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(Diṭṭhi-visuddhi-niddesa)
1. [587] Now, it was said earlier (XIV.32) that he “should first fortify his knowledge
by learning and questioning about those things that are the ‘soil’ after he has
perfected the two purifications—purification of virtue and purification of
consciousness—that are the ‘roots.’” Now, of those, purification of virtue is the quite
purified fourfold virtue beginning with Pātimokkha restraint; and that has already
been dealt with in detail in the Description of Virtue; (Chs. I and II) and the purification
of consciousness, namely, the eight attainments together with access concentration,
has also been dealt with in detail in all its aspects in the Description of Concentration,
(Chs. III to XIII) stated under the heading of “consciousness” [in the introductory
verse]. So those two purifications should be understood in detail as given there.
2.
But it was said above (XIV.32) that “The five purifications, purification of
view, purification by overcoming doubt, purification by knowledge and vision
of what is the path and what is not the path, purification by knowledge and
vision of the way, and purification by knowledge and vision, are the ‘trunk.’”
Herein, “purification of view” is the correct seeing of mentality-materiality.1
[DEFINING  OF  MENTALITY-MATERIALITY]
[(1) DEFINITION BASED ON THE FOUR PRIMARIES]
[(a) Starting with Mentality]
3. One who wants to accomplish this, if, firstly, his vehicle is serenity,2 should
emerge from any fine-material or immaterial jhāna, except the base consisting of
neither perception nor non-perception,3 and he should discern, according to
1. “Mentality should be taken here as the four aggregates beginning with feeling
and belonging to the three planes, not omitting consciousness as in the case of ‘With
consciousness as condition, mentality-materiality’ and not including the supramundane
aggregates associated with Nibbāna” (Vism-mhṭ 744 (Be)).
2. Serenity (samatha) is a general term for concentration, as the complement of insight
(vipassanā), which is roughly the equivalent of understanding (paññā).
3. “One who is beginning this work has difficulty in discerning the highest form of
becoming, that is, the base consisting of neither perception nor non-perception” (Vism-
mhṭ 744). This is owing to the diminished perception (see M III 28).
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characteristic, function, etc., the jhāna factors consisting of applied thought,
etc., and the states associated with them, [that is, feeling, perception, and so on].
When he has done so, all that should be defined as “mentality” (nāma) in the
sense of bending (namana)4 because of its bending on to the object.
4. Then, just as a man, by following a snake that he has seen in his house, finds
its abode, so too this meditator scrutinizes that mentality, he seeks to find out
what its occurrence is supported by and he sees that it is supported [588] by the
matter of the heart. After that, he discerns as materiality the primary elements,
which are the heart’s support, and the remaining, derived kinds of materiality
that have the elements as their support. He defines all that as “materiality” (rūpa)
because it is “molested” (ruppana) [by cold, etc.]. After that he defines in brief as
“mentality-materiality” (nāma-rūpa) the mentality that has the characteristic of
“bending” and the materiality that has the characteristic of “being molested.”
[(b) Starting with Materiality]
5. But one whose vehicle is pure insight, or that same aforesaid one whose vehicle
is serenity, discerns the four elements in brief or in detail in one of the various ways
given in the chapter on the definition of the four elements (XI.27ff.). Then, when the
elements have become clear in their correct essential characteristics, firstly,  in the
case of head hair originated by kamma there become plain ten instances of materiality
(rūpāni) with the body decad thus: the four elements, colour, odour, flavour, nutritive
essence, and life, and body sensitivity. And because the sex decad is present there
too there are another ten [that is, the same nine with sex instead of body sensitivity].
And since the octad-with-nutritive-essence-as-eighth [that is, the four elements and
colour, odour, flavour, and nutritive essence,] originated by nutriment, and that
originated by temperature, and that originated by consciousness are present there
too, there are another twenty-four. So there is a total of forty-four instances of
materiality in the case of each of the twenty-four bodily parts of fourfold origination.
But in the case of the four, namely, sweat, tears, spittle, and snot,5 which are originated
4. See S II 23f. “Bending in the direction of the object means that there is no occurrence
without an object; it is in the sense of that sort of bending, or it is in the sense of
bestowing a name (nāma-karaṇa)” (Vism-mhṭ 744). “Name-and-form” has many
advantages over “mentality-materiality” if only because it preserves the integrity of
nāma  and excludes any metaphysical assumption of matter existing as a substance
behind apparent forms.
