Studies in the Origins of Buddhism c19.21

c19.21

The ancient Sāmaññaphala text describes a course of the monk's spiritual progress which exhibits well the threefold division into Sīla, Samādhi and Paññā. It is expressly so divided at many places in the Nikāyas.¹⁴ Sometimes the scheme is made four-stepped through the addition of Vimutti,¹⁵ or it is made a fivefold through the further addition of "vimutti-ñāṇadassana".¹⁶ The threefold division is the basis of Visuddhimaggo, and is found in Sarvāstivāda works also.¹⁷ The fact is that with variations it belongs to the universal repertoire of Mysticism.¹⁸