faculty of
sensation
of pleasure, or sensation of pleasure, 11.
Abhidharmakosabhasyam-Vol-1-Vasubandhu-Poussin-Pruden-1991
Sometimes a thing-in-contact arises from a thing-outside-of-contact, as when a thing-outside-of-contact comes together.
Sometimes a thing-in-contact arises from a thing-outside-of- contact, as when agglomerations come together.
And sometimes a thing-outside-of-contact arises from a thing-outside-of-contact, for example the particles of dust suspended in the void of a window.
"
The Bhadanta Vasumitra says: "If atoms touched one another, they
189 would therefore endure two moments. "
iv. Opinions of Vasubandhu. 1. The Bhadanta says: "There is not, in reality, any contact One says, metaphorically, that atoms touch one another when they are juxtaposed without interval. " (Quoted in Vibhasa, TD 27, p. 684a2; see note 189, end).
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190
This opinion is the correct one. In fact, if atoms were to allow an
interval between themselves, since this interval would be empty, what
would hinder the progress of atoms into this interval? For it is
191 admitted that atoms are impenetrable.
2. Agglomerations are not anything other than atoms. They are the same atoms which, in a state of aggregation, are a "thing-in- contact," in the same way that they are rupa (i. 13). It is thus absurd to deny that atoms touch one another, and yet to admit that agglomera- tions touch one another.
3. If you admit spatial division to the atom, then an atom certainly
has parts, whether it enters into contact or not. If you deny it, why
192 would the atom, even if it enters into contact, have parts?
Should we think that the organs solely grasp an objea of their dimension,--if one believes that one sees suddenly extended objects, a mountain for example, it is through illusion, it is because one rapidly sees parts of a mountain: it is evidently thus when one sees the circle of fire delineated by an ember;--or else do the organs indifferently grasp an objea of their dimension and of a different dimension?
44a-b. The three organs of which the organ of smell is the first,
193 grasp an objea of their dimension.
A given number of atoms of an organ, attaining the same number of atoms of an objea, produce consciousness. This also holds for smell, taste, and touch.
But there is no rule for seeing and hearing. Sometimes the objea is smaller than the organ, as when one sees the end of a hair; sometimes equal to the organ, as when one sees a grape; and sometimes larger than the organ, when, the eye being hardly open, one sees a mountain. The same for sound; one hears the buzzing of a mosquito, the noise of thunder, etc.
The question does not arise for the mental organ which is non-material.
? (Here are some problems relating to the organs. )
i. How are atoms of the different organs arranged?
The atoms of the organ of sight are arranged on the pupil like the
flower of the cumin, that is to say, on the surface; they are covered
again by a membrane, of translucent color, which prevents them from
dispersing. According to another opinion, they are arranged in depth,
like a pill; being translucent, like crystal, they do not obscure one
194 another.
The atoms of the organ of hearing are arranged in the interior of the bhurja, that type of birch leaf which is found within the ear.
The atoms of the organ of smell are arranged within the interior of the nostril.
195
The atoms of the organ of taste are arranged on the upper surface of the tongue in the form of a half-moon. In the middle of the tongue a space the dimension of the end of a hair is not occupied by the atoms
196 of the organ. Such is the opinion expressed in Scripture.
The atoms of the organ of touch have the shape of the body.
The atoms of the female organ are like a drum. The atoms of the male organ are like a thumb.
***
ii. The atoms of the organ of sight can be sabhdga (i. 39) in their totality; tatsabhdga in their totality; some sabhaga, others tatsabhdga. The same for the organs of hearing, smell and taste. But, it does not occur that the atoms of the organ of touch are all sabhaga; even when the body is enveloped in the flames of Pratapana hell (iii. 59), an infinite number of atoms are tatsabhdga', for, says the School, the body would fall to pieces if all the atoms of touch were to work at the same time.
These first three organs from a garland
iii. It does not occur that consciousness is produced by one atom of
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organ, or by one atom of object. In fact the five categories of consciousness have agglomerations for their support and their object.
It results from this that atoms are not perceived; they are thus "imperceptible". (Compare i. 20a-b, iv. 4).
***
The object of the first five consciousnesses is simultaneous with them; the object of the sixth consciousness is either earlier than it, simultaneous with it, or later than it; in other words, it is past, present, or future (i. 23). Does the same hold for the point of support of the consciousness?
No, it does not. Why is this?
44c. Relative to consciousness, the point of support of the sixth consciousness is past.
The sole point of support of the mental consciousness is the mental organ, this is, the consciousness which has just perished (i. 17).
44d. The point of support of the first five is also simultaneous.
The point of support of the five consciousnesses is also simultane- ous with them: that is, it is both earlier than, and simultaneous to the consciousness. In fact, the point of support of these consciousnesses is twofold: 1. the sense organ, organ of sight, etc. , which is simultaneous with consciousness; and 2. the mental organ, which is past at the moment when the consciousness arises.
The five consciousnesses thus have two points of support.
One poses the question: Is that which is the point of support of the visual consciousness at the same time the "immediately antecedent and parallel cause" (samanantarapratyaya, ii. 62) of this consciousness? Four cases: 1. the organ of sight, which is solely a point of support; 2. the totality of mental states, sensation, etc. (ii. 24) which have just perished: they are solely the immediately antecedent cause; 3. the
? consciousness which has just perished, or mental organ, which is at one and the same time a point of support and an immediately antecedent cause; and 4. the other dharmas are neither one nor the other.
The same for the consciousness of hearing, smell, taste and touch.
With respect to mental consciousness, one replies by speaking of the first term of the question: that which is the point of support of mental consciousness is always the parallel and immediately ante- cedent cause of this consciousness, but items that have perished are not its point of support.
***
Visual consciousness depends on the organ of sight and on visible matter. Why is the organ considered as the point of support of consciousness, to the exclusion of the objea?
45a-b. The point of support of a consciousness is its organ, for
consciousness changes according to the modality of the
197 organ.
When the organ of sight is the objea of attention (employment of eye salve, etc. ); when it is injured by dust, etc. ; when it is alert; when it is sluggish and weak, consciousness reproduces modality: it is accom- panied by pleasure or by pain, it is alert or weak. The objea, on the contrary, has no influence on the modality of consciousness. Con- sequently, it is the organ, and not the objea, which is the point of support of consciousness (ii. 2a-b).
