Chapter 13
(Tape 27 / Ps: 1-27)
So chapter 13 is the chapter on direct knowledge. ‘The divine ear element’ simply means divine ear. “It is now the turn for the description of the divine ear.” Then the translator gave the Text. It is good because if we do not see the Text, we would not be able to understand the explanations given.
“[The Text is as follows: ‘He directs, he inclines his mind to the divine ear element. With the divine ear element, which is purified and surpasses the human, he hears both kinds of sounds, the divine and the human, those that are far as well as near’.”
“‘Herein, with the divine ear element: it is divine here because of its similarity to the divine; for deities have as the divine ear element the sensitivity that is produced by kamma consisting in good conduct and is unimpeded by bile, phlegm, blood, etc., and capable of receiving an object even though far off because it is liberated from imperfections.” Deities have ears too. The sensitivity in their ears is so free from imperfections, so free from impediments that they can hear sounds far away. Also they do not have impediments like blood, bile, phlegm and so on. So their ears are much more sensitive than human ears.
“And this ear element consisting in knowledge, which is produced by the power of this bhikkhu’s energy in development, is similar to that, so it is ‘divine’ because it is similar to the divine.” Here the Commentary is explaining the word ‘divine’. The PÈÄi word is dibba. Here the PÈÄi word is dibbasota. ‘Dibbasota’ literally means divine ear. But here what is really meant is not divine ear. It is the knowledge which is similar to the divine ear. “So it is ‘divine’ because it is similar to the divine.”
Then there is another explanation. “Furthermore, it is ‘divine’ because it is obtained by means of divine abiding and because it has divine abiding as its support.” Here ‘divine abiding’ means jhÈnas.
Student; Is it the brahmÈ vihÈras?
Teacher: No. No. Although ‘brahmÈ vihÈra’ is translated as divine abiding even in this book, here ‘divine abiding’ does not mean brahmÈ vihÈras. It just means the four jhÈnas. “And because it has divine abiding as its support.” If you do not have the four jhÈnas, then you cannot get this direct knowledge.
In our PÈÄi books there are three kinds of abiding. The first one is dibba vihÈra. Then there is brahmÈ vihÈra. And the last one is Ariya vihÈra. There are three kinds of abiding - dibba vihÈra, brahmÈ vihÈra, Ariya vihÈra. ‘Dibba vihÈra’ means jhÈnas. ‘BrahmÈ vihÈra’ means loving-kindness, compassion and so on. ‘Ariya vihÈra’ means Fruit attainment. After becoming an Ariya a person enters into that attainment again and again to enjoy it. Here ‘divine abiding’ means jhÈnas and not the four divine abodes.
“And it is an ‘ear element’ in the sense of hearing and in the sense of being soulless.” The word ‘element’ or dhÈtu is defined as something that is without a soul, that is soulless. The Commentator is explaining the word ‘sota dhÈtu’. It is called ‘sota’ because it hears in the sense of hearing. It is called ‘dhÈtu’ because it is without a soul. Sometimes dhÈtu is explained as something which is without a soul, which is just a phenomenon, that is not an entity. “Also it is an ‘ear element’ because it is like the ear element in its performance of an ear element’s function. With that ear element” -
Student: Actually it is the mind?
Teacher: It is actually knowledge (paÒÒÈ), paÒÒÈ associated with mindfulness.
Student: So direct knowledge -
Teacher: All direct knowledge is paÒÒÈ. “Which is purified: which is quite pure through having no imperfection. And surpasses the human: which in the hearing of sounds surpasses, stands beyond, the human ear element by surpassing the human environment.” That means it is beyond the normal range of hearing.
“He hears both kinds of sounds: he hears the two kinds of sounds. What two? The divine and the human, the sounds of the deities and of human beings, is what is meant.” Here ‘sounds’ means the sounds of speech. That is why it is said “This should be understood as partially inclusive”, not other sound but just the speech sounds. “Those that are far as well as near: what is meant is that he hears sounds that are far off, even in another world sphere, and those that are near, even the sounds of the creature living in his own body. This should be understood as completely inclusive.” This includes everything - sounds of animals, sounds of insects, sounds of germs, and of other things.
“But how is this [divine ear element] aroused?” What follows is how to practice. “The bhikkhu should attain jhÈna as basis for direct knowledge and emerge. Then with consciousness belonging to the preliminary work concentration he should advert first to the gross sounds in the distance normally within range of hearing: (so little by little) the sound in the forest of lions, etc., or in the monastery the sound of a gong, the sound of a drum, the sound of a conch, the sound of recitation by novices and young bhikkhus reciting with full vigor.” If you go to a Burmese monastery, you can still hear young monks and novices reciting loudly. You can hear from a distance everyone learning aloud. They are memorizing actually. (One should listen to) “the sound of their ordinary talk such as ‘What, Venerable Sir?’, ‘What, friend?’, etc., the sound of birds, the sound of wind, the sound of footsteps, the fizzing sound of boiling water, the sound of palm leaves drying in the sun, the sound of ants, and so on. Beginning in this way with quite gross sounds, he should successively advert to more and more subtle sounds. He should give attention to the sound sign of the sounds (That just means the sound.) in the eastern direction, in the western direction, in the northern direction, in the southern direction, on the upper direction, in the lower direction, in the eastern intermediate direction, in the western intermediate direction, in the northern intermediate direction , and in the southern intermediate direction. He should give attention to the sound sign of gross and of subtle sounds.” ‘Sound sign’ just means the sound or here the gross or subtle aspects of sound.
“These sounds are evident even to his normal consciousness.” That means not yet the direct knowledge consciousness but this is evident to his normal consciousness. If you pay attention to these sounds, you will hear them normally. “But they are especially evident to his preliminary work concentration consciousness.” That is when he is doing this. After emerging from the jhÈna, he adverts to these sounds. “As he gives his attention to the sound sign in this way, [thinking] (Let us strike out ‘thinking’.) Now the divine ear element will arise.” He makes this mistake always. He misunderstood the PÈÄi idiom. What is really meant here is “When the divine ear element is about to arise, then mind-door adverting arises” and so on, not thinking. Now the divine ear element will arise. Instead of that we should say “When the divine ear element is about to arise, then mind-door adverting arises making one of these sounds its object.” He is describing the thought process of direct knowledge. When direct knowledge is about to arise, first there is mind-door adverting. “When that (mind-door adverting) has ceased, then either four or five impulsions impel.” They are sense-sphere consciousness.
Student: Why the mind-door and not the five senses?
Teacher: These are out of the range of the five senses. It is going to be direct knowledge thought process which comes through mind-door, not through five sense doors. “Four or five impulsions impel, the first three, or four of which are of the sense-sphere and are called preliminary work, access, conformity and change-of-lineage, while the fourth or the fifth is the fine material sphere absorption consciousness (This is direct knowledge consciousness.) belonging to the fourth jhÈna.” So direct knowledge consciousness is actually fourth jhÈna consciousness, but not the ordinary fourth jhÈna consciousness. Ordinary fourth jhÈna consciousness takes the object of meditation like a kasiÓa and so on. Here it takes sound as an object because it is the divine ear element.
“Herein, it is the knowledge arisen together with the absorption consciousness that is called the divine ear element.” The ‘divine ear element’ really means knowledge or paÒÒÈ.
“After that [absorption has been reached, the divine ear element] becomes merged in that ear [of knowledge.” Sometimes it is unfortunate that the same word has two very different meanings. The word for ear is sota. The same word can mean stream or flow. Here it should be “The divine ear element becomes merged in that stream of knowledge or that flow of knowledge.” The same word is used here in two different senses. In fact the PÈÄi word used is “falls into the stream of knowledge, into the flow of knowledge.”
“When consolidating it, he should extend it by delimiting a single finger-breadth thus ‘I will hear sounds within this area’ (a very small area), then two finger-breadths, four finger-breadths, eight finger-breadths, a span, a ratana (= 24 finger-breadths).” We understand ratana as from the elbow to the tip of the fingers. It is about 18 inches. A ‘span’ means the distance between the thumb and the little finger. He tries to hear sounds within the area - “a span, a ratana, the interior of the room, the verandah, the building, the surrounding walk, the park belonging to the community, the alms-resort village, the district, and so on up to the [limit of the] world sphere or even more. This is how he should extend it by delimited stages.”
“One who has reached direct knowledge in this way hears also by means of direct knowledge without re-entering the basic jhÈna any sound that has come within the space touched by the basic jhÈna’s object.” For other sounds he doesn’t have to get into basic jhÈna again and do the preliminary work. He does not have to do that.
