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[394] Beggars, if a Beggar produce [bhaaveti, make become] The First Burning [jhana], if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless [the rudder keeps a boat upright and keeps it from drifting sideways]; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[395] Beggars, if a Beggar produce The Second Burning, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[396] Beggars, if a Beggar produce The Third Burning, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[397] Beggars, if a Beggar produce The Fourth Burning, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[398] Beggars, if a Beggar produce The Hearts Release through Friendly Vibrations, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[399] Beggars, if a Beggar produce The Hearts Release through Sympathetic Vibrations, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[400] Beggars, if a Beggar produce The Hearts Release through Happiness at the Happiness’s of Others, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[401] Beggars, if a Beggar produce The Hearts Release through Objective Detachment, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[402] Beggars, if a Beggar live in a body overseeing body with such energy, thoughtfulness and recollection that he releases his worldly coveting and depression, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[ESSAY: It might pay for those of you who have contacts interested in bi-polar disorder to check out more thoroughly the term: abhijjhádomanassa = coveting/depression. This is a behavior cycle typically interpreted as Manic behavior followed by Depression. If, in stead of seeing the Manic state as a state of energetic effort leading to frenzy, a deeper interpretation is given to it, that is, that it is behavior stimulated by coveting, or intense desire or wanting, a calming of this behavior is suggested in directing the attention to the disadvantages of gain. With the so called Manic side given less power over the resources of the individual, the consequent depression is less severe.]
[403] Beggars, if a Beggar live in the senses overseeing the senses with such energy, thoughtfulness and recollection that he releases his worldly coveting and depression, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[404] Beggars, if a Beggar live in the heart overseeing the heart with such energy, thoughtfulness and recollection that he releases his worldly coveting and depression, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[405] Beggars, if a Beggar live in the Dhamma overseeing the Dhamma with such energy, thoughtfulness and recollection that he releases his worldly coveting and depression, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[406] If, Beggars, a Beggar, with regard to passionate, unskillful phenomena that are not present in the here and now [anuppannanam = not arisen], resolves, produces and arouses energy, vigorously applies his mind, and strives that they not arise, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[407] If, Beggars, a Beggar, with regard to passionate, unskillful phenomena that are present in the here and now, resolves, produces and arouses energy, vigorously applies his mind, and strives to let them go, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[408] If, Beggars, a Beggar, with regard to skillful phenomena that are not present in the here and now, resolves, produces and arouses energy, vigorously applies his mind, and strives that they arise, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[409] If, Beggars, a Beggar, with regard to skillful phenomena that are present in the here and now, resolves, produces and arouses energy, vigorously applies his mind, and strives for their non-befuddling, more and more becoming abundant, and all round perfecting, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[For a detailed discussion of the translation and meaning of the following four, see The Four Little Itty-Bddy Powerpaths.]
[410] If, Beggars, a Beggar beget the Powerpath consisting of effort-upon-effort at confounding Wish-HighGetting, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[411] If, Beggars, a Beggar beget the Powerpath consisting of effort-upon-effort at confounding Energy-HighGetting, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[412] If, Beggars, a Beggar beget the Powerpath consisting of effort-upon-effort at confounding HeartFelt-HighGetting, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[413] If, Beggars, a Beggar beget the Powerpath consisting of effort-upon-effort at confounding Reminiscence-HighGetting, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[414] If, Beggars, a beggar makes the guiding-force [-indriya = >(PED: inda, indu, moon, shine (Latin: idus, middle of the month; Old Irish : eesce, moon) 1. the vedic god Indra; 2. lord, chief, king; (Europeans have found a strange difficulty in understanding the real relation of Sakka to Indra. The few references to Indra in the Nikayas should be classed with the other fragments of Vedic mythology to be found in them. Sakka belongs only to the Buddhist mythology then being built up. He is not only quite different from Indra, but is the direct contrary of that blustering, drunken, god of war.)) Indra = Sakka = Jupiter = Zeus (probably Sakka last)] (PED: belonging to Indra, but in specific Pali sense "belonging to the ruler, i.e. governing, ruling. Indriya is one of the most comprehensive and important categories of Buddhist psychological philosophy and ethics, meaning "controlling principle, directive force . . . (a) with reference to sense-perceptibility "faculty, function", often wrongly interpreted as "organ"; (b) with reference to objective aspects of form and matter "kind, characteristic, determinating principle, sign, mark" (cp. woman-hood, hood = Gothic: haidus "kind, form"); (c) with reference to modes of sensations and (d) to moral powers or motives controlling action, "principle, controlling" force; (e) with reference to cognition and insight "category") Woodward has: "faculties."] of Faith [saddha-] [Remember, Faith in this system is not blind faith, but the confidence in the method that comes from putting it into practice, testing it, and evaluating the results of that testing.] come to be if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[Without the discussion:]
