Chapter 3

(Tape 7 / PS: 1-72)

Today we come to the third chapter. With this chapter we begin the second stage of spiritual development, the stage of samÈdhi or concentration. The first chapter deals with the first stage, sÊla. The second chapter deals with ascetic practices which are a kind of sÊla. From the third chapter through the thirteenth chapter the second stage, the stage of samÈdhi or concentration, is described in detail.

The third chapter begins with the definition of the word ‘samÈdhi’. It is important that we understand or learn what we are talking about. The word ‘samÈdhi’ is translated as concentration. In order to understand properly we have to go back to the PÈÄi word ‘samÈdhi’. The word ‘samÈdhi’ is composed of ‘sam’, ‘È’, and ‘dhÈ, plus ‘i’. The prefix ‘sam’ here has two meanings. The first meaning is evenly. That means in a unifying way, without scattering. The second meaning is rightly. That means without being distracted. ‘Œ’ and ‘dhÈ’ together mean putting or placing. So samÈdhi means placing without scattering or placing, keeping them unified and undistracted.

Placing what? Placing the consciousness and its concomitants or the mental factors. Placing on what? Placing on a single object. SamÈdhi is a mental factor. It is one of the 52 mental factors. Among the 52 mental factors we call it ‘one-pointedness of mind’ or ‘ekaggatÈ’. EkaggatÈ and samÈdhi are the same or synonymous. SamÈdhi is that mental factor which puts consciousness and its concomitants on a single object, without scattering them, keeping them unified and undistracted. SamÈdhi coordinates consciousness and all the mental factors arising with it and does not allow them or itself to be distracted or to wander away.

In another chapter of the Visuddhi Magga samÈdhi is described as the steadiness of mind, like the steadiness of a lamp’s flame when there is no draft. In a room with no draft there might be a candle with a flame. Like that flame samÈdhi is steady.

The steadiness of samÈdhi is a series of moments of steadiness. It is not one moment only. It is a series of moments of consciousness arising again and again on a single object. SamÈdhi is a mental factor and as a mental factor it must arise and disappear in just three sub-moments. So here ‘being on the object for some time without scattering, unified and undisturbed’ means a series of samÈdhi moments arising and disappearing, taking one and the same object, taking a single object. That is what is called ‘samÈdhi’ in Buddhism.

Whenever we want to understand something, we have to understand it with reference to characteristic, function, manifestation, and proximate cause. These are given in paragraph 4.” Concentration has non-distraction as its characteristic.” The characteristic of samÈdhi is non-distraction, non-wandering. “Its function is to eliminate distraction. It is manifested as non-wavering (non-shaking). Its proximate cause is bliss.” ‘Bliss’ means sukha, comfort or something like happiness. Only when there is something like comfort of the mind and the body can there be concentration or samÈdhi.

In another chapter characteristic and the others are given a little differently, although they mean more or less the same thing. In that chapter the characteristic is given as non-wandering or non-distraction. The function is to conglomerate conascent states as water does bath powder. That means you have some powder or flour and you put some water in it. The water conglomerates them into one solid thing. As water conglomerates the particles of powder, samÈdhi conglomerates, or coordinates, or collects concomitants. It does not let the concomitants (both citta and cetasikas) arising with it to scatter. It keeps together consciousness and mental factors. It does not let them be scattered. Its manifestation there is described as peace because when there is samÈdhi there is peacefulness. The proximate cause again is sukha (bliss).

Then the author describes different kinds of concentration. “First it is of only one kind with the characteristic of non-distraction.” According to this characteristic there is only one kind of samÈdhi. But then it can be of two kinds, three, four and so on.

“It is of two kinds as access concentration and absorption concentration” I think it is important to understand these two at least - access concentration and absorption concentration. ‘Access concentration’ means neighborhood concentration. It is in the neighborhood of jhÈna or Magga. Therefore it is called ‘neighborhood’ or ‘access concentration’.

Suppose a person practices kasiÓa meditation, looking at a disk, taking it into his mind, remembering it , or memorizing it. When he has got the image in his mind, he is said to have got the ‘grasped sign’. Then he dwells upon this ‘grasped sign’, this mental image again and again until that image becomes free from all defects, very pure. At that time he is said to have gained the neighborhood concentration or access concentration. He has very strong concentration at that time. Neighborhood or access concentration precedes jhÈna or absorption concentration. It also precedes Magga, the Path concentration. That kind of concentration is called ‘access concentration’ or ‘neighborhood concentration’. The other concentration immediately following that concentration is called ‘absorption concentration’.

Here ‘absorption’ does not mean jhÈna only. The PÈÄi word is appanÈ. ‘AppanÈ concentration’ means both jhÈna concentration and Magga (Path) concentration.

Student: So samÈdhi can be broken up into jhÈna and Pth types of samÈdhi.

Teacher: Yes. JhÈna samÈdhi and Magga samÈdhi belong to absorption (appanÈ) concentration. First there is access concentration and then absorption concentration. Absorption concentration can be divided into two - jhÈna concentration and Magga concentration.

Student: So samÈdhi is the larger term and then jhÈna is a subset within samÈdhi.

Teacher: Yes. That’s right.

These two kinds of concentration (access and absorption) are for samatha (tranquillity) meditation. In vipassanÈ we have another kind of concentration which is called ‘momentary concentration’. It is like access concentration. It is not really access concentration because there is no jhÈna there. But with regard to samatha meditation there are these two kinds of concentration - neighborhood or access concentration and absorption concentration. And again let me repeat ‘absorption concentration’ does not mean jhÈna only. It means Magga also.

In paragraph 6, section 2, the subjects of meditation which lead to the attainment of neighborhood concentration, but not jhÈna concentration are given. I want you to look at this chart ( the handout). It is in PÈÄi so it will not be easy at this stage. If you look at the chart the last column is jhÈna. You can see that if you practice a particular subject of meditation, you can get for example first through fifth jhÈnas, or first jhÈna only, or no jhÈna at all.

Please look at the middle of the page at the anussati ten. The first one is BuddhÈnussati, recollection of the virtues of the Buddha. If you practice that meditation, you will not get jhÈna. You will get only the access concentration. You will not get jhÈna concentration or jhÈna through the practice of that kind of meditation. Similarly with DhammÈnussati, Sa~ghÈnussati and so on you will not get jhÈna. In these subjects of meditation you will only get access concentration and not absorption concentration. This chart will be useful for the other chapters too.

I deliberately used PÈÄi because it is shorter to use PÈÄi words. If you write English, you have to say ‘recollection of the virtues of the Buddha’ and so on. I need space on the page.

The forty subjects of meditation are given in this chapter later on. The list of the forty subjects of meditation is given in paragraphs 104 and 105. You may check with that.

Student: Are they in the same order in the book as on the chart?

Teacher: Let me see. In the book there are ten kasiÓas, ten kinds of foulness, ten recollections, four divine abodes, four immaterial states, one perception and one defining. No, they are not the same. In the chart there are the kasiÓa ten, the asubha or ten kinds of foulness, the ten recollections, the four divine abodes. They are the same. In the book the four immaterial states are next. They are the last group on the chart. ‘One perception’ means saÒÒÈ one on the chart. ‘One defining’ means vavatthÈna one on the chart. The order on the chart is taken from The Manual of Abhidhamma.

The other kinds of samÈdhi like mundane and supramundane, with happiness or without happiness, with pÊti and without pÊti, accompanied by bliss, accompanied by equanimity and so on - in order to understand these divisions you have to remember the five jhÈnas. The first jhÈna is accompanied by vitakka (initial application), vicÈra (sustained application), pÊti, sukha and ekaggatÈ (one-pointedness of mind). The second jhÈna is accompanied by vicÈra, pÊti, sukha, and ekaggatÈ. The third jhÈna is accompanied by pÊti, sukha, and ekaggatÈ. The fourth jhÈna is accompanied by sukha and ekaggatÈ. The fifth jhÈna is accompanied by upekkha (indifferent feeling) and ekaggatÈ.