“And in hearing in this way, even if there is an uproar with sounds of conches, drums, cymbals, etc., right up to the BrahmÈ World he can, if he wants to, still define each one thus.” Although all the sounds are mixed together he can define each one: “This is the sound of the conches, this is the sound of the drums” and so on. This is the divine ear. By the power of the divine ear element a person can hear sounds far away, out of reach of the human ear.
Now penetration of mind - “As to the explanation of knowledge of penetration of minds, [the Text is as follows: ‘He directs, he inclines his mind to the knowledge of penetration of minds (reading minds). He penetrates with his mind the minds of other beings, of other persons, and understands them thus: he understands [the manner of] consciousness” - actually it is the types of consciousness - “affected by greed as affected by greed, and understands [types of] consciousness unaffected by greed as unaffected by greed” and so on. ‘Affected’ really means associated with. These are the 16 kinds of consciousness. You may find these also in the MahÈ SatipaÔÔhÈna Sutta in the contemplation of mind or consciousness.
Towards the end of paragraph 8 is the word explanation of the PÈÄi word ‘cetopariya’. First the word ‘pariya’ is explained. “It goes all round, thus it is pariya or penetration. That means the delimiting.” The meaning is that it delimits. “The penetration of the heart is ‘penetration of minds’.” In PÈÄi it is just cetaso pariyaÑ. We can say the penetration of mind is the penetration of minds, which is ridiculous. Actually it cannot be translated. “It is penetration of hearts and that is knowledge, thus it is knowledge of penetration of minds (cetopariyaÒÈÓa).” ‘Ceto’ means mind. ‘Pariya’ means delimiting or penetration. ‘©ÈÓa’ means knowledge. “[He directs his consciousness] to that, is what is meant.”
“Of other beings: of the rest of beings, himself excluded. (‘Of other beings’ means not of himself.) Of other persons: this has the same meaning as the last, the wording being varied to suit those susceptible of teaching [in another way], and for the sake of elegance of exposition.” Sometimes words are used, although they are synonyms, again and again so that listeners could understand.
“With his mind the minds: with his consciousness of other beings. Having penetrated: having delimited all round. He understands: he understands them to be of various sorts beginning with that affected by greed.” That means with greed, without greed and so on.
“But how is this knowledge to be aroused? That is successfully done through the divine eye (So first one has to get the knowledge of the divine eye.), which constitutes its preliminary work.” So the knowledge of divine eye or the divine eye element is a preliminary to this penetration of minds.
“Therefore the bhikkhu should extend light, and he should seek out another’s [type of] consciousness by keeping under observation with the divine eye the color of the blood present with the matter of the physical heart as its support.” Footnote 5 “The ‘matter of the heart’ is not the heart-basis, but rather it is the heart as the piece of flesh described as resembling a lotus bud in shape outside and like a kosÈtakÊ fruit inside.” Here ‘heart’ does not mean the heart-base which is one of the material properties. Here it means the whole heart.
“For when consciousness accompanied by joy is present, blood is red like a banyan fig fruit; when consciousness accompanied by grief (domanassa - unpleasant feeling) is present, it is blackish like a (ripe) rose-apple fruit.” Please put ‘ripe’ before rose-apple. Do you have rose-apple fruits in this country? Have you seen them? Their color is a mixture of black and purple.
Student: So it is more like a plum?
Teacher: Yes.
Student: Yes, I have a tree at home.
Teacher: It’s a little sour. So here we should have a ripe rose-apple fruit. “When a consciousness with serenity is present, it is clear like sesamum oil. So he should seek out another’s consciousness by keeping under observation the color of the blood in the physical heart.” He looks into the heart and looks into the color of the blood in the heart. “This matter is originated by the joy faculty.” So when he sees the color red, then he knows that mind is accompanied by joy and so on. “This is originated by the grief faculty; this is originated by the equanimity faculty and so consolidates his knowledge of penetration of hearts.”
“It is when it has been consolidated in this way that he can gradually get to understand not only all manner (all types) of sense-sphere consciousness but (all of) those of fine material and immaterial consciousness (r|pÈvacara and ar|pÈvacara) consciousness as well by tracing one consciousness from another without any more seeing the physical heart’s matter. For this is said in the Commentary: ‘When he wants to know another’s consciousness in the immaterial moods, whose matter can he observe?” Because there is no physical heart. “Whose material alteration [originated] by the faculties can he look at? No one’s. The province of a possessor of supernormal power is [simply] this, namely, wherever the consciousness he adverts to is, there he knows it according to these 16 classes.” ’16 classes’ means those given in paragraph 8 - those accompanied by greed, those not accompanied by greed and so on. “But this explanation [by means of the physical heart] is for one who has not [yet] done any interpreting.” ‘Interpreting’ really means contemplating. ‘Interpreting’ may be misleading. Here it means abhinivesa. It is reflecting or contemplating.
In footnote 6 “Of one who has not done any interpreting (abhinivesa) reckoned as study for direct knowledge.” I think it is not ‘study’ but striving for direct knowledge. It is not just studying but practicing for direct knowledge. He left out some words that are important. Please add after ‘direct knowledge’ “A beginner is what is meant.” That should be added. “A rather special use of the word abhinivesa, perhaps more freely renderable here as ‘practice’.” Right. I think that is nearer to the original meaning.
“As regards [the manner of consciousness affected by greed (That means associated with greed.) etc., the eight [manners of] (eight types of) consciousness accompanied by greed should be understood as [the manner of] consciousness affected by greed. The remaining profitable and indeterminate [manners of] consciousness in the four planes are unaffected by greed.” You will need the citta chart. There are 12 types of akusala consciousness and 8 are accompanied by greed, and 2 are accompanied by anger, and the last 2 are accompanied by ignorance only. So 8 are accompanied by greed. The remaining profitable and indeterminate types of consciousness (There are other types of consciousness) are unaffected by greed.
“The 4, namely, the 2 consciousnesses accompanied by grief and the 2 consciousnesses accompanied by uncertainty (That means doubt.) and agitation are not included in this dyad, though some elders include them too.” It is a little difficult to understand here. Among the 12, 8 are associated with lobha or rÈga. Here the word ‘rÈga’ is used. So 8 are associated with rÈga (greed), but 4 are not associated with greed. However these 4 are not included in this dyad. This is explained here. The Sub-Commentary also explains, but it is not so convincing. In the Sub-Commentary it is said that these 4 types of consciousnesses are not associated with greed, but since greed can be a condition for these 4 types of consciousness to arise, there may be some suspicion for those who do not know Abhidhamma that they may be accompanied by greed. So they are not included in those accompanied by greed or those not accompanied by greed. They are left out of this dyad all together. “The four, namely, the 2 consciousnesses accompanied by grief and the 2 consciousnesses accompanied respectively by uncertainty and agitation are not included in this dyad, though some elders include them too.” I think we should side with some elders. It’s easier. Some elders said they should be included with those unaffected by greed because they are not accompanied by greed.
“It is the 2 consciousnesses accompanied by grief that are called consciousness affected by hate.” That means the two dosa m|la cittas. “And all profitable and indeterminate consciousness in the 4 planes are unaffected by hate. The remaining 10 kinds of unprofitable consciousnesses are not included in this dyad, though some elders include them too. Affected by delusion.. unaffected by delusion: here only the 2, namely, that accompanied by uncertainty and that accompanied by agitation, are affected by delusion simplicitur [without being accompanied by the other 2 unprofitable roots].” The last 2 types of consciousness among the 12 are affected by delusion. What are unaffected by delusion? “the 2, namely, that accompanied by uncertainty and that accompanied by agitation, are affected by delusion” - that means they are affected by delusion only - “without being accompanied by the other two unprofitable roots.”
“But [all] the 12 kinds of unprofitable consciousnesses can also be understood as consciousness affected by delusion since delusion is present in all kinds of unprofitable consciousnesses.” The 12 types of unwholesome consciousness, all 12 of them are accompanied by delusion. We can say in two ways here. ‘Affected by delusion’ can mean only 2, the last 2, because they are affected by delusion only. But if we take it not as ‘affected by delusion only’, then we can take all 12. “[All] the 12 kinds of unprofitable consciousness can also be understood as consciousness affected by delusion since delusion is present in all kinds of unprofitable consciousnesses. The rest are unaffected by delusion.”