***
Consciousness knows the object. Why is it designated by the name of its organ "eye consciousness" . . . "manas consciousness" . . . "dharma consciousness? "
45c-d. For this reason, and also because it is "its own," it is the organ which gives its name to the consciousness.
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The consciousness takes the name of an organ because the organ is its point of support.
Because the organ is "its own:" the organ of a certain person is the point of support of the visual consciousness of this person alone. Visible matter, on the contrary, is general, for a certain visible thing is perceived by both the visual consciousness and the mental conscious- ness, by one person and by another person. The same observation holds for the organs of hearing, smell, taste, and touch, and for their objects, sounds, smells, tastes, and tangibles.
We conclude that the consciousness is named according to its organ because the organ is its point of support, and because the organ is its own thing. But the same does not hold for its object. One says in the world "sound of the drum," and not "sound of the stick;" "sprout of the wheat," and not "sprout of the field"
***
A being is born in a certain stage of the world, in Kamadhatu, in the First Dhyana, etc. ; he is of this stage, and his body is also of this stage, and he sees, by the organ of sight, visible matter. Do the body, the organ of sight, visible matter and consciousness belong to the same stage or to different stages?
All can belong to different stages.
i. When a being born in Kamadhatu sees, by means of an organ of sight of his stage, visible matter of his stage, then body, organ, visible matter and consciousness are in the same stage.
When this being sees visible matter of his stage, by means of an organ of sight of the First Dhyana, then the body and visible matter are of Kamadhatu, but his organ and consciousness are of the First Dhyana; if he sees visible matter of the First Dhyana by means of the same organ, then only the body is in Kamadhatu; the other three are of the First Dhyana.
When this being sees visible matter of Kamadhatu by means of an organ of sight of the Second Dhyana, then the body and visible matter are in Kamadhatu, the organ is in the Second Dhyana, and conscious-
? ness is in the First Dhyana; if he sees, by the same organ, visible matter of the Second Dhyana, then the body is in Kamadhatu, the organ and visible matter are in the Second Dhyana, and consciousness is in the First Dhyana. (viii. l3a-c).
One would explain in the same way these cases where a being born in Kamadhatu sees, by the organ of sight of the Third or Fourth Dhyana, visible matter of these same stages or of a lower stage.
ii. When a being in the First Dhyana sees visible matter of his stage by means of an organ of sight of his stage, then body, organ, visible matter and consciousness are of the same stage; if he sees visible matter of a lower stage by the same organ, then the body, organ, and consciousness are of his stage, the First Dhyana.
When this being sees visible matter of his stage by means of an organ of sight of the Second Dhyana, then three are of his stage (First Dhyana), but the organ is in the Second Dhyana; if he sees, by the same organ, visible matter of Kamadhatu, then the body and con- sciousness are of his stage (First Dhyana), visible matter is in a lower stage, and the organ is in the Second Dhyana; if he sees visible matter of the Second Dhyana by the same organ, then the body and consciousness are of his stage (First Dhyana), but the organ and the visible matter are in the Second Dhyana.
One would explain in the same way these cases where a being in the First Dhyana sees, by means of an organ of sight of the Third or the Fourth Dhyana, visible matter of these stages or of a lower stage.
iii. According to these same principles, we can explain those cases where a being in the Second, Third or Fourth Dhyana, sees, by means of an organ of sight of his stage or of a different stage, visible matter of his stage or of a different stage.
The rule is the following:
46a. The organ of sight is not inferior to the body.
The body, the organ of sight, and visible matter can belong to five stages: Kamadhatu, and the Four Dhyanas.
The consciousness of sight is of two stages only: Kamadhatu and the First Dhyana (viii. l3a-c).
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Thus stated, the organs of sight which a certain being uses can be of the stage to which the body of this being belongs, that is, of the stage where this being has arisen; it can be of a higher stage; but it can never be lower.
Visible matter and consciousness, through relationship to the organ, is either of the same stage or lower, but never of a higher stage.
46b. Visible matter is not higher than the organ.
Visible matter of a higher stage cannot be seen by an organ of sight of a lower stage.
46c. Nor consciousness.
A visual consciousness of a higher stage cannot arise from an organ of a lower stage.
46d. Visible matter, in relation to consciousness, and visible matter as well as consciousness, through relation to the body, is of all types.
Visible matter, through relationship with the visual consciousness, is either equal, or higher, or lower.
Visible matter and the visual consciousness, through relationship to the body, are as visible matter is through relationship to the consciousness, this is to say, equal, higher, or lower.
47a. The same holds for the organ of hearing.
The organ of hearing is not lower than the body, sound is not higher than the organ of hearing, nor is auditory consciousness; sound, through relationship to this latter, and sound and consciousness through relationship to the body, can be of all types.
47a-b. Three organs belong to their own stage.
With respect to the organs of smell, taste, and touch, the body, organ, object and consciousness belong exclusively to the stage where the being is born.
After having formulated this general rule, the author mentions one exception.
? 47c-d. The consciousness of touch is of its own stage or of a lower stage.
The body, the organ of touch and tangibles are always of the stage where the being is born. But the consciousness of touch (1) is of this stage, in the case of a being born in Kamadhatu or in the First Dhyana; or (2) is of a lower stage (First Dhyana) in the case of a being born in the Second Dhyana or above.
47d There is no restriction with respect to the mental organ.
Sometimes the mental organ is of the same stage as the body, the dharmadhdtu and the mental consciousness; sometimes it is lower or higher. If a body belongs to the first five stages--Kamadhatu and the Four Dhyanas--, then the mental organ, the dharmadhatu, and the mental consciousness can be, in absorption or at conception, of any stage, all the stages not being moreover the same in each case. This will be explained in the Eighth Chapter which treats of the absorp- tions (viii. l9c-d). We shall not speak here of this for the sake of brevity, the profit being small and the pains great.
There are eighteen dhatus and six consciousness. Which dhatu is discerned by which consciousness?
48a. Five external dhatus are discerned by two types of consciousness.
Visible matter, sounds, odors, tastes and tangibles are known respectively, by the consciousness of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. They are all discerned by the mental consciousness. Each of these external dhatus is thus discerned by two consciousness.
