The Buddhist Path to Enlightenment (study)
by Dr Kala Acharya | 2016 | 118,883 words
This page relates 鈥楴ibbana in Pali Commentarial Texts鈥� of the study on the Buddhist path to enlightenment. The Buddha was born in the Lumbini grove near the present-day border of India and Nepal in the 6th century B.C. He had achieved enlightenment at the age of thirty鈥揻ive under the 鈥楤odhi-tree鈥� at Buddha-Gaya. This study investigates the teachings after his Enlightenment which the Buddha decided to teach 鈥榦ut of compassion for beings鈥�.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
6.2. 狈颈产产腻苍补 in 笔腻濒颈 Commentarial Texts
As has been mentioned with canonical interpretations of 苍颈产产腻苍补, the meaning of 苍颈产产腻苍补 of 苍颈产产腻苍补 is understood with reference to what it means to the audience. 笔腻濒颈 commentators believe that the canonical interpretations are clear enough to understand that 苍颈产产腻苍补 is. All Buddha鈥檚 teachings are vey much based on theoretical application for their practical foundation. However, it is pointed out that it is definitely not sufficient to realize the true essence of 苍颈产产腻苍补 unless one has a practice approach. In fact, one is supposed to learn theory first, and then one must apply theories to the practice for the sake mental development. In this way, one can understand the significant of 苍颈产产腻苍补.
笔腻濒颈 commentators made an important statement about realizing the nature of 苍颈产产腻苍补. One must have a proper approach in practice in order to understand the canonical interpretation of 苍颈产产腻苍补. They strongly affirm in their statements that without the practice of meditation, it is impossible to realize the true nature of 苍颈产产腻苍补 or the experience of enlightenment. To confirm their position, the commentator, Ven. Anuruddha attempted to state his view with logical and practical sense in the 础产丑颈诲丑补尘尘补迟迟丑补蝉补峁単补丑补.
The statement is as follows:
狈颈产产腻苍补峁� pana lokuttarasa峁卥h膩ta峁� catumagga帽a峁噀na 蝉补肠肠丑颈办腻迟补产产补峁� magga-辫丑补濒腻苍补峁� 膩ramma峁嘺bh奴ta峁� v膩nasankh膩t膩ya 迟补峁噃腻ya nikkhantatt膩 苍颈产产腻苍补nti pavuccati.[1]
狈颈产产腻苍补 is termed supramundane, and is to be realized by the knowledge of the four paths.[2] It becomes an object to the paths and fruits, and it called 苍颈产产腻苍补 because it is a departure from craving, which is an entanglement.[3]
Based on the aforementioned statement, one can realize the nature of 苍颈产产腻苍补 through lokuttaracitta (supramundane consciousness). One can attain 苍颈产产腻苍补 through lokuttaramagga (noble path or the transcendental state of the path). Who can realize nature of 苍颈产产腻苍补? According to 罢丑别谤补惫腻诲补 Buddhism, only enlightened beings can truly realize 苍颈产产腻苍补. In this canonical context, it is understood that the property of 苍颈产产腻苍补 belongs to only enlightened beings.
Ven. Buddhagosa was the well-know commentator who lived in the fifth century A.D. His most prominent work is the Visuddhimagga, and 笔腻濒颈canonical commentaries. He was able to summarize the 罢颈辫颈峁璦办补 by combining ancient commentaries and making a new commentary, as an epitome. Since there is so much confusion in Buddhist doctrines concerning the concept of 苍颈产产腻苍补, he attempted to read just the aforementioned interpretations. First, he analyzed the meaning of 苍颈产产腻苍补 through practice and then clarified what 苍颈产产腻苍补 meant to him. The most significant point of his work is clear and concise. He had the ability to make a clear outline for all the teachings of the Buddha. The outline is: in order to attain 苍颈产产腻苍补 or enlightenment, one must fulfill the three training exercises, 蝉墨濒补 (morality or virtue), 蝉补尘腻诲丑颈 (concentration) and 辫补帽帽腻 (wisdom). This is the essential requirement for everyone who really wants to attain insight wisdom or enlightenment. However, he did not ignore the necessary prerequisite requirements, such as 辫腻谤补尘墨 (perfections) and 蝉补诲诲丑腻 (faith) and 补诲丑颈峁弓丑腻苍补 (resolution in the Dhamma practice).
