The Vipaśyanā Method

Vipaśyanā is fourfold.

What four?

A monk investigates phenomena, investigates closely, deliberates, and engages in thorough examination — taking inward calm-abiding as his support.

How does he investigate?

He investigates the purifying-conduct object, the skill object, or the defilement-purifying object — under the aspect of 'as far as it goes,' and 'as it actually is.' He investigates closely by way of conceptual attention joined with discernment. Making it the basis, he deliberates, considers, and engages in thorough examination.

This vipaśyanā should be known as having three gateways and six investigation-subjects.

What are the three gateways?

Vipaśyanā that follows the sign alone; vipaśyanā that follows seeking and what has been sought; vipaśyanā that follows reviewing. Following the sign alone: when, by what he has heard and grasped, he attends to the dharma of instruction with unconcentrated attention. He does not think it through, weigh it, or examine it. This is vipaśyanā following the sign alone. When he then thinks it through, weighs it, examines it, then it is vipaśyanā following seeking. When, having weighed and examined, he then reviews the conclusions just as established, then it is vipaśyanā following reviewing. This is the threefold-gateway vipaśyanā.

What are the six investigation-subjects?

While seeking, he seeks six things: meaning, substance, characteristic, side, time, and reasoning. Having sought these, he reviews them.

How does he seek meaning?

'The meaning of this teaching is this; the meaning of this teaching is that' — thus he seeks meaning.

How does he seek substance?

Substance is twofold: inward and outward. Thus he seeks substance.

How does he seek characteristic?

Twofold: specific characteristic and general characteristic. Thus he seeks characteristic.

How does he seek side?

Side is twofold: dark side and bright side. The dark side is investigated as fault, as danger. The bright side as quality and benefit. Thus he seeks side.

How does he seek time?

There are three times: past, future, present. 'Thus it was in the past time.' 'Thus it will be', 'in the future time.' 'Thus it is now,' 'in the present time' — so he seeks time.

How does he seek reasoning?

There are four reasonings: dependence-reasoning, cause-and-effect reasoning, proof-establishing reasoning, and nature-of-things reasoning. By dependence-reasoning he investigates the conventional as conventional, the ultimate as ultimate, and the causal-condition as causal-condition. Thus he seeks. By cause-and-effect reasoning he investigates the function of phenomena: 'This is the dharma; this is its function; this is its function.' By proof-establishing reasoning he investigates by means of the three pramāṇas (valid means of knowing): trustworthy testimony, inference, and direct perception.

'Is there a self?

Is there a self here, or not? Is it apprehended by direct perception, or not? Is it established by inference, or not?' By nature-of-things reasoning he resolves upon the such-actuality [tathābhūtatā] of phenomena, the established nature of things, the unthinkable nature of things, the abiding nature of things — he does not further think it through, does not further discriminate. Thus he seeks reasoning.

This is the vipaśyanā with the six investigation-subjects and three gateways, in summary. By this, all vipaśyanā is comprehended.

Why are six divisions established?

It is said: Three kinds of comprehension are intended: comprehension of the meaning of what is taught; comprehension of 'as far as it goes' of the substance; and comprehension of 'as it actually is.' The investigation of meaning yields comprehension of what is taught. The investigation of substance and the investigation of specific characteristic together yield comprehension of how far the substance extends. The investigation of general characteristic, of side, of time and reasoning together yield comprehension of how things actually are. This much is to be known by the practitioner: namely, the meaning of what is taught; and the yāvad-bhāvikatā of the substance to be known, and the yathāvad-bhāvikatā.

The practitioner engaged in unattractiveness investigates the six investigation-subjects. It is said: Taking what he has heard and grasped about unattractiveness as governing, with attention grounded in the concentrated plane, he comprehends the meaning thus: 'This is unattractive: counterfeit, repugnant, foul-smelling, rank.' By such aspects [there is] comprehension of the meaning of the unattractiveness-teaching previously heard. Thus he investigates the meaning by way of unattractiveness.

How does he investigate the substance?

Comprehending the meaning, he sees this unattractiveness as established in two locations: inwardly and outwardly.

How does he investigate the specific characteristic?

Inwardly, he resolves on the inherent impurity within the body: 'There exist in this body: hair of the head, body hair, nails, teeth, dust, dirt, skin, flesh, bone, sinew, vein, kidneys, heart, spleen, lungs, intestines, mesentery, stomach contents, bowel contents, urine, feces, tears, sweat, saliva, mucus, fat, lymph, marrow, grease, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, brain, cranial fluid, urine.' He further resolves that this multifold inward-body impurity is comprised by two elements: the earth element and the water element. From hair-of-head and body-hair through liver and feces — this he resolves as the earth element. From [Damaged/Conjectural: tears and sweat] through urine — this he resolves as the water element.

Outwardly, he resolves on the repulsiveness as found outside the body, by way of aspects beginning with the discolored. He resolves on the discolored: a corpse he has himself seen, or heard described, or imagined — of a woman, a man, a friend, an enemy, or one indifferent to him; low, middling, or excellent; young, middle-aged, or elderly. Taking the sign, he resolves on a corpse one day dead, blood having clotted, just turning to pus — as the discolored. A corpse two days dead, fully turned to pus, before worms have arisen — as the festering. [A body] dead seven days, with worms arisen, swollen and decomposing-and-bursting — he resolves [on it as such]. A corpse being eaten by crows, vultures, dogs, jackals — as the gnawed. A corpse with skin, flesh, and blood gone, only sinews holding the bones together — as the bloody-skeletal. When the limbs have been scattered in different directions and pulled apart — bones with flesh, bones without flesh, bones with little flesh remaining — as the dispersed.

[He resolves] hand-bones separately, foot-bones separately, knee-bones separately, thigh-bones, upper-arm-bones, forearm-bones; the spine and backbone; the jaw, the row of teeth in the middle; [and] the skull — having seen [these], he resolves on the other bones as well. Then, when he attends to [it] as a connected, unbroken bone-frame (arikṣa-karaṅka) — he becomes a mere sign-grasper, not a detail-grasper in its limbs and sub-limbs. In this mode he resolves on the skeleton (śaṅkalikā). But when he becomes a detail-grasper, then he resolves on the bone-skeleton (asthi-śaṅkalikā). Furthermore, there are two skeletons: the body-skeleton and the limb-skeleton. The body-skeleton runs from the pelvis up the spine to where the skull rests. The limb-skeleton is the connected arm-bones and thigh-and-leg bones. The body-skeleton is properly called the śaṅkalikā; the limb-skeleton is called the asthi-śaṅkalikā (bone-skeleton). Furthermore, two skeleton-signs may be taken: the actually-existing skeleton, or the not-actually-existing skeleton, made as a painting or from stone, wood, or grass. He attends to the sign; [when he attends to the not-actually-existing,] he resolves only on the śaṅkalikā, not on the asthi-śaṅkalikā. When he attends to the sign of the actually-existing skeleton, he resolves on the asthi-śaṅkalikā.

This outward color-form has three kinds of change: change-by-its-own-nature, change-by-another, and change of both kinds. From the discolored through the swollen — that is change-by-its-own-nature. From the gnawed through the dispersed — that is change-by-another. The bones and the skeleton — that is change of both kinds. One who thus knows directly the outward repulsiveness in this aspect investigates the specific characteristic of outward repulsiveness in just this aspect.

How does he investigate the general characteristic of unattractiveness?

Just as inwardly the body's color-form is unaltered unattractive-color [in some respects] and outwardly the body's color-form is altered unattractive-color [in others], he resolves that they share the same nature and the same property: 'This unaltered color-form is also of this nature.' Whatever beings possess this fair color-form — they too have it of just this nature, of the kind belonging to outward repulsiveness.

How does he investigate the side?

It occurs to him: 'If, with regard to this fair color-form, I do not know this unattractiveness as it actually is,' 'whether inwardly or outwardly, and should generate craving for fair color-form, that is mere perversion, gathered into the dark side.' 'It is a state from which there is escape, but one bound up with suffering, affliction, calamity, and burning.' 'From this arise, in time to come, birth, aging, illness, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, dejection, and distress.' 'Whereas the seeing-as-it-is of the unattractiveness-nature within fair color-form is the bright side.' 'This dharma is without suffering, without affliction; from this, the sufferings caused by that, through distress, cease.' 'Therefore, what is the dark-side condition is not to be tolerated; it is to be abandoned, purified.' 'The bright-side, when not arisen, is to be aroused;' 'when arisen, its abiding, growth, abundance, and amplitude are to be made.' Thus he investigates the side.

How does he investigate time?

It occurs to him: 'This inward fair color-form is so taking the present time. This outward repulsive color-form is also so taking the present time.' 'Taking the past time, however,' '[the outward repulsive one] was a fair color-form.' 'As that was — taking past time — fair, just as I am now', 'taking present time,' 'so by progression, taking present time, [the present fair one] has become repulsive. This fair color-form of mine, taking present time, is unattractive.' 'It will not, in time-to-come, not be repulsive —' 'there is no such case.' 'As is this outward [body], so is mine taking present time.' Thus through past, future, and present times: 'this body of mine is of such a nature, has been such, will be such, and does not transcend this nature.' Thus he investigates time.

How does he investigate reasoning?

