清淨道論 非想非非想處Visuddhimagga · The Base of Neither Perception nor Non-perception
沙彌用油塗了鉢。長老說把鉢拿來——「大德，鉢裡有油。」長老說那把油拿來裝滿一筒——「大德，沒有油。」路上那點水也一樣：夠濕鞋，就說有；不夠洗澡，就說沒有。第四座的想正是如此：依「還在」說有，依「不管用」說無——非想，非非想。
怎麼越過無所有處？它太寂靜，挑不出過患。論主換一個機關：讚它，但不想成為它——如王乘象過街，見牙匠滿身牙屑而作精巧之器，讚「這些師傅真巧啊」，卻不會想「但願我捨了王位去作工匠」。欣賞不等於嚮往，能分開這兩件事，才踏得上第四座。
此定細到連觀智都幾乎抓不住——能思惟其諸蘊而達厭離的，除舍利弗外沒有；與其相似的大慧者，也唯能依聚而觀。這句話同時說明了為什麼世間定之頂仍不是出口：細到觀不了的地方，慧就進不去。出路不在更細的定，在轉身。
A novice smears a bowl with oil. The elder asks for the bowl: “Venerable sir, there is oil in it.” The elder tells him to bring the oil and fill a tube: “Venerable sir, there is no oil.” A little water on the road is the same: enough to wet sandals, so there is water; not enough to bathe, so there is none. Perception in the fourth station is just so. It exists because it remains, but does not exist for practical function: neither perception nor non-perception.
How is the base of nothingness surmounted when it is so peaceful that no danger can be found? The commentator changes the mechanism: praise it without wanting to become it. A king rides an elephant through the street and sees ivory workers, their bodies covered in ivory dust as they make delicate objects. “These masters are truly skilled,” he says, yet he does not wish to abandon the kingship and become an artisan. Appreciation is not aspiration. Only when the two are separated can the fourth station be reached.
This attainment is so subtle that even insight can scarcely grasp it. Apart from Sāriputta, no one can contemplate its aggregates and reach disenchantment; a person of comparable great wisdom can contemplate them only by groups. This explains at once why the summit of mundane concentration is still not the exit. Where phenomena are too subtle to contemplate, wisdom cannot enter. The exit lies not in a subtler attainment, but in turning around.
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 見過患之二式與寂靜之作意 〔CSCD §285〕
非想非非想處之論
而想要修習非想非非想處的人，應當以五種行相¹於無所有處等至修得自在，然後這樣見到無所有處之中的過患與上面的功德——或者是「這個等至是近於識無邊處的對敵者，並且不像非想非非想處那樣寂靜」，或者是「想是病，想是癰，想是箭；這是寂靜的，這是勝妙的，就是非想非非想」——於是盡了對無所有處的欣求²，作意非想非非想處為寂靜，然後應當一再地轉向「那以無有為所緣而轉起的無所有處等至是寂靜的、是寂靜的」，應當作意、省察，令它為思所擊、為尋所擊。
當他這樣於那相上一再地運心之時，諸蓋被鎮伏，念得安住，心以近行而得定。他對那相一再地習行、修習、多作。當他這樣做的時候，就如無所有處〔心〕安止於識之離去一般，非想非非想處心於那名為無所有處等至的四蘊之上安止。而這裡安止之法應當依已說的方法而知。到了這裡，就說他「一切地超越無所有處，具足住於非想非非想處」。
§2 超越之義與王之喻 〔CSCD §286〕
這裡「一切地」也照已說的方法。「超越無所有處」——這裡也依先前所說的方法，禪也是無所有處，所緣也是。因為依前面的方法，所緣也是無所有性，而它由於是第三無色禪之所緣，就像諸天之天處一般，依住處之義而為「處」，所以是「無所有處」。同樣地，它是無所有性，而由於它是那禪的生起之因，就像「劍浮闍為諸馬之處」等等一般，依生地之義而為「處」，所以也是「無所有處」。這樣，禪與所緣二者都必須由令其不轉與不作意而超越了之後，才應當具足住於這個非想非非想處；所以應當知道，是把這二者合為一而說「超越無所有處」的。
而「非想非非想處」——這裡，是由於有那樣的想，才叫它作「非想非非想處」。為了先顯示行道到什麼程度才有那個想，《分別論》中舉出「非想非非想者」一語而說：「他作意那同一個無所有處為寂靜，修習有行餘之等至³，因此說是『非想非非想者』。」其中，「作意為寂靜」——他是這樣依寂靜所緣性而作意它為寂靜的：「這個等至實在寂靜啊——它竟能以無有之性也作為所緣而住立！」
〔問：〕如果他作意它為寂靜，那麼怎麼會有超越呢？〔答：〕由於不欲入定之故。因為他雖然作意它為寂靜，卻並沒有「我要轉向它、要入定、要住定、要出定、要觀察」這樣的傾念⁴、等趣、作意。為什麼呢？因為比起無所有處來，非想非非想處是更寂靜、更勝妙的。
譬如一位國王以大王之威而乘於象背之上，行於城中街道，見到牙匠等等工匠——他們把一件衣緊緊地穿著，用另一件裹著頭，身上沾滿了牙屑等等，正在作種種牙器等等的工藝——就說「啊呀，這些師傅真巧啊，竟能作出這樣的工藝來」，這樣為他們的巧妙而喜悅；然而他並不會這樣想：「啊呀，但願我捨了王位而成為這樣的工匠！」為什麼呢？因為王位之榮有大功德。他就越過那些工匠而去了。同樣地，這個人雖然作意那個等至為寂靜，卻並沒有「我要轉向這個等至、要入定、要住定、要出定、要觀察」這樣的傾念、等趣、作意。
他這樣作意它為寂靜，就依先前所說的方法而達到那至極微細而得安止的想——由於它，他才名為「非想非非想者」，說他修習有行餘之等至。「有行餘之等至」，就是諸行已達到極微細之性的第四無色等至。
§3 非想非非想之語釋與二沙彌之事 〔CSCD §287〕
如今，為了就義而顯示那依這樣證得的想而叫作「非想非非想處」的，〔《分別論》中〕說：「『非想非非想處』——就是入非想非非想處者、或生於彼者、或現法樂住者的心心所法。」其中，這裡所意指的是入定者的心心所法。
而這裡的語義是：由於粗想之無有，又由於微細者之有，那與相應法俱的禪既不是有想、也不是無想，所以是「非想非非想」。它是非想非非想，而由於它是意處與法處所攝的，也是「處」，所以是「非想非非想處」。或者說：這裡的這個想，由於不能作明利之想的作用，所以是「非想」；由於以行餘之微細性而仍然存在，所以是「非非想」——所以是「非想非非想」。它是非想非非想，而依住處之義又是其餘諸法之「處」，所以是「非想非非想處」。
而這裡不只是想是這樣，受也是非受非非受，心也是非心非非心，觸也是非觸非非觸；其餘的相應法也是這個方法。應當知道，這個說示是以想為首而作的。並且這個義應當以塗鉢之油等等譬喻來顯明。
據說有一位沙彌用油塗了鉢而放著。到了喝粥的時候，長老說：「把鉢拿來。」他說：「大德，鉢裡有油。」於是長老說：「沙彌，把油拿來，我要裝滿一筒。」他卻說：「大德，沒有油。」其中，正如由於〔油〕是內宿的，就與粥同成不淨⁵之義而說「有油」；而依裝滿一筒等等而說「沒有」；同樣地，那個想也由於不能作明利之想的作用而為「非想」，由於以行餘之微細性而仍然存在而為「非非想」。
那麼，這裡想的作用是什麼呢？就是了知所緣，以及成為觀之境而生起厭離。因為就像火界在溫水之中不能明利地作燒的作用一般，這個〔想〕也不能明利地作了知的作用；它也不能像其餘等至中的想那樣，成為觀之境而生起厭離。因為，沒有在其餘諸蘊上作過執取⁶的比丘，能夠思惟非想非非想處之諸蘊而達到厭離的，是沒有的——除了尊者舍利弗以外。至於常修觀而有大慧、與舍利弗相似的人，才能夠。而即使是他，也唯是依聚之思惟——「原來這些法是這樣不曾有而生起、有了又消失的」——而不是依逐一法之觀。這個等至就微細到這樣的程度。
又，正如以塗鉢之油之喻，這個義也應當以道中之水之喻來顯明。據說有一位長老正走在路上，走在他前面的沙彌見到一點水，就說：「大德，有水，請把鞋脫下來。」於是長老說：「如果有水，把浴衣拿來，我們來洗澡。」他卻說：「大德，沒有。」其中，正如依足以濡濕鞋之義而說「有水」，依洗澡之義而說「沒有」；同樣地，那個想也由於不能作明利之想的作用而為「非想」，由於以行餘之微細性而仍然存在而為「非非想」。
而不只是以這兩個〔喻〕，也應當以其餘相順的譬喻來顯明這個義。「具足而住」這一語照已說的方法。
這就是非想非非想處業處之中的廣說。
註
¹ 五種行相（pañcahākārā）：轉向、入定、住定、出定、觀察五自在；其目之開列在〈地遍〉一品，本篇唯以一語迴指而不重列。
² 欣求（nikanti）：於已得之定之微細愛樂；不盡之則不能進於次定。
³ 有行餘之等至（saṅkhārāvasesasamāpatti）：《分別論》所立之名；論自釋作「諸行已達到極微細之性的第四無色等至」。
⁴ 傾念・等趣（ābhoga・samannāhāra）：心趣向並會合於所緣之二作用，與作意並列；論以三者皆無而明其無入定之欲。
⁵ 不淨（akappiya）：律之語，謂不合於法而不應受用者；與不淨業處之「不淨」（asubha）非同科。
⁶ 執取（abhinivesa）：於諸蘊反覆審察而得其著手處。本篇之位為觀之下手，與觀智諸品所斥之「執取」異其位——本編從考據層之讀而誌其一形二位。
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 Two Ways of Seeing Danger and Attention to Peacefulness 〔CSCD §285〕
Discourse on the Base of Neither Perception nor Non-perception
One who wishes to develop the base of neither perception nor non-perception should gain mastery in five ways¹ over the attainment of the base of nothingness. Then one sees danger in the base of nothingness and benefit in what is above it in either of two ways: “This attainment is close to the base of infinite consciousness, its adversary, and is not as peaceful as the base of neither perception nor non-perception”; or, “Perception is a disease, perception is a boil, perception is a dart; this is peaceful, this is sublime—namely, neither perception nor non-perception.” Having exhausted longing² for the base of nothingness and attended to the base of neither perception nor non-perception as peaceful, one should repeatedly turn toward, as “peaceful, peaceful,” the attainment of the base of nothingness that occurred taking absence as its object, attend to it, review it, and strike it with thought and applied thought.