If, Beggars, a beggar makes the guiding-force of Faith come to be if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[415] If, Beggars, a beggar makes the guiding-force of Energy [viriya] come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[416] If, Beggars, a beggar makes the guiding-force of Memory [sati] come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[417] If, Beggars, a beggar makes the guiding-force of HighGetting [samaadhi] come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[418] If, Beggars, a beggar makes the guiding-force of Wisdom [pa~n~naa] come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[419] If, Beggars, a beggar makes the power [bala = (PED: . . . most likely to Lat. De-bilis, without strength; strength, power, force) >able, balance) of Faith come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[420] If, Beggars, a beggar makes the power of Energy come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[421] If, Beggars, a beggar makes the power of Memory come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[422] If, Beggars, a beggar makes the power of High Getting come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[423] If, Beggars, a beggar makes the power of Wisdom come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
For more on the next group see The Seventh Lesson
[424] If, Beggars, a beggar makes the Dimension of Self-Awakening that is Memory [satisambojjha=nga; for a discussion of this group, see The Course, Lesson Seven] come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[425] If, Beggars, a beggar makes the Dimension of Self-Awakening that is Dhamma-Research [dhammavicaya-] come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[426] If, Beggars, a beggar makes the Dimension of Self-Awakening that is Energy-Building [viriya-] come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[427] If, Beggars, a beggar makes the Dimension of Self-Awakening that is Enthusiasm [piti-] come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[428] If, Beggars, a beggar makes the Dimension of Self-Awakening that is Impassivity [passaddhi-] come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[429] If, Beggars, a beggar makes the Dimension of Self-Awakening that is HighGetting [samaadhi-] come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[430] If, Beggars, a beggar makes the Dimension of Self-Awakening that is Objective Detachment [upekkhaa-] come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[431] If, Beggars, a beggar makes High View [sammaa di.t.thi; for details on this group, see Lesson Eight and The Tenth Lesson] come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[432] If, Beggars, a beggar makes High Principles [sammaa sa=nkappa] come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[433] If, Beggars, a beggar makes High Talk [sammaa vaaca] come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[434] If, Beggars, a beggar makes High Works [sammaa kammanta] come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[435] If, Beggars, a beggar makes High Lifestyle [sammaa aajiiva] come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[436] If, Beggars, a beggar makes High Self Control [sammaa vaayaama] come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[437] If, Beggars, a beggar makes High Recollection [sammaa sati] come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[438] If, Beggars, a beggar makes High Getting High [sammaa samaadhi] come to be, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[439].
Woodward adds some text here which I am not sure is justified. His reading of this case is (parentheses his):
". . . If, (to attain the form-world, he cultivates the path thereto and) conscious of material quality in his own person, he sees objects external to himself to be limited and fair or foul, and, having mastered them with the thought: I know: I see, is thus conscious (of knowing and seeing, and so enters the musings) . . ."
He explains in a footnote: " . . . They are the Eight Stations of Mastery (Abhibhaayatana = abhibhu + ayatana) . . . To elucidate the difficulties of the compressed sentences I have translated and bracketed the parts omitted."
I believe he is saying he is including stock phrases included in other expositions of the Eight Stations of Mastery--not material that we can say for certain was mistakenly omitted. In the Digha (D.II.110)(Dialogues II. 118) the text reads the same as here. I suspect he is taking the interpretations made by commentators and translators and filling in the blanks he thinks are there.
This set of concepts (The Abhibhaayatana : Lit: The Overbeing Realms; usually translated The Stations of Mastery) is in any case difficult to grasp. I believe this is the case because they are stated from the point of view of one who has attained the level of Mastery at least one level above that level which is being described: in other words, in the case of the first case for example, looking DOWN (so to speak) on the Material world, seeing "one’s own" materiality, one sees external material shapes as finite, whether beautiful or ugly, and one is consciously aware and understands what one is seeing. Woodward’s "to attain the form-world, he cultivates the path thereto--" is in my view One application of this station of Mastery. In the Burnings it is as important to know how to emerge from the "trance" as it is to get into it. To emerge into what we here would call the ordinary world (the Form World) seeing in this way would bring one into line with the way this world is normally seen and would give one the method for re-entry. There are other applications than re-entry, such as not re-entering, but moving higher: having become aware that one is close to re-entry one would be able to renew one’s resolve to go higher.]