His affirmation is as follows:
Apica 苍颈产产腻苍补峁� natth墨ti na 惫补迟迟补产产补峁�. 碍补蝉尘腻? 笔补峁璱辫补迟迟颈 惫补帽箩丑产丑腻惫腻辫补箩箩补苍补迟辞. Asati hi nibb膩ne 蝉补尘尘腻di峁弓hipurejav膩ya s墨l膩dikhandhattayasa峁単ah膩ya 蝉补尘尘腻-pa峁璱pattiy膩 va帽jhabh膩vo 腻辫补箩箩补迟颈 na 肠腻测补峁� 惫补帽箩丑腻 苍颈产产腻苍补p膩pa-natoti.[4]
Again, it should not be said that 苍颈产产腻苍补 does not exist. Why not? Because it then follows that the way would be futile. For if 苍颈产产腻苍补 were non-existence, then it would follow that the right way, which includes the three aggregates beginning with virtue and headed by right understand, would be futile. And it is not futile because it does reach 苍颈产产腻苍补.[5]
In the Visuddhimagga, Ven. Buddhaghosa precisely analyzed the interpretation of 苍颈产产腻苍补 and remarked that same people misunderstand the concept of 苍颈产产腻苍补 as a hare鈥檚 horn (蝉补蝉补惫颈蝉腻峁嘺) which does not really exist. He strongly rejected the concept of the non-existence of 苍颈产产腻苍补, because it is apprehendable by the way of virtue (蝉墨濒补), concentration (蝉补尘腻诲丑颈) and wisdom (辫补帽帽腻). He attempts to readjust some former interpretations in order to get a better understanding. For instant, he deals with the Ven. 厂腻谤颈辫耻迟迟补鈥� s interpretation of 苍颈产产腻苍补, which stated that 苍颈产产腻苍补 means 谤腻驳补办办丑补测补 (extinction of craving or destruction of lust).
The statement reads as follows:
鈥�Yo kho 腻惫耻蝉辞 r膩gakkhayoti 膩divacanato khayo 苍颈产产腻苍补nti ce. Naarahattass膩pi khayamatt膩pajjanato. Tampi hi yo kho 腻惫耻蝉辞 r膩gakkhayo to 膩din膩 nayena 苍颈诲诲颈峁弓丑补峁�.[6]
But is not 苍颈产产腻苍补 destruction, because of the passage beginning 鈥淭hat, friend, which is the destruction of greed鈥� (of hate 鈥� of delusion...is 苍颈产产腻苍补)鈥� That is not so, because it would follow that Arahantship also was mere destruction. For that too is described in the same way beginning 鈥淭hat, friend, which is the destructionof greed鈥f hate 鈥� of delusion 鈥� is Arahantship鈥�.[7]
Regarding the issue of destruction, he refers back to the original word 谤腻驳补办办丑补测补, which means destruction. Ven. Buddhaghosa argues that khaya (destruction) does not refer to 苍颈产产腻苍补, but the aggregates of the Arahants in 笔腻濒颈, that is, enlightened beings. Enlightened beings destroy all defilements that have the kammic power to generate new existences. He attempts to elucidate a clear statement, providing the words of the Buddha as support. 鈥淏ecause it is the word of the Omniscient One, 苍颈产产腻苍补 is not non-existent as regards individual essence in the ultimate sense; for this said: 鈥楳onks, there is an unborn, an unbecome, an unmade, and an unformed鈥�.[8]
The conclusion of his interpretation is: 鈥淥nly this 苍颈产产腻苍补 is permanent (precisely because it is uncreated); and it is immaterial because it transcends the individual essence of matter. The Buddha鈥檚 goal is one and has no plurality.鈥�[9] However, in this context of the interpretation of 苍颈产产腻苍补, the presumably contemporary commentator Arahant Upatissa briefly commented on 苍颈产产腻苍补 in his own way in the Vimuttimagga (The Path of Freedom). His emphasis is on 鈥渢he utter fading away and cessation of the very craving, leaving it, giving it up, the being delivered from, and the doing away with it. Thus should be known the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Ill.[10] For him, the state of not coming to birth, not perishing in nature, and realizing the Third Noble Truth, i.e., the cessation of suffering or the ending of ill, is called 苍颈产产腻苍补. To sum up the statement, the interpretation of 苍颈产产腻苍补 by the commentator is clear and concise. One can know the interpretation of 苍颈产产腻苍补 from different perspectives. These perspectives tell us that 苍颈产产腻苍补 is nothing but freedom from 办补尘尘补惫颈辫腻办补 (the resultants of past and present kamma) and the bondage of 蝉补峁僺腻谤补 (the cycle of birth and death or existences) generated by 迟补峁噃腻 (craving) or loba (attachment) and ignorance (补惫颈箩箩腻). Thus, the significance of liberation can be understood in many ways.