As one repeatedly directs the mind toward that sign, the hindrances are suppressed, mindfulness becomes established, and the mind becomes concentrated by access. One repeatedly cultivates, develops, and makes much of that sign. As one does so, the consciousness of the base of neither perception nor non-perception enters absorption upon the four aggregates called the attainment of the base of nothingness, just as the base of nothingness enters absorption upon the departure of consciousness. The method of absorption here should be understood according to the method already stated. At this point one is said to “enter and dwell in the base of neither perception nor non-perception, having completely surmounted the base of nothingness.”
§2 The Meaning of Surmounting and the King’s Simile 〔CSCD §286〕
Here too, “completely” follows the method already stated. “Having surmounted the base of nothingness”: here too, according to the method stated earlier, both the jhāna and its object are the base of nothingness. The object is nothingness, and because it is the object of the third immaterial jhāna, it is a “base” in the sense of a dwelling place, just as the deva realm is the devas’ dwelling place; hence it is the “base of nothingness.” Likewise, because it is nothingness and the cause for the arising of that jhāna, it is a “base” in the sense of a place of origin, as in “Kamboja is a base for horses”; hence it too is the “base of nothingness.” Since one must enter and dwell in the base of neither perception nor non-perception only after surmounting both the jhāna and its object by making the former cease to occur and by not attending to the latter, it should be understood that the two are brought together under the single phrase “having surmounted the base of nothingness.”
“The base of neither perception nor non-perception”: it is called this because it has perception of that kind. To show first the degree of practice at which that perception occurs, the Vibhaṅga introduces the phrase “one who is neither percipient nor non-percipient” and says: “One attends to that same base of nothingness as peaceful and develops the attainment with formations as residue;³ therefore one is called ‘neither percipient nor non-percipient.’” Here, “attends to it as peaceful” means that one attends to it as peaceful because of the peacefulness of its object: “How peaceful this attainment truly is, since it can remain with even the state of absence as its object!”
Question: if one attends to it as peaceful, how is it surmounted? Answer: because one does not wish to enter it. Although one attends to it as peaceful, there is no inclination,⁴ bringing together of the mind, or attention such as, “I shall turn toward it, enter it, resolve to remain in it, emerge from it, and review it.” Why? Because the base of neither perception nor non-perception is more peaceful and more sublime than the base of nothingness.
It is as if a king, in the greatness of his royal power and mounted upon a noble elephant, were traveling along a city street and saw craftsmen such as ivory workers. They had wrapped one cloth tightly around themselves, another around their heads, and their bodies were covered with ivory dust as they fashioned many kinds of ivory work and other crafts. The king might say, “Ah, these masters are truly skilled, to make crafts such as these,” and delight in their skill. Yet it would not occur to him, “If only I might abandon the kingship and become such a craftsman!” Why not? Because the glory of kingship has great benefit. He passes beyond the craftsmen and continues. In the same way, although one attends to that attainment as peaceful, there is no inclination, bringing together of the mind, or attention such as, “I shall turn toward this attainment, enter it, resolve to remain in it, emerge from it, and review it.”
Attending to it as peaceful in this way, one reaches, according to the method already stated, the perception that is supremely subtle and has reached absorption. Because of it one is called “neither percipient nor non-percipient” and is said to develop the attainment with formations as residue. “Attainment with formations as residue” means the fourth immaterial attainment, whose formations have reached the state of supreme subtlety.
§3 Explanation of “Neither Perception nor Non-perception” and Two Accounts of Novices 〔CSCD §287〕
Now, to show in terms of meaning what is called the “base of neither perception nor non-perception” by virtue of the perception attained in this way, the Vibhaṅga says: “‘The base of neither perception nor non-perception’ means the phenomena of consciousness and mental factors belonging to one who has entered the base of neither perception nor non-perception, one who has been reborn there, or one who dwells happily here and now.” Of these, the phenomena of consciousness and mental factors belonging to one in attainment are intended here.
The word meaning here is this. Because gross perception is absent and subtle perception is present, the jhāna together with its associated phenomena is neither percipient nor non-percipient; hence it is “neither perception nor non-perception.” It is neither perception nor non-perception, and because it is included in the mind base and the phenomenon base, it is also a “base”; hence it is the “base of neither perception nor non-perception.” Alternatively, the perception here is “not perception” because it is incapable of performing the function of acute perception, and it is “not non-perception” because it remains present in the subtle form of formations as residue; hence it is “neither perception nor non-perception.” It is neither perception nor non-perception and is a “base” for the remaining phenomena in the sense of a dwelling place; hence it is the “base of neither perception nor non-perception.”
It is not only perception here that is of this kind. Feeling too is neither feeling nor non-feeling, consciousness is neither consciousness nor non-consciousness, and contact is neither contact nor non-contact. The same method applies to the remaining associated phenomena. It should be understood that the teaching is presented with perception as the heading. This meaning should be made clear through such similes as oil smeared on a bowl.
It is said that a novice smeared a bowl with oil and set it aside. At the time for drinking gruel, an elder said, “Bring the bowl.” The novice replied, “Venerable sir, there is oil in the bowl.” The elder then said, “Bring the oil, novice; I shall fill a tube.” The novice replied, “Venerable sir, there is no oil.” Here, because the oil had remained inside overnight and would make the gruel improper⁵ if mixed with it, one says “there is oil”; but for filling a tube and the like, one says “there is none.” Likewise, that perception is “not perception” because it cannot perform the function of acute perception, and “not non-perception” because it remains present in the subtle form of formations as residue.
What, then, is the function of perception here? It is both to recognize the object and, by becoming a field for insight, to give rise to disenchantment. Just as the fire element in warm water cannot acutely perform the function of burning, so this perception cannot acutely perform the function of recognizing. Nor can it, like perception in the other attainments, become a field for insight and give rise to disenchantment. No bhikkhu who has not established an approach⁶ to the other aggregates is capable of contemplating the aggregates of the base of neither perception nor non-perception and reaching disenchantment, apart from the Venerable Sāriputta. Only a habitual insight practitioner of great wisdom, like Sāriputta, could do so. Even such a person can do so only through contemplation by groups—“It seems these phenomena, not having been, come into being; having been, they disappear”—not through insight into successive individual phenomena. This attainment has reached such subtlety.
