Distinctly Ascertaining the Meanings

Translation of དན་རྣམ་པར་ངས་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བའ་ཆས་ཀྱ་རྣམ་གྲངས (དོན་རྣམ་པར་ངེས་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བའི་ཆོས་ཀྱི་རྣམ་གྲངས)

Language: English
Translator: Mattia Salvini
Extent: 201 passages, 18,035 words
Text: complete digital text
Source: 84000 · Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committeeunder the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating… · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha). Shown whole and unaltered, with its notes, on a…

Text

84000's introduction

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The sūtra Distinctly Ascertaining the Meanings begins with an introductory section, offering the context of the teachings. An explanation of twenty-seven topics is then presented by the Buddha, starting with the five aggregates and ending with the eighty minor marks of a great person. The Buddha then concludes by exhorting the bhikṣus to meditate in solitude and avoid negligence.

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“Since apart from analyzing the dharmas
There is no other means to pacify mental afflictions,
And since due to mental afflictions people wander in this ocean of existence,
For the sake of that analysis, this has indeed been taught by the Teacher.”¹

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–Vasubandhu

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“The instructions found in Distinctly Ascertaining the Meanings are for the purpose of analyzing the dharmas, since without the sūtras’ instructions a disciple cannot analyze the dharmas. Analyzing the dharmas is for the purpose of pacifying the afflictions; pacifying the afflictions is for the purpose of attaining the ultimate state.”²

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–Vīryaśrīdatta

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Vīryaśrīdatta (fl. eighth century ce), the Nālandā master who commented on this sūtra, explains the expression distinctly ascertaining the meanings as a synonym of analyzing the dharmas, or classifying entities, so as to see directly both their unique traits and their shared features. This analysis constitutes a path to the realization that everything produced by assemblages of causes and conditions is impermanent, that everything leading to mental defilement is suffering, and that nothing whatsoever is or has a permanent and independent self‍.

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According to a well-established tradition, having the right view is to recognize impermanence, suffering, selflessness, and that nirvāṇa is peace. This liberating vision vanquishes the mind’s poisons of attraction, aversion, and confusion. The mind then turns toward the virtues of merit and wisdom, gradually giving way to the peace of nirvāṇa.

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Distinctly Ascertaining the Meanings is a step-by-step contemplation of all facets of reality and freedom from suffering. It starts with the five aggregates that constitute the common basis of defilement and purification and goes through the teachings on selflessness, the path to realize selflessness, and the higher stages of realization, and it culminates in the special features that belong exclusively to a fully awakened buddha. This invaluable archive of Buddhist terms and ideas is to be well absorbed and remembered, so as to make all other teachings easier to comprehend.

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Masters of the great monasteries of ancient India such as Nālandā, Vikramaśīla, and Odantapurī are likely to have held this text in high regard as an authoritative outline of the Dharma. The sūtra’s detailed and accessible commentary, the Gathering (Nibandhana) by Vīryaśrīdatta, is a didactically subtle and comprehensive manual of Buddhist philosophy. The Gathering reproduces much of the content of Vasubandhu’s Treasury of Abhidharma (Abhidharmakośa), an unsurpassed and thorough treatise of fundamental Buddhist thought; but while Vasubandhu’s text goes into much detail with the subject matter, the Gathering offers a much more accessible presentation of the same topics.

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Vīryaśrīdatta shows the purpose and structure of the sūtra, connects it to other texts, and offers convincing, cogent, and well-supported interpretations. He explains the structure of the sūtra by analyzing it into six topical elements:

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1. the introductory presentation of the occasion when the sūtra was spoken (nidāna), which starts from the very beginning and goes up to the mention of the number of bhikṣus present;

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2. the opening remarks by the Buddha (upodghāta), which immediately follow, in which he tells the bhikṣus that he is going to teach and they agree to pay attention;

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3. the purpose of the teaching (prayojana), embedded in the very title of the sūtra, which is wisdom or, more precisely, “analysis of the dharmas” ( dharmapravicaya);

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4. the initial list of topics (uddeśa), which is the long list of twenty-seven topics that follows the opening remarks;

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5. the explanation of the topics (nirdeśa) mentioned in the initial list, which starts right after the initial list and continues to the end of the sūtra;

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6. the connection between the different expressions (anusandhi), more specifically showing how a later expression is thematically and/or logically connected to a prior one, which applies to the whole text.

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The sūtra is also mentioned by Yaśomitra, the author of an extensive explanation (vyākhyā) on Vasubandhu’s Treasury of Abhidharma. Yaśomitra writes that according to “those who emphasize the sūtras” (Sautrāntika), while it is correct to say that the Buddha taught abhidharma, he did not teach separate abhidharmic treatises (as the Vaibhāṣika think); he taught the abhidharma in specific sūtras, such as Distinctly Ascertaining the Meanings. As the Buddha’s own paradigmatic statement on the actual nature of reality (dharmalakṣaṇa), the sūtra can be considered an authoritative overview of insight meditation (vipaśyanā). It shares some features with another sūtra transmitted in the Sarvāstivāda tradition, The Discourse on the Twenty-Two Faculties.³

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The Sanskrit text of Distinctly Ascertaining the Meanings was first edited by Alfonsa Ferrari in 1944 on the basis of two incomplete manuscripts: one she describes as a “modern copy of a Nepalese manuscript from around the fourteenth century”⁴ in twenty-eight folios, about one third of which, she informs, contains the Nibandhana commentary, and another consisting of three folios photographed by Giuseppe Tucci in Ngor monastery in Ü-Tsang (an institution famous for its library of Sanskrit texts), which cover the first five paragraphs as per her edition. Ferrari points out that the Ngor manuscript may have been produced in Nālandā,⁵ and she further writes that “Professor Tucci has noted the presence of copies of the Arthaviniścaya, in Sanskrit, at Žalu and in other monasteries of Tibet.”⁶

