Part 5 - On transformation of one object

Q. 27. Bhante! Is an object (dravya) consciously transformed, spontaneously transformed or a mixture of the two?

A. 27. Gautama! It may be consciously transformed, at well as spontaneously transformed as well as a mixture.

Q. 28. Bhante! If an object is consciously transformed, then is it relevant of mind, or of speech, or of body?

A. 28. Gautama! Of mind, as well as of speech, as well as of body.

Q. 29. Bhante! Assuming that it is relevant of mind, is it relevant of a truthful mind, of an untruthful mind, of a truthful-untruthful mind or of a non-truthful non-untruthful mind?

A. 29. Gautama! All the four, till of a non-truthful non-untruthful mind.

Q, 30. Bhante! If the object in view refers to a truthful mind, does it imply violence, non-violence, resolve to indulge in violence, resolve not to indulge in violence, remorse for having indulged in violence, or remorse for not having indulged in violence?

A. 30. Gautama! All the six, till remorse for not having indulged In violence.

Q. 31. Bhante! If the object in view refers to aṇ untruthful mind, does it imply violence, till remorse for not having indulged in violence?

A. 31. Gautama! What is stated about a truthful mind applies also to an untruthful mind, also to a truthful-untruthful mind, also to a non-truthful non-untruthful mind.

Q. 32. Bhante! Assuming that the object in view which is consciously transformed is speech, is it truthful speech, untruthful speech, truthful-untruthful speech or non-truthful non-untruthful speech?

A. 32. Gautama! As in the case of mind, so in the case of speech, till remorse for not having indulged in violence.

Q. 33. Bhante! When there is a conscious transformation of matter as the body, is it relevant of the gross body or gross-cum-mixed body, fluid body or fluid-cum-mixed body, caloric body or caloric-cum-mixed body, or kārmaṇ body?

A. 33. Gautama! Of all, from gross, till kārmaṇ body.

Q. 34. Bhante! When there is a conscious transformation of matter as a gross body, is it relevant of a body with one sense-organ, till five sense-organs?

A. 34. Gautama! With one sense-organ, with two sense organs, till with five sense-organs.

Q. 35. Bhante! If it be relevant of a gross body with one sense-organ, then, is it earth body, till plant body?

A. 35. Gautama! Of all, from earth body, till plant body.

Q. 36. Bhante! If it be relevant of one-organ earth body, is it fine or coarse?

A. 36. Gautama! It may be either fine or coarse.

Q. 37. Bhante! If it be a fine one-organ earth body, is it with full attainments or without full attainments?

A. 37. Gautama! With or without full attainments for fine one-organ earth body. And so of coarse one-organ earth body, till plant body, each taking four varieties (viz., fine, coarse, with full attainments and without full attainments). Two-, three-, and four-organ beings take only two varieties, viz., with full attainments and without full attainments.

Q. 38. Bhante! If there is a conscious transformation of matter in the gross body of a five-organ being, then, is it in the body of an animal or that of a human being?

A, 38. Gautama! It may be either in the body of an animal or that of a human being.

Q. 39. Bhante! If there is a conscious transformation of matter in the gross body of a five-organ animal, then, does it take place in an aquatic, or an earthly being, or an aerial being?

A. 39. Gautama! State as aforesaid, till an aerial being, all the four forms (viz., born without mating, born from the womb, with full attainments, without full attainments).

Q. 40. Bhante! If there is a conscious transformation of matter in the gross body of a five-organ human being, then, is it in the without-mating variety, or womb-born variety?

A. 40. Gautama! It may be one or the other.

Q. 41. Bhante! If there is a conscious transformation of matter in the gross body of a five-organ human being, born from the mother’s womb, then, is it the full-attainment variety, or non-full-attainment variety?

A. 41. Gautama! It may be one or the other.

Q. 42. Bhante! If there is a conscious transformation of matter in the gross-cum-mixed body, then, is it the body of an one-organ or of a two-organ, till of a five-organ being?

A. 42. Gautama! It may be any, from an one-organ, till a five-organ being. What has been stated about the one-organ gross body applies to one-organ gross-cum-mixed body, exceptions being coarse air-bodies, womb-born five-organ animals, womb-born human beings, who may be with or without full attainments; the rest are without full attainments.

Q. 43. Bhante! If there is a conscious transformation of matter in the fluid body, then, is it the body of an one-organ being, or, till of a five-organ being?

A. 43. Gautama! It may be any, from an one-organ being, till a five-organ being.

Q. 44. Bhante! If there is a conscious transformation of matter in the fluid body of an one-organ being, then, is it relevant of an air-body, or of one other than an air-body?

A. 44. Gautama! It is relevant only of an air-body with one sense organ, and none else. Details are contained in Avagāhaṇa-saṃsthāna Pada on the fluid body in the Prajñāpaṇā Sūtra, till Sarvārthasiddha Anuttaraupapātika gods, with or without full attainments.

Q. 45. Bhante! If there is a conscious transformation of matter in the fluid-cum-mixed body, then, is it relevant of an one-organ being, or, till of a five-organ being?

A. 45. Gautama! What has been said about the fluid body should be repeated for the fluid-cum-mixed body, speciality being, it is without full attainments in the case of the heavenly and infernal beings, but with full attainments for the rest, till Sarvārthasiddha Anuttaraupapātika gods who are not with full attainments, but without full attainments.