The thirteen other dhatus, not being of the sphere of the sense consciousness, are discerned by a single mental consciousness.
***
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Chapter One
How many of the dhdtus are eternal? No dhdtu is totally eternal. But
198 48b. Unconditioned things are eternal.
Unconditioned things (i. 5b) form part of the dharmadhatu (i. l5c). Thus one part of the dharmadhatu is eternal.
***
How many of the dhdtus are indriyas, that is to say, predominate (2. 1)?
48c-d. The twelve internal dhatus and one part of the dharma- m
dhatuare indriyas. 200
A Sutra enumerates twenty-two indriyas: 1. organ of sight, 2. organ of hearing, 3. organ of smell, 4. organ of taste, 5. organ of touch, 6. mental organ, 7. male organ, 8. female organ, 9. vital organ, 10.
faculty of sensation of pleasure, or sensation of pleasure, 11. faculty of sensation of displeasure, or sensation of displeasure, 12. faculty of sensation of satisfaction, or sensation of satisfaction (saumanasyen- driya), 13. faculty of sensation of dissatisfaaion, or sensation of dissatisfaction, 14. faculty of sensation of indifference, or sensation of indifference, 15. faculty of faith, 18. faculty of energy, 17. faculty of memory, 18. faculty of absorption, 19. faculty of discernment of dharmas, or faculty of prajnd, 20. andjndtamdjndsydmmdriya, 21. ajnendriya, and 22. djnatdvindriya.
The Abhidharmikas (Prakaranapdda, fol. 31b) do not count the
group that forms the six organs of consciousness (the dyatanas), i. e. ,
the organs of sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and the mental organ.
They do not place the mental organ after the organ of touch, but after
the vital organ, for the reason that the mental organ, the same as the
organs of sensation (10-14), also have an dlambana (i. 29b-d) and not 201
solely a visaya as do the organs of sense consciousness (1-5).
Among the twenty-two indriyas, eleven--namely the vital organ
(9), the five faculties of sensation (10-14), the five moral faculties
? (15-19)--and one part of the last three, form part of the
202 dharmadhdtu.
The twelve internal dhdtus are (1) the five organs of sense consciousness which form five dhdtus and five indriyas (1-5); (2) the mental organ (i. l6c), that is to say, the sixth indriya, which make up seven dhdtus; and (3) one part of the last three indriyas.
The five remaining dhdtus and one part of the dhannadhdtu are not indriyas.
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1. The authors of the Vinayavibhasdsay: (1) there is a Buddha who is not a Bhagavat, namely the Pratyekabuddha, because he is svayambhu, that is because he has obtained Bodhi by himself, because he has not fulfilled the task of ddnaparamstd, etc (vii. 34); (2) there is a Bhagavat who is not a Buddha, namely the Bodhisattva in his last existence; (3) there is a Buddha Bhagavat; and (4) there are persons who are neither Buddha, nor Bhagavat (Vydkhyd, 3. 12). One can also say that the 3ravakas, or Disciples, are Buddhas (Aryadeva, Sataka, 270), for they have acquired Bodhi (vi. 67).
2. Sariputra did not know the five pure skandhas (the precepts, etc. ) of the Tathagata.
3. Maudgalyayana did not see that his mother was reborn in Maricilokadhatu.
Sariputra did not discover the roots-of-good of a candidate for the state of Bhiksu (see vii. 30);
but the Buddha declares:
moksabijam aham hy asya susUksmatn upaksaye /
dhdtupdsdnavivare nilinam iva kdncanath / / Compare Huber, SutrdJamkara, p. 286.
4. As the stanza says:
sarvdkdram kdranam ekasya mayuracandrakasydpi ndsarvajnairjfieyath sarvajrlajndna- balam hi tat.
5. The Pratyekabuddhas and the &ravakas have also abandoned (prahina) non-defiled ignorance (aklispam ajndnam), in exactly the same way as they have abandoned the organ of sight, etc, that is, by abandoning all desire (chandardga) with respect to it. But this non-defiled ignorance remains active within them (samuddcarati) even though it is abandoned, exactly like the organ of sight
Such is not the case for the Buddha: this is why the author says that he has destroyed (hata) obscurity in such a manner that it will not arise again.
6. "As much as possible," yathdbhavyam. This holds for oneself, as when one says, "He gives food for the Brahmins to eat. "
7. We have the plural because the persons to be saved are numerous.
8. Expression of Aryadeva, Sataka, 265.
9. First explanation: through the power of rddhi (vii. 48), like Visnu; through the power of giving, like Mahesvara. Second explanation: through rddhi, through giving, and through its prabhdva (vii. 34).
It is true that the Buddhas perform miracles (fddhiprdtihdrya) in order to draw believers to themselves (dvarjanamdtrd)\ but it is through the miracle of the teaching (anusdsant) that they save the world by destroying its defilements (vii. 47a-b).
10. The dharmas are mixed, like flowers; one discerns them and places them in bouquets: these are pure, those are impure, etc
In this operation, a certain dharma associated with the mind (caitta, caitasika, ii. 23), which is called prajtid, plays a primary role. As a consequence prajtid is defined as "discernment of the dharmas. "
11. mala, stain, is a synonym for dsrava, vice. We translate andsrava by "pure. " The asravas are defined v. 35. See below i. 4.
12. The name "Abhidharma" signifies not only the pure consciousness which discerns the nature of things, but also all of the pure elements of the psychological moment in which this consciousness is produced: sensation, etc (i. l4c). One of these elements is material (rupa) and is called "pure discipline" (andsrava sathvara, iv. l3c).
? 13. Vydkhya: paramdrtha eva pdramdrthikah / paramdrthe va bhavah pdramdrthikah / paramdrthena vd divyati caratiti pdramdrthikah
14. The Treatise is (1) an Abhidharma Sdstra or an Abhidharma Pipaka. In either case, some think that it should not be understood as "The Treatise, with its attendant works, receives the name of Abhidharma," for a book does not have any attendants; some believe that its attendants are made
up of the laksanas (ii. 45c-d); (2) or the Jfidnaprasthdna, considered as the body of the Abhidharma and having for its feet (and "attendants") the six books, Prakaranapdda, Vijftdnakdya, Dharmakdya, PrajOdptisdstra, Dbatukaya, and Samgitiparyaya (Burnouf, Introduc- tion, p. 448).
