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A Manual of the Path Factors

Three Cycles Relating to Four Kinds of Samsāra

During the Buddha’s dispensation, if people practise and develop the Noble Eightfold Path, they can free themselves from the cycle of suffering. There are three cycles of suffering:

1. The cycle of defilements (kilesa vatta),
2.The cycle of volitional actions (kamma vatta), and
3.The cycle of resultants (vipāka vatta).

They can also be classified as:

A)Three cycles relating to rebirth in the lower realms,
B)Three cycles relating to rebirth in happy destinations,
C)Three cycles relating to rebirth in the realms of form, and
D)Three cycles relating to rebirth in the formless realms.

(A) Rebirth in the Lower Realms

In the case of three cycles relating to the lower realms:

1. Defilements means personality-belief and sceptical doubt.
2. Volitional actions means the ten evil deeds: i) killing ii) stealing, iii) sexual misconduct, iv) lying, v) back-biting, vi) abusive speech, vii) idle chatter, viii) covetousness, ix) ill-will, and x) wrong view.
3. The cycle of resultants means the five aggregates of hell-beings, animals, ghosts, and demons.

Any person who has not got rid of personality-belief and sceptical doubt, though he may be repeatedly reborn in the highest plane of existence for an incalculable number of times, is yet destined to fall repeatedly into the sphere of ten evil deeds to be reborn as a fisherman, hunter, thief, robber, or as one of the beings in the four lower realms. The cycle of suffering means wandering in the round of rebirths without gaining liberation.

(B) Rebirth in Happy Destinations

In the case of the three cycles relating to rebirth in happy destinations:

1.Defilements means desire for sensual pleasure, such as delighting in and attachment to sense objects.
2.The cycle of volitional actions means the three ‘Domains of meritorious Deeds:’ almsgiving (dāna), morality (sīla), and mental development (bhāvanā).
3.The cycle of resultants means the five aggregates of human beings and of devas in the six celestial realms.

(C & D) Rebirth in Form and Formless Realms

In the case of the three cycles relating to the realms of form, and the formless realms:

1.The cycle of defilements means attachment to form and formlessness.
2.The cycle of volitional actions means wholesome volitional actions leading to and practised in the form and the formless realms.
3.The cycle of resultants means the five aggregates of Rūpa-brahmās, and the four mental aggregates of the Arūpa-brahmās.

Thus there are three cycles — defilements, volitional actions, and resultants — regarding the round of rebirths in realms of form and the formless realms.

Relationship Between Path Factors and Cycles

The Eightfold Path can be classified as pertaining to Stream-winners, Once-returners, Non-returners, and Arahants.

The Eightfold Path of the Stream-winner completely eradicates the three cycles relating to rebirth in the lower realms. As regards the three cycles relating to rebirth in happy destinations, it extinguishes only those that would otherwise arise after seven more rebirths.

The Eightfold Path of the Once-returner completely eradicates the two cycles of defilements and resultants relating to the sensual realm that would otherwise arise after one more rebirth.

The Eightfold Path of the Non-returner completely eradicates the three cycles relating to the above rebirths in happy destinations, leaving only rebirth in the realms of form and the formless realms.

The Eightfold Path of the Arahant completely eradicates the three cycles relating to all rebirth. All defilements are completely eradicated.

The Three Stages of Wrong Views

Of the four kinds of samsāra with the three cycles in each, the three cycles relating to the round of rebirth in the four lower realms are most important for the Buddhists of the present day. When a person’s hair is on fire, the vital thing to do is to extinguish it. Such an emergency permits of no delay, not even for a minute. For those who have encountered the Buddha’s teaching, it is more important to completely eradicate the three cycles of suffering than for that person to extinguish the fire burning his hair. So here I explain the Eightfold Path, which is able to eradicate the suffering in the lower realms. Of these two things — personality-belief and sceptical doubt — personality-belief is fundamental. Eradication of personality belief naturally implies the eradication of sceptical doubt, and the ten evil deeds also disappear completely. The natural result is that suffering in the lower realms also ceases.

Personality-belief (sakkāya-ditthi) means the delusion of a self (atta-ditthi). The eye is regarded as ‘Me’ or ‘Mine’. This view is held firmly and tenaciously. The same applies in the case of the ear, nose, tongue, body, and the mind.

Egoism

The expression, “The eye is tenaciously regarded as ‘Me’ or ‘Mine’ means that whenever a visible object is seen, people firmly and tenaciously believe “I see it,” and the same remarks may be applied to the sound, smell, taste, touch, and to thoughts or mental objects.

The First Nibbāna

In former existences. beings committed foolish mistakes, and through personality-belief all those old evil kammas attach themselves to and continuously accompany the life-continua of beings. In future existences too, foolish mistakes will be committed by those beings, and fresh evil kammas will also arise due to the same personality-belief. Thus when personality-belief is extinguished, both the old and new evil kammas are utterly extinguished. For that reason, suffering in the lower realms is utterly extinguished, and by the extinction of the personality-belief, all foolish and evil deeds, all wrong views and all rebirths in Hell, or as animals, ghosts, and demons, are simultaneously extinguished. That person attains the First nibbāna (with some remainder), which means utter extinction of the three cycles relating to rebirth in the lower realms. He or she becomes a Noble One in the supramundane sphere who will be reborn in successive higher planes of existence.

Match-box, Match-stick and Nitrous Surface

Personality-belief is established in three stages in the life-continua of beings.

1.The first is the latent stage (anusaya bhūmi).
2.The second (pariyutthāna bhūmi) is the arising stage when the mind is still perturbed by wrong views.
3.The third (vītikkama bhūmi) is the transgressive stage when wrong views become transgressive.

Threefold bodily action and fourfold verbal action are the transgressive state. Threefold mental action is the arising stage; and the latent stage is wrong view, which accompanies the life-continua of beings in the beginningless round of rebirths, and resides in the whole body as the seed (potential) for bodily, verbal, and mental kammas before they are actually committed.

When objects that can give rise to evil kammas contact any of the six sense doors, such as eye-door and so forth, unwholesome volitional actions actuated by that wrong view rise up from the latent stage to the arising stage. It means that mental action begins.

If not suppressed at this point, these unwholesome kammas rise up from to the transgressive stage, which means physical and verbal actions are done.

The latent stage of wrong view may be compared to the combusitble material in the head of a match-stick. The arising stage is like the fire that burns in the match when it is struck on the nitrous surface of a matchbox, and the transgressive stage is like a fire lit with the match that consumes a heap of rubbish. The six external objects, such as pretty appearance, sweet sound, etc., resemble the nitrous surface of the match-box.