THE CHRONICLE OF BUDDHA GOTAMA AUTHOR: MINGUN SAYADAW

Volume Two, Part One, 1994; Translated by U Ko Lay and U Tin Lwin

Chapter Seven The Attainment of Buddhahood

The Seven Purifications of a Buddha, continued.

(5) Purity of knowledge and insight into the right and wrong paths (Maggamaggananadassana Visuddhi)**

In the last watch of the night, the Bodhisatta dwelt on the twelve factors of the Doctrine of Dependent Origination; and beginning with the contemplation of mind and body (Kalapa-sammasana) on the basis of seven contemplations such as contemplation of impermanence (anicca nupassana), of suffering (dukkha nupassana), of non-self (anatta nupassana), he realised Udayabbaya Nana which discerned the rising and falling of all mental and material phenomena, nama and rupa. At that time there arose in the Bodhisatta defilements of Vipassana, (Vipassanupakkilesa***) such as illumination, etc.

** Maggamaggananadassana Visuddhi: Knowledge as to whether it is the right path leading to Nibbana or not is called Maggamaggananadassana Visuddhi.

*** Vipassun'upakkilesa: defilements of vipassana

A yogi practising Vipassana meditation, at a certain stage of advancement, contemplates again and again the rising and falling of all mental and physical phenomena and attains the initial stage of the knowledge of arising and falling (Udayyabbaya Nana). "At this stage, he generally beholds a supernormal light (obhasa), feels a thrill of zest (piti), calmness (passaddhi), determination (adhimokkha), great energy (paggaha), happiness (sukha), deep insight (nana), intensity of mindfulness (upatthana), equanimity (upekkha), and a mild desire for this state (nikanti)". (From Essential Themes of Buddhist Lectures given by Ashin Thittila. Department of Religious Affairs, Yangon, Myanma, 1992.)

These states arising in a yogi at the stage of Udayabbaya Nana in ten phases are termed 'Vipassanupakkilesa, defilements of kilesa. Nanamoli, in The Path of Purification translates it as imperfections of Insight and enumerates them, ten in number, as follows: (1) Illumination, (2) knowledge, (3) rapturous happiness, (4) tranquility, (5) bliss (pleasure), (6) resolution, (7) exertion, (8) assurance, (9) equanimity and (10) attachment.

"The yogi, arriving at this stage, is liable to these defilements and his mind may be seized by 'spiritual excitement' or 'agitation about higher states' (dhamma-uddhacca). 'For example, he may, on having an illumination, feel that this constitutes Path-experience and so inhibits his further progress through deceiving himself. When an illumination appears the meditator thinks: 'Never indeed has such illumination as this arisen in me before. Surely, I have reached the Path; I have reached the Fruition. Thus he takes which is not the Path for the Path, and that which is not the Fruition for the Fruition. Through this mistake, the progress of Vipassana is checked; leaving the original subject of meditation, he lingers, delighting in the illumination." (Buddhist Meditation in theory and practice by Vijiranana Maha Thera. --Buddhist Missionary Society, Malaysia. 1975.)

The illumination of the Buddha unlike that of others, was not confined to one spot, one area, or one portion of a region. In fact, when the Bodhisatta's, by means of the very sharp, penetrating afore said Mahavajjra Vipassana Nana, contemplated the aggregates of phenomena (Dhamma) in the mind continuum of himself as well as that of the inestimable number of sentient beings, through out the three passages of time, in a summary manner, reducing them into twelve factors of Paticcasamuppada; and again dividing these twelve factors into two groups of nama and rupa when he contemplated them by means of Udayabbaya Nana, his energy was very strong, his mindfulness very steadfast; this mind very composed; and so his insightwisdom was very sharp; his faith very strong, his physical and mental happiness, and tranquillity were developing incessantly. The mental factors of equanimity (Tataramajjhatta cetasika) also called vipassanupekkha, which views with even-mindedness all conditioned states, was .also very strong. The mind continuum of the Bodhisatta, thus supported and assisted by happiness, (sukha) and tranquillity, (passaddhi) was suffused with five kinds of zest, namely, (1) joy that makes hairs stand on end (khuddaka piti)., (2) joy that occurs off and on like a flash of lightning (khanika piti), (3) joy flooding the body and then receding like waves breaking on the sea shore (Okkantika piti), (4) joy so strong as to transport one up into the air (Ubbega piti), (5) joy that pervades the whole body as soft cotton wool soaked in oil. His blood, heart and sense faculties such as eye, ear, nose etc., were also very lucid.

Therefore, illumination appeared from the person of the Bodhisatta flooding the earth, the mass of air and the mass of water of the nether region and making them golden yellow; it then plunged into the boundless space below. In the upward direction also, up to the highest abode of beings, Bhavagga, everything was turned golden yellow by the illumination which continued to penetrate further into the upper boundless space. The illumination also brightened up across the whole of the ten thousand world-systems, and rapidly extended throughout the infinite world systems.

(When such defilements of Vipassana appear, unclever meditators mistook them for the Path and the Fruition; they abandoned the original subject of meditation and dwelt taking delight in defiling elements). When, however, these defilements of Vipassana appeared in the mind continuum of the Bodhisatta, he reflected: "These are not the Path which will lead to Arahatta magga Nana and Sabbannuta Nana; they merely defile Vipassana. Only Udayabhaya Nana etc., of my original meditation form the true path to Arahattamagga; Nana and Sabbannuta Nana." He did not allow his mind to hover over these defilements of vipassana and to become attached to them; he let it remain inclined to the object of Vipassana meditation.

When thus the defiling elements of Vipassana appeared in the Bodhisatta's mind continuum as in the case of others, he did not allow subtle craving and greed known as nikanti that longed for those defiling elements to rise. He had the lucid, extraordinary knowledge, Nana, which discerned clearly that this group of defiling elements was not the proper Path to Enlightenment; it just led to the defilement of Vipassana. Only Udayabbaya Nana etc., form the right path leading to Enlightenment. This was the Bodhisatta's purity of the knowledge and insight into the right and wrong path, (Maggamaggananadassana Visuddhi).

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To be continued

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