Just as this meaning is clarified through the simile of oil smeared on a bowl, it should also be clarified through the simile of water on the road. It is said that an elder was walking along a road when a novice ahead saw a little water and said, “Venerable sir, there is water; take off your sandals.” The elder replied, “If there is water, bring the bathing cloth; let us bathe.” The novice said, “Venerable sir, there is none.” Here, one says “there is water” because there is enough to wet the sandals, but “there is none” in the sense that there is not enough for bathing. Likewise, that perception is “not perception” because it cannot perform the function of acute perception, and “not non-perception” because it remains present in the subtle form of formations as residue.
Not only through these two similes, but through other appropriate similes as well, this meaning should be made clear. The phrase “enters and dwells” follows the method already stated.
This is the detailed explanation of the meditation subject of the base of neither perception nor non-perception.
Notes
¹ Mastery in five ways (pañcahākārā): mastery in turning toward, entering, remaining in, emerging from, and reviewing an attainment. The chapter on the earth kasiṇa enumerates them; this discourse refers back with one expression and does not repeat the list.
² Longing (nikanti): subtle delight in an attainment already reached. Unless exhausted, it prevents entry into the next attainment.
³ Attainment with formations as residue (saṅkhārāvasesasamāpatti): a name established by the Vibhaṅga; the treatise itself explains it as “the fourth immaterial attainment whose formations have reached the state of supreme subtlety.”
⁴ Inclination and bringing together of the mind (ābhoga; samannāhāra): two operations by which the mind tends toward and converges upon an object, listed alongside attention. The treatise denies all three to show that one has no wish to enter the attainment.
⁵ Improper (akappiya): a Vinaya term for what is not allowable and should not be used. It belongs to a different category from “foulness” (asubha) as a meditation subject.
⁶ Establishing an approach (abhinivesa): repeatedly examining the aggregates until one finds a point of entry. Here it is a starting point for insight and differs in function from the “adherence” criticized in the insight chapters; this edition follows the apparatus in recording the two functions of one form.
想細到不能再細：鉢裡的油、路上的水——說有也對、說無也對；讚其寂靜而不欲入之，如王讚工匠之巧而不作工匠
大局 — 第四座：想之臨界
第四座不再換所緣的「內容」，而把想自身修到臨界：粗想已無、微細者仍在——既非有想、亦非無想。本單元三段：見過患之二式與修法（§1）、「讚而不入」之疑與王之喻（§2）、語釋與二沙彌之事（§3）。論主在此拿出了全品最好的譬喻群——王與工匠、塗鉢之油、道中之水——把一個幾乎說不出口的定境說到可解。〔所見〕
§01 見過患之二式與寂靜之作意 → 白話 §1
修者於無所有處五行相自在，見其過患有二式：近於識無邊處之對敵、不如非想非非想處寂靜；或依經語「想是病，想是癰，想是箭；這是寂靜的，這是勝妙的，就是非想非非想」。盡欣求，作意非想非非想處為寂靜，一再轉向「那以無有為所緣而轉起的無所有處等至是寂靜的」——諸蓋鎮伏、念安住、近行得定；習行修習多作，非想非非想處心於那名為無所有處等至的四蘊之上安止（白話 §1）。〔讀法〕注意所緣的落點：第四座取的不是「無」，是前一座的定心自身（無所有處等至之四蘊）——與第二座取「緣空之識」同構，四座遂成一條互為踏板的鏈。「想是病是癰是箭」一語則預告：此座之上，定無可再進——想本身成了最後要對治的東西。
§02 超越之義與王之喻 → 白話 §2
超越同前式（禪與所緣合為一）。《分別論》「作意那同一個無所有處為寂靜、修習有行餘之等至」——疑：既作意它為寂靜，怎麼會有超越？答：由於不欲入定——雖讚其寂靜，卻無「我要轉向、入定、住定、出定、觀察」之傾念、等趣、作意，因為非想非非想處更寂靜勝妙。王之喻：國王乘象行於街道，見牙匠緊衣裹頭、滿身牙屑而作精巧之器，讚「這些師傅真巧啊」——卻不會想「但願我捨了王位去作工匠」；王位之榮有大功德，他越過工匠而去。如是達到至極微細而得安止的想，名「非想非非想者」，其定名「有行餘之等至」——諸行已達極微細之性的第四無色等至（白話 §2）。〔讀法〕王之喻解的是修行心理學裡一個精細的結：欣賞不等於嚮往。前三座靠「見過患」而離，第四座的對象太寂靜、挑不出過患——論主便換一個機關：讚它，但不想成為它。能這樣分開「讚」與「趣」，才越得過去。
§03 非想非非想之語釋與二沙彌之事 → 白話 §3
語釋二路：粗想無、微細者有，故非有想非無想；或——此想不能作明利之想的作用故「非想」，以行餘之微細性仍存故「非非想」。且不只想：受亦非受非非受、心亦非心非非心、觸亦非觸非非觸——說示以想為首。二沙彌之事：塗鉢之油——「鉢裡有油」（與粥同成不淨之義）而「沒有油」（裝滿一筒之義）；道中之水——「有水」（足以濡濕鞋）而「沒有水」（不夠洗澡）。想的作用何在？了知所緣、成為觀之境而生厭離——而此想不能明利地作了知，如火界在溫水中不能作燒；亦不能如餘等至之想成為觀之境而生厭離。故未於餘蘊作過執取的比丘，無人能思惟此處諸蘊而達厭離——除舍利弗外；與之相似的大慧常修觀者可，而亦唯依聚之思惟（「這些法不曾有而生起、有了又消失」），不能逐一法而觀。此等至微細至此（白話 §3）。〔讀法〕油與水兩喻是「有／無」判準相對性的教科書：同一物，依一個用途說有、依另一個用途說無——想亦然，依「還在」說有、依「不管用」說無。末段是全品最鄭重的一筆：此定細到連觀智都幾乎抓不住，唯舍利弗級的慧可依聚觀之——這句話同時解釋了為什麼世間定的頂點仍不是出口：細到觀不了的地方，慧就進不去。〔所見〕
給一般讀者
第四座可以只帶三個譬喻走：王與工匠（欣賞不等於嚮往——讚前一座之寂靜而不入之，方能越過）、鉢裡的油與路上的水（說有也對、說無也對——想細到這個地步，「有想」「無想」兩個標籤都貼不上）。並請記住論主的提醒：這是世間定之頂，而非解脫——細到連觀智都難以下手的地方，慧反而無從著力；出路不在更細的定，在轉身修觀（第 14 品起）。四無色與諸定之總結，在下一單元。
想讀本單元全文：白話 §1–§3 即見過患二式與修法、讚而不入之疑與王之喻、語釋二路、油水二喻、想之作用與舍利弗之例的全段逐段全譯。
Perception Refined Beyond Further Refinement: Oil in a Bowl, Water on the Road—Both “There Is” and “There Is Not” Are True; Praise Its Peace without Wishing to Enter, as a King Praises an Artisan’s Skill without Becoming an Artisan
The Big Picture — The Fourth Station: Perception at the Threshold
The fourth station no longer changes the “content” of the object. Instead, it refines perception itself to a threshold: gross perception is gone, while subtle perception remains—neither percipient nor non-percipient. The unit has three sections: two ways of seeing danger and the method of development (§1), the difficulty of “praising without entering” and the king’s simile (§2), and the word explanation with two accounts of novices (§3). Here the commentator offers the chapter’s finest cluster of similes—the king and artisan, oil smeared on a bowl, and water on the road—to make an almost inexpressible attainment intelligible. 〔What Is Seen〕
§01 Two Ways of Seeing Danger and Attention to Peacefulness → Vernacular §1
Having mastered the base of nothingness in five ways, the meditator sees its danger in either of two forms: it is close to the base of infinite consciousness, its adversary, and not as peaceful as the base of neither perception nor non-perception; or, in the canonical words, “Perception is a disease, perception is a boil, perception is a dart; this is peaceful, this is sublime—namely, neither perception nor non-perception.” Having exhausted longing and attended to the base of neither perception nor non-perception as peaceful, one repeatedly turns toward the attainment of nothingness that took absence as its object as “peaceful, peaceful.” The hindrances are suppressed, mindfulness becomes established, and the mind becomes concentrated by access. Through repeated cultivation, the consciousness of the base of neither perception nor non-perception enters absorption upon the four aggregates called the attainment of the base of nothingness (Vernacular §1). 〔Reading〕 Notice where the object lands. The fourth station does not take “nothing”; it takes the concentrated mind of the preceding station itself, the four aggregates of the attainment of nothingness. This is structurally parallel to the second station taking “consciousness whose object was space,” completing a chain in which each station is a stepping-stone for the next. “Perception is a disease, boil, and dart” also signals that there is no further concentration above this one: perception itself has become the final thing to be treated.
