https://www.academia.edu/127576660/MN_38_Mah%C4%81ta%E1%B9%87h%C4%81sa%E1%B9%85khaya_Sutta_Salient_Concepts

This booklet offers a discussion of Anapanasati using the teachings and definitions found in the Pali suttas. The general format of this booklet follows the Anapanasati Sutta (MN 118) in the Majjhima Nikaya, however it naturally gives considerations to other Suttas. This booklet also gives an opinion about the Satipatthana Suttas (MN 10 & DN 22). Available for reading at this link: https://www.academia.edu/102322604/Anapanasati_from_the_Pali_Suttas_Salient_Points

This booklet (updated 10 April 2022) offers a here & now interpretation of Dependent Origination using the teachings and definitions found in the Pali suttas plus provides a brief discussion about the evolution of latter teachings about Dependent Origination in Theravada (Mahavihara) Buddhism. The booklet can be read at this link: https://www.scribd.com/document/568984924/Dependent-Origination-from-the-Pali-Suttas

A booklet can be read at this link: https://www.scribd.com/document/520231185/Is-rebirth-a-misconception-of-the-Pali-suttas

Alternate translation: 

At Sāvatthī. “Bhikkhus (those who see the danger), I will teach and analyze for you dependent origination. Listen and pay close attention, I will speak.” “Yes, sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

What is dependent origination? Ignorance is a condition for fabricators. Fabricators are a condition for consciousness. Consciousness is a condition for mentality and materiality. Mentality and materiality are conditions for the six sense spheres. The six sense spheres are conditions for contact. Contact is a condition for feeling. Feeling is a condition for craving. Craving is a condition for attachment. Attachment is a condition for becoming. Becoming is a condition for birth (identity). Birth is a condition for aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair to come to be. That is how this entire mass of suffering originates.

And what is aging and death? The aging, decrepitude, broken teeth, grey hair, wrinkly skin, diminished vitality and failing faculties of them & those beings in this & that category [singular] of beings. This is called aging. The passing away, perishing, disintegration, demise, mortality, death, decease, breaking up of the aggregates and laying to rest of the corpse of them & those beings in this & that category [singular] of beings. This is called death. Such is aging and such is death. This is called aging and death.

And what is birth (identity)? Whatever them & those beings in this & that category [singular] of beings; their birth; their development; their entry; their production; the manifestation of their aggregates; the acquisition of their sense objects. This is called ‘birth’.

And what is becoming? There are these three states of becoming: sensual becoming, form becoming and formless becoming. This is called becoming.

And what is attachment? There are these four kinds of attachment. Sensual pleasure attachment, views & opinions attachment, precepts and observances attachment and theories of a self attachment. This is called attachment.

And what is craving? There are these six classes of craving. Craving for sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches and mind objects. This is called craving.

And what is feeling? There are these six classes of feeling. Feeling born of contact through the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind. This is called feeling.

And what is contact? There are these six classes of contact. Contact through the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind. This is called contact.

And what are the six sense spheres? The sense fields of the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. These are called the six sense spheres.

And what is mentality and materiality? Feeling, perception, intention, contact and attention. This is called mentality. The four primary elements, and form derived from the four primary elements. This is called materiality. Such is mentality and such is materiality. This is called mentality and materiality.

And what is consciousness? There are these six classes of consciousness. Eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind consciousness. This is called consciousness.

And what are pre-conditions? There are three kinds of pre-conditions: the body pre-condition, the speech pre-condition and the mind pre-condition. These are called pre-conditions.

And what is ignorance? Not knowing about suffering, the origination of suffering, the cessation of suffering and the path of practice that leads to the extinguishing of suffering. This is called ignorance.

And so, ignorance is a condition for pre-conditions. pre-conditions are a condition for consciousness. … That is how this entire mass of suffering originates. When ignorance fades away and extinguishes with nothing left over, fabricators extinguish. When fabricators extinguish, consciousness extinguishes. … That is how this entire mass of suffering extinguishes.

