清淨道論 四十業處Visuddhimagga · The Forty Meditation Subjects
四十業處攤成一張表：十遍、十不淨、十隨念、四梵住、四無色、一想、一差別。表下面是十道問：數、引近行或引安止、到第幾禪、能不能往上超越、該不該增大、對著什麼所緣、在哪一界修得起來、用眼用身還是用耳先取、修成了通向哪裡、順於哪一種性行。每一個業處都要過這十道問——第四品以下每一業處的開頭，就是這十道問的填空。
增大一門最冷靜：只有十遍值得增大，因為它換得神通之基；不淨增大只是屍多一點，入出息增大只是風多一點，梵住增大只是人多一點——沒有利益的增大，就是不必要的造作。性行一門是上一單元那張診斷表的另一半：貪行者主修不淨與身至念，瞋行者修梵住與色遍，癡行尋行唯入出息念，信行者六隨念，覺行者死念、寂止、四界、食厭。論主隨即自限：這是就正相違與極相宜而說，不是排他的處方——不應執取言語表面，當於一切處尋其意趣。
受取業處之前先自付：把自己捨與佛、捨與師。衣服送了人，被裁成片也不再痛；身體交了出去，可怖之相現前也不再怕。六意樂立心的朝向——無貪、無瞋、無癡、出離、遠離、出要；二勝解收成兩個字：定，與涅槃。師以四問知人的性行，依三式說法；弟子取相而聽——下句上句、義與意趣、譬——聽法本身就是一種業處。第三品到此收：先認得自己，再挑對藥。
The forty meditation subjects unfold into a single table: ten kasiṇas, ten kinds of foulness, ten recollections, four divine abodes, four immaterial states, one perception, and one defining. Beneath the table are ten questions: number; whether a subject brings access or absorption; which jhāna it reaches; whether it can be transcended upward; whether it should be extended; what its object is; in which realm it can be cultivated; whether it is first taken through eye, body, or ear; where accomplishment leads; and which temperament it suits. Every meditation subject must pass through these ten questions—the opening of every subject from Chapter 4 onward is a filling of this template.
The mode of extension is utterly sober: only the ten kasiṇas are worth extending, because they yield the basis for supernormal knowledges. Extending foulness merely means more corpses, extending breathing merely means more air, and extending a divine abode merely means more people—extension without benefit is unnecessary fabrication. The mode of temperament is the other half of the diagnostic table in the previous unit: the greed-tempered principally cultivate foulness and mindfulness of the body; the aversion-tempered cultivate the divine abodes and color kasiṇas; the delusion-tempered and discursive-thought-tempered cultivate only mindfulness of breathing; the faith-tempered cultivate the six recollections; and the discerning cultivate mindfulness of death, recollection of peace, defining of the four elements, and perception of repulsiveness in food. The author immediately limits his own statement: this concerns direct opposition and extreme suitability, not an exclusive prescription—the surface of the words should not be grasped; their intention should be sought everywhere.
Before taking up a meditation subject, entrust yourself: relinquish yourself to the Buddha and to the teacher. Once a cloth has been given away, seeing it cut into pieces no longer hurts; once the body has been handed over, a fearful sign no longer frightens. The six inclinations establish the mind’s direction—non-greed, non-aversion, non-delusion, renunciation, seclusion, and escape; the two resolutions gather that direction into two words: concentration and nibbāna. The teacher uses four questions to know a person’s temperament and three ways to teach; the pupil takes note while listening—lower phrase, upper phrase, meaning, intention, and simile. Listening to the Dhamma is itself a meditation subject. Chapter 3 closes here: first recognize yourself, then choose the right medicine.
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 十門之總標與前四門 〔CSCD §47〕
所以，前面所說的「在四十業處中受取其中一個業處¹」——這裡，先應當依這十種行相而了知業處的決擇：依數之開示、依引近行與引安止²、依禪之分、依超越、依增大與不增大、依所緣、依地、依取、依緣、依順於性行。
其中，「依數之開示」：因為說了「在四十業處中」，而這四十業處就是——十遍³、十不淨、十隨念、四梵住、四無色、一想、一差別。
其中，地遍、水遍、火遍、風遍、青遍、黃遍、赤遍、白遍、光明遍、限定虛空遍——這是十遍。
膨脹（uddhumātaka）、青瘀（vinīlaka）、膿爛（vipubbaka）、斷壞（vicchiddaka）、食殘（vikkhāyitaka）、散擲（vikkhittaka）、斬斫散擲（hatavikkhittaka）、血塗（lohitaka）、蟲聚（puḷuvaka）、骨（aṭṭhika）——這是十不淨。
佛隨念、法隨念、僧隨念、戒隨念、捨隨念、天隨念、死隨念、身至念、入出息念、寂止隨念——這是十隨念。
慈、悲、喜、捨——這是四梵住。
空無邊處、識無邊處、無所有處、非想非非想處——這是四無色。食厭想是一想。四界分別是一差別。這樣，應當依數之開示而了知決擇。
「依引近行與引安止」：除去身至念與入出息念，其餘八隨念，加上食厭想與四界分別——這裡唯有這十種業處是引近行的；其餘的則是引安止的。這樣是依引近行與引安止。
「依禪之分」：這裡，在引安止的諸業處中，十遍連同入出息念是四禪者；十不淨連同身至念是初禪者；前三梵住是三禪者；第四梵住與四無色是第四禪者。這樣是依禪之分。
「依超越」：超越有二——支超越與所緣超越。其中，在一切三禪者與四禪者的業處中都有支超越，因為要超越尋、伺等禪支，而在同樣的那些所緣上證得第二禪等等。第四梵住也是這樣：它也要在慈等同樣的所緣上超越悅而後證得。至於在四無色中則是所緣超越：因為要超越前九遍中的任何一遍而證得空無邊處，又要超越虛空等等而證得識無邊處等等。其餘的業處則沒有超越。這樣是依超越。
§2 增大與不增大一門 〔CSCD §47〕
「依增大與不增大」：在這四十業處中，唯有十遍是應當增大的。因為以遍所遍滿的範圍有多大，在那範圍之內，他就能以天耳界聽聲、以天眼見色、以心了知其他有情的心。至於身至念與諸不淨則不應當增大。為什麼呢？因為它們為處所所限，也因為沒有利益。它們之為處所所限，在〔各自的〕修習法中將自顯明。而增大它們，也只是死屍之聚增大而已，並沒有任何利益。在蘇婆迦（Sopāka）問之解答中也這樣說了：「世尊啊，色想是明了的，骨想是不明了的。」因為那裡是就增大其相而說色想為明了，就不增大而說骨想為不明了。
至於所說的「他唯以骨想遍滿了這大地」這一句，那是就已得〔骨想〕者的現起之相而說的。正如在法阿育王（Dhammāsoka）的時代，迦陵頻伽鳥（karavīka）在四面的鏡壁上見到自己的影子，就於一切方都作同類之想而發出甜美的聲音；同樣，那位長老由於已得骨想，見到一切方都現起其相，就想道：「這整片大地都充滿了骨。」
〔問：〕若是這樣，那麼所說的不淨諸禪以無量為所緣一語，豈不相違？——它並不相違。因為有人是在大的膨脹〔屍〕或大的骨上取相，有人則是在小的上面取；依這個道理，有人的禪是小所緣的，有人的則是無量所緣的。又或者，有人不見增大的過患而增大它，就是就他而說「無量所緣」的。不過，由於沒有利益，還是不應當增大。
正如這些不應當增大，其餘的也同樣不應當增大。為什麼呢？因為其中，先說入出息之相：增大它，也只是風之聚增大而已，而且它為處所所限；這樣，由於有過患，也由於為處所所限，所以不應當增大。諸梵住以有情為所緣，增大它們的相，也只是有情之聚增大而已，而那並沒有什麼用處，所以那也不應當增大。至於所說的「以與慈俱的心遍滿一方而住」等等，那是就遍取而說的：因為以一住處、二住處等等的次第，遍取一方的有情而修習的人，才被說為「遍滿一方」，並不是在增大其相。而且這裡根本沒有似相⁴，也就沒有他所能增大的；這裡的小所緣性與無量所緣性，也應當唯依遍取而了知。在諸無色的所緣中也是這樣：虛空唯是除遍〔而現〕者，因為它應當唯依遍之除去而作意，此外即使增大它也一無所得。識則因為是自性法⁵——自性法是不可能增大的。識之離去，則因為它只是識之無而已。非想非非想處的所緣，也正因為是自性法而不應當增大。其餘的則由於無相〔而不應當增大〕，因為所謂應當增大的，是似相；而佛隨念等等的所緣並不是似相，所以那不應當增大。這樣是依增大與不增大。
§3 所緣・地・取・緣四門 〔CSCD §47〕
「依所緣」：在這四十業處中，十遍、十不淨、入出息念、身至念——這二十二種是以似相為所緣的；其餘的則不以似相為所緣。同樣，在十隨念中除去入出息念與身至念，其餘八隨念，加上食厭想、四界分別、識無邊處、非想非非想處——這十二種是以自性法為所緣的。十遍、十不淨、入出息念、身至念——這二十二種是以相為所緣的；其餘六種則是以不可說者為所緣的。同樣，膿爛、血塗、蟲聚、入出息念、水遍、火遍、風遍，以及光明遍中以日等的光輪為所緣者——這八種是以動搖者為所緣的，而那也只是在前分⁶，至於似相則是止靜的。其餘的則不以動搖者為所緣。這樣是依所緣。
「依地」：這裡，十不淨、身至念、食厭想——這十二種不行於諸天之中。那十二種加上入出息念——這十三種不行於梵世之中。至於在無色有中，除四無色之外，別的都不行。在人中則一切都行。這樣是依地。
「依取」：這裡應當依見取、觸取、聞取而了知決擇。其中，除風遍之外的其餘九遍，加上十不淨——這十九種應當以見而取；意思是：在前分應當以眼觀看而取它們的相。在身至念中，皮五法⁷以見〔而取〕，其餘的以聞〔而取〕——這樣，它的所緣應當以見與聞而取。入出息念應當以觸而取，風遍應當以見與觸而取，其餘十八種應當以聞而取。而這裡，捨梵住與四無色——這些不是初學者所應當取的；其餘三十五種則是可取的。這樣是依取。
「依緣」：在這些業處中，除虛空遍之外的其餘九遍是諸無色的緣，十遍是諸神通的緣，三梵住是第四梵住的緣，下下的無色是上上〔無色〕的緣，非想非非想處是滅盡定的緣，而一切〔業處〕都是樂住、觀與有之成就的緣。這樣是依緣。
§4 順於性行一門 〔CSCD §47〕
「依順於性行」：這裡應當依對諸性行的順適而了知決擇。就是說：先說貪行者，這裡十不淨與身至念這十一種業處是順適的。瞋行者則是四梵住與四色遍這八種。癡行者與尋行者，唯是入出息念這一種業處。信行者是前六隨念。覺行者是死隨念、寂止隨念、四界分別、食厭想這四種。其餘諸遍與四無色，對一切行者都是順適的。而在諸遍之中，任何小的〔遍〕適於尋行者，無量的適於癡行者。
這樣，這裡應當依順於性行而了知決擇。而這一切都是就正相違與極相宜而說的；至於所謂不能鎮伏貪等、或無所助於信等的善修習，那是沒有的。在彌醯經中也這樣說了——
「應當更修習四法：應當修習不淨以斷貪，應當修習慈以斷瞋恚，應當修習入出息念以斷尋，應當修習無常想以拔除我慢。」
在羅睺羅經中也以「羅睺羅，你要修習慈的修習」等等的方式，對一個人說了七種業處。所以，不應當只執取言語的表面，而應當在一切處尋求它的意趣。以上就是「受取業處」這裡關於業處之論的決擇。
§5 「取」之釋——自付於佛與於師 〔CSCD §48〕
至於「受取」這一語，它的義釋是這樣。就依「那位瑜伽者應當親近授業處的善友」這裡所說的方法，親近前面所說的那種善友，把自己自付⁸於佛世尊或於阿闍梨，成為意樂⁹具足者與勝解具足者，然後應當乞求業處。
其中，應當這樣把自己自付於佛世尊：「世尊，我把這個自體捨與您。」因為不這樣自付而住在邊遠坐臥處的人，當可怖的所緣現前時不能自持，就會退回村邊，與在家人相雜，陷於不當之求，而遭到災禍。至於已自付其身的人，即使可怖的所緣現前，也不生怖畏；當他省察「賢者，你不是早就把自己自付於諸佛了嗎」，反而唯生起悅。譬如有人有一件上等的迦尸（Kāsi）衣，若它被鼠或蟲咬了，他就會生起憂；但若他把它施與沒有衣的比丘，那麼即使見到那比丘把它裁成一片一片，他也唯生起悅。這件事應當這樣來看。
自付於阿闍梨的人，也應當說：「尊者，我把這個自體捨與您。」因為不這樣自付其身的人，或者成為不可誡責者，或者難教而不受教誡，或者成為隨意而行者——不告白阿闍梨就往自己想去的地方去；這樣的人，阿闍梨不以財也不以法攝受他，也不教他深密的典籍。他得不到這兩種攝受，就在教法中得不到立足之處，不久就墮於破戒或還俗。至於已自付其身的人，既不成為不可誡責者，也不成為隨意而行者，而是善受教誡、一切行止都依於阿闍梨的；他從阿闍梨那裡得到這兩種攝受，就在教法中得到增長、廣大與圓滿，就像小乞食帝須長老的近住弟子們那樣。
據說有三位比丘來到那位長老那裡。其中一位說：「尊者，只要對我說一句『為了您』，我就能投身於百人深的斷崖。」第二位說：「尊者，只要對我說一句『為了您』，我就能把這個自體從腳跟起在石面上磨盡而無餘。」第三位說：「尊者，只要對我說一句『為了您』，我就能止息出入息而命終。」長老想「這些比丘是堪能的」，就為他們說了業處；他們住立於他的教誡，三人都證得了阿羅漢果。這就是自付其身的利益。所以說「把自己自付於佛世尊或於阿闍梨」。
§6 六意樂與二勝解 〔CSCD §49〕
至於「成為意樂具足者與勝解具足者」這裡：那位瑜伽者應當依無貪等而以六種行相成為意樂具足者。因為這樣意樂具足的人，能證得三種菩提中的一種。如說：「六種意樂能使諸菩薩的菩提成熟：諸菩薩以無貪為意樂而於貪見過，以無瞋為意樂而於瞋見過，以無癡為意樂而於癡見過，以出離為意樂而於在家見過，以遠離為意樂而於眾會見過，以出要為意樂而於一切有趣見過。」因為凡是過去、未來、現在的入流者、一來者、不還者、漏盡者、獨覺與正等覺者，他們全都是以這六種行相而各自證得了各自所應證的殊勝。所以應當以這六種行相成為意樂具足者。而由於勝解於彼，也應當成為勝解具足者；意思是：應當勝解於定、尊重定、趣向定，並且勝解於涅槃、尊重涅槃、趣向涅槃。
§7 師之知性行、說之三式、取相而聞，並品末 〔CSCD §50〕
這樣意樂與勝解具足的人乞求業處時，得他心智的阿闍梨應當觀察他心的行相而了知他的性行。其餘的〔阿闍梨〕則應當以這樣等等的方式問而了知：你是什麼行者？哪些法在你身上多現行？你作意什麼時覺得安適？你的心傾向於哪一種業處？這樣了知之後，應當為他說順於他性行的業處。
而說的時候，應當以三種方式來說：對本來已經學取業處的人，令他誦習一兩座之後就給與；對住在近處的人，每次來時就說；對學取之後想往他處去的人，應當不太略、不太廣地說。
其中，先說地遍：說的人應當說這九相——四遍過、遍之作、已作者的修習法、二種相、二種定、七種隨順與不隨順、十種安止善巧、精進之平等、安止之法。在其餘的業處中，也應當各隨其所宜而說。這一切在它們的修習法中將自顯明。
而在這樣說業處的時候，那位瑜伽者應當取相而聽。「取相」，就是這樣一一繫住那各各的行相：這是下句，這是上句，這是它的義，這是它的意趣，這是它的譬。因為這樣取相而恭敬聽的人，業處才善受取；於是他依於那業處而成就勝之證得，別的人則不然。以上就是「受取」這一語的義釋。
到此為止，「親近善友，在四十業處中受取順於自己性行的其中一個業處」這些語句，就已經全部詳說完畢。
如是，於為令善人歡喜而造的《清淨道論》中，
於定之修習之章，
名為〈取業處釋〉的第三品。
註
¹ 業處（kammaṭṭhāna）：修定所取之所緣與其修法之總名；本品前四篇論受取之前行，本篇乃出其四十之數與受取之法。
² 引近行／引安止（upacāravaha／appanāvaha）：依業處所能引致之定而分——止於近行定者為引近行，能入安止定者為引安止；近行定與安止定之別在本品〈定之八問與分類〉一篇。
³ 遍（kasiṇa）：取地水火風與青黃赤白等一色一相而令其遍滿之修法；其作法與修習不在本品，本篇唯出其名與其判。
⁴ 似相（paṭibhāga-nimitta）：所取之相修習純熟而現起之清淨心相，別於初以眼等所取之取相；其生起與修習不在本品。
⁵ 自性法（sabhāvadhamma）：有其自身之性而非由修習所現之相者，如識；本篇以其不可增大而別於似相。
⁶ 前分（pubbabhāga）：一修法之初階，別於相已成就之後分。
⁷ 皮五法（tacapañcaka）：身至念所觀三十二身分之最初五分——髮、毛、爪、齒、皮；身至念之詳不在本品。
⁸ 自付（attaniyyātana）：以言辭將自身捨與佛或阿闍梨之法；本篇並陳不自付之過與自付之德。
⁹ 意樂（ajjhāsaya）：心之所向與所安住者；本篇以無貪、無瞋、無癡、出離、遠離、出要六者為其相。
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 General Statement of the Ten Modes and the First Four Modes 〔CSCD §47〕
Thus, regarding what was said above—“take up one among the forty meditation subjects”¹—the discrimination of meditation subjects should first be understood here according to these ten modes: according to numerical exposition, according to whether they bring access or absorption,² according to the division of jhāna, according to transcendence, according to extension or non-extension, according to object, according to plane, according to taking, according to condition, and according to suitability for temperament.