What is 狈颈产产腻苍补? Indeed, to respond to such a simple question, one would have to write volumes of books in reply. Since concept of 苍颈产产腻苍补 is philosophically critical and theoretically argumentative, no one can write a reasonable answer to that simple question. Possibly, the more one explains, the more people will be confused. Walpola Rahula, author of 鈥�What the Buddha Taught鈥� shares his view of that issue. 鈥淭he only reasonable reply to give to the question is that it can never be answered completely and satisfactorily in words, because human language is too poor to express the real nature of the Absolute Truth or Ultimate Reality which is 苍颈产产腻苍补. Language is created and used by masses of human beings to express things and ideas experienced by their sense organs and their mind. A supramundane experience like that of the Absolute Truth is not of such a category. Therefore there cannot be words to express that experience, just as the fish had no words in his vocabulary to express the nature of the solid land. The tortoise told his friend the fish that he (the tortoise) just returned to the lake after a walk on the land. 鈥極f course鈥� the fish said, 鈥榊ou mean swimming.鈥� The tortoise tried to explain that one couldn鈥檛 swim on the land that it was solid, and that one walked on it. But the fish insisted that there could be nothing like it, that is must be liquid like his lake, with waves, and that one must be able to dive and dive and swim there.
Words are symbols representing things and ideas known to us; and these symbols do not and cannot convey the true nature of even ordinary things. Language is considered deceptive and misleading in the matter of understand of the truth.鈥�[11]
Therefore, before analyzing what 苍颈产产腻苍补 is, one should know what the character (濒补办办丑补峁嘺) of 苍颈产产腻苍补 is, and what its function (rasa) and its manifestation (辫补肠肠耻辫补峁弓丑腻苍补) are in order to understand more clearly the state of 苍颈产产腻苍补.
In the Buddhist text named 厂补尘尘辞丑补惫颈苍辞诲补苍墨 补峁弓丑补办补迟丑腻, commentary of 痴颈产丑补峁単补 笔腻濒颈, the character of 苍颈产产腻苍补 has been described: santilakkhana峁儾跃辈宀圆贯箖鈥揳bsolute peace is the character of 苍颈产产腻苍补.[12] Santi (peace) here means ultimate tranquility which is free from ten kinds of defilements (kilesa),[13] and free from the eleven types of fires (aggi).[14] That is to say that worldling (puthujjana) has desires and rejoices in the inner and outer sense-bases and cleaves to them. Consequently, the stream of defilements carries away all these ordinary beings; they are utterly enslaved by birth, death, pain and despair. On the country, the noble disciples (ariya) do not rejoice in the inner and outer sense-bases and do not cleave to them or are not attached to them. Thus, they are counted as beings free from desire, illusion and craving from worldly pleasure and are at peace. Regarding cessation of desire, Ven. 狈腻驳补蝉别苍补 addressed the subject in the following way:
From him (them), not rejoicing in them (the inner and outer sense bases), not approving of them or cleaving to them, craving ceases; from the cessation of craving is the cessation of clinging; from the cessation of clinging is the cessation of becoming; from the cessation of becoming is the cessation of birth; from the cessation of birth, old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair cease. Thus is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering. In this way, sire, cessation is 苍颈产产腻苍补.[15]
Referring to the above statement, it is understood that cessation does not mean absolute cessation for everything, but cessation of defilements that cause one to be in the round of rebirth and death. It is said that there is no longer rebirth so there is no death. Thus 苍颈产产腻苍补 is described as 鈥�santi濒补办办丑补峁嘺鈥� (the ultimate peace). In this regard, it is theoretically clear that the original massage of 苍颈产产腻苍补 has nothing to do with the concept of nothingness or absolute cessation. It is absolute peace and ultimate truth brought about by the ceasing of all the fires of the defilements and the ceasing of all kinds of suffering. For this reason, the meaning of 苍颈产产腻苍补 is not annihilation.
