23b: The 5th Year (Saccaka) – 811
Herein, the term “sees” signifies a continuing process, not having
completed the act of seeing. Although Saccaka was not acquainted with
the terms employed in the Dispensation, it occurred to him that “sees’ is
somewhat short of “realization,” and so he addressed the Buddha again.
“Venerable Gotama, to what extent, and in what manner does a monastic
become an Arahat, having eliminated the pollutants (
āsava
), having
accomplished the path (
magga
), having done what is to be done, having laid
down the burden of the aggregates, defilements and conditioned existence,
having attained his goal of the Arahat fruition (
Arahatta-phala
), having
destroyed all the fetters of existence, and having become emancipated through
full comprehension?”
The Buddha replied: “Wanderer Saccaka, in this Dispensation, a disciple of mine,
who sees any or all corporeality with right understanding as they really are,
whether past, future, or present, in oneself or outside oneself, gross or subtle,
mean or exalted, far or near, in these eleven different manners, through insight
meditation and path-knowledge thus: ‘This corporeality is not I, this
corporeality is not mine, this corporeality is not my self … all sensation … all
perception … all volitions … sees any or all of the sixfold consciousnesses thus:
‘This consciousness is not mine, this consciousness is not my self,’ he becomes
emancipated, having no clinging.
Wanderer Saccaka, it is to that extent that a disciple of mine become an Arahat,
having eliminated the pollutants (
āsava
), having accomplished the path (
magga
),
having done what is to be done, having laid down the burden of the aggregates,
defilements and conditioned existence, having attained his goal of the Arahat
fruition (
Arahatta-phala
), having destroyed all the fetters of existence, and
having become emancipated through full comprehension.
Wanderer Saccaka, such a monastic, with the mind thus emancipated becomes
endowed with three eminent qualities: eminence in insight, eminence in practice
and eminence in emancipation.
Eminence in insight means insight into Nibbāna; eminence in practice
means perfect practice, the noble path of eight constituents; eminence in
emancipation means the attainment of the Arahat fruition.