Here, “according to numerical exposition”: because “among the forty meditation subjects” was said, and these forty meditation subjects are the ten kasiṇas, ten kinds of foulness, ten recollections, four divine abodes, four immaterial states, one perception, and one defining.
The earth kasiṇa, water kasiṇa, fire kasiṇa, air kasiṇa, blue kasiṇa, yellow kasiṇa, red kasiṇa, white kasiṇa, light kasiṇa, and limited-space kasiṇa—these are the ten kasiṇas.
The bloated (uddhumātaka), the livid (vinīlaka), the festering (vipubbaka), the cut-up (vicchiddaka), the gnawed (vikkhāyitaka), the scattered (vikkhittaka), the hacked-and-scattered (hatavikkhittaka), the blood-smeared (lohitaka), the worm-infested (puḷuvaka), and the skeleton (aṭṭhika)—these are the ten kinds of foulness.
Recollection of the Buddha, recollection of the Dhamma, recollection of the Saṅgha, recollection of virtue, recollection of generosity, recollection of deities, mindfulness of death, mindfulness of the body, mindfulness of breathing, and recollection of peace—these are the ten recollections.
Loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity—these are the four divine abodes.
The base of infinite space, the base of infinite consciousness, the base of nothingness, and the base of neither perception nor non-perception—these are the four immaterial states. Perception of repulsiveness in food is the single perception. Defining of the four elements is the single defining. In this way, discrimination should be understood according to numerical exposition.
“According to whether they bring access or absorption”: apart from mindfulness of the body and mindfulness of breathing, the remaining eight recollections, together with perception of repulsiveness in food and defining of the four elements—only these ten meditation subjects bring access here; the rest bring absorption. This is according to whether they bring access or absorption.
“According to the division of jhāna”: here, among the meditation subjects that bring absorption, the ten kasiṇas together with mindfulness of breathing pertain to four jhānas; the ten kinds of foulness together with mindfulness of the body pertain to the first jhāna; the first three divine abodes pertain to three jhānas; and the fourth divine abode together with the four immaterial states pertains to the fourth jhāna. This is according to the division of jhāna.
“According to transcendence”: transcendence is twofold—transcendence of factors and transcendence of the object. In all meditation subjects that pertain to three or four jhānas, there is transcendence of factors, because second jhāna and so forth are attained on those same objects by transcending the jhāna factors of applied thought, sustained thought, and so forth. The fourth divine abode is the same: it too is attained on the same objects as loving-kindness and the rest after transcending gladness. In the four immaterial states, however, there is transcendence of the object, because the base of infinite space is attained by transcending any of the first nine kasiṇas, and the base of infinite consciousness and the rest are attained by transcending space and so forth. The remaining meditation subjects have no transcendence. This is according to transcendence.
§2 The Mode of Extension and Non-extension 〔CSCD §47〕
“According to extension and non-extension”: among these forty meditation subjects, only the ten kasiṇas should be extended. For as far as the kasiṇa is made to pervade, within that range the practitioner can hear sounds with the divine-ear element, see visible forms with the divine eye, and know the minds of other beings with the mind. Mindfulness of the body and the kinds of foulness, however, should not be extended. Why? Because they are confined to a location and because there is no benefit. How they are confined to a location will become clear in their respective methods of cultivation. Extending them merely extends a mass of corpses, without any benefit. In the answer to Sopāka’s question it was likewise said: “Blessed One, perception of visible form is clear; perception of skeletons is unclear.” For there perception of visible form is called clear because its sign is extended, while perception of skeletons is called unclear because it is not extended.
As for the statement, “He pervaded this great earth with nothing but perception of skeletons,” that is said with reference to the manifestation of the sign in a practitioner who has acquired [perception of skeletons]. Just as in the time of Dhammāsoka the karavīka bird saw its own reflection in mirrored walls on four sides, conceived that birds of its own kind were in every direction, and uttered a sweet call, so too that elder, having acquired perception of skeletons, saw the sign manifest in every direction and thought, “This whole great earth is filled with skeletons.”
[Question:] If that is so, does it not conflict with the statement that the jhānas of foulness have a measureless object?—It does not conflict. Some practitioners take up the sign on a large bloated [corpse] or large skeleton, while others take it up on a small specimen. On this account, some practitioners’ jhāna has a limited object and others’ has a measureless object. Alternatively, the statement “has a measureless object” refers to a practitioner who, without seeing the danger in extension, extends it. Nevertheless, because there is no benefit, it should not be extended.
Just as these should not be extended, so the rest should not be extended either. Why? First, regarding the sign of breathing: extending it merely extends a mass of air, and it is also confined to a location; thus, because it has a danger and is confined to a location, it should not be extended. The divine abodes take beings as their object; extending their sign merely extends a mass of beings, which serves no purpose, and therefore that too should not be extended. As for such statements as “dwells pervading one direction with a mind accompanied by loving-kindness,” they are said with reference to comprehensive taking: a practitioner who cultivates by comprehensively taking the beings in one dwelling place, then two dwelling places, and so forth, in sequence is said to “pervade one direction”; the sign is not being extended. Moreover, there is no counterpart sign⁴ here at all, and consequently nothing that could be extended; having a limited object or a measureless object should likewise be understood here solely according to comprehensive taking. The same applies to the objects of the immaterial states: space is merely what appears when the kasiṇa is removed, for attention should be given to it only by removing the kasiṇa, and extending it further yields nothing. Consciousness, meanwhile, is an intrinsic state⁵, and an intrinsic state cannot be extended. The disappearance of consciousness is merely the absence of consciousness. The object of the base of neither perception nor non-perception likewise should not be extended precisely because it is an intrinsic state. The remaining subjects should not be extended because they are signless: what is to be extended is a counterpart sign, but the objects of recollection of the Buddha and the rest are not counterpart signs, and therefore they should not be extended. This is according to extension and non-extension.
§3 The Four Modes of Object, Plane, Taking, and Condition 〔CSCD §47〕
“According to object”: among these forty meditation subjects, the ten kasiṇas, ten kinds of foulness, mindfulness of breathing, and mindfulness of the body—these twenty-two have a counterpart sign as their object; the rest do not have a counterpart sign as their object. Likewise, of the ten recollections, the eight apart from mindfulness of breathing and mindfulness of the body, together with perception of repulsiveness in food, defining of the four elements, the base of infinite consciousness, and the base of neither perception nor non-perception—these twelve have an intrinsic state as their object. The ten kasiṇas, ten kinds of foulness, mindfulness of breathing, and mindfulness of the body—these twenty-two have a sign as their object; the other six have an object that cannot be stated. Likewise, the festering, the blood-smeared, the worm-infested, mindfulness of breathing, the water, fire, and air kasiṇas, and those light kasiṇas whose object is the disk of sunlight and so forth—these eight have a moving object, and that only in the former part;⁶ the counterpart sign, however, is still. The rest do not have a moving object. This is according to object.
“According to plane”: here the ten kinds of foulness, mindfulness of the body, and perception of repulsiveness in food—these twelve do not occur among deities. Those twelve together with mindfulness of breathing—these thirteen do not occur in the Brahmā world. In immaterial existence, nothing apart from the four immaterial states occurs. Among humans, all occur. This is according to plane.
“According to taking”: discrimination should here be understood according to taking by seeing, taking by touch, and taking by hearing. Of these, the nine kasiṇas apart from the air kasiṇa, together with the ten kinds of foulness—these nineteen should be taken by seeing; that is, in the former part their signs should be taken by looking with the eye. In mindfulness of the body, the skin pentad⁷ is taken by seeing and the rest by hearing; thus its object should be taken by seeing and hearing. Mindfulness of breathing should be taken by touch, the air kasiṇa should be taken by seeing and touch, and the remaining eighteen should be taken by hearing. Here, the divine abode of equanimity and the four immaterial states are not to be taken by beginners; the remaining thirty-five may be taken. This is according to taking.
“According to condition”: among these meditation subjects, the nine kasiṇas apart from the space kasiṇa are conditions for the immaterial states; the ten kasiṇas are conditions for the supernormal knowledges; the three divine abodes are conditions for the fourth divine abode; each lower immaterial state is a condition for the next higher state; the base of neither perception nor non-perception is a condition for the attainment of cessation; and all [meditation subjects] are conditions for pleasant abiding, insight, and the accomplishment of existence. This is according to condition.
§4 The Mode of Suitability for Temperament 〔CSCD §47〕
“According to suitability for temperament”: discrimination should here be understood according to what is suitable for the temperaments. First, for a greed-tempered person, the ten kinds of foulness and mindfulness of the body—these eleven meditation subjects are suitable. For an aversion-tempered person, the four divine abodes and four color kasiṇas—these eight are suitable. For a delusion-tempered or discursive-thought-tempered person, only the single meditation subject of mindfulness of breathing is suitable. For a faith-tempered person, the first six recollections are suitable. For a discerning person, mindfulness of death, recollection of peace, defining of the four elements, and perception of repulsiveness in food—these four are suitable. The remaining kasiṇas and the four immaterial states are suitable for people of every temperament. Among the kasiṇas, any limited kasiṇa is suitable for a discursive-thought-tempered person, and a measureless kasiṇa for a delusion-tempered person.
In this way, discrimination should here be understood according to suitability for temperament. All this is stated according to direct opposition and extreme suitability; there is no wholesome cultivation that is unable to suppress greed and the rest or that gives no support to faith and the rest. Thus it was also said in the Meghiya Sutta:
“Four qualities should be cultivated further: foulness should be cultivated for abandoning greed; loving-kindness should be cultivated for abandoning ill will; mindfulness of breathing should be cultivated for abandoning discursive thought; and perception of impermanence should be cultivated for uprooting the conceit ‘I am.’”
In the Rāhula Sutta too, seven meditation subjects were taught to a single person in such terms as, “Rāhula, cultivate the cultivation of loving-kindness.” Therefore, there should be no fixation on the surface of the words alone; their intention should be sought everywhere. This completes the discrimination concerning meditation subjects in the expression “take up a meditation subject.”
§5 Explanation of “Taking”—Entrusting Oneself to the Buddha and to the Teacher 〔CSCD §48〕
As for the expression “take up,” its meaning is explained as follows. Following the method stated in “that practitioner should approach a good friend who gives a meditation subject,” the practitioner should approach a good friend of the kind described above, entrust himself⁸ to the Buddha, the Blessed One, or to the teacher, become endowed with inclination⁹ and resolution, and then request a meditation subject.
Here the practitioner should entrust himself to the Buddha, the Blessed One, in this way: “Blessed One, I relinquish this personhood to you.” A practitioner who lives in a remote lodging without thus entrusting himself cannot hold firm when a fearful object appears; he retreats to the edge of a village, mingles with householders, falls into improper seeking, and meets with disaster. A practitioner who has entrusted himself, however, feels no fear even when a fearful object appears. Reflecting, “Wise one, did you not long ago entrust yourself to the Buddhas?” he instead experiences only gladness. Suppose a man has a fine Kāsi cloth: if mice or insects gnaw it, he becomes distressed; but if he gives it to a bhikkhu who has no robe, then even on seeing that bhikkhu cut it into pieces, he experiences only gladness. The matter should be understood in this way.
