https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/1313/what-is-the-meaning-of-dhamm%c4%81-in-the-context-of-the-four-satipa%e1%b9%ad%e1%b9%adh%c4%81na/34239#34239
Does anyone have a proper explanation as to why the fourth set is called "dhammas"?
Because the 4th category is not about dhamma (mental qualities or phenomena), it's ☸Dhamma-[teaching that leads directly to nirvana].
The standard Theravada interpretation of the cryptic formula in 4sp satipatthana, is that one focuses on one of the frames to the exclusion of the other 3. But that's not the real purpose. The real meaning, is that one should see "body as body [as it actually is]".http://notesonthedhamma.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-real-meaning-of-cryptic-formula-in.html
For ☸Dhamma, the meaning of seeing ☸Dhamma as ☸Dhamma as it actually is, is very similar in meaning to ☸Dhamma-anu-dhamma☸š {the practice of} dhamma/Dhamma that accords with {the Buddha's} ☸Dhamma. http://lucid24.org/tped/d/dhamma/index.html
EA, the MN 10 (satipatthana sutta) parallel in Chinese Agama, supports my interpretation
Or at the very least, has an idea much closer to mine, than to Theravada.It looks like they're interpretation is that you take any dhamma [thing, quality, phenomena], and put it through a thorough ☸Dhamma investigation, after attaining 4 jhanas via 7sb.
4sp #4: dhamma anupassasna
7sb are actively developed with STED 7sb formula, not passively examining presence and arising factors as in MN 10
「äŗä½ęÆ äøę³ę³ēøč§ęę¢?ę¼ęÆ,ęÆäøäæ®åæµč¦ŗę,ä¾ č§、ä¾ē”欲、ä¾ę»
ē”,ęØč«øę”ę³。äæ®ę³č¦ŗę、 修精é²č¦ŗę、修念覺ę、äæ®ē覺ę、äæ®äøę§ 覺ę、äæ®č·č¦ŗę,ä¾č§、ä¾ē”欲、ä¾ę»
ē”,ęØ č«øę”ę³。å¦ęÆ,ęÆäøę³ę³ēøč§ęę¢。
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“He cultivates the equanimity awakening factor supported by insight, supported by dispassion, and supported by cessation, discarding evil states. In this way a monk [in regard to] dharmas contemplates the characteristics of dharmas as a satipaį¹į¹hÄna. |
4 jhanas, are actively developed, as part of 4sp, not passively examined from outside as in DN 22
(1st jhÄna)
「復欔,ęÆ äø!Fù cƬ, bĒqiÅ«!
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“Further more, Bhikkhus! |
ę¼ę欲解č«,WÅ« Ć iyù jiÄtuÅ,
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free from craving for sensual pleasures, |
é¤ę”äø-åę³,ChĆŗ ĆØ bùshĆ n fĒ,
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removing evil (and) un-wholesome dhamma [qualities], |
ę覺、ęč§,YĒu juĆ©, yĒu guÄn,
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with coarse-thinking (and) with subtle-thinking, |
ęēåæµ,YĒu yÄ« niĆ n,
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with tranquility (and) mindfulness, |
ęØę¼å禪ččŖåØęØ。LĆØwÅ« chÅ« chĆ”n Ć©r zƬ yĆŗlĆØ.
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(he) delights in first JhÄna, and he experiences delight. |
(jhÄna is satipaį¹į¹hÄna refrain)
å¦ęÆ,RĆŗshƬ,
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In this way, |
ęÆäø ę³ BĒqiÅ« fĒ
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(a) Bhikkhu [in regard to] dhammas, |
ę³ēø fĒxiÄng
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(those) dhamma characteristics |
č§ęę¢。 GuÄn yƬ zhĒ.