§02 The Meaning of Surmounting and the King’s Simile → Vernacular §2
Surmounting follows the same pattern, bringing jhāna and object together. The Vibhaṅga says one “attends to that same base of nothingness as peaceful and develops the attainment with formations as residue.” A difficulty arises: if it is attended to as peaceful, how can it be surmounted? The answer is because one does not wish to enter it. Although praising its peace, one has no inclination, bringing together of the mind, or attention of the form “I shall turn toward it, enter it, remain in it, emerge, and review,” because the base of neither perception nor non-perception is more peaceful and sublime. In the king’s simile, a king riding an elephant along the street sees ivory workers, clothed tightly, their heads wrapped and their bodies covered in ivory dust as they make delicate objects. He praises them: “These masters are truly skilled”—but does not think, “If only I might abandon the kingship and become an artisan.” The glory of kingship has great benefit, and he passes them by. In the same way one reaches perception that is supremely subtle and has entered absorption, becoming “neither percipient nor non-percipient”; the concentration is called “the attainment with formations as residue,” the fourth immaterial attainment in which formations have reached supreme subtlety (Vernacular §2). 〔Reading〕 The king’s simile unknots a fine point in the psychology of practice: appreciation is not aspiration. The first three stations are left by seeing danger; the object of the fourth transition is so peaceful that no danger can readily be found. The commentator changes the mechanism: praise it, but do not wish to become it. Only when praise and movement toward are separated can one pass beyond.
§03 Explanation of “Neither Perception nor Non-perception” and Two Accounts of Novices → Vernacular §3
The expression has two explanations. Gross perception is absent while a subtle perception exists; therefore it is neither percipient nor non-percipient. Or this perception is “not perception” because it cannot perform the function of acute perception, yet is “not non-perception” because it remains as the subtle residue of formations. Nor does this apply only to perception: feeling is neither feeling nor non-feeling, consciousness neither consciousness nor non-consciousness, contact neither contact nor non-contact. The teaching uses perception as the heading. Two novice stories explain it. Oil on a bowl: “There is oil in the bowl,” because it would make gruel improper, yet “there is no oil,” because there is not enough to fill a tube. Water on the road: “There is water,” because it can wet the sandals, yet “there is none,” because it is insufficient for bathing. What is the function of perception? To recognize the object and to become a field for insight that generates disenchantment. This perception cannot acutely perform the recognizing, like the fire element in warm water that cannot burn acutely; nor can it, like perception in the other attainments, become a field for insight and give rise to disenchantment. Therefore no bhikkhu who has not established an approach to the other aggregates can contemplate these aggregates and reach disenchantment—apart from Sāriputta. A habitual insight practitioner of comparable great wisdom could do so, but only by contemplating groups—“these phenomena arise after not having been and disappear after having been”—not by insight into each phenomenon successively. Such is the attainment’s subtlety (Vernacular §3). 〔Reading〕 The oil and water are a textbook in the relativity of “present” and “absent.” The same thing is present for one use and absent for another. Perception is likewise present because it remains, absent because it cannot function. The final paragraph is the chapter’s most solemn point: this attainment is so subtle that insight can scarcely take hold of it, and only wisdom like Sāriputta’s can contemplate it by groups. This also explains why the summit of mundane concentration is not an exit. Where phenomena become too subtle to contemplate, wisdom finds no purchase. 〔What Is Seen〕
For the General Reader
Carry away three similes from the fourth station. The king and the artisan show that appreciation is not aspiration: only by praising the peace of the preceding station without entering it can one pass beyond. Oil in the bowl and water on the road show how both “there is” and “there is not” may be true: perception has become so subtle that neither “perception” nor “non-perception” fits. Remember the commentator’s warning too. This is the summit of mundane concentration, not liberation. When the object is too subtle even for insight to grasp, wisdom has no leverage. The exit lies not in a still subtler concentration, but in turning to insight, beginning with chapter 14. The next unit summarizes the four immaterial attainments and the attainments as a whole.
To read this unit in full: Vernacular §§1–3 gives the complete paragraph-by-paragraph rendering of the two ways of seeing danger and the development, the difficulty of praising without entering and the king’s simile, both word explanations, the oil and water similes, the function of perception, and the example of Sāriputta.
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。本品無自家對頁之巴利，故頁域一概不記。
篇名 譯底欄自帶 ### 行 1 個，即本篇之科題 ### Nevasaññānāsaññāyatanakathā。科題與本篇之全幅同度——本篇即該科之全。
段號域 譯底欄之段號自〔CSCD §285〕至〔CSCD §287〕，實落段號 3 個，號序連續無缺。本篇於譯底欄之幅為 7,941 位元組，為本品五單元中之第二大者。
五段式之第四出與其二異 本篇承本品所立之五段式，而有二處不同：①過患之見有二式並出——no ca nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṃ viya santā 與所引之 ''saññā rogo, saññā gaṇḍo, saññā sallaṃ, etaṃ santaṃ, etaṃ paṇītaṃ yadidaṃ nevasaññānāsaññā''ti，論以 vā⋯vā 連之而任取其一；本品他三篇之過患皆唯一式。②語釋之段最長而含二事——語釋既竟，論更以二喻（塗鉢之油・道中之水）與二沙彌之事重明「非想非非想」之義，其幅逾語釋之本。誌其實不代裁。
本篇之所緣 非想非非想處之所緣為前定之四蘊（ākiñcaññāyatanasamāpattisaṅkhātesu catūsu khandhesu），而非前三定之「空・識・識之無」。本品四定之所緣至此始為心法之全聚，本欄誌其實不代裁其所以。
前後接點 前承無所有處之單元：本篇首句作 Nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṃ bhāvetukāmena pana pañcahākārehi ākiñcaññāyatanasamāpattiyaṃ ciṇṇavasībhāvena——論自標其所出之定，承前篇之收句。後接雜論之單元：本篇收句 Ayaṃ nevasaññānāsaññāyatanakammaṭṭhāne vitthārakathā.，次單元即以偈起（Asadisarūpo nātho, āruppaṃ yaṃ catubbidhaṃ āha.）而總攝四無色——四定之逐一說至此而竟，雜論乃四定之總論。
movement 品夾《總覽》繫本單元於 §D〈非想非非想處〉一節；其所繫之章§逐字見該表，本目不重錄、不截取——段號與章§二系不明對映，不推估不換算。