5.
“Because sweat, etc., arise owing to heat, fatigue, etc., and owing to mental
perturbation, they are called ‘originated by temperature and by consciousness’” (Vism-
mhṭ 745). There are seven kinds of decads: those of the physical basis of mind (heart),
sex, living, physical eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body. The first nine components of a
decad are the same in all instances, and by themselves they are called the “life ennead.”
The first eight components by themselves are called the “octad-with-nutritive-essence-
as-eighth.” This octad plus sound is called the “sound ennead.” In general these are
called “material groups” (rūpa-kalāpa). But this kind of group (kalāpa) has nothing to
do with the “comprehension by groups” (kalāpa-sammasana) of Ch. XX, which is simply
generalization (from one’s own particular experience to each of the five aggregates as
past, etc., i.e. as a “group”). The “material groups” are not in the Piṭakas.
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by temperature and by consciousness, there are sixteen instances of materiality with
the two octads-with-nutritive-essence-as-eighth in each. In the case of the four,
namely, gorge, dung, pus, and urine, which are originated by temperature, eight
instances of materiality become plain in each with the octad-with-nutritive-essence-
as-eighth in what is originated only by temperature. This, in the first place, is the
method in the case of the thirty-two bodily aspects.
6.
But there are ten more aspects6 that become clear when those thirty-two
aspects have become clear. And as regards these, firstly, nine instances of
materiality, that is, the octad-with-nutritive-essence-as-eighth plus life, become
plain in the case of the kamma-born part of heat (fire) that digests what is eaten,
etc., and likewise nine [instances of materiality], that is, the octad-with-nutritive-
essence-as-eighth plus sound, in the case of the consciousness-born part [of air
consisting] of in-breaths and out-breaths; and thirty-three instances of materiality,
that is, the [kamma-born] life-ennead and the three octads-with-nutritive-essence-
as-eighth in the case of each of the remaining eight [parts] that are of fourfold
origination.
7.
And when these instances of materiality derived [by clinging] from the
primaries have thus become plain in detail in the case of these forty-two aspects,
[that is, thirty-two parts of the body, four modes of fire, and six modes of air,]
another sixty instances of materiality become plain with the physical [heart-]
basis and the [five] sense doors, that is, with the heart-basis decad and the five
decads beginning with the eye decad.
Taking all these together under the characteristic of “being molested,” he
sees them as “materiality.”
8. When he has discerned materiality thus, the immaterial states become plain
to him in accordance with the sense doors, that is to say, the eighty-one kinds7 of
mundane consciousness consisting of the two sets of five consciousnesses ((34)–
(38) and (50)–(54)), the three kinds of mind element ((39), (55) and (70)) and the
sixty-eight [589] kinds of mind-consciousness element; and then seven
consciousness-concomitants, that is, (i) contact, feeling, perception, (ii) volition,
(vii) life, (viii) steadiness of consciousness, and (xxx) attention, which are
invariably conascent with all these consciousnesses. The supramundane kinds
of consciousness, however, are not discernible either by one who is practicing
pure insight or by one whose vehicle is serenity because they are out of their
reach. Taking all these immaterial states together under the characteristic of
“bending,” he sees them as “mentality.”
This is how one [meditator] defines mentality-materiality in detail through
the method of defining the four elements.
6. The ten are four aspects of the fire element and six aspects of the air element;
what heats, what consumes, what burns up, what digests; up-going winds (or forces),
down-going winds, winds in the stomach, winds in the bowels, winds in the limbs,
breath. See XI.37, 82.
7. “The exalted consciousness of the fine-material and immaterial spheres is only
quite plain to one who has attained the attainments” (Vism-mhṭ 746).
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[(2) DEFINITION BASED ON THE EIGHTEEN ELEMENTS]
9. Another does it by means of the eighteen elements. How? Here a bhikkhu
considers the elements thus: “There are in this person the eye element, … the
mind-consciousness element.” Instead of taking the piece of flesh variegated
with white and black circles, having length and breath, and fastened in the eye
socket with a string of sinew, which the world terms “an eye,” he defines as “eye
element” the eye sensitivity of the kind described among the kinds of derived
materiality in the Description of the Aggregates (XIV.47).
10.