15. The first two lines are quoted, with the reading yad upafdntaye, in a commentary (the Amrtakanikd) on the Ndmasamgiti, 130; the third is quoted in the Vydkhya.
16. The word kila shows that Vasubandhu presents here an opinion, the opinion of the Vaibhasikas, that he does not accept. The Abhidharma treatises are not the word of the Master for the Sautrantikas and for Vasubandhu The problem of the authenticity of the Abhidharma treatises is studied in the Introduction.
17. The Tibetan version of the Uddnavarga (Mdo XXVI) has been translated by W. Rockhill (London, 1883) and published by H. Beck (Berlin, 1911). A good part of the original has been discovered in Turkestan,JRAS, 1912, pp. 355-377;/. As. 1912,1. 311, showing the correspondence with the Pali sources). S. Levi,/. As. 1912, H. 215-222.
18. J. Takakusu, "On the Abhidharma Literature of the Sarvastivadins," JPTS, 1905, p. 75.
19. The conditioned dharmas, with the exception of those which form part of the Path, are termed sdsravay "in a relationship with the defilements. "
How and why are they "in a relationship with the defilements? "
1. One cannot say that they are "associated" (samprayukta) with the defilements, for only the mind andmental states which are defiled (klispa) are associated with the defilements (i. 23).
2. One cannot say that they coexist (sahotpdda) with the defilements. In this hypothesis (1) neither the external (bdhya,L3%) dharmas, (2) nor the five updddnaskandhas (i. 8) of a person within whom the defilements are not presently active would be "in a relationship with the defilements. "
3. One cannot say that they are the support (dsraya) of the defilements, for only the six organs of consciousness are the support of the defilements.
4. One cannot say that they are the object (dlambana) of the defilements: in this hypothesis, Nirvana (-nirodhasatya) would be "in a relationship with the defilements," for one can have false views with respea to Nirvana; in this hypothesis too, a higher sphere would be "in a relationship with the defilements" through the fact of the defilements of a lower sphere which grasps them as its object (opinions condemned v. 18).
The author thus explains that a dharma is termed "in a relationship with the defilements" because the defilements adhere to it (anuferate), that is, grow in them (pustim labhante) or take their dwelling and support in them (pratistha), as a foot can stand on the earth but not on red hot fire. The defilements (anufaya) develop (samtdyante) taking their growth in or support from the dharmas which are "in a relationship with the defilements. "
According to another opinion, in the same way that one says "This food suits me" (mama anuiete), meaning "This food is convenient to me, is favorable to me (anugunibhavati)" in this same way the defilements "come to these dharmas" "are favorable to these dharmas. " One thus terms the dharmas to which the defilements are favorable, namely conditioned things with the exception of the Path, to be "in a relationship with the defilements," in fact, conditioned things are created by action aroused by the defilements; the defilements are thus favorable to them.
Footnotes 133
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(Vydkhyd)See v. l, 18,29, 39,40.
The various schools are not in agreement on the question: Is the body of the Buddha "in a
relationship with the defilements? " See i. 31d.
20. The Truth of the Path is the totality of the dharmas which constitute Seeing and Meditation on the Truths (vi. 25d, vii3b).
On the asamskrtas, i. 48b, ii. 55c-d, and the Introduction.
21. Certain philosophers, namely the Vatslputnyas, say that there is only one asarhskrta, namely Nirvana. The Vais'esikas admit many asamskrtas: the paramdnus, etc (Vydkhyd). Some admit three asamskrtas; others consider the funyatd which is tathatdlaksand as an asarhskrta (Madhyamaka, vii. 33, p. 176). Wassilief, p. 282. Kathdvatthu, ii. 9, vi. 3.
22. On the two nirodhas, 16, ii. 55c; on the five nirodhas, i. 20a-b.
23. On the difference between space (dkdsa) and a void (dkdsadhdtu), see i. 28; on the non- existence of an asarhskrta called "space" (a Sautrantika theory), see ii. 55c-d. Kathdvatthu, vi. 6-7.
The opinion of the Madhyamikas on space and other unconditioned things, an opinion identical to that of the SautrSntikas, is presented by Aryadeva, Sataka, ix. 3 (Madhyamaka-vrtti, 505; Catuhsatikd, 202, As. Soc. of Bengal, iii, p. 483, 1914): "Where there is no matter (rupa), there is nothing which opposes the arising of material dharmas: the absence of matter receives the name dkdsa, because things shine brightly there (bhrsam asydntah kdsante bhdvdh). The Vaibhasikas suppose, in the Abhidharmasdstra, that dkdsa is a reality {vastu), not seeing that Scripture must give a name to an unreal thing, to a pure negative (avastusato'kimcanasya) . . . "
24. Compare the discussion Kathdvatthu, xix. 3.
The Sarvastivadins consider that "disjunction from a defilement," "the suppression of future
defilement or suffering" (visamyoga or nirodha) is a thing in and of itself, a real dharma, an entity (dravya). "Disjunction" is not produced by causes, and so is eternal. Through pratisamkhya (comprehension of the Truths) one obtains the acquisition (prdpti, ii. 36b) of disjunction.
25. The Blessed One compared an impure (sdsrava) object to a post, that is to say, an object which the defilements, desire, hatred, etc. can adhere to; the defilements of bonds, samyojana, are a rorje; the pudgala is the animal. (Compare Sarhyutta, iv. 282). A sdsrava object is a samyogavastu, the sannojaniya.
26. Dharmadinna was questioned by her former spouse the householder Vis*akha: kimsabhdga drya nirodhah? She answered: asabhdga dyusman visdkha. (Madhyamdgama, TD 1, p. 788cl6, Vibhdsd, TD 27, p. I62bll). Compare Majjhima, i. 304: nibbanassa pan'ayye kirn patighdgo . . .
27. Vibhdsd, TD 27, p. I64bl3. The Kathavatthu, ii. 9, attributes to the Mahimsasakas (Wassilief, ? . 282) and the Andhakas the distinction between papisamkhd- and appatisamkhdnirodha. Samkara discusses the two nirodhas ad ii. 2, 22 (see Kern Album, iii) but he confuses apratisamkhydnirodha and anityatdnirodha (i. 20a-b).