‘Mindfulness’ is a translation of the Pali word ‘sati’, which means ‘to remember’ or ‘keep in mind’, as described in the following suttas: 

And what is the faculty of mindfulness? There is the case where a monk, a disciple of the noble ones, is mindful, highly meticulous, remembering & able to call to mind even things that were done & said long ago. – SN 48.10 

One is mindful to abandon wrong view & to enter & remain in right view: This is one’s right mindfulness.

 One is mindful to abandon wrong resolve & to enter & remain in right resolve: This is one’s right mindfulness.

One is mindful to abandon wrong speech & to enter & remain in right speech: This is one’s right mindfulness.

One is mindful to abandon wrong action & to enter & remain in right action: This is one’s right mindfulness. 

One is mindful to abandon wrong livelihood & to enter & remain in right livelihood: This is one’s right mindfulness.

MN 117

In Buddhism, ‘mindfulness’ is often misunderstood to be ‘observing’ or ‘watching’ or ‘awareness’ because of  misreading the following standard definition of Right Mindfulness: 

And what, bhikkhus is right mindfulness? Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu dwells contemplating (ānupassī) the body in the body, ardent (ātāpī), clearly comprehending (sampajāno), mindful (satimā), having removed covetousness and displeasure in regard to the world. He dwells contemplating feelings in feelings, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having removed covetousness and displeasure in regard to the world. He dwells contemplating mind in mind, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having removed covetousness and displeasure in regard to the world. He dwells contemplating phenomena in phenomena, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having removed covetousness and displeasure in regard to the world. This is called right mindfulness. SN 45.8

If the above definition is read clearly, it is found the Pali word “ānupassī” (and not “sati”) means to “contemplate” or “observe”. More crucially, the role of “sati” above is to continually remember to “remove/abandon covetousness and displeasure in regard to the world”.  

The Buddha taught in his Right View that the cause of suffering, namely, craving, is to be abandoned. 

It follows the teaching about right mindfulness in MN 117, SN 45.8 and in the meditation suttas of MN 10 and MN 118 is the same, namely, the role of mindfulness is to remember to abandon craving and enter and remain in a state of mind without craving. 

This is affirmed at the end of MN 118, which states right mindfulness matures as “letting go”, “abandonment” or “relinquishment”: 

There is the case where a monk develops mindfulness as a factor for awakening dependent on seclusion, dependent on dispassion, dependent on cessation, resulting in relinquishment. MN 118

Therefore, mindfulness is not related to observing objects. All mindfulness does is keep the mind clear so the mind itself, automatically, observes, discerns & examines objects. 

Again, in the following passage, care must be taken to not mistakenly impute the role of examining objects onto mindfulness. Instead, the only action mindfulness performs in the following passage is putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world.

On whatever occasion the monk remains focused on the body in & of itself — ardent, alert & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world, on that occasion his mindfulness is steady & without lapse. When his mindfulness is steady & without lapse, then mindfulness as a factor for awakening becomes aroused. He develops it and, for him, it goes to the culmination of its development.

Remaining mindful in this way, he [the mind] examines, analyzes & comes to a comprehension of dhammas with discernment. When he remains mindful in this way — [together with] examining, analyzing & coming to a comprehension of dhammas with discernment — then analysis of dhammas as a factor for awakening becomes aroused. He develops it and, for him, it goes to the culmination of its development.

MN 118

Again, for the sake of clarity, MN 43 is quoted below to show it is not “mindfulness” (‘sati”) that examines and discerns objects. MN 43 below states it is “consciousness” (“vinnana”) that discerns objects. 

Discernment & consciousness are conjoined, friend, not disjoined. It’s not possible, having separated them one from the other, to delineate the difference between them. For what one discerns, that one cognizes. What one cognizes, that one discerns. MN 43

To conclude, ‘mindfulness’ means to continually ‘remember’ or ‘keep in mind’. In Buddhist meditation, what is continually remembered or kept in mind is the abandonment of craving. When craving is abandoned, the mind will be silent, clear, sensitive and will automatically know and discern the meditation objects, such as the breathing. When craving is abandoned, there is no need for an act of will to be aware of the breathing. The breathing automatically and naturally will become the meditation object of the quiet silent craving-free mind. 