“Cramped is that attended by stiffness and torpor. (That means you are sleepy.) Distracted is that attended by agitation. Exalted is that of the fine material and immaterial spheres (r|pÈvacara and ar|pÈvacara). Unexalted is the rest. Surpassed is all that in the three [mundane] planes (kÈmÈvacara, r|pÈvacara, ar|pÈvacara). Unsurpassed is the supramundane (lokuttara). Concentrated is that attained to access and that attained to absorption (the 2 kinds of concentration). Unconcentrated is that not attained to either. Liberated is that attained to any [of the 5 kinds of] deliverance, that is to say, deliverance by substitution of opposites [through insight], by suppression [through concentration], by cutting off [by means of the Path], by tranquilization [by means of Fruition], and by renunciation [as NibbÈna].” So there are 5 kinds of deliverance. The first one is momentary. The second one is temporary. The third one is total cutting off. The fourth one is stilling. Let us say that first you put out a fire. Then you pour some more water on it so that it is really extinguished. That is done by tranquilization. By ‘renunciation’ means when a person gets enlightenment, NibbÈna is the object there. Taking NibbÈna as object, enlightenment consciousness eradicates mental defilements. There it is by renunciation because at the enlightenment moment everything is renounced or given up. “Unliberated is that which has not attained to any of the 5 kinds of liberation.”
“So the bhikkhu who has acquired knowledge of penetration of hearts understands all these [types of consciousness, namely] consciousness affected by greed as affected by greed” and so on. This is how those who possess supernormal knowledge read the minds of other people.
Now we have the recollection of past lives. “As to the explanation of knowledge of recollection of past life, [the Text is as follows: ‘He directs, he inclines, his mind to the knowledge of recollection of past life’ ” and so on.
About the middle of paragraph 13 “Herein, to the knowledge of recollection of past life [means] for knowledge concerning recollection of past life. Past life is aggregates lived in the past in former births. This is one explanation. “ ‘Lived’ [in that case means] lived out, undergone” - the Commentary explanation for the word ‘undergone’ is arisen again and again - “arisen and ceased in one’s own [subjective] continuity.” This is one explanation of the words ‘past life’. ‘Past life’ means aggregates lived in the past. That means aggregates which have arisen in one’s own continuity.
Now there is a second explanation. “Or alternatively, [past life] is mental objects” - no. Past life is all phenomena, not just mental objects. The PÈÄi word used is dhamma. ‘Dhamma’ does not mean mental objects, it is all phenomena. In the first explanation only the aggregates are taken. ‘Past lives’ means let us say past aggregates. In this explanation ‘past lives’ means all past things - aggregates, Nibbana and any other thing. It is wider in scope than the first one. “Or alternatively, [past life] is all phenomena lived” - ‘lived’ means what? “In that case it means lived by living in one’s [objective] resort.” Do you understand that?
Student: I don’t understand ‘resort’.
Teacher: Right. ‘Living in one’s resort’ just means remembered, taken as an object.
Student: It’s memory?
Teacher: Yes. “Which has been cognized and delimited by one’s own consciousness, or cognized by another’s consciousness, too” - here also we have to make some changes. After ‘too’ there should be a comma and the word ‘in’ should start with a small ‘I’, “in the case of recollection of those [past Enlightened Ones] who have broken the cycle, and so on.” It is a full stop there. Then there is a capital ‘T’ for the next sentence. “These last are only accessible to Enlightened Ones.”
The second explanation is that ‘lived’ here is just taken as object, so it is like remembered, and remembered by oneself as well as by others. Let us say somebody can remember his past life. You can remember your past life. That means the past life which you can take as an object. In that case you can remember other people too, but you cannot remember what other people experienced. That is one kind.
The other is ‘cognized by another’s consciousness, too’. That is “in the case of recollection of those [past Enlightened Ones]” - that means Arahants and Buddhas - “who have broken the cycle and so on. These last are accessible only to Enlightened Ones.” That means only the Buddhas have such knowledge. Disciples cannot remember what is experienced by other persons. They can remember their own experiences in the past. Suppose I can remember my past life. Then I can tell you that I had such a father and such a mother, but I cannot remember what my father experienced or thought in that life. Buddhas can remember all this. When the Buddha talked about the JÈtakas, he talked about his experiences as well as other people’s experiences.
“Recollection of past life: the mindfulness (memory) by means of which he recollects the past life is the recollection of past life. Knowledge is the knowledge associated with that mindfulness” and so on.
“Manifold: of many kinds; or that has occurred in many ways. Given in detail is the meaning. Past life is the continuity lived here and there, taking the immediately previous existence as the beginning [and working backwards].” So one begins with the immediately preceding life and goes backward. “ He recollects: he recalls it, following it out by the succession of aggregates, or by death and rebirth-linking.”
“There are 6 kinds of people who recollect this past life. They are: other sectarians (non-Buddhists), ordinary disciples, Great Disciples, Chief Disciples, Pacceka Buddhas, and Buddhas.”
Student: So anybody.
Teacher: Yes, anybody. That is why jhÈnas and supernormal knowledge are not found in Buddhism only according to our books. So those who are not Buddhist can have this kind of knowledge, but there is a difference.
“Herein, other sectarians recollect only as far back as 40 eons but not beyond that.” They are limited. “Why? Because their understanding is weak for lack of delimitation of mind and matter.” Because they did not practice vipassanÈ. “Ordinary disciples recollect as far back as 100 eons and as far back as 1000 eons because their understanding is strong. The 80 Great Disciples recollect as far back as 100,000 eons. The 2 Chief Disciples recollect as far back as an incalculable age and 100,000 eons. The Pacceka Buddhas recollect as far back as two incalculable ages and 100,000 eons. For such is the extent to which they can convey [their minds back respectively].” The PÈÄi word used here is abhinihÈra. That means accumulating perfections. For example if you want to become one of the Great Disciples, you have to accumulate pÈramis (the perfections) for 100,000 eons. Since you have accumulated for 100,000 eons when you become a Great Disciple, you can remember all these lives, all these eons, not beyond that. It is something like if you have lived here for only one year, you cannot remember beyond that. It is something like that. So it is not ‘they can convey [their mind back respectively]’. It should be “For such is the extent to which they have accumulated their perfections.”
“Again other sectarians only recollect the succession of aggregates; they are unable to recollect according [only] to death and rebirth-linking, letting go of the succession of aggregates.” When you recollect the past life, then you can recollect from this moment backwards to rebirth in this life, and then you can go beyond rebirth to death in the previous life and so on. Ordinary persons can go back gradually, not jumping to the relinking and then to the death in the previous life. But Buddhas can do all that.
Here it is said that other sectarians are like blind people unable to descend upon any place they choose. “They go as the blind do without letting go of their sticks (so going little by little).”
“Buddhas, however, have nothing to do either with succession of aggregates or with tracing through death and rebirth-linking; for whatever instance they choose in many millions of eons, or more or less, go, is evident to them. So they go, and so they descend with the lion’s descent wherever they want.” That means a lion can jump anywhere it wants. They don’t have to go one by one. It is called ‘lion’s descent’, “wherever they want, even skipping over many millions of eons as though they were an elision in a text.” When you recite a text, you can use peyyÈla. Sometimes when we recite the texts, we use peyyÈla because we don’t want to repeat it in full. It is like the Heart Sutra.
Student: And so forth.
Teacher: We say the word in the beginning and then the word at the end. “And just as an arrow shot by such a master of archery expert in hair-splitting Sarabha~ga (He was a Bodhisatta, the Buddha in one of his past lives.) always hits the target without getting . held up among trees, creepers, etc., on its way, and so neither gets held up nor misses so too, since Buddhas go in this way their knowledge does not get held up in intermediate births or miss; without getting held up or missing, it seizes any instance required.”
Paragraph 22 is the explanation of how to go about getting the recollection of a past life. One gets the basic jhÈna. Then one emerges from basic jhÈna and then one adverts to his most recent act of sitting down for this purpose. Then you go back little by little, next to the preparation of the seat, to the entry into the lodging, to the putting away of the bowl and outer robe and so on. You recollect your actions backwards from the time you sit down backward - to the time of eating, to the time of returning from the village, to time of wandering for alms in the village, to the time of entering the village and so on.
“While this much, however, is evident even to his normal consciousness it is especially evident to his preliminary work consciousness.” If you recall this with normal consciousness, you can see them clearly. With the preliminary work consciousness you see more vividly. “but if anything there is not evident, he should again attain the basic jhÈna, emerge and advert.” So you should do it again. “By so doing it becomes as evident as when a lamp is lit. And so in reverse order too, he should advert to the things done on the second day back, and on the third, fourth and fifth day, and in the ten days, and in the fortnight, and as far back as a year.” Then for 10 years, 20 years and so on. “For a wise bhikkhu is able at the first attempt to remove the rebirth-linking” - ‘remove’ means open or something like that - “and make the mentality-materiality at the death moment his object.” So it goes back to the death in the previous life. Then a simile is given where it says if you don’t see it, don’t giver up. Try it again and again.