But he does not define as “eye element” the remaining instances of
materiality, which total fifty-three, that is, the nine conascent instances of
materiality consisting of the four primary elements, which are its support, the
four concomitant instances of materiality, namely, colour, odour, flavour, and
nutritive essence, and the sustaining life faculty; and also the twenty kamma-
born instances of materiality that are there too, consisting of the body decad and
sex decad; and the twenty-four unclung-to instances of materiality consisting of
the three octads-with-nutritive-essence-as-eighth, which are originated by
nutriment and so on. The same method applies to the ear element and the rest.
But in the case of the body element the remaining instances of materiality total
forty-three, though some say forty-five by adding sound and making nine each
for the temperature-born and consciousness-born [sound].
11. So these five sensitivities, and their five respective objective fields, that is,
visible data, sounds, odours, flavours, and tangible data, make ten instances of
materiality, which are ten [of the eighteen] elements. The remaining instances of
materiality are the mental-data element only.
The consciousness that occurs with the eye as its support and contingent upon
a visible datum is called “eye-consciousness element” [and likewise with the
ear and so on]. In this way the two sets of five consciousnesses are the five
“consciousness elements.” The three kinds of consciousness consisting of mind
element ((39), (55) and (70)) are the single “mind element.” The sixty-eight kinds
of mind-consciousness element are the “mind-consciousness element.” So all
the eighty-one kinds of mundane consciousness make up seven kinds of
consciousness element; and the contact, etc., associated therewith are the mental-
data element.
So ten-and-a-half elements are materiality and seven-and-a-half elements
[590] are mentality. This is how one [meditator] defines mentality-materiality by
means of the eighteen elements.
[(3) DEFINITION BASED ON THE TWELVE BASES]
12.
Another does it by means of the twelve bases. How? He defines as “eye
base” the sensitivity only, leaving out the fifty-three remaining instances of
materiality, in the way described for the eye element. And in the way described
there [he also defines] the elements of the ear, nose, tongue, and body, as “ear
base, nose base, tongue base, body base.” He defines five states that are their
respective objective fields as “visible-data base, sound base, odour base, flavour
base, tangible-data base.” He defines the seven mundane consciousness elements
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as “mind base.” He defines the contact, etc., associated there with and also the
remaining instances of materiality as “mental-data base.” So here ten-and-a-
half bases are materiality and one-and-a-half bases are mentality. This is how
one [meditator] defines mentality-materiality by means of the twelve bases.
[(4) DEFINITION BASED ON THE FIVE AGGREGATES]
13. Another defines it more briefly than that by means of the aggregates. How?
Here a bhikkhu defines as “the materiality aggregate” all the following twenty-
seven instances of materiality, that is, the seventeen instances of materiality
consisting of the four primaries of fourfold origination in this body and
dependent colour, odour, flavour, and nutritive essence, and the five sensitivities
beginning with the eye sensitivity, and the materiality of the physical [heart-
]basis, sex, life faculty, and sound of twofold origination, which seventeen
instances of materiality are suitable for comprehension since they are produced
and are instances of concrete materiality; and then the ten instances of materiality,
that is, bodily intimation, verbal intimation, the space element, and the lightness,
malleability, wieldiness, growth, continuity, aging, and impermanence of
materiality, which ten instances of materiality are, however, not suitable for
comprehension since they are merely the mode-alteration and the limitation-of-
interval; they are not produced and are not concrete materiality, but they are
reckoned as materiality because they are mode-alterations, and limitation-of-
interval, of various instances of materiality. So he defines all these twenty-seven
instances of materiality as the “the materiality aggregate.” He defines the feeling
that arises together with the eighty-one kinds of mundane consciousness as the
“feeling aggregate,” the perception associated therewith as the “perception
aggregate,” the formations associated therewith as the “formations aggregate,”
and the consciousness as the “consciousness aggregate.” So by defining the
materiality aggregate as “materiality” and the four immaterial aggregates as
“mentality,” he defines mentality-materiality by means of the five aggregates.
[(5) BRIEF DEFINITION BASED ON THE FOUR PRIMARIES]
14.
Another discerns “materiality” in his person briefly thus: “Any kind of
materiality whatever all consists of the four primary elements and the materiality
derived from the four primary elements” (M I 222), and he likewise discerns the
mind base and a part of the mental data base as “mentality.” Then he defines
mentality-materiality in brief thus: “This mentality and this materiality are called
‘mentality-materiality.’” 8
8.
