The Vimuttimagga and Dry-Insight Workers

On the cultivation of insight/wisdom
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Ceisiwr
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The Vimuttimagga and Dry-Insight Workers

Post by Ceisiwr »

Thought I would share the small teaching on sukkhavipassaka from Ven. Uptatissa's Vimuttimagga, for anyone who is interested:
SERENITY AND INSIGHT
Insight is of two kinds, namely, of the method of serenity and of bare insight. Q. What is insight by way of serenity? Having acquired concentration, one overcomes the hindrances by concentration-strength, and one understands form after one penetrates name by way of the factors of meditation, jhāna. Here beginning with concentration one proceeds to insight.

Bare insight: One overcomes the hindrances through understanding strength. One discerns name after form has been penetrated by way of the bodily formations. Beginning with insight, he develops serenity.1

INITIAL APPLICATION OF THOUGHT AND BARE INSIGHT
Bare insight is with initial application of thought. In the first meditation, jhana, the Path and the Fruit of insight are with Initial application of thought. In the third meditation, jhāna, insight and adoption are with initial application of thought, and the Path and the Fruit are without initial application of thought. The Path in the plane of initial application of thought fulfils the eight factors of the Path. In the plane that is without initial application of thought, seven factors remove consideration.

JOY
At first the bare insight worker experiences the suffering of the formations. Through adaptive knowledge of insight he fulfils non-suffering, and develops adoption. The Path and the Fruit bring about joy together. Then the bare insight worker gains perfection of the ease of the formations. In the second meditation, jhāna, insight and Path and Fruit bring about joy. In the third and the fourth meditations, jhāna, insight, Path and Fruit bring about joy. In the Path and the Fruit of the plane of joy, the seven enlightenment factors arise. The six kinds of enlightenment in the plane of non-joy remove the enlightenment-initial-application-of-thought that is joy.

FEELING
At first the bare insight worker experiences the suffering of the formations. Insight and adaptive knowledge bring about equanimity. Adoption, the Path and the Fruit bring about joy. Then the bare insight worker gains perfection of the ease of the formations. In the third meditation (jhāna), insight, the Path and the Fruit bring about joy. In the fourth meditation (jhāna), insight, the Path and the Fruit bring about equanimity.
“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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Assaji
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Re: The Vimuttimagga and Dry-Insight Workers

Post by Assaji »

I would complement this with a passage from Majjhima Nikaya Atthakatha 4.67:
Nissāya nissāyāti taṃ taṃ samāpattiṃ nissāya. Oghassa nittharaṇā akkhātāti oghataraṇaṃ kathitaṃ, tatiyajjhānaṃ pādakaṃ katvā ṭhitabhikkhuno oghanittharaṇā kathitā…pe… nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṃ pādakaṃ katvā ṭhitabhikkhuno oghanittharaṇā kathitāti vadati.

Katamo pana, bhante, ariyo vimokkhoti idha kiṃ pucchati? Samāpattiṃ tāva padaṭṭhānaṃ katvā vipassanaṃ vaḍḍhetvā arahattaṃ gaṇhanto bhikkhu nāvaṃ vā uḷumpādīni vā nissāya mahoghaṃ taritvā pāraṃ gacchanto viya na kilamati. Sukkhavipassako pana pakiṇṇakasaṅkhāre sammasitvā arahattaṃ gaṇhanto bāhubalena sotaṃ chinditvā pāraṃ gacchanto viya kilamati.


One who makes the concentration attainments a basis for vipassana, can be compared to one who crosses the great flood on a boat, and does not exhaust himself in the process. However the dry-insight practitioner can be compared to one who crosses the stream without a boat, and gets tired in the process.
Sobhana
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Re: The Vimuttimagga and Dry-Insight Workers

Post by Sobhana »

Majjhima Nikaya Atthakatha 4.67 wrote: Nissāya nissāyāti taṃ taṃ samāpattiṃ nissāya. Oghassa nittharaṇā akkhātāti oghataraṇaṃ kathitaṃ, tatiyajjhānaṃ pādakaṃ katvā ṭhitabhikkhuno oghanittharaṇā kathitā…pe… nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṃ pādakaṃ katvā ṭhitabhikkhuno oghanittharaṇā kathitāti vadati.

Katamo pana, bhante, ariyo vimokkhoti idha kiṃ pucchati? Samāpattiṃ tāva padaṭṭhānaṃ katvā vipassanaṃ vaḍḍhetvā arahattaṃ gaṇhanto bhikkhu nāvaṃ vā uḷumpādīni vā nissāya mahoghaṃ taritvā pāraṃ gacchanto viya na kilamati. Sukkhavipassako pana pakiṇṇakasaṅkhāre sammasitvā arahattaṃ gaṇhanto bāhubalena sotaṃ chinditvā pāraṃ gacchanto viya kilamati.


One who makes the concentration attainments a basis for vipassana, can be compared to one who crosses the great flood on a boat, and does not exhaust himself in the process. However the dry-insight practitioner can be compared to one who crosses the stream without a boat, and gets tired in the process.
But here is the thing: there is no boat waiting for you to just get in and cross the great flood. You have to build it first and that takes time and skill. Before you are done with that, other people have already gone into the water - so actually became wet - and slowly but steadily crossed the flood using their little body vehicle. This suffering-path sometimes just might be quicker than you think.
Nobodyisspecial
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Re: The Vimuttimagga and Dry-Insight Workers

Post by Nobodyisspecial »

The vittmuttimagga is more advanced than the path of purification in my opinion. The writing style is even more academic like. I remember in the Canon the teaching is called a raft not a boat. You have to leave behind the empty scriptures and not make them worshipped in Buddhism. Buddhist enlightenment is not about book worship or rituals but it is about transcendence and unattachment. Please see handbook for mankind by Bhikkhu Buddhadasa. I have not read the path of freedom but I would probably reccomend it after the path of purification.
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samseva
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Re: The Vimuttimagga and Dry-Insight Workers

Post by samseva »

Nobodyisspecial wrote: Thu Oct 14, 2021 4:02 pm The vittmuttimagga is more advanced than the path of purification in my opinion. The writing style is even more academic like.
If the writing style seems more academic, that is likely due to the writing style of the translators. And the Vimuttimagga is not "more advanced" than the Path of Purification.
Nobodyisspecial wrote: Thu Oct 14, 2021 4:02 pm I have not read the path of freedom but I would probably reccomend it after the path of purification.
Why are you making a recommendation if you haven't read it?
Nobodyisspecial
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Re: The Vimuttimagga and Dry-Insight Workers

Post by Nobodyisspecial »

Hey Samseva,
Do you really believe academic writing styles come from translation? I don't think that is the way it work!

I have not read the entire path of freedom but I can say it is extremely advanced and brilliant. The path of purification again I would say is also an ancient academic writing style. You don't see that being true or plausible?

The path of freedom starts talking about the suttas and other writings in the sense of prerequisites. The point is I am very much still needing to learn from these books. They are Easily found online for free as pdfs. Please read and make your own opinion which is more helpful?
Nobodyisspecial
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Re: The Vimuttimagga and Dry-Insight Workers

Post by Nobodyisspecial »

Hey Samseva,
Do you really believe academic writing styles come from translation? I don't think that is the way it work!

I have not read the entire path of freedom but I can say it is extremely advanced and brilliant. The path of purification again I would say is also an ancient academic writing style. You don't see that being true or plausible?

The path of freedom starts talking about the suttas and other writings in the sense of prerequisites. The point is I am very much still needing to learn from these books. They are Easily found online for free as pdfs. Please read and make your own opinion which is more helpful?
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