The function of 苍颈产产腻苍补 is described in 痴颈产丑补峁単补 补峁弓丑补办补迟丑腻 as 补肠肠耻迟颈谤补蝉补峁� (the state of deathlessness or everlasting peace). This means that since the enlightened beings have entered the state of absolute peace, they will definitely on longer return to the existence of 蝉补峁僺腻谤补 (cycle of rebirth). And it is understood that proclaiming the state of absolute peace has nothing to do with the cultural process of the three sub-moments: arising (耻辫辫腻诲补), presence (峁环颈迟颈) and dissolution (产丑补峁単补). In the state of 苍颈产产腻苍补, the nature of absolute peace involves no dissolution. Therefore, it is necessary to differentiate between absolute peace (苍颈产产腻苍补) and externalism (supreme soul) in this context. The concept of eternalism is directly related to the concept of soul theory. According to that theory the soul is eternal and everlasting and that soul is linked in union with God or Brahma. As a matter of fact, soul theory deals with a universal God and Brahma; however, Buddhists affirm that 苍颈产产腻苍补 has nothing to do with such a concept of the eternal soul or an eternal God and Brahma.
The manifestation of 苍颈产产腻苍补 is animitta辫补肠肠耻辫补峁弓丑腻苍补 (signlessness by way of manifestation). This means that it consists of no signs, no size, no shape, no formation and no dissolution in the realization of enlightened beings. The nature of 苍颈产产腻苍补 has arisen from the nature of 蝉补峁卥丑腻谤补 (mental formations) and 蝉补峁卥丑补迟补 (conditional existence); however, there is no sign, no size, and no shape in the state of absolute 苍颈产产腻苍补.[16] Moreover, there is no similar thing that can be compared to the nature of 苍颈产产腻苍补. 鈥淚t is not possible by smile or argument or cause or method to point out the shape or configuration or age or size of 苍颈产产腻苍补.[17] In terms of this 苍颈产产腻苍补, the Budha precisely addressed a statement to help the followers know what it is.
The statement is as follows.
痴颈帽帽腻峁嘺峁� 补苍颈诲补蝉蝉补苍补峁�, 补苍补苍迟补峁� 蝉补产产补迟辞辫补产丑补峁�.
Ettha 膩po ca 辫补迟丑补惫墨, tejo 惫腻测辞 na gadhati.
Ettha d墨gha帽ca rassa帽c膩, a峁噓峁� 迟丑奴濒补峁� 蝉耻产丑腻蝉耻产丑补峁�.
Ettha n膩ma帽ca r奴pa帽ca, 补蝉别蝉补峁� uparujjhati.
Va帽帽膩峁嘺ssa nirodhena, ettha ta峁� uparujjhati.[18]Where consciousness is signless, boundless, all-luminous.
That鈥檚 where earth, water, fire and air find no footing,
There both long and short, small and great, fair and foul,
There 鈥渘ame and form鈥� are wholly destroyed.
With the cessation of consciousness that is all destroyed.137
In fact, since the nature of[19] 苍颈产产腻苍补 is so proud and abyssal, it is impossible for worldlings to see it or realize it. This is so, because one has not attained the path and fruition knowledge through meditation. It is not because 苍颈产产腻苍补 does not really exist. Let us look at an example; for instance, a blind man finds it impossible to see the sun and the moon. In this regard, we cannot say that the blind man cannot see them, because the sun and the moon do not truly exist. Indeed, they truly exist, but the man unfortunately lacks the power of vision to see them. Similarly, worldlings (puthujjhanas) do not see the ultimate truth of 苍颈产产腻苍补 due to the lack of supramundane wisdom.