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A complete edition, on the basis of a Nepalese paper manuscript dated to 1858, preserved in Baroda, was published by P. L. Vaidya in 1961. Vaidya reports that, according to the postscript, the manuscript was copied from an older palm-leaf manuscript, in Newari script, from the Bir Library in Kathmandu.⁷ One rather striking feature of this manuscript, Vaidya reports, is that it contains the following sentence in Sanskrit, showing its awareness of Tibetan texts: “The complete information about this is found in the sūtra called Abhiniṣkramaṇa; thus it is related in the Tibetan language.”⁸ The anonymous Sanskritist was also a Tibetanist, it seems, or at least someone in dialogue with Tibetanists.

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In 1971, N. H. Samtani offered a much-improved and complete edition, including the first edition of the Nibandhana commentary, based on the photographs taken by Rahul Sankrityayan of a palm-leaf manuscript from Ngor monastery.⁹ Samtani’s edition, based as it is on the photographs of the oldest-available complete manuscript, is particularly valuable, and we have used it as the primary reference for the Sanskrit. However, all the above Sanskrit versions differ, in various respects, from the Kangyur version, and the Nepalese manuscripts edited by Ferrari, although not comparably old, contain sections that match the Tibetan translation more closely. Overall, the hypothetical Sanskrit original of (almost all) the Tibetan translation can be evinced by comparing the existing Sanskrit versions and looking at parallel passages in other Sanskrit and Pāli texts. This is extremely helpful, for it can greatly clarify the intended syntax of the Tibetan and, in a few cases, show how some obscure expression may be due to a mistake (even a printing mistake) in the transmission of the Tibetan.

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This English translation was prepared based on the Tibetan translation in the Degé Kangyur in consultation with the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace Kangyur. According to the Tibetan translators’ colophon, the Sanskrit text was translated into Tibetan by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra and Prajñāvarman, and the Tibetan translator Yeshé Dé. This would place the translation in the early ninth century, but it is worth noting that the translation is absent from both the Denkarma and Phangtangma inventories of Tibetan translations dated to that time. It is also worth mentioning that Jinamitra and Yeshé Dé figure among the compilers of the great Sanskrit–Tibetan lexicon the Mahāvyutpatti, which is a useful point to bear in mind when trying to understand the relationship between the Tibetan translation and the various Sanskrit versions.

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The sūtra was also translated, twice, into Chinese: once by Faxian in the tenth century, and later by Jin Zong Chi in the eleventh century (Taishō 762 佛說決定義經 and Taishō 763 佛說法乘義決定經, respectively). Samtani (to whom the present translation is heavily indebted) points out that the two Chinese translations are based on a shorter and longer version, respectively, and discusses to some extent the differences between the different transmissions of this sūtra. According to De Jong, “Strictly speaking one can distinguish six different recensions: (1) the Ṅor manuscript; (2) the Nepalese manuscripts; (3) the first Chinese translation; (4) the second Chinese translation; (5) the Tibetan translation; (6) the text on which the commentary is based.”¹⁰

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We could add the version commented on in the anonymous don rnam par gdon mi za ba’i ’grel pa (Arthaviniścayaṭīkā, Toh 4365), an elaborate commentary that survives only in its Tibetan translation. This commentary follows a different scheme than the one adopted by the Nibandhana. It is worth noting that the Tibetan terminology differs, to some extent, from the one employed in the Kangyur version of the sūtra. For example, the very title of the sūtra (Distinctly Ascertaining the Meanings) is translated as don rnam par gdon mi za ba rather than don rnam par nges pa; this is significant, considering also that the Mahāvyutpatti has an entry rendering arthaviniścaya with don rnam par nges pa. Similarly, śrāvastī is translated as mnyan du yod pa, rather than just mnyan yod as in the Kangyur translation of the sūtra, even when the term appears as a quote of the root text. Alfonsa Ferrari described this commentary as “very long but pedestrian and attached to the letter,”¹¹ comparing it unfavorably to the Nibandhana, which she describes as “shorter and juicier.”¹² We are not sure whether this is a fair assessment, but “juicy” may be a very good way to speak of the rewards of reading Vīryaśrīdatta’s comments, some of which will be found in the notes and in the glossary, so as to offer at least glimpses of what one may be missing by not reading the Nibandhana. The Mahāvyutpatti explicitly relied on Vasubandhu’s work, and so does Vīryaśrīdatta in explaining the contents of this sūtra. His glosses thus offer some keys to the subtlety, greatness, and extraordinary dedication of the ancient translators from Sanskrit into Tibetan.

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There are at least three modern translations of Distinctly Ascertaining the Meanings: one in Italian by Ferrari (1944), and two in English by Samtani (1971) and Ānandajoti (2016). None of these translations represents the Kangyur version, and we furthermore differ from all three in certain matters of interpretation. We hope this translation carries at least some of the flavor of the original with its recurrent phrases and topical lists so conducive to chanting and memorization.

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I bow to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time.¹³ The Bhagavat was residing in Śrāvastī, at the eastern¹⁴ pleasance in the palace of Mṛgāra’s mother, with a great saṅgha of one thousand two hundred and fifty bhikṣus.

There, with a Brahmā voice that, like a cloud, was deep, delightful, and vast, the Bhagavat addressed the bhikṣus: “Bhikṣus, I will teach you the Dharma that is auspicious in the beginning, auspicious in the middle, and auspicious in the end,¹⁵ that has good meaning and is well expressed.¹⁶ I will clarify the unique, complete, pure, and purified Brahman conduct, the Dharma instruction Distinctly Ascertaining the Meanings.