There are many different words in the Pali suttas translators may universally translate as “rebirth” or “reborn”, such as: (i) abhinibbatti; (ii) opapātikā; (iii) paccājāyati; (iv) upapajjamāne; (v) upapajjissati; (vi) sopapajjati; (vii) upapajjare; (viii) upapatti; (ix) ponobbhavikā; (x) punabbhavo; and (xi) jati. It seems unlikely the Buddha would have used many different words to refer to a sole phenomena of “rebirth”. 

The word “jati” (“birth”; a noun) has previously been explained on this blog to not mean “rebirth”; based on its contextual usage in the texts. Also, the very fact “jati” is the condition for “marana” (“death”) but, to the contrary, “death” (“marana”) is the condition for “rebirth”, shows “jati”cannot be “rebirth”.  

Three most common related Pali words translated as “reborn” are the verb “upapajjati” (“to be reborn”), its past participle “upapanna” (“is/was reborn”) and the resultant verbal noun “upapatti” (“rebirth”).

This explanation will make a case “upapajjati” and “upapanna” do not literally mean “reborn” or “reincarnated” but simply generally mean “to proceed/follow closely from the former”; based in the Pali prefix “upa”, meaning “near” or “close” (I assume “from”) and the root “pad”, meaning “walk, travel or proceed”. 

The word “upapajjati” is found in the contexts of AN 4.6, MN 148 and MN 72, which obviously do not refer to “rebirth” or “reincarnation”:

Appassuto sutena upapanno

Has little learning but from this has proceeded to the point of learning.

AN 4.6

‘Cakkhu attā’ ti yo vadeyya taṃ na upapajjati. Cakkhussa uppādopi vayopi paññāyati.

‘The eye is self ’. Such as statement does not follow/proceed from the arising and vanishing of the eye being evident. 

MN 148

MN 72 offers a compelling example, which says the “non-rebirth” (“na upapajjatī”) of an Arahant does not apply. The suttas commonly say for an Arahant “birth/identity” (jati) is destroyed (SN 22.59); that an Arahant does not take birth (na jāyati; MN 140). Yet MN 72 shows the word “upapajjati” obviously does not mean “rebirth” but something different.

Evaṃ vimuttacitto pana, bho gotama, bhikkhu kuhiṃ upapajjatī ti?

But Master Gotama, when a monk’s mind is freed like this, where do they proceed to/go to?

Upapajjatīti kho, vaccha, na upeti.

‘They proceed/they go’ doesn’t apply, Vaccha.

Tena hi, bho gotama, na upapajjatī ti?

Well then, do they not proceed/not go anywhere?

Na upapajjatīti kho, vaccha, na upeti.

‘They don’t proceed/don’t go’ doesn’t apply, Vaccha.

MN 72

The above is explained in MN 72, with the metaphor an extinguished fire does not go anywhere nor does it not go anywhere, since the fire is “out”; there is no fire. It is also explained because an Arahant cannot be defined or reckoned (saṅkhaya) via a description of the five aggregates, the Arahant, like the fire, has gone “out”; there is no Arahant (with the ending of all identifying, ego, possessiveness & underlying tendency to conceit). 

In other words, because “upapajjati” may possibly mean, as suggested “to proceed/follow closely from the former”; since there is no “former”, there is nothing to proceed or follow from; let alone nothing to not proceed or not follow from. Since the Arahant is not born; the Arahant is not “reborn”; nor is the Arahant not “not reborn”.

It follows the words “upapajjati”, “upapanna” and “upapatti” cannot mean “reincarnation” because the Arahant is not “not upapajjati”. 

In conclusion, it appears the words “upapajjati” and “upapanna” do not literally refer to “rebirth” or “reincarnation” but merely mean something that follows or proceeds from another thing.

So tena kammena evaṃ samattena evaṃ samādinnena kāyassa bhedā paraṃ maraṇā apāyaṃ duggatiṃ vinipātaṃ nirayaṃ upapajjati.

Because of undertaking such deeds, at the break up of the body (kaya), after death (marana), they follow on/proceed into a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.

MN 135

As for the words: “at the break up of the body (kaya), after death (marana)”; these have been explained previously to mean the break up of the “group” or “collection” (kaya) of aggregates to form the basis of the identity (rather than physical death); i.e. “death” (“marana”) of a self-identity or “a being” (“satta”) born from a self-view at “jati’. 

