清淨道論 悲 KaruṇāVisuddhimagga · Compassion Karuṇā
第二把刀，對治害。起手取極可憫者：見困厄者，不移開目光，「願你脫離這苦」。乃至見作惡而榮者——念其果報將至，悲亦得起。
它與「我看不下去」不同：悲向外，依家之憂仍繞著自己。次第、破界、安止，準慈之法；異性與已命終者，唯是非田。
The second scalpel treats harmfulness. Begin with someone who intensely calls for compassion: see the person in hardship without looking away and think, “May you be freed from this pain.” Compassion can even arise toward a person prospering through evil—recollect that the result is approaching.
It differs from “I cannot bear to look”: compassion moves outward, while grief rooted in home life still revolves around the meditator. The sequence, breaking the boundaries, and absorption follow the method of goodwill; a person of the opposite sex and a person who has died are simply barren ground.
本單元白話為本編自巴利原典之譯疏（tr. mine）；底本事項詳本單元考據。
§1 悲之修習——所緣之取與次第 〔CSCD §259〕
其次，想要修悲（karuṇā）的人，應當先觀察無悲之性的過患與悲的利益，然後開始修悲。而開始修的時候，不應當先對可愛的人等修。因為可愛的人只住在可愛者的位上，極愛之友只住在極愛之友的位上，中庸者只住在中庸者的位上，不愛之人只住在不愛者的位上，怨敵只住在怨敵的位上。異性與已命終者，就只是非田（akhetta）¹。
由於《分別論》中說：「比丘如何以與悲俱的心遍滿一方而住呢？譬如見到一個貧苦醜陋的人而起悲那樣，就這樣以悲遍滿一切有情。」所以最先應當見到某一個應當悲愍的樣子——一個落到極度困厄、貧苦醜陋的貧人，斷了食物，把缽放在面前，坐在無依之堂裡，手足上蟲群蠕出，發出苦痛的叫聲——見了之後，就應當這樣轉起悲：「這個有情實在落入困厄了啊，但願他能從這苦中解脫！」若得不到這樣的人，就應當把雖然安樂而造惡的人比作應刑者而悲愍他。
怎麼比呢？譬如有一個賊，連同贓物一起被捉住，國王下令說「殺了他」，王臣們便把他綁起來，在一個個十字路口各打他一百下，押往刑場。人們給他嚼食，也給他噉食，還給他花鬘、香、塗香與檳榔。他雖然一邊嚼、一邊受用，看起來像個安樂而具足受用的人那樣走著，然而沒有一個人會想「這人安樂，有大財富」；反而人人都悲愍他：「這可憐人現在就要死了，他每落下一步，就以那一步而更近於死。」同樣地，修悲業處的比丘對於安樂的人也應當這樣悲愍：「這可憐人雖然現在安樂、盛裝、受用著財富，然而由於三門之中連一門所作的善業也沒有，如今就要在諸惡趣中感受不少的苦與憂了。」
這樣悲愍了那個人之後，此後就以同樣的方法，對可愛的人，其次對中庸者，其次對怨敵——依次轉起悲。若對怨敵像前面所說的那樣生起瞋，就應當依修慈中所說的方法止息它²。至於這裡那個已作善業的人，也應當在見到或聽到他遭遇親、病、財等災厄中的某一種災厄時悲愍他；即使沒有這些災厄，由於他還沒有超越輪迴之苦，也應當這樣「這人就是苦的」而在一切方面悲愍他。這樣悲愍之後，就依所說的方法，於自己、可愛的人、中庸者、怨敵這四種人破界（sīmāsambheda），然後數數習、修習、多作那個相，依修慈中所說的方法，以三四之禪（tikacatukkajjhāna）³而增大安止⁴。
不過《增支部義注》中所說的次第是這樣：最先應當悲愍怨敵，於他令心柔軟之後〔悲愍〕貧苦者，其次是可愛的人，其次是自己。這與「貧苦醜陋」這句聖典之文不合，所以仍應當依所說的方法，於此開始修習，破界之後增大安止。此後，「以五行相無限定遍滿，以七行相限定遍滿，以十行相方位遍滿」——這是變化；以及「安眠」等等的利益：都應當依修慈中所說的方法而知。
以上就是修悲的詳論。
註
¹ 非田（akhetta）：非可耕之田，謂於悲之修習非能生長之所緣；慈之篇分作「不應別修」與「絕不應修」二別條，本篇合為一語。
² 除瞋之諸法、破界之相、安止與所達之禪、三遍滿與十一利益，皆在本品〈慈〉一篇；本篇唯迴指之。
³ 三四之禪（tikacatukkajjhāna）：四分法之前三禪、五分法之前四禪之合稱——非「第三與第四禪」。
⁴ 安止（appanā-samādhi，安止定）：心全然入於所緣而不動之定，別於其前之近行定（upacāra-samādhi）。
The vernacular of this unit is this edition’s own rendering-with-exposition from the Pāli original (tr. mine); see this unit’s apparatus for the base-text particulars.