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Listen properly and keep it firmly in your mind;¹⁷ I am going to speak.”

“Good, Bhagavat,” the bhikṣus answered.

The Bhagavat spoke to them thus: “What, bhikṣus, is the Dharma instruction Distinctly Ascertaining the Meanings? It consists of the five aggregates, the five aggregates of clinging, the eighteen bases, the twelve entrances, dependent arising with twelve parts, the four truths of the noble ones, the twenty-two faculties, the four meditations,¹⁸ the four Brahma abodes, the four courses, the four cultivations of samādhi, the four placements of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four footings of success, the five faculties, the five strengths, the seven parts of awakening, the noble path with eight parts, mindfulness of inhalation and exhalation with sixteen aspects, the four parts of entering the stream, the ten strengths of the Tathāgata, the four confidences, the four special knowledges, the eighteen dharmas exclusive to a buddha, the thirty-two marks of a great person, and the eighty minor marks. This, bhikṣus, is the list of topics for the Dharma instruction Distinctly Ascertaining the Meanings.

“Now, bhikṣus, what are the five aggregates? They are the aggregate of form, the aggregate of feeling, the aggregate of notion¹⁹, the aggregate of assembled factors, and the aggregate of consciousness. These, bhikṣus, are the five aggregates.

“Now, bhikṣus, what are the five aggregates of clinging? They are the aggregate of clinging of form, the aggregate of clinging of feeling, the aggregate of clinging of notion, the aggregate of clinging of assembled factors, and the aggregate of clinging of consciousness.

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These, bhikṣus, are the five aggregates of clinging.

“Now, bhikṣus, what are the eighteen bases? They are the eye base, form base, eye-consciousness base, ear base, sound base, ear-consciousness base, nose base, smell base, nose-consciousness base, tongue base, flavor base, tongue-consciousness base, body base, tangibles base, body-consciousness base, thought base, dharma base, and thought-consciousness base. These, bhikṣus, are explained as the eighteen bases.

“Now, bhikṣus, what are the twelve entrances? They are the internal entrance of the eye, the external entrance of form, the internal entrance of the ear, the external entrance of sound, the internal entrance of the nose, the external entrance of smell, the internal entrance of the tongue, the external entrance of flavor, the internal entrance of the body, the external entrance of tangibles, the internal entrance of thought, and the external entrance of dharmas. These, bhikṣus, are explained as the twelve entrances.

“Now, bhikṣus, what is dependent arising with twelve parts?²⁰ It is thus: assembled factors with ignorance as their condition, consciousness with assembled factors as its condition, name-and-form with consciousness as its condition, the six entrances with name-and-form as their condition, contact with the six entrances as its condition, feeling with contact as its condition, craving with feeling as its condition, clinging with craving as its condition, existence with clinging as its condition, birth with existence as its condition, and decay, death, grief, lamentation, suffering, mental anguish, and ensuing weariness with birth as their condition come into existence. Thus is the arising, in its entirety, of what is purely a great aggregate of suffering.²¹

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“Due to the cessation of ignorance, assembled factors cease; due to the cessation of assembled factors, consciousness ceases; due to the cessation of consciousness, name-and-form ceases; due to the cessation of name-and-form, the six entrances cease; due to the cessation of the six entrances, contact ceases; due to the cessation of contact, feeling ceases; due to the cessation of feeling, craving ceases; due to the cessation of craving, clinging ceases; due to the cessation of clinging, existence ceases; due to the cessation of existence, birth ceases; due to the cessation of birth, decay, death, grief, lamentation, suffering, mental anguish, and ensuing weariness cease. Thus is the cessation, in its entirety, of what is purely a great aggregate of suffering.

“Now, what is ignorance? It is this: nonawareness regarding the prior limit, nonawareness regarding the following limit, nonawareness regarding the prior and the following limit,²² nonawareness regarding what is internal, nonawareness regarding what is external, nonawareness regarding what is internal and what is external, nonawareness regarding karma, nonawareness regarding maturation, nonawareness regarding karma and its maturation, nonawareness regarding the karma that is a good deed, nonawareness regarding the karma that is a bad deed, nonawareness regarding the karma that is a good and bad deed,²³ nonawareness regarding the cause, nonawareness regarding the result, nonawareness regarding the cause and the result, nonawareness regarding dharmas that arise due to causes, nonawareness regarding dharmas that are dependently arisen,²⁴ nonawareness regarding the Buddha, nonawareness regarding the Dharma, nonawareness regarding the Saṅgha, nonawareness regarding suffering, nonawareness regarding its origin, nonawareness regarding cessation, nonawareness regarding the path, nonawareness regarding virtuous and nonvirtuous dharmas, nonawareness regarding blameworthy and blameless dharmas and regarding dharmas that should and should not be practiced,²⁵ and, regarding the six contact-entrances,

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nonawareness of the way they are,²⁶ not seeing, not comprehending, no clear understanding, darkness, confusion, and the blinding darkness of ignorance. This is explained as ignorance.