For this reason, the Buddhist text, named Abhidhammattha-蝉补峁単补丑补, precisely states:
狈颈产产腻苍补峁� pana lokuttara蝉补峁卥丑补迟补峁僣atumagg膩帽膩峁噀nasacchi-办腻迟补产产补峁�
(苍颈产产腻苍补 is termed supramundane and is to be realized by the knowledge of the four paths).[20]
According to 罢丑别谤补惫腻诲补 Buddhist tradition, the transcendental state of 苍颈产产腻苍补 can be everywhere. However, it is excluded from the thirty-one planes of existence. It is said that it exists in any direction for enlightened individuals after their death.[21] This is a critical point about the state of 苍颈产产腻苍补, because it does not exist as a pre-exist quality in each individual enlightened being, but 苍颈产产腻苍补 comes to exist only after enlightened beings enter the state of 苍颈产产腻苍补 after death. And the state of 苍颈产产腻苍补 is different from the state of the thirtyone planes of existences that already exist before one comes to exist. In reality, 苍颈产产腻苍补 has not existed beforehand. This means that 苍颈产产腻苍补 has not occurred before enlightened beings attain enlightenment. 狈颈产产腻苍补 does not exist as an empirical state, but as a transcendental state.[22] Therefore, according to the 罢丑别谤补惫腻诲补 Buddhist view, it is difficult to point out the specific place of 苍颈产产腻苍补 as here and there. It is only possible to say that 苍颈产产腻苍补 can be everywhere for the enlightened beings after their death.
To clarify the above 笔腻濒颈 statement, its commentary (笔补谤颈惫腻谤补 补峁弓丑补办补迟丑腻) states: Sucirampi 峁环补迟惫腻 pana 苍颈产产腻苍补峁� arahato gati kh墨峁嚹乻avassa arahato 补苍耻辫腻诲颈蝉别蝉补-苍颈产产腻苍补dh膩tu 别办补峁僺别苍补 gat墨ta attho鈥揵别肠补耻蝉别 苍颈产产腻苍补 eternally exists as the transcendental state, it is confirmed as a transcendental place or deathless place for former enlightened beings, and it is also considered to be the transcendental element with the full extinction of existence (补苍耻辫腻诲颈蝉别蝉补苍颈产产腻苍补dh膩tu).[23] The transcendental place here means the place where danger and death no longer exist and a place that is not subject to the conditioned circumstances (蝉补峁卥丑补迟补) for all beings.
According to the perspective of Shwe Kyin Sayardaw, since those former enlightened beings exist in the state of 苍颈产产腻苍补, the element of 苍颈产产腻苍补 (苍颈产产腻苍补dh膩tu), goes beyond the categories of humans (manussa), celestial beings (deva), and heavenly beings (brahma). This is because they are no longer under the category of conventional humans, celestial beings, and heavenly beings. And they are also on longer counted as beings, since they are no more counted under the categories of signs or forms of empirical beings. Yet the existence of 苍颈产产腻苍补 is not considered to be emptiness (tuccha) and nothingness (补产丑腻惫补), although their physical and mental phenomena absolute cease.[24] In this context, 罢丑别谤补惫腻诲补 Buddhism does not mention the view of the Buddha field where the Buddhas and enlightened beings always live.
However, King Milinda was keen to know where was the Buddha, after his Mah膩pari苍颈产产腻苍补 (great emancipation). Therefore, he asked 狈腻驳补蝉别苍补, 鈥淚s there the Buddha?鈥� 鈥淵es, sire, there is the Buddha.鈥� 狈腻驳补蝉别苍补 replied. 鈥淚f you say no, is it possible to point out the Buddha and say that he is either here or there?鈥�[25] To his question, 狈腻驳补蝉别苍补 responded as follows:
Sire, the Blessed One (the Buddha) has attained final 苍颈产产腻苍补 in the element of 苍颈产产腻苍补 that has substrata remaining for future birth. It is not possible to point out to the Blessed One and say that he is either here or there. What do you think about this, sire? When the flame of great mass of fire has gone out, is it possible to point to that flame and say that it is either here or there?鈥� (Indeed) it is not possible to point to the Blessed One who has come to end and say that he is either here or there. But, sire, it is possible to point to the Blessed One by means of the body of the Dhamma,[26] for Dhamma, sire, was taught by the Blessed One.[27]
The issue of the Buddha who entered Mah膩pari苍颈产产腻苍补 (the great emancipation) is critical for Buddhism. Where is the Buddha after his death? It is practically said that he is nowhere as a being or an individual, but it is philosophically said that he is somewhere as an absolute peace. However, 罢丑别谤补惫腻诲颈苍蝉 do not hold that the Buddhas reside in the Buddha realm after their final 苍颈产产腻苍补, representing the essence of Buddha or true body (诲丑补谤尘补办腻测补), but they emphasize it in a different way. This means the mere essence of the Dhamma. Moreover, 苍颈产产腻苍补 has been described as 顿丑补尘尘腻诲丑腻迟耻 (the element of dhamma) that can exist everywhere or in every direction. But 罢丑别谤补惫腻诲颈苍蝉 refuse to say that the true body of the Buddhas (顿丑补尘尘补办腻测补) exists in the thirty-one planes of existences.[28]
There are four 狈颈产产腻苍补patisamyutta sutta of 鲍诲腻苍补 笔腻濒颈 which describes what 苍颈产产腻苍补 is. They are very important description dealing with 苍颈产产腻苍补.