SÈdhu! SÈdhu! SÈdhu!
(Tape 28 / Ps: 28 – 129)
We are on paragraph 28 the contraction and expansion of the world cycle. That means the destruction and rebirth of the world cycle. This is TheravÈda Buddhist cosmology.
“Herein, one birth is the continuity of aggregates included in a single becoming starting with rebirth-linking and ending with death.” ‘One birth’ means one life beginning with relinking and ending with death. “So too with two births, and the rest.” When a monk gets this direct knowledge, he can remember one birth, two births, three births and so on.
“But in the case of many eons of world contraction, etc., it should be understood that the eon of world contraction is an eon of diminution (Actually it is the destruction of the world.) and the eon of world expansion is an eon of increase (the beginning or reforming of the world). Herein, what supersedes the contraction is included.” What does the word ‘supersede’ mean? To replace? What is meant here is that which follows the contraction. There are four periods - the world being destroyed, the world remaining in the destroyed state, the reforming or becoming a new world, and then remaining as a new world. There are four periods.
“Herein, what follows the contraction is included in the contraction since it is rooted in it (That means because it comes after it.); and so too what follows the expansion is included in the expansion.” So we get four of the world eons or four incalculables of the eons.
“What four? The contraction, what follows the contraction, the expansion, what follows the expansion.” There are four. They are called ‘incalculables’ because there is no saying how many millions and millions of years they are.
“Herein, there are three kinds of contraction (That means destruction.) destruction due to water, destruction due to fire, destruction due to air.” There are three causes of destruction of the world.
“There are three limits to the destruction: the ŒbhassarÈ (Streaming-Radiance) BrahmÈ World, that of the SubhakiÓha (Refulgent-Glory), and that of the Vehapphala (Great Fruit). When the eon contracts owing to fire, all below ŒbhassarÈ [BrahmÈ world] is burnt up by fire. When it contracts owing to water, it is all dissolved by water up to the SubhakiÓha [Brahma World]. When it contracts owing to air, it is all demolished by wind up to the Vehapphala [BrahmÈ World].”
If you look at this chart, you will find these worlds. This is the diagram of the 31 planes of existence taught in Buddhism in Abhidhamma. At the bottom we have #1 Niraya. That is hell. #2 TiracchÈna-yoni is animal world. #3 Petti-visaya is hungry ghosts. #4 is Asura-kÈya. They are a kind of ghost, not the same as #3. Then ManussÈ is human beings. Above human beings there are six Deva Worlds. Above the Deva Worlds are the BrahmÈ Worlds. The first plane is called the first jhÈna world. They are 1. Brahma-pÈrisajja, 2. Brahma-purohita, 3. MahÈ-brahmÈ. The next ones (4. ParittÈbhÈ, 5. AppamÈÓÈbhÈ, 6. ŒbhassarÈ) are the second jhÈna planes. Then 7. Paritta-subhÈ, 8. AppamÈna-subha, 9. SubhakiÓhÈ are third jhÈna plane. Vehapphala, AsaÒÒa-satta, Aviha, Atappa, SudassÈ, SudassÊ, AkaniÔÔha all belong to fourth jhÈna plane.
When the world is destroyed by fire, the ŒbhassarÈ is the limit there. When the world is destroyed by water, then ParittÈbhÈ, AppamÈÓabhÈ and ŒbhassarÈ are destroyed. Its limit is SubhakiÓhÈ. When the world is destroyed by air, it goes up to or reaches to 10. Vehapphala. These three planes (first jhÈna plane, second jhÈna plane, third jhÈna plane) are subject to destruction by air. Up through the first jhÈna plane is destroyed by fire. Up through the second jhÈna plane is destroyed by water. Up through the third jhÈna plane the world is destroyed by air or wind. The upper worlds are not destroyed when the lower worlds are destroyed.
“In breadth it is always one of the Buddha fields that is destroyed. For the Buddha fields are of three kinds, that is, the field of birth, the field of authority, and the field of scope.”
“Herein, the field of birth is limited by the 10,000 world-spheres (That means something like 10,000 universes.) that quaked on the Perfect One’s taking rebirth-linking, and so on.” It is said that when Buddha takes conception in his mother’s womb, the 10,000 world-spheres quake, or shake, or tremble. This happens at his birth, his enlightenment and so on. This is called the field of birth.
The second one is the field of authority. “The field of authority is limited by a hundred thousand million world-spheres.” That is not right. It is a million million, not a hundred thousand million. “The field of authority is limited by the million million world-spheres where the following safeguards (paritta-chanting) are efficacious.” That means the power of the parittas extends to these million million world-spheres. You say the parittas here and the power of the parittas will pervade the million million world-spheres.
“That is the Ratana Sutta (The Jewel Sutta), the Khandha Paritta (Khandha Sutta is for snake bites and so on.), the Dhajagga Paritta (It is found in the SaÑyutta NikÈya. When you are afraid of something, you recite the Dhajagga Sutta.), the ŒÔÈnÈÔiya Paritta (It is found in the DÊgha NikÈya. That is for protection against ghosts, demons and so on.), and the Mora Paritta (That is for protection from being imprisoned.) ‘Mora’ means peacock. Once Buddha was reborn as a peacock. The hunters tried to snare him. It is said that he recited this Sutta and so he was able to escape being caught for many many years.
“The field of scope is boundless.” The third field is boundless, immeasurable. We cannot say there are a million million world-spheres or whatever. It is boundless, “as far as he wishes it is said. The Perfect One knows anything anywhere that he wishes. So one of these three Buddha fields, that is to say, the field of authority is destroyed.” When the world is destroyed, the field of authority is destroyed. That means a million million world-spheres. “But when that is being destroyed, the field of birth also gets destroyed (because that is included in the field of authority). And that happens simultaneously (at the same time); and when it is reconstituted, that happens simultaneously.” These world-spheres in the field of authority are destroyed at the same time and are reconstituted at the same time.
“Now it should be understood how its destruction and reconstitution come about thus.” This is Buddhist genesis. Whenever you see a hundred thousand million, please correct to a million million. “There is a great down-pour all over the million million world-spheres. People are delighted, and they bring all their seeds and sow them. But when the sprouts have grown enough for an ox to graze, then not a drop of rain falls any more even when asses bray.” What is that? Actually he misunderstood the PÈÄi idiom here. What the idiom really says here is ‘the rain bringing the bray of asses’. That means making noises as asses do. That means there may be thunder, but not a drop of rain falls. The noise of thunder may be similar to the noise made by asses or donkeys. “Rain is withheld from then on. This is what the Blessed One referred to when he said ‘Bhikkhus, an occasion comes when for many years, for many hundred years, for many thousand years, for many hundred thousand years, there is no rain’.” That is found in AÓguttara NikÈya (Gradual Sayings), Volume 4, page 64. In that Sutta Buddha talked about seven suns rising at the end of the world.
In paragraph 34 “Deities come to know that at the end of a 100,000 years there will be the emergence of an eon.” Actually it is the destruction of an eon, not emergence. Also a few lines down “They make this announcement, ‘Good sirs, good sirs, at the end of a 100,000 years from now there will be the destruction (not emergence) of an eon’.”
“When human beings and earth deities hear their words, they mostly are filled with a sense of urgency. They become kind to each other and make merit with loving-kindness, etc., and so they are reborn in the divine world.” At the end of the world every being dies and they are reborn in the BrahmÈ World.
“There they eat divine food, and they do the preliminary work on air kasiÓa and acquire jhÈna.” First they are reborn in the Deva World. Then from there they are reborn in the BrahmÈ World. “Others, however, are reborn in a [sense-sphere] divine world through kamma to be experienced in a future life. For there is no being traversing the round of rebirths who is destitute of kamma to be experienced in a future life.” That means there may be some beings who could not do anything to be reborn in that life, that is to be reborn as a deva. But every being has a store of kamma in the past. And so as a result of that store of kamma they are all reborn in the Deva World. Then from the Deva World they go up to the BrahmÈ World. Since all the world is to be destroyed - human world, animal world, deva world and even the BrahmÈ World is to be destroyed, beings are to be reborn out of reach of this destruction. So it is said that every being just before the destruction will be reborn in the BrahmÈ World. Let us say there is a proclamation that in 100,000 years the world is to be destroyed. So people get afraid. They become good to each other. They practice meditation. They find that they are reborn as devas. From there they find that they will be reborn as BrahmÈs.
“However, at the end of a long period, after the withholding of the rain, a second sun appears.” Then a second sun appears. “And this is described by the Blessed One.” This is in the same Sutta. ‘Sattasuriya’ means seven suns. The name of that Sutta is Sattasuriya. ‘Satta’ means seven and ‘suriya’ means sun, so seven suns.