“As for ‘assembled factors with ignorance as their condition,’ what are assembled factors? Assembled factors are of three kinds: assembled factors pertaining to the body, assembled factors pertaining to speech, and assembled factors pertaining to thought. What are the assembled factors pertaining to the body? They are inhaling and exhaling, for these are bodily dharmas,²⁷ based on the body, and bound to the body; they come about on the basis of the body. Therefore, inhaling and exhaling are explained as the assembled factors pertaining to the body. What are the assembled factors pertaining to speech? A person speaks after deliberating and after analyzing, not without deliberating and analyzing. Therefore, deliberation and analysis are explained as assembled factors pertaining to speech. What are the assembled factors pertaining to thought? They are the intention of someone who has attraction, the intention of someone who has aversion, and the intention of someone who has confusion, for this is a mental dharma, based on the mind and bound to the mind; it occurs on the basis of the mind. Therefore, intention is explained as the assembled factor pertaining to thought. These, bhikṣus, are explained as assembled factors.²⁸

“As for ‘consciousness with assembled factors as its condition,’ what is consciousness? It is the six collections of consciousness. What are the six? They are eye consciousness, ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, body consciousness, and thought consciousness. These are the six collections of consciousness.²⁹

“As for ‘name-and-form with consciousness as its condition,’ what is name-and-form? ‘Name’ refers to the four formless aggregates:³⁰ the aggregate of feeling, the aggregate of notion, the aggregate of assembled factors,

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and the aggregate of consciousness. This is name. What is form? Whatever form exists, it all consists in the four great elements and in what depends on the four great elements.³¹ What are the four? They are the earth element, the water element, the fire element, and the wind element. What is the earth element? It is heaviness, hardness, and roughness.³² What is the water element? It is fluidity and flow. What is the fire element? It is heat and maturation. What is the wind element? It is contraction, expansion, lightness, and motility. Such ‘form’ and the preceding ‘name’ are abbreviated as one thing, which is then called name-and-form.

“As for ‘six entrances with name-and-form as their condition,’ what are the six entrances?³³ They are the entrance of the eye, the entrance of the ear, the entrance of the nose, the entrance of the tongue, the entrance of the body, and the entrance of thought. These are explained as the six entrances.

“As for ‘contact with the six entrances as its condition,’ what is contact? It is the six collections of contact. What are the six? They are eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and thought contact.³⁴

“As for ‘feeling with contact as its condition,’ what is feeling? It is the six collections of feeling. What are the six? There is feeling born from eye contact, which is pleasant, painful, or neither painful nor pleasant. Likewise, there are also feelings born from ear, nose, tongue, body, and thought contact. Each of these may in turn be pleasant, painful, or neither painful nor pleasant.³⁵

“As for ‘craving with feeling as its condition,’ what is craving? It is the six collections of craving. What are the six? They are craving for form, craving for sound, craving for smell, craving for flavor, craving for tangibles, and craving for dharmas.

“As for ‘clinging with craving as its condition,’ what is clinging? It is the four types of clinging.

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What are the four? They are clinging to desire, clinging to views, clinging to discipline and vows, and clinging to the proposition of a ‘self.’

“As for ‘existence with clinging as its condition,’ what is existence? It is the three existences. What are the three? They are existence with desire, existence with form, and formless existence. What, then, is existence with desire? It is the sentient beings of the great hell called Unwavering below up to the deities in Control of Others’ Emanations. This is explained as existence with desire.³⁶ What is existence with form? It is the deities of the Brahmā group up to the deities of Lesser than None. This is explained as existence with form.³⁷ What is formless existence? It is the deities placed in the abode of the infinity of space up to the deities placed in the abode of neither perception nor no perception. This is explained as formless existence.³⁸

“As for ‘birth with existence as its condition,’ what is birth? It is the birth of sentient beings in a specific class of sentient beings, and it is their descent, full birth, and coming forth, the coming into existence of the aggregates, the obtainment of the entrances, the coming into existence of the life faculty, and the fact of being brought together within a shared class. This is explained as birth.³⁹

“As for ‘decay and death with birth as their condition,’ what is decay? It is baldness, grayness, an abundance of wrinkles, decrepitude, crookedness, being bent down like rafters; having a body that breathes in and out with wheezing sounds,⁴⁰ is marred by black moles, and leans forward, supported by sticks; and the complete maturation and breaking apart of the faculties, the aging of the assembled factors, lassitude,⁴¹ dullness, slowness, loss, and all-around loss. This is explained as decay.

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“What is death? It is the falling away of sentient beings from a specific class of sentient beings, their movement, separation,⁴² impermanence,⁴³ and death, the completion of one’s time,⁴⁴ the loss of lifespan, the loss of heat, the cessation of the life faculty, and the casting away of the aggregates. This is explained as death. Such ‘death’ and the preceding ‘decay’ are abbreviated as one thing, which is then called decay and death.

“This, bhikṣus, is dependent arising with twelve parts.

“Now, what are the four truths of the noble ones? They are the noble ones’ truth of suffering, the noble ones’ truth of the arising of suffering, the noble ones’ truth of the cessation of suffering, and the noble ones’ truth of the path that leads to the cessation of suffering.

“What is the noble ones’ truth of suffering? Birth is suffering, decay is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering, separation from what one likes is suffering, conjunction with what one dislikes is suffering, and failing to obtain what one wants despite searching for it is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates of clinging are suffering. This is explained as the noble ones’ truth of suffering.

“What is the noble ones’ truth of the arising of suffering? It is craving that is conducive to a new existence and that is accompanied by rejoicing and attraction,⁴⁵ furthermore delighting in this and that. This is explained as the noble ones’ truth of the arising of suffering.

“What is the noble ones’ truth of the cessation of suffering? It is the complete abandonment of, thorough relinquishment of, termination of, destruction of, nonattraction to, cessation of, pacification of, and disappearance of that very craving that is conducive to a new existence and that is accompanied by rejoicing and attraction, furthermore delighting in this and that. This is explained as the noble ones’ truth of the cessation of suffering.

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“What, then, is the noble ones’ truth of the path that leads to the cessation of suffering? It is the noble path with eight parts: right view, right thinking, right speech, right activity, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right samādhi. This is explained as the noble ones’ truth of the path that leads to the cessation of suffering.

“These are the four truths of the noble ones.

