Three Groups of the Eightfold Path1. Morality comprises Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood.
2. Concentration comprises Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.
3. Wisdom comprises Right Understanding and Right Thought.
The three aspects of morality, when analysed in detail, are encompassed by the eight precepts with right livelihood as the eighth (ājīvatthamaka sīla) in the following manner: 1.I will abstain from taking life.
2.I will abstain from stealing.
3.I will abstain from indulging in sexual
misconduct and taking intoxicants. (These three comprise Right Action).
4.I will abstain from telling lies.
5.I will abstain from setting one person against another.
6.I will abstain from using rude and rough words.
7.I will abstain from talking frivolously. (These four comprise Right Speech).
8.Right Livelihood (sammā-ājīva) means earning a living without resorting to taking life, stealing, etc.
Permanent morality, such as the Five Precepts, the Ten Precepts observed by hermits and wandering mendicants, the Ten Precepts observed by novices and the 227 Rules of Vinaya observed by bhikkhus are within the domain of morality with right livelihood as the eighth. The Uposatha Eight Precepts are nothing but refinement of the Five Precepts and morality with right livelihood as the eighth. Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood — the three factors of morality — are the dhammas to destroy the third stage of Personality-belief. It means that they destroy the three bodily evil deeds and the four verbal evil deeds. Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration — the three factors of concentration — destroy the second stage of Personality-belief. It means that they destroy the three mental wrong deeds. Right Understanding and Right Thought — the two factors of Wisdom — destroy the first stage of Personality-belief. It means
that they destroy the latent stage which has been latent in the life continua of beings throughout the beginningless round of rebirths. How to Establish MoralityTo get rid of the three physical evil deeds and the four verbal evil deeds, the three path factors of morality must be
established, which means that the eight precepts with right livelihood as the eighth must be undertaken and observed. To get rid of the three mental evil deeds conditioned by personality-belief, the three path factors of concentration must be established, which means that mindfulness of breathing, contemplation on bones, or concentration on kasinas, must be practised for at least one hour a day
so that mental stability can be gained. To get rid of the third stage of personality-belief, people should establish Purity of Morality by undertaking and observing the eight precepts with right livelihood as the eighth. They can either recite it and undertake it formally, or simply determine to abstain from killing living beings, and so forth, from that day throughout life, and successfully
abstain from evil deeds. It is not necessary to accept the precepts from a bhikkhu. It is enough to determine as follows: 1. From today throughout my life, I will abstain from taking life.
2. From today throughout my life, I will abstain from stealing.
3. From today throughout my life, I will abstain from sexual misconduct, and from the five kinds of intoxicants.
4. From today throughout my life, I will abstain from false speech.
5. From today throughout my life, I will abstain from divisive speech.
6. From today throughout my life, I will abstain from abusive and rude words regarding the caste, race, etc., of any person.
7. From today throughout my life, I will abstain from idle chatter, which is not conducive to the well-being of others either in the present life or in the next.
8. From today throughout my life, I will abstain from wrong livelihood. Different Kinds of Stable Morality
Once taken, it remains pure until it is violated. Only the precept that is broken need be taken again, but there is no harm in retaking the others that are not violated. If any precept
that has not been violated is taken again, one’s morality becomes stronger. It is best to renew the above eight precepts daily. It is permanent morality like the five precepts, unlike that observed on Uposatha (Sabbath) days. Novices, hermits, and wanderers, who always have to observe the Ten Precepts, and bhikkhus who always have to observe the 227 Vinaya Rules, need not undertake the eight
precepts. Factors Fulfilling the Seven Kinds of Evil Deeds Five Factors of Killing Living Beings 1. The being must be alive.
2. One must know that it is alive.
3. One must intend to cause its death.
4. An action must be done to cause death.
5. Its death must follow from that action.
If all five factors are fulfilled, the first precept is violated and should be taken again. Five Factors of Stealing 1. The property must belong to another person.