“As well as by means of the elements, etc., materiality can also be discerned
through the faculties, the truths, and the dependent origination. How?
“Firstly, through the faculties. These seven, namely, the five beginning with the
eye plus femininity and masculinity are materiality; the eleven consisting of the mind
faculty, the five feeling faculties, and the five beginning with faith, are mentality; the
life faculty is both mentality and materiality. The last three, being supramundane, are
not intended here. The truth of suffering is both mentality and materiality; the truth of
origin is mentality; the other two are not intended here because they are supramundane.
“In the structure of conditions, the first three members are mentality; the fourth and
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[IF  THE IMMATERIAL FAILS  TO BECOME EVIDENT]
15. [591] But if he has discerned materiality in one of these ways, and while he
is trying to discern the immaterial it does not become evident to him owing to its
subtlety, then he should not give up but should again and again comprehend,
give attention to, discern, and define materiality only. For in proportion as
materiality becomes quite definite, disentangled and quite clear to him, so the
immaterial states that have that [materiality] as their object become plain of
themselves too.
16. Just as, when a man with eyes looks for the reflection of his face in a dirty
looking-glass and sees no reflection, he does not throw the looking-glass away
because the reflection does not appear; on the contrary, he polishes it again and
again, and then the reflection becomes plain of itself when the looking-glass is
clean—and just as, when a man needing oil puts sesame flour in a basin and
wets it with water and no oil comes out with only one or two pressings, he does
not throw the sesame flour away; but on the contrary, he wets it again and again
with hot water and squeezes and presses it, and as he does so clear sesame oil
comes out—or just as, when a man wanting to clarify water has taken a katuka
nut and put his hand inside the pot and rubbed it once or twice but the water
does not come clear, he does not throw the katuka nut away; on the contrary, he rubs
it again and again, and as he does so the fine mud subsides and the water becomes
transparent and clear—so too, the bhikkhu should not give up, but he should again
and again comprehend, give attention to, discern and define materiality only.
17. For in proportion as materiality becomes quite definite, disentangled and
quite clear to him, so the defilements that are opposing him subside, his
consciousness becomes clear like the water above the [precipitated] mud, and the
immaterial states that have that [materiality] as their object become plain of
themselves too. And this meaning can also be explained in this way by other
analogies such as the [pressing of] sugarcane, [the beating of] criminals [to
make them confess], [the taming of] an ox, the churning of curds [to produce
butter], and [the cooking of] fish.
[HOW  THE  IMMATERIAL  STATES  BECOME  EVIDENT]
18.
When he has quite cleared up his discerning of materiality, then the
immaterial states become evident to him through one of three aspects, that is,
through contact, through feeling, or through consciousness. How?
19. 1. (a) When he discerns the [four primary] elements in the way beginning,
“The earth element has the characteristic of hardness” (XI.93), contact becomes
evident to him as the first conjunction. Then the feeling associated with that as
the feeling aggregate, the associated perception as the perception aggregate, the
associated volition together with the aforesaid contact as the formations
aggregate, and the associated consciousness as the consciousness aggregate.
fifth are mentality and materiality; the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth are mentality;
the tenth is both mentality and materiality; the last two are each mentality and
materiality” (Vism-mhṭ 747f.).
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1. (b) [592] Likewise [when he has discerned them in this way,] “In the head
hair it is the earth element that has the characteristic of hardness … in the in-
breaths and out-breaths it is the earth element that has the characteristic of
hardness” (XI.31), contact becomes evident as the first conjunction. Then the
feeling associated with it as the feeling aggregate, … the associated
consciousness as the consciousness aggregate.
This is how immaterial states become evident through contact.
20.
2. (a) To another [who discerns the four primary elements in the way
beginning] “The earth element has the characteristic of hardness,” the feeling
that has that as its object and experiences its stimulus [as pleasant, etc.,] becomes
evident as the feeling aggregate, the perception associated with that as the
perception aggregate, the contact and the volition associated with that as the
formations aggregate, and the consciousness associated with that as the
consciousness aggregate.
2. (b) Likewise [to one who discerns them in this way] “In the head hair it is
the earth element that has the characteristic of hardness … in the in-breaths and
out-breaths it is the earth element that has the characteristic of hardness,” the
feeling that has that as its object and experiences its stimulus becomes evident
as the feeling aggregate … and the consciousness associated with that as the
consciousness aggregate.