“Then, what are the twenty-two faculties? They are the eye faculty, the ear faculty, the nose faculty, the tongue faculty, the body faculty, the thought faculty, the male faculty, the female faculty, the life faculty, the suffering faculty, the pleasure faculty, the mental well-being faculty, the mental anguish faculty, the neutrality faculty, the faith faculty, the heroism faculty, the mindfulness faculty, the samādhi faculty, the wisdom faculty, the ‘I will completely know what I don’t yet know’ faculty, the complete-knowledge faculty, and the ‘I have completely known’ faculty. These, bhikṣus, are the twenty-two faculties.

“Now, what are the four meditations?

“Here, bhikṣus, a bhikṣu⁴⁶ isolated from desires, isolated from sinful, nonvirtuous dharmas, endowed with deliberation and analysis, and having the joy and pleasure born from isolation reaches and abides in the first meditation. Due to the pacification of deliberations and analyses, due to being inwardly very well disposed, and due to the mind having a single texture, one reaches and abides in the second meditation, without deliberation or analysis and having the joy and pleasure born from samādhi. Due to nonattraction to joy,

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one abides with equanimity, and one is mindful, discerning, and feels pleasure in one’s body. Hence, the noble ones say, ‘equanimous and mindful, he abides in pleasure.’ Thus, one reaches and abides in the third meditation, which is without joy.⁴⁷ Due to the abandonment of pleasure, due to the prior abandonment of pain, and due to the disappearance of mental well-being or anguish, one reaches and abides in the fourth meditation, which is without pleasure or pain and purified in terms of equanimity and mindfulness. These, bhikṣus, are the four meditations.⁴⁸

“Now, what are the four Brahma abodes? Here, bhikṣus, a bhikṣu, with (1) a mind accompanied by friendliness, a mind without enmity, antagonism, or harming, an expansive, great mind without duality, without measure, and well cultivated, becomes intent upon one direction, fills it, reaches it, and abides thus. He then does the same for the second, the third, and the fourth direction and above, below, and across; for this world on all sides and on all ends, he, with a mind accompanied by friendliness, a mind without enmity, antagonism, or harming, an expansive, great mind without duality, without measure, and well cultivated, becomes intent upon one direction, fills it, reaches it, and abides thus. In the same way, with (2) a mind accompanied by compassion, (3) a mind accompanied by rejoicing, and (4) a mind accompanied by equanimity, a mind without enmity, antagonism, or harming, an expansive, great mind without duality, without measure, and well cultivated, he becomes intent, fills, reaches, and abides thus. These are the four Brahma abodes.

“Then, what are the four courses? There is the course that is painful and that is slow in superior cognition. There is the course that is painful and that is quick in superior cognition.

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There is the course that is pleasant and that is slow in superior cognition. There is the course that is pleasant and that is quick in superior cognition.

“Among those, what is the course that is painful and that is slow in superior cognition? Here someone has, by his very nature, intense attraction, intense aversion, and intense confusion. Due to his intense attraction, he constantly feels pain and mental anguish born of attraction; due to his intense aversion, he constantly feels pain and mental anguish born of aversion; due to his intense confusion, he constantly feels pain and mental anguish born of confusion. His five supramundane faculties are slow; they are weak and not intense, not carrying him swiftly toward the destruction of the fluxes. What are the five? They are the faith faculty, heroism faculty, mindfulness faculty, samādhi faculty, and wisdom faculty. Thus, because these five supramundane faculties are slow, weak and not intense, and do not carry him swiftly, he will only slowly reach the samādhi that immediately precedes the destruction of the fluxes. This is the course that is painful and that is slow in superior cognition.

“Among those, what is the course that is painful and that is quick in superior cognition? Here someone has, by his very nature, intense attraction, intense aversion, and intense confusion. Due to his intense attraction, he constantly feels pain and mental anguish born of attraction; due to his intense aversion, he constantly feels pain and mental anguish born of aversion; due to his intense confusion, he constantly feels pain and mental anguish born of confusion. His five supramundane faculties

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are above measure, intense, and carry him swiftly. What are the five? They are the faith faculty, heroism faculty, mindfulness faculty, samādhi faculty, and wisdom faculty. Thus, because these five supramundane faculties are above measure, intense, and carry him swiftly, he will very quickly reach the samādhi that immediately precedes the destruction of the fluxes. This is the course that is painful and that is quick in superior cognition.

“Among those, what is the course that is pleasant and that is slow in superior cognition? Here someone has, by his very nature, little attraction, little aversion, and little confusion. Having little attraction, he does not constantly feel pain and mental anguish born of attraction; having little aversion, he does not constantly feel pain and mental anguish born of aversion; having little confusion, he does not constantly feel pain and mental anguish born of confusion. His five supramundane faculties are slow; they are weak and not intense, not carrying him swiftly toward the destruction of the fluxes. What are the five? They are the faith faculty, heroism faculty, mindfulness faculty, samādhi faculty, and wisdom faculty. Thus, because these five supramundane faculties are slow, weak and not intense, and do not carry him swiftly, he will only slowly reach the samādhi that immediately precedes the destruction of the fluxes. This is the course that is pleasant and that is slow in superior cognition.

“Among those, what is the course that is pleasant and that is quick in superior cognition? Here someone has, by his very nature, little attraction, little aversion, and little confusion.

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Having little attraction, he does not constantly feel pain and mental anguish born of attraction; having little aversion, he does not constantly feel pain and mental anguish born of aversion; having little confusion, he does not constantly feel pain and mental anguish born of confusion. His five supramundane faculties are above measure, intense, and carry him swiftly. What are the five? They are the faith faculty, heroism faculty, mindfulness faculty, samādhi faculty, and wisdom faculty. Thus, because these five supramundane faculties are above measure, intense, and carry him swiftly, he will very quickly reach the samādhi that immediately precedes the destruction of the fluxes. This is the course that is pleasant and that is quick in superior cognition.