A practitioner entrusting himself to the teacher should likewise say, “Venerable sir, I relinquish this personhood to you.” A practitioner who has not thus entrusted himself either becomes impervious to rebuke, or is difficult to teach and does not accept instruction, or acts as he pleases—going wherever he wishes without informing the teacher. The teacher does not support such a practitioner with material things or with Dhamma and does not teach him profound texts. Without these two kinds of support, he finds no footing in the Dispensation and before long falls into immorality or returns to lay life. A practitioner who has entrusted himself, however, neither becomes impervious to rebuke nor acts as he pleases; he receives instruction well, and all his conduct depends on the teacher. Receiving both kinds of support from the teacher, he reaches growth, increase, and fulfillment in the Dispensation, like the resident pupils of Cūḷapiṇḍapātika Tissa Thera.
It is said that three bhikkhus came to that elder. The first said, “Venerable sir, if you say to me just once, ‘For your sake,’ I can throw myself from a precipice a hundred persons deep.” The second said, “Venerable sir, if you say to me just once, ‘For your sake,’ I can grind this personhood away on a rock, beginning at the heels, until nothing remains.” The third said, “Venerable sir, if you say to me just once, ‘For your sake,’ I can stop my in-breaths and out-breaths and die.” The elder thought, “These bhikkhus are capable,” and taught them meditation subjects. Standing firm in his instruction, all three attained arahant fruition. This is the benefit of entrusting oneself. Hence it was said, “after entrusting himself to the Buddha, the Blessed One, or to the teacher.”
§6 Six Inclinations and Two Resolutions 〔CSCD §49〕
As for “having become endowed with inclination and resolution”: the practitioner should become endowed with inclination in six modes, beginning with non-greed. A person endowed with inclination in this way can attain one of the three kinds of awakening. As it is said: “Six inclinations lead bodhisattas’ awakening to maturity: bodhisattas inclined to non-greed see danger in greed; inclined to non-aversion, they see danger in aversion; inclined to non-delusion, they see danger in delusion; inclined to renunciation, they see danger in the household life; inclined to seclusion, they see danger in company; inclined to escape, they see danger in every kind of existence and destination.” For all stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, destroyers of the influxes, paccekabuddhas, and Rightly and Fully Enlightened Ones of the past, future, and present attained their respective distinctions through these six modes. Therefore, the practitioner should become endowed with inclination in these six modes. And because he resolves upon that, he should also become endowed with resolution; that is, he should resolve upon concentration, esteem concentration, and incline toward concentration, and he should resolve upon nibbāna, esteem nibbāna, and incline toward nibbāna.
§7 How the Teacher Knows Temperament, the Three Ways of Teaching, Taking Note While Listening, and the Chapter’s End 〔CSCD §50〕
When a person thus endowed with inclination and resolution requests a meditation subject, a teacher who has mind-reading knowledge should observe the course of his mind and thereby know his temperament. Other [teachers] should inquire in such ways as these: What sort of temperament do you have? What states occur frequently in you? To what do you feel at ease attending? Toward which meditation subject does your mind incline? Having learned this, the teacher should teach him a meditation subject suitable for his temperament.
When teaching, the teacher should teach in three ways: to a person who has already studied a meditation subject, he should have it recited in one or two sittings and then give it; to a person living nearby, he should teach each time the person comes; and to a person who, after studying it, wishes to go elsewhere, he should teach neither too briefly nor too expansively.
Taking the earth kasiṇa first, the teacher should explain these nine aspects: the four defects of a kasiṇa, the making of a kasiṇa, the method of cultivating what has been made, the two signs, the two kinds of concentration, the seven kinds of suitability and unsuitability, tenfold absorption-skill, the balancing of energy, and the method of absorption. For the other meditation subjects, the teacher should likewise explain what is appropriate in each case. All this will become clear in their respective methods of cultivation.
While the meditation subject is being taught in this way, the practitioner should take note and listen. “Taking note” means fastening each individual aspect in this way: this is the lower phrase; this is the upper phrase; this is its meaning; this is its intention; this is its simile. Only when a practitioner takes note in this way and listens respectfully is the meditation subject well received. On that basis the practitioner then accomplishes a distinguished attainment; others do not. This completes the explanation of the expression “take up.”
At this point, the words “approach a good friend and take up one among the forty meditation subjects that accords with the practitioner’s own temperament” have been fully explained in every respect.
Thus, in the Visuddhimagga, composed to bring joy to good people,
in the division on the cultivation of concentration,
the third chapter, entitled “The Exposition of Taking Up a Meditation Subject.”
Notes
¹ Meditation subject (kammaṭṭhāna): the general term for the object taken up in cultivating concentration and the method of its cultivation. The first four sections of this chapter discuss the preparations before taking such a subject up; the present section gives their number as forty and explains how they are taken up.
² Bringing access / bringing absorption (upacāravaha／appanāvaha): a distinction based on the concentration a meditation subject can bring about—a subject that goes only as far as access concentration brings access; a subject that can enter absorption concentration brings absorption. The distinction between access concentration and absorption concentration appears in this chapter’s section “The Eight Questions and Classification of Concentration.”
³ Kasiṇa (kasiṇa): a cultivation practice that takes one color or appearance—earth, water, fire, air, blue, yellow, red, white, and the like—and makes it pervade. Its preparation and cultivation are not treated in this chapter; the present section gives only its names and classifications.
⁴ Counterpart sign (paṭibhāga-nimitta): a pure mental sign that arises when the learning sign first taken by the eye or another faculty has become mature through cultivation. Its arising and cultivation are not treated in this chapter.
⁵ Intrinsic state (sabhāvadhamma): something that has its own nature and is not a sign produced through cultivation, such as consciousness. The present section distinguishes it from a counterpart sign on the ground that it cannot be extended.
⁶ Former part (pubbabhāga): the initial stage of a cultivation practice, distinct from the later stage after the sign has been accomplished.
⁷ Skin pentad (tacapañcaka): the first five among the thirty-two body parts contemplated in mindfulness of the body—head-hairs, body-hairs, nails, teeth, and skin. The details of mindfulness of the body are not treated in this chapter.
⁸ Entrusting oneself (attaniyyātana): the practice of verbally relinquishing oneself to the Buddha or to the teacher. The present section gives both the fault of not entrusting oneself and the benefit of doing so.
⁹ Inclination (ajjhāsaya): what the mind tends toward and rests upon. The present section describes its six forms as non-greed, non-aversion, non-delusion, renunciation, seclusion, and escape.
四十不是四十件要學的事，是同一個結構的四十次填空
大局 — 把整個定段攤成一張表
定段的十一品，全圍著一張著名的清單轉：四十業處（kammaṭṭhāna，字面是「心工作的地方」），修行者從中挑一項主修。這張表（十遍・十不淨・十隨念・四梵住・四無色・一想・一差別＝40）的全列，見白話 §1；它本身就是讓中段顯得「百科全書」的原因——但底層其實很簡單。要帶走的不是清單，是清單下面那個統一的提問模板。論主在本單元以十門決擇四十業處（白話 §1–§4）：數之開示、引近行與引安止、禪之分、超越、增大與不增大、所緣、地、取、緣、順於性行——每一個業處都要過這十道問。這套提問模板貫穿第 4 到 11 品，是中段不致鬆散、而成系統的關鍵——也是為什麼本義疏選第 4 品（地遍）作第一個範本：讀通一個業處的提問結構，其餘的就能類推。四十不是四十件要學的事，是同一個結構的四十次填空。本單元後半（白話 §5–§7）則回到「受取」二字：把自己自付於佛與於師、六意樂與二勝解、師如何知性行而說、弟子如何取相而聽——這是本品之收，也是全品「先認得自己、再挑對藥」這一課的收束。〔所見〕
§01 十門之總標與前四門 → 白話 §1
「在四十業處中受取其中一個業處」（白話 §1）——先依十種行相了知業處的決擇。依數之開示：四十＝十遍（地水火風・青黃赤白・光明・限定虛空）・十不淨（膨脹・青瘀・膿爛・斷壞・食殘・散擲・斬斫散擲・血塗・蟲聚・骨）・十隨念（佛法僧戒捨天・死・身至・入出息・寂止）・四梵住（慈悲喜捨）・四無色（空無邊處・識無邊處・無所有處・非想非非想處）・一想（食厭想）・一差別（四界分別）。依引近行與引安止：除身至念與入出息念之餘八隨念，加食厭想與四界分別——這十種唯引近行，餘皆引安止。依禪之分：引安止者中，十遍連同入出息念是四禪者；十不淨連同身至念是初禪者；前三梵住是三禪者；第四梵住與四無色是第四禪者。依超越：超越有二——支超越（三禪者・四禪者之業處，於同一所緣上超越尋伺等而證上禪；第四梵住亦於慈等同一所緣上超越悅）與所緣超越（四無色：超越前九遍之一而證空無邊處，超越虛空等而證識無邊處等）；餘業處無超越。〔讀法〕十門的頭一門「數」看似最平，其實它是後九門的座標——後九門都是拿這四十個座標各自分類一次：哪些只到近行、哪些能到第幾禪、哪些能往上超越。讀者不必背；只要記得「每一業處都可以被這十個問題定位」，第 4 品以下每一業處的開頭就都讀得懂。
§02 增大與不增大一門 → 白話 §2
「依增大與不增大」（白話 §2）：四十之中，唯十遍應當增大——遍所遍滿之範圍有多大，在其內即能以天耳聽聲、以天眼見色、以心知他心。身至念與諸不淨不應增大：為處所所限，且無利益——增大之，也只是死屍之聚增大而已。論主引蘇婆迦問之答「色想明了、骨想不明了」，正是就相之增大與不增大而說；「他唯以骨想遍滿了這大地」一句，則是就已得者現起之相而說——如法阿育王時的迦陵頻伽鳥，於四面鏡壁見己影而作一切方同類之想。〔讀法〕不淨諸禪何以又說「無量所緣」？——有人於大屍取相、有人於小屍取相；或有人不見過患而增大之；並不相違，然無利益故仍不應增大。入出息之相增大唯是風之聚增大；諸梵住以有情為所緣，增大其相唯是有情之聚增大，「以與慈俱的心遍滿一方而住」是就遍取（依一住處二住處之次第遍取一方之有情）而說，非增大其相——這裡根本沒有似相，也就無所可增；諸無色之所緣或是除遍之虛空、或是自性法之識、或是識之無、或是自性法之非想非非想處，皆不應增大；其餘無相故不應增大——所謂應當增大者，是似相。〔讀法〕這一門其實在回答一個修行者很容易起的貪：「相能不能弄大一點？」論主的答案冷靜到底：只有遍相值得增大，因為它換得神通之基；其他一切，大了也只是屍多一點、風多一點、人多一點——沒有利益的增大，就是不必要的造作。這一句放到今天讀，是對「越大越好」那種修行想像的一盆冷水。
§03 所緣・地・取・緣四門 → 白話 §3
「依所緣」（白話 §3）：十遍・十不淨・入出息念・身至念——二十二種以似相為所緣；八隨念（除入出息與身至）加食厭想・四界分別・識無邊處・非想非非想處——十二種以自性法為所緣；同二十二種以相為所緣，餘六種以不可說者為所緣；膿爛・血塗・蟲聚・入出息念・水火風三遍・光明遍之日輪等——八種以動搖者為所緣，然唯在前分，似相則止靜。依地：十不淨・身至念・食厭想——十二種不行於諸天；加入出息念——十三種不行於梵世；無色有中唯四無色行；人中一切皆行。依取：見取・觸取・聞取——除風遍之九遍加十不淨十九種以見而取（前分以眼觀看而取相）；身至念之皮五法以見、餘以聞；入出息念以觸；風遍以見與觸；餘十八種以聞；捨梵住與四無色非初學者所應取，餘三十五種可取。依緣：除虛空遍之九遍是諸無色之緣，十遍是諸神通之緣，三梵住是第四梵住之緣，下下無色是上上無色之緣，非想非非想處是滅盡定之緣，而一切業處都是樂住・觀・有之成就之緣。〔讀法〕四門合起來像一張使用說明的規格欄：所緣（它對著什麼）、地（在哪一界修得起來）、取（用眼、用身、還是用耳先把它取到手）、緣（修成了能通向哪裡）。「捨梵住與四無色不是初學者所應當取的」一句值得記下——這張表不只分類，還替初學者劃了起手的界。
§04 順於性行一門 → 白話 §4
「依順於性行」（白話 §4）：貪行者——十不淨與身至念十一種；瞋行者——四梵住與四色遍八種；癡行者與尋行者——唯入出息念一種；信行者——前六隨念；覺行者——死隨念・寂止隨念・四界分別・食厭想四種；餘遍與四無色對一切行者皆順適；諸遍中，小的適於尋行者，無量的適於癡行者。論主隨即自限：這一切是就正相違與極相宜而說——不能鎮伏貪等、無所助於信等的善修習，是沒有的。引彌醯經「修不淨斷貪、修慈斷瞋、修入出息念斷尋、修無常想拔我慢」，引羅睺羅經對一人說七種業處——所以「不應當只執取言語的表面，而應當在一切處尋求它的意趣」。〔讀法〕這一門是 03-04 那張診斷表的另一半：那裡認人，這裡配藥。而論主自己在藥單末尾加的那句「不應執取言語表面」，是整品最該被讀者聽見的一句話——配對是原則性的順逆，不是排他的處方：貪行者主修不淨，不等於他不能修慈；六性行是幫你起手，不是把你釘死。
§05 「取」之釋——自付於佛與於師 → 白話 §5
「受取」之義釋（白話 §5）：親近授業處之善友（其相見 03-03），把自己自付於佛世尊或於阿闍梨，成為意樂具足者與勝解具足者，然後乞求業處。自付於佛：「世尊，我把這個自體捨與您」——不自付而住邊遠坐臥處者，可怖所緣現前時不能自持，退回村邊、與在家人相雜、陷於不當之求而遭災禍；已自付者可怖所緣現前不生怖畏，省察「你不是早就把自己自付於諸佛了嗎」反生悅——如上等迦尸衣被鼠蟲咬則憂，施與無衣比丘則見其裁片亦悅。自付於師：「尊者，我把這個自體捨與您」——不自付者成不可誡責者、難教者、隨意而行者，阿闍梨不以財法攝受、不教深密典籍，不久墮破戒或還俗；已自付者善受教誡、行止依師，得二種攝受而在教法中增長廣大圓滿——如小乞食帝須長老之三近住弟子：一言「為了您」即能投百人深崖、能磨盡自體、能止息出入息而命終；長老知其堪能而說業處，三人皆證阿羅漢果。〔讀法〕「自付」二字現代讀者容易讀成順從。論主舉的比喻其實在說另一件事：你把一件東西交出去之後，它就再也不能拿來威脅你——衣服送了人，被裁成片也不再痛；身體交了出去，可怖之相現前也不再怕。自付不是放棄自己，是把「這是我的」那個抓取先放下——這一步，本身就是修定之前的一小步破執。〔所見〕
§06 六意樂與二勝解 → 白話 §6
「意樂具足者與勝解具足者」（白話 §6）：依無貪等六種行相成為意樂具足者——以無貪為意樂而於貪見過、以無瞋為意樂而於瞋見過、以無癡為意樂而於癡見過、以出離為意樂而於在家見過、以遠離為意樂而於眾會見過、以出要為意樂而於一切有趣見過；如是者能證三種菩提之一——過去未來現在之入流者・一來者・不還者・漏盡者・獨覺與正等覺者，全都以此六行相各證其所應證。二勝解：勝解於定、尊重定、趣向定；勝解於涅槃、尊重涅槃、趣向涅槃。〔讀法〕六意樂每一條都是「以此為意樂而於彼見過」——先立正面的向，再從那個向回頭看見反面的過。它不是六條戒，是六個心的朝向；而二勝解把朝向收成兩個字：定，與涅槃。乞求業處之前，論主要求的不是資格，是方向。
§07 師之知性行、說之三式、取相而聞，並品末 → 白話 §7
得他心智之阿闍梨觀察其心之行相而知其性行；餘則以問而知——你是什麼行者？哪些法在你身上多現行？作意什麼時覺得安適？心傾向於哪一種業處？知已，說順於其性行之業處（白話 §7）。說之三式：對已學取業處者令誦習一兩座即給與；對住近處者每次來時就說；對學取後欲往他處者不太略不太廣地說。以地遍為例，說者當說九相——四遍過・遍之作・已作者之修習法・二種相・二種定・七種隨順與不隨順・十種安止善巧・精進之平等・安止之法（其詳在第 4 品）。取相而聽：一一繫住各各行相——這是下句、這是上句、這是它的義、這是它的意趣、這是它的譬；如是恭敬聽者，業處才善受取，依之成就勝之證得。至此「親近善友，在四十業處中受取順於自己性行的其中一個業處」全部詳說完畢；品末結頌：於為令善人歡喜而造的《清淨道論》中，於定之修習之章，名為〈取業處釋〉的第三品。〔讀法〕品末這四個問題（你是什麼行者・哪些法多現行・作意什麼安適・心向哪一業處）就是 03-04 整篇診斷法的口訣版；而「取相而聽」五項，是把「聽法」這件事本身當成一種業處來修——聽的人不是被動的容器。
給一般讀者 — 怎麼用這張地圖
這一品不是拿來「修」的，是拿來定位的。給一般讀者三條實用建議：
- 你不需要四十種，你需要認得自己、挑一種。 四十業處是一份完整菜單，不是一張待辦清單。讀這一品的目的，是先照 03-04 認一認：我比較像哪種性行？然後順著它去挑一兩種法深修，其餘的略知即可。
- 給現代在家人的起手推薦。 多數現代人是「尋行」偏重（念頭停不下來）兼一點瞋行（易躁、易煩），那麼這張地圖會把你導向兩處：第 9 品的梵住（慈心，柔軟易躁的心）和第 8 品的入出息念（呼吸，收住散亂的心）。第 7 品的六隨念也很適合納入任何生活步調。這三品，正是本義疏建議一般讀者先讀的三章。
- 別迷信「最高法門」。 這一品最深的一課，是它根本不設一個人人通用的最高法。問的不是「哪個法最厲害」，是「哪個法最對我此刻的病」。這份清醒，本身就是修行的一部分。