2. One must know that the property belongs to another.
3. One must intend to steal it.
4. One must act to steal it.
5. The property must be taken by that act.
If all five factors are fulfilled, the second precept is violated and should be taken again. Four Factors of Sexual Misconduct 1. There must be a man or a woman with whom it is improper to have sexual intercourse.
2. One must intend to have such sexual relations with them.
3. One must strive to have intercourse.
4. One must consent to the contact of the sexual organs.
If all four factors are fulfilled, the third precept is violated and should be taken again. Four Factors of False Speech 1. The statement must be untrue.
2. One must intend to deceive another.
3. One must try to deceive another.
4. The other must understand the meaning of what is said. (It is not necessary that they should believe what is said).
If these factors are fulfilled, the fourth precept is violated and should be taken again. Four Factors of Divisive Speech
1. There must be persons to be disunited.
2. There must be an intention to disunite two persons.
3. There must be an effort made as a result of the said intention.
4. The other must know the meaning of the thing said.
If these factors are fulfilled, the fifth precept is violated and should be taken again.
Three Factors of Abusive Speech 1. There must be someone to be abused.
2. One must be angry.
3. Abusive language must actually be used.
If these factors are fulfilled, the sixth precept is violated and should be taken again.
Two Factors of Idle Chatter 1. There must be an intention to say things that bring forth no benefits.
2. Such things must be said.
If these factors are fulfilled, the seventh precept is violated and should be taken again.
“Things which bring forth no good benefits” means such plays and novels as are merely intended to amuse and entertain. Nowadays there are numerous plays and novels satisfying all the conditions of idle chatter. The abovementioned factors of false speech, divisive speech, and idle chatter relate
only to violation of the respective precepts. They become conditions for kamma that leads to rebirths in the lower planes (kammapatha), if the following factors are added: 1. In the case of false speech, another person must suffer loss or damage.
2. In the case of divisive speech, disunion must result.
3. In the case of idle chatter, others must think that the idle speech is true.
In the case of the four remaining precepts — killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and abusive speech — the above factors relate not only to violation of the precepts, but also to the respective kamma that leads to rebirth in the lower realms. These are factors relating to the seven kinds of
evil deeds should be known by those who observe these eight precepts daily. How to Establish ConcentrationFor one who has well-developed the three factors of morality and who has thereby established Purity of Morality, wrong livelihood and the seven kinds of evil deeds, namely: the
three kinds of physical evil deeds and the four kinds of verbal evil deeds, which are born of personality-belief, are entirely eradicated. To destroy the second stage of evil deeds, namely: the three kinds of mental evil deeds, the path factors of concentration — Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration — must be established. Establishment of the three path factors of concentration means practice of one of the forty subjects of meditation, such as kasina. Mindfulness of Breathing In this connection the practice of mindfulness of breathing will be briefly
described. If those who are still householders have no time to perform these exercises in the day time, they should always practise about one or two hours before going to bed and about an hour before rising from bed in the morning. According to the
Buddha’s Teaching “So satova assasati satova passasati — mindfully he breathes in, mindfully he breathes out.” For a predetermined period, one’s mind should be entirely concentrated on inhaling and exhaling, and not allowed to stray elsewhere. To prevent the mind wandering both physical and mental effort should be exercised. Physical effort means the determination to practise for a fixed period every day without any lapse. Mental effort means taking great care to concentrate the