“These are the four courses.

“Now, what are the four cultivations of samādhi? There is, bhikṣus, a cultivation of samādhi that, once it is practiced, cultivated, and repeated, brings about the abandonment of attraction. There is a cultivation of samādhi that, once it is practiced, cultivated, and repeated, brings about a pleasant abiding in this very life. There is a cultivation of samādhi that, once it is practiced, cultivated, and repeated, brings about the obtainment of the vision of awareness. There is a cultivation of samādhi that, once it is practiced, cultivated, and repeated, brings about the obtainment of wisdom.

“Among those, what is the cultivation of samādhi that, once practiced, cultivated, and repeated, brings about the abandonment of desirous attraction?⁴⁹ Here, bhikṣus, a bhikṣu, having gone to the forest, to the root of some tree, or to an empty house, observes this very body as it is,⁵⁰ upwards from the soles of the feet and downwards from the hair and head, in its entirety, to be full of many types of impurities:⁵¹

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‘In this body there are hairs of the head, body hairs,⁵² teeth, nails, dirt, filth, skin, flesh, bones, sinews, channels, kidneys, heart, lungs, liver, stomach for the raw, stomach for the ripe,⁵³ entrails, mesentery, bladder, spleen, excrement, tears, sweat, snot, spit, grease, fluid, marrow, fat, pus, phlegm, bile, blood, head, head membrane, and urine.’ Thus, he observes it to be full of many types of impurities, as it is.⁵⁴

“Just as, bhikṣus, when there is a granary with its doors open on both sides and full of many types of grains such as śāli rice, grain, barley, wheat, beans, lentils, horse gram, corn, split red lentils, mat beans, sesame, millet, and white mustard seeds,⁵⁵ any person with eyes who looks at all that will know ‘This is śāli rice, this is rice, this is barley, this is wheat, these are beans, these are lentils, this is horse gram, this is corn, these are split red lentils, these are mat beans, this is sesame, this is millet, these are white mustard seeds.’⁵⁶ In the same way, bhikṣus, a bhikṣu, having gone to the forest, or to the root of some tree, or to an empty house, observes this very body as it is, upwards from the soles of the feet and downwards from the hair and head, in its entirety, to be full of many types of impurities, as before up to head, head membrane, and urine.⁵⁷ This, bhikṣus, is the cultivation of samādhi that, once practiced, cultivated, and repeated, brings about the abandonment of desirous attraction.

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“Among those, bhikṣus, what is the cultivation of samādhi that, once it is practiced, cultivated, and repeated, brings about a pleasant abiding in this very life? Here, bhikṣus, a bhikṣu, having gone to the forest, or to the root of some tree, or to an empty house, drenches wholly and thoroughly, completely fills, satiates, and suffuses this very body with the joy and pleasure born from the samādhi of isolation.⁵⁸ There is no place in his body that is not filled and suffused with the joy and pleasure born from the samādhi of isolation.⁵⁹ Just as, bhikṣus, water lilies, lotuses, joy lilies, or white lotuses, born in water and immersed in water, are wholly and thoroughly drenched, completely filled, satiated, and suffused by the cool water, in the very same way, bhikṣus, a bhikṣu, having gone to the forest, or to the root of some tree, or to an empty house, drenches wholly and thoroughly, completely fills, satiates, and suffuses this very body, inwardly, with the joy and pleasure born from samādhi.⁶⁰ There is no place in his body that is not filled and suffused with the joy and pleasure born from samādhi.⁶¹ This is the cultivation of samādhi that, once it is practiced, cultivated, and repeated, brings about a pleasant abiding in this very life.

“Among those, bhikṣus, what is the cultivation of samādhi that, once it is practiced, cultivated, and repeated, brings about the obtainment of the vision of awareness? Here, bhikṣus, a bhikṣu has well and properly⁶² grasped the perception of light;

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he has placed it well in the mind, practiced it well,⁶³ and thoroughly penetrated it. He cultivates a mind sustained by the perception of daylight,⁶⁴ with the same brightness: as by day, so by night; as by night, so by day; as in front, so behind; as behind, so in front; as below, so above; as above, so below. Thus, with an open and unbound mind, he cultivates a mind sustained by the perception of daylight, with the same brightness.⁶⁵ Just as, indeed, bhikṣus, during the last month of summer, at midday on a cloudless day free of any impediment to light, everything appears very clearly, bright and luminous, and untouched by darkness, in the very same way, bhikṣus, a bhikṣu has well and properly grasped the perception of light; he has placed it well in the mind, practiced it well,⁶⁶ and thoroughly penetrated it. He cultivates a mind sustained by the perception of daylight,⁶⁷ with the same brightness: as by day, so by night; as by night, so by day; as in front, so behind; as behind, so in front; as below, so above; as above, so below. Thus, with an open and unbound mind sustained by the perception of daylight, he cultivates a mind with the same brightness. This is the cultivation of samādhi that, once it is practiced, cultivated, and repeated, brings about the obtainment of the vision of awareness.

“Among those, bhikṣus, what is the cultivation of samādhi that, once it is practiced, cultivated, and repeated, brings about the obtainment of wisdom? Here, bhikṣus, a bhikṣu, having gone to the forest, to the root of some tree, or to an empty house, may—due to the abandonment of pleasure,

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the prior abandonment of pain, and the disappearance of mental well-being or anguish—reach and abide in the fourth meditation, which is without pain or pleasure and is purified in terms of equanimity and mindfulness. This is the cultivation of samādhi that, once it is practiced, cultivated, and repeated, brings about the obtainment of wisdom.