I hope that you remember that jhÈnas can be four or five. In the Sutta PiÔaka jhÈnas are described as four. It is very rare that they are described as five in the Suttas. But in Abhidhamma they are described as both four and five. According to the fourfold method there are four jhÈnas, but according to fivefold method there are five jhÈnas. Actually they are the same. The first of the fourfold method is the same as the first of the fivefold method. The second of the fourfold method is the third of the fivefold method. If you remember that you will understand these divisions, but if you don’t, don’t worry.

In paragraph 14 “In the first of the tetrads there is concentration of difficult progress and sluggish direct knowledge.” ‘Difficult progress’ means difficult practice. You have to practice much. You have to spend a lot of time practicing in order to make progress. ‘Sluggish direct knowledge’ means sluggish understanding. Understanding is slow. Understanding can be swift or it can be slow. The practice is also difficult for some and it is not so for others. That depends on many factors. They are given in these pages.

With regard to the previous practice let us look at paragraph 17. “Besides, they should be understood as classed according to craving and ignorance, and according to whether one has had practice in serenity and insight.” Here what is meant is whether one had the practice of samatha or vipassanÈ (insight) meditation in his former lives. If you have the practice of samatha meditation in your former lives, then when you take up the practice of samatha meditation here, your progress is not difficult. You have easy progress. If you do not have such practice in the past, then it may be difficult. So “If he has had no practice” means practice in former lives.

In paragraph 22 about the middle of the paragraph “the state of partaking of distinction is the attaining of higher distinction.” ‘Higher distinction’ here means higher jhÈnas. Sometimes ‘distinction’ means enlightenment. Here ‘distinction’ means jhÈnas.

“The state of partaking of penetration is accessibility to perception and attention accompanied by dispassion.” That means vipassanÈ. ‘Partaking of penetration’ means leading to vipassanÈ.

Student: What is the ‘partaking of diminution’?

Teacher: That means he does not practice it well. ‘Diminution’ means something like regression. You may lose the degree of concentration if you do not practice. There is accessibility to opposition. ‘Opposition’ means the hindrances. When the hindrances are close to you, then you may lose samÈdhi. That kind of samÈdhi is called ‘partaking of diminution’. ‘Stagnation’ is when the samÈdhi does not regress nor does it progress. It just stands there, not making progress. That is called ‘partaking of stagnation’. That is because that person cannot get rid of attachment to that samÈdhi. He is attached to samÈdhi and so he cannot make progress.

And then how should it be developed? This is the important part of this chapter. In order to practice meditation the author described in detail how to prepare before you take up the real practice of meditation. Preparations should be done with meticulous care.

In paragraph 28 “Mundane concentration should be developed by one who has taken his stand on virtue that is quite purified in the way already stated.” The first thing a person must do in preparation for the practice of meditation is to purify his virtue, to purify his moral conduct.

“He should sever any of the ten impediments that he may have.” The next thing is to sever impediments, to get rid of impediments. They are said to be ten and they will be described in detail.

After severing impediments, what should he do? “He should approach the Good Friend.” That means he must find a teacher who can give him a meditation subject, who can teach him a meditation subject. So he must find a good friend or a teacher.

“He should apprehend from among the forty meditation subjects.” ‘Apprehend’ means he should take a meditation subject. He should take from among the forty meditation subjects one that suits his own temperament.

People have different temperaments. There are meditation subjects which are exceptionally suitable for a certain kind of temperament. They will be given later. So it is good to select a meditation subject that is most suitable for one’s own temperament. One should take up or study a meditation subject which suits one’s temperament.

“After that he should avoid a monastery unfavorable to the development of concentration.” That means he must find a suitable place for meditation. For a monk he must avoid unfavorable monasteries and live in a favorable monastery.

“He should sever the lesser impediments.” There are lesser impediments like having long nails, having robes that need to be mended. They are called ‘lesser impediments’. He must cut the lesser impediments.

Then the author goes into the practice of meditation. These have to be done before one goes into the real practice of meditation. Purification of sÊla, purification of moral conduct is described in the first and second chapters.

The next one is to get rid of impediments. There are ten kinds of impediments mentioned here: “a dwelling, family, and gain, a class and building too as fifth.” The PÈÄi word here is kamma. It is like the PÈÄi word kamma that we are familiar with, but ‘kamma’ here means work. So ‘building’ here means work - building the monastery, repairing the monastery. Then the other impediments are travel, relatives, affliction or disease, study or books, and then supernormal powers. These ten are called ‘impediments’. A person wanting to practice meditation after purifying virtue must cut these impediments so that he can practice meditation without hindrances, without obstacles. The first one is a dwelling place. I don’t think they are difficult to understand.

Let me say something about paragraph 30 towards the end of the paragraph: “ - who has many belongings stored there, or whose mind is caught up by some business”. That is not so accurate a translation here. It really means ‘who has attachment, whose mind is caught up by some reason, not by business, caught up by some reason of attachment to the dwelling place, to the monastery. For others it is not an impediment.

“Two clansmen (two friends) left AnurÈdhapura it seems, and eventually went forth at the Th|pÈrÈma.” Th|pÈrÈma is a pagoda just outside the city of AnurÈdhapura. AnurÈdhapura is in SrÏ Lanka.

“One of them made himself familiar with the Two Codes.” We have met this word ‘Two Codes’. Do you remember? ‘Two Codes’ means the two sets of rules, one for monks and the other for nuns. They are called ‘Two Codes’. Monks have to study both the rules for monks and the rules for nuns because they have to keep some of the rules that are laid down for nuns also. ‘Two Codes’ means the two PÈÔimokkhas.

The footnote here is not quite helpful. The Commentary he quoted here is not at this place, but another place. Here the ‘Two codes’ just means the two sets of rules in Vinaya. In another place the words “the observers of the Codes” are commented upon by the Sub-Commentary as those who study both the rules of Vinaya and the Abhidhamma. At the beginning of Abhidhamma PiÔaka there is a portion called ‘MÈtikÈ’. ‘MÈtikÈ’ means contents or something like a list of things to be explained in detail later. The word ‘MÈtikÈ’ comes to mean two things. One is the rules for monks and nuns and the other is the first section of the first book of Abhidhamma. Here after going forth, after becoming monks, they learned these two codes, these rules for monks and nuns. “when he had acquired five years seniority, he took part in the Pavarana and then left for the place called PècÊnakhandarÈjÊ” and so on. Here ‘Two Codes’ means the two sets of rules. The footnote here is out of place.

With regard to footnote 10 “ ‘Pavarana’ Ceremony at the end of the Rains, during three months of which season bhikkhus have to undertake to live in one place in order to avoid travel while crops are growing. It consists in a meeting of the bhikkhus who have spent the Rains together, at which each member present invites the Community (or they invite each other) to point out faults, breaches of Vinaya rules.” Until that place it is all right. Then it says “committed during the preceding three months.” This is not so. That is not in the Vinaya books. Sometimes the authors just say what they think would be the case, but it is really not.

At the end of the Rainy Season we have this ceremony of inviting the Sa~gha or inviting each other. This invitation is not for just the offenses committed in the preceding three months. It is for any time. We say “I invite the monks, I invite the venerable ones, whether you see me breaking a rule, or you hear me breaking a rule, or have suspicion I am breaking a rule, please talk to me. If I see it as an offense, I will make amends.” That refers to any time. After one has invited in this way, then he can be told about his offenses from any time. It is not an invitation for the faults committed just during that preceding three months but for any time. Although the ceremony is done at the end of the three months of the Rainy Season retreat, it is not for just the three months.

We just did that ceremony at the monastery. It is to be done on the full moon day of October. In our countries we have four months of Rainy Season, not three. Monks are to observe and live within the boundaries of the monastery for three months however, not four. After three months there is a ceremony of inviting each other. The monks are free to point out the mistakes or misconduct of each other. “Committed during the three months” is not correct and it is not in the Vinaya.

Student: Is that ceremony received well by the monks?

Teacher: It is something like a routine activity. Whether you really want to do it or not, you have to do it. You are invited so that other monks can tell you about your faults or whatever anytime.

Student: Is this difficult? You have to do it, but do you dread doing it?

Teacher: Oh, no. It’s not dreadful.

Student: Do people say ugly things to each other?