想讀本單元全文：白話 §1–§7 即十門決擇與「受取」義釋之全段逐段全譯。
一句話收束：第三品不教你修什麼，它教你先認得自己、再挑對藥——因為起手選錯，整座修行就堵在門口。
The forty are not forty things to learn, but forty fillings of a single structure
The Big Picture — Spreading the Entire Concentration Division into a Single Table
The eleven chapters of the concentration division all turn around a famous list: the forty meditation subjects (kammaṭṭhāna, literally, “the place where the mind works”), from which a practitioner selects one subject as the main cultivation. The complete list in this table—ten kasiṇas, ten kinds of foulness, ten recollections, four divine abodes, four immaterial states, one perception, and one defining, totaling forty—appears in Vernacular §1. The table itself is what makes the middle division look like an “encyclopedia,” but the underlying structure is actually simple. What must be carried away is not the list but the unified template of questions beneath it. In this unit the author discriminates the forty meditation subjects through ten modes (Vernacular §§1–4): numerical exposition, whether they bring access or absorption, division of jhāna, transcendence, extension or non-extension, object, plane, taking, condition, and suitability for temperament—every meditation subject must pass through these ten questions. This template of questions runs through Chapters 4 to 11; it is the key that keeps the middle division systematic rather than loose. It is also why this exegesis chooses Chapter 4, the Earth Kasiṇa, as the first model: once the structure of questions applied to a single meditation subject is understood, the rest can be inferred by analogy. The forty are not forty things to learn; they are forty fillings of a single structure. The latter half of the unit (Vernacular §§5–7) returns to the words “take up”: entrusting oneself to the Buddha and to the teacher, six inclinations and two resolutions, how the teacher knows temperament and teaches accordingly, and how the pupil listens by taking note. This closes the chapter and brings its lesson—“first recognize yourself, then choose the right medicine”—to completion. 〔Observation〕
§01 General Statement of the Ten Modes and the First Four Modes → Vernacular §1
“Take up one among the forty meditation subjects” (Vernacular §1)—first understand the discrimination of meditation subjects according to ten modes. According to numerical exposition: forty means ten kasiṇas (earth, water, fire, air; blue, yellow, red, white; light; and limited space), ten kinds of foulness (bloated, livid, festering, cut-up, gnawed, scattered, hacked-and-scattered, blood-smeared, worm-infested, and skeleton), ten recollections (Buddha, Dhamma, Saṅgha, virtue, generosity, deities, death, body, breathing, and peace), four divine abodes (loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity), four immaterial states (the bases of infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, and neither perception nor non-perception), one perception (perception of repulsiveness in food), and one defining (defining of the four elements). According to whether they bring access or absorption: the eight recollections apart from mindfulness of the body and mindfulness of breathing, together with perception of repulsiveness in food and defining of the four elements—these ten bring access only; the rest bring absorption. According to the division of jhāna: the ten kasiṇas together with mindfulness of breathing pertain to four jhānas; the ten kinds of foulness together with mindfulness of the body pertain to the first jhāna; the first three divine abodes pertain to three jhānas; the fourth divine abode and four immaterial states pertain to the fourth jhāna. According to transcendence: transcendence is twofold—transcendence of factors (the meditation subjects pertaining to three or four jhānas, in which applied thought, sustained thought, and so forth are transcended on the same object to attain the higher jhānas; the fourth divine abode also transcends gladness on the same objects as loving-kindness and the rest) and transcendence of the object (the four immaterial states: the base of infinite space is attained by transcending one of the first nine kasiṇas, and the base of infinite consciousness and the rest by transcending space and so forth); the remaining meditation subjects have no transcendence. 〔Reading〕The first of the ten modes, “number,” looks the plainest, but it is actually the coordinate system for the other nine—the other nine each classify these forty coordinates anew: which reach only access, which reach which jhāna, and which can be transcended upward. Readers need not memorize the table. It is enough to remember that “every meditation subject can be located by these ten questions”; then the opening of every subject from Chapter 4 onward becomes intelligible.
§02 The Mode of Extension and Non-extension → Vernacular §2
“According to extension and non-extension” (Vernacular §2): among the forty, only the ten kasiṇas should be extended—within whatever range a kasiṇa is made to pervade, the practitioner can hear sounds with the divine ear, see visible forms with the divine eye, and know other minds with the mind. Mindfulness of the body and the kinds of foulness should not be extended: they are confined to a location and bring no benefit—extending them merely extends a mass of corpses. The answer to Sopāka’s question, “perception of visible form is clear; perception of skeletons is unclear,” is precisely about the extension and non-extension of the sign. The statement, “He pervaded this great earth with nothing but perception of skeletons,” concerns the manifestation of the sign in a practitioner who has acquired it—as in the time of Dhammāsoka, when the karavīka bird saw its own reflection in mirrored walls on four sides and conceived that birds of its kind were everywhere. 〔Reading〕Why, then, are the jhānas of foulness also said to have a “measureless object”?—Some take the sign on a large corpse and some on a small corpse; or a practitioner, not seeing the danger, extends it. There is no contradiction, but because extension brings no benefit, it still should not be done. Extending the sign of breathing only extends a mass of air; extending a divine abode only extends a mass of beings. The statement “dwells pervading one direction with a mind accompanied by loving-kindness” concerns comprehensive taking (taking the beings of one dwelling place, then two dwelling places, in sequence, until a direction is comprehensively taken), not extension of a sign—there is no counterpart sign here at all, and thus nothing to extend. The objects of the immaterial states are either space left by removing a kasiṇa, consciousness as an intrinsic state, the absence of consciousness, or the base of neither perception nor non-perception as an intrinsic state; none should be extended. The remaining subjects have no sign and therefore should not be extended—what can be extended is a counterpart sign. 〔Reading〕This mode is really answering a craving that easily arises in a practitioner: “Can the sign be made bigger?” The author’s answer is unflinchingly sober: only a kasiṇa sign is worth extending, because it yields a basis for supernormal knowledges. In every other case, making it bigger merely means more corpses, more air, or more people—extension without benefit is unnecessary fabrication. Read today, this is a bucket of cold water over the imagination that “bigger is better” in cultivation.
§03 The Four Modes of Object, Plane, Taking, and Condition → Vernacular §3
“According to object” (Vernacular §3): the ten kasiṇas, ten kinds of foulness, mindfulness of breathing, and mindfulness of the body—twenty-two in all—have a counterpart sign as their object; the eight recollections apart from breathing and body, together with perception of repulsiveness in food, defining of the four elements, the base of infinite consciousness, and the base of neither perception nor non-perception—twelve in all—have an intrinsic state as their object. The same twenty-two have a sign as their object, while the other six have an object that cannot be stated. The festering, blood-smeared, worm-infested, mindfulness of breathing, the water, fire, and air kasiṇas, and a light kasiṇa based on the disk of the sun or the like—eight in all—have a moving object, but only in the former part; the counterpart sign is still. According to plane: the ten kinds of foulness, mindfulness of the body, and perception of repulsiveness in food—twelve in all—do not occur among deities; adding mindfulness of breathing makes thirteen that do not occur in the Brahmā world; in immaterial existence only the four immaterial states occur; among humans all forty occur. According to taking: taking by seeing, touching, or hearing—the nine kasiṇas apart from air plus ten kinds of foulness, nineteen in all, are taken by seeing (in the former part their sign is taken by looking with the eye); in mindfulness of the body, the skin pentad is taken by seeing and the rest by hearing; mindfulness of breathing is taken by touch; the air kasiṇa by seeing and touch; and the remaining eighteen by hearing. The divine abode of equanimity and the four immaterial states should not be taken by beginners; the other thirty-five can be taken. According to condition: the nine kasiṇas apart from space are conditions for the immaterial states; the ten kasiṇas for supernormal knowledges; the first three divine abodes for the fourth; each lower immaterial state for the next higher; the base of neither perception nor non-perception for the attainment of cessation; and every meditation subject for pleasant abiding, insight, and the accomplishment of existence. 〔Reading〕Taken together, these four modes resemble four specification fields in a user’s manual: object (what it faces), plane (in which realm it can be cultivated), taking (whether it is first acquired through eye, body, or ear), and condition (where accomplishment leads). The statement “the divine abode of equanimity and the four immaterial states should not be taken by beginners” is worth retaining—this table not only classifies; it also marks the starting boundary for a beginner.
§04 The Mode of Suitability for Temperament → Vernacular §4
“According to suitability for temperament” (Vernacular §4): for the greed-tempered, the ten kinds of foulness and mindfulness of the body—eleven subjects; for the aversion-tempered, the four divine abodes and four color kasiṇas—eight; for the delusion-tempered and discursive-thought-tempered, mindfulness of breathing alone; for the faith-tempered, the first six recollections; for the discerning, mindfulness of death, recollection of peace, defining of the four elements, and perception of repulsiveness in food—four. The remaining kasiṇas and the four immaterial states are suitable for every temperament; among the kasiṇas, a limited kasiṇa suits a discursive-thought-tempered person and a measureless kasiṇa suits a delusion-tempered person. The author immediately imposes a limit on his own statement: all this is said according to direct opposition and extreme suitability—there is no wholesome cultivation that cannot suppress greed and the rest or support faith and the rest. He cites the Meghiya Sutta—“cultivate foulness to abandon greed, loving-kindness to abandon aversion, mindfulness of breathing to abandon discursive thought, and perception of impermanence to uproot conceit”—and the Rāhula Sutta, in which seven meditation subjects are taught to a single person. Therefore, “the surface of the words should not be grasped; their intention should be sought everywhere.” 〔Reading〕This mode is the other half of the diagnostic table in 03-04: that unit recognizes the person; this unit matches the medicine. The author’s own sentence at the end of the prescription—“do not grasp the surface of the words”—is the sentence readers most need to hear in the entire chapter: the pairings express principled opposition and affinity, not exclusive prescriptions. That a greed-tempered person principally cultivates foulness does not mean that person cannot cultivate loving-kindness; the six temperaments help a practitioner begin, not nail the practitioner in place.