§1 The Cultivation of Compassion—Choosing the Object and Its Sequence 〔CSCD §259〕
Next, a person who wishes to cultivate compassion (karuṇā) should first observe the danger in being without compassion and the benefit in compassion, and then begin the cultivation. When beginning, compassion should not first be cultivated toward a dear person and the others. A dear person remains only in the position of someone dear; a dearly loved friend remains only in the position of a dearly loved friend; a neutral person remains only in the position of someone neutral; a disliked person remains only in the position of someone disliked; and an enemy remains only in the position of an enemy. A person of the opposite sex and a person who has died are simply barren ground (akhetta).¹
For the Vibhaṅga says: “How does a bhikkhu dwell pervading one direction with a mind accompanied by compassion? Just as compassion arises on seeing a person who is poor and wretched, so does the bhikkhu pervade all sentient beings with compassion.” Therefore, first of all the meditator should see someone whose condition calls for compassion: a destitute person fallen into extreme hardship, poor and wretched, cut off from food, who has placed a bowl before them and sits in a shelter for the helpless, with clusters of worms emerging from their hands and feet, crying out in pain. Having seen this person, compassion should be made to proceed in this way: “This sentient being has truly fallen into hardship. May they be freed from this pain!” If no such person can be found, someone who is happy but does evil should be compared to a condemned prisoner and regarded with compassion.
How is the comparison made? Suppose a thief has been caught together with the stolen goods. The king gives the order, “Kill him,” and the king’s men bind him, beat him a hundred times at every crossroads, and lead him to the place of execution. People give him food to chew and food to eat, as well as garlands, scents, ointments, and betel. Although he goes along chewing and enjoying these things, appearing like a happy person fully endowed with pleasures, nobody thinks, “This person is happy and possesses great wealth.” Instead, everyone regards him with compassion: “This poor man is about to die. With every step he takes, he comes that much closer to death.” In the same way, a bhikkhu whose meditation subject is compassion should regard even a happy person with compassion: “Although this poor person is now happy, splendidly dressed, and enjoying wealth, because not even one of the three doors has produced wholesome kamma, they will soon experience no small amount of pain and grief in bad destinations.”
After regarding that person with compassion, the meditator should make compassion proceed by the same method, in sequence, toward a dear person, then a neutral person, and then an enemy. If aversion toward the enemy arises as described earlier, it should be brought to an end by the method stated in the cultivation of goodwill.² As for a person here who has performed wholesome kamma, compassion should also be aroused upon seeing or hearing that they have met with any disaster involving relatives, illness, wealth, or the like. Even in the absence of such disaster, because they have not yet gone beyond the suffering of saṃsāra, they should be regarded with compassion in every way through the thought, “This person is indeed subject to pain.” Having done so, the meditator should accomplish breaking the boundaries (sīmāsambheda) among four persons—themselves, a dear person, a neutral person, and an enemy—by the method stated above. Then, by repeatedly practicing, cultivating, and making much of that sign, they should develop absorption through the three-and-four jhānas (tikacatukkajjhāna),³ by the method stated in the cultivation of goodwill.⁴
The sequence stated in the Aṅguttara Commentary, however, is this: first the enemy should be regarded with compassion; after the mind has been made pliant toward that person, the destitute person, then the dear person, and then the meditator themself. This does not accord with the canonical phrase “poor and wretched.” Therefore the cultivation should still be begun here by the method stated above, and after breaking the boundaries, absorption should be developed. Thereafter, the following should be known by the method stated in the cultivation of goodwill: the transformation described as “unlimited pervasion in five modes, limited pervasion in seven modes, and pervasion by direction in ten modes,” and the benefits beginning with “the meditator sleeps happily.”
This is the detailed exposition of the cultivation of compassion.
Notes
¹ Barren ground (akhetta): ground that cannot be cultivated—an object on which the cultivation of compassion cannot grow. The goodwill unit distinguishes “should not be cultivated individually” from “should never be cultivated”; this unit combines them under one expression.
² The methods for removing aversion, the sign of breaking the boundaries, absorption and the jhānas attained, the three kinds of pervasion, and the eleven benefits all appear in this chapter’s unit on goodwill. The present unit only refers back to them.