Teacher: No. Someone will say “Venerable, you have broken this rule. You ought to make amends. You ought to do something to exonerate this offense.” It is something like that. In this way monks help each other to have good conduct, to get rid of offenses if there are any.

Sometimes a person may not be conscious of what he is doing. Suppose I am eating and I eat until 12:10pm or 12:15pm. Perhaps I am not aware of that. Then another monk may say to me “When you ate today, it was past twelve.” It is like that. I broke the rule in that case. So I must make confession about that.

The first impediment is dwelling. One monk has many things that he brought with him when he visited AnurÈdhapura. These are inspiring stories.

In paragraph 43 “Gain is the four requisites.” ‘Gain’ is what monks get as donation from lay people. These requisites are called ‘gain’.

Further down in paragraph 43 “Again even at dawn alms-food eaters fond of opulence come and say ‘Venerable sir, such and such a man lay follower, woman lay follower, a friend, a friend’s daughter” - It is not friend. It should be minister. I don’t know why he took it to mean friend. The PÈÄi word is amacca. ‘Amacca’ means minister, a political minister and not a religious minister. Instead of friend we should have minister. And instead of friend’s daughter we should have minister’s daughter.

Student: Maybe ‘official’ would be better because ‘minister’ in this country usually means religious minister.

Teacher: Oh.

Now with regard to building he gives the word ‘kamma’. ‘Kamma’ really means something to do, not the building itself. It is called ‘nava kamma’ here. So it is new work to do at the monastery. It means to repair something at the monastery. When a monk is engaged in working, he cannot practice meditation because he has to be concerned about these things.

“Travel is going on a journey. If someone is expected to give the Going Forth somewhere else” - actually it means if there is someone who wants to ‘Go Forth’, who wants to ordain. It is not ‘is expected to give the Going Forth’. So “If someone wants to Go Forth somewhere else, or if some requisite is obtainable there and he cannot rest content without getting it, that will be an impediment.”

‘Ascetic duties’ means practice of monk’s duties. ‘Duties’ here means the practice of meditation. “So one in this position should apply himself to the ascetic’s duties only after he has done the journey and transacted the business.” ‘Only’ is missing there.

In paragraph 49 “Mother and father should be treated like the Preceptor.” Monks are allowed to give medicine to their mothers and fathers. “If they live within the kingdom and look to their son for help, it should be given. Also if they have no medicine, he should give them his own. If he has none, he should go in search of it as alms and give that. But in the case of brothers and sisters one should give them what is theirs.”

What do you understand? The monk should give them what is theirs. Does that make sense?

Student: Their own medicine?

Teacher: If they already have their own medicine, he does not need to give to them. What it means is that he must compound or mix together the ingredients and give it to them. This is because monks know how to compound medicine. The people may not know, but the lay people have the ingredients at their house. He puts all the ingredients together in different proportions and then gives it as medicine. So "give them what is theirs” is the medicine, after the monk has compounded the ingredients. The ingredients must belong to the brother or sister, and not to the monk.

With regard to books “Books means responsibility for the scriptures.” About a third of the way down in the paragraph “The Elder asked him ‘How are you in the scriptures friend?’ - I am studying the Majjhima, venerable sir’.” The PÈÄi word here means ‘I am familiar with the Majjhima NikÈya.’ It is not just studying; it is I am familiar with the I Majjhima NikÈya. A little further on “When a man is still learning the first fifty by heart, he is faced with the middle fifty.” The PÈÄi word is reciting, so “reciting the first fifty.” “And when he is still reciting (not learning) that by heart, he is faced with the last fifty.” There are all together 150 Suttas, actually three more, in that collection of Middle Length Sayings. They are divided into three - the first, the second and the third group. When you are reciting the first group, the second group may come to you and you may mix them up. When you are reciting the second group, the third group may come to your mind and you will mix them up. So it is not an easy task being familiar with the Majjhima NikÈya. That is what is meant here. It is not learning, but reciting.

In paragraph 52 “Then he recited the DhÈtukathÈ to the bhikkhus.” ‘Recited’ here means he taught them, not just reciting. DhÈthukathÈ is the third book of Abhidhamma.

In paragraph 53 about ten lines from the bottom “ Go and learn it from our own teachers.” ‘Our’ should be ‘your’ because this monk proclaimed he would expound the three PiÔakas without the Commentaries. The other monk wanted to make him realize that he was not qualified to do that. So he asked a question and the other monk gave an answer. Then the monk said “Hum” something like meaning it is not correct. Then again three times he asked this question and three times he said “Hum”. The other monk gave different answers at different times. So the Elder later on said “The first answer you gave was the correct answer, but since you have not learned from a teacher, you are not firm on your answers. When I said ‘Hum’, you give one answer and then another different answer. So go and learn from your own teacher.” - not from just reading books. It is something like that.

Even in these modern times just learning from books is not quite enough. For example with regard to Abhidhamma you need a teacher or a friend to help you. Otherwise you will not understand properly. So here “Go and learn from your own teachers.”

At the end of paragraph 54 “What are you saying, venerable sir, have I not heard it all from you?” After teaching that monk, the teacher-monk asked the pupil-monk to give him a subject of meditation. So the monk said “ What are you saying, venerable sir, have I not heard it all from you?” You have been teaching me these things and now you are asking me to give you a subject of meditation. “What can I explain to you that you do not already know?” Then the senior Elder said “ This path is different for one who has actually traveled by it.” The PÈÄi sentence really means “this is the path of one who has actually traveled by it.” That means I know only from books. You have practiced meditation and gained some enlightenment. This path is different from me. Please teach me meditation although I have taught you the books. That is what is meant here. “This path is different for one who has actually traveled by it.” Or it means “This is the path of one who has actually traveled by it.” Those who have not traveled by it do not really know this path. And I have not traveled this path, so please teach me meditation.

A little further down “The Arahant path befits our teacher.” That means the attainment of Arahantship. The teacher practiced meditation and became an Arahant. So the pupil said “Arahantship befits our teacher.”

In the next paragraph regarding supernormal powers “They are hard to maintain, like a prone infant or like young corn.” In my book it is like a baby hare. Prone infant, what is ‘prone’?

Students: Lying down.

Teacher: Face down?

Student: It doesn’t matter.

Teacher: I don’t know. In PÈÄi it means lying down face up. And like young corn- that means a tender crop, fragile. In the first edition he had a baby hare because he did not read correctly. The PÈÄi word is sassa, but the first time he read it as sasa. ‘Sasa’ means hare. ‘Sassa’ means a crop, or corn, or something that grows. The editors or he himself corrected it in the second edition.

Supernormal powers are an impediment only for vipassanÈ meditation. They are gained through the practice of samÈdhi. So they are not an impediment for samÈdhi or samatha meditation, but for vipassanÈ they are an impediment.

“Approach the Good Friend, the giver of a meditation subject.” So you must find a teacher who can give you a meditation subject. Approaching a teacher is described in detail. It is very different from the practice in this country or in the West. Teachers want to attract pupils. They are very willing or very eager to teach. The one who wants to practice meditation has to approach a teacher in a very careful way, not to offend him and so on. So it is very different. Here teachers want to please those who come to them.

The practice of loving-kindness is mentioned here. “ ‘May they be happy and free from affliction.’ Then he should develop it towards all deities within the boundary.” ‘Boundary’ means within the boundary of the monastery. The PÈÄi word that is used here is sÊmÈ. It also means a consecrated place where formal acts of Sa~gha are performed, but here it simply means a boundary, the boundary of the monastery. So it is loving-kindness towards the monks living in the monastery, just that - “May they be happy and free from affliction.” Then he should develop it towards all deities within the boundary, within the monastery. Then he should develop it towards the principal people in the village that is his alms resort, where he goes for alms. Then he should develop loving-kindness to all the human beings there and to all living beings dependent upon the human beings.” There is a misunderstanding of one word in PÈÄi. What really is meant here is to all beings beginning with human beings. After sending loving-kindness thoughts to the principal people in the village (That means a village headman or an official in the village.), he sends to all beings, beginning with all human beings. So “May all human beings be well happy and peaceful. May all beings be well, happy and peaceful.” So it is not to all human beings there and to all dependent on the human beings. That is not so. The translation should be “ Then to all beings, beginning with the human beings.”