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。前此諸品已立之讀不重解——本篇所涉之既立詞為 nevasaññānāsaññāyatana（非想非非想處）・ākiñcaññāyatana（無所有處）・viññāṇañcāyatana（識無邊處）・khandha（蘊）・saññā（想）・vedanā（受）・citta（心）・phassa（觸）・cetasika（心所）・ārammaṇa（所緣）・nimitta（相）・nīvaraṇa（蓋）・sati（念）・upacārasamādhi（近行定）・appanā（安止）・nikanti（欣求）・vipassanā（觀）・nibbidā（厭離）・saṅkhāra（行）・roga／gaṇḍa／salla（病／癰／箭）・tejodhātu（火界）・adhiṭṭhānaṭṭha（住處之義）・saññāsīsa（以想為首）。以下唯列本篇新出者。
過患之見與作意〔CSCD §285〕
| 巴利 | 本編用語 | 本篇用法之要 | 定位 |
|---|---|---|---|
| āsannaviññāṇañcāyatanapaccatthika | 近於識無邊處之對敵 | 見無所有處過患之語；本品三篇同式而各易其所近 | 〔CSCD §285〕 |
| ⚠︎ santa・paṇīta | 寂靜・勝妙 | 所引經句之二讚語；與病癰箭三喻相對而立。paṇīta 於戒之品既立作「上」（下中上三品之位）——一形二位，本欄依本篇之位取「勝妙」而不從先例，誌之以俟來哲 | 〔CSCD §285〕 |
| sāva abhāvaṃ ārammaṇaṃ katvā pavattitā samāpatti | 以彼無有為所緣而轉起之等至 | 本篇遍作之所緣句；即前定之全體 | 〔CSCD §285〕 |
超越之義與其難〔CSCD §286〕
| 巴利 | 本編用語 | 本篇用法之要 | 定位 |
|---|---|---|---|
| saṅkhārāvasesasamāpatti | 有行餘之等至 | 分別之書所立之名；論釋作「行至極微細性之第四無色等至」 | 〔CSCD §286〕 |
| santārammaṇatā | 寂靜所緣性 | 論自釋作寂靜之作意之所依 | 〔CSCD §286〕 |
| asamāpajjitukāmatā | 不欲入定性 | 論自答之樞——作寂靜想而仍超越之所以 | 〔CSCD §286〕 |
| ābhoga・samannāhāra・manasikāra | 傾念・等趣・作意 | 論以三語並列而三皆否之，以明其無入定之欲 | 〔CSCD §286〕 |
| santatarapaṇītatara | 更寂靜更勝妙 | 超越之由；後定較前定為勝 | 〔CSCD §286〕 |
| rajjasiri | 王位之榮 | 王喻之樞語；喻更勝之所得 | 〔CSCD §286〕 |
| paramasukhuma appanāppatta saññā | 至極微細而得安止之想 | 本篇之所成 | 〔CSCD §286〕 |
名之語釋與二喻〔CSCD §287〕
| 巴利 | 本編用語 | 本篇用法之要 | 定位 |
|---|---|---|---|
| oḷārikāya saññāya abhāva | 粗想之無有 | 語釋之前分（neva saññā） | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| sukhumāya bhāva | 微細者之有 | 語釋之後分（nāsaññā） | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| paṭusaññākicca | 明利之想之作用 | 第二釋之樞——想不能作其明利之事故名「非想」 | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| saṅkhārāvasesasukhumabhāva | 行餘之微細性 | 「非非想」之由；其想以微細而猶存 | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| nevavedanānāvedanā・nevacittaṃnācittaṃ・nevaphassonāphasso | 非受非非受・非心非非心・非觸非非觸 | 論自推其例於受心觸諸法；並自陳其說唯以想為首 | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| pattamakkhanatela | 塗鉢之油 | 第一喻之名；本篇二喻之首 | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| antovuttha | 內宿 | 沙彌喻之樞——與粥同宿故成不淨 | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| akappiya | 不淨〔不合法〕 | 同上；論以其明「有油」之義 | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| nāḷipūraṇa | 滿一筒 | 同上；論以其明「無油」之義 | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| ārammaṇasañjānana | 所緣之了知 | 想之作用其一 | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| vipassanāya visayabhāvaṃ upagantvā nibbidājanana | 為觀之境而生厭離 | 想之作用其二；本篇明此想不堪為之 | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| sukhodaka | 溫水 | 火界喻之所在；喻想之力弱 | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| akatābhiniveso | 未作執取者 | 論之判——未於他蘊作觀者不能觀此蘊 | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| pakativipassaka | 常修觀者 | 論所許之例外之人 | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| kalāpasammasanavasena | 依聚之思惟 | 論所許之觀法；並遮 anupadadhammavipassanā | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| anupadadhammavipassanā | 逐一法之觀 | 論所遮之觀法 | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| maggudaka | 道中之水 | 第二喻之名 | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| nhānasāṭikā | 浴衣 | 第二沙彌喻之樞——足以濡屣而不足以沐 | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| āyasmā sāriputto | 尊者舍利弗 | 本篇唯一之人名；論以其為能思惟此處諸蘊而達厭離者之唯一例外，而其觀亦唯依聚 | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| sāmaṇera | 沙彌 | 二喻中之人；與 thera（長老）相對 | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
須併觀之三處 ①ābhoga・samannāhāra・manasikāra 三語於本篇並列而同否，其中 manasikāra（作意）為既立之讀；ābhoga（傾念）與 samannāhāra（等趣）為本欄所立——三語之分讀以俟來哲。②saññā（想）之四位於本篇並出——經之定型文之想・作用之想・微細之想・以想為首之說；本目不分立其讀而唯誌其位。③akappiya 一形之讀「不淨〔不合法〕」為本欄所立，其在律之位另有其義，誌其一形二位，以俟來哲。
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；異說之標識詞 Porāṇā／porāṇā・Keci／keci・eke 俱零命中。方括注唯二式（[§NN] 段號 3 個與版頁記 8 個，後者皆在註記之內）。查無即記無：譯底欄自身無異讀之記。
引號之對稱 全篇 '' 實測 46 處為偶數，為本品五單元中之最多者；逐引皆有其收，無不對稱者。
本欄自出之一處字面之疑 〔CSCD §287〕之句作 Aññesu hi khandhesu akatābhiniveso bhikkhu nevasaññānāsaññāyatanakkhandhe sammasitvā nibbidaṃ pattuṃ samattho nāma natthi apica āyasmā sāriputto.——natthi 與 apica 之間無標點亦無除外之語，而其義須作「除舍利弗尊者外無有能者」。此為本篇最明之字面之疑：誌其字面不改、不代補。
本欄之界 上列皆為譯底欄之字面之實；未與 PTS 掃描頁對勘。本欄之零命中唯就譯底欄一面，不以之推斷他本。
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 §285〕 | ''saññā rogo, saññā gaṇḍo, saññā sallaṃ, etaṃ santaṃ, etaṃ paṇītaṃ yadidaṃ nevasaññānāsaññā''ti | 想為病癰箭，此為寂靜勝妙——見過患之第二式 | 無（隨文而不繫圓括注） |
| 〔CSCD §285〕 | ''sabbaso ākiñcaññāyatanaṃ samatikkamma nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṃ upasampajja viharatī''ti | 非想非非想處之經之定型文 | (vibha. 508; dī. ni. 2.129) |
| 〔CSCD §286〕 | ''nevasaññīnāsaññī''ti uddharitvā ''taññeva ākiñcaññāyatanaṃ santato manasi karoti, saṅkhārāvasesasamāpattiṃ bhāveti, tena vuccati nevasaññīnāsaññī''ti | 分別之書釋「非想非非想者」——論據以明其想之相 | (vibha. 619) |
| 〔CSCD §287〕 | ''nevasaññānāsaññāyatananti nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṃ samāpannassa vā upapannassa vā diṭṭhadhammasukhavihārissa vā cittacetasikā dhammā''ti | 分別之書釋「非想非非想處」之體——心心所法 | (vibha. 620) |
| 〔CSCD §287〕 | ''evaṃ kirime dhammā ahutvā sambhonti, hutvā paṭiventī''ti | 諸法未有而有、有已而還——舍利弗所行之聚之思惟 | (ma. ni. 3.95) |
引式與出處之數〔本欄實測〕 本篇之圓括注出處 4 處（分別之書 3 處、中部 1 處，另分別之書與長部並繫者已計入前者之一）。引式之標唯 Vuttaṃ／vuttaṃ 隨文之式；Yathāha・Vuttañhetaṃ・Vuttampi cetaṃ・Tena vuttaṃ・Tenāha・Tenetaṃ vuccati・Apare āhu 俱零命中。kira 2 見——〔CSCD §287〕之二沙彌之事各一，皆為傳說之標而非引書之標；此二見為本品 kira 之全（他四篇各零，唯雜論篇 1 見）。本目誌其實而不代考定。
論主自陳之三處 ①〔CSCD §287〕Saññāsīsena panāyaṃ desanā katāti veditabbā——論自陳其說唯舉想為首而受心觸諸法可例推。②〔CSCD §287〕Pattamakkhanatelappabhutīhi ca upamāhi esa attho vibhāvetabbo——論自標其下之喻。③〔CSCD §287〕Na kevalañca etāheva, aññāhipi anurūpāhi upamāhi esa attho vibhāvetabbo——論自陳其喻猶可增而不自出。三處皆論主自陳，本目逐字錄其位而不代評。
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・譬喻之列 viya（詞界）全篇實測 5 見、連聲之比況形（-miva）1 見、sadisa 諸形 1 見、Yathā／yathā 之比況領語 5 見、upamā 2 見。逐處如下：
| 位置 | 譬喻〔逐字〕 | 所喻 |
|---|---|---|
| 〔CSCD §285〕 | no ca nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṃ viya santā | 無所有處不如非想非非想處之寂靜——比較式之比況 |
| 〔CSCD §286〕 | devānaṃ devāyatanaṃ viya adhiṭṭhānaṭṭhena | 諸天之天處——喻「處」之住處義 |
| 〔CSCD §286〕 | Yathā hi rājā mahacca rājānubhāvena hatthikkhandhavaragato nagaravīthiyaṃ vicaranto dantakārādayo sippike⋯disvā ''aho vata re chekā ācariyā īdisānipi nāma sippāni karissantī''ti evaṃ tesaṃ chekatāya tussati | 王見工匠之巧而喜，然不願捨王位為工匠——喻作寂靜想而仍不欲入其定 |
| 〔CSCD §287〕 | viññāṇāpagame ākiñcaññāyatanaṃ viya ākiñcaññāyatanasamāpattisaṅkhātesu catūsu khandhesu | 前定之安止——喻本定安止之所落 |