It occurs to him: 'There is no self, no being, inward or outward, that could be either fair or unattractive.' 'Rather, this is mere form — [Damaged/Conjectural: mere body] — wherein this notion, this designation, this convention is applied': 'fair' or 'unattractive.' 'Furthermore: vital force, heat, and consciousness —' 'when these abandon the body,' 'then it lies cast off like an unconscious log.' 'Of this dead one, by stages, these altered states are to be known:' 'the discolored through the bone-skeleton stages. This body of mine —' 'shot through with previous karma and defilements,' 'born from the impurities of mother and father, accumulated by gruel and barley —' 'by what cause, by what condition, is this present-time fair color-form known as fair?' 'But the inward body is at all times, both inwardly and outwardly, unattractive.' Thus by way of the conventional, the ultimate, and the causal, he investigates dependence-reasoning.

It occurs to him: 'This unattractiveness, thus practiced, cultivated, made much of, conduces to the abandonment of sensual craving.' 'And sensual craving is to be abandoned.' Thus he investigates by cause-and-effect reasoning. It occurs to him: 'It has been spoken by the Blessed One: Unattractiveness practiced, cultivated, made much of, conduces to the abandonment of sensual craving. This, for me, is the trustworthy testimony.' 'Direct knowing-and-seeing arises in me also:' 'as I, however much, cultivate unattractiveness and attend to it,' 'thus the obsession of sensual craving — when not arisen — does not arise;' 'when arisen, it goes away.' 'There is also this consequential principle:' 'How could, when one attends to the opposing dharma,' 'defilement arise through that opposing object?' Thus he investigates by proof-establishing reasoning. It occurs to him: 'This is an established nature-of-things, an unthinkable nature-of-things:' 'that unattractiveness-cultivation is the antidote for abandoning sensual craving.' 'This is to be considered,' 'not further discriminated,' 'but resolved upon.' Thus by nature-of-things reasoning he investigates unattractiveness. This is the threefold-gateway, six-investigation-subject vipaśyanā of one engaged in unattractiveness.

How does the practitioner engaged in lovingkindness investigate the six investigation-subjects?

Taking the lovingkindness-teaching as governing, comprehending the meaning of 'lovingkindness — characterized by the resolve to bring happiness to all, established in benefit-and-happiness-aspiration' — he investigates the meaning.

He, comprehending the meaning, investigates closely: 'This is the friend-side; this is the enemy-side; this is the neutral-side.' 'All these sides, falling within the continuum of others, are outward substance' — so he resolves. Or: friend-side as inward, enemy-and-neutral-side as outward. Thus he investigates lovingkindness in the substance.

He investigates closely: 'These three sides — neither suffering nor happy,' 'desiring happiness — let them be happy.' Among these: the friend is characterized by helpfulness; the enemy by harmfulness; the neutral-side by neither. Among those who are neither suffering nor happy and who desire happiness, three kinds of happiness-desire are known: some desire sensual happiness; some desire form-realm happiness with rapture; some desire form-realm happiness without rapture. Of those who are afflicted by sensual happiness: 'let them be happy with blameless [happiness].' Likewise of those wishing rapture-happiness or rapture-less happiness. Thus by way of specific characteristic he investigates lovingkindness.

He investigates closely: 'Of friend, enemy, and neutral,' 'equanimity-of-mind is to be made by me,' 'equality-of-mind.' 'Why?' 'With the friend, bringing happiness is not difficult for me —' 'bringing happiness.' 'And the neutral-side —' 'with that also, not very difficult for me.' 'But the enemy-side —' 'with that, most difficult.' 'So bringing happiness is to be made by me here above all.' 'What need to speak of —' 'the friend-side or neutral-side?' 'Why?' 'In this case, no one actually scolds or is scolded,' 'angers or is angered,' 'abuses or is abused,' 'beats or is beaten —' 'apart from these letters of speech that resound.' 'They are mere sounds, mere [Damaged/Conjectural: syllables]. And this body, of form, gross, made of the four great elements — it is here that such contacts come to me, [I] standing here:' 'namely, contacts of speech,' 'contacts of hand, clod, stick, weapon. This body of mine —' 'is impermanent; these contacts that harm — these too are impermanent.' 'Moreover:' 'all beings are subject to birth, aging, illness, death; by their very nature they suffer. It would be unbecoming for me,' 'if to beings already naturally suffering, I should bring further suffering rather than happiness — that would be like an enemy acting on a friend, since these beings already do this to themselves.'

Furthermore, it has been spoken by the Blessed One: 'I do not see any easily-found being' 'who, in this long course of saṁsāra, has not been my mother, father, brother, sister, teacher, preceptor, or one in the position of a guru.' Thus by this consideration also: the enemy-side is enemy-side only as a designation. There is no fixed essence here — friend-or-enemy-being. The friend, by the passage of time, becomes the enemy; the enemy too becomes the friend. [Damaged/Conjectural]: Therefore equanimity-of-mind toward all beings, the view of equality, is to be made; an equal benefit-aspiration, happiness-aspiration, happiness-bringing — the resolve to bring happiness. Thus by way of general characteristic he investigates lovingkindness.

He investigates closely: 'Whatever ill-will arises in me toward harm-doing beings — that is the death-nature' — extended at length as before. 'And whatever non-ill-will is now present — that is the deathless-nature' — extended at length as before. Thus he investigates the dark-and-bright sides of lovingkindness.

He investigates closely: 'Those happiness-desiring beings, taking past time — they have passed away. To whom shall we now bring happiness?' 'But those beings of present time — taking present time,' 'taking future time — let them be at all times happy.' Thus he investigates the time of lovingkindness.

He investigates closely: 'There is no self, no being, who would be the desirer-of-happiness,' 'or to whom happiness would be brought.' 'Rather, this is mere aggregate, mere formations, wherein this notion, designation, convention is applied.' 'And these formations are caused by karma and kleśa.' Thus by dependence-reasoning he investigates lovingkindness. 'It is an established nature-of-things, an unthinkable nature-of-things, that lovingkindness-cultivation conduces to the abandonment of ill-will.' Thus by nature-of-things reasoning he investigates lovingkindness.

How does he investigate the meaning, when engaged in vipaśyanā on the object of idaṁ-pratyayatā pratītyasamutpāda (this-conditionality / dependent-origination)?

Making that-governing dharma adhipati [authoritative], he investigates: 'From the arising of those-and-those dharmas, these-and-these dharmas arise; from the ceasing of those-and-those dharmas, these-and-these dharmas cease.' 'There is no dharma-possessor here — no ruler, no agent, no creator, no fashioner of dharmas; not primal nature, not a transcendent person, the propellant of dharmas.' Thus, as one discerning the meaning, he investigates the meaning. Again and again he investigates. [Namely:] the twelve members of becoming. He resolves [them] internally and externally. Thus he investigates the substance. He again investigates: 'Ignorance is the not-knowing of the prior limit,' and so on in detail as in the Pratītyasamutpāda-vibhaṅga. Thus he investigates the own-characteristic. Again he investigates: 'Thus all these dependently-arisen formations — by becoming-after-not-being, and by passing-away after coming-to-be, in succession — are impermanent, by reason of their being subject to birth, aging, sickness, death; painful, by reason of their non-autonomy; empty, by reason of no inward person being found; and non-self.' And he investigates their general-characteristic. Again he investigates: 'Whoever, regarding these impermanent, painful, empty, non-self formations, is bewildered against the reality — this dharma of his is the dark-side, [bound for] death; [whoever is] not bewildered — this is the bright-side,' and so on in detail. Thus he investigates the side [dark/bright]. He again investigates: 'There is action; there is its result; but the agent is not found — as one who would be the agent or experiencer, [the agent exists] only as dharma-convention; with respect to those very ignorance-conditioned formations, up through birth-conditioned aging-and-death, [terms like] perception, designation, convention, agent, experiencer — likewise such-a-name, such-a-birth, such-a-clan, such-a-food, such-an-experiencer-of-pleasure-and-pain, such-long-lived, such-long-enduring, such an end of life — [are all conventional].' Moreover, this result is twofold; the cause is twofold: the individual-existence-result and the object-enjoyment-result. The propellant cause and the actualizing cause. Of these, the individual-existence-result is what is born of maturation — the six sense-bases; the object-enjoyment-result is the desired-or-undesired action-governed feeling that arises from the six contacts. Of these, the propellant cause for the twofold result is preceded by [either] confusion-and-non-confusion — meritorious, demeritorious, and imperturbable — and is conjoined with formations; [it is] the seed for the arising of the sprout-consciousness of further becoming, conjoined with consciousness, [namely] the seed of name-and-form of further becoming, the seed of the six sense-bases, the seed of contact-and-feeling. For the future arising of what bear the name of birth — consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense-bases, contact, feeling — [there is] in sequence the prior seed-taking. This is the propellant cause. Now, experiencing the feeling born of ignorance-contact, with that-as-object he generates craving — craving for further becoming. Clinging, of the craving-side and of the delusion-side, he takes hold. By whose force, by whose presence, that action becomes capable of yielding maturation — this is the actualizing cause. Making these two kinds of cause [his] adhipati, [he sees]: 'Thus arises the entire mass of suffering — characterized by the threefold suffering.' Thus by dependence-reasoning he investigates. 'This idaṁ-pratyayatā pratītyasamutpāda, frequented and cultivated, conduces to the abandonment of delusion; this is the prescription from trustworthy testimony, and the prescription from direct cognition; this is the established nature-of-things.' Thus he investigates by cause-and-effect reasoning, by establishment-of-arising reasoning, and by nature-of-things reasoning.

How does he investigate the meaning, when engaged in vipaśyanā on the object of dhātuprabheda (the distinction of elements)?