³ Three-and-four jhānas (tikacatukkajjhāna): a collective designation for the first three jhānas of the fourfold scheme and the first four of the fivefold scheme—not “the third and fourth jhānas.”
⁴ Absorption (appanā-samādhi, absorption concentration): concentration in which the mind fully enters its object and becomes unwavering, distinct from the access concentration (upacāra-samādhi) that precedes it.
第二把刀：對治害
大局 — 悲在四刀中的位置
四梵住之第二——悲：對治害（vihiṃsā）。本單元短（一節之量），因論主以「準慈之法」帶過共通工序；其自有之筆在起修之所緣與次第。
§01 悲之修法 → 白話 §1
起修之前，先觀無悲之過患、悲之利益（前行與慈同構）。所緣取極可憫者：見困厄者、殘缺者、置缽乞食者而起「此有情實遭苦厄，願其脫苦」——如見應刑者：盜賊負罪被縛、受刑吏鞭撻而赴刑場，人見之而起「願其得脫此苦」，正是悲之行相。乃至見作惡而現榮者，亦可起悲——彼雖現無災，未越輪迴之苦，惡趣在前，寧非可悲？次第同慈之理而位次自有：不先對可愛者等（可愛者只住可愛之位——諸位各住其位，起修無從）；義注舊說先怨敵之序，論主以聖典之文否決（聖文自可憫者起）；異性與已命終者唯是非田。至怨敵、至破界，皆「準慈所說之法」；五七十之遍滿與諸利益，亦準慈。
§02 對位 — 和大乘的「大悲」是不是同一回事〔可選〕 → 白話 §1
從唯識／大乘那架書過來的讀者，輕放一個差異。南傳此處，四梵住是止（samatha）的所緣：能引禪那、感梵天善報，但就其本身不直接導向解脫——解脫靠後面慧段的觀。大乘則把大悲（mahākaruṇā） 與菩提心抬為道之核心，是菩薩遍歷生死、不入涅槃的根本動力。同一個「悲」，兩套系統承擔的角色不同。把南傳四梵住放回它本來的位置——定段一品、淨心之術——對位自然清楚。
給一般讀者
悲的日用起手極素：見一個正在受苦的人，不移開目光，心裡完整地說一次「願你脫離這苦」。守住它與近敵之別（09-05 §4）：悲是願拔苦，依家之憂是「我看不下去」——前者向外，後者仍繞著自己。
想讀本單元全文：白話 §1 即悲之全段逐段全譯。
The Second Scalpel: Treating Harmfulness
The Big Picture — Compassion’s place among the four scalpels
The second of the four divine abodes is compassion, which treats harming (vihiṃsā). This unit is short—only one section—because the author passes over the shared procedure with “by the method stated under goodwill.” What belongs distinctively to compassion is its initial object and its sequence.
§01 The Method of Compassion → Vernacular §1
Before beginning the practice, first observe the danger in being without compassion and the benefit in compassion (a preparation structurally parallel to goodwill). Take someone who intensely calls for compassion as the object: on seeing a person in hardship, someone maimed, or a person sitting with a begging bowl, arouse the thought, “This sentient being truly suffers hardship; may they be freed from pain.” It is like seeing a condemned prisoner: a thief is bound for a crime, beaten by the king’s officers, and led to the execution ground; on seeing him, the thought arises, “May he be freed from this pain.” This is the mode of compassion. Compassion can even be aroused toward a person now prospering through evil. Although no disaster is presently visible, the person has not gone beyond the suffering of saṃsāra, and a bad destination lies ahead—is that person not worthy of compassion? The sequence follows the principle of goodwill but has its own ordering. Do not begin with a dear person and the rest (a dear person remains in the position of someone dear—the persons each remain in their existing position, leaving no opening for the practice to begin). The author rejects the commentary’s older sequence that begins with an enemy by appealing to the canonical text (the canonical passage itself begins with someone who calls for compassion). A person of the opposite sex and a person who has died are simply barren ground. When the practice reaches an enemy and the breaking of the boundaries, everything follows “the method stated under goodwill.” The five, seven, and ten modes of pervasion and the benefits likewise follow goodwill.
§02 Correspondence — Is this the same as Mahāyāna “great compassion”? 〔Optional〕 → Vernacular §1
Readers coming from the Yogācāra or Mahāyāna shelf should set one difference down gently. Here in the Southern tradition, the four divine abodes are objects of calm (samatha). They can lead to jhāna and the favorable result of rebirth in the brahmā world, but by themselves do not lead directly to liberation—liberation depends on the insight taught later in the wisdom division. Mahāyāna, by contrast, raises great compassion (mahākaruṇā) together with the mind of awakening to the heart of the path, the fundamental force by which a bodhisattva traverses birth and death without entering nibbāna. The same word, “compassion,” bears different roles in the two systems. Put the Southern tradition’s four divine abodes back in their original place—one chapter in the concentration division, a method for purifying the mind—and the correspondence becomes clear on its own.