“Now when that has appeared, there is no more telling night from day. As one sun sets the other rises.” There is always day, no night. “The world is uninterruptedly scorched by the suns. But there is no sun deity in the eon-destruction sun as there is in the ordinary sun.” Buddhists believe that there are guardian deities of the sun, the moon and so on. But for the second sun which arises for the destruction of the world there is no guardian deity.
“Now when the ordinary sun is present, thunder clouds and mare’s-tail vapors cross the skies.” What is that? Is it a usual expression in English? I cannot find the PÈÄi word for this English word in the original. The PÈÄi word is dh|masikhÈ. ‘Dh|ma’ means vapor or smoke. ‘SikhÈ’ means fire.
“Beginning with the rivulets the water in all the rivers
except the Five Great Rivers dries up.” When the second sun comes up, the water
in the small rivers dries up, but not the water in the five great rivers. They
are talking about
“After that, at the end of a long period, a third sun appears. And when that has appeared, the Great Rivers dry up too.” So there is a third sun, fourth sun, fifth sun, sixth sun. Then what happens when the seventh sun arises? “And the million million world-spheres are the same as this one. After that, at the end of a long period, a seventh sun appears. And when that has appeared, the whole world-sphere together with the million million other world-spheres catches fire.” When the seven suns arise, then everything catches fire.
“Even the summits of Sineru (That means
Student: Inaudible.
Teacher: It is equally authoritative as other Suttas, but not all things mentioned here are from the Suttas. In the Sutta the Buddha said that at some time a second sun would appear and so on. The details are filled in by the Commentators. They may or may not be the explanation given by the Buddha. Maybe there are things added later by the Commentators.
So the world goes like that. “The upper space is now all one with the lower space in a vast gloomy darkness. Then at the end of a long period a great cloud arises, and at first it rains gently, and then it rains with ever heavier deluges, like lotus stems, like rods, like pestles, like palm trunks, more and more. And so it pours down upon all the burnt areas in the million million world-spheres till they disappear. Then the winds (forces) beneath and all around that water rise up and compact it and round it, like water drops on a lotus leaf. How do they compact the great mass of water? By making gaps; for the wind makes gaps in it here and there.” This is the reforming, the reconstitution of the world. The world is destroyed. It remains in the destroyed state for many eons. Then the world forms again.
At the beginning of the forming of the word there is a great rain. Then it flows down on the burnt areas in the million million world-spheres. The water is formed in the air into something like a ball. ‘Round it’ means made the water round like the water drops on a lotus leaf.
“Being thus compressed by the air, compacted and reduced, it gradually subsides. As it sinks, the [lower] BrahmÈ World reappears in its place.” So it is the beginning of the world again.
“Then the beings that were reborn first in the BrahmÈ World of Streaming Radiance (ŒbhassarÈ) fall from there with the exhaustion of their life span.” So the first beings in the present world were those who fell (that means who died) from the Streaming Radiance realm of BrahmÈs and later were reborn here on earth. They were the first human beings in the present world. They fell from there “with the exhaustion of their life span or when the merit is exhausted, and they reappear here. They are self-luminous and wander in the sky.” That is because there is no sun or moon yet. They have radiance of their own and go about with that radiance.
“On eating the essential humus, as is told in the AgaÒÒa Sutta (That is Sutta #27 in the DÊgha NikÈya), they are overcome by craving.” There is something like a cream on the earth. When you boil milk, you get cream. So there was something like cream on the earth. So one man was curious about that and took some and tasted it. It is said that the taste was very good. So they were overcome by craving. “They busied themselves in making lumps of it to eat. Then their self-luminosity vanishes, and it is dark.” So this is the downfall of human beings. “They are frightened when they see the darkness. Then in order to remove their fears and give them courage, the sun’s disk appears full fifty leagues across.” The sun is said to be fifty leagues across, about 400 miles across. “They are delighted to see it, thinking ‘We have light’, and they say ‘It has appeared in order to allay our fears and give us courage, so let it be called “Sun (suriya)”’.” The PÈÄi word ‘sura’ means to be courageous. So ‘suriya’ means that which gives courage. So when the sun appeared there was light and people were not afraid. So the sun was called ‘suriya’.
“Now when the sun has given light for a day, it sets. Then they are frightened again, thinking ‘We have lost the light we had’, and they think ‘How good if we had another light!’. As if knowing their thought, the moon’s disk appears, 49 leagues across.” So the difference between the sun and moon is only one league because if you look from here, they appear just about the same size.
“On seeing it they are still more delighted, and they say ‘It has appeared, seeming as if it knew our desire (chanda), so let it be called “Moon (canda)”’.” So chanda is changed to canda. “So they give it the name ‘Moon (canda)’.” Moon is canda in PÈÄi. It is derived from chanda which means desire. Because of the force of the desire of the people the moon disk appeared. That is why it is called ‘desire (canda)’. It is something like that.
“After the appearance of the moon and sun in this way, the stars appear in their constellations. After that, night and day are made known, and in due course, the month and half month, the season, and the year.”
“On the day the moon and sun appear, the mountains of Sineru
(
Student: Is it also the end of the rainy season?
Teacher: It is summer there. March is the beginning of summer. It is very hot.
Student: When is the rainy season?
Teacher: Let me see. The rains come about May although we do not call it rainy season yet. “How? Just as, when millet is cooking and bubbles arise, then simultaneously, some parts are domes, some hollow, and some flat, so too, there are mountains in the domed places, seas in the hollow places, and continents (islands) in the flat places.”
“Then as these beings make use of the essential humus, gradually some become handsome and some ugly.” Now they eat something, and so their appearance become different.
“The handsome ones despise the ugly ones. Owing to their contempt the essential humus vanishes (That cream vanishes.) and an outgrowth from the soil appears. (Another thing appears for them.) Then that vanishes in the same way and the badÈlatÈ creeper appears (maybe a sweet creeper). That too vanishes in the same way and rice without red powder or husk that ripens without tilling appears.” You don’t have to till. You don’t have to take off the husk. It is ready-made, “a clean sweet-smelling rice fruit.”
“Then vessels appear. They put the rice into the vessels, which they put on the tops of stones. A flame appears spontaneously (They don’t have to make a fire. A fire just appears automatically.) and cooks it. The cooked rice resembles jasmine flowers. It has no need of sauces and curries, since it has whatever flavor they want to taste.” This is very good. Right?
“As soon as they eat this gross food, urine and excrement appear in them. Then wound orifices break open in them” - male and female appear and so on and so on. This is the beginning of the world according to the teachings of the Buddha.
At that time they do not grow any food. They just go to trees, pluck the fruit and take it. Later on there was a lazy man. So he stole something. When he stole something, the fruits on the trees disappeared. So gradually things deteriorated.
Later some people stole something from other persons. There was some unruliness so they met together and elected someone to be their king. That person happened to be our Bodhisatta. Since he was recognized by the majority, he was called MahÈ Sammata. That king was called MahÈ Sammata. ‘Sammata’ means recognized or agreed to by all people. “Since he was lord of the fields, he was called Khattiya.” ‘Khattiya’ means warrior caste, warrior noble. “Since he was lord of the fields, he was called ‘Khattiya’.” ‘Khattiya’ means warrior caste, warrior noble. “Since he promoted others’ good righteously and equitably, he was a king.” Now the PÈÄi word for king is rÈja. Here it is derived from the root raÒja which means to please. So a king is a person who pleases his people. He makes people pleased so he is called a rÈja, a king. So the Bodhisatta was called MahÈ Sammata, Khattiya or RÈja. “This is how he came to be known by these names. For the Bodhisatta himself is the first man concerned in any wonderful innovation in the world. So after the Khattiya circle had been established by making the Bodhisatta the first in this way, the Brahmans and the other castes were founded in due succession.”
Buddhism does not recognize the supremacy of the Brahman caste. In Buddhist books you will find the Warrior caste put above the Brahman caste. In Hinduism the Brahman caste comes first and the Warrior caste second. They have the stratification of human society into four groups - priests or Brahmans, kings and warriors, merchants, and ordinary people.
“Herein, the period from the time of the great cloud heralding the eon’s destruction up till the ceasing of the flames constitutes one incalculable, and that is called the ‘contraction’.” That is the destruction period. “That from the ceasing of the flames of the eon of destruction up till the great cloud of rehabilitation, which rains down upon the million million world-spheres constitutes the second incalculable, and that is called ‘what follows the contraction’. That from the time of the great cloud of rehabilitation up till the appearance of the moon and sun constitutes the third incalculable, and that is called the ‘expansion’. That from the appearance of the moon and sun up till the reappearance of the great cloud of the eon of destruction is the fourth incalculable, and that is called ‘what follows the expansion’.” We are in this stage, the last, the fourth stage. “This, firstly is how the destruction by fire and reconstitution should be understood.”