[Investigating] the meaning of gotra [lineage], the meaning of dhātu [element], the meaning of saṁjñā [designation], the meaning of hetu [cause], the meaning of prakṛti [nature] — thus as one discerning the meaning, he investigates the meaning. Resolving the six elements beginning with earth, internally and externally, he investigates the substance. Earth is hardness-characterized; [and so on] up through wind which is impulsion-characterized; consciousness which is knowing-characterized; and the space-element which is hollowness-characterized, formless, untouchable. Thus he investigates the own-characteristic. All these elements are alike in being impermanent, up through being non-self. Thus he investigates the general-characteristic. 'Whoever, conceiving a lump [as unitary], does not know the variety of elements — with this body of varied elements [thinking] in self-conceit: this dharma is death's, the dark-side; conversely, [non-self-conceit] is the bright-side.' Thus he investigates the side. In past, future, and present times, depending on the six elements, the embryo's descent into the mother's womb occurs. Thus he investigates the time. Just as, depending on grass or wood, space enclosed [by them] comes to be called 'house' — likewise, taking up the six elements, depending on bones and sinews, skin, flesh, and blood [with] space enclosed [by them], 'body, body' arises as designation, convention, language. ['Body, body' is just convention]. And ancient karma-defilements together with their own seed are the cause of these [bodily phenomena]. Thus by dependence-reasoning he investigates. 'Dhātuprabheda, frequented and cultivated, conduces to the abandonment of conceit and sloth; this is from trustworthy testimony, from direct knowledge, the prescription [also] by inference, the established nature-of-things, the unthinkable nature-of-things.' Thus he investigates by cause-and-effect reasoning, by establishment-of-arising reasoning, and by nature-of-things reasoning.

How does he investigate the meaning when engaged on the object-cluster of ānāpānasmṛti (mindfulness of breathing)?

Mindfulness whose object is bound to in-breath and out-breath — that non-forgetfulness, articulated awareness, of the mind — is ānāpānasmṛti. Thus he investigates. [The breath] is observed internally. In-breaths and out-breaths, by being bound to the body, are reckoned as belonging to the external sense-base [of touch]. Thus he investigates the substance. There are two breaths: the wind that enters — that is the in-breath; and the wind that goes out — that is the out-breath. 'These long in-and-out-breaths, these short ones — I experience them with the whole body.' Thus he investigates the own-characteristic. When the in-breath has ceased, the out-breath arises; when the out-breath has ceased, the in-breath [arises]. [They are] bound up with the rising-and-falling of in-and-out-breath; and the body together with consciousness is constituted by the life-faculty. Thus he investigates the general-characteristic: 'in-breaths-and-out-breaths are impermanent.' Of one whose mindfulness on in-and-out-breath is not established, whatever agitation of the mind is produced by vitarka — this dharma is death's, the dark-side; conversely, [the dharma of one whose mindfulness is established] is the bright-side. Thus, in detail, he investigates the side. In past, future, and present times, the body is bound to in-and-out-breath; mind-and-body is bound, and so are the in-and-out-breaths. Thus he investigates the time. [There is] no one elsewhere who breathes in or out — these are his in-breaths and out-breaths. Rather, in cause-arisen, dependently-arisen formations, this designation [is applied] — as designation, convention, language. Thus by dependence-reasoning he investigates. 'Ānāpānasmṛti, frequented and cultivated, conduces to the cutting-off of vitarka; this is from trustworthy testimony, following from direct knowledge — [also] a prescription, the established nature-of-things, the unthinkable nature-of-things.' Thus he investigates by cause-and-effect reasoning, by establishment-of-arising reasoning, and by nature-of-things reasoning.

Thus, having investigated the six substances with the temperament-matching object, while again and again calming the inward mind, he again and again investigates that same [object], as it has been investigated, by the modes of vipaśyanā. For him, vipaśyanā purifies on the basis of śamatha. And on the basis of vipaśyanā, śamatha reaches abundance, amplitude. Vipaśyanā [is treated similarly] in the case of the skill-object and the defilement-purifying object. I will speak of the working-with-six-substances later, in its own place.

There, engagement [prayoga] is ninefold, bright-side-comprised; and the inverse — ninefold, dark-side-comprised — is also to be known by the yogī. Namely: conformable engagement, practiced engagement, unperverted engagement, non-slack engagement, time-engagement, observation engagement, dissatisfaction engagement, undisturbing engagement, and right engagement. By this ninefold bright-side-comprised [engagement], the mind is concentrated swiftly, swiftly. And it advances toward the distinction of concentration. Whatever stage is to be traversed by it, attained by it — that is reached lightly, very lightly, without languishing. By the dark-side-comprised ninefold engagements, the mind is not concentrated swiftly, swiftly. Nor does it advance toward the distinction of concentration. Whatever stage is to be traversed, to be attained — there [the practitioner] languishes in going.

What, then, is conformable engagement?

If [the practitioner] is lust-conducted, he binds the mind to aśubhā (unattractiveness); the hatred-conducted [binds it to] maitrī; up through the vitarka-conducted [to] ānāpāna-smṛti; the balanced-conduct one, lightly-dusted, [binds it to] whatever object has easy uptake (priyārohatā) for him. He engages with that [object]. This is conformable engagement.

What is practiced engagement?

[That in which] practice has been done by him such that he is not entirely a beginner — at the very least, [he is] limited [in scope, but not] in every respect a beginner. For one who is a beginner, even when engaged in the conformable object, the hindrances [recur] not infrequently. And [there is] bodily and mental dauṣṭhulya, by which his mind too is hardly concentrated. This is practiced engagement.

What, then, is non-slack engagement?

He is one engaged continuously, and one engaged respectfully. If he rises from concentration — whether for alms-food, or to attend on a respected teacher, or for the sake of attending a sick person, or for a duty of respect, or any such matter — he does all of this with the mind inclining toward [the meditation], leaning toward it, set toward it, carrying it as a burden. And having done [the duty] lightly, very lightly, having completed it, he engages again [in meditation]. If, by appointment, going to seclusion, he meets with a gathering of monks, nuns, lay-followers, kṣatriyas, brāhmaṇas, he does not pass much time in association. He converses moderately. He does not give rise to lengthy speech. He does not withdraw [from his purpose] otherwise. Thus he is one whose energy is begun-anew. 'Today indeed I shall attain what is to be attained!' Why so? 'Many are my conditions for death — wind in me might trouble, or bile, or phlegm; food might disagree, by which cholera might settle in my body. Or a snake might bite me; a scorpion or centipede; or fear from a human.' These conditions he does not [forget] at any time; he abides heedfully. Thus heedfully he abides. 'Even if I should live seven days, six, five, four, three, two, one day, a watch, a half-watch, an hour, a half-hour — ah, may I live so long as I enjoy alms-food; so long as, having breathed in, I breathe out; and so long as I live, may I undertake yoga in the Teacher's dispensation by yoga and attention. What much-business is for me in this — namely, in the Teacher's dispensation?' This is non-slack engagement.

What, then, is unperverted engagement?

From time to time he cultivates the sign-of-śamatha, the sign-of-pragraha (lifting up), the sign-of-upekṣā (equanimity). He knows śamatha, the sign of śamatha, and the time of śamatha; [likewise] vipaśyanā, the sign of vipaśyanā, the time of vipaśyanā; pragraha, the sign of pragraha, the time of pragraha; upekṣā, the sign of upekṣā, the time of upekṣā. There, śamatha is the ninefold mental abiding. And the mind there is signless, conception-less, calm, very calm, abiding in calm, undivided — hence it is called śamatha. There, the sign of śamatha is twofold: the object-sign, and the basis-sign. The image conformable to the knowable substance is the object-sign — by means of that object he calms the mind, and in a mind well-cultivated by śamatha, [the cultivation is] for the further purification of śamatha. Whatever engages in vipaśyanā — this is the basis-sign. What is the time of śamatha? Answer: when the mind is agitated or suspected of agitation upward — that is the time for cultivating śamatha. Likewise when the mind is well-cultivated by vipaśyanā [and is] afflicted by distraction in what is to be done — that is the time for cultivating śamatha. There, vipaśyanā has four modes, three doors, and is the investigation of objects subdivided into six substances.

There, the sign of vipaśyanā is twofold: the object-sign and the basis-sign. Among these, the object-sign — the sign of vipaśyanā [on] the śamatha-side — is the image conformable to the knowable substance, the object-sign, by which object he investigates wisdom. There, the basis-sign: in a mind well-cultivated by vipaśyanā, [the cultivation is] for the further purification of vipaśyanā — this is mind's union with the śamatha-image. There, the time of vipaśyanā: when the mind is well-cultivated by śamatha, and from the very beginning for the realization-as-it-is of the knowable substance — that is the time for cultivating vipaśyanā.

What, there, is pragraha (lifting up)?

Whatever — by some pleasing object taken up — is the gladdening, showing-forth, encouraging of the mind. There, the sign-of-pragraha: by which pleasing object as sign the mind is lifted; the beginning of energy is conformable [to it]; there, the time-of-pragraha: when the mind is slack or suspected of being slack — that is the time for cultivating pragraha.

What, there, is upekṣā (equanimity)?

Whatever mental evenness toward the object, in an undefiled mind, on the śamatha-vipaśyanā side; the unforced self-carrying [of the mind]; the workability of a workable mind, the non-applying of the mind, the act of effortlessness. There, the sign-of-upekṣā: that object with which the mind regards [things] with equanimity; and the not-counter-acting of the surge of energy in that very object. There, the time-of-upekṣā: when the mind is free from agitation in the resting-place of śamatha-vipaśyanā — that is the time for cultivating upekṣā. This is time-engagement.

What, there, is equanimity-characterized observation-engagement?

Those very signs are well-grasped, well-discerned, well-taken up — [so that] when he wishes, he rises [from concentration] into the range of concentration; having released the image, by attention to the natural object of the concentrated stage. This is observation-engagement.

What, there, is dissatisfaction engagement?