| 〔CSCD §287〕 | Sāmaṇero kira telena pattaṃ makkhetvā ṭhapesi⋯''natthi, bhante, tela''nti āha | 塗油之鉢——「有油」與「無油」二說並真，喻「非想」與「非非想」 |
| 〔CSCD §287〕 | Dahanakiccamiva hi sukhodake tejodhātu sañjānanakiccaṃ pesā paṭuṃ kātuṃ na sakkoti | 溫水中之火界不能明利地燒——喻此想不能明利地了知 |
| 〔CSCD §287〕 | Maggappaṭipannassa kira therassa purato gacchanto sāmaṇero thokaṃ udakaṃ disvā⋯''natthi, bhante''ti āha | 道中之水——足以濡屣而不足以沐，喻同上 |
本篇喻格之一實測 二沙彌之事同一結構：沙彌先言「有」，長老應之以其用，沙彌乃言「無」；論繼以 Tattha yathā ⋯ ''telamatthī''ti hoti／''udakamatthī''ti ⋯ ''natthī''ti hoti 之句逐一配之，末以 Evaṃ sāpi saññā paṭusaññākiccaṃ kātuṃ asamatthatāya nevasaññā, saṅkhārāvasesasukhumabhāvena vijjamānattā nāsaññā hoti 收——二事之收句自 paṭusaññākiccaṃ 以下逐字相同（本欄比對；其首異作 Evaṃ sāpi saññā／Evampi sā——pi 之位移，且後者省 saññā）。誌其實不代評。
乙・修辭之可核觀察 ①Tattha 之提示語全篇實測 3 見（〔CSCD §286〕之引後之釋一・〔CSCD §287〕之二喻各一）。②問句 4 見：Santato⋯ce manasi karoti, kathaṃ samatikkamo hotīti?（論自設之難）・Kasmā?（本品唯此 1 見）・Taṃ kissa hetu?・Kiṃ panettha saññākiccanti?——四問皆論主自設而自答。③省引式 3 見：Appanānayo panettha vuttanayeneva veditabbo・Idhāpi sabbasoti idaṃ vuttanayameva・Upasampajja viharatīti idaṃ vuttanayamevāti。④Esa nayo sesasampayuttadhammesu 式之例推 1 見。⑤…pe… 省略式 零命中。⑥偈頌 零處。⑦事例（人事之記）2 見，皆以 kira（相傳）繫之，皆不繫人名亦不繫其處——與前諸品之長老事例（各繫其名）異其式。誌其實不代考定。
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 §285〕 pañcahākārehi ākiñcaññāyatanasamāpattiyaṃ ciṇṇavasībhāvena | 無所有處之單元〔CSCD §283〕 | 彼篇之同語作 pañcahākārehi viññāṇañcāyatanasamāpattiyaṃ ciṇṇavasībhāvena；本篇逐字承其式而易其定 |
〔CSCD §285〕 Appanānayo panettha vuttanayeneva veditabbo | 空無邊處之單元〔CSCD §276〕 | 安止之法之四重迴指（本篇→無所有處篇→識無邊處篇→空無邊處篇→地遍之單元） |
〔CSCD §286〕 pubbe vuttanayeneva jhānampi ākiñcaññāyatanaṃ ārammaṇampi | 無所有處之單元〔CSCD §284〕 | 彼篇立禪與所緣二面同名之法；本篇以 pubbe vuttanayeneva 承之 |
〔CSCD §287〕 manāyatanadhammāyatanapariyāpannattā āyatanañcāti | 十二處之單元 | 意處與法處之名在彼篇；本篇之「處」義於此一處不用天處之喻而用二處之攝——本品四篇中唯此一異 |
〔CSCD §287〕 Sesasamāpattīsu saññā viya vipassanāya visayabhāvaṃ upagantvā nibbidājananampi kātuṃ na sakkoti | 行道智見清淨之諸單元 | 觀之所緣與厭離之生於彼諸篇；本篇唯借其為對比而不立其義 |
〔CSCD §287〕 kalāpasammasanavaseneva, no anupadadhammavipassanāvasena | 道非道智見清淨之單元 | 聚之思惟之法在彼篇；本篇以一語迴指而不重出 |
〔CSCD §288〕 Asadisarūpo nātho, āruppaṃ yaṃ catubbidhaṃ āha. | 無色之雜論之單元 | 次篇以偈總攝四無色——四定逐一之說至本篇而竟 |
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 The base text for this unit is CSCD, for internal use and not for publication. Every Pāli form in this layer is copied verbatim from the working base in this unit’s source column. Its single location format, 〔CSCD §NN〕, can be checked verbatim against that column. Since this chapter has no in-house Pāli collated to the printed pages, no page range is recorded.
Discourse title The source column contains one ### line, this discourse’s rubric ### Nevasaññānāsaññāyatanakathā. The rubric and the complete extent of this discourse coincide: this discourse comprises the rubric in full.
Paragraph-number range The source column runs from 〔CSCD §285〕 through 〔CSCD §287〕 and contains three paragraph numbers, continuous without a gap. Its source-column extent is 7,941 bytes, the second largest among the chapter’s five units.
Fourth occurrence of the five-part pattern and its two departures This discourse follows the chapter’s five-part pattern but differs in two respects. First, it gives two alternative ways of seeing danger: no ca nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṃ viya santā and the quotation ''saññā rogo, saññā gaṇḍo, saññā sallaṃ, etaṃ santaṃ, etaṃ paṇītaṃ yadidaṃ nevasaññānāsaññā''ti, joined by vā ... vā so that either may be taken. Each of the other three discourses has only one form. Second, the word-explanation section is the longest and contains two accounts. After completing the explanation, the treatise further clarifies “neither perception nor non-perception” with two similes—oil smeared on a bowl and water on the road—and two accounts of novices, whose extent exceeds the basic word explanation. The facts are recorded without judgment.
The object of this discourse The object of the base of neither perception nor non-perception is the four aggregates of the preceding attainment, ākiñcaññāyatanasamāpattisaṅkhātesu catūsu khandhesu, rather than the “space, consciousness, or absence of consciousness” of the first three attainments. Only at this fourth attainment is the object the whole group of mental phenomena. This column records the fact without deciding why.
Connections before and after The discourse follows the unit on the base of nothingness. Its opening reads Nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṃ bhāvetukāmena pana pañcahākārehi ākiñcaññāyatanasamāpattiyaṃ ciṇṇavasībhāvena: the treatise itself identifies the attainment from which one emerges, directly continuing the preceding discourse’s closing sentence. It is followed by the miscellany unit. This discourse closes Ayaṃ nevasaññānāsaññāyatanakammaṭṭhāne vitthārakathā.; the next begins with a verse, Asadisarūpo nātho, āruppaṃ yaṃ catubbidhaṃ āha., summarizing the four immaterial attainments. The individual treatment of the four ends here; the miscellany is their general discussion.
Movement The chapter overview associates this unit with the single movement §D, “Base of Neither Perception nor Non-perception.” Its chapter-and-section locator appears verbatim there and is neither copied nor excerpted here. The paragraph-number system and chapter-section system have no established conversion, so none is inferred.
II. Terms and Renderings
This item records only usage and location within this discourse. The normative glossary governs established renderings; this item does not settle terms that it leaves open. Readings already established in earlier chapters are not re-explained. They include nevasaññānāsaññāyatana (base of neither perception nor non-perception), ākiñcaññāyatana (base of nothingness), viññāṇañcāyatana (base of infinite consciousness), khandha (aggregate), saññā (perception), vedanā (feeling), citta (consciousness), phassa (contact), cetasika (mental factor), ārammaṇa (object), nimitta (sign), nīvaraṇa (hindrance), sati (mindfulness), upacārasamādhi (access concentration), appanā (absorption), nikanti (longing), vipassanā (insight), nibbidā (disenchantment), saṅkhāra (formation), roga, gaṇḍa, and salla (disease, boil, and dart), tejodhātu (fire element), adhiṭṭhānaṭṭha (the sense of a dwelling place), and saññāsīsa (perception as the heading). Only new expressions in this discourse are listed below.
