WISDOM ACADEMY Meditation in the Theravada Abhidhamma BHIKKHU BODHI Lesson 9: The Four Noble Persons Reading: Manual of Insight by Mahāsi Sayadaw “Reviewing Knowledge,” p. 419-445 Manual of Insight !!!!!!!!!!!m! Venerable Mahāsi Sayadaw Translated and Edited by the Vipassanā Mettā Foundation Translation Committee Forewords by Joseph Goldstein and Daniel Goleman Acquired at wisdompubs.org Wisdom Publications 199 Elm Street Somerville, MA 02144 USA wisdompubs.org © 2016 Vipassanā Mettā Foundation All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photography, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system or technologies now known or later developed, without permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Sobhana, Mahā caññ‘ Cha rā to‘ ’A rhaṅ‘, 1904–1982, author. Title: Manual of insight / Mahasi Sayadaw ; translated and edited by the Vipassanā Mettā Foundation Translation Committee. Other titles: Wịpạthạna shụ nī kyān. English Description: Somerville, MA : Wisdom Publications, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Translated from Burmese and Pali. Identifiers: LCCN 2015041172 (print) | LCCN 2016008923 (ebook) | ISBN 9781614292777 (hardback) | ISBN 1614292779 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781614292913 (Ebook) | ISBN 9781614292913 (ebook) | ISBN 1614292914 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Vipaśyanā (Buddhism) | BISAC: RELIGION / Buddhism / Rituals ISBN 978-1-61429-277-7 ebook ISBN 978-1-61429-291-3 20 19 18 17 16 5 4 3 2 1 Design by Gopa & Ted 2. Set in Diacritical Garamond 13.92/11.9. Acquired at wisdompubs.org stages of insight knowledge | 419 Reviewing Knowledge Five subjects to consider After a person has experienced nibbāna with path knowledge and fruition knowledge, first he or she reviews the path, fruition, and nibbāna that have been attained. Meditators with theoretical knowledge may further review which of the defilements have been abandoned and which have yet to be abandoned. This knowledge is called “reviewing knowledge” (paccavek- khaṇāñāṇa). According to the Abhidhammatthasaṅgaha: The isew person reviews the path, fruit, nibbāna, and he either reviews or does not review the defilements destroyed and the remaining defilements.651 The following three kinds of reviewing certainly always occur: reviewing the path, reviewing the fruit, and reviewing nibbāna. These two kinds of reviewing, however, may or may not occur: reviewing which defilements have been destroyed and reviewing which defilements still remain. It is not certain that these always occur. In other words they may occur only for those persons who have learned which path abandons which defilements. They may not occur for those who have no theoretical knowledge [about this matter]. In most of the important commentaries, it is also explained in this way. The fact that some of the reviewing knowledges may not occur is shown below with quotes from the Pāḷi text and the commentaries: “I have wondered, venerable sir, what state is still unabandoned by me internally, owing to which at times these states of greed, hate, and delusion invade my mind and remain.” “Mahānāma, there is still a state unabandoned by you inter- nally, owing to which at times states of greed, hate, and delusion invade your mind and remain.”652 According to the following commentary on this text, some noble per- sons only consider one or two of the five reflections: It is said that Mahānāma, who had reached the second path knowledge, thought that attachment, aversion, and delusion Acquired at wisdompubs.org 420 | manual of insight could be eradicated by the second path. However, he knew that they had not yet been abandoned from his mind. Therefore, he suspected that what had not been abandoned could recur later. Is it possible for a noble disciple to have this kind of uncer- tainty? Yes, it is. Why? Because he was not well versed in the teachings about which paths abandon which defilements. Does this mean that he did not experience the reviewing knowledge that reviews path, fruition, and so on? Of course not. However, the complete set of reviewing does not occur for all noble disciples. Some review only the mental defilements that have been abandoned. Some consider only the remain- ing defilements. Some consider only path, some only fruition, and others only nibbāna. Among the five possible subjects of reviewing one or two of them are reviewed for sure.653 It is interesting that, while most other commentaries unanimously agree that all noble beings review at least the three subjects of path, fruition, and nibbāna, this commentary says that a noble disciple might only review just one of the five subjects. It is impossible for an ordinary person to be sure whether or not some noble person only reviews one of the five subjects during reviewing knowledge. Only a very extraordinary person, who knew the ways of reflection of all noble persons in the Buddha’s dispensation, can be sure about this point. So the claim of this commentary is noteworthy. Abandonment of defilements651 