He is not satisfied with [merely] some of the wholesome dharmas — and not-prone-to-talk; delighted at exhortations, he aspires to a higher, more sublime state — and 'dwells abundantly in form.' He does not fall into despondency on account of a small or limited [attainment], when an exceeding higher [task] is to be done. This is dissatisfaction engagement.

What, there, is undisturbing engagement?

He does not break the precepts undertaken, does not put holes in them; seeing a young, gracefully-formed, attractive woman, he is not a sign-grasper, not a feature-grasper; he is moderate in food; he is yoked to wakefulness, of few duties, few activities, few preoccupations; he is one who recollects and reminds of what was long-done and long-said. Such kinds of dharmas are called undisturbing engagement. These dharmas are conformable to mental one-pointedness, not distant [from it]; they do not lead to mental distraction. By them, [the mind is kept] from outward dispersion, from inward mental non-workability. This is undisturbing engagement.

What, there, is right engagement?

Right engagement is so called because of resolution upon, and vivid-realization of, the object that has been resolved upon. If he is engaged in aśubhā, he attends to aśubhā under aśubhā-modes — by a vipaśyanā that follows only the sign. Then that attention, with that object, should be vividly-realized again and again; presented to the mind again and again. Now, vivid-realization is fivefold: by inward mental contraction; by non-attention-from-non-mindfulness; by attention to something else; by attention to the antidote; and by attention to the signless element. There, by the ninefold mental abiding, with vipaśyanā as forerunner, [there is] inward mental contraction; by the amplitude of all signs from the beginning — binding [the mind] to non-distraction — [there is] non-attention-from-non-mindfulness; [passing] from the concentrated-stage object to another concentrated-stage object, while attending [only to] the concentrated stage — [this is] attention to something else; [attending to] aśubhā as antidote to beauty, up through ānāpānasmṛti as antidote to vitarka; [attending to] the space-element as antidote to form — [this is] attention to the antidote. From the non-attention to all signs and from the attention to the signless element — [this is] attention to the signless element. Moreover: pervading that object as established by the vivid-realization characteristic, in this meaning, [the practitioner] is also intended by inward sign-contraction and by non-attention-from-non-mindfulness. There, by a beginner, by one in his first attempt at engagement, the mind from the start should not be bound to just any object — except aśubhā or that-in-it, except for [the purpose of] non-distraction itself. ['He examines:] 'Is my mind signless, conception-less, calm, very-calm, unagitated, unwavering, not-eager, free-of-effort, inwardly delighted?' Thus engaged, with respect to all external signs as they arise and arise, he performs non-attention-from-non-mindfulness. This is his vivid-realization of the object by non-attention-from-non-mindfulness.

While doing yoga there, he takes up — and ranges over the conception-laden aśubhā and the like in a signless object. And how does he range? By a vipaśyanā that follows only the sign, accompanied by investigation-and-observation. And he is not exclusively engaged in vipaśyanā. Returning again to the sign of vipaśyanā, he attends to that same object in the mode of śamatha. By him that object is then released, not taken up — because that object is what śamatha proceeds on, hence not released; because he does not make it a sign, does not conceptualize it, hence not taken up. Thus by inward contraction he vividly-realizes the object. There, for one who has taken up the sign of vipaśyanā again — the object-sign of the knowable substance — if he resolves upon the object one-sidedly, without vividly-realizing it again and again, his resolve does not, in succession, become purified, refined; [it does not] proceed toward direct apprehension of the knowable substance. But when he resolves again and again, vividly-realizes again and again, his resolve, in succession, becomes more purified, most purified — proceeding toward direct apprehension of the knowable substance. Just as a painter, or a painter's apprentice, first engaged in the painter's craft, having received from the teacher a model-image preceded by instruction, makes a copy after looking at it again and again; having made [the copy] again and again, he vividly inspects [it], destroys [the imperfect version], and makes [another]; in whatever way he makes [it] break-by-break, in that way his subsequent picture appears more purified, more refined. Thus indeed, by right-engagement, in time he attains equality with the teacher, or even surpasses him. If, on the other hand, he were to make that picture again-and-again on top of [the previous one] without erasing — like one born blind, he would not attain to the picture's purity. The same principle is to be known here. There, so long as he resolves on the object, so long he vividly-realizes [it]; not necessarily, so long as he vividly-realizes, so long he resolves. He resolves on the limited [scope] and vividly-realizes only the limited; thus up through the moderate-extended measure. Having vividly-realized the limited again, [made it] cultivated, sometimes he resolves only on the limited, sometimes on the moderate-extended; and the measure thus, in the moderate-extended, in measure, is to be known. There, of form-dharmas, whatever is sign, image, appearance — that is gross, like a magical creation; or of form-less dharmas, [arising] after name-convention, governed by their experiential potency — [their] appearance. This is called right engagement. This is the ninefold bright-side engagement, conformable to śamatha-vipaśyanā — to be known [thus]. Likewise, in turn, [there is] just the ninefold inverse-mode [dark-side]. Thus by the dark-and-bright-side classification, [there is] the eighteenfold engagement. This is called one-pointedness [in the prayoga framework].

What, then, is purification from obstacles (āvaraṇa-viśuddhi)?

Answer: by four causes, the yogī thus right-engaged purifies his own mind of obstacles. By full-knowledge of own-nature; by [knowledge] of the cause; by full-knowledge of the danger; and by cultivation of the antidote.

What, then, is the own-nature of obstacle?

Answer: there are four obstacles — paritamanā (despondency), nivaraṇa (hindrance), vitarka (discursive thought), and ātmasaṁpragraha (self-gripping). There, paritamanā is the defiled longing, dissatisfaction — yearning, dejection, distress — of one engaged in renunciation and the seclusion-quality. There, nivaraṇa is the five hindrances beginning with sense-desire. There, vitarka is sense-desire-vitarka and the like — defiled vitarkas. There, ātmasaṁpragraha is what — even by an atomic, even by a minimal, even by a mere-contact-of-knowing-and-seeing — grasps the self [as ground]: 'I am a gainer, the others are not so.' As before, in detail, this is the own-nature of obstacle.

There, of paritamanā there are six causes: namely, by the dominance of previous karma; or by disease and affliction, weakness of the basis; excessive engagement; deficient engagement; initial-stage engagement; abundance of defilements; and non-practice of seclusion. For nivaraṇa, vitarka, and ātmasaṁpragraha — with respect to the dharmas standing as place of hindrance, place of [non-]vitarka, place of self-gripping — unwise attention is the cause of the abundance of hindrance, vitarka, and self-gripping. Not attending to unattractiveness, [the practitioner] attends to attractiveness — this here is unwise. Thus, having attended to maitrī [and] abandoned the sign-bearing āloka-saṁjñā, [then] attending to the dark-sign — not attending to śamatha — [he attends to] vitarka about relatives, the country, deathlessness, ancient play, laughter, sport, dalliance. Not attending to idaṁ-pratyayatā pratītyasamutpāda, [he] attends — in [past-present-future] times — to '[as] I' or '[as] mine,' a perception not yoga-fitting: this here is unwise [attention].

What, there, is the danger (ādīnava)?

When this fourfold obstacle is present, what has not been attained is not attained; from what has been attained, [he] falls back; he falls from yoga-engagement; he becomes defiled-dwelling, pain-dwelling; he reproaches himself; and is reproached by others; and at the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the unfortunate states. This is the danger here.

What, there, is the antidote (pratipakṣa)?

The antidote to paritamanā, in brief, is the recollections. By attention to recollection, having gladdened the mind, having gladdened, he dispels arisen paritamanā and does not produce un-arisen [paritamanā]. There, [for] bodily weakness, [for] disinclination, [for] initial-stage engagement — the antidote is the equality of energy, restraint. Approaching, [for] deficient engagement — the antidote is willingness-to-listen, careful inquiry. [For] abundance of defilements — the antidote is engagement of the aśubhā and other objects as appropriate. [For] non-practice — the antidote is just such a [reflective] consideration: 'I have not previously practiced seclusion-cultivation, by which now in me, engaged in seclusion, paritamanā arises. If I do not undertake practice now, [my] future rebirth will be of just this kind. By consideration, dispiritedness must be abandoned by me; delight must be created.' Thus, by the reversal of unwise attention to the desired hindrances and the rest, the cultivation of wise attention is to be known as the antidote. There, full-knowing the own-nature, from obstacle, from defilement, [there is] the predominance of śamatha — that very vipaśyanā [previously described] is to be known from the dark-side as 'to be avoided.' And [recognizing] 'its avoidance is by avoidance of [its] cause,' he investigates the cause. And '[on the other hand,] of what is to be avoided, what is the fault if it is not avoided?' — thence he investigates the danger. 'How is non-arising in the future, of what has been avoided?' — thence he cultivates the antidote. Thus the mind is purified by him from obstacles.