mind on inhaling and exhaling, so that it does not stray elsewhere, and fervent application of the mind on inhaling and exhaling, so that sleepiness, boredom, and drowsiness do not come enter one’s mind. Fixing the mind on one’s nostrils continuously,
one should always note “exhaling,” when the exhaled air brushes against the nostrils, and “Inhaling” when the inhaled air brushes touches it. Right Effort means both physical and mental effort. After applying one’s mind diligently like this for a fortnight, a month, two months, etc., one’s mindfulness becomes fixed on inhaling and exhaling. That mindfulness is designated as Right
Mindfulness. Once the three path factors of morality are well-established, the mental restlessness disappears day by day. It should soon become apparent to anyone who tries to do this, that one has no control over the mind when one starts to practise meditation. Mad people are useless in worldly affairs because they have no control over their minds. Likewise, those who are perfectly sane
regarding worldly affairs, are in the same position as mad people when it comes to the practice of meditation, since they have no control over the mind. They are useless at keeping the mind on the meditation object. That is why the three path factors of concentration must be well-developed to get rid of mental restlessness. For more details about Right Concentration, my Manual of the Requisites
of Enlightenment (Bodhipakkhiya Dīpanī), and Manual of Breathing Meditation (ānāpāna Dīpanī) may be referred to. Even though ‘Access Concentration’ and ‘Attainment Concentration’ are not yet reached, if the mind could be fixed on
the object of meditation during a fixed period of one hour or two hours every day, it would become easy to concentrate the mind on any other object of meditation. A person who can attain Purity of Mind by establishing the three path factors of concentration, eradicates three mental evil deeds — covetousness, ill-will, and wrong views born of personality-belief are eradicated. The second stage of wrong view: viz. mental kamma, also becomes extinct, and the mental restlessness caused by the
five hindrances disappears. Once the three path factors of morality are undertaken and observed, from that very moment they become established in that individual and from then on, as long as there is no violation of the precepts, he is said to posses
Purity of Morality. On the very day of undertaking the precepts, the path factors of concentration should be practised. Those who are sufficiently diligent will not take more than five or ten days to get rid of the mental restlessness, and having attained steadfast concentration on respiration, the three path factors of concentration will become established. Then one is said to have established Purity of Mind, and can begin to develop the path factors of wisdom. How to Establish WisdomIf one has succeeded in establishing Purity of Morality and Purity of Mind, one should immediately try to establish oneself in Right View and Right Thought — the path factors of wisdom — with a view to eradicating the first [latent] stage of personality-belief. To establish the two path
factors of wisdom one must gain the five kinds of Purity of Wisdom (paññā-visuddhi) in due order: Purity of View (ditthi-visuddhi), Purity by Overcoming Doubt (kankhāvitarana-visuddhi), Purity by Knowledge and Vision of Path and non-Path (maggāmaggañānadassana- visuddhi), Purity by Knowledge and Vision of the Course of Practice (patipadāñānadassana-visuddhi) and Purity by Supramundane Knowledge and Vision (lokuttara-ñānadassana-visuddhi). In the whole of our body, solidity and softness comprise the element of earth (pathavī); cohesion and liquidity comprise the element of water (āpo); heat and cold comprise the element of fire (tejo); and support and motion comprise the element of air (vāyo). The whole of the head is nothing but a collection of the four elements. All the parts of the body, and the limbs, are nothing but collections of the four elements. All hairs of the head, hairs of the body, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, marrow, kidneys, heart, lymph, fat, lungs, intestines, stomach, faeces, and brain are nothing but collections of the four elements. 1. Hardness is the strong form of earth, and softness is its weak form.