Then there is destruction by water. It is interesting here. “There is this difference, however. While in the former case a second sun appeared, in this case a great cloud of caustic waters appears.” It is like acid rain. It could be acid rain because it destroys everything. When the world is destroyed by water, everything is destroyed up through the three second jhÈna planes or including the three second jhÈna planes. When the world is destroyed by air, it includes the three third jhÈna planes.
In paragraph 64 the author gives the reason for the world’s destruction, why there is the destruction of the world. “The [three] roots of the unprofitable are the reasons.” Lobha, dosa and moha are the reasons. “When any one of the roots of the unprofitable become conspicuous, the world is destroyed accordingly. When greed is more conspicuous, it is destroyed by fire. When hate is more conspicuous, it is destroyed by water - though some say that it is destroyed by fire when hate is more conspicuous, and by water when greed is more conspicuous.” So there is a difference of opinion. “And when delusion is more conspicuous, it is destroyed by wind.”
“Destroyed as it is in this way, it is destroyed for seven times.” There are three causes of destruction - fire, water and air. The world is destroyed seven times by fire and the eighth time it is destroyed by water. Then the world is destroyed another seven times by fire and the eighth time by water and so on until 64. The 64th world is destroyed by air. So it is seven times by fire and one time by water, seven times by fire and one time by water, seven times by fire and one time by water and so on. When you reach the 64th one, the turn of air has come. That is explained in paragraph 65.
The person who possesses direct knowledge sees all these world-spheres. “Now when a bhikkhu capable of recollecting eons is recollecting his former life, then of such eons as these he recollects many eons of world contraction and expansion. How? In the way beginning ‘There I was..’” There I was reborn as something, having such a name, belonging to such a clan and so on. “So named: [such forenames as] Tissa, say, or Phussa. Of such a race (‘Race’ means clan.) [such family names as] KaccÈna, say, or Kassapa. This is said of the recollection of his own name and clan (surname) in his past existence. But if he wants to recollect his own appearance at that time, or whether his life was a rough or refined one, or whether pleasure or pain was prevalent, or whether his life span was short or long, he recollects that too.”
“Here with such an appearance, means fair or dark. Such was my food.” These are all details that he can recollect. “And passing away from there, I reappeared elsewhere.” So wherever he was reborn, he could remember his past life by the power of his direct knowledge.
In paragraph 70 it explains in another way phrases like ‘there I was reborn’, ‘passing away from there’, ‘I appeared elsewhere’, ‘I appeared here’, and so on. The first explanation takes the text to be in general. If it says “There I was reborn, and passing away from there I reappeared elsewhere” and so on, it refers to any eon in any life. In the second explanation the monk goes back gradually from one life to another. Then he may stop anywhere he likes and come back again.
This is what is meant here in paragraph 71. “Furthermore, the words ‘there I was’ refer to the recollection of one who has cast back retrospectively (That means going back gradually one by one.) as far as he wishes, and the words ‘and passing away from there’ refer to his reviewing after turning forward again.” Suppose we go back from this life which is #1 to life #2, #3, #4, #5, #6 and so on. Let us say we go back to life #10. Then we come back through lives #10, #9, #8, #7, #6, #5 and so on.
“Consequently the words ‘I appeared elsewhere’ can be understood to be said with reference to the place of his reappearance next before his appearance here.” That means if this life is said to be #1, then the life before it is said to be #2. It is something like that. ‘And passing away from there’ refers to the second life from this life going backward. “ ‘I appeared elsewhere’ can be understood to be said with reference to the place of his reappearance.” ‘I appeared elsewhere’ means I appeared in the immediately preceding past life.
“The words ‘there too I was’, etc., are said in order to show the recollection of his name, race, etc., there in the place of his reappearance next before this appearance.” So in the second explanation ‘there I was reborn and so named’ refers to the third, fourth, fifth lives and so on in the past. And then ‘I reappeared elsewhere’ refers to the second life from this life. ‘I reappeared here’ means I was reborn in this life. So there is this life, immediate past life and former past lives. Anywhere he wants to remember he can remember. This is the recollection of past lives.
The next one is the divine eye - knowledge of passing away and reappearance of beings. They are together here. By this direct knowledge a person can see beings passing away from one existence and being reborn in another existence. The Text is given in full from the DÊgha NikÈya. Towards the end of paragraph 72 beginning with the words in italics "T“ the knowledge of the passing away and reappearance: cut|papÈtaÒÈÓiya= cutiyÈ ca upapÈte ca ÒÈÓÈya (resolution of compound).” It cannot be translated. [The meaning is] for the kind of knowledge by means of which beings’ passing away and reappearance is known.” By this direct knowledge one can see beings dying from one life and being reborn in another life.
In paragraph 73 the definition of divine or the PÈÄi word ‘dibba’ is given. Earlier we had the divine ear element. Here we have the divine eye element. The word ‘divine’ is defined similarly. By the words ‘divine abiding we should again understand the jhÈnas and not the four brahmÈ vihÈras. You will find the words ‘divine abiding’ about eight or ten lines down in the paragraph. “Also it is ‘divine’ because it is obtained by means of divine abiding (jhÈnas), and because it has divine abiding as its support. And it is ‘divine’ because it greatly illuminates by discerning light. And it is ‘divine’ because it has a great range through seeing visible objects that are behind walls, and so on.” This explanation is given following the meaning of the root given in the grammatical treatises. That is why it says “All that should be understood according to the science of grammar.” That means we should understand this with reference to what is said in the grammatical treatises.
In Sanskrit there is a book called ‘DhÈtupata’. That means a list of roots and meanings. It was said to be composed by Panini. He was a very famous Sanskrit grammarian, the most famous of the Sanskrit grammarians. Almost everybody follows him. Even in our books there are some references to it. In that list of roots the meaning of the root here is given as eliminating, given as having a great range and so on. Following that given in the DhÈtupata, the explanation is given here. “All that should be understood according to the science of grammar.” That means according to the grammatical books.
Next is the definition of the word ‘eye’. “It is an eye in the sense of seeing. Also it is an eye since it is like an eye in its performance of an eye’s function” and so on.
Now let us look at footnote 17. “He cannot see them with the divine eye.” It is said here that he sees beings passing away and reappearing. He cannot see them with the divine eye actually at the death moment or at the moment of disappearance. “But it is those who being on the verge of death (That means those who are about to die.), will die now that are intended as ‘passing away’ and those who have taken rebirth-linking and have just reappeared that are intended by ‘reappearing’.” That means one sees a little before death and a little after relinking, not exactly at the moments of death or relinking. At the moments of death and relinking you cannot see. The explanation is given in the footnote from the Sub-Commentary. “He cannot see them with the divine eye - with the knowledge of the divine eye - because of the extreme brevity and extreme subtlety of the material moment in anyone.” Actually it should read ‘because of the extreme brevity and extreme subtlety of the matter of some beings’. The matter in human beings may be gross, and so it is not difficult to see. But the matter in some beings, like brahmÈs, is very subtle. That is why they are referred to as fine material brahmÈs. Their matter is extremely subtle. And also the moments of death and rebirth are so brief that they cannot be seen even with the knowledge of divine eye.
“Moreover it is present materiality that is the object of the divine eye.” It is said that the object of the divine eye or the direct knowledge of the divine eye is the present matter. “And that is by prenascence condition.” That means it (that materiality) must have arisen before the divine eye arises. It must have arisen before the divine eye and still be existing at the moment of the arising of the divine eye. So it cannot be the past appearance of matter.
“And there is no occurrence of exalted consciousness without adverting and preliminary work.” The divine eye is the exalted consciousness, mahaggata consciousness. It cannot arise without the adverting (Èvajjana) and preliminary work. “Nor is materiality that is only arising able to serve as object condition, nor that which is dissolving." So the material properties at the moment of arising and at the moment of dissolution cannot serve as the object. “Therefore it is rightly said that he cannot see with the divine eye materiality at the moments of death and reappearance.” At the moments of death and at the moments of relinking he cannot see them.