§05 Explanation of “Taking”—Entrusting Oneself to the Buddha and to the Teacher → Vernacular §5
The meaning of “take up” (Vernacular §5): approach a good friend who gives a meditation subject (for the signs of such a person, see 03-03), entrust oneself to the Buddha, the Blessed One, or to the teacher, become endowed with inclination and resolution, and then request the meditation subject. Entrusting oneself to the Buddha: “Blessed One, I relinquish this personhood to you.” A practitioner who lives in a remote lodging without entrusting himself cannot hold firm when a fearful object appears; he retreats to the edge of a village, mingles with householders, falls into improper seeking, and meets with disaster. A practitioner who has entrusted himself does not fear a fearful object; reflecting, “Did you not long ago entrust yourself to the Buddhas?” he instead feels gladness. It is like a fine Kāsi cloth: when mice or insects gnaw it, the owner is distressed; after giving it to a bhikkhu without a robe, the donor is glad even on seeing it cut into pieces. Entrusting oneself to the teacher: “Venerable sir, I relinquish this personhood to you.” A practitioner who does not entrust himself becomes impervious to rebuke, difficult to teach, or disposed to act as he pleases; the teacher does not support him materially or with the Dhamma and does not teach profound texts, and before long he falls into immorality or returns to lay life. A practitioner who has entrusted himself receives instruction well, conducts himself in dependence on the teacher, receives both kinds of support, and grows, increases, and reaches fulfillment in the Dispensation—like the three resident pupils of Cūḷapiṇḍapātika Tissa Thera: at the words “for your sake,” the first was able to leap from a precipice a hundred persons deep, the second to grind away his body, and the third to stop his breathing and die. Knowing their capacity, the elder taught them meditation subjects; all three attained arahant fruition. 〔Reading〕Modern readers can easily mistake “entrusting” for submission. The author’s simile actually says something else: after you hand something over, it can no longer be used to threaten you—after giving away the cloth, seeing it cut up no longer hurts; after handing over the body, a fearful sign no longer frightens. Entrusting does not mean abandoning yourself; it first releases the grasping that says, “This is mine.” That step is itself a small breach in attachment before the cultivation of concentration begins. 〔Observation〕
§06 Six Inclinations and Two Resolutions → Vernacular §6
“Endowed with inclination and resolution” (Vernacular §6): become endowed with inclination through six modes, beginning with non-greed—inclined to non-greed, see danger in greed; inclined to non-aversion, see danger in aversion; inclined to non-delusion, see danger in delusion; inclined to renunciation, see danger in household life; inclined to seclusion, see danger in company; inclined to escape, see danger in every kind of existence and destination. A person so inclined can attain one of the three kinds of awakening—the stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, destroyers of the influxes, paccekabuddhas, and Rightly and Fully Enlightened Ones of past, future, and present all attained their respective attainments through these six modes. Two resolutions: resolve upon concentration, esteem concentration, and incline toward concentration; resolve upon nibbāna, esteem nibbāna, and incline toward nibbāna. 〔Reading〕Each of the six inclinations has the form “inclined to this, see the danger in that”—first establish the positive direction, then look back from it and see the fault in its opposite. These are not six precepts but six directions of the mind; the two resolutions gather those directions into two words: concentration and nibbāna. Before a meditation subject is requested, the author asks not for qualifications but for direction.
§07 How the Teacher Knows Temperament, the Three Ways of Teaching, Taking Note While Listening, and the Chapter’s End → Vernacular §7
A teacher with mind-reading knowledge observes the course of the pupil’s mind and thereby knows the pupil’s temperament; other teachers know by asking: What is your temperament? What states occur frequently in you? To what do you feel at ease attending? Toward which meditation subject does your mind incline? Having learned this, the teacher teaches a meditation subject suitable for that temperament (Vernacular §7). Three ways of teaching: for a person already trained in taking up a meditation subject, have it recited in one or two sittings and then give it; for a person living nearby, teach each time the person comes; for a person who intends to leave after learning it, teach neither too briefly nor too expansively. Using the earth kasiṇa as an example, the teacher should explain nine aspects—the four defects of a kasiṇa, making a kasiṇa, the method of cultivating what has been made, the two signs, the two concentrations, the seven kinds of suitability and unsuitability, tenfold absorption-skill, balancing energy, and the method of absorption (the details appear in Chapter 4). Taking note while listening: fasten each individual aspect—this is the lower phrase; this is the upper phrase; this is its meaning; this is its intention; this is its simile. Only when the pupil listens respectfully in this way is the meditation subject well received, and on this basis a distinguished attainment is accomplished. At this point, “approach a good friend and take up one among the forty meditation subjects suited to the practitioner’s own temperament” has been explained in full. The chapter closes with the verse: in the Visuddhimagga, composed to bring joy to good people, in the division on the cultivation of concentration, this is the third chapter, entitled “The Exposition of Taking Up a Meditation Subject.” 〔Reading〕The four questions at the chapter’s end—what is your temperament, what states occur frequently, what attention feels at ease, and toward which meditation subject the mind inclines—are the mnemonic version of the entire diagnostic method of 03-04. And the five items in “taking note while listening” turn listening to the Dhamma itself into a meditation subject—the listener is not a passive container.
For the General Reader — How to Use This Map
This chapter is not for “practicing” but for locating. Three practical suggestions for general readers:
- You do not need forty subjects; you need to recognize yourself and choose one. The forty meditation subjects are a complete menu, not a to-do list. The purpose of reading this chapter is first to use 03-04 as a mirror: Which temperament do I most resemble? Then follow it to choose one or two practices for deep cultivation; a broad acquaintance with the rest is enough.
- A starting recommendation for modern householders. Most modern people lean strongly toward the discursive-thought temperament—their thoughts do not stop—with some aversion temperament as well, becoming easily restless and irritated. This map would direct them to two places: Chapter 9, the Divine Abodes—loving-kindness, which softens a restless mind—and Chapter 8, Mindfulness of Breathing—the breath, which gathers a scattered mind. The six recollections in Chapter 7 also fit readily into any rhythm of life. These are the three chapters this exegesis recommends general readers begin with.
- Do not be superstitious about a “highest Dharma gate.” This chapter’s deepest lesson is that it establishes no universally highest practice at all. The question is not “Which practice is most powerful?” but “Which practice best fits my present illness?” This sobriety is itself part of cultivation.
To read this unit in full: Vernacular §§1–7 gives the complete paragraph-by-paragraph rendering of the ten-mode discrimination and the explanation of “taking up.”
In a single sentence: Chapter 3 does not tell you what to cultivate; it teaches you first to recognize yourself and then choose the right medicine—because choosing wrongly at the start blocks the entire work at the gate.
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 ### 小節 1 個，即本篇之題 ### Cattālīsakammaṭṭhānavaṇṇanā。
段號域 譯底欄之段號自〔CSCD §47〕至〔CSCD §50〕，實落段號 4 個，號序連續無缺。本篇於譯底欄之幅為 15,971 位元組，為本品之末篇；其末並帶品之結頌。
篇內之四段之分 四段之幅實測 10,006／2,761／1,152／2,007 位元組（篇題行 45 位元組不入四數）：〔CSCD §47〕四十業處之十門判（本篇之主體，獨占全篇之六成三）・〔CSCD §48〕「取」一語之釋（自付於佛或於師，並陳不自付之過與自付之德）・〔CSCD §49〕意樂與勝解之具足（六意樂與二勝解）・〔CSCD §50〕師之知性行、說之三式、學人取相而聞，並品之結頌。
十門之名〔CSCD §47〕 論先總標十門而後逐一釋之：saṅkhātaniddesato（數之開示）・upacārappanāvahato（引近行與安止）・jhānappabhedato（禪之分）・samatikkamato（超越）・vaḍḍhanāvaḍḍhanato（增大與不增大）・ārammaṇato（所緣）・bhūmito（地）・gahaṇato（取）・paccayato（緣）・cariyānukūlato（順於性行）。
前後接點 前承性行之單元；本篇首句 Tasmā yaṃ vuttaṃ cattālīsāya kammaṭṭhānesu aññataraṃ kammaṭṭhānaṃ gahetvāti ettha 逐字回提十障之單元之略說句〔CSCD §41〕。本篇之收句 Ettāvatā kalyāṇamittaṃ upasaṅkamitvā attano cariyānukūlaṃ cattālīsāya kammaṭṭhānesu aññataraṃ kammaṭṭhānaṃ gahetvāti imāni padāni sabbākārena vitthāritāni hontīti ——逐字回收略說句之四語而宣其廣說已竟，本品之結構於此合攏。後接次品：論自標 Taṃ sabbaṃ tesaṃ bhāvanāvidhāne āvibhavissati（此一切於彼等之修習法中當自顯明），其所指之品本篇不標，本目不代考定。
品之結頌 篇末四行為品之結頌（Iti sādhujanapāmojjatthāya kate visuddhimagge・Samādhibhāvanādhikāre・Kammaṭṭhānaggahaṇaniddeso nāma・Tatiyo paricchedo.），自標本品為「定之修習之章」中「取業處之開示」之第三品——本品五單元中唯本篇帶結頌。
movement 品夾《總覽》繫本單元於 §E〈四十業處 — 總表與諸開列法〉・§F〈性行與業處相應 — 配對〉・§G〈受取業處 — 從師受持〉三 §；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。另誌：《總覽》之 §C 題亦作「受取業處」而其本文在授業處者之單元；二 § 之題旨同名而所落之單元異——§C 落彼、§G 落本篇，此為文序之實測，非義理之裁。
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 kammaṭṭhāna（業處）・kasiṇa（遍）・anussati（隨念）・十隨念之十名・brahmavihāra（梵住）與慈悲喜捨四名・upacāra-samādhi／appanā-samādhi（近行定／安止定）・jhāna（禪那）・vitakka（尋）・vicāra（伺）・pīti（喜）・sukha（樂）・somanassa（悅）・uggaha-nimitta（取相）・paṭibhāga-nimitta（似相）・ārammaṇa（所緣）・appamāṇa（無量）・mahaggata（大）・cattāro kasiṇadosā（四遍過）・satta sappāyā（七隨順）・dasavidha appanā-kosalla（十種安止善巧）・cetopariyañāṇa（他心智）・paccaya（資具；複合位作「緣」）・khīṇāsava（漏盡者）・sotāpanna（入流）・sakadāgāmin（一來）・anāgāmin（不還）・ānisaṃsa（利益）。以下唯列本篇新出者。
四十業處之七群〔CSCD §47〕（十隨念與四梵住之名既立，不重列）
| 巴利 | 本編用語 | 本篇用法之要 | 定位 |
|---|---|---|---|
| cattālīsa kammaṭṭhānāni | 四十業處 | 論之總列：dasa kasiṇā, dasa asubhā, dasa anussatiyo, cattāro brahmavihārā, cattāro āruppā, ekā saññā, ekaṃ vavatthānanti | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| pathavīkasiṇaṃ・āpokasiṇaṃ・tejokasiṇaṃ・vāyokasiṇaṃ | 地遍・水遍・火遍・風遍 | 十遍之前四 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| nīlakasiṇaṃ・pītakasiṇaṃ・lohitakasiṇaṃ・odātakasiṇaṃ | 青遍・黃遍・赤遍・白遍 | 十遍之四色；lohitakasiṇaṃ 之「赤」與十不淨之 lohitakaṃ（血塗）、既立之 lohita（血）三位並見 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| ālokakasiṇaṃ・paricchinnākāsakasiṇaṃ | 光明遍・限定虛空遍 | 十遍之末二 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| uddhumātaka・vinīlaka・vipubbaka | 膨脹・青瘀・膿爛 | 十不淨之前三 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| vicchiddaka・vikkhāyitaka・vikkhittaka | 斷壞・食殘・散擲 | 十不淨之次三 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| hatavikkhittaka | 斬斫散擲 | 十不淨之第七 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| ⚠︎ lohitaka | 血塗 | 十不淨之第八；同形之 lohitakasiṇaṃ 於十遍作「赤」，二位之漢讀不一 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| puḷuvaka・aṭṭhika | 蟲聚・骨 | 十不淨之末二 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| āruppa | 無色 | 四無色之總名 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| ākāsānañcāyatana・viññāṇañcāyatana | 空無邊處・識無邊處 | 四無色之前二 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| ākiñcaññāyatana・nevasaññānāsaññāyatana | 無所有處・非想非非想處 | 四無色之後二 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| āhāre paṭikūlasaññā | 食厭想 | 「一想」之全 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| ⚠︎ catudhātuvavatthāna | 四界分別 | 「一差別」之全；規範詞表 §VII 定「四界分別」，本編既有校讀作「四界差別」——相左，本目從規範詞表而誌其原提 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
