Vipassanā-ñāṇa
The Vipassanā-ñāṇas (
Sarvastivadin abhidharma texts, the "path of insight" (darśana-mārga) one of the five paths
of progress in the dharma and is made up of several jñānas also called "thought moments".
Vimuttimagga
The
arahant Upatissa preserved only in a sixth-century Chinese translation. The stages of insight outlined by the Vimuttimagga are:[2]
- Comprehension (廣觀)
- Rise and fall (起滅)
- Dissolution (滅)
- Fear & disadvantage & disenchantment (畏 & 過患 & 厭離)
- Delight in deliverance & equanimity (樂解脫 & 捨)
- Conformity (相似)
A similar presentation of these stages can be found in the
Patisambhidamagga, there are only 5 stages presented. The first three stages are the same and the last two are "fear & disadvantage" (bhaya & ādīnava) and "wish for deliverance & equanimity towards formations" (muñcitukamyatā & saṅkhārupekkhā).[3]
Visuddhimagga
Buddhagosa's Visuddhimagga (Path of purification) (ca. 430 CE), while seemingly influenced by the Vimuttimagga, divides the insight knowledges further into sixteen stages:[4]
- Namarupa pariccheda ñana - Knowledge of mental and physical states, analytical knowledge of body and mind.
- Paccaya pariggaha ñana - Discerning Conditionality, knowledge of cause and effect between mental and physical states.
- Sammasana ñana - Knowledge of the three characteristicsof mental and physical processes.
- Udayabbaya ñana - Knowledge of arising and passing away. Accompanied by possible mental images/lights, rapture, happiness, tranquility and strong mindfulness so that "there is no body-and-mind process in which mindfulness fails to engage." [5]
- Bhanga ñana - Knowledge of the dissolution of formations, only the "vanishing," or "passing away" is discernible.
- Bhaya ñana - Knowledge of the fearful nature of mental and physical states. The meditator's mind "is gripped by fear and seems helpless."[6]
- Adinava ñana - Knowledge of mental and physical states as dukkha. "So he sees, at that time, only suffering, only unsatisfactoriness, only misery."[7]
- Nibbida ñana - Knowledge of disenchantment/disgust with conditioned states.
- Muncitukamayata ñana - Knowledge of Desire for Deliverance, the desire to abandon the worldly state (for nibbana) arises.
- Patisankha ñana - Knowledge of re-investigation of the path. This instills a decision to practice further.
- Sankharupekha ñana - Knowledge which regards mental and physical states with equanimity.
- Anuloma ñana - Knowledge in conformity with the Four Noble Truths.
- Gotrabhu ñana- Knowledge which is void of conditioned formations, "maturity Knowledge".
- Magga ñana - Knowledge by which defilements are abandoned and are overcome by destruction.
- Phala ñana - Knowledge which realizes the fruit of the path (nibbana).
- Paccavekkhana ñana - Knowledge which reviews the defilements still remaining.