I will now briefly explain the defilements that are abandoned by the four paths, so that you can become well versed in the teachings about them. The ten fetters Out of the ten mental fetters, five are abandoned by the first path: wrong view, doubt, adherence to rites and ceremonies (sīlabbatāparāmāsa), and sensual desire and aversion ( paṭigha) that are strong enough to result in lower rebirths. The gross forms of sensual desire and aversion are abandoned by the sec- ond path, and the subtle forms of sensual desire and aversion are abandoned by the third path. The remaining five fetters are Acquired at wisdompubs.org stages of insight knowledge | 421 abandoned by the fourth path: desire for fine-material existence (rūparāga), desire for immaterial existence (arūparāga), conceit, restlessness, and ignorance.655 The ten defilements Out of the ten defilements kilesā( ), wrong view and doubt are abandoned by the first path, hatred is abandoned by the third path, and greed, delusion, conceit, sloth, restlessness, moral shamelessness, and moral fearlessness are abandoned by the fourth path.656 Note that in the Pāḷi, the modifier “only” eva( ) does not appear in the above passage. Therefore it does not contradict the understanding that the forms of hatred that lead to lower rebirth and the gross forms of hatred are abandoned by the first and second stages of the path, respectively. Regard- ing the seven defilements abandoned by the fourth path, the forms of them that lead to lower rebirth are abandoned by the first path, their gross forms are abandoned by the second path, and their subtle forms are abandoned by the third path. The ten “wrongs” Out of the ten “wrongs,” wrong view, false speech (musāvāda), wrong action (micchākammanta), and wrong livelihood (micchā- ājīva) are abandoned by the first path. Wrong thought (micchāsaṅkappa), slanderous speech, and harsh speech are abandoned by the third path. Here, speech refers to the volition to engage in such talk. Frivolous speech,657 wrong effort mic( - chāvāyāma), wrong mindfulness (micchāsati), wrong concen- tration (micchāsamādhi), wrong deliverance (micchāvimutti), and wrong knowledge (micchāñāṇa) are abandoned by the fourth path.658 The Pāḷi wordvācā used in this passage literally means “speech.” How- ever, this does not mean that the physical voice is something to be elimi- nated with the stages of the path. In reality it is the volition that gives rise to these forms of unwholesome speech that are abandoned by the paths. Acquired at wisdompubs.org 422 | manual of insight Thus here only the unwholesome volition are referred to as wrong speech, slanderous speech, and harsh speech. Without volition these types of wrong speech rarely happen. This only occurs in a very few cases, such as that of the Venerable Pilindavaccha,659 a senior monk and arahant who was a fully enlightened being who often used harsh language without unwhole- some volition. So it is the volition that gives rise to unwholesome speech that is called “wrong speech.” Similarly the volition that gives rise to unwholesome action is called “wrong action,” and the volition that leads to unwholesome speech and action related to one’s livelihood is called “wrong livelihood.” The memory of worldly things, such as one’s family, previous sense pleasures, past quar- rels, and so on, is called “wrong mindfulness.” And the delusion that leads one to plan, to engage in, and to think about retrospectively unwholesome actions is called “wrong knowledge.” Thinking that one is free from defilements although one is not yet liber- ated from them, and assuming certain states to be enlightenment although these states are not free from defilement, is called “wrong deliverance.” In an ultimate sense, it is a type of desire. Thus its forms that can lead to lower rebirth are abandoned by the first path, while its gross and subtle forms are abandoned by the second and third paths, respectively. The wrong notion of deliverance that is due to desire for existence (bhavarāga) is only aban- doned by the fourth path. The nature of the remaining “wrongs” is obvious. The eight vicissitudes of life Out of the eight vicissitudes of life (lokadhamma), aversion [to the four disagreeable conditions] is abandoned by the third path, while delight [in the four agreeable conditions] is aban- doned by the fourth. However, some scholars assert that fame and praise are also abandoned by the third path.660 Some scholars also say that fame and praise are “abandoned by the fourth path” (catuttañāṇavajjho). But since this doesn’t differ in meaning from what had already been stated at the beginning of the passage, I con- sider “abandoned by the third path” (tatiyañāṇavajjho) to be the original and correct reading of the Pāḷi here.661 Acquired at wisdompubs.org stages of insight knowledge | 423 The five types of stinginess Stinginess is abandoned by the first path.662 There are five types of stinginessmacchariya ( ): stinginess regarding lodgings, supporters, friends, or relatives, gain, beauty, and knowledge.