十門之技術語〔CSCD §47〕
| 巴利 | 本編用語 | 本篇用法之要 | 定位 |
|---|---|---|---|
| saṅkhātaniddesa | 數之開示 | 第一門：列四十之名 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| upacāravaha／appanāvaha | 引近行／引安止 | 第二門：八隨念與食厭想、四界分別共十者唯引近行 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| jhānappabheda | 禪之分 | 第三門：十遍與入出息念為四禪者，十不淨與身至念為初禪者 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| catukkajjhānika・paṭhamajjhānika | 四禪者・初禪者 | 同上 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| tikajjhānika・catutthajjhānika | 三禪者・第四禪者 | 前三梵住為三禪者，第四梵住與四無色為第四禪者 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| aṅgasamatikkama・ārammaṇasamatikkama | 支超越・所緣超越 | 第四門之二種；論判餘者無超越 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| vaḍḍhana／avaḍḍhana | 增大／不增大 | 第五門：唯十遍當增大 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| okāsena paricchinna | 為處所所限 | 不增大之由之一 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| kuṇaparāsi・vātarāsi・sattarāsi | 死屍之聚・風之聚・有情之聚 | 三者增大之無益：增之唯增其聚而已 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| pariggaha | 遍取 | 梵住之「遍滿一方」唯依遍取而說，非增大其相 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| kasiṇugghāṭima | 除遍〔而現〕之空 | 空無邊處之所緣；唯依遍之除去而作意 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| sabhāvadhamma | 自性法 | 識與非想非非想處之所緣；自性法不可增大 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| animitta | 無相 | 餘業處不增大之由：無似相可增 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| sabhāvadhammārammaṇa | 自性法所緣 | 第六門之一類，十二業處屬之 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| nimittārammaṇa | 相所緣 | 同門之一類，二十二業處屬之 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| na vattabbārammaṇa | 不可說所緣 | 同門之一類，餘六業處屬之 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| calitārammaṇa | 動搖所緣 | 同門之一類，八業處屬之，且唯在前分 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| bhūmi | 地 | 第七門：十二不行於天，十三不行於梵世，無色有中唯四無色行 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| diṭṭha・phuṭṭha・suta | 見・觸・聞 | 第八門之三取門；suta＝聞 依已立之讀 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| tacapañcaka | 皮五法 | 身至念之所緣中以見而取者；依已立之讀 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| ādikammika | 初學者 | 第八門之限：捨梵住與四無色非初學者所當取 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| nirodhasamāpatti | 滅盡定 | 第九門：非想非非想處為其緣 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| ujuvipaccanīka／atisappāya | 正相違／極相宜 | 第十門之收：相配之說唯就此二義而言，非謂餘者無益 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| avikkhambhikā／anupakārā | 不能鎮伏者／無所助者 | 同上：無有善修習而不伏貪等、不助信等者 | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
「取」一語之釋與其後〔CSCD §48〕〜〔CSCD §50〕
| 巴利 | 本編用語 | 本篇用法之要 | 定位 |
|---|---|---|---|
| attaniyyātana | 自付 | 〔CSCD §48〕之主題；論標其德 ayamānisaṃso attaniyyātane | 〔CSCD §48〕 |
| niyyātitattabhāva／aniyyātitattabhāva | 已自付其身者／未自付其身者 | 二者之對：前者遇怖畏而不生怖，後者則退墮 | 〔CSCD §48〕 |
| bheravārammaṇa | 可怖之所緣 | 未自付者所不能忍者 | 〔CSCD §48〕 |
| anesanā | 不當之求 | 未自付者退墮之相 | 〔CSCD §48〕 |
| atajjanīya | 不可誡責者 | 未自付於師者之相 | 〔CSCD §48〕 |
| yenakāmaṃgama | 隨意而行者 | 同上 | 〔CSCD §48〕 |
| āmisasaṅgaha／dhammasaṅgaha | 以財攝／以法攝 | 師之二攝；不自付者不得此二攝 | 〔CSCD §48〕 |
| ajjhāsaya | 意樂 | 〔CSCD §49〕之主題；chahākārehi sampannajjhāsayena | 〔CSCD §49〕 |
| alobhajjhāsaya・adosajjhāsaya・amohajjhāsaya | 無貪意樂・無瞋意樂・無癡意樂 | 六意樂之前三 | 〔CSCD §49〕 |
| nekkhammajjhāsaya・pavivekajjhāsaya・nissaraṇajjhāsaya | 出離意樂・遠離意樂・出要意樂 | 六意樂之後三 | 〔CSCD §49〕 |
| dosadassāvī | 見過者 | 六意樂之共通式：於貪等各見其過 | 〔CSCD §49〕 |
| tisso bodhi | 三菩提 | 六意樂具足者所至 | 〔CSCD §49〕 |
| bodhisatta・paccekabuddha | 菩薩・獨覺 | 所引之文與論之總結所出 | 〔CSCD §49〕 |
| adhimutti | 勝解 | 〔CSCD §49〕之次題：Samādhādhimuttena・nibbānādhimuttena | 〔CSCD §49〕 |
| garuka・pabbhāra | 尊重・趣向 | 勝解之二伴語：於定與涅槃尊重而趣向 | 〔CSCD §49〕 |
| cittācāra | 心之行 | 得他心智之師所觀者 | 〔CSCD §50〕 |
| nimittaṃ gahetvā | 取相而〔聞〕 | 學人聞業處之法；論自釋其義為記其句義意趣與譬 | 〔CSCD §50〕 |
| heṭṭhimapada／uparimapada | 下句／上句 | 取相之四事之二 | 〔CSCD §50〕 |
| adhippāya・opamma | 意趣・譬 | 取相之四事之三四 | 〔CSCD §50〕 |
| visesādhigama | 勝之證得 | 善取而聞者之果 | 〔CSCD §50〕 |
| kasiṇakaraṇa | 遍之作 | 說地遍時所當說之九相之二 | 〔CSCD §50〕 |
| vīriyasamatā・appanāvidhāna | 精進之平等・安止之法 | 同九相之末二 | 〔CSCD §50〕 |
| sādhujanapāmojjattha | 為善人之喜悅 | 品之結頌之首語 | 〔CSCD §50〕 |
| samādhibhāvanādhikāra | 定之修習之章 | 品之結頌自標本品所屬之章 | 〔CSCD §50〕 |
| paricchedo | 品 | 品之結頌自標本品為第三 | 〔CSCD §50〕 |
本編既有校讀須併觀之四處 ①既有校讀之 §E 列七群作「十遍（kasiṇa）——地、水、火、風、青、黃、赤、白、光明、限定虛空。十不淨（asubha）——膨脹、青瘀、膿爛……等屍相十種。十隨念（anussati）……四梵住（brahmavihāra）——慈、悲、喜、捨。四無色（āruppa）——空無邊、識無邊、無所有、非想非非想。一想（saññā）——食厭想。一差別（vavatthāna）——四界差別」，其十遍之十名、十隨念之十名、四梵住之四名與「食厭想」定讀逐字保入。②十不淨既有校讀唯出前三名而以「等」括其餘七，本目依譯底欄之語形補列其七，誌為本篇之新提，不代裁。③四無色既有校讀省其「處」字（作「空無邊」等），本目依譯底欄之 nevasaññānāsaññāyatananti 一類之全形出其名，誌其二形之別。④「一差別」既有校讀作「四界差別」，與規範詞表 §VII 之「四界分別」相左，本目從規範詞表而誌其原提。又：既有校讀之 §E 於「諸開列準目」唯舉三事而標「確切門數與細目尚未定」，譯底欄實列十門；既有校讀之 §F 之相配表與譯底欄之第十門逐一相合。本目誌其實，不代裁。
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；方括注唯二式（[§NN] 段號 4 個與版頁記 15 個，後者皆在註記之內）。全篇之圓括注 3 處，逐一檢之，皆為所引之出處標記，無一載異讀。查無即記無：譯底欄自身無異讀之記。
本品段號無缺之正面記載 譯底欄之段號自〔CSCD §38〕至〔CSCD §50〕十三號連續，無一缺（品域之實測，五單元合計）；本篇所承之四號在其末。故本品無「缺號之誌」可入本目——如實記其無，不代補、不代誌其因。
本欄自出之一處體例之不齊——引之標識三式並見 本篇之引凡六，其標識分三式：①自標其書而繫括注 3 處（(theragā. 18)・(dī. ni. 1.556)・(ma. ni. 2.120)）；②自標其書而不繫括注 2 處（Vuttampi cetaṃ sopākapañhābyākaraṇe・Vuttampi cetaṃ meghiyasutte）；③既不標其書亦不繫括注 1 處（Yathāha, ''cha ajjhāsayā bodhisattānaṃ bodhiparipākāya saṃvattanti）。三式並見於一篇，且第二式所引之二段幅頗長而俱無括注。誌其實不判其因，不代補其出處。
本欄之界 上列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。「本文自標之出處」欄之括注逐字照錄，不代譯其經名。
| 位置 | 引式〔逐字〕 | 所引之要 | 本文自標之出處 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 〔CSCD §47〕 | Vuttampi cetaṃ sopākapañhābyākaraṇe, ''vibhūtā bhagavā rūpasaññā avibhūtā aṭṭhikasaññā''ti. | 色想明了而骨想不明了——論以之證骨想不當增大 | 無（自標其書而不繫號） |
| 〔CSCD §47〕 | ''kevalaṃ aṭṭhisaññāya, apharī pathaviṃ ima''nti | 一長老以骨想遍滿此地之偈——論釋其為得定者之現起相，非謂增大 | (theragā. 18) |
| 〔CSCD §47〕 | ''mettāsahagatena cetasā ekaṃ disaṃ pharitvā''ti | 慈遍一方之定型語——論釋其為遍取而非增相 | (dī. ni. 1.556) |
| 〔CSCD §47〕 | Vuttampi cetaṃ meghiyasutte –／''Cattāro dhammā uttari bhāvetabbā. Asubhā bhāvetabbā rāgassa pahānāya. | 四法之對治——不淨對貪、慈對瞋、入出息念斷尋、無常想拔我慢 | 無（自標其書而不繫號） |
| 〔CSCD §47〕 | Rāhulasuttepi ''mettaṃ, rāhula, bhāvanaṃ bhāvehī''tiādinā | 一人而說七業處——論以之證相配非拘於一 | (ma. ni. 2.120) |
| 〔CSCD §48〕 | Tena vuttaṃ ''buddhassa vā bhagavato ācariyassa vā attānaṃ niyyātetvā''ti. | 論自引本段之首語以收其說 | 無（自引本篇之語） |
| 〔CSCD §49〕 | Yathāha, ''cha ajjhāsayā bodhisattānaṃ bodhiparipākāya saṃvattanti, alobhajjhāsayā ca bodhisattā lobhe dosadassāvino, | 六意樂之全文 | 無 |
論主自標其結之一句 〔CSCD §47〕之第十門末以 Tasmā vacanamatte abhinivesaṃ akatvā sabbattha adhippāyo pariyesitabbo（故不當執其言之表面，於一切處當求其意趣）收其相配之說——論自限相配表之效力，此語與〔CSCD §47〕ujuvipaccanīkavasena ca atisappāyavasena ca vuttaṃ 一句相承。本目逐字錄其位而不代評。
引式之數〔本欄實測〕 Vuttampi cetaṃ 2 處・Yathāha 1 處・Tena vuttaṃ 1 處；Vuttañhetaṃ・Porāṇā 俱零命中；kira（傳說之詞）1 見，在三比丘之事之起句（Therassa kira santikaṃ tayo bhikkhū āgamaṃsu）。本文自標之圓括注出處 3 處，就其標識分：theragā.・dī. ni.・ma. ni. 各 1。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 viya（詞界）1 見（在事例，錄於乙）；譬喻二處皆以「Yathā … evaṃ …」之對句式出之，不用 viya。
| 位置 | 譬喻 | 所配之義 |
|---|---|---|
| 〔CSCD §47〕 | Yatheva hi dhammāsokakāle karavīkasakuṇo samantā ādāsabhittīsu attano chāyaṃ disvā sabbadisāsu karavīkasaññī hutvā madhuraṃ giraṃ nicchāresi, evaṃ theropi aṭṭhikasaññāya lābhittā sabbadisāsu upaṭṭhitaṃ nimittaṃ passanto kevalāpi pathavī aṭṭhikabharitāti cintesīti | 鳥於四面鏡壁見己影而遍作同類想——喻得骨想者見諸方皆現其相，故謂「遍地皆骨」；本篇最長之喻 |
| 〔CSCD §48〕 | Yathā hi purisassa uttamaṃ kāsikavatthaṃ bhaveyya, tassa tasmiṃ mūsikāya vā kīṭehi vā khādite uppajjeyya domanassaṃ／Sace pana taṃ acīvarakassa bhikkhuno dadeyya, athassa taṃ tena bhikkhunā khaṇḍākhaṇḍaṃ kariyamānaṃ disvāpi somanassameva uppajjeyya | 上衣為鼠蟲所嚙則憂，既施與無衣之比丘則雖見其裂為片段亦唯生悅——喻已自付其身者遇怖畏而反生悅 |
乙・事例 本篇所舉之人事，唯記其所證之義，不代考定其人其地。
| 位置 | 事例 | 所證之義 |
|---|---|---|
| 〔CSCD §48〕 | 三比丘各陳其為師所能捨者——一者言能投百丈之崖、一者言能磨其身於石上至盡、一者言能止息出入息而命終；師判其堪能而為之說業處，三人皆得阿羅漢（cūḷapiṇḍapātikatissattherassa antevāsikā viya） | 自付其身於師之利益之證 |
〔上表人地之名，本層唯逐字照錄譯底欄之巴利；漢語定讀不於本目立。〕
丙・修辭之可核觀察 ①本篇之骨為十門之框式：總標十門之名（其末目 cariyānukūlatoti 即總標之收），次逐門以「所判之名＋屬格之 -to ＋ ti」提之（Upacārappanāvahatoti・Jhānappabhedatoti 等）——提示語實測 10 見；每門之末復以「evaṃ ＋ 門名」收之——收束式實測 10 見，首門之收作 evaṃ saṅkhātaniddesato vinicchayo veditabbo，末門之收作 cariyānukūlato vinicchayo veditabboti（其間插版頁之記）。提與收逐門相對，無一門闕。②數之密集為本篇之特色：四十業處逐門重算，其數之語實測有 cattālīsa（四十）・dasa（十）・dvāvīsati（二十二）・dvādasa（十二）・ekūnavīsati（十九）・terasa（十三）・ekādasa（十一）・pañcatiṃsa（三十五）諸目——同一四十之集，十門各予一種切分。③自問自答 Kasmā? 2 見，皆在「增大與不增大」一門，各領一段之駁。④論主自設之難 1 處：Yadi evaṃ yā asubhajjhānānaṃ appamāṇārammaṇatā vuttā, sā virujjhatīti.（若爾則所說不淨之定以無量為所緣一語豈非相違），其答 Sā ca na virujjhati（不相違）並以取相之大小分之。⑤品之結頌 4 行（縮排之行實測 4）——本品五單元中唯本篇有之；其式為「Iti sādhujanapāmojjatthāya kate visuddhimagge ／ Samādhibhāvanādhikāre ／Kammaṭṭhānaggahaṇaniddeso nāma ／ Tatiyo paricchedo.」四行。⑥…pe… 省略式零命中；Yathā（確切形）起首之語 2 見——一為 ca etāni, evaṃ sesānipi na vaḍḍhetabbāni（承前之轉語，非喻，其起首之 Yathā 後間插版頁之記），一為上表之第二喻；上表之第一喻作 Yatheva，不入此數。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 §47〕 Tasmā yaṃ vuttaṃ cattālīsāya kammaṭṭhānesu aññataraṃ kammaṭṭhānaṃ gahetvāti ettha | 十障之單元〔CSCD §41〕 | 所回提之語出於彼篇之略說 |
〔CSCD §47〕 Upacārappanāvahatoti 一門 | 定之八問與分類之單元〔CSCD §39〕 | 彼分定為近行與安止二種，本門即以其二判四十業處之所引 |
〔CSCD §47〕 Jhānappabhedatoti 一門 | 定之八問與分類之單元〔CSCD §39〕 | 彼以四禪支與五禪支分定，本門以其階配諸業處 |
〔CSCD §47〕 Ārammaṇatoti 一門與 parittārammaṇaṃ jhānaṃ／appamāṇārammaṇanti 之辨 | 定之八問與分類之單元〔CSCD §39〕 | 彼之第二四法即小所緣與無量所緣之分 |
〔CSCD §47〕 dasa kasiṇā abhiññānaṃ | 十障之單元〔CSCD §41〕 | 彼判神變為觀之障而非定之障，以神變由得定而後得；本門判十遍為神通之緣，二處相貫 |
〔CSCD §47〕 Cariyānukūlatoti 一門 | 性行之單元〔CSCD §43〕〜〔CSCD §46〕 | 彼立六性行而自標其相配之詳在次一論母句之廣說，即本門 |
〔CSCD §48〕 ''Tena yoginā kammaṭṭhānadāyakaṃ kalyāṇamittaṃ upasaṅkamitvā''ti ettha vuttanayeneva | 授業處者之單元〔CSCD §42〕 | 論自標依彼篇所說之法而詣師 |
〔CSCD §50〕 cetopariyañāṇalābhinā ācariyena cittācāraṃ oloketvā cariyā jānitabbā | 性行之單元〔CSCD §45〕 | 彼之定論 cetopariyañāṇassa lābhī ācariyo cariyaṃ ñatvā kammaṭṭhānaṃ kathessati, itarena antevāsiko pucchitabbo 為本句之所本；本篇並列其四問 |
〔CSCD §50〕 cattāro kasiṇadosā, kasiṇakaraṇaṃ, katassa bhāvanānayo | 次品 | 論自標 Taṃ sabbaṃ tesaṃ bhāvanāvidhāne āvibhavissati——九相之詳不在本品 |
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
Working base This unit’s working base is CSCD (internal use only; never published). Every Pāli form in this layer is taken verbatim from the working base in this unit’s source column. One location form, 〔CSCD §NN〕, can be checked verbatim against the working-base column. Because this chapter has no internally collated Pāli pagination, no page range is recorded.
Section title The working-base column carries one ### subsection heading, namely this section’s title, ### Cattālīsakammaṭṭhānavaṇṇanā.
