culaavuso wrote:It seems like there is an opposite for every path factor
hello culaavuso
In reference the OP's question why only 12 path factors? why not 16? which was referring to "CMA, chapter VI, Compendium of Categories, path factors" the author uses the term path factors to categorize a group of 12 factors that can then be broken down into 9 cetasikas so they can can be referenced later on as a "Path Condition".
The intro to chapter VI "Compendium of Categories" starts with:
The seventy-two kinds of entities have (already) been described with their characteristics. Now I will speak of their categories in the ways that are applicable.
The guide states:
I will speak of their categories: Having described the four ultimate realities with their seventy-two constituents, the author will now show how they are grouped into various categories employed for the classification in the Abhidhamma Pitika
So we see the author is going to classify some groups and the one were interested in is based on the path factors and cetasikas. When we get to the subsection "Path Factors" the author writes:
Twelve path factors: (1) right view, (2) right intention, (3) right speech, (4) right action, (5) right livelihood, (6) right effort, (7) right mindfulness, (8) right concentration, (9) wrong view, (10) wrong intention, (11) wrong effort, (12) wrong concentration.
and the guide states:
Here the word "path" is used in the sense of that which leads to a particular destination, that is, towards the blissful states of existence, the woeful states, and Nibbana. Of the twelve factors, the first eight lead to the blissful states and Nibbana, the last four lead to the woeful states.
These twelve path factors can be reduced to nine cetasikas. Right view is the cetasika of wisdom. Right intention, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration are, respectively, the cetasikas of initial application, energy, mindfulness, and one pointedness found in wholesome and indeterminate cittas with roots. Right speech, right action, and right livelihood are the three abstinences (virati) found collectively in the supramundane cittas and seperately on particular occasions in mundane wholesome cittas.
Of the four wrong path factors, wrong view is the cetasika of views, and is the only exclusively unwholesome cetasika among the path factors. The other three factors are, in order, the cetasikas of initial application, energy, and one-pointedness in the unwholesome cittas. There are no distinct path factors of wrong speech, wrong action, and wrong livelihood, since these are simply unwholesome modes of conduct motivated by defilements. There is no factor of wrong mindfulness, since mindfulness is an exclusively beautiful cetasika absent in the unwholesome cittas.
In my very limited understanding (excuse me for my ignorance) I see them saying:
PATH FACTOR | CETASIKA
1) Right View = wisdom
2) Right Intention = Initial Application
(wholesome citta)
3) Right Speech = three abstinences
4) Right Action = three abstinences
5) Right Livelihood = three abstinences
6) Right Effort = Energy
(wholesome citta)
7) Right Mindfulness = Mindfulness
8) Right Concentration = One-Pointedness
(wholesome citta)
9) Wrong View = Views
10) Wrong intention = Initial Application
(unwholesome citta)
11) Wrong Effort = Energy
(unwholesome citta)
12) Wrong Concentration = one-pointedness
(unwholesome citta)
being described as a group of 9 cetasikas/12 path factors (to be referenced later in the CMA under Path Condition), and the four factors that are excluded are excluded because they're "not distinct" as they can be broken down even further and fall into one of the unwholesome path factors cetasikas included as part of the group above.
Nina Van Gorkom writes:
Not all eight factors of the wrong path are cetasikas which are path-condition. The four factors of wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood and wrong mindfulness are not among the akusala cetasikas which are conditioning factors of path-condition. Wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood are not specific cetasikas; they comprise different unwholesome actions motivated by akusala cetana, unwholesome volition, which accompanies akusala citta. Wrong mindfulness does not function as path-condition; the cetasika mindfulness, sati can only accompany sobhana citta, it connot be akusala. Wrong mindfulness is a description of lack of mindfulness, lack of attention to akusala, of lobha.
The Conditionality of Life, pg109
https://ia700608.us.archive.org/20/item ... e/cond.pdf
Again, in my very limited understanding, when we skip over to the next chapter, "chapter VII, The Compendium of Conditionality, Mind for Mind-and-Matter, pg307" we see the author using the Path factor group just explained to his convenience of making things easier to follow, to help understand the Conditional Relations. The author writes:
In five ways mind is a condition for mind-and-matter:
Roots, jhana factors, path factors are a condition for conascent mind-and-matter by way of root, etc.....
the guide describes the path factors(path condition) as:
Path Condition (18) is a condition where a conditioning state relates to the conditioned states by causing them to function as a means for reaching a particular destination. The conditioning states in this relation are the twelve path factors, which reduce to nine cetasikas(see VII,17,23). The four wrong path factors are the means for reaching the woeful destinations; the eight right path factors are the means for reaching the blissful destinations and Nibbana. The conditioned states are all cittas except the eighteen that are rootless, the associated cetasikas, and the conascent material phenomena. While the path factors in the resultant and functional cittas do not lead to any destinations, they are still classed as path factors because, considered abstractly in their own nature, they are identical with those capable of leading to different destinations.
Overall I like to think the author was just trying to work with the KISS system of explaining things (Keep It Simple Stupid)
I guess either way we choose to see/remember the path factors, keeping them in mind will no doubt always help to realize what side of the path were on!
