Visuddhimagga (the pah of purification)
by Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu | 1956 | 388,207 words | ISBN-10: 9552400236 | ISBN-13: 9789552400236
This page describes The Eighteen Principal Insights of the section Purification by Knowledge and Vision of the Path and the Not-path of Part 3 Understanding (Paññā) of the English translation of the Visuddhimagga (‘the path of purification’) which represents a detailled Buddhist meditation manual, covering all the essential teachings of Buddha as taught in the Pali Tipitaka. It was compiled Buddhaghosa around the 5th Century.
The Eighteen Principal Insights
89. Having thus become familiar with the material and immaterial meditation subjects, and so having penetrated here already a part of those eighteen principal insights[1] which are later on to be attained in all their aspects by means of fullunderstanding as abandoning starting with contemplation of dissolution, he consequently abandons things opposed [to what he has already penetrated].
90. Eighteen principal insights is a term for understanding that consists in the kinds of insight beginning with contemplation of impermanence.
Now, as regards these:
(1) One who develops the contemplation of impermanence abandons the perception of permanence,
(2) one who develops the contemplation of pain [629] abandons the perception of pleasure,
(3) one who develops the contemplation of not-self abandons the perception of self,
(4) one who develops the contemplation of dispassion abandons delighting,
(5) one who develops the contemplation of fading away abandons greed,
(6) one who develops the contemplation of cessation abandons origination,
(7) one who develops the contemplation of relinquishment abandons grasping,
(8) one who develops the contemplation of destruction abandons the perception of compactness,
(9) one who develops the contemplation of fall [of formations] abandons accumulation [of kamma],
(10) one who develops the contemplation of change abandons the perception of lastingness,
(11) one who develops the contemplation of the signless abandons the sign,
(12) one who develops the contemplation of the desireless abandons desire,
(13) one who develops the contemplation of voidness abandons misinterpreting (insistence),
(14) one who develops the insight into states that is higher understanding abandons misinterpreting (insistence) due to grasping at a core,
(15) one who develops correct knowledge and vision abandons misinterpreting (insistence) due to confusion,
(16) one who develops the contemplation of danger abandons misinterpreting (insistence) due to reliance,
(17) one who develops the contemplation of reflection abandons non-reflection,
(18) one who develops the contemplation of turning away abandons misinterpreting (insistence) due to bondage (see Paṭis I 32f.).[2]
91. Now the meditator has seen formations by means of the three characteristics beginning with impermanence, and so he has therefore already penetrated among these eighteen insights the contemplations of impermanence, pain, and not-self. And then (1) the contemplation of impermanence and (11) the contemplation of the signless are one in meaning and different only in the letter, and so are (2) the contemplation of pain and (12) the contemplation of the desireless, and so are (3) the contemplation of not-self and (13) the contemplation of voidness (see Paṭis II 63). Consequently these have been penetrated by him as well. But (14) insight into states that is higher understanding is all kinds of insight, and (15) correct knowledge and vision is included in purification by overcoming doubt (Ch. XIX). Consequently, these two have been penetrated by him as well. As to the remaining kinds of insight, some have been penetrated and some not. We shall deal with them below.[3]
92. For it was with reference only to what has already been penetrated that it was said above: “having thus become familiar with the material and immaterial meditation subjects, and so having penetrated here already a part of those eighteen principal insights, which are later on to be attained in all their aspects by means of full understanding as abandoning starting with contemplation of dissolution, he consequently abandons things opposed [to what he has already penetrated]” (§89).
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
The first seven of the eighteen principal insights are known as the “seven contemplations”; see 20.4. Further descriptions are given in XXII.113f.
[2]:
For Vism-mhṭ’s comments on the first seven see note 3 to this chapter.
‘Contemplation of destruction’ is the contemplation of the momentary dissolution of formations. ‘Perception of compactness’ is the assumption of unity in a continuity or mass or function or object. ‘Contemplation of destruction’ is contemplation of nonexistence after having been, they say. Contemplation of destruction is the understanding by means of which he resolves the compact into its elements and sees that it is impermanent in the sense of destruction. Its completion starts with contemplation of dissolution, and so there is abandoning of perception of compactness then, but before that there is not, because it has not been completed.
(9) The seeing of the dissolution of formations both by actual experience and by inference and the directing of attention to their cessation, in other words, their dissolution, is contemplation of fall;through it accumulation [of kamma] is abandoned; his consciousness does not incline with craving to the occurrence of that [aggregate-process of existence] for the purpose of which one accumulates [kamma].
(10) Seeing change in the two ways through aging and through death in what is born, or seeing another essence subsequent to the delimitation of such and such [an essence supervening] in what was discerned by means of the material septad, and so on, is ‘contemplation of change’; by its means he abandons the ‘perception of lastingness,’ the assumption of stability.
(11)–(13) The three beginning with ‘contemplation of the signless’ are the same as the three beginning with contemplation of impermanence.
(11) ‘The sign’ is the mere appearance of formations as if graspable entities, which is due to the individualization of particular functions and which, owing to perception of unity in continuity and in mass, is assumed to be temporarily enduring or permanent.
(12) ‘Desire’ is longing for pleasure, or it is desire consisting in greed, and so on; it means inclinationto formations owing to craving.
(13) ‘Misinterpreting’ is misinterpreting as self. It is owing to their opposing the ‘sign,’ etc., that the contemplations of impermanence, etc., are called by the names of ‘signless,’ etc.; so they should be regarded as opposed to the apprehension of a sign, etc., just as they are to the perception of permanence, and so on.
(14) Insight that occurs by knowing an object consisting of a visible datum, etc., and by seeing the dissolution of the consciousness that had that visible datum, etc., as its object, and by apprehending voidness through the dissolution thus, ‘Only formations dissolve, there is nothing beyond the death of formations,’ is the higher understanding, and that is insight into states, thus it is ‘insight into states that is higher understanding’; by its means he abandons the view accompanied by craving that is the misinterpretation occurring as grasping at a permanent core, and so on.
(15) ‘Correct knowledge and vision’ is a term for the seeing of mentality-materiality with its conditions; by its means he abandons the ‘misinterpreting due to confusion’ that begins thus, ‘Was I in the past?’ (M I 8) and that begins thus, ‘Thus the world is created by an Overlord’ (?).
(16) The knowledge consisting in the seeing of danger in all kinds of becomings, etc., which has arisen owing to the appearance of terror is ‘contemplation of danger’; by its means he abandons the craving occurring as ‘misinterpreting due to reliance’ because he does not see any reliance or support.
(17) The knowledge of reflection that is the means to deliverance from formations is ‘contemplation of reflection’; by its means he abandons the ignorance that is ‘non-reflection’ on impermanence, etc., and is opposed to reflection on them.
(18) Equanimity about formations and conformity knowledge are ‘contemplation of turning away’;for owing to it the mind retreats and recoils from all formations, like a water drop on a lotus leaf, so by its means he abandons the ‘misinterpretation due to bondage,’ which is the occurrence of the defilements consisting of the fetters of sense desire, and so on. (Vism-mh 806f.)
[3]:
See XXII.113f. “When (1) the contemplation of impermanence is established, then the contemplations of (6) cessation, (8) destruction, (9) fall, and (10) change are partly established. When (2) the contemplation of pain is established, then the contemplations of (4) dispassion and (16) danger are partly established. And when (3) the contemplation of not-self is established, then the rest are partly established” (Vism-mhṭ 807).