Paragraph-number range The paragraph numbers in the working-base column run from 〔CSCD §47〕 to 〔CSCD §50〕, with four paragraph numbers actually present and no gap in the sequence. The section occupies 15,971 bytes in the working-base column and is the final section of this chapter; its end also carries the chapter’s closing verse.
Internal division into four paragraphs The four paragraphs measure 10,006 / 2,761 / 1,152 / 2,007 bytes respectively (the 45-byte section-title line is excluded from these four figures): 〔CSCD §47〕 the tenfold determination of the forty meditation subjects (the body of the section, occupying sixty-three percent of its whole); 〔CSCD §48〕 explanation of the word “taking” (surrendering oneself to the Buddha or to a teacher, together with the harm of not surrendering and the benefit of surrendering); 〔CSCD §49〕 fulfillment of disposition and resolution (six dispositions and two resolutions); and 〔CSCD §50〕 the teacher’s knowing the temperament, three manners of teaching, the trainee’s listening while grasping a cue, and the chapter’s closing verse.
Names of the ten modes 〔CSCD §47〕 The treatise first gives the ten modes together and then explains each in turn: saṅkhātaniddesato (by numerical exposition), upacārappanāvahato (by bringing access and absorption), jhānappabhedato (by classification of jhāna), samatikkamato (by transcendence), vaḍḍhanāvaḍḍhanato (by enlargement and non-enlargement), ārammaṇato (by object), bhūmito (by plane), gahaṇato (by taking), paccayato (by condition), and cariyānukūlato (by suitability to temperament).
Connections before and after This unit follows the unit on temperament. Its opening sentence, Tasmā yaṃ vuttaṃ cattālīsāya kammaṭṭhānesu aññataraṃ kammaṭṭhānaṃ gahetvāti ettha, recovers verbatim the summary statement in the unit on the ten impediments 〔CSCD §41〕. The closing sentence, Ettāvatā kalyāṇamittaṃ upasaṅkamitvā attano cariyānukūlaṃ cattālīsāya kammaṭṭhānesu aññataraṃ kammaṭṭhānaṃ gahetvāti imāni padāni sabbākārena vitthāritāni hontīti, recovers verbatim four expressions from that summary statement and declares their detailed explanation complete, closing the structure of this chapter. The following chapter is next. The treatise itself states, Taṃ sabbaṃ tesaṃ bhāvanāvidhāne āvibhavissati (all this will become clear in the method of developing them), but does not identify the chapter referred to; this heading makes no independent determination.
Chapter’s closing verse The final four lines form the chapter’s closing verse: Iti sādhujanapāmojjatthāya kate visuddhimagge, Samādhibhāvanādhikāre, Kammaṭṭhānaggahaṇaniddeso nāma, and Tatiyo paricchedo. It identifies this chapter as the third chapter, “The Exposition of Taking a Meditation Subject,” within the “Division on the Development of Concentration.” This is the only one of the chapter’s five units to carry its closing verse.
Movement The chapter Overview assigns this unit to §E, “The Forty Meditation Subjects — General Table and Modes of Classification”; §F, “Temperament and Corresponding Meditation Subjects — Pairing”; and §G, “Receiving a Meditation Subject — Taking It from a Teacher.” The chapter-section wording assigned there appears verbatim in that table and is neither repeated nor excerpted here: the paragraph-number and chapter-section systems have no established correspondence, so none is estimated or converted. The Overview’s §C is also titled “Receiving a Meditation Subject,” but its text falls in the unit on the giver of the meditation subject. The two sections share a topic label but fall in different units—§C in that unit and §G in the present section. This is a measured fact of textual sequence, not a doctrinal judgment.
II. Terms and Renderings
This heading records only usage and location within the present section. Established renderings are governed by the normative glossary; this heading does not establish a rendering where that glossary has none. Terms already established in preceding chapters are not explained again. Those occurring here are kammaṭṭhāna (meditation subject), kasiṇa (kasiṇa), anussati (recollection), the ten established names of the ten recollections, brahmavihāra (divine abode) and the four names loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, upacāra-samādhi／appanā-samādhi (access concentration / absorption concentration), jhāna (jhāna), vitakka (applied thought), vicāra (sustained thought), pīti (rapture), sukha (pleasure), somanassa (joy), uggaha-nimitta (learning sign), paṭibhāga-nimitta (counterpart sign), ārammaṇa (object), appamāṇa (measureless), mahaggata (exalted), cattāro kasiṇadosā (four defects of a kasiṇa), satta sappāyā (seven suitable conditions), dasavidha appanā-kosalla (tenfold absorption-skill), cetopariyañāṇa (mind-reading knowledge), paccaya (requisites; “condition” in compounds), khīṇāsava (destroyer of the influxes), sotāpanna (stream-enterer), sakadāgāmin (once-returner), anāgāmin (non-returner), and ānisaṃsa (benefit). Only terms new to this section are listed below.
The seven groups of the forty meditation subjects 〔CSCD §47〕 (the established names of the ten recollections and four divine abodes are not repeated)
| Pāli | Rendering | Usage in this unit | Locus |
|---|---|---|---|
| cattālīsa kammaṭṭhānāni | forty meditation subjects | The treatise’s complete list: dasa kasiṇā, dasa asubhā, dasa anussatiyo, cattāro brahmavihārā, cattāro āruppā, ekā saññā, ekaṃ vavatthānanti | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| pathavīkasiṇaṃ・āpokasiṇaṃ・tejokasiṇaṃ・vāyokasiṇaṃ | earth kasiṇa · water kasiṇa · fire kasiṇa · air kasiṇa | The first four of the ten kasiṇas | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| nīlakasiṇaṃ・pītakasiṇaṃ・lohitakasiṇaṃ・odātakasiṇaṃ | blue kasiṇa · yellow kasiṇa · red kasiṇa · white kasiṇa | The four color kasiṇas; the “red” in lohitakasiṇaṃ, the “blood-smeared” in the ten foulnesses’ lohitakaṃ, and the established lohita (blood) all occur in the section in three distinct functions | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| ālokakasiṇaṃ・paricchinnākāsakasiṇaṃ | light kasiṇa · limited-space kasiṇa | The final two of the ten kasiṇas | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| uddhumātaka・vinīlaka・vipubbaka | bloated · livid · festering | The first three of the ten foulnesses | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| vicchiddaka・vikkhāyitaka・vikkhittaka | cut up · gnawed · scattered | The next three of the ten foulnesses | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| hatavikkhittaka | hacked and scattered | The seventh of the ten foulnesses | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| ⚠︎ lohitaka | blood-smeared | The eighth of the ten foulnesses; the identically formed lohitakasiṇaṃ is “red” among the ten kasiṇas, so the two contexts have different English readings | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| puḷuvaka・aṭṭhika | worm-infested · skeleton | The final two of the ten foulnesses | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| āruppa | immaterial | General name for the four immaterial attainments | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| ākāsānañcāyatana・viññāṇañcāyatana | base of infinite space · base of infinite consciousness | The first two immaterial attainments | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| ākiñcaññāyatana・nevasaññānāsaññāyatana | base of nothingness · base of neither perception nor non-perception | The latter two immaterial attainments | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| āhāre paṭikūlasaññā | perception of repulsiveness in food | The entirety of the “one perception” | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| ⚠︎ catudhātuvavatthāna | defining of the four elements | The entirety of the “one defining”; the normative glossary’s §VII fixes “defining of the four elements,” while this edition’s existing construed text has “differentiation of the four elements”—the two conflict, so this heading follows the normative glossary and records the earlier wording | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
Technical terms of the ten modes 〔CSCD §47〕
| Pāli | Rendering | Usage in this unit | Locus |
|---|---|---|---|
| saṅkhātaniddesa | numerical exposition | The first mode: listing the names of the forty | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| upacāravaha／appanāvaha | bringing access / bringing absorption | The second mode: ten subjects—the eight recollections other than mindfulness of the body and mindfulness of breathing, together with perception of repulsiveness in food and defining of the four elements—bring access concentration only | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| jhānappabheda | classification of jhāna | The third mode: the ten kasiṇas and mindfulness of breathing have four jhānas; the ten foulnesses and mindfulness of the body have the first jhāna | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| catukkajjhānika・paṭhamajjhānika | having four jhānas · having the first jhāna | As above | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| tikajjhānika・catutthajjhānika | having three jhānas · having the fourth jhāna | The first three divine abodes have three jhānas; the fourth divine abode and four immaterial attainments have the fourth jhāna | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| aṅgasamatikkama・ārammaṇasamatikkama | transcendence of factors · transcendence of object | The two kinds in the fourth mode; the treatise judges that the remaining subjects involve no transcendence | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| vaḍḍhana／avaḍḍhana | enlargement / non-enlargement | The fifth mode: only the ten kasiṇas are to be enlarged | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| okāsena paricchinna | bounded by location | One reason for non-enlargement | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| kuṇaparāsi・vātarāsi・sattarāsi | mass of corpses · mass of wind · mass of sentient beings | The futility of enlarging these three: enlargement would increase only the mass | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| pariggaha | comprehension | The divine abodes’ “pervading one direction” is said only by way of comprehension, not by enlarging a sign; a divine abode has no counterpart sign | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| kasiṇugghāṭima | space revealed by removing the kasiṇa | The object of the base of infinite space; it is attended to solely by removing the kasiṇa | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| sabhāvadhamma | intrinsic state | The objects of consciousness and the base of neither perception nor non-perception; an intrinsic state cannot be enlarged | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| animitta | signless | The reason the remaining meditation subjects are not enlarged: there is no counterpart sign to enlarge | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| sabhāvadhammārammaṇa | intrinsic-state object | One class in the sixth mode, comprising twelve meditation subjects | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| nimittārammaṇa | sign object | One class in the same mode, comprising exactly twenty-two meditation subjects | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| na vattabbārammaṇa | object not describable as such | One class in the same mode, comprising the remaining six meditation subjects | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| calitārammaṇa | moving object | One class in the same mode, comprising eight meditation subjects and applying only in the preliminary phase | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| bhūmi | plane | The seventh mode: twelve do not occur among deities, thirteen do not occur in the Brahmā world, and only the four immaterial attainments occur in immaterial existence | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| diṭṭha・phuṭṭha・suta | seen · touched · heard | The three modes of taking in the eighth mode; suta = heard follows the established rendering | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| tacapañcaka | skin pentad | The objects within mindfulness of the body that are taken through seeing; this follows the established rendering | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| ādikammika | beginner | The limitation of the eighth mode: the divine abode of equanimity and the four immaterial attainments are not to be taken by a beginner | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| nirodhasamāpatti | attainment of cessation | In the ninth mode, the base of neither perception nor non-perception is its condition | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| ujuvipaccanīka／atisappāya | directly opposed / extremely suitable | The conclusion of the tenth mode: the allocations are stated only in these two senses, not because other subjects bring no benefit | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
| avikkhambhikā／anupakārā | incapable of suppressing / giving no assistance | As above: no well-developed wholesome cultivation fails to suppress greed and the other states or to assist faith and the other states | 〔CSCD §47〕 |
Explanation of “taking” and what follows it 〔CSCD §48〕–〔CSCD §50〕
| Pāli | Rendering | Usage in this unit | Locus |
|---|---|---|---|
| attaniyyātana | self-surrender | The subject of 〔CSCD §48〕; the treatise states its benefit as ayamānisaṃso attaniyyātane | 〔CSCD §48〕 |
| niyyātitattabhāva／aniyyātitattabhāva | a person who has surrendered himself / a person who has not surrendered himself | A contrast: the former does not become afraid when encountering fear, while the latter falls away | 〔CSCD §48〕 |
| bheravārammaṇa | terrifying object | What a person who has not surrendered cannot endure | 〔CSCD §48〕 |
| anesanā | improper seeking | A mark of the fall of a person who has not surrendered | 〔CSCD §48〕 |
| atajjanīya | not amenable to admonition | A characteristic of a person who has not surrendered to the teacher | 〔CSCD §48〕 |
| yenakāmaṃgama | a person who goes as desired | As above | 〔CSCD §48〕 |
| āmisasaṅgaha／dhammasaṅgaha | material support / support in Dhamma | The teacher’s two forms of support; a person who has not surrendered receives neither | 〔CSCD §48〕 |
| ajjhāsaya | disposition | The subject of 〔CSCD §49〕: chahākārehi sampannajjhāsayena | 〔CSCD §49〕 |
| alobhajjhāsaya・adosajjhāsaya・amohajjhāsaya | disposition toward non-greed · disposition toward non-aversion · disposition toward non-delusion | The first three of the six dispositions | 〔CSCD §49〕 |
| nekkhammajjhāsaya・pavivekajjhāsaya・nissaraṇajjhāsaya | disposition toward renunciation · disposition toward seclusion · disposition toward escape | The latter three of the six dispositions | 〔CSCD §49〕 |
| dosadassāvī | a person who sees danger | The common formula for the six dispositions: seeing danger respectively in greed and the other states | 〔CSCD §49〕 |
| tisso bodhi | three kinds of awakening | What a person fulfilled in the six dispositions reaches | 〔CSCD §49〕 |
| bodhisatta・paccekabuddha | bodhisatta · paccekabuddha | Occurring in the quoted text and in the treatise’s summary | 〔CSCD §49〕 |
| adhimutti | resolution | The next subject in 〔CSCD §49〕: Samādhādhimuttena and nibbānādhimuttena | 〔CSCD §49〕 |
| garuka・pabbhāra | giving weight · inclining | The two terms accompanying resolution: giving weight to and inclining toward concentration and nibbāna | 〔CSCD §49〕 |
| cittācāra | conduct of mind | What a teacher with mind-reading knowledge observes | 〔CSCD §50〕 |
| nimittaṃ gahetvā | grasping a cue while listening | The trainee’s method of listening to a meditation subject; the treatise explains it as retaining four hooks—the lower phrase, the upper phrase, the intention, and the simile | 〔CSCD §50〕 |
| heṭṭhimapada／uparimapada | lower phrase / upper phrase | The first two of the four hooks for grasping a cue | 〔CSCD §50〕 |
| adhippāya・opamma | intention · simile | The third and fourth hooks for grasping a cue | 〔CSCD §50〕 |
| visesādhigama | distinctive attainment | The fruit for a person who listens after grasping the cue well | 〔CSCD §50〕 |
| kasiṇakaraṇa | construction of a kasiṇa | The second of the nine aspects to be taught when explaining the earth kasiṇa | 〔CSCD §50〕 |
| vīriyasamatā・appanāvidhāna | balance of energy · method of absorption | The final two of the same nine aspects | 〔CSCD §50〕 |
| sādhujanapāmojjattha | for the joy of good people | The opening expression of the chapter’s closing verse | 〔CSCD §50〕 |
| samādhibhāvanādhikāra | division on the development of concentration | The chapter’s closing verse identifies the division to which this chapter belongs | 〔CSCD §50〕 |
| paricchedo | chapter | The chapter’s closing verse identifies this chapter as the third | 〔CSCD §50〕 |
Four passages to be read together with this edition’s existing construed text (1) Section E of the existing construed text gives the seven groups as follows: “ten kasiṇas—earth, water, fire, air, blue, yellow, red, white, light, and limited space; ten foulnesses—the bloated, livid, festering, and so forth—the ten kinds of corpse; ten recollections …; four divine abodes—loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity; four immaterial attainments—infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, and neither perception nor non-perception; one perception—perception of repulsiveness in food; one defining—differentiation of the four elements.” The established wording is preserved verbatim for the ten names of the kasiṇas, the ten names of the recollections, the four names of the divine abodes, and “perception of repulsiveness in food.” (2) The existing construed text gives only the first three foulnesses and gathers the remaining seven under “and so forth”; this heading lists the seven from the forms in the working-base column, recording them as newly surfaced in this unit without deciding beyond them. (3) The existing construed text omits “base” from the names of the four immaterial attainments, saying “infinite space” and so forth; this heading gives the full names according to such forms in the working-base column as nevasaññānāsaññāyatananti, recording the difference between the two forms. (4) The existing construed text gives “differentiation of the four elements” for the “one defining,” conflicting with §VII of the normative glossary’s “defining of the four elements”; this heading follows the normative glossary and records the earlier wording. In addition, Section E of the existing construed text gives only three items under “principal modes of classification” and marks the exact number of modes and details as not yet settled, whereas the working-base column lists ten modes. The pairing table in Section F corresponds item by item to the tenth mode in the working-base column. This heading records the facts without deciding beyond them.