 

 

 

 

 

Together with SN 12.25 (Bhūmija Sutta), SN 12.51 (Parivīmaṃsana Sutta) is a sutta that has historically been wrongly used to justify a wrong interpretation of the “sankhara” condition of Dependent Origination. 

As previously posted in this blog, the “sankhara” condition of Dependent Origination properly refers to the kaya sankhara (in & out breathing); vaci sankhara (initial & sustained thought); and citta sankhara (perception & feeling), as defined in MN 44. 

The primary reason why the Parivīmaṃsana Sutta does not explain what “sankhara” are in Dependent Origination is because the meritorious, demeritorious and imperturbable volitional formations mentioned in the sutta are mental states of attachment or clinging, as follows:

He does not generate a meritorious volitional formation, or a demeritorious volitional formation, or an imperturbable volitional formation. Since he does not generate or fashion volitional formations, he does not cling to anything in the world. Not clinging, he is not agitated. Not being agitated, he personally attains Nibbāna. 

SN 12.51

Since meritorious, demeritorious and imperturbable volitional formations are states of clinging (upadana), they form part of the 9th condition of Dependent Origination rather than are the 2nd condition of Dependent Origination. 

Also, the Pali uses the verbs abhisaṅkharoti and anabhisañcetayanto in describing the generation of these volitional formations. Since volition or “cetana” is first mentioned in the 4th condition of Dependent Origination (i.e., at ‘nama-rupa’), volitional formations cannot be generated at the 2nd condition of Dependent Origination. 

More importantly, the Pali term “sankhara” in the 2nd condition of Dependent Origination is a plural. Since it is not possible to generate each of the meritorious, demeritorious and imperturbable volitional formations in one mind moment, these cannot represent sankhara as a plural.

To the contrary, with the arising of ignorance in one mind moment, it is possible for each of the  kaya sankhara (in & out breathing); vaci sankhara (initial & sustained thought); and citta sankhara (perception & feeling) to arise in one mind moment. For example, if ignorance is the arising of an outflow (asava) of sensual desire; sensual thoughts, sensual perceptions, sensual feelings and sensual breathing will arise together in one mind moment as sankhara. 

In summary, the meritorious, demeritorious and imperturbable volitional formations mentioned in the Parivīmaṃsana Sutta are states of clinging (upadana) that form part of the 9th condition of Dependent Origination rather than are the 2nd condition of Dependent Origination; as literally said in the Parivīmaṃsana Sutta. 

In later times, more & more stories about literal past lives were introduced into Buddhism, such as the Jataka Tales. However, in the original or older Pali suttas, there are thousands of suttas but only a handful mention literal past lives, such as the Rathakara (Pacetana) Sutta.

In the original or older Pali suttas, the term that is widespread & often translated as ‘past lives’ is ‘pubbe nivāsaṃ’, most notably in the following stock passage:

When the mind was thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilement, pliant, malleable, steady & attained to imperturbability, I directed it to the knowledge of recollecting my past (pubbe) lives (nivāsaṃ). I recollected my manifold past lives, i.e., one birth, two… five, ten… fifty, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand, many eons of cosmic contraction, many eons of cosmic expansion, many eons of cosmic contraction & expansion: ‘There I had such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my experience of pleasure & pain, such the end of my life. Passing away from that state, I re-arose there. There too I had such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my experience of pleasure & pain, such the end of my life. Passing away from that state, I re-arose here.’ Thus I remembered my manifold past lives in their modes & details.

The word ‘nivāsaṃ’ literally means ‘homes’, as shown below from SN 22.2:

icchāma mayaṃ, bhante, pacchābhūmaṃ janapadaṃ gantuṃ, pacchābhūme janapade nivāsaṃ kappetun ti.

Sir, we wish to go to a western land to take up residence there.

And from SN 22.87:

Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā vakkali kumbhakāranivesane viharati ābādhiko dukkhito bāḷhagilāno.

Now at that time Venerable Vakkali was staying in a potter’s shed, and he was sick, suffering, gravely ill.

