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2. Developing a pair of skills

(1) Serenity and Insight

“Two things, O monks, partake of true knowledge. What two? Serenity and insight.

“When serenity is developed, what benefit does one experience? The mind is developed. When the mind is developed, what benefit does one experience? All lust is abandoned. 1

“When insight is developed, what benefit does one experience? Wisdom is developed. When wisdom is developed, what benefit does one experience? All ignorance is abandoned. 2

“A mind defiled by lust is not liberated; and wisdom defiled by ignorance is not developed. Thus, monks, through the fading away of lust there is liberation of mind; and through the fading away of ignorance there is liberation by wisdom.” 3

(AN 2: iii, 10; I 61)

(2) Four Ways to Arahantship

Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Venerable Ānanda was dwelling at Kosambī in Ghosita’s monastery. There the Venerable Ānanda addressed the monks thus:

“Friends!”

“Yes, friend,” the monks replied. Thereupon the Venerable Ānanda said:

“Friends, whatever monks or nuns declare before me that they have attained the final knowledge of arahantship, all these do so in one of four ways. What four?

“Here, friends, a monk develops insight preceded by serenity. 4 While he thus develops insight preceded by serenity, the path arises in him. He now pursues, develops, and cultivates that path, and while he is doing so the fetters are abandoned and the underlying tendencies eliminated. 5

“Or again, friends, a monk develops serenity preceded by insight. 6 While he thus develops serenity preceded by insight, the path arises in him. He now pursues, develops, and cultivates that path, and while he is doing so the fetters are abandoned and the underlying tendencies eliminated.

“Or again, friends, a monk develops serenity and insight joined in pairs. 7 While he thus develops serenity and insight joined in pairs, the path arises in him. He now pursues, develops, and cultivates that path, and while he is doing so the fetters are abandoned and the underlying tendencies eliminated.

“Or again, friends, a monk’s mind is seized by agitation about the teaching. 8 But there comes a time when his mind becomes internally steadied, composed, unified, and concentrated; then the path arises in him. He now pursues, develops, and cultivates that path, and while he is doing so the fetters are abandoned and the underlying tendencies eliminated.

“Friends, whatever monks or nuns declare before me that they have attained the final knowledge of arahantship, all these do so in one of these four ways.”

(AN 4:170; II 156–57)

(3) Four Kinds of Persons

“These four kinds of persons, O monks, are found existing in the world. What four?

“Here, monks, a certain person gains internal serenity of mind but does not gain the higher wisdom of insight into phenomena. 9 Another person gains the higher wisdom of insight into phenomena but does not gain internal serenity of mind. Another person gains neither internal serenity of mind nor the higher wisdom of insight into phenomena. And another person gains both internal serenity of mind and the higher wisdom of insight into phenomena.

“Therein, monks, the person who gains internal serenity of mind but not the higher wisdom of insight into phenomena should approach one who gains the higher wisdom and inquire of him: ‘How, friend, should formations be seen? How should formations be explored? How should formations be discerned with insight?’ 10 The other then answers him as he has seen and understood the matter thus: ‘Formations should be seen in such a way; they should be explored in such a way; they should be discerned with insight in such a way.’ At a later time this one gains both internal serenity of mind and the higher wisdom of insight into phenomena.

“Therein, monks, the person who gains the higher wisdom of insight into phenomena but not internal serenity of mind should approach one who gains internal serenity and inquire of him: ‘How, friend, should the mind be steadied? How should the mind be composed? How should the mind be unified? How should the mind be concentrated? ’ The other then answers him as he has seen and understood the matter thus: ‘The mind should be steadied in such a way, composed in such a way, unified in such a way, concentrated in such a way.’ At a later time this one gains both internal serenity of mind and the higher wisdom of insight into phenomena.

“Therein, monks, the person who gains neither internal serenity of mind nor the higher wisdom of insight into phenomena should approach one who gains both and inquire of him: ‘How, friend, should the mind be steadied?… How, friend, should formations be seen?…’ The other then answers him as he has seen and understood the matter thus: ‘The mind should be steadied in such a way…. Formations should be seen in such a way.…’ At a later time this one gains both internal serenity of mind and the higher wisdom of insight into phenomena.

