not come to be born,
remain ungenerated and not come to be generated, remain unarisen and
not come to be arisen, remain unmanifest and not come to be manifested.
So too, arising is a cause, arising is a condition, for the generation of
defilements. Seeing danger in defilements, consciousness enters into non-
arising. With consciousness's entering into non-arising the defilements
that would be generated with arising as their condition remain unborn
and do not come to be born ... remain unmanifest and do not come to be
manifested. So with the cessation of the cause there is the cessation of
suffering. [687] Occurrence is a cause ... The sign is a cause ... Accu-
mulation is a cause, accumulation is a condition, for the generation of
defilements. Seeing danger in accumulation, consciousness enters into
non-accumulation. With consciousness's entering into non-accumulation
the defilements that would be generated with accumulation as their con-
dition remain umborn and do not come to be born ... remain unmanifest
and do not come to be manifested. So with the cessation of the cause
there is cessation of suffering. So there is path development, there is
realization of fruition, there is abandoning of defilements, and there is
penetrating to the Dhamma' (Ps.ii,217-19).
80. What does that show? It shows abandoning of defilements that have
soil [to grow in]. But are defilements that have soil [to grow in] past,
future or present? They are simply those described as 'arisen by having
soil [to grow in]'.
81. Now there are various meanings of'arisen' , that is to say, (i) arisen
as 'actually occurring', (ii) arisen as 'been and gone', (iii) arisen 'by
opportunity made', and (iv) arisen 'by having [soil to grow in]'.
Herein, (i) all that is reckoned to possess [the three moments of]
arising, ageing, [that is, presence,] and dissolution, is called arisen as
actually occurring.
(ii) Profitable and unprofitable [kamma-result] experienced as the
stimulus of an object and ceased—reckoned as 'experienced and gone'
(anubhutapagata)—, and also anything formed, when it has reached the
three instants beginning with arising and has ceased—reckoned as 'been
and gone' (hutvapagata)—, are called arisen as been and gone
(bhutapagata).
(iii) Kamma described in the way beginning 'Deeds that he did in
the past' (M.iii,164), even when actually past, is called arisen by oppor-
tunity made because it reaches presence by inhibiting other [ripening]
kamma and making that the opportunity for its own result (see Ch. XIX,
§16.) And kamma-result that has its opportunity made in this way, even
when as yet unarisen, is called 'arisen by opportunity made', too, be-
cause it is sure to arise when an opportunity for it has been made in this
way.
(iv) While unprofitable [kamma] is still unabolished in any given
soil (plane)
18
it is called arisen by having soil [to grow in].
82. And here the difference between the soil and what has soil should be
understood. For 'soil' (plane) means the five aggregates in the three
planes of becoming, which are the object of insight.
19
'What has soil' is
an expression for defilements capable of arising with respect to those
aggregates. Those defilements have that soil (plane). That is why 'by
having soil [to grow in]
1
is said.
83. And that is not meant objectively. For defilements occupied with an
object arise with respect to any aggregates including past or future ones
as well [as present], and also with respect to the [subjectively] fully-
understood aggregates in someone [else] whose cankers are destroyed,
like those that arose in the rich man Soreyya with respect to the aggre-
gates in Maha-Kaccana (DhA.i,325) and in the brahman student Nanda
with respect to UppalavannA (DhA.ii,49), and so on. And if that were
what is called 'arisen by having soil [to grow in]' no one could abandon
the root of becoming because it would be unabandonable. But 'arisen by
having soil [to grow in]' should be understood [subjectively] with re-
spect to the basis [for them in oneself].
20
For the defilements that are the
root of the round are inherent in [one's own] aggregates not fully under-
stood by insight from the instant those aggregates arise. And that is what
should be understood as 'arisen by having soil [to grow in]', in the sense
of its being unabandoned. [688]
84. Now when defilements are inherent, in the sense of being unaban-
doned, in someone's aggregates, it is only those aggregates of his that
are the basis for those defilements, not aggregates belonging to another.
And only past aggregates, not others, are the basis for defilements that
inhere unabandoned in past aggregates. Likewise in the case of future
aggregates, and so on. Similarly too only sense-sphere aggregates, not
others, are the basis for defilements that inhere unabandoned in sense-
sphere aggregates. Likewise in the case of the fine material and immate-
rial.