2. Cohesion is the weak form of water, and liquidity is its strong form.
3. Heat is the strong form of fire, and cold is its weak form.
4. Support is the weak form of air, and motion is its strong form. Softness andHardness (pathavī dhātu)
Sealing-wax in its original form is the strong form of the earth element. Its hardness is conspicuous; but when comes into contact with fire, hardness disappears, and soft manifests. When the fire is removed, softness gradually disappears and hardness reappears. In the sealing-wax in its original form there is a weak form of water, so cohesion is conspicuous. When it comes into contact with fire, cohesion disappears and liquidity manifests. When the fire is removed, liquidity disappears and cohesion reappears. Sealing-wax at room temperature has a weak form of fire. Coldness is conspicuous. When it comes into contact with fire, cold disappears and heat manifests. When the fire is removed, the heat disappears and cold reappears. Sealing-wax in its original form has a weak form of air. Support is conspicuous. When it comes into contact with fire, supporting disappears and moving manifests. When the fire is removed, moving disappears and supporting reappears. ‘Udaya’ means ‘appearance’, and ‘vaya’ means ‘disappearance’; udayabbaya is a
compound of the two words. The illustration of the appearance and disappearance of the elements evident in sealing-wax has been given to help people realise and understand the meaning and nature of ‘udayabbaya’ — which in Vipassanā means appearance and disappearance. The head, the body, and the limbs may be dealt with in the same way as the sealing-wax. Heat and cold, the two aspects of the fire element, are always taking place alternately. Heat gradually increases in the whole body from sunrise until 2pm. and cold correspondingly decreases. Then cold increases and heat decreases. This is the personal experience of everyone. From
this simple explanation, numerous inferences can be made. The increase of heat in the various parts of the body resembles sealing-wax coming into contact with fire; and when the cold increases in the body, it resembles sealing-wax removed from the fire. Heat and cold increase or decrease throughout the day. Heat increases when cold decreases, and cold increases when heat decreases. Increase is
‘udaya’ and decrease is ‘vaya’. The two aspects of the earth element — softness and hardness — increase or decrease in accordance with the rise and fall of temperature. The two aspects of the water element — liquidity and cohesion — and the two aspects of the air element — motion and support — also increase or decrease in the same way. The four elements in the various parts of the body resemble the numerous small bubbles that rapidly appear and disappear on the surface of boiling water in a big pot. The whole body resembles a lump of foam. Vapour appears in each small bubble and it disappears every time the numerous bubbles disappear. Similarly, seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and knowing — all these mental phenomena that depend on the four elements — vanish simultaneously with them. Therefore, the six kinds of consciousness — eye-, ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-consciousness, and the four elements are impermanent (anicca), because they are not permanent; they are suffering (dukkha), because they
are associated with the danger of incessant arisings and vanishings; they are not-self (anatta), because they have no pith or substance in them. Personality-belief and Right Understanding with respect to the four elements in the head are explained below.
The hair and bones in the head are solid, and its skin, flesh, blood and brains are soft. and these two, namely solidity and softness, constitute the earth element. The whole of the head is completely filled with the two kinds of earth element, and similarly with the two kinds of water, fire, and air. The earth element is not the head, nor are the other elements. Apart from these elements there is no
such thing as the head. Know, Perceive, Conceive, and View
Those who cannot differentiate the four elements in the head and who do not know that solidity, etc., in the head are elements, know the head as such only; they note it as the head only; they only think that it is the head; and
they see it as the head only. To know that it is the head is a delusion of mind (citta).
To perceive that it is the head is a delusion of perception (saññā).
To conceive that it is the head is a delusion of conceit (māna).
To view it as the head is a delusion of view (ditthi).
Knowing, perceiving, conceiving, and viewing the four elements of the head is knowing, perceiving, conceiving, and viewing them as permanent and as self. Thus to consider the four elements as the head is a misconception of taking what is impermanent as permanent and what is not-self as self. The four elements, which by nature disappear more than a hundred times in an hour are really impermanent and not-self, in accordance with the Buddha’s teaching “aniccam khāyatthena … anattā asārakatthena — it is impermanent, because it is vanishing … it is not-self, because it is without any essence. The head of a man does not disintegrate at death, and it remains as a head until it reaches the cemetery. So it
is regarded as permanent and self. From the conception that the four elements are the head arises the misconception of the impermanent as permanent and what is not-self as self. As regards the composite parts of the head also, to know, perceive, conceive, and view the four elements as hair, teeth, skin, flesh, muscles, bones, and brain, is to know, perceive, conceive, and view the four elements, which are impermanent and not-self, as permanent and self. It is personality-belief to conceive and view the elements of hardness, etc., as the head, hair, teeth, skin, flesh, veins, bones and brain, not
understanding that they are merely elements. Hardness is just the earth element. It is not the head, hair, skin, flesh, muscles, bones, nor the brain. Cohesion is just the water element of cohesion or liquidity.