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(he) contemplates (as a) satipaį¹į¹hÄna. |
(A note on vitakka and vicÄra)
Ven. AnÄlayo translated jue and guan as “directed awareness and sustained contemplation,” but that’s a translation based on an extrapolation of the literal reading of some archaic characters (in non-Buddhist Chinese contexts, they mean “realize” and “observe,” respectively). The Mahaprajnaparamita-sastra and the Yogacarabhumi (texts that are traditionally used as dictionaries), among others, explain that jue and guan should be understood as “coarse thinking” and “subtle thinking,” respectively.(2nd jhÄna)
「復欔,ęÆ äø!Fù cƬ, bĒqiÅ«!
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“Further more, Bhikkhus! |
ęØę覺、ęč§,ShÄ yĒu juĆ©, yĒu guÄn,
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discarding coarse-thinking (and) subtle-thinking, |
å
§ ē¼ę”å,NĆØi fÄ huÄnxĒ,
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Internally arousing joy |
å°å
¶äøę,ZhuÄn qĆ yÄ«yƬ,
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the mind being unified, |
ęē”覺、ē”č§,ChĆ©ng wĆŗ juĆ©, wĆŗ guÄn,
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achieved no coarse-thinking (and) no subtle-thinking, |
åæµē NiĆ n yÄ«
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mindful (and) tranquil, |
åå®, xĒ'Än,
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(with) joy (and) ease, |
éäŗē¦ŖččŖåØęØ。Yóu ĆØr chĆ”n Ć©r zƬ yĆŗlĆØ.
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(he) travels-to second JhÄna and he-himself (experiences) happy pleasure [sukha]. |
(jhÄna is satipaį¹į¹hÄna refrain)
å¦ęÆ,RĆŗshƬ,
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In this way, |
ęÆäø ę³ BĒqiÅ« fĒ
|
(a) Bhikkhu [in regard to] dhammas, |
ę³ēø fĒxiÄng
|
(those) dhamma characteristics |
č§ęę¢。 GuÄn yƬ zhĒ.
|
(he) contemplates (as a) satipaį¹į¹hÄna. |
(3rd jhÄna)
「復欔,ęÆ äø!Fù cƬ, bĒqiÅ«!
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“Further more, Bhikkhus! |
ęØę¼åæµ,ShÄ wÅ« niĆ n,
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discarding [joy] mindfully |
äæ®ę¼č·,xiÅ« wÅ« hù,
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(he) cultivates equanimity in this respect, |
ęčŖč¦ŗē„ 身覺ęØ,hĆ©ng zƬjuĆ© zhÄ« shÄn juĆ© lĆØ,
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constantly he experiences (and) knows (with his) body the-experience-of pleasure [sukha]. |
諸賢čęę±,zhÅ«xiĆ”n shĆØng suĒ qiĆŗ,
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as sought after by noble ones, |
č·åæµęø
ę·Ø,hù niĆ n qÄ«ngjƬng,
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equanimity (and) mindfulness, (are) pure-(and)-clean, |
č”ę¼äø 禪。xĆng wÅ« sÄn chĆ”n.
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(he) engages in third JhÄna. |
(jhÄna is satipaį¹į¹hÄna refrain)
å¦ęÆ,RĆŗshƬ,
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In this way, |
ęÆäø ę³ BĒqiÅ« fĒ
|
(a) Bhikkhu [in regard to] dhammas, |
ę³ēø fĒxiÄng
|
(those) dhamma characteristics |
č§ęę¢。 GuÄn yƬ zhĒ.
|
(he) contemplates (as a) satipaį¹į¹hÄna. |
(4th jhÄna)
「復欔,ęÆ äø!Fù cƬ, bĒqiÅ«!
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“Further more, Bhikkhus! |
ęØ č¦ęØåæ,ShÄ kĒ lĆØ xÄ«n,
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discarding pain [dukkha] (and) pleasure [sukha] (of) heart/mind, |
ē”復ęå,wĆŗ fù yÅu xĒ,
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without sadness (and) joy, |
ē”č¦ē”ęØ,wĆŗ kĒ wĆŗ lĆØ,
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without pain [dukkha] (and) without pleasure [sukha], |
č·åæµęø
ę·Ø,hù niĆ n qÄ«ngjƬng,
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equanimity (and) mindfulness, (are) pure-(and)-clean, |
ęØ ę¼å禪。lĆØwÅ« sƬ chĆ”n.
