Knowledge and Vision of the Variety of Paths

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
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Ceisiwr
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Knowledge and Vision of the Variety of Paths

Post by Ceisiwr »

What is your interpretation of this sutta?
At one time Venerable Mahākaccāna was staying in the land of the Avantis near Kuraraghara on Steep Mountain.

Then the laywoman Kāḷī of Kurughara went up to Venerable Mahākaccāna, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him, “Sir, this was said by the Buddha in ‘The Maidens’ Questions’:

‘I’ve reached the goal, peace of heart.
Having conquered the army of the likable and pleasant,
alone, practicing absorption, I awakened to bliss.
That’s why I don’t get too close to people,
and no-one gets too close to me.’

How should we see the detailed meaning of the Buddha’s brief statement?”

“Sister, some ascetics and brahmins regard the attainment of the meditation on the earth kasiṇa to be the ultimate. Thinking ‘this is the goal’, they are reborn. The Buddha directly knew the extent to which the attainment of the meditation on the earth kasiṇa was the ultimate. Directly knowing this he saw the beginning, the drawback, and the escape. And he saw the knowledge and vision of the variety of paths. Because he saw the beginning, the drawback, and the escape, and he saw the knowledge and vision of the variety of paths, he knew that he had reached the goal, peace of heart.

Some ascetics and brahmins regard the attainment of the meditation on the water kasiṇa to be the ultimate. Thinking ‘this is the goal’, they are reborn. … Some ascetics and brahmins regard the attainment of the meditation on the fire … air … blue … yellow … red … white … space … consciousness kasiṇa to be the ultimate. Thinking ‘this is the goal’, they are reborn. The Buddha directly knew the extent to which the attainment of the meditation on the consciousness kasiṇa was the ultimate. Directly knowing this he saw the beginning, the drawback, and the escape. And he saw the knowledge and vision of the variety of paths. Because he saw the beginning, the drawback, and the escape, and he saw the knowledge and vision of the variety of paths, he knew that he had reached the goal, peace of heart.

So, sister, that’s how to understand the detailed meaning of what the Buddha said in brief in ‘The Maiden’s Questions’:

‘I’ve reached the goal, peace of heart.
Having conquered the army of the likable and pleasant,
alone, practicing absorption, I awakened to bliss.
That’s why I don’t get too close to people,
and no-one gets too close to me.’”
https://suttacentral.net/an10.26/en/suj ... ript=latin
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
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cappuccino
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Re: Knowledge and Vision of the Variety of Paths

Post by cappuccino »

Ceisiwr wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 10:37 pm Having conquered the army of the likable and pleasant
Key phrase, but not for lay people
santa100
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Re: Knowledge and Vision of the Variety of Paths

Post by santa100 »

Ceisiwr wrote:Knowledge and Vision of the Variety of Paths
AN 10.26's Synopsis
SarathW
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Re: Knowledge and Vision of the Variety of Paths

Post by SarathW »

If your question is about "knowledge and vision of the variety of paths" is very straight forward.
What each person called knowledge and vision depend on their views on interpretation of what is Dukkha.
What Buddha called Dukkha was the five clinging aggregate so his knowledge and vision is based on that.
We all have our own interpretation of knowledge and vision (a view)
This is the reason Buddha called his view the right view (Samma Ditthi)
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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Modus.Ponens
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Re: Knowledge and Vision of the Variety of Paths

Post by Modus.Ponens »

I believe the knowledge and vision of the variety of paths refers to the Buddha's unsurpassed knowledge of what paths lead to liberation, what paths do not, and why.
'This is peace, this is exquisite — the resolution of all fabrications; the relinquishment of all acquisitions; the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding.' - Jhana Sutta
Ontheway
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Re: Knowledge and Vision of the Variety of Paths

Post by Ontheway »

Instead of play guessing and personal interpretation.... Why not we refer back to the official explanation from Atthakatha.
Hiriottappasampannā,
sukkadhammasamāhitā;
Santo sappurisā loke,
devadhammāti vuccare.

https://suttacentral.net/ja6/en/chalmer ... ight=false
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Ceisiwr
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Re: Knowledge and Vision of the Variety of Paths

Post by Ceisiwr »

I agree that the sutta is saying that the Buddha knew the extent and limitations of all of these practices. What I found interesting are the wider implications.

“Sister, some ascetics and brahmins regard the attainment of the meditation on the earth kasiṇa to be the ultimate. Thinking ‘this is the goal’, they are reborn. The Buddha directly knew the extent to which the attainment of the meditation on the earth kasiṇa was the ultimate. Directly knowing this he saw the beginning, the drawback, and the escape. And he saw the knowledge and vision of the variety of paths. Because he saw the beginning, the drawback, and the escape, and he saw the knowledge and vision of the variety of paths, he knew that he had reached the goal, peace of heart."

The Buddha directly knew the beginning, drawback and escape in relation to the kasiṇas. This means the Buddha must have practiced and mastered all of the kasiṇas previously. The only time the Buddha would have likely done this was during his time with Āḷāra Kālāma & Uddaka Rāmaputta, which means they must have practiced them. In turn this means that Āḷāra Kālāma & Uddaka Rāmaputta were teaching some kind of element meditation, in addition to Nothingness and nevasaññānāsaññāyatana. From this we can then deduce that in order to enter the formless you have to master at least one of the rūpa kasiṇas. A further implication relates to Jhāna. Other suttas make the connection between the 4th Jhāna and the formless, with the 4th being the necessary condition to entering those attainments. If then one needs to have the 4th Jhāna to enter the formless, and if the rūpa kasiṇas are a condition for entering them, it would follow that one attains all 4 Jhānas based on the rūpa kasiṇas. Āḷāra Kālāma & Uddaka Rāmaputta therefore practiced Jhāna, as did the Buddha to be when he was with them. Since then we can say that attaining earth, water, air, fire kasiṇa etc results in Jhāna, and since the kasiṇas are absorbed non-dual states it stands to reason that the Jhāna Āḷāra Kālāma & Uddaka Rāmaputta and the Buddha to be were practicing were of the absorbed kind, where the normal functioning of the 5 senses isn't experienced. In addition, this sutta also suggests that part of the Buddha's insight was into the nature and drawback of meditative attainments. Perhaps seeing how any refined state of consciousness is still dukkha is what lead him to finally let go of everything? Part of it at least seems to have been that.

Those were the implications I got from the sutta.
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
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