5. Paṇihitaacchavaggo
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41. ‘‘Seyyathāpi , bhikkhave, sālisūkaṃ vā yavasūkaṃ vā micchāpaṇihitaṃ hatthena vā pādena vā akkantaṃ hatthaṃ vā pādaṃ vā bhecchati [bhijjissati (syā. kaṃ. ka.), bhejjati (sī.) moggallānabyākaraṇaṃ passitabbaṃ] lohitaṃ vā uppādessatīti netaṃ ṭhānaṃ vijjati. Taṃ kissa hetu? Micchāpaṇihitattā, bhikkhave, sūkassa. Evamevaṃ kho, bhikkhave, so vata bhikkhu micchāpaṇihitena cittena avijjaṃ bhecchati, vijjaṃ uppādessati, nibbānaṃ sacchikarissatīti netaṃ ṭhānaṃ vijjati. Taṃ kissa hetu? Micchāpaṇihitattā, bhikkhave, cittassā’’ti. Paṭhamaṃ.
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42. ‘‘Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, sālisūkaṃ vā yavasūkaṃ vā sammāpaṇihitaṃ hatthena vā pādena vā akkantaṃ hatthaṃ vā pādaṃ vā bhecchati lohitaṃ vā uppādessatīti ṭhānametaṃ vijjati. Taṃ kissa hetu? Sammāpaṇihitattā, bhikkhave, sūkassa. Evamevaṃ kho, bhikkhave, so vata bhikkhu sammāpaṇihitena cittena avijjaṃ bhecchati, vijjaṃ uppādessati, nibbānaṃ sacchikarissatīti ṭhānametaṃ vijjati. Taṃ kissa hetu? Sammāpaṇihitattā, bhikkhave, cittassā’’ti. Dutiyaṃ.
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43. ‘‘Idhāhaṃ [idāhaṃ (sī.)], bhikkhave, ekaccaṃ puggalaṃ paduṭṭhacittaṃ evaṃ cetasā ceto paricca pajānāmi – ‘imamhi ce ayaṃ samaye puggalo kālaṃ kareyya, yathābhataṃ nikkhitto evaṃ niraye’. Taṃ kissa hetu? Cittaṃ hissa , bhikkhave, paduṭṭhaṃ. ‘‘Cetopadosahetu pana, bhikkhave, evamidhekacce sattā kāyassa bhedā paraṃ maraṇā apāyaṃ duggatiṃ vinipātaṃ nirayaṃ upapajjantī’’ti. Tatiyaṃ.
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44. ‘‘Idhāhaṃ, bhikkhave, ekaccaṃ puggalaṃ pasannacittaṃ evaṃ cetasā ceto paricca pajānāmi – ‘imamhi ce ayaṃ samaye puggalo kālaṃ kareyya, yathābhataṃ nikkhitto evaṃ sagge’. Taṃ kissa hetu? Cittaṃ hissa, bhikkhave, pasannaṃ. ‘‘Cetopasādahetu pana, bhikkhave, evamidhekacce sattā kāyassa bhedā paraṃ maraṇā sugatiṃ saggaṃ lokaṃ upapajjantī’’ti. Catutthaṃ.
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45. ‘‘Seyyathāpi , bhikkhave, udakarahado āvilo luḷito kalalībhūto tattha cakkhumā puriso tīre ṭhito na passeyya sippisambukampi [sippikasambukampi (ka.)] sakkharakaṭhalampi macchagumbampi carantampi tiṭṭhantampi. Taṃ kissa hetu? Āvilattā, bhikkhave, udakassa. Evamevaṃ kho, bhikkhave, so vata bhikkhu āvilena cittena attatthaṃ vā ñassati paratthaṃ vā ñassati ubhayatthaṃ vā ñassati uttariṃ vā manussadhammā alamariyañāṇadassanavisesaṃ sacchikarissatīti netaṃ ṭhānaṃ vijjati. Taṃ kissa hetu? Āvilattā, bhikkhave, cittassā’’ti. Pañcamaṃ.
| 45. "Suppose there were a pool of water — sullied, turbid, and muddy. A man with good eyesight standing there on the bank would not see shells, gravel, and pebbles, or shoals of fish swimming about and resting. Why is that? Because of the sullied nature of the water. In the same way, that a monk with a sullied mind would know his own benefit, the benefit of others, the benefit of both; that he would realize a superior human state, a truly noble distinction of knowledge & vision: Such a thing is impossible. Why is that? Because of the sullied nature of his mind."