Abhidhammattha-sangaha
In the Abhidhammattha-sangaha (11th to 12th century), another widely used Buddhist commentarial text, there are only ten insight knowledges.[8]
- Comprehension - sammasana
- Rise and fall - udayabbaya
- Dissolution - bhaṅga
- Fear - bhaya
- Disadvantage - ādīnava
- Disenchantment - nibbidā
- Wish for deliverance - muñcitukamyatā
- Reflection - paṭisaṅkhā
- Equanimity towards formations - saṅkhārupekkhā
- Conformity - anuloma
Sarvastivadin Abhidharma texts
The Abhidharma Mahāvibhāṣa Śāstra presents 'the process of the direct insight into the four truths' as follows:[9]
Darśana mārga (15 moments)(見道十五心)
- duḥkhe dharmajñānakṣānti(苦法智忍) - Receptivity to the dharma-knowledge with regard to unsatisfactoriness
- duḥkhe dharmajñāna(苦法智)- Dharma-knowledge with regard to unsatisfactoriness
- duḥkhe anvayajñānakṣānti(苦類智忍)- Receptivity to the dharma-knowledge with regard to unsatisfactoriness pertaining to the two upper spheres of existence
- duḥkhe anvayajñāna(苦類智)- Dharma-knowledge with regard to unsatisfactoriness pertaining to the two upper spheres of existence
- samudaye dharmajñānakṣānti(集法智忍)- Receptivity to the dharma-knowledge of the origin of unsatisfactoriness
- samudaye dharmajñāna(集法智)- Dharma-knowledge of the origin of unsatisfactoriness
- samudaye anvayajñānakṣānti(集類智忍)- Receptivity to the dharma-knowledge of the origin of unsatisfactoriness pertaining to the two upper spheres of existence
- samudaye anvayajñāna(集類智)- Dharma-knowledge of the origin of unsatisfactoriness pertaining to the two upper spheres of existence
- duḥkhanirodhe dharmajñānakṣānti(滅法智忍)Receptivity to the dharma-knowledge of the cessation of unsatisfactoriness
- duḥkhanirodhe dharmajñāna(滅法智) Dharma-knowledge of the cessation of unsatisfactoriness
- duḥkhanirodhe anvayajñānakṣānti(滅類智忍)Receptivity to the dharma-knowledge of the cessation of pertaining to the two upper spheres of existence unsatisfactoriness
- duḥkhanirodhe anvayajñāna(滅類智)dharma-knowledge of the cessation of unsatisfactoriness pertaining to the two upper spheres of existence
- duḥkhapratipakṣamārge dharmajñānakṣānti(道法智忍)- Receptivity dharma-knowledge of the path for the ending of unsatisfactoriness
- duḥkhapratipakṣamārge dharmajñāna(道法智)- Dharma-knowledge of the path for the ending of unsatisfactoriness
- duḥkhapratipakṣamārge anvayajñānakṣānti(道類智忍)- Receptivity dharma-knowledge of the path for the ending of unsatisfactoriness pertaining to the two upper spheres of existence
Bhāvanā-mārga (The 16th moment)(修道第十六心)
- duḥkhapratipakṣamārge anvayajñāna(道類智) - Dharma-knowledge of the path for the ending of unsatisfactoriness pertaining to the two upper spheres of existence
Abhidharma-kosa
The
Sarvastivadin abhidharma:[10]
- Saṃvṛti-jñāna (世俗智): worldly, conventional knowledge ('bears on all')
- Dharma-jñāna (法智): a knowledge of dharmas ("has for its object, the suffering etc. of Kamadhatu")
- Anvaya-jñāna (類智): inferential knowledge ("bears on suffering, etc. of the higher spheres")
- Duḥkha-jñāna (苦智): the knowledge of Suffering (1st Noble Truth)
- samudaya-jñāna (集智): the knowledge of Origin (2nd Noble Truth)
- nirodha-jñāna (滅智): the knowledge of Cessation or Extinction (3rd Noble Truth)
- mārga-jñāna (道智): the knowledge of the Path (4th Noble Truth)
- para-mano-jñāna (or para-citta- jñāna) (他心智): the knowledge of the mind of another (has for its sphere an independent object" one mental factor of another‘s mind)
- kṣaya-jñāna (盡智): the Knowledge of Destruction ("with regard to the truths, the certitude that they are known, abandoned, etc.")
- anutpāda-jñāna (無生智): the Knowledge of Non-Arising ("is the certitude that they [the truths] are no longer to be known, to be abandoned, etc.")
References
- ^ Mahasi Sayadaw, the Progress of insight
- ^ Analayo, The Dynamics of Theravāda Insight Meditation.
- ^ Analayo, The Dynamics of Theravāda Insight Meditation.
- ^ "The Sixteen Stages of Insight". Vipassanadhura meditation society. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
- ^ Mahasi Sayadaw, the Progress of insight
- ^ Mahasi Sayadaw, the Progress of insight
- ^ Mahasi Sayadaw, the Progress of insight
- ^ Analayo, The Dynamics of Theravāda Insight Meditation.
- ^ Chan, Yiu-wing. "An English translation of the Dharmatrta-Dhyna Sutra" (PDF).
- ^ "Abhidharmakosa Study Materials - Chapter 7: Jnana (Knowledges)" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-12-24.