There, so long as the abundance of teaching is conformable to vipaśyanā, so long [is there] the abundance of vipaśyanā; and so long as there is the abundance of vipaśyanā, there are no other endless [modes]. Namely, through these three doors, in the one-by-one [investigation] of the six substances, by the method of entry-into-endless-modes — and so as vipaśyanā, when one is rightly engaged, reaches extension, growth, amplitude — making the power of cultivation-purity its predominance — so likewise the śamatha-side, productive of body-and-mind serenity, is to be known to reach extension, growth, amplitude. As his body becomes serene, and the mind, so the mental one-pointedness on the object also — increasing the basis — As mental one-pointedness increases, so the body becomes serene, and the mind; thus these two dharmas are mutually produced, mutually bound — namely, mental one-pointedness [and] the arising of direct knowledge. There, to what extent is aśubhā attained? To what extent up through ānāpānasmṛti? — and so on. Hence, for this yogī, as a consequence of frequenting, cultivating, and making-much of the engagement with aśubhā — whether walking or abiding, even with the object before [him], even by mere sign-observation, by natural-engagement [arising] without effort — there is the manifestation of an abundant aśubhā-perception. And, by reason of the well-cultivation of aśubhā, the mind does not leap toward, does not become pleased with, does not resolve upon, dharmas connected with sense-lust — equanimity stands by; aversion-and-disgust [are] to be known. 'The yogī has reached it; I have reached aśubhā; I have the fruit of cultivation' — to this extent, aśubhā is attained. By the opposite, not-attained is to be known. As with aśubhā, so likewise maitrī, idaṁ-pratyayatā pratītyasamutpāda, dhātuprabheda, and ānāpānasmṛti are to be known. Here is the distinction: there is more loving-mindedness — not the sign of repugnance; the mind does not leap toward dharmas connected with ill-will, in detail. There is more [perception of] impermanence, painfulness, non-self — not [of] permanence-pleasure-sentient-being; the view-accompanying confusion-sign — the mind does not leap toward dharmas connected with delusion, in detail. There is more [perception of] elemental diversity, of single-elementality, [more] body-mind-distinction-perception — not just mind-perception; the mind does not leap toward dharmas connected with conceit, in detail. There is more inward calm-perception, śamatha-perception — not proliferation-perception; the mind does not leap toward dharmas connected with vitarka, in detail.

There, in the final limit, śamatha and vipaśyanā both become friend-like, going together. By which the path is called yuganaddha-vāhin (going-yoked). Answer: one who is a gainer of the ninth mode of the ninefold mental abiding — namely, of the concentrated state — having relied on that consummated samādhi, engages in adhiprajñā-dharma-vipaśyanā. For him, vipaśyating the dharmas at that time, the path becomes self-flow-carrying, effort-less; without volitional formation, vipaśyanā — purified, refined — proceeds as ordered, grasped, in conformity with śamatha. Just as śamatha is settled — for that reason it is called that śamatha and his vipaśyanā both have become friend-like, going-together. And the path is going-as-śamatha-vipaśyanā-yoked.

Subsequent uddāna [verse summary]: [Investigation of] sign-grasping, sign-seeking, [then] following the mouth of observation; by meaning, by characteristics, by sides, by sides [classification], and by times together with reasonings; [the prayogas]: conformable, likewise practiced, [unperverted], non-slackness, [its] inverse; conformable, likewise practiced, [from] non-slackness, the inverse, time, observation, satisfaction, undisturbing — these [are] the engagements; and right engagement is the ninth-base, thought of as twofold; [āvaraṇa-viśuddhi:] from own-nature, from cause, likewise from danger-seeing, and from being well-realized [by the antidote] — [this is] the purification of obstacles.

What, then, is manaskāra-bhāvanā (cultivation of attention)?

Answer: the beginner, the one engaged for the first time in this work, having had the pervasive characteristic established for him with respect to one-pointedness and the purification from obstacles, avoids wrong engagement and trains in right engagement. From the very first, [thinking] 'I shall attain one-pointedness and delight-in-abandonment,' he engages by four kinds of attention. By which four? By the citta-saṁtāpana (mind-heating) attention, the citta-abhiṣyandana (mind-suffusing) attention, the praśrabdhi-janaka (serenity-producing) attention, and the jñāna-darśana-viśodhana (knowledge-and-vision-purifying) attention.

What, there, is citta-saṁtāpana attention?

Answer: that attention by which he stirs up the mind with respect to stirring-up-worthy dharmas — this is the mind-heating attention.

What, there, is citta-abhiṣyandana attention?

That pleasing attention by which he gladdens the mind — this is the mind-suffusing attention.

What, there, is praśrabdhi-janaka attention?

Answer: that attention by which, from time to time having stirred up the mind with respect to stirring-up-worthy dharmas, and from time to time having gladdened the mind with respect to gladdening-worthy dharmas, he then inwardly calms [the mind]; in the signless, conception-less, he establishes [the mind] thus, makes one-pointed mindfulness proceed; by which cause, by which condition — as antidote to body-and-mind dauṣṭhulya, producing gladness in body-and-mind — body-serenity and mind-serenity arise. This is called the serenity-producing attention.

What, there, is jñāna-darśana-viśodhana attention?

That attention by which, from time to time, having pacified inward doubt of the mind, he engages again and again in adhiprajñā-dharma-vipaśyanā — namely, having relied on that very inward cetaḥ-śamatha — this is called the knowledge-and-vision-purifying attention.

What [is the description] when, from time to time, he stirs up the mind with respect to stirring-up-worthy dharmas? Thus his mind becomes heated — well-heated, agitated, well-agitated — namely, with respect to the outflow-stationed dharmas.

What are all the stirring-up-worthy places?

Answer: four. Namely, ātma-vipatti (one's own misfortune) and para-vipatti (the misfortune of others) — in the present, when at hand, when face-to-face, [taken up] in consequence of wise attention, [each] becomes a stirring-up-worthy place. And there [the contrary pair]: one's own success and others' success — in the past, when ceased, gone, transformed, [taken up] in consequence of wise attention, [each] becomes a stirring-up-worthy place. From time to time he gladdens the mind with respect to gladdening-worthy dharmas. When he gladdens [the mind], his mind thus becomes oily, moist, fluid, clear, serene.

What are the gladdening-worthy dharmas?

Answer: threefold. Four bases of gladdening: the Three Jewels, purity of the trainings (śikṣāpada-pāriśuddhi), and non-shrinking of the mind that has arisen with the conception of distinctive attainment in oneself (ātmani viśeṣādhigama-saṁbhāvanā). Following the Jewels, he gladdens the mind thus: 'Gains are well-gained by me — whose Teacher is the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Fully Awakened One; gains are well-gained — that I have gone forth in the well-stated dharma-vinaya; gains are well-gained — whose fellow brahmacāris are virtuous, possessed of qualities, lovely, of beautiful dharmas. My death will be auspicious, my time-of-passing auspicious, my future auspicious.' Thus, recollecting the four [Three Jewels + self], he gladdens the mind.

How does he gladden the mind while recollecting purity of the trainings, purity of virtue?

'Gains are well-gained by me — I, in respect of the Teacher the Tathāgata Arhat Fully Awakened One, and his well-stated dharma-vinaya, and the well-practicing disciples' saṁgha therein — I am with these fellow brahmacāris of common virtue, of common training, with loving body, speech, and mental action, of common view, of common enjoyment.' Thus recollecting purity-of-trainings, purity-of-virtue, he gladdens the mind — namely, by joy preceded by non-regret. How, by relying on the conception of one's own distinctive attainment: 'I am capable, of such pure virtue; I am able and a fit vessel. With these fellow brahmacāris of common virtue, common view, and with these good [people] of common course, gone rightly, true persons, I am capable of being thus, of so engaging, of attaining the unattained, realizing the unrealized, directly experiencing the not-yet-directly-experienced in this very life.' Thus he generates joy — by relying on the basis of self-conception-of-distinctive-attainment, he gladdens the mind.

Moreover: by whatever distinctive attainment has been made by him while abiding with energy begun afresh after a previous [phase], recollecting that and confidently apprehending further distinctive attainment, he gladdens the mind — this is the further basis. Heating the mind with respect to stirring-up-worthy dharmas, he turns the mind away from outflow-stationed dharmas, makes it inverse [to them], establishes it facing-away, separates it. Gladdening, suffusing the mind with respect to gladdening-worthy dharmas, he turns the mind, with affection, toward dharmas born of renunciation and seclusion; he attaches [the mind] to them, delights [the mind] in them, conjoins [the mind] with them. Thus, by these two dharmas, his mind proceeds — turned away from all dark-side, turned toward all bright-side — namely, by saṁvega (urgency) and praharṣa (gladness). Since the mind, thus turned away from the dark side by the mind-heating attention and turned toward the bright side by the mind-suffusing attention, from time to time is inwardly applied — namely, by cetaḥ-śamatha with the serenity-producing attention — from time to time he discerns dharmas, examines, ponders, investigates — by the knowledge-and-vision-purifying attention. Thus his mind, from time to time conjoined with śamatha-vipaśyanā, supported by causes of all modes and all qualities, after the passing of those nights and days, of moments, half-moments, hours, advances toward distinction.

Just as raw-gold or silver, by a skilled smith or by a smith's apprentice, when from time to time it is heated, [its] state with stains and dross gone, and suffused — there, by the ornament-making work, made workable by the combined-soft work, [it is] made fit; the skilled smith or the smith's apprentice, with the comparable craft-knowledge, with that material of his craft, transforms it where the desired ornament-variety is required — just so, when the yogī's mind has been agitated by being turned away from the stains and dross of covetousness and the rest, and gladdened by being turned away from defiled-dejection, then wherever the yogī directs it — to the śamatha-side or the vipaśyanā-side — there [the mind] becomes well-attached, well-clinging, undivided, unshaking; and it advances toward the perfecting of the intended purpose.

There, how is the beginner, the one in his first attempt at this work, instructed in manaskāra-bhāvanā?

[The way is] that he, being instructed and engaging, first touches prahāṇa-rati (delight in abandonment) and one-pointedness of mind. Here, the yogajña (knower of yoga) initially admonishes the ādikarmika engaged in yoga thus: 'Come, dear one — relying on the three causes that take up signs (namely, what is seen or heard, or what is governed by thought and inference, [or] imagined), take up five signs: the saṁvejanīya (urgency-generating), the prasadanīya (gladdening), the ādīnava (danger), the āloka (luminous), and the vasturūpaṇa (substance-image) signs.