Q. 46. Bhante! If there is a conscious transformation of matter in the caloric body, then, is it the body of a human being, or of one other than a human being?

A. 46. Gautama! On this, refer to the Prajñāpaṇā Sūtra, ibid, till it is relevant of the caloric body of a human being, with full attainments, with a countable number of years of life-span, with a right outlook, with an infatuated restraint, with the intake of a gross human body and with unusual affluence, and not when there is no affluence but other conditions are fulfilled.

Q. 47. Bhante! If there is a conscious transformation of matter in the caloric-cum-mixed body, then, is it relevant of the body of a human being or of that of a non-human being?

A. 47. Gautama! Repeat here without omission what has been stated above about the caloric body.

Q. 48. Bhante! If there is a conscious transformation of matter into the kārmaṇ body, then, is it relevant of an one-organ being, or, till of a five-organ being?

A. 48. Gautama! It is relevant of the kārmaṇ body of a one-organ being. For details, refer to Prajñāpaṇā Sutra, ibid, till the kārmaṇ body of a Sarvārthasiddha Anuttaraupapātika god, with five organs, both with and without full attainments.

Q. 49. Bhante! If there is a transformation of matter as a mixtures, then, is it relevant of mind, or of speech, or of body?

A. 49. Gautama! All the three, mind, speech and body.

Q. 50. Bhante! If it be mind, then, is it a truthful mind, or an untruthful mind, or a truthful-untruthful mind, or a non-truthful non-untruthful mind?

A. 50. Gautama! What has been stated about consciously transformed matter is to be repeated for matter as a mixture, till the kārmaṇ body of a Sarvārthasiddha Anuttaraupapātika god, with five organs, with or without full attainments.

Q. 51. Bhante! If there is a spontaneous transformation of matter, does it apply to colour, smell, taste, touch or shape?

A. 51. Gautama! It applies to all the five,—colour, smell, taste, touch and shape.

Q. 52. Bhante! If it be colour, then, is it black, blue, till white?

A. 52. Gautama! All, from black, till white.

Q. 53. Bhante! If it be smell, then, is it a pleasant smell, or an unpleasant one?

A. 53. Gautama! Either pleasant, or unpleasant.

Q. 54. Bhante! If it be taste, then, is it pungent, till sweet?

A. 54. Gautama! All, till sweet.

Q. 55. Bhante! If it be touch, then, is it harsh, till rough?

A. 55. Gautama! All, till rough.

Q. 56. Bhante! If it be shape, then, is it circular, till rectangular?

A. 56. Gautama! All, till rectangular.

Notes (based on commentary of Abhayadeva Sūri):

Q. 27-32. The word yoga means the activity of the body mind and speech. The tranquilisation or exhaustion of obstruction to energy (virya) causing a throb of matter constituting the mind, speech and body is also called yogā or prayoga. For the operation of matter, mind, speech and body provide the necessary media, of which mind takes four forms, speech four forms and body seven forms in all fifteen forms. Four forms of activity of the mind are thoso based on truth (satya-manaḥ-yoga), untruth (asatya-manaḥ-yoga), truth-untruth (satyāmṛṣa-manaḥ-yoga) and nontruth non-untruth (asatya-amṛṣa-manaḥ-yoga). The same four for speech. When existing in the mind as an idea, it is a mental phenomenon; but when expressed, it becomes a phenomenon of speech.

When the body, gross and others, takes objects, from the mind and transforms the same through the activity of the mind, it is called manaḥ-prayoga-pariṇata. A similar process through speech is called vacana-prayoga-pariṇata, and through body is called kāya-prayoga-pariṇata.

Violence in any form is called ārambha. Matter transformed through a violent process of a truthful mind is called ārambha-satya-manaḥ-prayoga-pariṇata. And likewise matter transformed by speech and by body. Absence of violence is called anārambha. A mental resolve to kill is sārambha, and when the resolve is put into effect, it is samārambha.

Q. 33-42. Physical inclinations leading to activity are called kāya-yoga. Kāya means a collection or an aggregate. As the gross physical body consists of a collection of matter-atoms, pudgala-skandhas, it is called kāya.

Kāya-yoga takes seven forms as follows:

(1) Audārika kāyayoga or activity of the gross body made of pudgala-skandhas. The activity is relevant of men and animals.

(2) Audārika-miśra kāyayoga or activity of the gross-cum-mixed body, the latter being fluid, caloric or kārmaṇ.

Q. 43-45 (3) Vaikriya kāyayoga or activity of the fluid body.

(4) Vaikriya-miśra kāyayaga or activity of gross-cum-mixed body.

Q. 46-47 (5) Āhāraka kāyayoga or activity of the caloric body.

(6) Āhāraka-miśra kāyayoga or activity of the caloric-cum-mixed body.

Q. 48 (7) Kārmaṇ kāyayoga or activity of the karmaṇ body. A probable question may be, why the fiery (taijas) body has been left out. The answer is that the fiery body is never separate nor separable from the kārman body. In each case, it is the outlet of energy which is relevant.

A. 56. For the last portion, perhaps a more appropriate rendering will be: “...and not when these conditions are reversed”. So to be replaced is the portion as follows: “and not when there is no affluence but other conditions are fulfilled.”