“If the knowledge of the divine eye has only materiality as its object, then why is it said that he sees beings? It is said in this way since it is mainly concerned with instances of materiality in a being’s continuity.” There should be a full stop there. ‘Some say’ should come after ‘or’. “Or some say that because materiality is a reason for apprehending beings. Some say that this is said according to conventional usage.” What he really sees is r|pa (materiality). He does not see a being actually. ‘Being’ means mind and matter both, combined. What the divine eye sees is the present matter. This matter cannot be seen without a being because matter is a part of a being. So it is said in the Texts that he sees ‘beings’. Some say that materiality is the reason for apprehending beings. When we apprehend beings, when we see beings, we refer to the material properties in them. That is why it is said that he sees beings. Actually what he sees is not beings, mind and matter together, but the material properties. So he cannot see them at the moments of death and rebirth, but a little before death and a little after rebirth.
Paragraph 78 says “Faring according to their deeds.” I would like to say ‘faring according to their kamma’ instead of deeds. “Faring according to their kamma; moving on in accordance with whatever kamma may have been accumulated. Herein, the function of the divine eye is described by the first expressions beginning with ‘passing away’. But the function of knowledge of faring according to kamma is described by this last expression.”
In the passages appearing in the PÈÄi Suttas with phrases such as ‘it surpasses the human’, ‘which is purified and superhuman’, and ‘he sees beings passing away and reappearing’ and so on, those sentences refer to the divine eye. That is the function of the divine eye. “but the function of knowledge of faring according to kamma is described by this last expression.” ‘The last expression’ means faring according to their kamma. So in this last passage we have functions of two direct knowledges, the divine eye and seeing beings dying and reappearing. Although one is dependent upon the other, they are two different functions. First he sees the beings with the divine eye. Then he sees their kamma, faring according to their deeds. ‘Faring of beings according to their kamma or deeds’ means he sees the kamma of them. First he may see the beings in the Deva World. Then he thinks “Why are they reborn in this happy state?” then he sees their good kamma. When he sees their good kamma, then there is the direct knowledge of seeing beings dying and reappearing. Before that it is just the function of the divine eye. The direct knowledge of divine eye and the direct knowledge of seeing beings dying and reappearing are two different functions.
“The order in which that knowledge arises is this.” This is how the knowledge arises. “He gives it attention in this way, ‘After doing what deeds do these beings undergo this suffering?’ Then knowledge that has that kamma as its object arises in him in this way ‘It was after doing this’.” First he sees the beings. That is the function of divine eye. Later on he sees their kamma and that is the function of the knowledge of beings dying and reappearing.
Paragraph 80 “There is no special preliminary work for this. And as in this case, so too in the case of knowledge of the future.” The divine eye is the basis for this knowledge, the knowledge of seeing beings dying and reappearing. No special preliminary work is needed. It is also true for knowledge of the future, “for these have divine eye as their basis and their success is dependent on that of the divine eye.”
Then he sees beings who are ill-conducted in body and so on. Their moral conduct is not pure. The revilers of Noble Ones - this is important. “Beings desirous of harm for Noble Ones consisting of Buddhas, Pacceka Buddhas, and disciples, and also of householders who are Stream Enterers” - here the meaning is consisting of Buddhas, Pacceka Buddhas, disciples down to householders who are Stream Enterers. “They revile them with the worst accusations.” ‘Worst accusations’ really means the worst offense with regard to a monk. If you say “You are not a monk”, then you are accusing him with the worst accusation, with the worst offense. ‘You are not a monk’ means you have broken the most important rules. If you say “You are not a monk” or “You have no monkshood in you”, you are accusing him of the worst offense. “With denial of their special qualities they abuse and upbraid them is what is meant.”
“Herein, it should be understood that when they say, ‘They have no asceticism, they are not ascetics’, they revile them with the worst accusation.” Here ‘asceticism’ does not mean all asceticism, but is the state of being a monk, the state of being a samaÓa. ‘SamaÓa’ here is translated as ascetic. Actually it should be a monk, a bhikkhu. If you say “You have no state of a bhikkhu” or “You are not a bhikkhu”, then you are accusing him with the worst accusations. You are saying that he has broken one of the four most important rules.
“And when they say, ‘They have no jhÈna, or liberation, or Path, or Fruition, etc., they revile them with denial of their special qualities.” So you do not recognize them as possessing jhÈna, liberation, Magga, Phala and so on. “And whether done knowingly or unknowingly it is in either case reviling of Noble Ones; it is weighty kamma resembling that of immediate result, and it is an obstacle both to heaven (That means the Deva World.) and to the Path. But it is remediable.”
Then a story is given here. I think I have told this story many times to you. “An Elder and a young bhikkhu, it seems, wandered for alms in a certain village. At the first house they got only a spoonful of hot gruel. The Elder’s stomach was paining him with wind.” When we have an ache in the stomach, we say that this is the wind. What do you call that? Colic? Pain in the stomach?
Student: Gas.
Teacher: It is called gas, oh. The Elder had this ailment. “He thought ‘This gruel is good for me; I shall drink it before it gets cold’.” Then it says “People brought a wooden stool to the doorstep.” That is not correct. There were no people involved in this story. “He sat down on a big piece of wood that people had brought to make a doorpost” is what is meant. When you make a doorpost, you bring in a log. He sat down there on a big piece of wood which people had brought to make a doorpost.
“He sat down and drank it. The other was disgusted and remarked ‘The old man has let his hunger get the better of him and has done what is shameful for us.” It is not ‘what he should be ashamed to do’. It is ‘what is shameful for us’. I am ashamed of him. It is something like that. He cannot wait until he reaches a suitable place to drink the rice gruel. He was so hungry that he was not ashamed to do this. This was the thinking of the young monk.
“The Elder for alms and on return to the monastery, he asked the young bhikkhu ‘Have you any footing in the Dispensation, friend?’ - ‘Yes, Venerable Sir, I am a Stream Enterer.’ - ‘Then, friend, do not try for higher Paths; one whose cankers are destroyed (That means an Arahant.) has been reviled by you’.” He had reviled the Arahant in his thoughts. “The young bhikkhu asked for the Elder’s forgiveness and was thereby restored to his former state.” When you ask forgiveness from him, you get rid of that offense.
“So any other one who reviles a Noble One” - you should put ‘any other’ between ‘so’ and ‘one’. “So any other one who reviles a Noble One” - then we should strike out ‘even if he is one himself’; that is not in the text - “ should go to him; if he himself is senior, he should sit down in the squatting position and get his forgiveness in this way ‘I have said such and such to the venerable one; may he forgive me. If he is junior, he should pay homage, and sitting in the squatting position and holding out his hands palms together, he should get his forgiveness in this way, ‘I have said such and such to you, venerable sir; forgive me’. If the other has gone away, he should get his forgiveness either by going to him himself or by sending someone such as a co-resident.
“If he can neither go nor send, he should go to the bhikkhu who lives in that monastery, and, sitting down in the squatting position if they are junior, or acting in the way already described if they are senior, he should get forgiveness” and so on. We should do this especially when we practice meditation, so it may not be an obstacle to our attainment through meditation.
“If it is a bhikkhu who wanders alone and it cannot be discovered where he is living or where he has gone, he should go to a wise bhikkhu and say ‘Venerable sir, I have said such and such to the venerable one, named so and so. When I remember it, I am remorseful. What shall I do’? He should be told ‘Think no more about it, the Elder forgives you. Set your mind at rest’. Then he should extend his hands palms together in the direction taken by the Noble One and say ‘Forgive me’.”
“If the Noble One has attained the final NibbÈna (That is if the Noble One has died.), he should go to the place where the bed is, on which he attained the final NibbÈna, and should go as far as the charnel ground to ask forgiveness. When this has been done, there is no obstruction either to heaven or to the Path. He becomes as he was before.” That means he gets free from the offense.
“Wrong in their views: having distorted vision. Acquirers of kamma due to wrong view” and so on. Wrong view here is said to be of very grave consequences. “Acquirers of kamma due to wrong view: those who have kamma of the various kinds acquired through wrong view, and also those who incite others to bodily kamma, etc., rooted in wrong view. And here, though reviling of Noble Ones has already been included by the mention of verbal misconduct, and though wrong view has already been included by the mention of mental misconduct, it may be understood, nevertheless, that the two are mentioned again in order to emphasize their great responsibility.” Reviling Noble Ones is verbal misconduct and the wrong view is mental misconduct. They are included in misconduct. They are mentioned again because the Buddha wanted to show their greatness in reprehensibility, because they are very grave akusala.
“Reviling Noble Ones is greatly reprehensible because of the resemblance to kamma with immediate result. For this is said ‘SÈriputta, just as a bhikkhu possessing virtuous conduct, concentration and understanding could here and now attain final knowledge, so it is in this case, I say; if he does not abandon such talk and such thoughts and renounce such views, he will find himself in hell as surely as if he had been carried off and put there.” If he has wrong view, he cannot be reborn in a happy destiny. That is what is meant here. “And there is nothing more reprehensible than wrong view, according as it is said ‘Bhikkhus, I do not see any one thing so reprehensible as wrong view.”