Student: What does ‘toward all deities’ mean?

Teacher: It refers to the spirits, the guardian spirits, and tree spirits living within the precinct of the monastery. We Buddhists believe there are spirits all around - tree spirits, guardian spirits, guardian of the monastery, guardian of a person and so on. So we send loving-kindness to them.

In the next paragraph “With mindfulness of death, thinking ‘I have got to die’, he gives up improper search and with a growing sense of urgency he comes to live without attachment.” Actually it is “He comes to live without sluggishness”, not attachment. When there is a sense of urgency, when there is thinking that I may die, then I cannot afford to be lazy. I cannot afford to be sluggish. I must practice meditation. I must make effort. The word here should not be attachment, but sluggishness.

Is there another word for that? It is laziness, something like that. Indolence, right? To live without indolence or sluggishness. That means to be energetic in the practice of meditation.

Then paragraph 61, the good friend:

“He is revered and dearly loved,

And one who speaks and suffers speech;

The speech he utters is profound,

He does not urge without a reason.”

That means he does not urge to do improper things.

“He is wholly solicitous of welfare and partial to progress.”

What is ‘partial to progress’?

Student: ‘Partial’ often means favors.

Teacher: Here the meaning is that he is on the side of progress. That means he is making progress. I looked this word up in the dictionary and it said “to be fond of”. But it does not mean ‘to be fond of’, he is on the side of progress.

Student: So its ‘progressing’.

Teacher: ‘Progressing’, yes.

At the end of paragraph 62 “And has reached the destruction of cankers by augmenting insight” - that means by practicing insight.

In paragraph 63 “ ‘I am one whose cankers are destroyed. Why not? He declares himself when he knows that his instructions will be carried out.” Actually he knows that the other one practices; it is not that his instructions will be carried out. If you know that the other one is a meditator, you may tell the other one what you have attained. Normally monks do not tell their attainment to other people.

Student: So it would be ‘practice carried out’?

Teacher: Not instructions. He knows that the other one is a practicioner. He knows that the other one practices meditation.

In paragraph 70 about four lines down “If he does not allow it when asked, they can be done when the opportunity offers. When he does them, three tooth-sticks should be brought.” Instead of ‘brought’ it should say “should be given to him, should be presented to him.”

In paragraph 72 “If he does not ask but agrees to the duties being done, then after ten days or a fortnight have gone by, he should make an opportunity by staying back one day at the time of his dismissal.” That means even though he is dismissed, he should ask permission and announce his purpose in coming to that monk, to that teacher. ‘Make an opportunity’ - I don’t know what that means. The PÈÄi word is to ask permission. So when he is dismissed, he must not go away. He must ask permission - “I want to say something.” Then when he asks permission , he must tell him that he comes for the practice of meditation. It is how to approach a teacher.

OK. We will talk about temperaments next week. The explanation about temperaments is very interesting.

SÈdhu! SÈdhu! SÈdhu!

(Tape 8 / PS: 74 - 132)

Today we come to temperaments. In paragraph 74 “There are six kinds of temperament, that is, greed temperament, hating temperament, deluded temperament, faithful temperament, intelligent temperament, and speculative temperament.” On this sheet the second column represents the six temperaments. The first word in the second column ‘carita’ means temperament. The temperaments are rÈga, dosa, moha, saddha, buddhi, and vitakka.

Greedy temperament is rÈga. Hating temperament is dosa. Deluded temperament is moha. Faithful temperament is saddha. Intelligent temperament is buddhi. Buddhi is a synonym for ÒÈÓa or paÒÒÈ (wisdom). Speculative temperament is vitakka. Some teachers say there are more than six kinds of temperament and mixtures of them. They are not so interesting because they are confusing. Following the author we take six temperaments.

Three are good temperaments and three are bad temperaments. Each one has parallel in the other group. Faithful temperament is similar to greedy temperament because “faith is strong when profitable (kamma) occurs in one of greedy temperament, owing to its special qualities being near to those of greed.” That means greed is similar to faith or saddha. “For in an unprofitable way, greed is affectionate and not over-austere, and so, in a profitable way, is faith.”

Instead of saying “in an unprofitable way” we should say “on the side of unwholesome states, on the side of akusala”. So it means among akusala states greed is affectionate and not over-austere. Among kusala states (wholesome states) faith has the same qualities; faith is affectionate and not over-austere. So they are similar.

The same is true for hateful temperament and intelligent temperament. They are also similar. A person who habitually gets angry may be of intelligent temperament. There are some people who are short-tempered and who get angry for a very small reason. Those people may be of sharp intelligence. They are similar or parallel qualities.

In paragraph 76 “And hate occurs in the mode of condemning living beings.” The PÈÄi word here is ‘avoid’. Does ‘condemn’ mean ‘avoid’/

Student: No.

Teacher: “And hate occurs in the mode of avoiding living beings, while understanding occurs in the mode of avoiding formations.” ‘Formations’ means mind and matter (sa~khÈra).

Speculative temperament has its parallel in moha or deluded temperament. They are similar.

Then there is a discussion on the source or cause of these temperaments. Here the author gives the reasons that are given by other teachers. He says that they are all inconclusive or indecisive.

In footnote 19 “ ‘Some’ is said with reference to the Elder Upatissa. For it is put in this way by him in the Vimutti Magga.” There is a book called ‘Vimutti Magga’. It was written before the Visuddhi Magga. It was written by an Elder named Upatissa in PÈÄi language. There is a book by Professor Babbitt, a comparative study of Visuddhi Magga and Vimutti Magga.

We call the Visuddhi Magga a Commentary. It is not a Commentary of one particular Sutta or one particular collection of Suttas. It is a Common Commentary of all Suttas. There is a Sub-Commentary on the Visuddhi Magga. The name of the Elder as well as the name of the book is mentioned in the Sub-Commentary. In the Visuddhi Magga nothing is mentioned. It just says “some say”. ‘Some say’ refers to the Elder Upatissa who wrote the Vimutti Magga.

In that book it is said that “there are three kinds of temperament to begin with have their source in previous habit; and they have their source in the elements and humours.” ‘Elements’ means the four great elements - earth, water, fire and air. Humour - what is ‘humour’? ‘Humour’ here means something in the body - wind, phlegm, blood. They (the elements, the humours, and previous habits) are the sources for the kinds of temperament.

“Apparently one of greedy temperament has formerly had plenty of desirable tasks and gratifying work to do, or has reappeared here after dying in a heaven.” ‘Reappeared here’ means ‘reborn here’. A person who dies as a deva and is reborn here tends to have a greedy temperament.

“And one of hating temperament has formerly had plenty of stabbing and torturing and brutal work to do or has reappeared here after dying in one of the hells or the nÈga existences.” One who is reborn after dying in hell or in the existence of serpents tends to have hating temperament.

“And one of deluded temperament has formerly drunk a lot of intoxicants and neglected learning and questioning, or has reappeared here after dying in the animal existence.” This is according to the previous habit.

Then they are explained according to the elements. “A person is of deluded temperament because two elements are prominent, that is to say, the earth element and the fire element.” and so on. One who has these elements prominent in his body tends to be of deluded temperament and so on.

“Not all of those who have had plenty of desirable tasks and gratifying work to do, and who have reappeared here after dying in a heaven are of greedy temperament” and so on. So they are not conclusive.

The author gives the exposition given by the teachers of the Commentaries. That means given by the TheravÈda tradition. “the fact that these beings have prominence of greed, prominence of hate, prominence of delusion, prominence of non-greed, prominence of non-hate, prominence of non-delusion, is governed by previous root-cause. For when in one man at the moment of his accumulating (rebirth-producing) kamma greed is strong and non-greed is weak, non-hate and non-delusion are strong and hate and delusion are weak, then his weak non-greed is unable to prevail over his greed, but his non-hate and non-delusion being strong are able to prevail over his hate and delusion. That is why, on being reborn through rebirth-linking given by that kamma, he has greed, is good-natured and unangry, and possesses understanding with knowledge, like a lightening flash.”

