6.8. How to Attain Nibbāna

As follow the middle path one who wants to attain nibbāna must purifies his morality (sīla). Then he must cultivate mental concentration on a meditation object. When his concentration is strong enough, he must work on the object of mind and matter. Then mind-and-matter comes into manifestation within him. He sees no ‘I’ nor ‘you’, but sees mind and matter alone. His knowledge goes beyond the conception of ‘being’. At that time he attained ‘the analytical knowledge of mind and matter’ (nāmarūpapariccheda ñāṇa).

When he has attained this knowledge, his view becomes purified. It is said in Visudddhimagga:

‘Nāmarūpānaṃ yāthāvadassanaṃ diṭṭhivisuddhi nāma’—

purification of view is the correct seeing of mentality and materiality.^[1]

Then he contemplates the cause of mind and matter. He realizes that nothing arises without cause. He attains the knowledge of causality (paccaya pariggaha ñāṇa). When he attains the knowledge of causality, he overcomes doubt. That is a state of purification by overcoming doubt (kaṅkhāvitaraṇavisuddhi). The person, who is endowed with such a knowledge and purification, is called ‘cūḷasotā-panna’–“lesser stream-enterer”. He has found comfort in the Buddha’s dispensation, he has found a foothold, he is certain of his destiny.^[2]

Then he starts his vipassanā meditation with the comprehension by groups (kalāpasammasana). He contemplates the dhammas which are amenable to comprehension (sammasanūpaga). Ven. Buddhaghosa gives here a guideline thus; “And as regards those dhammas that are amenable to comprehension a beginning should be made by comprehending those among them that are obvious to and easily discernible by the individual meditator”.^[3]

He increases his insight knowledge by contemplating conditioned things to be with the characteristic of anicca etc, he becomes perfect in the knowledge of contemplation (sammasanañāṇa).

Then he increases his insight knowledge to understand the changing of present phenomena. He attains the contemplation of rise and fall (udayabbhayañāṇa). When the contemplation of rise and fall becomes strong enough, he overcomes the defilements of vipassanā (vipassanupakkilesa). He can understand what the path is and what not the path is. Such a state is to be called ‘the purification by knowledge and vision of what is the path and what is not the path (maggāmagga ñāṇadassana visuddhi).^[4]

Then he continuously practices vipassanā meditation and his insight knowledge that gradually rise becomes stronger and stronger. He attains the following knowledge:

The knowledge of contemplation dissolution (bhaṅgañāṇa) The knowledge of appearance as terror (bhayañāṇa)

The knowledge of contemplation of danger (ādinavañāṇa)

The knowledge of contemplation of dispassion (nibbidāñāṇa) The knowledge of contemplation of reflection (paṭisaṅkhāñāṇa)

The knowledge of equanimity about formations (saṅkhārupekkhā-ñaṇa).^[5]

When he has attained these insight knowledges, he is in the state of the purification by knowledge and vision of the way (paṭipadāñāṇadassaṇa visuddhi). Then he increases his concentration and knowledge. He works on and on contemplating the characteristics of mind and matter. His insight knowledge becomes strong enough and becomes well-developed.

When he thus practices contemplation, owing to the ripening of insight, the three or two moments of vipassanā consciousness by the name of preliminary, proximate and adaptation, having for their object any of the characteristics such as impermanence etc, occur just after the mind-door consciousness has arisen following the ceased bhavaṅga at the very moment very close to appanā. Thereafter the gotrabū consciousness, having nibbāna as its object, occurs, overcoming the lineage of the wordings and evolving the lineage of the ariyas.

Immediately after that consciousness, the path of the streamwinner (sotāpattimagga), realizing the truth of suffering, eradicating the truth of the cause of suffering, attaining the truth of cessation of suffering enters the course of appanā. After that two or three moments of fruit-consciousness arise and subside into bhavaṅga. Then, arresting the knowledge of reflection occurs. This is how to attain the nibbāna state. In this way one attains nibbāna through the second path, the third path and finally the fourth path. After having finally attained nibbāna he will exist no more in saṃsāra.^[6]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Vism II, p. 222

[2]:

Vism II, p. 240

[3]:

Ibid. p. 244

[4]:

Vsm, p. 274

[5]:

Vism, p. 276

[6]:

Abhs, p. 160-161