Seeing danger and attending 〔CSCD §285〕
| Pāli | Rendering | Usage in this unit | Locus |
|---|---|---|---|
| āsannaviññāṇañcāyatanapaccatthika | close to the base of infinite consciousness, its adversary | The danger seen in the base of nothingness; three discourses in this chapter use the same pattern while changing what is near | 〔CSCD §285〕 |
| ⚠︎ santa; paṇīta | peaceful; sublime | Two words of praise in the cited canonical phrase, set opposite the three similes of disease, boil, and dart. Paṇīta was established as “superior” in chapter 1, in the inferior-middle-superior classification; this single form has two contextual functions. Here it is rendered “sublime” rather than following that precedent, and the difference is recorded, left to the wise who come after | 〔CSCD §285〕 |
| sāva abhāvaṃ ārammaṇaṃ katvā pavattitā samāpatti | the attainment that occurred taking that absence as its object | The object phrase for the preparatory work of this discourse; it refers to the preceding attainment as a whole | 〔CSCD §285〕 |
The meaning of surmounting and its difficulty 〔CSCD §286〕
| Pāli | Rendering | Usage in this unit | Locus |
|---|---|---|---|
| saṅkhārāvasesasamāpatti | attainment with formations as residue | A name established by the book of analysis; the treatise explains it as “the fourth immaterial attainment whose formations have reached supreme subtlety” | 〔CSCD §286〕 |
| santārammaṇatā | peacefulness of its object | The basis on which the treatise explains attending to it as peaceful | 〔CSCD §286〕 |
| asamāpajjitukāmatā | absence of the wish to enter | The hinge of the commentator’s answer: why attending to it as peaceful can still surmount it | 〔CSCD §286〕 |
| ābhoga; samannāhāra; manasikāra | inclination; bringing together of the mind; attention | Three terms listed together and all denied, showing that one has no wish to enter the attainment | 〔CSCD §286〕 |
| santatarapaṇītatara | more peaceful and more sublime | The reason for surmounting: the later attainment is finer than the preceding one | 〔CSCD §286〕 |
| rajjasiri | glory of kingship | The hinge of the king’s simile, representing the greater benefit to be gained | 〔CSCD §286〕 |
| paramasukhuma appanāppatta saññā | perception that is supremely subtle and has reached absorption | What is attained in this discourse | 〔CSCD §286〕 |
Word explanation of the name and two similes 〔CSCD §287〕
| Pāli | Rendering | Usage in this unit | Locus |
|---|---|---|---|
| oḷārikāya saññāya abhāva | absence of gross perception | The first side of the word explanation, neva saññā | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| sukhumāya bhāva | presence of subtle perception | The second side of the word explanation, nāsaññā | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| paṭusaññākicca | function of acute perception | The hinge of the second explanation: because perception cannot perform its acute function it is called “not perception” | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| saṅkhārāvasesasukhumabhāva | subtle state of formations as residue | The reason for “not non-perception”: perception remains in a subtle form | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| nevavedanānāvedanā; nevacittaṃnācittaṃ; nevaphassonāphasso | neither feeling nor non-feeling; neither consciousness nor non-consciousness; neither contact nor non-contact | The treatise extends the pattern to feeling, consciousness, and contact, while explicitly saying the teaching uses perception only as its heading | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| pattamakkhanatela | oil smeared on a bowl | The name of the first simile | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| antovuttha | kept inside overnight | The hinge of the novice’s example: because the oil has remained with the gruel, it makes the gruel improper | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| akappiya | improper, not allowable | As above; used to explain the sense in which “there is oil” | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| nāḷipūraṇa | filling a tube | As above; used to explain the sense in which “there is no oil” | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| ārammaṇasañjānana | recognition of the object | The first function of perception | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| vipassanāya visayabhāvaṃ upagantvā nibbidājanana | becoming a field for insight and giving rise to disenchantment | The second function of perception; this discourse says that its perception cannot perform it | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| sukhodaka | warm water | The setting of the fire-element simile, illustrating the weakness of perception | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| akatābhiniveso | one who has not established an approach | The treatise’s judgment: one who has not undertaken contemplation of the other aggregates cannot contemplate these | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| pakativipassaka | habitual insight practitioner | The kind of exceptional person allowed by the treatise | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| kalāpasammasanavasena | by way of contemplation in groups | The method of insight the treatise allows, while excluding anupadadhammavipassanā | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| anupadadhammavipassanā | insight into successive individual phenomena | The method of insight excluded by the treatise | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| maggudaka | water on the road | The name of the second simile | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| nhānasāṭikā | bathing cloth | The hinge of the second novice’s example: enough to wet sandals but not enough to bathe | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| āyasmā sāriputto | the Venerable Sāriputta | The sole named person in this discourse; the treatise presents him as the one exception able to contemplate these aggregates and reach disenchantment, and even he only by contemplation in groups | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
| sāmaṇera | novice | The person in both similes, paired with thera, elder | 〔CSCD §287〕 |
Three places to read together (1) Ābhoga, samannāhāra, and manasikāra occur together and are all denied. Manasikāra, “attention,” is established; “inclination” for ābhoga and “bringing together of the mind” for samannāhāra are established in this column. Their distinct readings are left to the wise who come after. (2) Four functions of saññā, perception, occur here: perception in the canonical formula, functioning perception, subtle perception, and perception as the heading. This item records their positions without establishing separate English headwords. (3) “Improper, not allowable” is this column’s reading of akappiya. The form has another function in Vinaya contexts; one form with two functions is recorded and left to the wise who come after.
III. Variant Readings
Available material This discourse has no in-house Pāli collated to the printed pages, so no collation section can be recorded. The only available face is the source column itself. Variants are recorded without adjudication.
Measured comprehensive search A verbatim search of the entire source column finds zero occurrences of parenthetical variant formulas such as (sī.), (syā.), (kaṃ.), and (pī.); zero occurrences of the variant-reading marker pāṭho; and zero occurrences of the alternative-view markers Porāṇā or porāṇā, Keci or keci, and eke. Square-bracket annotations belong to only two types: three [§NN] paragraph numbers and eight edition-page notes, the latter all within comments. When nothing is found, nothing is recorded: the source column itself contains no variant note.
Symmetry of quotation marks The forty-six occurrences of '' form an even count, the highest among the chapter’s five units; every quotation has its close, with no asymmetry.
One literal uncertainty supplied by this column The sentence in 〔CSCD §287〕 reads Aññesu hi khandhesu akatābhiniveso bhikkhu nevasaññānāsaññāyatanakkhandhe sammasitvā nibbidaṃ pattuṃ samattho nāma natthi apica āyasmā sāriputto. Between natthi and apica there is neither punctuation nor a word of exception, although the meaning must be “none is capable apart from the Venerable Sāriputta.” This is the clearest literal uncertainty in the discourse. The wording is recorded without alteration or supplementation.
Scope of this column Everything above states what is literally present in the source column. This column has not been collated against the scanned PTS pages. Zero occurrences apply only to the source column and support no inference about other editions.
IV. The Commentator’s Citations
Each citation made by the commentator is tied to its paragraph-number anchor. Only sources explicitly named by the text itself are recorded; none is independently identified here.
| Location | Citation form, verbatim | Point cited | Source named by the text |
|---|---|---|---|
| 〔CSCD §285〕 | ''saññā rogo, saññā gaṇḍo, saññā sallaṃ, etaṃ santaṃ, etaṃ paṇītaṃ yadidaṃ nevasaññānāsaññā''ti | Perception is disease, boil, and dart; this is peaceful and sublime—the second way of seeing danger | None, embedded in the text without a parenthetical reference |
| 〔CSCD §285〕 | ''sabbaso ākiñcaññāyatanaṃ samatikkamma nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṃ upasampajja viharatī''ti | The canonical formula for the base of neither perception nor non-perception | (vibha. 508; dī. ni. 2.129) |
| 〔CSCD §286〕 | ''nevasaññīnāsaññī''ti uddharitvā ''taññeva ākiñcaññāyatanaṃ santato manasi karoti, saṅkhārāvasesasamāpattiṃ bhāveti, tena vuccati nevasaññīnāsaññī''ti | The book of analysis explains “one who is neither percipient nor non-percipient”; the treatise uses it to explain the character of the perception | (vibha. 619) |
| 〔CSCD §287〕 | ''nevasaññānāsaññāyatananti nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṃ samāpannassa vā upapannassa vā diṭṭhadhammasukhavihārissa vā cittacetasikā dhammā''ti | The book of analysis identifies the constitution of the base of neither perception nor non-perception as phenomena of consciousness and mental factors | (vibha. 620) |
| 〔CSCD §287〕 | ''evaṃ kirime dhammā ahutvā sambhonti, hutvā paṭiventī''ti | Phenomena arise after not having been and, having been, disappear—the contemplation in groups practiced by Sāriputta | (ma. ni. 3.95) |
Count of citation forms and sources, measured in this column This discourse has four parenthetical source references: three to the book of analysis and one to the middle-length collection, with the joint reference to the book of analysis and long collection included among the former. The only introductory form is a contextual occurrence of Vuttaṃ or vuttaṃ; there are zero occurrences of Yathāha, Vuttañhetaṃ, Vuttampi cetaṃ, Tena vuttaṃ, Tenāha, Tenetaṃ vuccati, and Apare āhu. kira occurs twice, once in each novice account in 〔CSCD §287〕. Both mark received stories, not cited books. These two are all occurrences of kira in the four immaterial discourses; the other three have none, while the miscellany has one. This item records the facts and does not identify their sources independently.