For the General Reader
The everyday beginning of compassion is utterly plain: when you see someone suffering, do not look away. Say once, completely, in your mind: “May you be freed from this pain.” Preserve the distinction from its near enemy (09-05 §4): compassion wishes to remove pain; grief rooted in home life says, “I cannot bear to look”—the former moves outward, while the latter still revolves around the practitioner themself.
To read this unit in full: Vernacular §1 is the complete paragraph-by-paragraph rendering of the compassion passage.
考據Apparatus
一、科判定位
譯底 本單元之譯底＝CSCD（內用不上站）。本層一切巴利逐字取自本單元原典欄之譯底，
定位一式：〔CSCD §NN〕式對譯底欄逐字可核。本品《總覽》movement 表所載之章§皆為
位次之記而無節數，本層不代補、不外推，故一概不繫章§。本品無自家對頁之巴利，
故頁域一概不記。
篇名 本篇之小節題作 ### Karuṇābhāvanākathā——修悲之詳論。品題行不在本單元，
在慈之篇；品末之自標在雜論之篇。
段號域 譯底欄之段號唯〔CSCD §259〕一個，全篇一段；譯底欄之幅為 3,514 位元組。 段號無缺可誌。
小節 譯底欄自帶 ### 小節 1 個，即本篇之題。
前後接點 前承慈之篇，其末句與本篇末句同式而唯易其行之名——本篇之末句作
Ayaṃ karuṇābhāvanāya vitthārakathā.。後接喜之篇
〔CSCD §260〕。本篇之修法逐處自繫於慈之篇——vuttanayeneva（如所說之法）一語
本篇實測 5 見，其中 4 見明繫於慈。
二、詞義與譯語
本目只記本篇用法與其定位；名相定讀以規範詞表為準，詞表所未定者，本目不代定。 慈之篇已立之讀不重解——本篇所涉之既立詞為 appiyapuggala（不愛之人）· atippiyasahāyaka（極愛之友）·majjhatta（中庸者）·verīpuggala（怨敵）· liṅgavisabhāga（異性）·kālakata（已命終者）·sīmāsambheda（破界）· anodhisopharaṇā・odhisopharaṇā・disāpharaṇā（三遍滿）。以下唯列本篇新出者。
| 巴利 | 本編用語 | 本篇用法之要 | 定位 |
|---|---|---|---|
| karuṇā | 悲 | 本篇之所修；其語義之釋不在本篇，在雜論之篇 | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| nikkaruṇatā | 無悲之性 | 前行之所觀：nikkaruṇatāya ādīnavaṃ karuṇāya ca ānisaṃsaṃ paccavekkhitvā——與慈之前行（觀瞋過忍德）同構而易其目 | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| akhetta | 非田 | Liṅgavisabhāgakālakatā akhettameva——異性與已命終者於悲為非田。慈之篇作「不應別修」與「絕不應修」二別條，本篇合為一語 | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| sakaṭṭhāne ṭhita | 各住其位 | 本篇不列「不應先修」之四，而以五位各住其位立之：Piyo hi piyaṭṭhāneyeva tiṭṭhati，乃至 Verī veriṭṭhāneyeva tiṭṭhati | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| duggata・durūpeta | 貧苦・醜陋 | 所引聖典之語，兼為所緣之揀擇之準；論後以此二語斥異說 | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| kapaṇapurisa | 貧人 | 最先所緣之全相：paramakicchappattaṃ duggataṃ durūpetaṃ kapaṇapurisaṃ chinnāhāraṃ kapālaṃ purato ṭhapetvā anāthasālāya nisinnaṃ | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| anāthasālā | 無依之堂 | 同上相之一目 | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| vajjha | 應刑者 | 第二所緣之法：sukhitopi pāpakārī puggalo vajjhena upametvā karuṇāyitabbo——以應刑者比之，而悲現樂之惡人 | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| āghātana | 刑場 | 應刑者喻之場：catukke catukke pahārasatāni dentā āghātanaṃ nenti | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| vaṭṭadukkha | 輪迴之苦 | 作善者亦所以應悲之由：tesaṃ abhāvepi vaṭṭadukkhaṃ anatikkantattā ''dukkhitova aya''nti | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| byasana | 災厄 | ñātirogabhogabyasanādīnaṃ aññatarena byasanena samannāgataṃ——親・病・財三災 | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| tikacatukkajjhāna | 三四之禪 | 悲所達之禪：tikacatukkajjhānavasena appanā vaḍḍhetabbā——四分法之前三禪、五分法之前四禪（與慈同） | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| Aṅguttaraṭṭhakathā | 《增支部義注》 | 論所引而自斥之異說之出處：Aṅguttaraṭṭhakathāyaṃ pana paṭhamaṃ veripuggalo karuṇāyitabbo | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
三、異讀
材料之面 本篇無自家對頁之巴利，故無校勘段可錄；可查之面唯譯底欄自身。誌錄不判。
普查之實測 譯底欄全篇逐字普查：異讀括注式（(sī.)・(syā.)・(kaṃ.)・(pī.) 等）
零命中；異誦之標識詞 pāṭho 零命中；方括注唯 [§NN] 段號一式。全篇之圓括注
唯 1 處，為所引之出處標記，不載異讀。查無即記無：譯底欄自身無異讀之記。
本欄自出之一處異形 「怨敵」一詞於本篇二形並見：Verī veriṭṭhāneyeva tiṭṭhati
（首字長 ī，複合位短 i）與 veripuggalo karuṇāyitabbo（複合位短 i）；而慈之篇
通篇作長 ī 之形。誌錄不判。
掃描面之界 本欄之查唯及譯底欄一面；他本之對勘不在本欄之面，本欄不代考定。
四、論主引據
論主自引之處，逐處繫段號錨；出處唯本文自標者記之，不代考定。
| 位置 | 引式〔逐字〕 | 所引之要 | 本文自標之出處 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 〔CSCD §259〕 | ''Kathañca bhikkhu karuṇāsahagatena cetasā ekaṃ disaṃ pharitvā viharati? | 見一貧苦醜陋之人而起悲，如是以悲遍滿一切有情 | (vibha. 653) |
| 〔CSCD §259〕 | Aṅguttaraṭṭhakathāyaṃ pana paṭhamaṃ veripuggalo karuṇāyitabbo | 異說之次第：怨敵→貧苦者→可愛者→己 | 自標為《增支部義注》，未繫號 |
論主之自斷 上引異說，論以聖典之語斥之：so ''duggataṃ durūpeta''nti pāḷiyā … na sameti
——謂其與「貧苦醜陋」之文不合，故仍依前法而修。此為本篇唯一之判，論自標其判據為
所引之聖典，非自意。
引式之數〔本欄實測〕 所引之標式唯 vibhaṅge 1 處與 Aṅguttaraṭṭhakathāyaṃ 1 處；
本文自標之圓括注出處 1 處，析為 1 個出處分項（vibha. 1）。vuttanayeneva
（如所說之法）之迴指式 5 見。此數唯就本篇之域，不及全書。
五、譬喻·修辭
本目只記本篇譬喻之所在與其所配，不作文學評價。
甲・譬喻 本篇之喻唯一，而其鋪陳獨長——自 Taṃ alabhantena 至其配義之末，
實測 969 位元組，占本篇 3,514 位元組之 27.6%。
| 位置 | 譬喻 | 所配之義 |
|---|---|---|
| 〔CSCD §259〕 | Seyyathāpi saha bhaṇḍena gahitacoraṃ ''vadhetha na''nti rañño āṇāya rājapurisā bandhitvā catukke catukke pahārasatāni dentā āghātanaṃ nenti | 被賊贓俱獲而牽赴刑場者，路人與之飲食香鬘 |
| 〔CSCD §259〕 | so tāni khādanto ceva paribhuñjanto ca sukhito bhogasamappito viya gacchati | 其人若似安樂而有受用，然無一人以為安樂 |
| 〔CSCD §259〕 | ayaṃ varāko idāni marissati, yaṃ yadeva hi ayaṃ padaṃ nikkhipati, tena tena santike maraṇassa hotī | 喻之所配：現樂之惡人步步近於惡趣，故應悲之 |
乙・修辭之可核觀察 ①本篇不自立次第之全式，而以 vuttanayeneva（如所說之法）
五度迴指慈之篇——除瞋、破界、安止之增、三遍滿之變化、十一利益，皆不重述。
本篇之體例即「異者詳之，同者指之」。②Seyyathāpi 2 見：一在所引之聖典，
一在應刑者之喻，二處皆為喻之起句。③viya 全篇 1 見（詞界），即上表之第二列。
④慈之篇 17 見之省略式，本篇零命中。⑤本篇無偈頌，縮排之行零命中。
⑥小寫 karuṇā 一形 16 見，mettā 一形 3 見——後者皆在迴指之句。
以上諸數唯就本篇之域實測，不及全書。
六、章內互讀
每指皆帶段號錨；所指之處唯就本篇文中可核之名相立——本篇之段號與章§二系不明對映， 故所指不繫章§，亦不推估換算。不代考定。
| 本篇之處 | 所指 | 可核之由 |
|---|---|---|
〔CSCD §259〕 Sace panassa pubbe vuttanayeneva verimhi paṭighaṃ uppajjati, taṃ mettāya vuttanayeneva vūpasametabbaṃ | 慈之篇〔CSCD §243〕–〔CSCD §251〕 | 論自標除瞋之法如慈中所說 |
〔CSCD §259〕 vuttanayeneva attani piyapuggale majjhatte verimhīti catūsu janesu sīmāsambhedaṃ katvā | 慈之篇〔CSCD §252〕 | 破界之相之立在彼 |
