7: The Attainment of Buddhahood – 394
he became free of doubts. This was the Bodhisatta’s purity of overcoming doubts
(
kaṅkhā-vitaraṇa-visuddhi
).
5. Purity of knowledge and insight into the right and wrong paths
(
maggāmagga-ñāṇa-dassana-visuddhi
).
139
In the last watch of the night, the
Bodhisatta dwelt on the twelve factors of the doctrine of dependent origination;
and beginning with the contemplation of mind and body (
kalāpa-sammasana
) on
the basis of the seven contemplations such as contemplation of impermanence
(
aniccānupassanā
), suffering (
dukkhānupassanā
), non-self (
anattānupassanā
),
he realised the knowledge of rise and fall (
udayabbaya-ñāṇa
) of all mental and
material phenomena (
nāma-rūpa
). At that time, there arose in the Bodhisatta the
defilements of insight (
vipassanūpakkilesa
) such as illumination, etc.
[329]
A yogi practising insight meditation, at a certain stage of advancement,
contemplates again and again the rising and falling of all mental and
physical phenomena and attains the initial stage of the knowledge of rise
and fall (
udayyabbaya
-
ñāṇa
). “At this stage, he generally beholds a
supernormal light (
obhāsa
), feels a thrill of zest (
pīti
), calmness
(
passaddhi
), determination (
adhimokkha
), great energy (
paggaha
),
happiness (
sukha
), knowledge (
ñāṇa
), intensity of mindfulness (
upaṭṭhāna
),
equanimity (
upekkhā
), and a mild desire for this state (
nikanti
).”
140
These
states arising in a yogi at the stage of knowledge of rise and fall
(
udayabbaya-ñāṇa
) in ten phases are termed the defilements of insight.
Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli, in The Path of Purification translates it as
“imperfections of insight” and enumerates them, ten in number, as follows:
1) illumination, 2) knowledge, 3) rapturous happiness, 4) tranquillity, 5)
bliss, 6) resolution, 7) exertion, 8) assurance, 9) equanimity and 10)
attachment. “The yogi, arriving at this stage, is liable to these defilements
and his mind may be seized by ‘spiritual excitement’ or ‘agitation about
higher states’ (
dhamma
-
uddhacca
). For example, he may, on having an
illumination, feel that this constitutes path-experience and so inhibits his
further progress through deceiving himself. When an illumination appears,
the meditator thinks: ‘Never indeed has such illumination as this arisen in
139
Knowledge as to whether it is the right path leading to Nibbāna or not (
maggāmagga-
ñāṇa-dassana-visuddhi
).
140
Essential Themes of Buddhist Lectures given by Ashin Thittila (The Department of
Religious Affairs. Yangon, Myanmar, 1992).