1. 狈颈产产腻苍补patisa峁儁utta sutta: There is, monks, that sphere wherein there is neither earth nor water nor fire nor air; there is neither sphere of infinite consciousness nor of nothingness nor of the sphere of neither-perception-nor non-perception; where is neither this world nor the world beyond nor both together, nor moon, nor sun; this I say is free from coming and going, from duration and decay; there is no beginning nor establishment, no result, no cause; this indeed is the end of suffering.[29]
2. 狈颈产产腻苍补patisa峁儁utta sutta: 鈥淣on-substantiality is indeed difficult to see. Truth certainly is not easily perceived. Craving is penetrated. Nothing of them exists for him who knows and sees (the four noble truths)鈥�.[30]
3. 狈颈产产腻苍补patisa峁儁utta sutta: 鈥淭here is, monks, a not-born, notbecome, not-made, not-compounded were not, no escape from the born, become, made, compounded would be known here.
But, monks, since there is a not-born, not-become, not-made, notcompounded, therefore an escape from the born, become, made, compounded is known鈥�.[31]
4. 狈颈产产腻苍补patisa峁儁utta sutta: 鈥淔or him who is attached, there is vacillation; for him who is not attached, there is no vacillation, there is calm, when there is calm, there is no delight; when there is no delight, there is no coming and going; when there is no coming and going, there is no disappearance and appearance, when there is no disappearance and appearance there is nothing here nor there between them; this indeed is the end of suffering鈥�.[32]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Abhidhamma峁弓ha蝉补峁単补丑补 笔腻濒颈, p. 113
[2]:
In the 础产丑颈诲丑补尘尘补迟迟丑补蝉补峁単补丑补 笔腻濒颈, and the Abhidhamma texts, there are the knowledges of the four supramumdane paths. They are: (1) the realizing of the path of stream of winning (sotapattimagga), (2) the realizing of the path of once-return (sakad膩gamimagga), (3), the realizing of the path of non-return (an膩gamimagga), and (4) the realizing of the path of holiness (arahattamagga). See Nyanatiloka thera, Buddhist Dictionary: Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines, Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka, 1988. p. 20
[3]:
Ac-Ab, p. 258.
[4]:
Vism II, p. 139.
[5]:
The Path of Purification, 脩膩峁嘺moli, p. 514-515
[6]:
Vism II, p. 139-140
[7]:
Vism, p. 515
[8]:
Vism, p. 517
[9]:
Ibid, p. 516
[11]:
What the Buddha Taught, Walpola Rahula, p. 35-36
[12]:
Vibh-A, p. 79.
[13]:
BD, p. 86-87
[14]:
SA, p. 85
[15]:
The Questions of King Milinda: An Abridgement of th Milindapanha, p. 57.
[16]:
The Questions of King Milinda: An Abridgement of th Milindapanh膩, p. 48.
[17]:
The Questions of King Milinda: An Abridgement of th Milindapanh膩, p. 130-1.
[18]:
DN I, p. 213
[19]:
Long Discourses of the Buddha, p. 179-180
[20]:
Ac-Ab p. 258
[22]:
Gambh墨r膩gambh墨ra mah膩nibbh奴ta 诲墨辫补苍墨, p. 55
[23]:
Vin-A V, p. 163
[24]:
Gambh墨r膩gambh墨ra mah膩nibbh奴ta 诲墨辫补苍墨, p. 48-55
[25]:
QM, p. 60-61
[26]:
The body of the Dhamma here does not mean that it is the essence of the Buddha鈥檚 body, but it directly refers to the essence of dhamma (nature of a thing or quality). Thus, Ven. Nagasena emphasized his statement with the word 鈥渇or Dhamma鈥�.
[27]:
QM, p. 60.
[28]:
Gambh墨r膩gambh墨ra mah膩nibbh奴ta 诲墨辫补苍墨, p. 144
[29]:
Ud, p. 177
[30]:
Ibid
[31]:
Ud, p. 177
[32]:
ibid