If that yoga-engaged ādikarmika is of lust-conduct, suited to be led by aśubhā — how is he to be awakened to the taking-up of the five signs?

He is to be awakened thus: 'Come, dear one. Whatever village or town you dwell in dependent on: if you hear of someone, man or woman, in another village or town who is afflicted — pained, gravely ill, or dead — man or woman; or [news] of any of that man's or woman's friends, ministers, relatives, kin — done by an enemy-host, [news of] eating-misfortune of the people of that village, fire-burning, water-carrying-off, [news of] destruction by poor management, ruin from misengaged transactions, [news of] hostile-heir-arrival, fire-destruction-of-the-house; or if you do not hear [of it] but see [it] directly. Either in another village-town, or in this very village-town — [either of others, or, on others' part, even] of yourself — you are touched, by bodily pains, by sharp painful feelings,' in detail as before. 'Having seen, heard all this, stir up the mind: ‘Painful indeed is this saṁsāra, hard-won this individual-existence-attainment, in which such forms of misfortune — one's own and others' — are met with. Namely: misfortune of health, of birth, of wealth, sickness and the nature-of-sickness; death, the nature-of-death. Furthermore, for some, even misfortune of virtue, of view — by which-cause beings here-and-now become pain-dwellers, and in the future are bound for unfortunate destinies. And whatever fortunes [there are] for here-and-now happy-dwelling and for fortunate destinies in the future — these too are impermanent; their impermanence is to be discerned. If misfortune is face-to-face, fortune at that time is turned-away. Even when misfortune is not face-to-face, fortune is hard to obtain and of perishable nature.’' And thus, having agitated the mind, wisely and well, you should apply [yourself] wisely: 'This place is unreliable, untrustworthy. Going round in saṁsāra, not finally-extinguished, with mind not yet liberated — these fortunes-and-misfortunes might not [always] turn-away-from me, or face-me. Or from this cause, suffering does not [necessarily] arise for me — sharp, harsh, bitter, indescribable, unobtainable [is] this place. Therefore making all this adhipati, I must be one delighting in abandonment, heedful. Thus dwelling abundantly [in this practice], the not-doing of this harm of mine would be [the result].' Thus wisely apply yourself — thus, having taken up the urgency-generating sign, take up next the gladdening sign.

And again, take it up thus — examine your own virtues: 'Are my precepts pure, or impure? Is there any transgression of training — through forgetfulness, lack of respect, abundance of defilement, or by being uninstructed?

Or, having transgressed, have I made amends as the dharma directs, and with [right] intention generated the mental resolve not to do [it] again?

Have I done what should be done; have I left undone what should not be done, in brief? Am I one of accomplished resolve and accomplished engagement — namely, in the trainings?' Thus he should not [generate the volition]: 'May regret arise in me!' For when one is of pure virtue, by the nature of things, non-regret arises. Likewise, for one without regret, the volition should not be made: 'May joy arise in me!' For by the nature of things, joy arises for the non-regretting one. By this one base of gladdening, joy preceded by the twofold non-regret is to be generated. Having generated [joy], by another base of further gladdening — gladden the mind. If, then, you have, after a previous [attainment], become [one with] even a limited further distinctive attainment, joy is to be generated: 'I am capable, able. Thus, of pure virtue, well-established in the trainings of the Blessed One — in this very life, for the attainment of what was not yet attained, the attainment of the unrealized, the realization of the not-yet-realized.' By this base too, gladden the mind. And if you have, after a previous [attainment], also become a gainer of distinctive attainment in others' minds — then, making that adhipati, and [recognizing] the complete distinctive attainment in others (namely, the Tathāgata and the Tathāgata's disciples), with confidence in your own further distinctive attainment, gladden the mind. Whatever mental [delight] arises from these modes — this is praharṣa (gladness). Whatever [delight arises] from these modes — this is called prīti-manaskatā (mind-delightedness) of the previously-gladdened one.

Thus having taken up the gladdening-sign, [the teacher] again admonishes: 'Come, dear one. With mind heated by the urgency-generating sign, with mind suffused by the gladdening-sign — having abandoned covetousness and dejection in the world, you shall abide abundantly. Wherever you engage in the object — on the śamatha-side or the vipaśyanā-side — there, on that object, the mind shall stand. Inwardly well-established, you shall attain body-serenity, mind-serenity, mind-one-pointedness.' Thus, for one turned away from the dark side and turned toward the bright side — namely, through urgency and suffusion — take up next the danger-sign (ādīnava-nimitta): from the signs, from the opposed-side, and from the defilements. There: signs are the ten beginning with form-sign; vitarkas are the eight beginning with sense-desire-vitarka; defilements are the five beginning with sense-desire. And of these, take up the danger thus: 'These signs are bustle-makers for the mind. These vitarkas are agitation-makers, loosing the mind. These defilements are non-calmness-makers for the mind. Whatever bustle of the mind made by signs, whatever loosing-agitation made by vitarka, whatever non-pacification made by defilement — this is the painful-dwelling of the mind. Therefore these signs, vitarkas, defilements are painful, ignoble, harm-bringing, mind-scattering and agitating.' Thus having taken up the danger-sign, [practicing] mental one-pointedness, mental abiding, mental non-scattering, take up the sign through six modes: by sign-perception with respect to the signless, by non-bustle perception, by conception-less perception, in the conception-less also by non-eagerness, non-agitation perception, by upaśama (calm) perception, [and] by upaśama-induced, burning-free, peace-of-aśubhā perception.

Thus having taken up the [danger] sign, take up next the āloka-nimitta (luminous-sign): from a lamp, from the brightness of a fire-mass, from the sun-disk, from the moon-disk — having taken up the sign; or approaching a charnel-ground, take up the sign from a livid corpse, up through bones or a skeleton — or, failing the charnel-ground, take up the sign from a painted [representation] or a wood-charnel-imitation. Having taken up [the sign], approach the sitting-place — go to a forest, the foot of a tree, or an empty hut; sit on a couch, a seat, or a grass-mat. Cross your legs, wash your feet, hold the body straight, establish mindfulness to the fore, and sit. From the very first, make [mindfulness] bound up in one-pointedness, in mental non-scattering. There, [develop] the six perceptions — nirvikalpa-saṁjñā (conception-less perception), upaśama-saṁjñā (calm perception), nirvyāpāra-saṁjñā (non-bustle perception), anautsukya-asaṁkṣobha-saṁjñā (non-eagerness, non-agitation perception), and niṣparidāha-nairvṛtya-aśubha-saṁjñā (burning-free, peace, aśubhā perception). And there, let the awareness-of-distraction-and-non-distraction be present — by which awareness, in whichever signs, vitarkas, defilements [arise], you know distraction; and in mental one-pointedness, accompanied by the cultivation of the six perceptions, [know] non-distraction. And there, attentive to distraction-and-non-distraction, be such that your continuum and mental flow — bound to one-pointedness, bound inwardly to cetaḥ-śamatha — proceeds successively, signless, conception-less, calm. If, due to forgetfulness, when the mind has reached śamatha, signs, vitarkas, defilements appear (through the fault of non-practice), [they] show pleasure, make themselves [your] object — in those that arise and arise, non-attention from non-mindfulness should be made — namely, making the previously-seen [tendency] adhipati; that object is then vividly-realized by the recollection-non-attention, and is established as untrusted, gone to non-appearance. Dear one, this is the subtle object — hard for [you] to penetrate. For your penetration, sharp desire and exertion are to be made.

This object the Blessed One signified [in the following discourse]: 'Bhikkhus, [crying] ‘Country-beauty! Country-beauty!’ — a great crowd of people would assemble. Then a man would come, not of foolish kind. To him someone would say: ‘Sir man, [carry] this oil-vessel full to the brim, not to be sprinkled, between [yourself] and the assembled crowd. That country-beauty [is to be seen] between, with the great gathering — be careful! Behind you, behind you, a sword-raised execution-man follows. If you drop even a single drop from this oil-vessel onto the ground, the sword-raised execution-man will cut down your head at the root!’ What do you think, bhikkhus — would that man, not attending to the oil-vessel, not attending to the sword-raised execution-man, attend to the country-beauty or the great gathering?' 'No, no, Bhadanta! Why so? Because by that man the sword-raised execution-man — behind, behind, following — has been seen. He would think: ‘If I drop even a single drop from this oil-vessel onto the ground, then this sword-raised execution-man will cut down my head at the root!’ Rather, that man — not attending to the country-beauty or the great gathering — would carry just that oil-vessel with the whole mind brought to bear, and would [carry] it rightly.' 'Just so, bhikkhus — those who, having venerated the four foundations of mindfulness, cultivate them, having esteemed them, brought the whole mind to bear — these are my disciples.' There, 'country-beauty' is the [Buddha's] name for dharmas standing as the obscuring-by-defilements beginning with sense-desire. 'The supreme dance-song-music' is the name for dharmas standing as agitation-by-vitarka-proliferation. 'The great gathering' is the name for the ten signs beginning with form-sign. 'The man not of foolish kind' is the name for the yogācāra. 'The oil-vessel' is the name for the mind bound up in śamatha — by virtue of its anointing of body-and-mind with serenity. 'The sword-raised execution-man' is the name for the danger previously taken up with respect to signs, vitarkas, defilements. 'Carries [it] venerated, and does not drop even one drop onto the ground' — this is the name for the śamatha-path held by the awareness of distraction-and-non-distraction — by which one continually causes the entire mind-stream, mind-flow to proceed, signless, conception-less, calm, by the power of energy, in succession. And he does not produce even one mind taking sign-as-object or vitarka-or-defilement-as-object.