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(He) delights in fourth JhÄna. |
(jhÄna is satipaį¹į¹hÄna refrain)
å¦ęÆ,RĆŗshƬ,
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In this way, |
ęÆäø ę³ BĒqiÅ« fĒ
|
(a) Bhikkhu [in regard to] dhammas, |
ę³ēø fĒxiÄng
|
(those) dhamma characteristics |
č§ęę¢。 GuÄn yƬ zhĒ.
|
(he) contemplates (as a) satipaį¹į¹hÄna. |
(arising, ceasing, pari-mukhaį¹ refrain)
å½¼č”ēæ ę³,BĒ xĆng xĆ fĒ,
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“he practices the venue to [its] origination, |
č”ē”ę³,XĆng jĒn fĒ,
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he practices the venue to [its] cessation, |
å¹¶č”ēæē”ä¹ę³ BƬngxĆng xĆ jĒn zhÄ« fĒ
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and he practices the venue to both [its] origination and cessation.” |
ččŖåØęØ, Ć©r zƬ yĆŗlĆØ,
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experiencing joy in himself [by removing evil thoughts and being free from worry and sorrow]. |
便 å¾ę³ęę¢ BiĆ n dĆ©fĒ yƬ zhĒ
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He gains the satipaį¹į¹hÄna of dharmas |
čē¾åØå。 Ć©r xiĆ nzĆ i qiĆ”n. (pari-mukha)
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and keeps it present in front [of himself]. |
(A note on pari-mukha)
Visuddhimagga apologists often explain the parimukha-instruction as “bringing attentional focus” to one’s nose-tip. But Chinese passages where that instruction occur actually are virtually identical to what you find here in EA. Here in EA, the expression clearly means something to the effect of “keeping it present,” as a nose-tip focus would not be a sensible starting point for dharma-based satipatthana. If it means “keeping it present” here, why would it mean “fixing on nose-tip” elsewhere?(EA 12.1 translation notes for STED 4 jhÄnas and 4sp)
č· is equanimity. This is peculiar to this EA recension.(Not in the PÄli! Taking dhamma anupassana all the way to Nirvana)
åÆē„åÆč¦,é¤å»äŗę³, ē”ęä¾ē,äøčµ·äøéę³;å·²äøčµ·ę³,ä¾æē” ēę;å·²ē”ēę,ēę»ä¾æē”;梵č”å·²ē«,ęä½ å·²č¾¦,ę“äøå¾©åę,å¦åƦē„ä¹。
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“He is able to know, able to see, discarding distracted perceptions, he does not depend on anything and does not give rise to worldly perceptions. Not having given rise to such perceptions he is not agitated, not being agitated he knows as it really is that ‘birth and death have been extinguished, the holy life has been established, what had to be done has been done, there is no more experiencing of [another] existence.’ |
Response to Questions and Commenters
on the interpretation of analyzing dhamma-phenomena through Dhamma-teaching framework
my response to one of the comments below: in DN 22 though, the 4 noble truths and noble eightfold path description under Dhammaanupassana are just cut and paste jobs from other fundamental suttas defining what those factors are. Unlike the EA parallel where Dhamma anupassana is described where you're activing USING a Dhamma-teaching framework to analyze the phenomena. DN 22 maybe implies that, but the Theravada model is so massive and convoluted you can't tell for sure. In EA, for sure that's what they're doing. The problem is if you take DN 22 as viewing dhamma-phenomena viewed through Dhamma-teaching framework, then how do you approach the other 3 satipatthana where that wouldn't work? It doesn't say kaya-Dhamma-anupassi, vedana-dhamma-anupassa, etc...
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