This is how the immaterial states become evident through feeling.
21.
3. (a) To another [who discerns the four primary elements in the way
beginning] “The earth element has the characteristic of hardness,” the
consciousness that cognizes the object becomes evident as the consciousness
aggregate, the feeling associated with it as the feeling aggregate, the associated
perception as the perception aggregate, and the associated contact and volition
as the formations aggregate.
3. (b) Likewise [to one who discerns them in this way] “In the head hair it is
the earth element that has the characteristic of hardness … in the in-breaths and
out-breaths it is the earth element that has the characteristic of hardness,” the
consciousness that cognizes the object becomes evident as the consciousness
aggregate … and the associated contact and volition as the formations aggregate.
This is how the immaterial states become evident through consciousness.
22. In the case of [the ways of discerning materiality as consisting of] the forty-
two aspects of the elements beginning with the head hairs [that is, thirty-two
aspects of the body, four aspects of the fire element and six aspects of the air
element,] either by these same means given above or by means of the method
beginning, “In the kamma-originated head hairs it is the earth element that has
the characteristic of hardness—and also in the case of the methods of discerning
materiality as consisting of the eye, etc.—by means of the four primary elements
in each, the construing should be done by working out all the differences in
each method.
23. Now, it is only when he has become quite sure about discerning materiality
in this way that immaterial states become quite evident to him in the three aspects.
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Therefore he should only undertake the task of discerning the immaterial states
after he has completed that, not otherwise. If he leaves off discerning materiality
when, say, one or two material states have become evident in order to begin
discerning the immaterial, then he falls from his meditation subject like the
mountain cow already described under the Development of the Earth Kasiṇa
(IV.130). [593] But if he undertakes the task of discerning the immaterial after he
is already quite sure about discerning materiality thus, then his meditation
subject comes to growth, increase and perfection.
[NO  BEING  APART  FROM  MENTALITY-MATERIALITY]
24. He defines the four immaterial aggregates that have thus become evident
through contact, etc., as “mentality.” And he defines their objects, namely, the
four primaries and the materiality derived from the four primaries, as
“materiality.” So, as one who opens a box with a knife, as one who splits a twin
palmyra bulb in two, he defines all states of the three planes,9 the eighteen
elements, twelve bases, five aggregates, in the double way as “mentality-
materiality,” and he concludes that over and above mere mentality-materiality
there is nothing else that is a being or a person or a deity or a Brahmā.
25. After defining mentality-materiality thus according to its true nature, then
in order to abandon this worldly designation of “a being” and “a person” more
thoroughly, to surmount confusion about beings and to establish his mind on
the plane of non-confusion, he makes sure that the meaning defined, namely,
9. “‘All states of the three planes’ is said all-inclusively owing to the necessity not to
omit anything suitable for comprehension. For it must be fully understood without
any exception, and greed must be made to fade away absolutely so that the mind may
be liberated by the fading away of greed. That is why the Blessed One said: ‘Bhikkhus,
without directly knowing, without fully understanding all, without causing the fading
away of greed for it, without abandoning it, the mind is incapable of the destruction of
suffering. Bhikkhus, it is by directly knowing, by fully understanding all, by causing
the fading away of greed for it, by abandoning it, that the mind is capable of the
destruction of suffering’  (S IV 17). If all the states of the three planes are taken as
mentality-materiality without exception, then how should one deal with what has
been conceived by those outside the Dispensation as verbal meanings, such as the
Primordial Essence (pakati), etc. [e.g. of the Sāṃkhya], the substance (drabya), etc. [e.g.
of the Vaiøeåika], the soul (jīva), etc., and the body (kāya), etc. [?] Since these are like the
hallucination of lunatics and are taught by the not fully enlightened, what other way of
dealing with them is there than to ignore them? Or alternatively, their existence or
non-existence can be understood as established by their inclusion within mentality-
materiality” (Vism-mhṭ 751f.). There follows a long paragraph showing how the
concepts of these systems are to be assimilated into mentality-materiality whereby
they lose their significance and are shown to be impermanent and formed. Vism-mhṭ
concludes by saying, “Wherever the verbal meaning of self is expressed by some
such metaphor as world-soul (purisa), self (attā, ātman), soul (jīva), etc., these being
themselves conceived in their various ways on the basis of mere mentality-materiality,
are mere mentality-materiality, too” (Vism-mhṭ 754f.).