28. This classification rests on two principles: 1. There can be pratisamkhydnirodha, (disjunction, detachment) from impure dharmas, of any time period whether they have been, are now or are not now destined to arise. 2.
The Bhadanta Vasumitra says: "If atoms touched one another, they
189 would therefore endure two moments. "
iv. Opinions of Vasubandhu. 1. The Bhadanta says: "There is not, in reality, any contact One says, metaphorically, that atoms touch one another when they are juxtaposed without interval. " (Quoted in Vibhasa, TD 27, p. 684a2; see note 189, end).
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190
This opinion is the correct one. In fact, if atoms were to allow an
interval between themselves, since this interval would be empty, what
would hinder the progress of atoms into this interval? For it is
191 admitted that atoms are impenetrable.
2. Agglomerations are not anything other than atoms. They are the same atoms which, in a state of aggregation, are a "thing-in- contact," in the same way that they are rupa (i. 13). It is thus absurd to deny that atoms touch one another, and yet to admit that agglomera- tions touch one another.
3. If you admit spatial division to the atom, then an atom certainly
has parts, whether it enters into contact or not. If you deny it, why
192 would the atom, even if it enters into contact, have parts?
Should we think that the organs solely grasp an objea of their dimension,--if one believes that one sees suddenly extended objects, a mountain for example, it is through illusion, it is because one rapidly sees parts of a mountain: it is evidently thus when one sees the circle of fire delineated by an ember;--or else do the organs indifferently grasp an objea of their dimension and of a different dimension?
44a-b. The three organs of which the organ of smell is the first,
193 grasp an objea of their dimension.
A given number of atoms of an organ, attaining the same number of atoms of an objea, produce consciousness. This also holds for smell, taste, and touch.
But there is no rule for seeing and hearing. Sometimes the objea is smaller than the organ, as when one sees the end of a hair; sometimes equal to the organ, as when one sees a grape; and sometimes larger than the organ, when, the eye being hardly open, one sees a mountain. The same for sound; one hears the buzzing of a mosquito, the noise of thunder, etc.
The question does not arise for the mental organ which is non-material.
? (Here are some problems relating to the organs. )
i. How are atoms of the different organs arranged?
The atoms of the organ of sight are arranged on the pupil like the
flower of the cumin, that is to say, on the surface; they are covered
again by a membrane, of translucent color, which prevents them from
dispersing. According to another opinion, they are arranged in depth,
like a pill; being translucent, like crystal, they do not obscure one
194 another.
The atoms of the organ of hearing are arranged in the interior of the bhurja, that type of birch leaf which is found within the ear.
The atoms of the organ of smell are arranged within the interior of the nostril.
195
The atoms of the organ of taste are arranged on the upper surface of the tongue in the form of a half-moon. In the middle of the tongue a space the dimension of the end of a hair is not occupied by the atoms
196 of the organ. Such is the opinion expressed in Scripture.
The atoms of the organ of touch have the shape of the body.
The atoms of the female organ are like a drum. The atoms of the male organ are like a thumb.
***
ii. The atoms of the organ of sight can be sabhdga (i. 39) in their totality; tatsabhdga in their totality; some sabhaga, others tatsabhdga. The same for the organs of hearing, smell and taste. But, it does not occur that the atoms of the organ of touch are all sabhaga; even when the body is enveloped in the flames of Pratapana hell (iii. 59), an infinite number of atoms are tatsabhdga', for, says the School, the body would fall to pieces if all the atoms of touch were to work at the same time.
These first three organs from a garland
iii. It does not occur that consciousness is produced by one atom of
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organ, or by one atom of object. In fact the five categories of consciousness have agglomerations for their support and their object.
It results from this that atoms are not perceived; they are thus "imperceptible". (Compare i. 20a-b, iv. 4).
***
The object of the first five consciousnesses is simultaneous with them; the object of the sixth consciousness is either earlier than it, simultaneous with it, or later than it; in other words, it is past, present, or future (i. 23). Does the same hold for the point of support of the consciousness?
No, it does not. Why is this?
44c. Relative to consciousness, the point of support of the sixth consciousness is past.
The sole point of support of the mental consciousness is the mental organ, this is, the consciousness which has just perished (i. 17).
44d. The point of support of the first five is also simultaneous.
The point of support of the five consciousnesses is also simultane- ous with them: that is, it is both earlier than, and simultaneous to the consciousness. In fact, the point of support of these consciousnesses is twofold: 1. the sense organ, organ of sight, etc. , which is simultaneous with consciousness; and 2. the mental organ, which is past at the moment when the consciousness arises.
The five consciousnesses thus have two points of support.
One poses the question: Is that which is the point of support of the visual consciousness at the same time the "immediately antecedent and parallel cause" (samanantarapratyaya, ii. 62) of this consciousness? Four cases: 1. the organ of sight, which is solely a point of support; 2. the totality of mental states, sensation, etc. (ii. 24) which have just perished: they are solely the immediately antecedent cause; 3. the
? consciousness which has just perished, or mental organ, which is at one and the same time a point of support and an immediately antecedent cause; and 4. the other dharmas are neither one nor the other.
The same for the consciousness of hearing, smell, taste and touch.
With respect to mental consciousness, one replies by speaking of the first term of the question: that which is the point of support of mental consciousness is always the parallel and immediately ante- cedent cause of this consciousness, but items that have perished are not its point of support.
***
Visual consciousness depends on the organ of sight and on visible matter. Why is the organ considered as the point of support of consciousness, to the exclusion of the objea?
45a-b. The point of support of a consciousness is its organ, for
consciousness changes according to the modality of the
197 organ.
When the organ of sight is the objea of attention (employment of eye salve, etc. ); when it is injured by dust, etc. ; when it is alert; when it is sluggish and weak, consciousness reproduces modality: it is accom- panied by pleasure or by pain, it is alert or weak. The objea, on the contrary, has no influence on the modality of consciousness. Con- sequently, it is the organ, and not the objea, which is the point of support of consciousness (ii. 2a-b).
***
Consciousness knows the object. Why is it designated by the name of its organ "eye consciousness" . . . "manas consciousness" . . . "dharma consciousness? "
45c-d. For this reason, and also because it is "its own," it is the organ which gives its name to the consciousness.