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46. ‘‘Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, udakarahado accho vippasanno anāvilo tattha cakkhumā puriso tīre ṭhito passeyya sippisambukampi sakkharakaṭhalampi macchagumbampi carantampi tiṭṭhantampi. Taṃ kissa hetu? Anāvilattā, bhikkhave, udakassa. Evamevaṃ kho, bhikkhave, so vata bhikkhu anāvilena cittena attatthaṃ vā ñassati paratthaṃ vā ñassati ubhayatthaṃ vā ñassati uttariṃ vā manussadhammā alamariyañāṇadassanavisesaṃ sacchikarissatīti ṭhānametaṃ vijjati. Taṃ kissa hetu? Anāvilattā, bhikkhave, cittassā’’ti. Chaṭṭhaṃ.
| 46."Suppose there were a pool of water — clear, limpid, and unsullied. A man with good eyesight standing there on the bank would see shells, gravel, & pebbles, and also shoals of fish swimming about and resting. Why is that? Because of the unsullied nature of the water. In the same way, that a monk with an unsullied mind would know his own benefit, the benefit of others, the benefit of both; that he would realize a superior human state, a truly noble distinction of knowledge & vision: Such a thing is possible. Why is that? Because of the unsullied nature of his mind."
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47. ‘‘Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, yāni kānici rukkhajātānaṃ phandano tesaṃ aggamakkhāyati yadidaṃ mudutāya ceva kammaññatāya ca. Evamevaṃ kho ahaṃ, bhikkhave , nāññaṃ ekadhammampi samanupassāmi yaṃ evaṃ bhāvitaṃ bahulīkataṃ mudu ca hoti kammaññañca yathayidaṃ cittaṃ. Cittaṃ, bhikkhave, bhāvitaṃ bahulīkataṃ mudu ca hoti kammaññañca hotī’’ti. Sattamaṃ.
| 47."Just as, of all trees, the balsam is foremost in terms of softness and pliancy, in the same way I don't envision a single thing that, when developed & cultivated, is as soft & pliant as the mind. The mind, when developed & cultivated, is soft & pliant."
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48. ‘‘Nāhaṃ , bhikkhave, aññaṃ ekadhammampi samanupassāmi yaṃ evaṃ lahuparivattaṃ yathayidaṃ cittaṃ. Yāvañcidaṃ, bhikkhave, upamāpi na sukarā yāva lahuparivattaṃ citta’’nti. Aṭṭhamaṃ.
| 48."I don't envision a single thing that is as quick to reverse itself as the mind — so much so that there is no feasible simile for how quick to reverse itself it is."
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49. ‘‘Pabhassaramidaṃ, bhikkhave, cittaṃ. Tañca kho āgantukehi upakkilesehi upakkiliṭṭha’’nti. Navamaṃ.
| 49. "Luminous, monks, is the mind.[1] And it is defiled by incoming defilements."
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50. ‘‘Pabhassaramidaṃ, bhikkhave, cittaṃ. Tañca kho āgantukehi upakkilesehi vippamutta’’nti. Dasamaṃ.
| 50."Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is freed from incoming defilements."
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Paṇihitaacchavaggo pañcamo.
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1. This statement has engendered a great deal of controversy over the centuries. The commentary maintains that "mind" here refers to the bhavanga-citta, the momentary mental state between periods when the mental stream adverts to objects, but this statement raises more questions than it answers. There is no reference to the bhavanga-citta or the mental stream in any of the suttas (they appear first in an Abhidhamma treatise, the Patthana); and because the commentaries compare the bhavanga-citta to deep sleep, why is it called luminous? And why would the perception of its luminosity be a prerequisite for developing the mind? And further, if "mind" in this discourse means bhavanga-citta, what would it mean to develop the bhavanga-citta?
Another interpretation equates the luminosity of the mind with the "consciousness without feature," described as "luminous" in MN 49 and DN 11, but this interpretation also has problems. According to MN 49, that consciousness partakes of nothing in the describable world, not even the "Allness of the All," so how could it possibly be defiled? And, because it is not realized until the goal of the practice is reached, why would the perception of its luminosity be a prerequisite for developing the mind? And again, if "mind" here means consciousness without feature, how could the sutta talk of its development?
A more reasonable approach to understanding the statement can be derived from taking it in context: the luminous mind is the mind that the meditator is trying to develop. To perceive its luminosity means understanding that defilements such as greed, aversion, or delusion are not intrinsic to its nature, are not a necessary part of awareness. Without this understanding, it would be impossible to practice. With this understanding, however, one can make an effort to cut away existing defilements, leaving the mind in the stage that MN 24 calls "purity in terms of mind." This would correspond to the luminous level of concentration described in the standard simile for the fourth jhana: "And furthermore, with the abandoning of pleasure & pain — as with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress — he enters & remains in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither-pleasure-nor-pain. He sits, permeating the body with a pure, bright awareness. Just as if a man were sitting covered from head to foot with a white cloth so that there would be no part of his body to which the white cloth did not extend; even so, the monk sits, permeating the body with a pure, bright awareness. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by pure, bright awareness." From this state it is possible to develop the discernment that not only cuts away existing defilements but also uproots any potential for them to ever arise again. Only in the stages of Awakening that follow on those acts of discernment would "consciousness without feature" be realized.