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“This is mere mentality-materiality, there is no being, no person” is confirmed
by a number of suttas. For this has been said:
As with the assembly of parts
The word “chariot” is countenanced,
So, when the aggregates are present,
“A being” is said in common usage (S I 135).
26. Again, this has been said: “Just as when a space is enclosed with timber
and creepers and grass and clay, there comes to be the term ‘house,’ so too, when
a space is enclosed with bones and sinews and flesh and skin, there comes to be
the term ‘material form’ (rūpa)” (M I 190).
27.
And again this has been said:
It is ill alone that rises,
Ill that remains, ill that departs.
Nothing rises else than ill,
And nothing ceases else than ill (S I 135).
28. So in many hundred suttas it is only mentality-materiality that is illustrated,
not a being, not a person. Therefore, just as when the component parts such as
axles, wheels, frame poles, etc., are arranged in a certain way, there comes to be
the mere term of common usage “chariot,” yet in the ultimate sense when each
part is examined there is no chariot—and just as when the component parts of
a house such as wattles, etc., are placed so that they enclose a space in a certain
way, there comes to be the mere term of common usage “house,” yet in the ultimate
sense there is no house—and just as when the fingers, thumb, etc., are placed in
a certain way, there comes to be the mere term of common usage [594] “fist,”—
with body and strings, “lute”; with elephants, horses, etc., “army”; with
surrounding walls, houses, states, etc., “city”—just as when trunk, branches,
foliage, etc., are placed in a certain way, there comes to be the mere term of
common usage “tree,” yet in the ultimate sense, when each component is
examined, there is no tree—so too, when there are the five aggregates [as objects]
of clinging, there comes to be the mere term of common usage “a being,” “a
person,” yet in the ultimate sense, when each component is examined, there is
no being as a basis for the assumption “I am” or “I”; in the ultimate sense there
is only mentality-materiality. The vision of one who sees in this way is called
correct vision.
29. But when a man rejects this correct vision and assumes that a [permanent]
being exists, he has to conclude either that it comes to be annihilated or that it
does not. If he concludes that it does not come to be annihilated, he falls into the
eternity [view]. If he concludes that it does come to be annihilated, he falls into
the annihilation [view]. Why? Because [the assumption] precludes any gradual
change like that of milk into curd. So he either holds back, concluding that the
assumed being is eternal, or he overreaches, concluding that it comes to be
annihilated.
30. Hence the Blessed One said: “There are two kinds of view, bhikkhus, and
when deities and human beings are obsessed by them, some hold back and
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some overreach; only those with eyes see. And how do some hold back? Deities
and human beings love becoming, delight in becoming, rejoice in becoming.
When Dhamma is taught to them for the ceasing of becoming, their minds do
not enter into it, become settled, steady and resolute. Thus it is that some hold
back. And how do some overreach? Some are ashamed, humiliated and disgusted
by that same becoming, they are concerned with non-becoming in this way:
‘Sirs, when with the breakup of the body this self is cut off, annihilated, does not
become any more after death, that is peaceful, that is sublime, that is true.’ Thus
it is that some overreach. And how do those with eyes see? Here a bhikkhu sees
what is become as become. Having seen what is become as become, he has
entered upon the way to dispassion for it, to the fading away of greed for it, to its
cessation. This is how one with eyes sees” (It 43; Paṭis I 159).
31. Therefore, just as a marionette is void, soulless and without curiosity, and
while it walks and stands merely through the combination of strings and wood,
[595] yet it seems as if it had curiosity and interestedness, so too, this mentality-
materiality is void, soulless and without curiosity, and while it walks and stands
merely through the combination of the two together, yet it seems as if it had
curiosity and interestedness. This is how it should be regarded. Hence the
Ancients said:
The mental and material are really here,
But here there is no human being to be found,
For it is void and merely fashioned like a doll—
Just suffering piled up like grass and sticks.
[INTERDEPENDENCE  OF  MENTALITY  AND  MATERIALITY]
32.
And this should be explained not only by means of the simile of the
marionette, but also by means of the analogies of the sheaves of reeds and so on.