85. But in the case of the stream-enterer, etc., when a given defilement,
which is a root of the round, has been abandoned by means of a given
path in a given noble person's aggregates, then his aggregates are no
longer called 'soil' for such defilement since they are no longer a basis
for it. But in an ordinary man the defilements that are the root of the
round are not abandoned at all, and so whatever kamma he performs is
always either profitable or unprofitable. So for him the round goes on
revolving with kamma and defilements as its condition.
86. But while it is thus the root of the round it cannot be said that it is
only in his materiality aggregate, and not in his other aggregates begin-
ning with feeling ... that it is only in his consciousness aggregate, and
not in his other aggregates beginning with materiality. Why? Because it
is inherent in all five aggregates indiscriminately. How? Like the juice
of humus, etc., in a tree.
87. For when a great tree is growing on the earth's surface supported by
the essences of humus and water and, with that as condition, increases its
roots, trunks, branches, twigs, shoots, foliage, flowers, and fruit, till it
fills the sky, and continues the tree's lineage through the succession of
the seed up till the end of the aeon, it cannot be said that the essence of
humus, etc., are found only in its root and not in the trunk, etc., ... that
they are only in the fruit and not in the root, etc., Why? Because they
spread indiscriminately through the whole of it from the root onwards.
88. But some man who felt revulsion for that same tree's flowers, fruits,
etc., might puncture it on four sides with the poison thorn called 'manduka
thorn', and then the tree, being poisoned, would be no more able to
prolong its continuity since it would have become barren with the con-
tamination of the essences of humus and water.
So too the clansman who feels revulsion (dispassion) for the occur-
rence of aggregates, undertakes to develop the four paths in his own
continuity which is like the man's application of poison to the tree on all
four sides. Then the continuity of his aggregates is rendered incapable of
prolonging the continuity to a subsequent becoming. It is now unproduc-
tive of future becoming since all the kinds of kamma beginning with
bodily kamma are now merely functional: for the effect of the four
paths' poison has entirely exterminated the defilements that are the root
of the round. [689] Being without clinging, he inevitably attains with the
cessation of the last consciousness the complete extinction [of nibbana],
like a fire with no more fuel. This is how the difference between the soil
and what has soil should be understood.
89. Besides these there are four other ways of classing 4
arisen', namely,
(v) arisen as happening, (vi) arisen with apprehension of an object, (vii)
arisen through non-suppression, (viii) arisen through non-abolition.
Herein, (v) arisen as happening is the same as (i) 'arisen as actually
occurring.'
(vi) When an object has at some previous time come into focus in
the eye, etc., and defilement did not arise then but arose in full force
later on simply because the object had been apprehended, then that de-
filement is called arisen with apprehension of an object. Like the defile-
ment that arose in the Elder MahA-Tissa after seeing the form of a person
of the opposite sex while wandering for alms in the village of Kalyana
(cf. MA.i,66 and AA. to A.i,4).
(vii) As long as a defilement is not suppressed by either serenity or
insight, though it may not have actually entered the conscious continuity,
it is nevertheless called arisen through non-suppression because there is
no cause to prevent its arising [if suitable conditions combine], (viii) But
even when they are suppressed by serenity or insight they are still called
arisen through non-abolition because the necessity for their arising has
not been transcended unless they have been cut off by the path. Like the
elder who had obtained the eight attainments, and the defilements that
arose in him while he was going through the air on his hearing the sound
of a woman singing with a sweet voice as she was gathering flowers in a
grove of blossoming trees.
90. And the three kinds, namely, (vi) arisen with apprehension of an
object, (vii) arisen through non-suppression, and (viii) arisen through
non-abolition, should be understood as included by (iv) arisen by having
soil [to grow in].
91. So as regard the kinds of 'arisen' stated, the four kinds, namely, (i)
as actually occurring, (ii) as been and gone, (iii) by opportunity made,
and (v) as happening, cannot be abandoned by any [of these four kinds
of] knowledge because they cannot be eliminated by the paths. But the
four kinds of 'arisen', namely, (iv) by having soil [to grow in], (vi) with
apprehension of an object, (vii) through non-suppression, and (viii) through
non-abolition, can all be abandoned because a given mundane or supra-
mundane knowledge, when it arises, nullifies a given one of these modes
of being arisen.
So here 'the kinds of states that ought to be abandoned, also the act
of their abandoning' (§32) should be known in this way.
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