“Therein, monks, the person who gains both internal serenity of mind and the higher wisdom of insight into phenomena should establish himself in just these wholesome states and make a further effort for the destruction of the taints.”

(AN 4:94; II 93–95)

Footnotes

  1. Mp: When serenity is developed independently of insight, it leads to the suppression of the five hindrances, the first of which is sensual lust, and culminates in the “higher mind” (adhicitta ) of the jhānas, characterized by the absence of lust. But it is only when serenity is developed in conjunction with insight that it can give rise to the noble path, which eradicates the underlying tendency to sensual lust (by the path of nonreturning) and attachment to existence (by the path of arahantship). Mp interprets serenity here in this second sense, presumably on account of the last sentence of the sutta. ↩

  2. Mp: It is the wisdom of the supramundane path (magga-paññā ) that is developed. The “ignorance abandoned” is the great ignorance at the root of the cycle of existence. ↩

  3. Arahantship is often described as “taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom” (anāsava-cetovimutti-paññāvimutti ). Mp explains “liberation of mind” (cetovimutti ) as the concentration connected with the fruit (of arahantship), “liberation by wisdom” (paññāvimutti ) as the wisdom connected with the fruit. Mp is referring to the “meditative attainment of the fruit of arahantship” (arahattaphala-samāpatti ), a supramundane meditative absorption in which the arahant experiences the bliss of Nibbāna. ↩

  4. Samathapubbaṅgamaṃ vipassanaṃ . Mp: “This refers to a meditator who first obtains serenity and then takes up insight meditation.” The commentators call such a meditator one who makes serenity the vehicle of practice (samathayānika ). See Vism 587; Ppn 18:3. ↩

  5. “The path” (magga ) is the first supramundane path, that of stream-entry. To “develop that path,” according to Mp, means to practice for the attainment of the three higher paths. On the ten fetters, see pp. 374–75; on the seven underlying tendencies, see p. 426 (chapter I, n.5). ↩

  6. Vipassanāpubbaṅgamaṃ samathaṃ . Mp: “This refers to one who by natural bent first attains to insight and then, based on insight, produces concentration.” In the commentarial literature this is called one who makes insight the vehicle (vipassanāyānika ). See Vism 588; Ppn 18:4. ↩

  7. Samathavipassanaṃ yuganaddhaṃ . In this mode of practice, one enters the first jhāna and then, after emerging from it, applies insight to that experience, i.e., one sees the five aggregates of the jhāna (form, feeling, perception, etc.) as impermanent, bound up with suffering, and nonself. Then one enters the second jhāna and contemplates it with insight. One applies the same procedure to the other jhānas as well until the path of stream-entry, etc., is realized. ↩

  8. Dhammuddhaccaviggahitaṃ mānasaṃ hoti. Mp says that “agitation” (uddhacca ) arises here as a reaction to the ten “corruptions of insight” (vipassanūpakkilesa ) that one misunderstands as indicating path-attainment. (On the corruptions of insight, see Vism 633–38; Ppn 20:105–28.) It is possible, however, that the “agitation about the teaching” is mental distress brought on by eagerness to realize the Dhamma. This state of spiritual anxiety, when suddenly resolved, can sometimes precipitate an instantaneous experience of awakening. For an example, see the story of Bāhiya Dārucīriya at Ud 1:10. ↩

  9. Mp explains internal serenity of mind (ajjhattaṃ cetosamatha ) as the concentration of full absorption (i.e., jhāna), and the higher wisdom of insight into phenomena (adhipaññādhammavipassanā ) as the insight knowledge discerning formations (saṅkhārapariggāhaka-vipassanāñāṇa ). ↩

  10. “Formations” (saṅkhārā ) are the conditioned phenomena comprised in the five aggregates. On the aggregates, see Texts IX,4(1)(a)–(e). ↩

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