Pali: Ajjhatta.m ruupa-sa~n~nii bahiddhaa rupupaani passati parittaani suva.n.nadubba.n.naani taani abhibhuyya yaanaami passaamii ti eva.m-sa~n~nii hoti--
If, Beggars, a beggar, perceiving inner [ajjhatta = (PED: that which is personal, subjective, arises from within (in contrast to anything outside, objective or impersonal), interior, personal, inward) I suggest the meaning is understood best when accompanied by a gesture: using the open hand, fingers together, point in toward the heart. MOZPALI: a = to; jjha = kkha, (stuff) but usually human and especially to do with the eyes or vijjability; a ta, or at ta = at that, or at it, we say: go at it, or to take, or take up; This -- that has been taken up. Or, the personal, etc.] form, seeing external [bahiddhaa = (PED: outside.) MOZPALI: ba = bad; hi = here; again, best understood with an accompanying gesture pointing away] forms as finite [parittaani = (PED: small, little, inferior, insignificant, limited, of no account, trifling -- contrasting with next appamaa.naa, unlimited, boundless, infinite), beautiful or ugly, rising above them [abhibhuyya I take a strong hint from the personification Abhibhu, The Overlord of the realm of non-percipience, essentially being above it all. Abhibhu be ab above. Up above, all is love. Abhibhu be up above "all is love."] thinking [saying to one’s self] "I know, I see."
[So, to smooth out and repeat for the parenthesis-nesting-challenged :-]
439. If, Beggars, a beggar, perceiving inner materiality, seeing external materiality as finite, beautiful or ugly, rises above such, thinking: "I know, I see," if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[440] If, Beggars, a beggar, perceiving inner materiality, seeing external materiality as immeasurable, beautiful or ugly, rises above such thinking: "I know, I see," if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[441] If, Beggars, a beggar, not perceiving inner materiality, seeing external materiality as finite, beautiful or ugly, rises above such thinking: "I know, I see," , if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[442] If Beggars, a beggar, not perceiving inner materiality, seeing external materiality as immeasurable, beautiful or ugly, rises above such thinking: "I know, I see," , if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[443] If Beggars, a beggar, not perceiving inner materiality, seeing external materiality as deepdarkblue colored, deepdarkblue to the eye, a shining deepdarkblue, rises above such thinking: "I know, I see," if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[444] If Beggars, a beggar, not perceiving inner materiality, seeing external materiality as golden colored, golden to the eye, a shining goldenness, rises above such thinking: "I know, I see," if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[445] If Beggars, a beggar, not perceiving inner materiality, seeing external materiality as blood-red colored, blood-red to the eye, a shining blood-redness, rises above such thinking: "I know, I see," if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[446] If Beggars, a beggar, not perceiving inner materiality, seeing external materiality as pure-white colored, pure-white to the eye, a shining pure-whiteness, rises above such thinking: "I know, I see," if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[The next set refers to The Vimokkhas, The Deliverances. These are often referred to as The Stages of Deliverance. The first of these might seem on a quick glance to be no more than ordinary consciousness. I explain this to myself as being either of two cases: the first is that of the perception that although we all think we are aware of our material selves and the world, in fact very few are, so the recognition of the fact is in fact a stage of deliverance; the second is that it is implied that along with the perception is "knowing and seeing": namely of the changeable, painful, and not-self nature of the material quality of things. Again, in the second stage (as in the above sequences also) the "not perceiving" indicated is not blind unconsciousness, but having achieved a state where no material quality is seen as belonging to the self.]