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The consciousness takes the name of an organ because the organ is its point of support.
Because the organ is "its own:" the organ of a certain person is the point of support of the visual consciousness of this person alone. Visible matter, on the contrary, is general, for a certain visible thing is perceived by both the visual consciousness and the mental conscious- ness, by one person and by another person. The same observation holds for the organs of hearing, smell, taste, and touch, and for their objects, sounds, smells, tastes, and tangibles.
We conclude that the consciousness is named according to its organ because the organ is its point of support, and because the organ is its own thing. But the same does not hold for its object. One says in the world "sound of the drum," and not "sound of the stick;" "sprout of the wheat," and not "sprout of the field"
***
A being is born in a certain stage of the world, in Kamadhatu, in the First Dhyana, etc. ; he is of this stage, and his body is also of this stage, and he sees, by the organ of sight, visible matter. Do the body, the organ of sight, visible matter and consciousness belong to the same stage or to different stages?
All can belong to different stages.
i. When a being born in Kamadhatu sees, by means of an organ of sight of his stage, visible matter of his stage, then body, organ, visible matter and consciousness are in the same stage.
When this being sees visible matter of his stage, by means of an organ of sight of the First Dhyana, then the body and visible matter are of Kamadhatu, but his organ and consciousness are of the First Dhyana; if he sees visible matter of the First Dhyana by means of the same organ, then only the body is in Kamadhatu; the other three are of the First Dhyana.
When this being sees visible matter of Kamadhatu by means of an organ of sight of the Second Dhyana, then the body and visible matter are in Kamadhatu, the organ is in the Second Dhyana, and conscious-
? ness is in the First Dhyana; if he sees, by the same organ, visible matter of the Second Dhyana, then the body is in Kamadhatu, the organ and visible matter are in the Second Dhyana, and consciousness is in the First Dhyana. (viii. l3a-c).
One would explain in the same way these cases where a being born in Kamadhatu sees, by the organ of sight of the Third or Fourth Dhyana, visible matter of these same stages or of a lower stage.
ii. When a being in the First Dhyana sees visible matter of his stage by means of an organ of sight of his stage, then body, organ, visible matter and consciousness are of the same stage; if he sees visible matter of a lower stage by the same organ, then the body, organ, and consciousness are of his stage, the First Dhyana.
When this being sees visible matter of his stage by means of an organ of sight of the Second Dhyana, then three are of his stage (First Dhyana), but the organ is in the Second Dhyana; if he sees, by the same organ, visible matter of Kamadhatu, then the body and con- sciousness are of his stage (First Dhyana), visible matter is in a lower stage, and the organ is in the Second Dhyana; if he sees visible matter of the Second Dhyana by the same organ, then the body and consciousness are of his stage (First Dhyana), but the organ and the visible matter are in the Second Dhyana.
One would explain in the same way these cases where a being in the First Dhyana sees, by means of an organ of sight of the Third or the Fourth Dhyana, visible matter of these stages or of a lower stage.
iii. According to these same principles, we can explain those cases where a being in the Second, Third or Fourth Dhyana, sees, by means of an organ of sight of his stage or of a different stage, visible matter of his stage or of a different stage.
The rule is the following:
46a. The organ of sight is not inferior to the body.
The body, the organ of sight, and visible matter can belong to five stages: Kamadhatu, and the Four Dhyanas.
The consciousness of sight is of two stages only: Kamadhatu and the First Dhyana (viii. l3a-c).
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Thus stated, the organs of sight which a certain being uses can be of the stage to which the body of this being belongs, that is, of the stage where this being has arisen; it can be of a higher stage; but it can never be lower.
Visible matter and consciousness, through relationship to the organ, is either of the same stage or lower, but never of a higher stage.
46b. Visible matter is not higher than the organ.
Visible matter of a higher stage cannot be seen by an organ of sight of a lower stage.
46c. Nor consciousness.
A visual consciousness of a higher stage cannot arise from an organ of a lower stage.
46d. Visible matter, in relation to consciousness, and visible matter as well as consciousness, through relation to the body, is of all types.
Visible matter, through relationship with the visual consciousness, is either equal, or higher, or lower.
Visible matter and the visual consciousness, through relationship to the body, are as visible matter is through relationship to the consciousness, this is to say, equal, higher, or lower.
47a. The same holds for the organ of hearing.
The organ of hearing is not lower than the body, sound is not higher than the organ of hearing, nor is auditory consciousness; sound, through relationship to this latter, and sound and consciousness through relationship to the body, can be of all types.
47a-b. Three organs belong to their own stage.
With respect to the organs of smell, taste, and touch, the body, organ, object and consciousness belong exclusively to the stage where the being is born.
After having formulated this general rule, the author mentions one exception.
? 47c-d. The consciousness of touch is of its own stage or of a lower stage.
The body, the organ of touch and tangibles are always of the stage where the being is born. But the consciousness of touch (1) is of this stage, in the case of a being born in Kamadhatu or in the First Dhyana; or (2) is of a lower stage (First Dhyana) in the case of a being born in the Second Dhyana or above.
47d There is no restriction with respect to the mental organ.
Sometimes the mental organ is of the same stage as the body, the dharmadhdtu and the mental consciousness; sometimes it is lower or higher. If a body belongs to the first five stages--Kamadhatu and the Four Dhyanas--, then the mental organ, the dharmadhatu, and the mental consciousness can be, in absorption or at conception, of any stage, all the stages not being moreover the same in each case. This will be explained in the Eighth Chapter which treats of the absorp- tions (viii. l9c-d). We shall not speak here of this for the sake of brevity, the profit being small and the pains great.
There are eighteen dhatus and six consciousness. Which dhatu is discerned by which consciousness?
48a. Five external dhatus are discerned by two types of consciousness.
Visible matter, sounds, odors, tastes and tangibles are known respectively, by the consciousness of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. They are all discerned by the mental consciousness. Each of these external dhatus is thus discerned by two consciousness.
The thirteen other dhatus, not being of the sphere of the sense consciousness, are discerned by a single mental consciousness.
***
The Dhatus 129
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Chapter One
How many of the dhdtus are eternal? No dhdtu is totally eternal. But
198 48b. Unconditioned things are eternal.