“At the moment of his accumulating (rebirth producing kamma) greed is strong and non-greed is weak.” - here it does not mean that the kamma and the greed or non-greed arise at the same moment. Greed is unwholesome mental state and non-greed is a wholesome mental state. They cannot arise together. The kamma which gives results relinking in human existence and so on is good kamma, wholesome kamma. It cannot be unwholesome kamma. When kusala kamma arises in our minds, there can be no greed arising at the same time. He has greed before and after that kamma. That is what is meant here by “at the moment of his accumulating kamma.” It is not that they arise at the same time, at the same moment, but the kamma is influenced by strong greed, non-greed is weak and so on. When at the moment of accumulating kamma greed is strong, non-greed is weak and so on, there is this difference of being of different temperament. These are explained with reference to which root-cause, which hetus, are predominant or strong or weak at the moment of accumulating good or bad kamma, especially good kamma.

Then we go to how it is known that this person is of greedy temperament and so on. This is something like psychology. We guess the temperament of a person by the posture he takes, by his actions, by his manner of eating, by his seeing, by the kinds of states occurring in his mind. These are explained in detail.

“When one of greedy temperament is walking in his usual manner, he walks carefully (that means he walks gracefully.), puts his foot down slowly, puts it down evenly, lifts it up evenly, and his step is springy.”

What is ‘springy’?

Students: Bouncy.

Teacher: Bouncy. Oh. The explanation given in the footnote is that the footprint - you know when the Buddha left a footprint, his footprint is even. The footprints of ordinary people are not so even, do not touch equally. ‘Springy’ means not touching in the middle. That is springy.

Student: The Buddha was flat-footed?

Teacher: Yes. “One of hating temperament walks as though he were digging with the points of his feet, puts his foot down quickly, lifts it up quickly, and his step is dragged along.”

“One of deluded temperament walks with a perplexed gait, puts his foot down hesitantly, lifts it up hesitantly, and his step is pressed down suddenly.”

Then there is a verse. This is the account of the origin of the MÈgandiya Sutta. The name of the man was MÈgandiya. He had a beautiful daughter. He wanted to give his daughter to a deserving man, but he had not found one yet. One day he saw the footprints of the Buddha. He knew these footprints belonged to an extraordinary man. He followed the footprints and came to the Buddha. Then he offered his daughter to the Buddha. This verse was uttered by him when he saw the footprints of the Buddha. The footprints were not of a greedy person; they were not of a hating person; they were not of a deluded person. They must belong to an extraordinary person.

In paragraph 89 about the middle of the paragraph “He sleeps in a confident manner.” Actually he sleeps in a pleasant manner, pleasant to look at, not confident. A little further down in this paragraph “With his body flung down he sleeps with a scowl.” What is ‘scowl’?

Students: Frown.

Teacher: Yes, with a frown. That is right. Then two lines down “One of deluded temperament spreads his bed all awry and sleeps mostly face downwards with his body sprawling. When woken, he gets up slowly, saying ‘Hum’.”

These are by posture or deportment. Now let us look at actions. “Also in the acts of sweeping etc., one of greedy temperament grasps the broom well, and he sweeps cleanly and evenly without hurrying or scattering the sand, as if he were strewing sinduvÈra flowers.” We can guess his temperament by how he sweeps. It is not possible in this country because we use vacuum cleaners.

Then by eating “One of greedy temperament likes eating sweet food.” Those who like sweet food are said to be of greedy temperament.

“One of hating temperament likes eating rough sour food.” So if you like sour food, you may have hating temperament.

If you are not decided or have no settled choice, then you are of deluded temperament. So what do you like? I like sour food.

Then by seeing and so on: “When one of greedy temperament sees even a slightly pleasing visible object, he looks long as if surprised, he seizes on trivial virtues, discounts faults and when departing, he does so with regret as if unwilling to leave.” ‘With regret’ - the actual word used is ‘with attachment’. He has attachment or something like concern for that object.

“When one of hating temperament sees even a slightly unpleasing visible object, he avoids looking long as if he were tired, he picks out trivial faults, discounts genuine virtues, and when departing, he does so without regret (or attachment) as if anxious to leave.”

Then for the deluded “If he hears others criticizing, he criticizes; if he hears others praising, he praises: but actually he feels equanimity in himself.” I want to use ‘indifferent’ instead of ‘equanimity’. So “Actually he feels indifference in himself - the indifference of unknowing.” Here ‘indifference’ means not knowing, moha. “So too by sounds, and so on.”

“By the kind of states occurring: in one of greedy temperament there is frequent occurrence of such states as deceit, fraud, pride, evilness of wishes, greatness of wishes, discontent, foppery and personal vanity.”

“In one of faithful temperament there is frequent occurrence of such states as free generosity, desire to see Noble Ones, desire to hear the Good Dhamma, great gladness.” In the original it means of frequent gladness. He experiences gladness frequently; it is not necessarily great.

In paragraph 97 it discusses what is suitable for those of different temperaments. “A suitable lodging for one of greedy temperament has an unwashed sill and stands level with the ground, and it can be either an overhanging (rock with an) unprepared (drip-ledge), a grass hut, or a leaf house, etc., it ought to be spattered with dirt, full of bats, dilapidated, too high or too low.” It is the opposite of his temperament. He is of greedy temperament. So bad lodging is suitable for him.

Then with regard to bowl because he is talking about monks: “And the right kind of bowl for him is an ugly clay bowl disfigured by stoppings and joins, or a heavy and misshapen iron bowl as unappetizing as a skull.” Some words are misplaced here. “And the right kind of bowl for him is an ugly clay bowl or a heavy and misshapen iron bowl disfigured by stoppings and joins.” If an ugly clay bowl has defects, he has to throw it away. It may have cracked and it is difficult to mend. An iron bowl if it has holes or something, you can put stoppings and joins to keep the bowl together. So ‘disfigured’ by stoppings and joints’ should qualify ‘a heavy and misshapen iron bowl’.

In paragraph 101 “The right lodging for one of deluded temperament has a view and is not shut in, where the four quarters are visible to him as he sits there.” He is of deluded temperament, so he needs space.

“As to the postures, walking is right. The right kind of object for his contemplation is not small, that is to say, the size of a winnowing basket or the size of a saucer.” That means he should not meditate on an object the size of a winnowing basket or a saucer. Those are small objects. A person of deluded temperament needs large objects.

Suppose he wants to practice earth kasiÓa meditation, looking at the earth disk or the earth. If he is of deluded temperament, he needs to have a big plot of land or something to look at, not just a small earth disk. His mind needs to look at a larger object. The object for his contemplation is not small. It is not the size of a winnowing basket or saucer. “For his mind becomes more confused in a confined space, so the right kind is an empty large kasiÓa.” Maybe it should be about the size of a tennis court or a football field.

For one of speculative temperament a small one is right. For a person of vitakka temperament is speculative. He wants to think of many things. A small object is suitable, about the size of a winnowing basket or a saucer.

Now we come to the forty subjects of meditation. The forty subjects of meditation are given in paragraph 104 and the following paragraph.

The word ‘kasiÓa’ means orb or total. When you look at the disk, you look at the whole disk, the whole or total. There are ten kasiÓas, ten kinds of foulness, ten recollections, four divine abidings, four immaterial states, one perception, one defining. All together there are forty subjects. These are the forty subjects of samatha meditation.

“Herein, the ten kasiÓas are these: earth kasiÓa, water kasiÓa, fire kasiÓa, air kasiÓa, blue kasiÓa, yellow kasiÓa, red kasiÓa, white kasiÓa, light kasiÓa, and limited-space kasiÓa.” There are ten kasiÓas. How to prepare these kasiÓas and how to practice is explained in the next chapter.

“The ten kinds of foulness are these: the bloated, the livid, the festering, the cut-up, the gnawed, the scattered, the hacked and scattered, the bleeding, the worm-infested, and a skeleton.”

