Samyutta Nikaya: Maggasamyutta

 

1: This presents the eightfold division as being of a chain, or causative nature. Probably at the supramundane level it can be thought that they all arise together.

 

2: The Buddha as the ultimate kalyanamittata.

 

3: In #2 Ananda wasn’t aware that the good friend is the whole of the holy life, but here it’s Sariputta and he is thus aware.

 

4: Sangharakshita has pointed out numerous instances of martial imagery in the Buddha’s teachings—here’s another. Both Ananda and the Buddha were from the khattiya caste, thus warrio imagery would be quite natural for them both to use.

 

5: Note that here we say the full understanding of suffering—which can then lead to its cessation.

 

8: A solid basic teaching on the Eightfold Path. Some observations:

 

a. Right View is solidly equated with the Four Noble Truths.

b. Right mindfulness is vipassana.

c. Right concentration is jhana practice.

 

10: Unambiguous: the final goal of the Eightfold Path is nirvana.

 

11: I noticed here that feeling is seen to arise from views—i.e., wrong view, right view…concentration, as well as desire, thought, and feeling.

 

This is interesting given that in the nidanas it is said that feeling arises with contact as condition.

 

So is this a contradiction? Only if you think of the nidanas as being all of dependent origination, rather than only one elucidation of the general theory. In other words, it isn’t “simple” in the arising.

 

The Vism (519) uses this sutra to argue that dependent origination isn’t simple, but a structure of conditions:

 

“Anyone who asserts that dependent origination is of that kind [simple] involves himself in conflit with the Padesavihara Sutta. How? The Newly Enlightened One’s abiding (vihara) is the bringing of the dependent origination to mind, because of these words of the Blessed One’s: ‘Then in the first watch of the night the Blessed One brought to mind the dependent origination in direct and reverse order [as origination and cessation] (Vin. i, 1; Ud. 2). Now ‘padesavihara’ is the abiding (vihara) in one part (desa) of that, according as it is said, ‘Bhikkhus, I abode in a part of the abiding in which I abode when I was newly enlightened.’ (S. v, 12; Ps. i, 107) And there he abode in the vision of the structure of conditions, not in the vision of simple arising, according as it is said, ‘So I understood feeling with wrong view as its condition, and feeling with right view as its condition…’ (S. v, 12) all of which should be quoted in full.”

 

So what I’m gatherin here is that single (simple) conditionality is not the teaching: feelings arise from a multiplicity of conditions. Furthermore, the absence of some conditions can be in and of itself a condition—“When desire…thought…perception has not subsided, there is feeling with that as condition…when desire…thought….perception has subsided, there is feeling with that as condition.”

 

12: Carries this onward. The ‘subsiding of wrong view’ is just as much a condition as is the ‘subsiding of wrong view.’

 

This seems to be slamming ever door that leads to annihilationism—you just can’t wind up with nil conditionality. You also can’t wind up with anything that isn’t conditionality. You also can’t wind up with some kind of eternalist view.

 

The difficulties of the Kaccana Sutta are ameliorated through this. “This world, Kaccana, for the most part depends upon a duality—upon the notion of existence and the notion of nonexistence. But for one who sees the origin of the world as it really is with correct wisdom, there is no notion of nonexistence in regard to the world. And for one who sees the cessation of the world as it really is with correct wisdom, there is no notion of existence in regard to the world…

 

“…the Tathagata teaches the Dhamma by the middle: ‘With ignorance as condition, volition formations…’”

 

Bhikkhu Bodhi’s commentary: ‘For in seeing the dependency of the world, when one sees the nontermination of the conditionally arisen phenomena owing to the nontermination of their conditions, the annihilationist view, which might otherwise arise, does not occur. And in seeing the cessation of conditions, when one sees the cessation of the conditionally arisen phenomena owing to the cessation of their conditions, the eternalist view, which might otherwise arise, does not occur.”

 

14 – 17: Each of these says something critical: the Path does not arise apart from the appearance of a Tathagata and his Vinaya (Sangha). Maybe ‘dispensation’ is the best word here.

 

18 – 19: Especially important: destruction of the three poisons is the final goal. Thus this would equate these as nibbana—the ‘quenching’ or ‘cooling’.

 

20: The Path is the holy life. One who possesses it lives the holy life. Destruction of the poisons, nibbana, is the final goal.

 

21 – 30: Numerous comparisons between ‘bad’ and ‘good’ types—one corresponding to wrong view…concentration and the other to right view…concentration.

 

31 – 33: More contrasts between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ practice.

 

34: Includes gathas which are found at 85 – 89 of the Dhammapada.

 

35 – 39: Asceticism…brahminhood…the holy life and the goals (or fruits) of the same as the Noble Eightfold Path.

 

41 – 48: Chanting set of the various purposes of the life of the Sangha.

 

49 – 62: Chanting set on cultivation of the Path.

 

63 – 69: Seclusion

70 – 76: Removal of Lust

77 – 83: Arising of the path

84 – 90: Removal of Lust

139 – 160: A group of suttas all elaborate as: Based on seclusion, removal of lust, deathless as its ground, slants towards Nibbana.

 

There are some very nice similes and metaphors in here:

 

Rain dispersing & washing away dusty heat

Ship riggins (fetters) being broken eventually once they’ve rotted.

 

161 – 170: Chanting style, quasi-book of threes.

171 – 180: Mostly sets of four, sometimes more.

 

173: 4 kinds of clinging

174: 4 knots: the fourth is particularly important in terms of dogmatic religions like Christianity, with adherence to dogmatic views and concepts.

175: 7 underlying tendencies:

 

Sensual lust

aversion

views

doubt

conceit

lust for existence

ignorance

 

These are almost like seven shadows which dog and pursue us through life.

 

177: 5 hindrances

178: 5 aggregates

179 & 180: 5 lower and 5 upper fetters