“These are the four cultivations of samādhi.

“Now, bhikṣus, what are the four placements of mindfulness? Here, bhikṣus, with respect to his own body, a bhikṣu abides contemplating the body—ardent, perfectly cognizant, mindful, and having removed coveting or mental anguish regarding the world. With respect to an outer body, with respect to his own and an outer body, with respect to his own feelings, with respect to outer feelings, with respect to his own and outer feelings, with respect to his own mind, with respect to any outer mind, with respect to his own and an outer mind, with respect to dharmas belonging to himself, with respect to outer dharmas, and with respect to dharmas belonging to himself as well as outer dharmas, he abides contemplating dharmas. These, bhikṣus, are the four placements of mindfulness.

“Now, bhikṣus, what are the four right efforts? Here, bhikṣus, a bhikṣu generates zeal, strives, brings forth heroism, takes hold of his mind, and properly sets it so as to abandon sinful, nonvirtuous dharmas that have already arisen. He generates zeal,⁶⁸ strives, brings forth heroism, takes hold of his mind, and properly sets it toward the nonarising of sinful, nonvirtuous dharmas that have yet to arise. He generates zeal, strives, brings forth heroism, takes hold of his mind, and properly sets it toward the arising of virtuous dharmas that have yet to arise.

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He generates zeal, strives, brings forth heroism, takes hold of his mind, and properly sets it toward the abiding, non-loss, non-destruction, recurrence, greatness, and fulfillment of virtuous dharmas that have already arisen. These, bhikṣus, are the four right efforts.

“Now, bhikṣus, what are the four footings of success? Here, bhikṣus, a bhikṣu, endowed with the zeal samādhi and with the factors of abandonment, cultivates the footing of success based on isolation, based on nonattraction, based on cessation, and matured by relinquishment. His own zeal is neither too absorbed nor too tightly grasped. Endowed with the heroism samādhi and with the factors of abandonment, he cultivates the footing of success based on isolation, based on nonattraction, based on cessation, and matured by relinquishment. His own heroism is neither too absorbed nor too tightly grasped. Endowed with the mind samādhi and with the factors of abandonment, he cultivates the footing of success based on isolation, based on nonattraction, based on cessation, and matured by relinquishment. His own mind is neither too absorbed nor too tightly grasped. Endowed with the investigation samādhi and with the factors of abandonment, he cultivates the footing of success based on isolation, based on nonattraction, based on cessation, and matured by relinquishment. His own investigation is neither too absorbed nor too tightly grasped. These, bhikṣus, are the four footings of success.

“Now, bhikṣus, what are the five faculties? They are

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the faith faculty, heroism faculty, mindfulness faculty, samādhi faculty, and wisdom faculty.

“Among these, what is the faith faculty? It is that faith thanks to which one has faith in four dharmas. Which four? One has faith in the worldly right view that applies to saṃsāra. One goes for refuge in the maturation of karma. One thinks, ‘Whatever karma I perform, whether virtuous or nonvirtuous, I will experience the maturation of that karma only.’ Even for the sake of one’s own life, one does not perform sinful karma. This is explained as the faith faculty.

“Among these, what is the heroism faculty? Through the heroism faculty, one establishes those dharmas that one has faith in thanks to the faith faculty. This is explained as the heroism faculty.

“Among these, what is the mindfulness faculty? Thanks to the mindfulness faculty, one does not cause the disappearance of those dharmas that one establishes through the heroism faculty. This is explained as the mindfulness faculty.

“Among these, what is the samādhi faculty? Through the samādhi faculty, one makes one-pointed those dharmas that one does not cause to disappear thanks to the mindfulness faculty. This is explained as the samādhi faculty.

“Among these, what is the wisdom faculty? Through the wisdom faculty, one penetrates those dharmas that one makes one-pointed through the samādhi faculty; one becomes the type that carefully observes those dharmas. This is explained as the wisdom faculty.

“These, bhikṣus, are the five faculties.

“Now, bhikṣus, what are the five strengths? They are the strength of faith, the strength of heroism, the strength of mindfulness, the strength of samādhi, and the strength of wisdom. These, bhikṣus, are the five strengths.

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“Now, bhikṣus, what are the seven parts of awakening? They are the part of awakening of mindfulness, the part of awakening of classifying the dharmas, the part of awakening of heroism, the part of awakening of joy, the part of awakening of ease, the part of awakening of samādhi, and the part of awakening of equanimity.⁶⁹ Here, bhikṣus, a bhikṣu cultivates the part of awakening of mindfulness: this is based on isolation, based on nonattraction, based on cessation, and matured by relinquishment. In the same way, he cultivates the part of awakening of classifying the dharmas: this is based on isolation, based on nonattraction, based on cessation, and matured by relinquishment. He cultivates the part of awakening of heroism: this is based on isolation, based on nonattraction, based on cessation, and matured by relinquishment. He cultivates the part of awakening of joy: this is based on isolation, based on nonattraction, based on cessation, and matured by relinquishment. He cultivates the part of awakening of ease: this is based on isolation, based on nonattraction, based on cessation, and matured by relinquishment. He cultivates the part of awakening of samādhi: this is based on isolation, based on nonattraction, based on cessation, and matured by relinquishment. He cultivates the part of awakening of equanimity: this is based on isolation, based on nonattraction, based on cessation, and matured by relinquishment. These, bhikṣus, are the seven parts of awakening.

“Now, bhikṣus, what is the noble path with eight parts? It is right view, right thinking, right speech, right activity, right livelihood,

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right effort, right mindfulness, and right samādhi. This, bhikṣus, is the noble path with eight parts.