Thus the yogī admonishes the ādikarmika engaged in śamatha: 'So long, dear one, as your mind — engaged in the śamatha-path, accompanied by mindfulness-and-clear-comprehension, accompanied by delight — is held by [proper] means, so long should you cultivate the śamatha-path itself. If, due to the fault of non-practice, [the mind] does not delight, and the object is with means — then, having risen from the conception-less object, make [the mind] bound up in mindfulness on a conception-laden object. That very aśubhā-sign you previously took up — that very thing, attend to it from the start by a vipaśyanā that follows only the sign — namely, the livid-corpse, or the pus-laden, up through the skeleton. And thus engaged, from the first resolve on one livid-corpse, up through one skeleton. When you have made acquaintance there, and your resolve is bright — [resolve] on the object as two, then two, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, a hundred livid-corpses, a thousand livid-corpses, up through all directions and intermediate-directions — by the limit-mode (apramāṇa), as before, resolve [on them] uninterrupted, of which there is no space, not even the size of the tip of a staff [unfilled]. As with the livid-corpses, so up through the skeletons — all in this way: relying on resolve-attention, descend to real-attention. And descend again thus: 'As many of these livid-corpses I have resolved on, up through skeletons — but immeasurably more for me, beginning from the prior limit, in those-and-those rebirths, deaths, and re-takings of birth, the livid-corpses produced from the dead, the time-gone, up through skeletons produced — of those returning, whose prior limit is not discerned: if anyone were to collect them, and the collected ones not perish, not putrefy — there is no earth-region where they would have room. [Even] those of a single kalpa, up through skeletons — if anyone were a gatherer, the heap of the gathered would be like a vast mountain-side. Just as for the prior limit, so beginning from the prior limit also the further limit — up through ‘I shall make an end of suffering!’ Thus indeed you should engage.' Relying on attention, you shall descend into real-attention. And these livid-corpses, up through skeletons, are not to be vipaśyated all at once by the vipaśyanā-engaged practitioner. Rather, [you] should not resolve on one livid-corpse and then [immediately] calm the mind. Resolve on that livid-corpse so long, until on that object, with delight and luminosity, [the mind] is not overcome by effort. Then [the time] is not yet for [other] work. At that time, [the mind] should be inwardly calmed. As with the livid-corpse, so up through each skeleton — and so, up through the immeasurable, by this very method is to be known. Having calmed the mind inwardly, calm and release [the object]. Then, afterwards, the immeasurable livid-corpses, immeasurable up through skeletons — inwardly, by mental contraction, [the practitioner] vividly-realizes [them], establishing [them] in [a state] gone to non-appearance. And he does not release those signs, nor does he conceptualize the conception-laden ones — otherwise, [he] establishes [the mind] only on that object as signless, conception-less, calm.

Then he is further instructed: 'Dear one, that āloka-nimitta you previously took up — that, too, attend to in śamatha-side engagement and vipaśyanā-side engagement. With mind accompanied by light, accompanied by brightness, luminous, free of darkness, cultivate śamatha-vipaśyanā. And thus, for you cultivating āloka-saṁjñā on the śamatha-vipaśyanā path: if from the very beginning the resolve-liberation is unclear, [if] the [object's] appearance is right — by this cause, this condition, from the cultivation-appearance, there shall be distinction and abundance of appearance. If from the very beginning it is clear, abundant in appearance — it shall by greater measure go to clearer-and-clearer and more-abundant-in-appearance.' You, with the urgency-sign well taken up, the gladdening-sign, the śamatha-sign, the vipaśyanā-sign, the āloka-sign well taken up, from time to time inwardly calming the mind, from time to time discerning dharmas — by a vipaśyanā that follows only the sign, descend into the foundations of mindfulness. Namely, making the aśubhā-engagement adhipati, and discerning thus externally the 36 substances of the body — from the head's hair up through the [final] effluence — having taken up the sign, resolving these all as impure substances also inwardly, inwardly calm the mind. This shall be for you the inward body-as-body contemplation — namely, beginning from one's own inward body. And again externally — having taken up the aśubhā-sign, resolve on a livid-corpse, up through bones or a skeleton, by limited resolve, or by moderate-extended or by immeasurable [resolve] — resolving again and again, inwardly calm the mind. This shall be for you externally the body-as-body contemplation — namely, beginning from the [other-]continued external body. And again, in one's own inward body, with mind well-cultivated in aśubhā, and in another's body — with mind well-cultivated in aśubhā internally-and-externally — resolve on yourself as dying, or after death being carried to the charnel-ground, or having been carried, abandoned at the charnel-ground; or abandoned, in the livid-corpse state, pus-laden state, up through the skeleton state. This shall be for you the inward-and-external body-as-body contemplation (sattva). Again, the four formless aggregates — by the dominion of hearing-and-reflection, by the imagined sign-grasping, resolve [on them] in three portions — on the śamatha-side, the distraction-side, and the vipaśyanā-side. When you inwardly contract the mind, there [are] the four formless aggregates beginning with feeling — characterized by signlessness, conception-lessness, calm-mode, non-bustle, non-eagerness, non-agitation, burning-free, peace-of-perception-mode, with non-distraction as object. Resolve [thus]: 'Moment by moment, by mutual-otherness, by ever-new-non-old-ness, they proceed.' This shall be for you the inward-and-external contemplation of feelings, mind, dharmas — feeling-as-feeling, mind-as-mind, dharmas-as-dharmas contemplation. Those [factors] previously [acting as] object-takers, object-supports — fallen onto the non-concentrated stage, fallen-aside, exhausted — and those that arise now, when through forgetfulness there is mental distraction, [namely the] four formless aggregates ruled by sign-, vitarka-, and defilement-as-object — resolve on their being subject-to-coming-and-going, momentary, ephemeral, with danger, with [no] firmness, untrustworthy. This shall be for you externally the feeling-, mind-, dharmas-as-dharmas contemplation. Again, having taken up the vipaśyanā-sign, established in conception-laden, signed, [mental] resolve and attention — those [factors] ruled by conception-laden, signed [object]-supports — arising inwardly, the four formless aggregates — resolve on their moment-by-moment ever-newness, non-oldness, mutual-otherness, as before. This shall be for you externally [the contemplation] in feelings, mind, dharmas — dharmas-as-dharmas contemplation. Thus, making the aśubhā-engagement adhipati, you shall have descended into the four foundations of mindfulness. And [thereafter] you must, from time to time, engage in śamatha-vipaśyanā on the foundations-of-mindfulness and the [conception-laden] engagement.

You, with mindfulness thus established in the four foundations of mindfulness — whatever village or town you dwell in dependent on — enter that very village or town, with mind constantly thereon, leaning toward it, weighed-with-it as a burden, without releasing the object, the object-sign, for alms. [Avoid] in the alms-round and in lodging the conduct of [going near] a rogue elephant, a rogue horse, a rogue ox, a rogue osprey, a place of snakes-and-dogs-stumps-thorns-pools-precipices-streams-faeces-clods-impurities — [for at such a place] your self is unprotected. Toward those sense-object-signs in which the faculties would be impelled, let the faculties be unrestrained from non-engagement. Toward those signs in which the faculties [should] be impelled, let mindfulness be present in those — namely, for the non-arising of defilement. You, thus with well-guarded body, well-restrained faculties, well-established mindfulness, with [intent] mind, eat alms-food in moderation. Be of measured share. Speak fittingly with householders and renunciants — speaking in season, with straightforwardness, peacefully. Non-dharmic conversation in every respect is to be avoided by you. Even a dharmic conversation, when you converse, is to be carried on without dispute. Why? Because for a person dwelling engaged in disputatious conversation, the mind stays on abundance-of-talk. With abundance-of-talk, agitation; with agitation, non-calming. From the mind of one not calmed, the mind is far from concentration. You, not so behaving, swiftly, swiftly, with object not abandoned, by the sign as taken up — make yoga with śamatha-vipaśyanā, by minimal action and limit-action. You, by fire-friction-like engagement, by continuous and respectful engagement, become one of perpetual practice. And further, set your mind [as follows]: 'If the lifespan of all the people of Jambūdvīpa were assembled into mine alone now, then with that immeasurable lifespan, by measure-yoga-engagement and by continuous-respectful engagement, I should be one of perpetual practice.' And further, set the mind: 'If for my life-long [lifespan] in Jambūdvīpa I do not relax from yoga in attention, śamatha-vipaśyanā' — namely, knowing the great fruit and great benefit of this very yoga-engagement, beforehand he forms the resolve, [even] with respect to a brief-and-impermanent life [counted] in the silent counting of a hundred years, though he might go far. Thus indeed, instructed [thus], you, of perpetual practice or absolute practice, will be the non-injurer of the meaning whose abandonment-attainment was reached. First you will touch soft body-serenity and mind-one-pointedness; then further you shall obtain the extensive worldly and supramundane fortune.