Unconditioned things (i. 5b) form part of the dharmadhatu (i. l5c). Thus one part of the dharmadhatu is eternal.
***
How many of the dhdtus are indriyas, that is to say, predominate (2. 1)?
48c-d. The twelve internal dhatus and one part of the dharma- m
dhatuare indriyas. 200
A Sutra enumerates twenty-two indriyas: 1. organ of sight, 2. organ of hearing, 3. organ of smell, 4. organ of taste, 5. organ of touch, 6. mental organ, 7. male organ, 8. female organ, 9. vital organ, 10.
faculty of sensation of pleasure, or sensation of pleasure, 11. faculty of sensation of displeasure, or sensation of displeasure, 12. faculty of sensation of satisfaction, or sensation of satisfaction (saumanasyen- driya), 13. faculty of sensation of dissatisfaaion, or sensation of dissatisfaction, 14. faculty of sensation of indifference, or sensation of indifference, 15. faculty of faith, 18. faculty of energy, 17. faculty of memory, 18. faculty of absorption, 19. faculty of discernment of dharmas, or faculty of prajnd, 20. andjndtamdjndsydmmdriya, 21. ajnendriya, and 22. djnatdvindriya.
The Abhidharmikas (Prakaranapdda, fol. 31b) do not count the
group that forms the six organs of consciousness (the dyatanas), i. e. ,
the organs of sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and the mental organ.
They do not place the mental organ after the organ of touch, but after
the vital organ, for the reason that the mental organ, the same as the
organs of sensation (10-14), also have an dlambana (i. 29b-d) and not 201
solely a visaya as do the organs of sense consciousness (1-5).
Among the twenty-two indriyas, eleven--namely the vital organ
(9), the five faculties of sensation (10-14), the five moral faculties
? (15-19)--and one part of the last three, form part of the
202 dharmadhdtu.
The twelve internal dhdtus are (1) the five organs of sense consciousness which form five dhdtus and five indriyas (1-5); (2) the mental organ (i. l6c), that is to say, the sixth indriya, which make up seven dhdtus; and (3) one part of the last three indriyas.
The five remaining dhdtus and one part of the dhannadhdtu are not indriyas.
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1. The authors of the Vinayavibhasdsay: (1) there is a Buddha who is not a Bhagavat, namely the Pratyekabuddha, because he is svayambhu, that is because he has obtained Bodhi by himself, because he has not fulfilled the task of ddnaparamstd, etc (vii. 34); (2) there is a Bhagavat who is not a Buddha, namely the Bodhisattva in his last existence; (3) there is a Buddha Bhagavat; and (4) there are persons who are neither Buddha, nor Bhagavat (Vydkhyd, 3. 12). One can also say that the 3ravakas, or Disciples, are Buddhas (Aryadeva, Sataka, 270), for they have acquired Bodhi (vi. 67).
2. Sariputra did not know the five pure skandhas (the precepts, etc. ) of the Tathagata.
3. Maudgalyayana did not see that his mother was reborn in Maricilokadhatu.
Sariputra did not discover the roots-of-good of a candidate for the state of Bhiksu (see vii. 30);
but the Buddha declares:
moksabijam aham hy asya susUksmatn upaksaye /
dhdtupdsdnavivare nilinam iva kdncanath / / Compare Huber, SutrdJamkara, p. 286.
4. As the stanza says:
sarvdkdram kdranam ekasya mayuracandrakasydpi ndsarvajnairjfieyath sarvajrlajndna- balam hi tat.
5. The Pratyekabuddhas and the &ravakas have also abandoned (prahina) non-defiled ignorance (aklispam ajndnam), in exactly the same way as they have abandoned the organ of sight, etc, that is, by abandoning all desire (chandardga) with respect to it. But this non-defiled ignorance remains active within them (samuddcarati) even though it is abandoned, exactly like the organ of sight
Such is not the case for the Buddha: this is why the author says that he has destroyed (hata) obscurity in such a manner that it will not arise again.
6. "As much as possible," yathdbhavyam. This holds for oneself, as when one says, "He gives food for the Brahmins to eat. "
7. We have the plural because the persons to be saved are numerous.
8. Expression of Aryadeva, Sataka, 265.
9. First explanation: through the power of rddhi (vii. 48), like Visnu; through the power of giving, like Mahesvara. Second explanation: through rddhi, through giving, and through its prabhdva (vii. 34).
It is true that the Buddhas perform miracles (fddhiprdtihdrya) in order to draw believers to themselves (dvarjanamdtrd)\ but it is through the miracle of the teaching (anusdsant) that they save the world by destroying its defilements (vii. 47a-b).
10. The dharmas are mixed, like flowers; one discerns them and places them in bouquets: these are pure, those are impure, etc
In this operation, a certain dharma associated with the mind (caitta, caitasika, ii. 23), which is called prajtid, plays a primary role. As a consequence prajtid is defined as "discernment of the dharmas. "
11. mala, stain, is a synonym for dsrava, vice. We translate andsrava by "pure. " The asravas are defined v. 35. See below i. 4.
12. The name "Abhidharma" signifies not only the pure consciousness which discerns the nature of things, but also all of the pure elements of the psychological moment in which this consciousness is produced: sensation, etc (i. l4c). One of these elements is material (rupa) and is called "pure discipline" (andsrava sathvara, iv. l3c).
? 13. Vydkhya: paramdrtha eva pdramdrthikah / paramdrthe va bhavah pdramdrthikah / paramdrthena vd divyati caratiti pdramdrthikah
14. The Treatise is (1) an Abhidharma Sdstra or an Abhidharma Pipaka. In either case, some think that it should not be understood as "The Treatise, with its attendant works, receives the name of Abhidharma," for a book does not have any attendants; some believe that its attendants are made
up of the laksanas (ii. 45c-d); (2) or the Jfidnaprasthdna, considered as the body of the Abhidharma and having for its feet (and "attendants") the six books, Prakaranapdda, Vijftdnakdya, Dharmakdya, PrajOdptisdstra, Dbatukaya, and Samgitiparyaya (Burnouf, Introduc- tion, p. 448).
15. The first two lines are quoted, with the reading yad upafdntaye, in a commentary (the Amrtakanikd) on the Ndmasamgiti, 130; the third is quoted in the Vydkhya.