For just as when two sheaves of reeds are propped one against the other, each
one gives the other consolidating support, and when one falls the other falls, so
too, in the five-constituent becoming mentality-materiality occurs as an
interdependent state, each of its components giving the other consolidating
support, and when one falls owing to death, the other falls too. Hence the Ancients
said:
The mental and material
Are twins and each supports the other;
When one breaks up they both break up
Through interconditionality.
33. And just as when sound occurs having as its support a drum that is beaten
by the stick, then the drum is one and the sound another, the drum and the
sound are not mixed up together, the drum is void of the sound and the sound is
void of the drum, so too, when mentality occurs having as its support the
materiality called the physical basis, the door and the object, then the materiality
is one and the mentality is another, the mentality and materiality are not mixed
up together, the mentality is void of the materiality and the materiality is void of
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Purification of View
the mentality; yet the mentality occurs due to the materiality as the sound occurs
due to the drum. Hence the Ancients said:
The pentad based on contact comes not from the eye,
Or from things seen, or something that is in between;
Due to a cause it comes to be, and formed as well.
Just as the sound that issues from a beaten drum.
The pentad based on contact comes not from the ear.
Or yet from sound, or something that is in between;
Due to a cause …
The pentad based on contact comes not from the nose
Or yet from smells, or something that is in between;
Due to a cause …
The pentad based on contact comes not from the tongue,
Or yet from tastes, or something that is in between; [596]
Due to a cause …
The pentad based on contact comes not from the body,
Or yet from touch, or something that is in between;
Due to a cause …
Being formed, it does not come from the material basis.
Nor does it issue from the mental-datum base;
Due to a cause it comes to be, and formed as well.
Just as the sound that issues from a beaten drum.
34. Furthermore, mentality has no efficient power, it cannot occur by its own
efficient power. It does not eat, it does not drink, it does not speak, it does not
adopt postures. And materiality is without efficient power; it cannot occur by its
own efficient power. For it has no desire to eat, it has no desire to drink, it has no
desire to speak, it has no desire to adopt postures. But rather it is when supported
by materiality that mentality occurs; and it is when supported by mentality that
materiality occurs. When mentality has the desire to eat, the desire to drink, the
desire to speak, the desire to adopt a posture, it is materiality that eats, drinks,
speaks, and adopts a posture.
35. But for the purpose of explaining this meaning they gave this simile as an
example: a man born blind and a stool-crawling cripple wanted to go somewhere.
The blind man said to the cripple, “Look, I can do what should be done by legs,
but I have no eyes with which to see what is rough and smooth.” The cripple
said, “Look, I can do what should be done by eyes, but I have no legs with which
to go and come.” The blind man was delighted, and he made the cripple climb
up on his shoulder. Sitting on the blind man’s shoulder the cripple spoke thus,
“Leave the left, take the right; leave the right, take the left.”
Herein, the blind man has no efficient power; he is impotent; he cannot travel
by his own efficient power, by his own strength. And the cripple has no efficient
power; he is impotent; he cannot travel by his own efficient power, by his own
strength. But there is nothing to prevent their going when they support each
other. So too, mentality has no efficient power; it does not arise or occur in such
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Part 3: Understanding (Paññā)
and such functions by its own efficient power. And materiality has no efficient
power; it does not arise or occur in such and such functions by its own efficient
power.
But there is nothing to prevent their occurrence when they support each
other.
36.
Hence this is said:
They cannot come to be by their own strength,
Or yet maintain themselves by their own strength;
Relying for support on other states,
Weak in themselves, and formed, they come to be; [597]
They come to be with others as condition.
They are aroused by others as their objects,
They are produced by object and condition,
And each by something other than itself.
And just as men depend upon
A boat for traversing the sea.
So does the mental body need
The matter-body for occurrence.
And as the boat depends upon
The men for traversing the sea.
So does the matter-body need
The mental body for occurrence.
Depending each upon the other
The boat and men go on the sea.
And so do mind and matter both
Depend the one upon the other.
37.
The correct vision of mentality and materiality, which, after defining
mentality-materiality by these various methods, has been established on the
plane of non-confusion by overcoming the perception of a being, is what should
be understood as purification of view. Other terms for it are “defining of mentality-
materiality” and “delimitation of formations.”
The eighteenth chapter called “The Description of
Purification of View” in the Treatise on the Development
of Understanding in the Path of Purification composed for
the purpose of gladdening good people.