As scholarship become more authentic, the main translators, particularly Bhikkhu Bodhi, have been using the more accurate translation of ‘past abodes’ more often for the term ‘pubbe nivasa’.

In the Pali, a word for ‘life’ is  ‘jīva’ or  ‘jīvita’. Therefore, the word ‘nivasa’ obviously appears to not mean ‘life’ or ‘lives’. In the Pali suttas, the words ‘nivasa’, ‘nivesa’ & ‘vāsa’ is used in the following contexts:

And how does one not live at home? Any desire, lust, delight, and craving, the engagement and clinging, the mental standpoints, adherences (ābhini­ve­sā) and underlying tendencies… these the Tathagata has abandoned, their root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not destined for future arising. Therefore the Tathagata is said to be not dwelling at home. 

Haliddakani Sutta

Bhikkhus, there are these ten abodes (vāsa) of the noble ones in which the noble ones abide in the past, present, or future. What ten?

Here, a bhikkhu (1) has abandoned five factors; (2) possesses six factors; (3) has a single guard (4) and four supports; (5) has dispelled personal truths, (6) totally renounced seeking, (7) purified his intentions, (8) tranquilized bodily activity, and become (9) well liberated in mind and (10) well liberated by wisdom.

AN 10.20

The abode (Āvāsaṃ) of the glorious male devas
Belonging to the host of Thirty.

SN 1.11

As was previously explained (on this blog site), the word ‘birth’ or ‘jati’ refers to when ‘beings’ (‘satta’) or ‘personhood’ are mentally imputed upon what, from an enlightened point of view, are merely aggregates and sense objects.

Therefore, whenever the mind imputes personhood upon mere aggregates & sense objects and whenever the mind believes itself to be some type of person, this ‘settling’ of the mind in a fixed self-view or self-identity is the (probable) meaning of a ‘nivasa’.

It follows the only sutta literally explaining the meaning of the phrase “recollecting pubbe nivasa” is SN 22.79. Here, “recollecting pubbe nivasa” obviously does not refer to recollecting past lives but, instead, recollecting in the past when the mind mistakenly through ignorance clung to an aggregate as “self”; as follows: 

Bhikkhus, those ascetics and brahmins who recollect their manifold past abodes all recollect the five aggregates subject to clinging or a certain one among them. What five?

When recollecting thus, bhikkhus: ‘I had such form in the past,’ it is just form that one recollects. When recollecting: ‘I had such a feeling in the past,’ it is just feeling that one recollects. When recollecting: ‘I had such a perception in the past,’ it is just perception that one recollects. When recollecting: ‘I had such volitional formations in the past,’ it is just volitional formations that one recollects. When recollecting: ‘I had such consciousness in the past,’ it is just consciousness that one recollects.

Therefore, bhikkhus, any kind of form whatsoever … Any kind of feeling whatsoever … Any kind of perception whatsoever … Any kind of volitional formations whatsoever … Any kind of consciousness whatsoever, whether past, future, or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, far or near, all consciousness should be seen as it really is with correct wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’

This is called, bhikkhus, a noble disciple who dismantles and does not build up; who abandons and does not cling; who scatters and does not amass; who extinguishes and does not kindle.

And what is it that he dismantles and does not build up? He dismantles form and does not build it up. He dismantles feeling … perception … volitional formations … consciousness and does not build it up.

And what is it that he abandons and does not cling to? He abandons form and does not cling to it. He abandons feeling … perception … volitional formations … consciousness and does not cling to it.

SN 22.79 (translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi)

Meditation: When in or near a diverse group of people, observe how the mind discriminates labels upon the different ‘people’. The mind may impute…….. Notice the emotional context (underlying cravings) of those imputations. Try to observe those ‘people’, sense objects or individual sets of five aggregates as merely aggregates, as merely sense objects. Try to discern the difference between undifferentiated perception of mere aggregates & mere sense objects with the differentiated discriminations that are ‘birth’. Try to see it is the mind itself that gives ‘birth’ to ideas of different kinds of people or “beings” (“satta”).

It is important to see, whenever the mind imputes personhood or “being” upon a set of aggregates that is ‘birth’. The mind can see how often it is subject to ‘birth’.