16. The word kila shows that Vasubandhu presents here an opinion, the opinion of the Vaibhasikas, that he does not accept. The Abhidharma treatises are not the word of the Master for the Sautrantikas and for Vasubandhu The problem of the authenticity of the Abhidharma treatises is studied in the Introduction.
17. The Tibetan version of the Uddnavarga (Mdo XXVI) has been translated by W. Rockhill (London, 1883) and published by H. Beck (Berlin, 1911). A good part of the original has been discovered in Turkestan,JRAS, 1912, pp. 355-377;/. As. 1912,1. 311, showing the correspondence with the Pali sources). S. Levi,/. As. 1912, H. 215-222.
18. J. Takakusu, "On the Abhidharma Literature of the Sarvastivadins," JPTS, 1905, p. 75.
19. The conditioned dharmas, with the exception of those which form part of the Path, are termed sdsravay "in a relationship with the defilements. "
How and why are they "in a relationship with the defilements? "
1. One cannot say that they are "associated" (samprayukta) with the defilements, for only the mind andmental states which are defiled (klispa) are associated with the defilements (i. 23).
2. One cannot say that they coexist (sahotpdda) with the defilements. In this hypothesis (1) neither the external (bdhya,L3%) dharmas, (2) nor the five updddnaskandhas (i. 8) of a person within whom the defilements are not presently active would be "in a relationship with the defilements. "
3. One cannot say that they are the support (dsraya) of the defilements, for only the six organs of consciousness are the support of the defilements.
4. One cannot say that they are the object (dlambana) of the defilements: in this hypothesis, Nirvana (-nirodhasatya) would be "in a relationship with the defilements," for one can have false views with respea to Nirvana; in this hypothesis too, a higher sphere would be "in a relationship with the defilements" through the fact of the defilements of a lower sphere which grasps them as its object (opinions condemned v. 18).
The author thus explains that a dharma is termed "in a relationship with the defilements" because the defilements adhere to it (anuferate), that is, grow in them (pustim labhante) or take their dwelling and support in them (pratistha), as a foot can stand on the earth but not on red hot fire. The defilements (anufaya) develop (samtdyante) taking their growth in or support from the dharmas which are "in a relationship with the defilements. "
According to another opinion, in the same way that one says "This food suits me" (mama anuiete), meaning "This food is convenient to me, is favorable to me (anugunibhavati)" in this same way the defilements "come to these dharmas" "are favorable to these dharmas. " One thus terms the dharmas to which the defilements are favorable, namely conditioned things with the exception of the Path, to be "in a relationship with the defilements," in fact, conditioned things are created by action aroused by the defilements; the defilements are thus favorable to them.
Footnotes 133
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(Vydkhyd)See v. l, 18,29, 39,40.
The various schools are not in agreement on the question: Is the body of the Buddha "in a
relationship with the defilements? " See i. 31d.
20. The Truth of the Path is the totality of the dharmas which constitute Seeing and Meditation on the Truths (vi. 25d, vii3b).
On the asamskrtas, i. 48b, ii. 55c-d, and the Introduction.
21. Certain philosophers, namely the Vatslputnyas, say that there is only one asarhskrta, namely Nirvana. The Vais'esikas admit many asamskrtas: the paramdnus, etc (Vydkhyd). Some admit three asamskrtas; others consider the funyatd which is tathatdlaksand as an asarhskrta (Madhyamaka, vii. 33, p. 176). Wassilief, p. 282. Kathdvatthu, ii. 9, vi. 3.
22. On the two nirodhas, 16, ii. 55c; on the five nirodhas, i. 20a-b.
23. On the difference between space (dkdsa) and a void (dkdsadhdtu), see i. 28; on the non- existence of an asarhskrta called "space" (a Sautrantika theory), see ii. 55c-d. Kathdvatthu, vi. 6-7.
The opinion of the Madhyamikas on space and other unconditioned things, an opinion identical to that of the SautrSntikas, is presented by Aryadeva, Sataka, ix. 3 (Madhyamaka-vrtti, 505; Catuhsatikd, 202, As. Soc. of Bengal, iii, p. 483, 1914): "Where there is no matter (rupa), there is nothing which opposes the arising of material dharmas: the absence of matter receives the name dkdsa, because things shine brightly there (bhrsam asydntah kdsante bhdvdh). The Vaibhasikas suppose, in the Abhidharmasdstra, that dkdsa is a reality {vastu), not seeing that Scripture must give a name to an unreal thing, to a pure negative (avastusato'kimcanasya) . . . "
24. Compare the discussion Kathdvatthu, xix. 3.
The Sarvastivadins consider that "disjunction from a defilement," "the suppression of future
defilement or suffering" (visamyoga or nirodha) is a thing in and of itself, a real dharma, an entity (dravya). "Disjunction" is not produced by causes, and so is eternal. Through pratisamkhya (comprehension of the Truths) one obtains the acquisition (prdpti, ii. 36b) of disjunction.
25. The Blessed One compared an impure (sdsrava) object to a post, that is to say, an object which the defilements, desire, hatred, etc. can adhere to; the defilements of bonds, samyojana, are a rorje; the pudgala is the animal. (Compare Sarhyutta, iv. 282). A sdsrava object is a samyogavastu, the sannojaniya.
26. Dharmadinna was questioned by her former spouse the householder Vis*akha: kimsabhdga drya nirodhah? She answered: asabhdga dyusman visdkha. (Madhyamdgama, TD 1, p. 788cl6, Vibhdsd, TD 27, p. I62bll). Compare Majjhima, i. 304: nibbanassa pan'ayye kirn patighdgo . . .
27. Vibhdsd, TD 27, p. I64bl3. The Kathavatthu, ii. 9, attributes to the Mahimsasakas (Wassilief, ? . 282) and the Andhakas the distinction between papisamkhd- and appatisamkhdnirodha. Samkara discusses the two nirodhas ad ii. 2, 22 (see Kern Album, iii) but he confuses apratisamkhydnirodha and anityatdnirodha (i. 20a-b).
28. This classification rests on two principles: 1. There can be pratisamkhydnirodha, (disjunction, detachment) from impure dharmas, of any time period whether they have been, are now or are not now destined to arise. 2.