[447] If Beggars, a beggar, being material sees materiality, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[448] If Beggars, a beggar, not perceiving inner materiality, sees external materiality, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[449] If Beggars, a beggar, thinking "It shines!" and is drawn in, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[450] If Beggars, a beggar, completely transcending perceptions of materiality (rupa), allowing perceptions of repulsion [pa.tigha: PED has repulsion only in the ethical sense, here it is the description of the fact that the material world is "known" as a consequence of the resistance it gives to . . . um. . . pulsion, touch, pushing, contact with what resists; pa.ti is an onomat for "bounce" or "rebound"] to subside [lit. find their own way home], by inattention [amanasikara, again, I point out here, that it is a principle in the attaining of samadhi, or High Getting, that one Let’s Go, Gives Up, Abandons (one does not need to Acquire anything: calm, and so forth are the states of having gotten rid of anxiety, etc); Yonisomanasikara, tracing things back to their points of origin has its place: it is the effective tool for eliminating problems such as anger that have arisen due to a lack of guarding the doors of the senses against intrusion by fascinating objects] to perceptions of diversity, thinking "Space is unending!" [ananto aakaaso: "akasa," space, is one of the Six Great Elements. "Unending", of course, is not to be understood in the sense of "unchangeable". Although I do not recall a case where space was used as an example, the Buddha, on occasion uses change in the Four Great Elements in examples of the changeability of things], attains the Realm of Unending Space and makes a habitat of that. . .
Without the (--)s:
450] If Beggars, a beggar, completely transcending perceptions of materiality, allowing perceptions of repulsion to subside, by inattention to perceptions of diversity, thinking "Space is unending!", attains the Realm of Unending Space and makes a habitat of that, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[451] If Beggars, a beggar, completely transcending The Realm of Unending Space attains the Realm of Unending Consciousness (vi~n~naa.na) and makes a habitat of that, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[452] If Beggars, a beggar, completely transcending the Realm of Unending Consciousness attains The Realm of Unending No Thing There (aaki~nca~n~naa) and makes a habitat of that, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[453] If Beggars, a beggar, completely transcending The Realm of Unending No Thing There attains The Realm of Neither Perception Nor Non Perception (nevasa~n~naa naa sa~n~naa) and makes a habitat of that, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[454] If Beggars, a beggar, completely transcending The Realm of Neither Perception Nor Non Perception attains to the Ending of Perception and Sense Experience (sa~n~naa vedayita nirodha) and makes a habitat of that, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[455] If Beggars, a beggar makes become [bhaaveti. Here my personal inclination is to stay "tries" "experiments with", but the commentators will more likely have this as having achieved the degree of mastery over the device which brings about the so-called "reflex image." This is a mental after image of the device which is then refreshed in mind and made more and more vivid to the degree that it provides a bridge between the imagined, and the ordinary real world. At this stage it manifests a variety of uses for the accomplishment of magic powers (for example, the after image of the earth device might be projected on water to enable the power to walk on water). Still, for Pali Buddhists, the primary use of any device should be insight into things as they really are. I can remember at one point using the earth device. I was living in New York (where dirt is somewhat scarce, although filth is plentiful) so I wrote home to request some sifted earth. I made the device according to the specifications (a circle about ¼ inch thick of earth sifted to produce a smooth even-colored texture, about 1 span (the width of the hand from little finger to thumb with fingers outstretched) in diameter, on a piece of leather on a stable base.) I placed the device in front of my seat at a distance comfortable for viewing, and began to concentrate. Quite a while later I became aware of a scent which was vaguely familiar. Then it occurred to me: I could smell in this earth the odor of the pet cat I had had as a child. The true nature of PATHAVI (Earth, solidity) had been revealed to me!] the Earth (pathavi) Device, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[456] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the Water (apo) [a brim full up, preferably blue bowl of water] Device, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[457] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the FireLight (tejo) [a screen is made with a circle cut in it and it is placed before a fire so that what one sees is a circle of firelight] Device, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[458] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the Motion (vayo -- wave hand, Hi Ma! That’s magic.) [one concentrates on the motion of leaves in the wind or some such thing] Device, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[459] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the Deepdarkblue [the color-devices are made with bouquets of flowers] Device, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[460] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the Yellow Device, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[461] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the Blood-red Device, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[462] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the White Device, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[463] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the Space Device (akasa) [a board with a hole in it is placed in the window of an otherwise completely darkened room, one concentrates on the hole], if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[464] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the Consciousness (vi~n~naa.na) [here is what makes this series a legitimate Pali practice: the consciousness device is the study of the Dhamma, most specifically those aspects which are included in the fourth Satipatthana (see The Course, Vol II.)] Device, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
(The next several, although of a different nature than the previous, are also meditation devices. . . maybe better to say "subjects of meditation". Still to be used to develop concentration, they are more conducive to the development of insight into the painful nature of things.)