Heat and cold are the fire element, and support and motion are the air element. They are not the head, hair, teeth, skin, flesh, muscles, nor brain. Ultimately, there is no such thing as the head, hair, teeth, skin, flesh, muscles, bones and brain. Such understanding is called Right Understanding. (Personality-belief
and the Right Understanding are also applicable to the remaining parts of the body.) To think out ways and means to understand these four elements is Right Thought. Right Understanding may he compared to an arrow, and Right Thought to the hand that aims at the target with an arrow. This is the
brief exposition of how to establish Right Understanding and Right Thought, which are the two path factors of wisdom. For a more detailed explanation, see the Vijjā Magga Dīpanī and Bhāvanā Dīpanī written by me. When the two path factors of wisdom have been
established by thinking and meditating deeply on the incessant arising and vanishings of the four elements all over the body, and eye-consciousness, etc., just like the small bubbles in a pot of boiling water, and when the characteristics of impermanence and not-self have been successfully realised, one must try to maintain this realisation throughout one’s life, so that the insight knowledges may be achieved successively. Labourers should practise the contemplation on the arisings and
vanishings of psycho-physical elements in all parts of the body, as they do their work. By repeated and persistent practice of that meditation the knowledge of the arising and dissolution of the elements permeates the whole body. The first stage of
Personality-belief in regard to the whole body disappears. The first stage of Personality-belief which has accompanied one’s life-continuum throughout the beginningless round of rebirths is completely extinguished. The whole body is thus transformed into the realm of Right View. The ten evil actions are totally destroyed and the ten good actions are firmly installed. The round of rebirth in the four lower realms becomes completely extinct. Only rebirths in the higher realms as men, devas and Brahmās, remain. That person reaches the stage of a ‘Bon-sin-san’ Noble One. (This is the full explanation of the practice of the Noble Eightfold Path comprising the three factors of the
Morality-group, the three factors of the Concentration-group, and the two factors of the Wisdom-group of the Eightfold Path.) Here ends the exposition of Personality-belief in regard to the head, etc. How to Establish the Noble Eightfold PathProper and full observance of eight precepts with right livelihood as the eighth constitutes the practice of the path factors of morality — Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood. Mindfulness of the respiration constitutes the practice of the path factors of concentration — Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. Contemplation on the arising and dissolution of the four elements, and the six kinds of
consciousness, constitutes the practice of the path factors of wisdom — Right Understanding and Right Thought. According to the method of bare insight, tranquillity and insight are developed together. After observing the three path factors of
morality, the practice of the path factors of wisdom is undertaken. The three path factors of concentration accompany the two path factors of wisdom. These two groups are together called the “Pañcangikamagga” (the five factors of the path). These five form together with the three factors of morality, become the Noble Eightfold Path. As one practices like this, the mental restlessness disappears. However, this can be achieved only with great wisdom and strenuous effort. After Right View has become clear in respect of the whole body — whether in this existence or the next — it becomes clear, whenever one contemplates, that actually there are no such things as a person, an individual, a woman, a man, ‘me’, ‘him’,
nor any head, leg, or hair. When such knowledge arises, Personality-belief, which delusively regards the elements in the head as the head itself, disappears for ever. Whenever one contemplates, this Right View arises. When Right Understanding and
Right Thought, the two factors of the Wisdom-group of the Eightfold Path, have been established in the whole body, the three cycles of rebirth in the lower realms completely disappear forever. From that instant that person is completely liberated from the misery of the four lower realms. He or she has reached and is established in the first stage of the full extinction of defilements with the aggregates of existence still remaining. That is he or she has become a Stream-winner. However, as he
or she has yet to acquire the full knowledge of the unsatisfactoriness (dukkhalakkhana), some craving and conceit still remain, which make him or her seek delight in the pleasures of men, devas, and Brahmās. So he or she goes on enjoying those three kinds of pleasures as one who will be reborn in the higher planes of existence successively (which is the meaning of ‘Bon-sin-san’). This is the end of the brief exposition of how to establish the Noble Eightfold Path.
This is the end of A Manual of the Path Factors | 