〔CSCD §259〕 mettāya vuttanayeneva tikacatukkajjhānavasena appanā vaḍḍhetabbā | 慈之篇〔CSCD §253〕 | 安止與所達之禪之立在彼 |
〔CSCD §259〕 ''pañcahākārehi anodhisopharaṇā sattahākārehi odhisopharaṇā dasahākārehi disāpharaṇā''ti ayaṃ vikubbanā | 慈之篇〔CSCD §255〕–〔CSCD §257〕 | 三遍滿與安止之數之立在彼 |
〔CSCD §259〕 ''sukhaṃ supatī''tiādayo ānisaṃsā ca mettāyaṃ vuttanayeneva veditabbāti | 慈之篇〔CSCD §249〕·〔CSCD §258〕 | 十一利益之列與釋在彼 |
〔CSCD §259〕 Ayaṃ karuṇābhāvanāya vitthārakathā | 喜之篇〔CSCD §260〕 | 四行收句同式，喜篇緊接之 |
七、傳本
作者、傳本與注疏源流諸問題，本編不於考據內立說。
I. Placement in the Outline
Base text This unit’s base is CSCD (internal, not for publication). Every Pāli passage in this layer is copied verbatim from the base in this unit’s source column.
There is one form of location: 〔CSCD §NN〕, byte-verifiable against the base column. Every chapter-and-section entry in this chapter’s Overview movement table records
position only and has no section number; this layer neither supplies nor extrapolates one, so no chapter-and-section locus is attached. This chapter has no in-house page-matched Pāli,
so no page range is recorded.
Unit title The unit heading is ### Karuṇābhāvanākathā—the detailed discussion of the cultivation of compassion. The chapter-title line is not in this unit,
but in the goodwill unit; the chapter’s own closing designation is in the Miscellany Discussion.
Paragraph-number range The base column contains only 〔CSCD §259〕, so the entire unit is one paragraph and occupies 3,514 bytes. There is no gap in paragraph numbering to record.
Subheadings The base column carries one ### subheading: the title of this unit.
Connections before and after The unit follows the goodwill unit, whose closing line has the same form as this unit’s closing line with only the name of the practice changed. This unit closes with
Ayaṃ karuṇābhāvanāya vitthārakathā.. The sympathetic-joy unit follows at
〔CSCD §260〕. The method in this unit repeatedly attaches itself to the goodwill unit through vuttanayeneva (“by the method stated”).
Measured in this unit, the expression occurs five times, four explicitly attached to goodwill.
II. Terms and Renderings
This heading records only how terms function and are located in this unit. The normative glossary governs their reading, and this heading does not decide terms not settled there. Readings already established in the goodwill unit are not re-explained: appiyapuggala (disliked person), atippiyasahāyaka (dearly loved friend), majjhatta (neutral person), verīpuggala (enemy), liṅgavisabhāga (person of the opposite sex), kālakata (person who has died), sīmāsambheda (breaking the boundaries), and anodhisopharaṇā, odhisopharaṇā, and disāpharaṇā (the three kinds of pervasion). Only terms new to this unit are listed below.