“The ten kinds of recollection are these: recollection of the Buddha (that means recollection of the qualities of the Buddha.), recollection of the Dhamma, recollection of the Sa~gha, recollection of virtue (That means recollection of one’s own sÊla.), recollection of generosity, recollection of deities, recollection (or mindfulness) of death, mindfulness occupied with the body, mindfulness of breathing, and recollection of peace.” ‘Peace’ here means NibbÈna. These are the ten recollections.

“The four divine abidings are these: loving-kindness, compassion, gladness (or sympathetic joy), and equanimity.”

The four immaterial states are just the four ar|pavacara jhÈnas, the formless types of consciousness. “The four immaterial states are these: the base consisting of boundless space, the base consisting of boundless consciousness, the base consisting of nothingness, and the base consisting of neither perception nor non-perception.”

“The one perception is the perception of repulsiveness in nutriment (food).”

“The one defining is the defining of the four elements.” That means trying to see the four elements clearly, one different from the other. This is earth element. This is water element and so on.

“This is how the exposition should be understood ‘as to enumeration’.” This is the list of the forty subjects of samatha meditation.

“As to which bring access only and which absorption” - samÈdhi, if you remember, is divided into different kinds - into neighborhood or access concentration and into absorption concentration. Some subjects of meditation can lead to access concentration only, not to absorption. The others can lead to both access concentration and absorption concentration. “The eight recollections - excepting mindfulness occupied with the body and mindfulness of breathing - the perception of repulsiveness in nutriment, and the defining of the four elements, are ten meditation subjects that bring access only.” You may look at the chart here. Look at the jhÈna column, the last column. If we say ‘no jhÈna’, that means that they can lead to access concentration only. They cannot lead to jhÈna concentration. If you practice the recollection of the Buddha, you may get concentration of mind, but you will not get jhÈna from that type of meditation. The qualities of the Buddha are profound. And there are many qualities to keep your mind on. It cannot help you to get real concentration or to get jhÈna. The eight recollections, the perception of repulsiveness in nutriment and the defining of the four elements can lead you to gaining access concentration only. You will not get jhÈnas if you practice those meditation subjects.

On the chart ‘AP’ means absorption development. ‘P’ means preliminary development. ‘UP’ means access development.

The other thirty subjects of meditation bring absorption. If you practice these subjects of meditation, you may gain absorption or jhÈna.

Then “As to the kind of jhÈna: (Please look at the jhÈna column on the chart.) among those that bring absorption, the ten kasiÓas together with mindfulness of breathing bring all four jhÈnas.” ‘Four’ here means five. There are two ways of describing jhÈnas according to the fourfold method and according to the fivefold method. We are familiar with the fivefold method - first jhÈna, second jhÈna, third jhÈna, fourth jhÈna, fifth jhÈna. In the Visuddhi Magga and in many Suttas only the fourfold method is mentioned. So we have to adapt to this.” “Bring all four jhÈnas” means bring all five jhÈnas. The ten kasiÓas can bring or if you practice one of the ten kasiÓas, you can get first, second, third, fourth, fifth jhÈna. So you can get all five jhÈnas. Then breathing meditation can bring all five jhÈnas.

Student: What is kÈyagatÈsati?

Teacher: This ‘kÈyagatÈsati’ means contemplating on different parts of the body like head hair, body hair, nails, teeth, skin and so on.

Student: And anÈpÈnasati?

Teacher: That is breathing.

Student: And which one is peace?

Teacher: UpasamÈnussati is peace. The order in the chart is a little different than the order in the book. Maranassati is the recollection of death.

“The ten kinds of foulness together with mindfulness occupied with the body bring the first jhÈna.” The ten asubhas and kÈyagatÈsati can lead to the first jhÈna only because the object is gross. So you need vitakka to keep your mind on the object. Without vitakka your mind cannot dwell on these objects.

It is explained as when you are going against a strong current. You need some pole to keep the boat going. In the same way since the objects are gross, you need vitakka for your consciousness or your mind to be on the object. In the foulness meditations you look at a corpse. So these objects are gross. Therefore they lead to first jhÈna only.

“The first three divine abidings bring three jhÈnas.” That means here four jhÈnas - first, second, third and fourth. The three divine abidings are mettÈ, karunÈ and muditÈ.

“The fourth divine abiding (upekkhÈ) and the four immaterial states (ar|pavacara) bring the fourth jhÈna.” That means the fifth jhÈna. UpekkhÈ and these four also can lead to fifth jhÈna. So as to the kind of jhÈna they are to be understood that way.

“As to surmounting” - ‘as to surmounting’ means overcoming. “There are two kinds of surmounting, that is to say, surmounting of factors and surmounting of objects.”

Let us say you have first jhÈna. If you want to get second jhÈna, you have to overcome or you have to eliminate the factor vitakka. ‘Surmounting’ really means eliminating. By eliminating factors you get higher jhÈnas. When you get the first jhÈna, it has five factors. When you get the second jhÈna, you have to eliminate one factor. Then when you want to get the third jhÈna, you have to eliminate another factor and so on. The r|pavacara jhÈnas are those surmounting factors.

Ar|pavacara jhÈnas are those surmounting objects. In all the ar|pavacara jhÈnas there are only two jhÈna factors. There is no difference of factors in the four ar|pavacara jhÈnas. What makes them different is the object that they take. If you want to get the first ar|pavacara jhÈna, you have to overcome or surmount the kasiÓa sign because kasiÓa sign is sign of r|pavacara jhÈnas. If you want to get the second ar|pavacara jhÈna, you have to overcome the first ar|pavacara jhÈna and so on. So here by surmounting or eliminating objects we get higher jhÈnas. There are two kinds of surmounting - surmounting of factors and surmounting of objects.

Student: Basically these chapters on concentration are on samatha. The chapters on knowledge are on vipassanÈ. They are both meditation. The problem is when I think of samÈdhi, samÈdhi includes vipassanÈ.

Teacher: That’s right.

Student: The translation of samÈdhi is concentration. This is where I get confused. I think this chapter is on meditation, but the third section is also on meditation.

Teacher: Actually beginning with the third chapter we come to meditation. The third chapter is just the preparation. You have not gone into meditation. You have to purify your virtue. You have to cut the impediments, find a teacher, get a meditation subject. You are preparing for the practice of meditation in this chapter. You have not come to the real practice yet. And this meditation is samatha meditation. Until maybe chapter thirteen -

Student: Chapter fourteen begins the third section.

Teacher: Actually chapter fourteen does not deal with vipassanÈ yet, but the basis for vipassanÈ. VipassanÈ actually begins with purification of view, chapter eighteen. From there we get vipassanÈ.

Student: This is always a confusion I come up against because when I think of meditation, I think of both samatha and vipassanÈ. But in the Visuddhi Magga when they talk about samÈdhi, they are just talking about samatha.

Teacher: that’s right. There are three steps - sÊla, samÈdhi, and paÒÒÈ. ‘SamÈdhi’ here is synonymous with samatha meditation. But we need samÈdhi in vipassanÈ meditation too. As a technical term ‘samÈdhi’ means samatha meditation.

“As to extension and non-extension” - that means whether you can extend the sign you have got in your mind or whether it is not possible or it is not beneficial to extend. For example when you have got the image of the kasiÓa in your mind, then you can expand it. At first the kasiÓa may be about eight inches in diameter or ten inches in diameter. You look at it and you try to get it in your mind. When you have really got the image in your mind and you can see it with your eyes closed, then you dwell upon it again and again. When it becomes clearer, very refined, then you can expand it as much as you like.

So some subjects of meditation can be expanded and some cannot. There are ten kasiÓas among the forty meditation subjects that need to be extended. That means you need to extend them. It is by way of extending the counterpart sign that you become able to hear sounds or see things in that area.

Suppose you have all five jhÈnas and also all the ar|pavacara jhÈnas. And also suppose you can experience what we call supernormal knowledge, abhiÒÒÈ. ‘AbhiÒÒÈ’ is specially developed fifth jhÈna. AbhiÒÒÈs are those that allow yogis to see things far away and to hear sounds far away, or perform some miracles. Suppose you want to hear the sounds far away. It depends on how large you extend the kasiÓa sign. If you extend the kasiÓa as big as the city of San Francisco, then you may hear sounds in the city of San Francisco and not outside.