III. Variant Readings
Available materials This section has no internally collated Pāli pagination and therefore no collation passage to record; the only searchable surface is the working-base column itself. The facts are recorded without judgment.
Measured general scan A verbatim scan of the entire working-base column found zero occurrences of variant-parenthesis forms such as (sī.), (syā.), (kaṃ.), and (pī.), and zero occurrences of the variant-reading marker pāṭho. Square brackets occur in only two forms: four [§NN] paragraph numbers and fifteen edition-page annotations, all inside comments. The three parenthetical annotations in the section were checked individually; all are source references for citations, and none records a variant. When nothing is found, nothing is recorded: the working-base column itself contains no variant-reading record.
Positive record that the chapter’s paragraph numbers have no gap The working-base column’s paragraph numbers run continuously through thirteen numbers, from 〔CSCD §38〕 to 〔CSCD §50〕, without a single gap (measured across the chapter’s five units). The present section carries the final four. Thus this chapter has no “record of a missing number” to enter under this heading. Its absence is recorded as it stands, without supplying or explaining a cause.
One inconsistency of format arising in this column—three forms of citation marker The section contains six citations, identified in three different ways: (1) three places name the work and carry a parenthetical reference—(theragā. 18), (dī. ni. 1.556), and (ma. ni. 2.120); (2) two places name the work but carry no parenthetical reference—Vuttampi cetaṃ sopākapañhābyākaraṇe and Vuttampi cetaṃ meghiyasutte; and (3) one place neither names the work nor carries a parenthetical reference—Yathāha, ''cha ajjhāsayā bodhisattānaṃ bodhiparipākāya saṃvattanti. All three forms occur within one section, and the two passages of the second kind are both substantial in length yet have no parenthetical reference. The facts are recorded without deciding their cause or supplying a source.
Scope of this column The points above are literal facts of the working-base column. This column has not been collated against the scanned PTS pages. The zero findings apply only to the working-base column and support no inference about other witnesses.
IV. The Commentator’s Citations
Each of the author’s own citations is tied to a paragraph-number anchor. Only sources identified by the text itself are recorded, without independent attribution. Parentheses in the “Source Identified by the Text” column are copied verbatim and the titles are not translated.
| Location | Citation Form 〔Verbatim〕 | Point Cited | Source Identified by the Text |
|---|---|---|---|
| 〔CSCD §47〕 | Vuttampi cetaṃ sopākapañhābyākaraṇe, ''vibhūtā bhagavā rūpasaññā avibhūtā aṭṭhikasaññā''ti. | Perception of form is distinct while perception of a skeleton is indistinct—the treatise uses this to establish that perception of a skeleton should not be enlarged | None (the text names the work but gives no number) |
| 〔CSCD §47〕 | ''kevalaṃ aṭṭhisaññāya, apharī pathaviṃ ima''nti | A verse in which an elder pervades this earth with the perception of a skeleton—the treatise explains it as the mode of manifestation for a practitioner who has attained concentration, not as enlargement | (theragā. 18) |
| 〔CSCD §47〕 | ''mettāsahagatena cetasā ekaṃ disaṃ pharitvā''ti | The standard phrase for pervading one direction with loving-kindness—the treatise explains it as comprehension, not enlargement of a sign | (dī. ni. 1.556) |
| 〔CSCD §47〕 | Vuttampi cetaṃ meghiyasutte –／''Cattāro dhammā uttari bhāvetabbā. Asubhā bhāvetabbā rāgassa pahānāya. | Four antidotes—foulness for greed, loving-kindness for aversion, mindfulness of breathing for cutting off discursive thought, and perception of impermanence for uprooting the conceit “I am” | None (the text names the work but gives no number) |
| 〔CSCD §47〕 | Rāhulasuttepi ''mettaṃ, rāhula, bhāvanaṃ bhāvehī''tiādinā | Seven meditation subjects taught to a single person—the treatise uses this to establish that an allocation is not restricted to a single subject | (ma. ni. 2.120) |
| 〔CSCD §48〕 | Tena vuttaṃ ''buddhassa vā bhagavato ācariyassa vā attānaṃ niyyātetvā''ti. | The treatise cites the opening words of this paragraph to close its own account | None (the treatise cites its own words in this section) |
| 〔CSCD §49〕 | Yathāha, ''cha ajjhāsayā bodhisattānaṃ bodhiparipākāya saṃvattanti, alobhajjhāsayā ca bodhisattā lobhe dosadassāvino, | The complete passage on the six dispositions | None |
One sentence in which the author explicitly marks his conclusion At the end of the tenth mode in 〔CSCD §47〕, the author closes the account of allocations with Tasmā vacanamatte abhinivesaṃ akatvā sabbattha adhippāyo pariyesitabbo (therefore, without clinging to the mere wording, the intention should be sought everywhere). The author himself limits the force of the allocation table. This statement continues the sentence ujuvipaccanīkavasena ca atisappāyavasena ca vuttaṃ in 〔CSCD §47〕. This heading records its literal location without evaluating it.
Count of citation forms 〔measured in this column〕 Vuttampi cetaṃ occurs twice, Yathāha once, and Tena vuttaṃ once; Vuttañhetaṃ and Porāṇā both occur zero times. kira, a reportive word, occurs once in the opening sentence of the episode of the three bhikkhus (Therassa kira santikaṃ tayo bhikkhū āgamaṃsu). The text identifies three parenthetical source references: one each of theragā., dī. ni., and ma. ni.. These counts apply only to this section, not to the entire work.
V. Similes and Rhetoric
This heading records only where the section’s similes occur and what they illustrate; it offers no literary evaluation.
A. Similes The bounded word viya occurs once in this section (within the example recorded under B). Both similes occur instead in paired “Yathā … evaṃ …” constructions and do not use viya.
| Location | Simile | Meaning Illustrated |
|---|---|---|
| 〔CSCD §47〕 | Yatheva hi dhammāsokakāle karavīkasakuṇo samantā ādāsabhittīsu attano chāyaṃ disvā sabbadisāsu karavīkasaññī hutvā madhuraṃ giraṃ nicchāresi, evaṃ theropi aṭṭhikasaññāya lābhittā sabbadisāsu upaṭṭhitaṃ nimittaṃ passanto kevalāpi pathavī aṭṭhikabharitāti cintesīti | A bird sees its own reflection in mirrored walls on every side and perceives its own kind everywhere—illustrating how a practitioner who has attained perception of a skeleton sees its sign appearing in every direction and therefore thinks “the whole earth is filled with bones”; the longest simile in this section |
| 〔CSCD §48〕 | Yathā hi purisassa uttamaṃ kāsikavatthaṃ bhaveyya, tassa tasmiṃ mūsikāya vā kīṭehi vā khādite uppajjeyya domanassaṃ／Sace pana taṃ acīvarakassa bhikkhuno dadeyya, athassa taṃ tena bhikkhunā khaṇḍākhaṇḍaṃ kariyamānaṃ disvāpi somanassameva uppajjeyya | A person grieves when a fine upper garment is gnawed by mice or insects, but after giving it to a bhikkhu without a robe feels only joy even on seeing it torn into pieces—illustrating how a practitioner who has surrendered himself instead feels joy upon encountering fear |
B. Example The human episode in this section is recorded only for the point it demonstrates; neither person nor place is independently identified.
| Location | Example | Meaning Demonstrated |
|---|---|---|
| 〔CSCD §48〕 | Three bhikkhus each declare what they could sacrifice for their teacher: one says that he could throw himself from a hundred-zhang cliff, another that he could grind his body away on a rock until nothing remained, and the third that he could stop his in-and-out breathing and die. The teacher judges them capable and teaches them a meditation subject; all three attain arahantship (cūḷapiṇḍapātikatissattherassa antevāsikā viya) | Evidence for the benefit of surrendering oneself to the teacher |
〔For names of people and places in the table above, this layer records only the Pāli copied verbatim from the working-base column; this heading establishes no English identification.〕
C. Verifiable rhetorical observations (1) The section’s skeleton is the framework of ten modes. It first lists the names of all ten (the final item, cariyānukūlatoti, closes the list), then raises each mode with “the name under determination + genitive-form -to + ti,” as in Upacārappanāvahatoti and Jhānappabhedatoti. The introductory formulas occur 10 times by measurement. Each mode closes with “evaṃ + the mode’s name”; the closing formulas likewise occur 10 times by measurement. The first is evaṃ saṅkhātaniddesato vinicchayo veditabbo, and the final is cariyānukūlato vinicchayo veditabboti (with an edition-page annotation intervening). Every introduction has a corresponding close; no mode is missing. (2) Density of number is characteristic of this section. The forty meditation subjects are recounted in different ways under each mode, using the measured number words cattālīsa (forty), dasa (ten), dvāvīsati (twenty-two), dvādasa (twelve), ekūnavīsati (nineteen), terasa (thirteen), ekādasa (eleven), and pañcatiṃsa (thirty-five). The same set of forty receives a different division under each of the ten modes. (3) The self-posed question Kasmā? occurs twice, both within the mode of enlargement and non-enlargement, each introducing a paragraph of refutation. (4) The author sets up one objection: Yadi evaṃ yā asubhajjhānānaṃ appamāṇārammaṇatā vuttā, sā virujjhatīti. (If so, does the statement that absorption on foulness has a measureless object not contradict this?). Its answer, Sā ca na virujjhati (it does not contradict it), distinguishes the size at which the learning sign is taken. (5) The chapter’s closing verse has four lines (four indented lines by measurement), and this is the only one of the chapter’s five units to have it. Its form is Iti sādhujanapāmojjatthāya kate visuddhimagge / Samādhibhāvanādhikāre / Kammaṭṭhānaggahaṇaniddeso nāma / Tatiyo paricchedo. (6) The ellipsis form …pe… occurs zero times. The exact initial form Yathā occurs twice: one is ca etāni, evaṃ sesānipi na vaḍḍhetabbāni, a transitional statement rather than a simile (with an edition-page annotation intervening after its initial Yathā), and the other is the second simile in the table above. The first simile in the table begins with Yatheva and is excluded from this count. All these figures were measured only within this section’s range, not across the whole work.
VI. Intratextual Cross-Reading
Each pointer carries a paragraph-number anchor and is established only from terms checkable in the present section. Because the paragraph-number and chapter-section systems have no established correspondence, the targets are not tied to chapter sections and no conversion is estimated. No independent attribution is made.
| Present Passage | Target | Checkable Basis |
|---|---|---|
〔CSCD §47〕 Tasmā yaṃ vuttaṃ cattālīsāya kammaṭṭhānesu aññataraṃ kammaṭṭhānaṃ gahetvāti ettha | Unit on the Ten Impediments 〔CSCD §41〕 | The expression being recovered comes from the summary statement in that unit |
〔CSCD §47〕 the Upacārappanāvahatoti mode | Unit on the Eight Questions and Classification of Concentration 〔CSCD §39〕 | That unit divides concentration into access concentration and absorption concentration; the present mode uses the two to determine what the forty meditation subjects bring |
〔CSCD §47〕 the Jhānappabhedatoti mode | Unit on the Eight Questions and Classification of Concentration 〔CSCD §39〕 | That unit divides concentration according to four and five jhāna factors; the present mode assigns meditation subjects to its levels |
〔CSCD §47〕 the Ārammaṇatoti mode and the distinction parittārammaṇaṃ jhānaṃ / appamāṇārammaṇanti | Unit on the Eight Questions and Classification of Concentration 〔CSCD §39〕 | The second tetrad there is the division into a limited object and a measureless object |
〔CSCD §47〕 dasa kasiṇā abhiññānaṃ | Unit on the Ten Impediments 〔CSCD §41〕 | That unit judges supernormal power an impediment to insight but not to concentration because it is attained after concentration; the present mode judges the ten kasiṇas conditions for the supernormal knowledges, so the two passages cohere |
〔CSCD §47〕 the Cariyānukūlatoti mode | Unit on Temperament 〔CSCD §43〕–〔CSCD §46〕 | That unit establishes the six temperaments and states that the details of their allocations occur in the detailed explanation of the next item in the matrix, namely this mode |
〔CSCD §48〕 ''Tena yoginā kammaṭṭhānadāyakaṃ kalyāṇamittaṃ upasaṅkamitvā''ti ettha vuttanayeneva | Unit on the Giver of the Meditation Subject 〔CSCD §42〕 | The treatise itself directs the trainee to approach a teacher according to the method given in that unit |
〔CSCD §50〕 cetopariyañāṇalābhinā ācariyena cittācāraṃ oloketvā cariyā jānitabbā | Unit on Temperament 〔CSCD §45〕 | Its definitive statement, cetopariyañāṇassa lābhī ācariyo cariyaṃ ñatvā kammaṭṭhānaṃ kathessati, itarena antevāsiko pucchitabbo, is the basis for the present sentence; this section also lists the four questions |
〔CSCD §50〕 cattāro kasiṇadosā, kasiṇakaraṇaṃ, katassa bhāvanānayo | Following chapter | The treatise itself states Taṃ sabbaṃ tesaṃ bhāvanāvidhāne āvibhavissati; the details of the nine aspects do not occur in this chapter |
VII. Transmission
This edition takes no position in its apparatus on questions concerning authorship, transmission, or the lineage of commentaries.