| Pāli | Rendering | Usage in this unit | Locus |
|---|---|---|---|
| karuṇā | compassion | The practice cultivated in this unit; the meaning of the term is not explained here, but in the Miscellany Discussion | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| nikkaruṇatā | being without compassion | Object of preliminary observation: nikkaruṇatāya ādīnavaṃ karuṇāya ca ānisaṃsaṃ paccavekkhitvā—structurally parallel to the preparation for goodwill (observing the danger in aversion and the virtue of patience), with the objects changed | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| akhetta | barren ground | Liṅgavisabhāgakālakatā akhettameva—a person of the opposite sex and a person who has died are barren ground for compassion. The goodwill unit gives the separate provisions “should not be cultivated individually” and “should never be cultivated”; this unit combines them in one expression | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| sakaṭṭhāne ṭhita | each remaining in their own position | Instead of listing four with whom not to begin, the unit says that each of five remains in their own position: Piyo hi piyaṭṭhāneyeva tiṭṭhati, through Verī veriṭṭhāneyeva tiṭṭhati | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| duggata・durūpeta | poor・wretched | Words from the quoted canonical passage that also provide the criterion for choosing the object; the treatise later uses these two words to reject a differing position | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| kapaṇapurisa | destitute person | The complete form of the first object: paramakicchappattaṃ duggataṃ durūpetaṃ kapaṇapurisaṃ chinnāhāraṃ kapālaṃ purato ṭhapetvā anāthasālāya nisinnaṃ | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| anāthasālā | shelter for the helpless | One item in the same description | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| vajjha | condemned prisoner | Method for the second object: sukhitopi pāpakārī puggalo vajjhena upametvā karuṇāyitabbo—a happy person who does evil is compared to a condemned prisoner and regarded with compassion | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| āghātana | place of execution | Setting of the condemned-prisoner simile: catukke catukke pahārasatāni dentā āghātanaṃ nenti | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| vaṭṭadukkha | suffering of saṃsāra | Why even a person who has done good should be regarded with compassion: tesaṃ abhāvepi vaṭṭadukkhaṃ anatikkantattā ''dukkhitova aya''nti | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| byasana | disaster | ñātirogabhogabyasanādīnaṃ aññatarena byasanena samannāgataṃ—three disasters involving relatives, illness, and wealth | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| tikacatukkajjhāna | three-and-four jhānas | The jhānas reached by compassion: tikacatukkajjhānavasena appanā vaḍḍhetabbā—the first three jhānas of the fourfold scheme and the first four of the fivefold scheme (as with goodwill) | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
| Aṅguttaraṭṭhakathā | Aṅguttara Commentary | The source of a differing position cited and rejected by the treatise: Aṅguttaraṭṭhakathāyaṃ pana paṭhamaṃ veripuggalo karuṇāyitabbo | 〔CSCD §259〕 |
III. Variant Readings
Scope of materials This unit has no in-house page-matched Pāli, so there is no collation block to record; the only searchable surface is the base column itself. The record does not adjudicate.
Measured complete survey A byte-level survey of the entire unit in the base column found zero occurrences of parenthetical variant markers such as (sī.), (syā.), (kaṃ.), and (pī.);
zero occurrences of the variant-recitation marker pāṭho; and only one form of square-bracket annotation, the paragraph number [§NN]. The entire unit has
only one parenthetical annotation, which identifies the source of a citation and records no variant. No finding is recorded as none: the base column itself contains no record of a variant reading.
One internally occurring variant form The word “enemy” occurs in two forms in this unit: Verī veriṭṭhāneyeva tiṭṭhati
(long ī in the independent word, short i in the compound) and veripuggalo karuṇāyitabbo (short i in the compound); the goodwill unit
uses the long-ī form throughout. The forms are recorded without adjudication.
Boundary of the scan This survey reaches only the single surface of the base column; collation against other witnesses lies outside its scope, and this apparatus does not determine such readings independently.
IV. The Commentator’s Citations
Each self-citation by the author is attached to a paragraph-number anchor. A source is recorded only when the body identifies it itself; no source is determined independently.
| Location | Citation Form 〔verbatim〕 | Essential Point Cited | Source Identified by the Body |
|---|---|---|---|
| 〔CSCD §259〕 | ''Kathañca bhikkhu karuṇāsahagatena cetasā ekaṃ disaṃ pharitvā viharati? | compassion arises on seeing a poor and wretched person, and in the same way all sentient beings are pervaded with compassion | (vibha. 653) |
| 〔CSCD §259〕 | Aṅguttaraṭṭhakathāyaṃ pana paṭhamaṃ veripuggalo karuṇāyitabbo | sequence of the differing position: enemy → destitute person → dear person → oneself | identified as the Aṅguttara Commentary, without a number |
The author’s own determination The treatise rejects the preceding differing position through the canonical phrase so ''duggataṃ durūpeta''nti pāḷiyā … na sameti
—that is, it does not accord with the expression “poor and wretched,” so the cultivation should still be performed by the earlier method. This is the unit’s only determination; the treatise itself identifies the cited canonical passage,
rather than its own preference, as the ground.