“On the break up of the body on the giving up of the clung-to aggregates” - that means caused by kamma. ‘Clung-to’ means caused by kamma. “After death: in the taking up of the aggregates generated next after that.” That means after death there is rebirth. “Or alternatively, on the break up of the body is on the interruption of the life faculty (That means on the cessation of the life faculty.), and after death is beyond the death consciousness.”
Student: I have a question about the section just before this part. Is it saying delusion has greater consequences than greed or hate, or is wrong view greed or hate?
Teacher: Delusion accompanies every unwholesome mental state, every unwholesome consciousness. When there is wrong view, there is also delusion. They arise together.
Student: So are we talking about greed, hate and delusion at the same time or are we talking specifically about delusion in this passage, wrong view?
Teacher: Wrong view, delusion, not greed and hatred. Then there is explanation of the words ‘apÈya’ and so on. They mean destiny and places of woe and so on.
Paragraph 93 “Or alternatively, the animal generation” - I think we should say ‘animal kingdom’. “The animal kingdom is indicated by the mention of states of loss” and so on.
Paragraph 94 ‘the bright side’ means happy destiny, heavenly world. They are word explanations. “All that is a world in the sense of crumbling and disintegrating.” The word ‘loka’, the word for world is defined as that which is crumbling and disintegrating. That is why it is called ‘loka’. ‘Loka’ means crumbling and disintegrating. “This is the word meaning.”
“Thus with the divine eye, etc., is all a summing-up phrase; the meaning here in brief is this: so with the divine eye..he sees.” Then how to practice to get the divine eye is given.
Paragraph 96 “However, while he is seeing what is visible, the turn of the preliminary work runs out. There upon the light disappears.” First he enters into jhÈna and does the preliminary work. When he does the preliminary work, the light appears. With that light, the light of the kasiÓa, he sees what is visible. When he sees what is visible, the preliminary work disappears. When the preliminary work disappears, there is no light and so he does not see anything. There is something like a dilemma here. The Commentator says that you must do it again and again so that the light becomes strong and doesn’t disappear. Then the simile of a man with a grass torch is given.
Let’s go to the general section. In this section the different kinds of objects of the seven direct knowledge are given. In paragraph 104
“The sage has told four object Triads
By means of which one can infer
Just how these seven different kinds
Of Direct Knowledges occur.”
The objects of direct knowledge are described with reference to the triads given in the first book of Abhidhamma. They are explained in footnote 20. The first one is kÈmÈvacara. In the footnote it says ‘limited object’. You need to understand this. ‘Exalted object’ means mahaggata object. ‘Measureless object’ means lokuttara. That means Magga, Phala, and NibbÈna. Then Magga is taken again here. ‘Magga’ means Path. The others are self-explanatory - past, future, present, internal, external. ‘Non-classifiable’ really means concept (paÒÒatti).
There are triads in the first book of Abhidhamma. The later books follow the order of the triads and explain aggregates and others with reference to these triads. There are 22 triads. Among them there are four triads that deal with objects. They are taken from them. Then the Commentator explained which objects are taken by which direct knowledge.
“The knowledge of Supernormal Power, occurs with respect to seven kinds of object, that is to say, as having a limited or exalted (That means kÈmÈvacara or mahaggata.), a past, future, or present, and internal or external, object.” So there are seven kinds. So if you look at #1 on the sheet you have 1-7. Then the detailed explanation follows.
Paragraph 109 “Knowledge of the Divine Ear Element occurs with respect to four kinds of objects, that is to say, as having a limited (kÈmÈvacara), and a present, and an internal or external, object.” Then there is an explanation.
Then we have Knowledge of Penetration of Minds (minds of other persons). How many? There are eight kinds of objects - limited (kÈmÈvacara), exalted (mahaggata), measureless (lokuttara), Path (Magga), past, future, present and external. In this paragraph there is an interesting thing. “And here an ordinary man does not know a Stream Enterer’s consciousness, nor does a Stream Enterer know a Once Returner’s, and so up to the Arahant’s consciousness.” Lower persons cannot know the consciousness of higher persons. ‘Ordinary person means a puthujjana. A puthujjana does not know a Stream Enterer’s consciousness, and a Stream Enterer does not know the consciousness of a Once Returner and so on. “But an Arahant knows the consciousness of all the others.” That is because he is the highest. “And each higher one knows the consciousness of all those below him.”
“How does it have a present object?” With regard to penetration of mind three kinds of present are mentioned - present by moment, present by continuity and present by extent. ‘Present by moment’ means the three phases of existence (arising, presence and dissolution). That is present by moment. ‘Present by continuity’ is what is included in one or two rounds of continuity. That is present by continuity. “When someone goes to a well-lit place after sitting in the dark, an object is not clear at first: until it becomes clear, one or two rounds of continuity should be understood [to pass] meanwhile.” They are explaining this because they did not have watches in those days. In these days we would say five minutes, ten minutes or something like that. That is present by continuity. ‘Present by extent’ means one life. “What is delimited by a single becoming is called ‘present by extent’.” There are three kinds of present - present by moment, present by continuity and present by extent. “And here ‘present by continuity’ is used in the Commentaries while ‘present by extent’ is used in the Suttas.”
“Herein some say that consciousness ‘present by moment’ is the object of knowledge of penetration of minds.” They say that, but the Visuddhi Magga does not approve of that because ‘present by moment’ cannot be the object of this direct knowledge. “What reason do they give? It is that the consciousness of the possessor of supernormal power and that of the other arise in a single moment.” Then there is a simile.
“That, however, is rejected in the Commentaries as erroneous because even if one went on adverting for a 100,000 years, there is never co-presence of the two consciousnesses, that is to say, of that which he adverts and that [of impulsions] with which he knows.” In order to get direct knowledge first there is adverting. Then there is preliminary. They are two different kinds of consciousness. They cannot arise at the same time.
“Even if one went on adverting for a 100,000 years, there is never co-presence of the two consciousnesses, that is to say, of that with which he adverts and that [of impulsions] with which he knows, and because the flaw of dissimilarity of objects of both adverting and impulsion where it is not desired” - wait a minute. We should say “because of the flaw of dissimilarity of objects”, then we strike out ‘follows if presence [of the same object]’. Then instead of ‘to’ we say ‘of’. “The flaw of dissimilarity of objects of both adverting and impulsion” and then we add some words here “where it is not desired. What should be understood is that the object is present by continuity and present by extent.” In this direct knowledge there cannot be dissimilarity of objects. If they say direct knowledge knows the present by moment, then there are two reasons why it is rejected. One is that two consciousnesses cannot arise at the same time. The other is that there will be dissimilarity of objects. That is because at the moment of adverting there is one object which is one consciousness and at the moment of impulsion there is another consciousness. There will be dissimilarity of objects if we take that way. That is why it is rejected.
There are many more. You can check with this sheet. In paragraph 122 at the end of the paragraph “And there too” we should put the word ‘only’ there - “only profitable and unprofitable [aggregates are the object] of knowledge of faring according to kamma.”
Then the last paragraph 129 is to be translated as given on this sheet. “Here, it is said [in the Ancient Commentary] that this knowledge has both internal and external objects. That was said to mean that when it knows now internal and now external objects, it is said to have internal-external objects as well.” In the Ancient Commentary it is said this knowledge (the last one) has both internal and external objects, but it does not mean that it can have internal and external objects at the same time, although the wording of their opinion appears to mean that. It says both internal and external, but really it means sometimes he takes internal as object and sometimes he takes external as object. So it can be said that it takes internal and external objects, but not at the same time. OK. That is the end of this chapter. There is so much to talk about. At least we have a general idea about what is in the book.
Student: Thank you very much.
Teacher: Thank you so much. If you didn’t ask me to teach Visuddhi Magga, I would not be teaching for many years. I am very glad that all of you are at least acquainted with what is in the Visuddhi Magga. It is helpful in the study of Abhidhamma too. The next section will deal with Abhidhamma. So if you are teaching Abhidhamma to someone, you can get much information from The Path of Purification. The other Commentaries are not available to people in the West. They are all in PÈÄi, not yet translated. This book is more easily available than the other books. The only thing is where to find what, where to find the information. It is good to make notes, to write on index cards. The index in the book is not so helpful. It is fairly comprehensive, but not so helpful. When you go through the book, you know what information is helpful to remember. Then you write down on a card and keep the card with you. Then when you want it, you can get the information easily. OK.
SÈdhu! SÈdhu! SÈdhu!