“Among these, what is right view? It is supramundane; arisen from the view of no-self; not arisen from the view of a sentient being, of a living being, of a nourishing being, of a man, of a person, of a descendant of Manu, or of a human being; not arisen from the view of cutting off or eternality; not arisen from the view of existence or nonexistence; not arisen from the view of the virtuous, nonvirtuous, or undetermined; and not arisen from the view of saṃsāra or nirvāṇa. This is called right view.

“Among these, what is right thought? One does not think those thoughts due to which the afflictions of desire, aversion, and confusion rise up. One thinks those thoughts due to which the aggregates of discipline, samādhi, wisdom, liberation,⁷⁰ and the vision of awareness of liberation rise up. This is called right thought.⁷¹

“Among these, what is right speech? One is endowed with the speech through which one does not torment oneself or others, one does not afflict oneself or others, and one does not do wrong to oneself or others, the speech that is conducive to what the noble ones find fit, with expressions of samādhi and joy. This is called right speech.⁷²

“Among these, what is right activity? One does not perform karma that is black and has black maturation. One performs karma that is white and has white maturation.

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One does not perform karma that occurs as white-black and occurs having white-black maturation. One performs karma that is conducive to the destruction of the black and what occurs having black, non-white maturation. One has good karma as refuge; one has good activity. This is called right activity.

“Among those, what is right livelihood? When, in accordance with the noble lineage, one does not abandon the good qualities of purification and does not abandon frugality; when one does not engage in hypocrisy, chatter, or extortion; when one is in the habit of behaving heroically; when one has no envy at others’ gain and is content with one’s own gain; and when one has a blameless livelihood that is approved by the noble ones, this is called right livelihood.

“Among those, what is right effort? One does not endeavor in the effort that is wrong, due to which attraction, aversion, and confusion insidiously grow. One follows the effort that enters into the truth⁷³ of the right path of the noble ones, the effort that bestows the path that leads to nirvāṇa. This is called right effort.⁷⁴

“Among those, what is right mindfulness? It is well placed, unshakeable, upright,⁷⁵ is not crooked, and rightly sees the flaws of saṃsāra⁷⁶ as being misery; it is the mindfulness that guides on the path to nirvāṇa;⁷⁷ and it means not to forget the path of the noble ones. This is called right mindfulness.⁷⁸

“Among those, what is right samādhi? It is the samādhi that is even⁷⁹ in the sense that it is right.⁸⁰

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It is the samādhi abiding in which one steps into the right certainty of steadfastness toward the liberation of all sentient beings. This is called right samādhi.⁸¹

“Now, what is mindfulness of inhalation and exhalation with sixteen aspects?

1. “Mindful⁸² as one breathes in, one is perfectly aware, as it is, that ‘Mindful, I am breathing in.’ Mindful as one breathes out, one is perfectly aware, as it is, that ‘Mindful, I am breathing out.’

2. “Breathing in a long breath, one is perfectly aware, as it is, that ‘I am breathing in a long breath.’ Breathing out a long breath, one is perfectly aware, as it is, that ‘I am breathing out a long breath.’

3. “Breathing in a short breath, one is perfectly aware, as it is, that ‘I am breathing in a short breath.’ Breathing out a short breath, one is perfectly aware, as it is, that ‘I am breathing out a short breath.’

4. “Experiencing the assembled factors of the body as one breathes in, one is perfectly aware, as it is, that ‘Experiencing the assembled factors of the body,

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I am breathing in.’ Experiencing the assembled factors of the body as one breathes out, one is perfectly aware, as it is, that ‘Experiencing the assembled factors of the body, I am breathing out.’

5. “Experiencing the entirety of the body as one breathes in, one is perfectly aware, as it is, that ‘Experiencing the entirety of the body, I am breathing in.’ Experiencing the entirety of the body as one breathes out, one is perfectly aware, as it is, that ‘Experiencing the entirety of the body, I am breathing out.’

6. “Experiencing all the assembled factors of the body as one breathes in, one is perfectly aware, as it is, that ‘Experiencing all the assembled factors of the body, I am breathing in.’ Experiencing all the assembled factors of the body as one breathes out, one is perfectly aware, as it is, that ‘Experiencing all the assembled factors of the body, I am breathing out.’

7. “Placing at ease the assembled factors of the body as one breathes in, one is perfectly aware, as it is, that ‘Placing at ease the assembled factors of the body, I am breathing in.’ Placing at ease the assembled factors of the body as one breathes out, one is perfectly aware, as it is, that ‘Placing at ease the assembled factors of the body, I am breathing out.’

8. “Experiencing joy as one breathes in, one is perfectly aware, as it is, that ‘Experiencing joy, I am breathing in.’ Experiencing joy as one breathes out, one is perfectly aware, as it is, that ‘Experiencing joy, I am breathing out.’

9. “Experiencing pleasure as one breathes in, one is perfectly aware, as it is, that ‘Experiencing pleasure, I am breathing in.’ Experiencing pleasure as one breathes out, one is perfectly aware, as it is, that ‘Experiencing pleasure, I am breathing out.’

10. “Experiencing the mind as one breathes in, one is perfectly aware, as it is, that ‘Experiencing the mind, I am breathing in.’ Experiencing the mind as one breathes out, one is perfectly aware, as it is, that ‘Experiencing the mind, I am breathing out.’

11. “Experiencing the assembled factors of the mind as one breathes in, one is perfectly aware, as it is, that ‘Experiencing the assembled factors of the mind, I am breathing in.’ Experiencing the assembled factors of the mind as one breathes out, one is perfectly aware, as it is, that ‘Experiencing the assembled factors of the mind, I am breathing out.’

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Distinctly Ascertaining the Meanings

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84000's introduction