Three explicit statements by the commentator (1) 〔CSCD §287〕 Saññāsīsena panāyaṃ desanā katāti veditabbā: the commentator states that the teaching presents perception as its heading and that feeling, consciousness, contact, and the other phenomena follow by extension. (2) 〔CSCD §287〕 Pattamakkhanatelappabhutīhi ca upamāhi esa attho vibhāvetabbo: the commentator introduces the similes that follow. (3) 〔CSCD §287〕 Na kevalañca etāheva, aññāhipi anurūpāhi upamāhi esa attho vibhāvetabbo: the commentator says further similes could be added, but does not supply them. All three are explicit statements by the commentator; this item records their locations verbatim without judging them.
V. Similes and Rhetoric
This item records where the discourse’s similes occur and how their parts correspond. It offers no literary evaluation.
A. Inventory of similes The token-bounded form viya occurs five times; the sandhi comparison form -miva occurs once; forms of sadisa occur once; comparative lead-ins Yathā or yathā occur five times; and upamā occurs twice. The locations are as follows:
| Location | Simile, verbatim | Referent |
|---|---|---|
| 〔CSCD §285〕 | no ca nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṃ viya santā | The base of nothingness is not as peaceful as the base of neither perception nor non-perception—a comparison in adjectival form |
| 〔CSCD §286〕 | devānaṃ devāyatanaṃ viya adhiṭṭhānaṭṭhena | The devas’ dwelling place illustrates the sense of “base” as a dwelling place |
| 〔CSCD §286〕 | Yathā hi rājā mahacca rājānubhāvena hatthikkhandhavaragato nagaravīthiyaṃ vicaranto dantakārādayo sippike ... disvā ''aho vata re chekā ācariyā īdisānipi nāma sippāni karissantī''ti evaṃ tesaṃ chekatāya tussati | A king delights in artisans’ skill but does not wish to abandon kingship and become an artisan—like attending to the preceding attainment as peaceful without wishing to enter it |
| 〔CSCD §287〕 | viññāṇāpagame ākiñcaññāyatanaṃ viya ākiñcaññāyatanasamāpattisaṅkhātesu catūsu khandhesu | The preceding attainment’s absorption illustrates the object upon which this attainment enters absorption |
| 〔CSCD §287〕 | Sāmaṇero kira telena pattaṃ makkhetvā ṭhapesi ... ''natthi, bhante, tela''nti āha | A bowl smeared with oil: both “there is oil” and “there is no oil” are true, illustrating “not perception” and “not non-perception” |
| 〔CSCD §287〕 | Dahanakiccamiva hi sukhodake tejodhātu sañjānanakiccaṃ pesā paṭuṃ kātuṃ na sakkoti | The fire element in warm water cannot burn acutely, illustrating how this perception cannot recognize acutely |
| 〔CSCD §287〕 | Maggappaṭipannassa kira therassa purato gacchanto sāmaṇero thokaṃ udakaṃ disvā ... ''natthi, bhante''ti āha | Water on the road: enough to wet sandals but not enough to bathe, illustrating the same point |
One measured feature of the simile pattern The two novice accounts have the same structure. The novice first says “there is”; the elder responds in terms of a proposed use; the novice then says “there is not.” The treatise follows each with a sentence beginning Tattha yathā, matching ''telamatthī''ti hoti or ''udakamatthī''ti with ''natthī''ti hoti, and concludes with Evaṃ sāpi saññā paṭusaññākiccaṃ kātuṃ asamatthatāya nevasaññā, saṅkhārāvasesasukhumabhāvena vijjamānattā nāsaññā hoti. The concluding sentence of the two accounts is verbatim identical from paṭusaññākiccaṃ onward; their openings differ as Evaṃ sāpi saññā against Evampi sā, the pi shifting position and the second omitting saññā. The fact is recorded without evaluation.
B. Verifiable rhetorical observations (1) The prompt Tattha occurs three times: once following the citation in 〔CSCD §286〕 and once in each of the two similes in 〔CSCD §287〕. (2) There are four questions: Santato ... ce manasi karoti, kathaṃ samatikkamo hotīti?, a difficulty posed by the commentator; Kasmā?, its sole occurrence in the chapter; Taṃ kissa hetu?; and Kiṃ panettha saññākiccanti?. All four are posed and answered by the commentator. (3) There are three abbreviated references: Appanānayo panettha vuttanayeneva veditabbo, Idhāpi sabbasoti idaṃ vuttanayameva, and Upasampajja viharatīti idaṃ vuttanayamevāti. (4) The analogical extension Esa nayo sesasampayuttadhammesu occurs once. (5) The omission marker …pe… occurs zero times. (6) There are no verses. (7) There are two historical instances, both introduced by kira. Neither names a person or a place, unlike accounts of elders in earlier chapters. The fact is recorded without independent identification.
These figures were measured only within this discourse and do not extend to the work as a whole.
VI. Intratextual Cross-Reading
Every reference carries a paragraph-number anchor and is established only from terms verifiable within this discourse. Because no correspondence between this discourse’s paragraph numbers and chapter-section locators has been established, these references do not attach chapter-section numbers and infer no conversion. No independent identification is supplied.
| Place in this discourse | Referent | Verifiable basis |
|---|---|---|
〔CSCD §285〕 pañcahākārehi ākiñcaññāyatanasamāpattiyaṃ ciṇṇavasībhāvena | Unit on the base of nothingness 〔CSCD §283〕 | Its parallel reads pañcahākārehi viññāṇañcāyatanasamāpattiyaṃ ciṇṇavasībhāvena; this discourse follows the pattern verbatim while changing the attainment |
〔CSCD §285〕 Appanānayo panettha vuttanayeneva veditabbo | Unit on the base of infinite space 〔CSCD §276〕 | A fourfold backward reference for the method of absorption: this discourse to nothingness, that discourse to infinite consciousness, that one to infinite space, and that one to the earth kasiṇa |
〔CSCD §286〕 pubbe vuttanayeneva jhānampi ākiñcaññāyatanaṃ ārammaṇampi | Unit on the base of nothingness 〔CSCD §284〕 | That discourse establishes the same name for both the jhāna and its object; this one carries it forward through pubbe vuttanayeneva |
〔CSCD §287〕 manāyatanadhammāyatanapariyāpannattā āyatanañcāti | Unit on the twelve bases | The names mind base and phenomenon base occur there. At this one point, the meaning of “base” is established by inclusion within two bases rather than through the deva-realm simile, the sole such departure among the four discourses |
〔CSCD §287〕 Sesasamāpattīsu saññā viya vipassanāya visayabhāvaṃ upagantvā nibbidājananampi kātuṃ na sakkoti | Units on purity by knowledge and vision of the way | The object of insight and the arising of disenchantment occur there; this discourse borrows them only as a comparison and does not establish their meaning |
〔CSCD §287〕 kalāpasammasanavaseneva, no anupadadhammavipassanāvasena | Unit on purity by knowledge and vision of what is and is not the path | The method of contemplation in groups is treated there; this discourse refers to it with one expression and does not repeat it |
〔CSCD §288〕 Asadisarūpo nātho, āruppaṃ yaṃ catubbidhaṃ āha. | Miscellany unit on the immaterial | The next discourse summarizes the four immaterial attainments in verse—the successive account of the four ends with this discourse |
VII. Transmission
This edition advances no position in the apparatus on questions of authorship, textual transmission, or the history of the commentarial tradition.