“The ten kasiÓas among the forty meditation subjects need to be extended. For it is within just so much space as one is intent upon (that means that one covers, that one extends over.) with the kasiÓa that one can hear sounds with the divine ear element, see visible objects with the divine eye, and know the minds of other beings with the mind.” Before you experience the supernormal knowledge you have to extend the counterpart sign. That means you are defining the area within which your supernormal knowledge will apply. So the kasiÓas need to be extended.

“Mindfulness occupied with the body and the ten kinds of foulness need not be extended. Why? Because they have a definite location and because there is no benefit in it. The definiteness of their location will become clear in explaining the method of development.” Later the author explains how to practice meditation on dead bodies and the explanation will become clear. “If the latter are extended, it is only a quantity of corpses that is extended (with regard to foulness meditation).”You can extend in your mind the quantity of corpses, but there is no benefit.

“And this is said in answer to the question of SopÈka ‘Perception of visible forms is quite clear, Blessed One, perception of bones is not clear.’; for here the perception of visible forms is called ‘quite clear’ in the sense of extension of the sign, while the perception of bones is called ‘not quite clear’ in the sense of non-extension. But the words ‘I was intent upon this whole earth with the perception of a skeleton’ are said of the manner of appearance to one who has acquired that perception.” That means one who has acquired that perception before and now he extends this perception. It is all right because he is not practicing to get that perception. He has already got that perception so he may extend it.

“For just as in DhammÈsoka’s time the karavÊka bird uttered a sweet song when it saw its own reflection in the looking glass walls all around and perceived karavÊkas in every direction, so the Elder Si~gÈla Pitar thought when he saw the sign appearing in all directions through his acquisition of the perception of a skeleton, that the whole earth was covered with bones.”

Then there is a footnote on the karavÊka bird. It is interesting, but it is a little difficult to believe. It is a kind of bird and it is said that its sounds is very sweet. The queen asked the community whose sound was the sweetest. They all said the sound of the karavÊka bird was the sweetest. So the queen wanted to listen to the sound of the karavÊka bird. She asked her king, King Asoka, to bring a karavÊka bird to her. So what King Asoka did was to send a cage. The cage flew through the air and landed near the bird. The bird got in the cage and the cage flew back to the city. After reaching the city, the bird would not utter a sound because he was depressed. The king asked why the bird did not make any sound. His advisors said that the bird did not make any sound because he was lonely. If the bird had companions, he would make noise. So the king put mirrors around him. The bird saw his image in the mirrors and thought that there were other birds. He was happy and so he made sounds. The queen when she heard the sounds was very pleased. She was very happy. She practiced meditation on that happiness. She practiced vipassanÈ and became a Stream-Winner. “She became established in the Fruition of Stream-Entry.” That means she became a SotÈpanna.

This is just an example. So just as the karavÊka bird saw many other birds in the mirrors and made sounds, the Elder here “when he saw the sign appearing in all directions through his acquisition of the perception of a skeleton, (thought) that the whole earth was covered with bones.” It appeared to him as that. It is not that he extended the kasiÓa sign.

In paragraph 112 “If that is so, then is what is called the measurelessness of the object of jhÈna produced on foulness contradicted?” the jhÈna produced on foulness is mentioned as measureless or it is mentioned as without measure.

The answer is that when a person looks at a small corpse, then his object is said to be with measure. If he looks at a big corpse, then his object is said to be measureless although it is not really measureless. ‘Measureless’ here means large. So there is large object and small object.

In paragraph 115 it says “As regards the immaterial states as objects.” It should read “As regards the objects of the immaterial states”. It is not ‘as regards the immaterial states as object’, but ‘objects of the immaterial states’.

“Space need not be extended since it is the mere removal of the kasiÓa.” With regard to the objects of ar|pavacara jhÈnas the object of the first ar|pavacara jhÈna is infinite space. That cannot be extended because it is nothing. It is obtained through the removal of the kasiÓa. ‘Removal of the kasiÓa’ means not paying attention to the kasiÓa sign. First there is the kasiÓa sign in his mind. Then he stops paying attentionto that kasiÓa sign. So that kasiÓa sign disappears. In place of the kasiÓa sign just space remains. Space is space. So that cannot be extended. “If he extends it, nothing further happens. So nothing will happen.

“And consciousness need not be extended (Actually consciousness should not be or could not be extended.) since it is a state consisting in an individual essence.” That means it is a paramattha. It is an ultimate reality, a reality which has its own characteristic or individual essence. Only the concept can be extended, not the ultimate reality. Ultimate realityis just ultimate reality and it does not lend itself to be extended. The second ar|pavacara consciousness cannot be extended.

“The disappearance of consciousness need not be extended.” Actually it is concept and it is non-existent. What is non-existent cannot be extended.

“And the base consisting of neither perception nor non-perception” - here also it should be “The object of the base consisting of neither perception nor non-perception need not be extended since it too is a state consisting in an individual essence.” Do you remember the object of the fourth ar|pavacara jhÈna? The object of the fourth ar|pavacara jhÈna is the consciousness of the third ar|pavacara jhÈna. The third ar|pavacara consciousness is again ultimate reality having its own individual essence. So it cannot be extended because it is not a concept. These paragraphs are about whether objects may be extended or not.

Then as to the object in paragraph 117 “Of these forty meditation subjects, twenty-two have counterpart signs as object.” On the chart in the column nimitta ‘Pt’ means counterpart sign. In the book it says twenty-two have counterpart signs - ten kasiÓas, ten asubhas or foulness meditation, kÈyagatÈsati (mindfulness of the body) and anÈpÈnassati. “Twenty-two have counterpart signs as object, that is to say, the ten kasiÓas, the ten kinds of foulness, mindfulness of breathing and mindfulness occupied with the body; the rest do not have counterpart sign as object.”

“Then twelve states consisting in individual essences as object, that is to say, eight of the ten recollections - except mindfulness of breathing and mindfulness occupied with the body - the perception of repulsiveness in nutriment, the defining of the elements, the base consisting of boundless consciousness, and the base consisting of neither perception nor non-perception.” They have ultimate reality as object.

“And twenty-two have counterpart signs as object, that is to say, the ten kasiÓas, the ten kinds of foulness, mindfulness of breathing, and mindfulness occupied with the body; while the remaining six have not so classifiable objects.” These are the descriptions of the objects of meditation in different ways.

“Then eight have mobile objects in the early stage though the counterpart sign is stationary, that is to say, the festering, the bleeding, the worm-infested, mindfulness of breathing, the water kasiÓa, the fire kasiÓa, the air kasiÓa, and in the case of the light kasiÓa the object consisting of a circle of sunlight etc.” They are shaking objects. They can be shaking objects. “the rest have immobile objects.” They have shaking objects only in the preliminary stage. When the yogi reaches the counterpart sign stage, then they are stationery. It is only in the preliminary stage that there are shaking objects.

“As to place (That means the thirty-one planes of existence.): here the twelve, namely, the ten kinds of foulness, mindfulness occupied with the body, and perception of repulsiveness in nutriment, do not occur among deities.”

Student: Does that mean that in the fourth jhÈna the breath stops?

Teacher: That’s right, yes. You got the point. We will come to that in the description of the breathing meditation.

Then “As to apprehending (That means as to taking the objects by sight, by hearing and so on.) here the exposition should be understood according to sight, touch, and hearsay (He means just hearing something.). These nineteen, that is to say, nine kasiÓas omitting the air kasiÓa and the ten kinds of foulness, must be extended by sight.” You look at something and practice meditation. “The meaning is that in the early stage their sign must be apprehended by constantly looking with the eye.”

“In the case of mindfulness occupied with the body the five parts ending with skin must be apprehended by sight and the rest by hearsay.” Head hair, body hair, nails, teeth, skin - these you look at with your eyes and practice meditation on them. Some you cannot see like the liver, intestines and other things. That you practice through hearsay.

“Mindfulness of breathing must be apprehended by touch.” When you practice mindfulness of breathing meditation, you keep your mind here and are mindful of the sensation of touch here, the air going in and out of the nostrils.