Thus this ādikarmika, this one in his first attempt at this work, engaged in aśubhā — being urged by the yoga-knowing teacher — is rightly urged. And so engaging, he is rightly engaged. As [there is] the aśubhā-suited one in aśubhā, so [too] the maitrī-suited one and the rest, up through one ending in ānāpānasmṛti, are to be known as suitable. Here is the distinction: I shall vividly-realize him in the other gates-of-descent. There, the ādikarmika engaged in maitrī-cultivation, having taken up externally the sign from the friend-side and the neutral-side, gone to a suitable seat-place, with attention based on happiness-aspiration in the concentrated-stage — should first resolve on one friend, one enemy, one neutral. And toward those three parties — equally, with attention based on welfare-and-happiness-aspiration — gathering [them] is to be made: 'May these beings be happy, with happy bodies' — namely, with blameless sense-desire-happiness, with blameless joy-accompanied happiness, with blameless joy-free happiness. Then afterwards two friends, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, as before, up through all directions and intermediate-directions, filled with the three [classes] of friend-enemy-neutral, are resolved-on. [They are] uninterrupted, where there is no gap, not even the size of the tip of a staff. As with the friend-side, so it is to be known with the enemy-and-neutral-side. And he does not abandon the maitrī-engagement — rather, cultivating maitrī itself, he descends into the foundations of mindfulness. How does he again descend, resolving? 'As I am to others a friend-deemed, enemy-deemed, and neutral-deemed; I too am happiness-desiring, suffering-averse — this is for him, inwardly, the body-as-body contemplation (sattva). These beings too are friends, enemies, neutrals to others; as I am, so they too are happiness-desiring, suffering-averse — this is for him, externally, the body-as-body contemplation (sattva). As I, so these beings are; as happiness is to be sought for myself, so for beings — by self-equality, self-likeness — for these beings, by me, [taking up] the bringing-about of the offered happiness' — this is for him, inwardly-and-externally, the body-as-body contemplation (sattva). These four foundations of mindfulness — by [their having] aggregate-as-object-and-mixed-object, [become a] mixed-object foundation. Having taken up the form-sign — the color-and-shape-sign, the cognition-sign too — the yogī resolves [on it] from the friend-enemy-neutral-side. Hence this is established as body-foundation-of-mindfulness itself. He, relying on resolve-attention, descends into real-attention with respect to it. And he descends again thus, resolving: 'As far as these beings are immeasurable [whom] I have resolved-on with welfare-and-happiness-aspiration — but immeasurably more are the beings who, beginning from my prior limit, have passed away in friend-enemy-neutral status, who have gone from friendship to enmity, from enmity to friendship-and-neutrality — by this scheme, all beings whatsoever are equal-equal. There is no perfected friendship-or-enmity-or-neutrality here.' By this very scheme, equal welfare-and-happiness-bringing is to be done. As [beginning] from the prior limit, so also from the further limit — saṁsāra being the going-round — those beings whom I have, from the prior limit, with that loving-mind compassionated — although they have passed, I now compassionate them — namely, taking up [my] mind's freedom from defilement, freedom from hatred. 'May those beings be happy — those who have been, who will be, who were, who, also, having not been in the future, may they be happy' — thus, for the maitrī-dweller established in real-attention, whatever flood of merit, flood of wholesome[ness] — his merit-aggregate gone to the resolve-maitrī-dwelling does not approach even a hundredth part [of it]. Even a thousandth, even an enumeration, a counting, a comparison — not even an approximation. The rest as before.

There, the idaṁ-pratyayatā pratītyasamutpāda ādikarmika takes up the sign imagined through the dominion of hearing-and-reflection — namely, the ignorance, the delusion of other beings, by which they perceive the directly impermanent as permanent, the directly impure as pure, the painful as pleasant, the non-self as self. These beings are perverted — through the cause of perversion, in here-and-now and in saṁparāya, in feelings, in the becoming-of-individual-existence, they crave; and craving, having done birth-rooted actions, in the future [with] karma-and-defilement as cause [.......] solely engender pain — thus having taken up the sign, he resolves inwardly: 'This too is simply the pain-aggregate, just so come into being.' And [as for] those individual existences — innumerable, limitless, beginning from the prior limit, whose beginning is not discerned — they too are thus. The past-future-present individual existences of these beings — all are gathered under the pain-aggregate, just so come into being. They do not arise in the future. And this idaṁ-pratyayatā pratītyasamutpāda attention is itself simply real-attention — there is no [other] adhimokṣa-attention — provided he does not attend to his own present skandhas as dependently-arisen. [When he does,] there inwardly in the body, up through the dharmas, he abides as a dharma-contemplator. And when he attends to others' present skandhas as dependently-arisen, then inwardly-and-externally in the body, up through the dharmas, he abides as a dharma-contemplator. When he attends to his own and others' past-future skandhas as dependently-arisen, then inwardly-and-externally in the body, up through the dharmas, he abides as a dharma-contemplator. The rest as before. There, the ādikarmika engaged in dhātuprabheda-engagement — having taken up externally the earth-hardness-sign — namely, from earth, mountain, grass, forest, gravel, clods, jewels, pearls, lapis-lazuli, rock, coral, and so on — resolves on hardness inwardly. Having taken up externally the water-element-sign — namely, from river, spring, pond, well, and the rest; likewise from a great mass of fire, [present] in water, or from earth heated by sun-rays, or from all greatly fire-heated [places], or from rivulets; not externally from the wind-mass, from east-south-west-north winds up through wind-disks; those places fit for traversal that are wind-affected, with holes, hollow, with space — therefrom he takes up the space-element-sign — and inwardly resolves on water-element, fire-element, wind-element, space-element, by the imagined [object] dominated by hearing-and-reflection. Thus he takes up the consciousness-element-sign — when the inward sense-base of the eye is unimpaired, form having reached appearance, and the attention born of that is present, then the arising of eye-consciousness from that occurs; in the opposite [case, it does not]. Likewise up through mental dharmas, mind-consciousness is to be known. Thus, having taken up the sign of all these consciousnesses, [he resolves] in this fourfold-great-element body: 'The seed, element, lineage, nature [is this body]' — thus he resolves. These four great elements, first, even apart from the limb-and-sub-limb meaning, he resolves; then afterwards, the subtler component-divisions; up through reached the limit of [analyzability], with the equality of split; up through gradually, atom-by-atom, he resolves.

He resolves [the body] as a collection of atoms equal in measure to each limb-sub-limb. What need to mention the whole body?

This is, for the dhātuprabheda-engaged one, the limit of meaning-distinction — for the form-element-elements, but for the space-element too — and the awareness of distraction-and-non-distraction in this engagement with śamatha-vipaśyanā cultivation: this is his [practice of] saṁprajanya and mindfulness-equality.

And again, that the urgency-sign and the gladdening-sign are well taken up — this is for him the [practice of] abhidhyā-daurmanasya-vinaya (training-down-of-covetousness-and-dejection). For him thus dwelling ardent, up through the second world's covetousness-and-dejection [is overcome] — already at the time of beginning right-engagement. A subtle mind-serenity, hard to obtain, proceeds — whichever inward calm-of-mind, calm-of-body, mind-body-workability is there for one cultivating either śamatha or vipaśyanā. This here is kāya-citta-praśrabdhi. His very subtle mind-one-pointedness and mind-body-serenity, increasing, brings about a gross, easily-observable mind-one-pointedness and body-serenity — namely, by the method of complete-conformity of cause-pāramitā. Not long from now, the gross mind-body-serenity and mind-one-pointedness, easily-observable, will arise — when, prior to that, a non-respect-appearance, a prior sign of it, arises. And this is not a hindrance-characteristic. From its proximate arising — whatever mental-dauṣṭhulya, hindering of delight-in-abandonment, on the defilement-side — is abandoned. By its antidote, mind-workability and mind-serenity arise. By its arising, the great-elements favorable to body-serenity-arising — released upward by wind — descend into the body. By the cause of their descent, the body-dauṣṭhulya departs. By delight-in-abandonment-like, [body-]produced, defilement-side-free body-serenity — its antidote — the whole body is filled. [Description corrupted; partial reading] Then, at the first attainment, mind-effervescence, [diminution of] mind-dauṣṭhulya, and accompanied-by-glad-attention-and-pre-joy delight-in-object — these become manifest in the mind at that time. Upward of that, whatever first-attainment serenity-surge there is — that gradually becomes more slack. Shadow-like, accompanying serenity proceeds in the body. And whatever agitation of the mind there is — that too subsides. On the calm-mode mind-object — śamatha — that accumulation proceeds. Above that, this beginner-yogī becomes samanaskāra (one-with-attention) — 'samanaskāra' he is reckoned. Why so? Because, in conformity with the form-meaning, concentrated-stage attention, limited [in scope] from the first, has been attained. Hence he is called samanaskāra. Of this samanaskāra ādikarmika, these are the signs (liṅgāni): a limited form-realm-pertaining mind has been attained by him. Limited [are his] body-serenity, mind-serenity, mind-one-pointedness — he becomes capable, able. His engagement [is] with the defilement-purifying object, his mind-continuum proceeds with affection. The conduct that was hidden-by-śamatha is thereby purified. If he ranges in a lust-arousing object, he does not generate intense lust-obsession. By a minimal, limited [effort], with [defilement-]antidote-support and merely by intention, the [obsession] is impossible to overcome [further]. As with lust-arousing, so with aversion-arousing, delusion-arousing, conceit-stationed, vitarka-stationed [objects] — to be known. And when he sits in seclusion, his mind set [on the object], swiftly, swiftly the mind becomes serene, and the body [too]. Body-dauṣṭhulyas do not afflict [him] excessively. There is no excessive hindrance-flow. There is no excessive longing-and-displeasure-accompanied perception-or-attention-flow. Even of one risen [from concentration], even of one moving about, some measure of serenity in the mind, in the body, accompanied by [the residue], is present. — Such kinds of signs of the samanaskāra ādikarmika, clear marks, are to be known.

Summary verse: Approaching, gladdening, asking-and-seeking, application-keeping-and-accumulation, seclusion-quality, oneness of becoming, purity from obstacles, supremacy — here the cultivation of attention.

[Here ends] the third yoga-position, comprised within the Śrāvakabhūmi of the Yogācārabhūmi.