[465] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the perception of the unpleasant, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[466] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the perception of death, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[467] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the perception of the repellant in food, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[468] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the perception of nothing to delight at in all the world, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[469] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the perception of impermanence (anicca), if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[470] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the perception of the pain of impermanence, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[471] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the perception of the not-selfness of that which is painful, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[472] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the perception of letting go (pahaana), if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[473] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the perception of un-lust (viraaga), if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[474] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the perception of ending (nirodha: d enna da road, erosion), if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[I’m not absolutely sure why, but the text repeats in some of the following. At this time I am reasonably certain that these fall into subject "groups" that have been forgotten (or that I just do not know about). We have a choice here of being annoyed at the repetition or relaxing and accepting the situation for what it could be: a place where we are asked to stop and ask this question, wake up a little, and work a little to see that The Ones has never been a straight-line presentation, but has systematically gone through an enormous number of Dhamma groups in a well thought out progression and this is just another one and would be incomplete with one of it’s parts left out simply to avoid repetition.]
[475] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the perception of impermanence, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[476] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the perception of not-self, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[477] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the perception of death, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[478] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the perception of the repellant in food, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[479] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the perception of nothing to delight at in all the world, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[480] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the perception of The Skeleton, (for this and related meditations see The Satipatthana Sutta) if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
From: PTS: Woodward, trans: Kindred Sayings V: Kindred Sayings on the Limbs of Wisdom: In-Breathing and Out-Breathing: i. The skeleton: II. Realization or No Return, pp110
Monks, from the cultivation and making much of the idea of the skeleton, of two fruits one may be looked for even in this very life, to wit: realization (a~n~naa), or, if there be any substrate left, the state of non-return.
How should it be cultivated, monks, how should it be made much of that one may expect these fruits?
Herein a monk cultivates the limb of wisdom [for the Limbs of Wisdom see The Course, Lesson 7] that is mindfulness, accompanied by the idea of the skeleton . . . the limb of wisdom that is equanimity, so accompanied, that is based on seclusion, on dispassion, on cessation, that ends in self-surrender.
If the idea of the skeleton be thus cultivated . . .
III. Great Benefit
Monks, the idea of the skeleton, if cultivated and made much of, conduces to great benefit. . . . How should it be cultivated? . . . Herein . . . non-return.
IV. Great Peace from Bondage . . . same
V. A Great Thrill . . . same
VI. Great Pleasantness of Living . . .
(and the sequence is repeated for the ideas in the next few suttas of The Ones: The Discoloured Corpse, The Fissured Corpse, The Inflated Corpse, Goodwill, Compassion, Sympathy, Equanimity, and Inbreathing and Outbreathing (all Woodward’s terms)
[481] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the perception of The Maggot Infested Corpse, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[482] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the perception of The Black-and-Blue Corpse, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[483] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the perception of The Corpse That is Breaking Apart, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[484] If Beggars, a beggar makes become the perception of The Swollen and Bloated Corpse, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[The next group is known as The Six Anussatis. The standard translations use the terms "mindfulness", "recollection" etc, intending the meaning to be "bringing to mind and thinking about" which I believe is different in meaning than these terms.]
[485] If Beggars, a beggar makes become Thinking About the Buddha (Buddhanussatim), if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[486] If Beggars, a beggar makes become Thinking About the Dhamma, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[487] If Beggars, a beggar makes become Thinking About the Sangha, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[488] If Beggars, a beggar makes become Thinking About Ethical Culture, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[489] If Beggars, a beggar makes become Thinking About Liberality (caagaanussatim = PED: abandonding, giving up, renunciation; liberality, generosity, munificence; generous), if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[490] If Beggars, a beggar makes become Thinking About The Gods, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[491] If Beggars, a beggar makes become Thinking About In and Out Breathing, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[492] If Beggars, a beggar makes become Thinking About Death, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[493] If Beggars, a beggar makes become Thinking About That Which is Related to The Body, if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
[494. If Beggars, a beggar makes become Thinking About Calming Down (upasama = up-evening), if even for only so short a time as it takes to snap the fingers, that Beggar may be called a Bhikkhu; his burning is not rudderless; he lives The Master’s teaching; he follows advice; not without purpose does he enjoy the handouts of the realm. What then can be said of one who makes much of such a thing?
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