“The air kasiÓa by sight and touch” - it will become clearer when we come to the description of how to practice air kasiÓa. Sometimes you look at something moving, for example branches of a tree or a banner in the wind. You practice air kasiÓa on that. The wind may be blowing against your body and then you have the feeling of touch there. You concentrate on the air element there. In that case you practice by the sense of touch.

“The remaining eighteen are by hearsay.” That means just by hearing.

“The divine abiding of equanimity and the four immaterial states are not apprehended by a beginner.” You cannot practice upekkhÈ and the four ar|pavacara jhÈnas at the beginning because in order to get ar|pavacara jhÈnas you must have got the five r|pavacara jhÈnas. And in order to practice upekkhÈ brahma vihÈra you have to have practiced the first three brahma vihÈras - loving-kindness, compassion and sympathetic joy. As a real divine abiding equanimity cannot be practiced at the beginning. Only when you have practiced the other three can you practice equanimity.

“As to condition: of these meditation subjects nine kasiÓas omitting the space kasiÓa are conditions for immaterial states.” That means if you want to get ar|pavacara jhÈnas, you practice one of the nine kasiÓas omitting the space kasiÓa. That is because you have to practice the removing of the kasiÓa object and getting space. Space cannot be removed. Space is space. The space kasiÓa is exempted from those that are conditions for the immaterial states or ar|pavacara jhÈnas.

“The ten kasiÓas are conditions for the kinds of direct knowledge.” So if you want to get the direct knowledge or abhiÒÒÈ (That means supernormal power.) then you practice first one of the ten kasiÓas. Actually if you want to get different results, then you practice different kasiÓas.

Suppose you want to shake something. Suppose you want to shake the city hall building by your supernormal power. Then first you must practice water kasiÓa or air kasiÓa but not the earth kasiÓa. If you practice earth kasiÓa and try to shake, it will not shake.

There is the story of a novice who went up to the abode of the gods. He said “I will shake your mansion.” He tried to shake it and he could not. So the celestial nymphs made fun of him. He was ashamed and went back to his teacher. He told his teacher that he was shamed by the nymphs because he could not shake their mansion. He asked his teacher why this had happened. His teacher said, “Look at something there.” Cow dung was floating in the river. He got the hint. Next time when he went back to the celestial abode, he practiced water kasiÓa first. Then he was able to make the mansion shake. According to what you want from the kasiÓa, you practice with different kasiÓas. They are mentioned in the later chapters. “The ten kasiÓas are conditions for the kinds of direct knowledge.”

“The three divine abidings are conditions for the fourth divine abiding.” The fourth divine abiding cannot be practiced at the beginning, but only after the first three.

“Each lower immaterial state is a condition for each higher one. The base consisting of neither perception nor non-perception is a condition for the attainment of cessation.” That means cessation of mental activities, the cessation of perception and feeling. Actually it is the cessation of mental activities.

“All are conditions for living in bliss (That means living in bliss in this very life.), for insight, and for the fortunate kinds of becoming (That means for a good life in the future.).”

“As to suitability to temperament” - they are important. “here the exposition should be understood according to what is suitable to the temperaments.” It describes which subjects of meditation are suitable for which kinds of temperament.

Student: You said the three divine abidings are conditions for the fourth. Is it possible to practice the third before the first or the second before the first? It doesn’t say that you have to practice all of them.

Teacher: Right. But the normal procedure is to practice loving-kindness first. Then one practices the second one and the third one. This means you practice so that you get jhÈna from this practice. If you get to the state of jhÈna with these, then you can even practice equanimity. Here it is meant for jhÈna. Equanimity leads to the fifth jhÈna. In order to get the fifth jhÈna you need to have the first, second, third, and fourth jhÈnas. Those can be obtained through the practice of the other three divine abidings.

Student: But you don’t reach jhÈna through the other three divine abidings?

Teacher: You reach jhÈna, but not to the fifth jhÈna. You reach only the fourth jhÈna. By the practice of equanimity you reach the fifth jhÈna.

Now the different kinds of meditation suitable to the different kinds of temperament - “All this has been stated in the form of direct opposition and complete suitability.” That means if he says this kind of meditation is suitable for this kind of temperament, it means this meditation is the direct opposite of that temperament and it is very suitable for it. But it does not mean that you cannot practice other meditation. “But there is actually no profitable development that does not suppress greed etc., and help faith and so on.” In fact you can practice any meditation. Here the subjects of meditation and the temperaments are given to show which are opposites and most suitable.

Suppose that I am of deluded temperament. Then the most suitable meditation for me is the breathing meditation. But that does not mean that I cannot practice any other meditation. That is because any meditation will help me to suppress mental defilements and to develop wholesome mental states.

Even in the Suttas Buddha was advising Rahula and other persons to practice meditation, not just one meditation, but different kinds of meditation. Any kind of meditation can be practiced by anyone. If you want to get the best out of it, you choose the one that is most suitable for your temperament.

Student: All kasiÓas as objects imply seeing consciousness?

Teacher: KasiÓas should first be practiced by looking at them. When you look at them, then you have seeing consciousness. Then you try to memorize or take it into your mind. That means you close your eyes and try to take that image. When you can get that image clearly in your mind, then you have the learning sign in your mind, actually the grasped sign. After you get the learning sign, you no longer need the actual disk, the actual object. You dwell on the sign that you get in your mind. From that time on it is not seeing consciousness. It is manodvÈra, through mind-door, not through the eye-door. First through eye-door you look at the kasiÓa and practice meditation. After you get the learning sign, your meditation is through mind-door. You see through the mind but not through the eye.

Then dedicating oneself to the Blessed One or to the teacher - that means relinquishing one’s self. To the Blessed One or to the Buddha is all right. To the teacher I do not recommend because not all teachers are to be trusted considering what is happening these days. In paragraph 126 “When he dedicates himself to the teacher, he should say ‘I relinquish this my person to you, venerable sir’.” So he is saying I give myself to you. It may be dangerous if a teacher has ulterior motives. It is better to give yourself to the Buddha, not to the teacher these days.

In paragraph 128 “For it is one of such sincere inclination who arrives at one of the three kinds of enlightenment.” The three kinds of enlightenment are enlightenment as a Buddha, enlightenment as a Pacceka Buddha, and enlightenment as an Arahant.

“Six kinds of inclination lead to the maturing of the enlightenment of the Bodhisattas.” These may be something like the paramitas found in MahÈyana. These are non-greed, non-hate, non-delusion and so on. These are the six qualities that the Bodhisattas especially develop.

“With the inclination to non-greed Bodhisattas see the fault in greed. With the inclination to non-hate Bodhisattas see the fault in hate.” and so on. Although it is a quotation, we cannot trace this quotation to any Text available nowadays. So some Texts may have been lost or it may refer to some sources not belonging to TheravÈda.

In paragraph 132 ‘apprehend the sign’ - the PÈÄi word ‘nimitta’ has different meanings. ‘Apprehend the sign’ here just means paying close attention to what you hear from the teacher. “this is the previous clause, this is the subsequent clause, this is the meaning, this is the intention, this is the simile.” and so on. So first paying close attention and hearing the words of the teacher and trying to understand them is called here ‘apprehending the sign’. It is not like apprehending the sign when you practice meditation. ‘Apprehending the sign’ in meditation will come later in chapter four. Here ‘apprehending the sign’ means paying close attention to what the teacher says.

“When he listens attentively, apprehending the sign in this way, his meditation subject is well apprehended.” He knows what he should know about meditation.

“Then, and because of that, he successfully attains distinction.” ‘Attains distinction’ means attains jhÈnas, attains supernormal knowledge, attains enlightenment.

It should be ‘but not others’ not ‘but not otherwise’. He will successfully attain distinction but not others who do not listen attentively and apprehend the sign and so on. ‘Otherwise’ should be corrected to others. It is not ‘otherwise’. “He successfully attains distinction, but not others.”

OK. That is the end of the third chapter. So we are still preparing. Preparing is not over yet. You have to avoid 18 faulty monasteries and find a suitable place for meditation. Thank you very much.

SÈdhu! SÈdhu! SÈdhu!