Number of citation formulas, measured in this column The only citation labels are one occurrence of vibhaṅge and one of Aṅguttaraṭṭhakathāyaṃ;
the body identifies one source in a parenthetical annotation, containing one source item (vibha. 1). The referential formula vuttanayeneva
(“by the method stated”) occurs five times. These counts apply only within this unit, not to the work as a whole.
V. Similes and Rhetoric
This heading records only where the unit’s similes occur and what they illustrate; it offers no literary evaluation.
A. Simile This unit contains only one simile, but its presentation is unusually long—from Taṃ alabhantena through the end of its application.
It measures 969 bytes, 27.6 percent of the unit’s 3,514 bytes.
| Location | Simile | Point Illustrated |
|---|---|---|
| 〔CSCD §259〕 | Seyyathāpi saha bhaṇḍena gahitacoraṃ ''vadhetha na''nti rañño āṇāya rājapurisā bandhitvā catukke catukke pahārasatāni dentā āghātanaṃ nenti | a thief caught with the stolen goods is led to the execution ground while passersby give him food, scents, and garlands |
| 〔CSCD §259〕 | so tāni khādanto ceva paribhuñjanto ca sukhito bhogasamappito viya gacchati | although the person appears happy and endowed with pleasures, nobody considers him happy |
| 〔CSCD §259〕 | ayaṃ varāko idāni marissati, yaṃ yadeva hi ayaṃ padaṃ nikkhipati, tena tena santike maraṇassa hotī | application of the simile: with every step, a person who now prospers through evil approaches a bad destination and should therefore be regarded with compassion |
B. Verifiable observations on rhetoric First, this unit does not state a complete sequence of its own, but refers back to the goodwill unit five times through vuttanayeneva (“by the method stated”):
removing aversion, breaking the boundaries, developing absorption, the transformation of the three kinds of pervasion, and the eleven benefits are all left unstated.
The unit’s form is thus “explain what differs; refer to what is shared.” Second, Seyyathāpi occurs twice: once in the quoted canonical passage
and once in the condemned-prisoner simile; both introduce a simile. Third, viya occurs once in the entire unit (on a word boundary), in the second row of the preceding table.
Fourth, the abbreviation that occurs seventeen times in the goodwill unit has zero occurrences here. Fifth, there are no verses and no indented lines.
Sixth, the lowercase form karuṇā occurs sixteen times and mettā three times; every occurrence of the latter is in a referential phrase.
All these counts were measured only within this unit and make no claim about the work as a whole.
VI. Intratextual Cross-Reading
Each connection carries a paragraph-number anchor. The place identified is based only on terms verifiable in the text of this unit. The mapping between this unit’s paragraph numbers and the chapter-and-section system is unknown, so the places referred to carry no chapter-and-section loci, and none are estimated or converted. No identification is made independently.
| Place in This Unit | Refers To | Verifiable Ground |
|---|---|---|
〔CSCD §259〕 Sace panassa pubbe vuttanayeneva verimhi paṭighaṃ uppajjati, taṃ mettāya vuttanayeneva vūpasametabbaṃ | goodwill unit 〔CSCD §243〕–〔CSCD §251〕 | the treatise itself states that the method for removing aversion is as described under goodwill |
〔CSCD §259〕 vuttanayeneva attani piyapuggale majjhatte verimhīti catūsu janesu sīmāsambhedaṃ katvā | goodwill unit 〔CSCD §252〕 | the sign of breaking the boundaries is established there |
〔CSCD §259〕 mettāya vuttanayeneva tikacatukkajjhānavasena appanā vaḍḍhetabbā | goodwill unit 〔CSCD §253〕 | absorption and the jhānas reached are established there |
〔CSCD §259〕 ''pañcahākārehi anodhisopharaṇā sattahākārehi odhisopharaṇā dasahākārehi disāpharaṇā''ti ayaṃ vikubbanā | goodwill unit 〔CSCD §255〕–〔CSCD §257〕 | the three kinds of pervasion and the number of absorptions are established there |
〔CSCD §259〕 ''sukhaṃ supatī''tiādayo ānisaṃsā ca mettāyaṃ vuttanayeneva veditabbāti | goodwill unit 〔CSCD §249〕·〔CSCD §258〕 | the list and explanation of the eleven benefits are there |
〔CSCD §259〕 Ayaṃ karuṇābhāvanāya vitthārakathā | sympathetic-joy unit 〔CSCD §260〕 | the four practices have closing lines of the same form, and the sympathetic-joy unit immediately follows |
VII. Transmission
This edition establishes no position in the apparatus on questions of authorship, transmission, or commentarial lineage.