Nyanatiloka Buddhist Dictionary

vipassaná: 'insight', is the intuitive light flashing forth and exposing the truth of the impermanency, thesuffering and the impersonal and unsubstantial nature of all corporeal and mental phenomena of existence. Itis insight-wisdom (vipassaná-paññá) that is the decisive liberating factor in Buddhism, though it has to bedeveloped along with the 2 other trainings in morality and concentration. The culmination of insight practice(s. visuddhi VI) leads directly to the stages of holiness (s. visuddhi VII).Insight is not the result of a mere intellectual understanding, but is won through direct meditative observationof one's own bodily and mental processes. In the commentaries and the Vis.M., the sequene in developinginsight-meditation is given as follows: 1. discernment of the corporeal (rúpa), 2. of the mental (náma), 3.contemplation of both (námarúpa; i.e. of their pairwise occurrence in actual events, and theirinterdependence), 4. both viewed as conditioned (application of the dependent origination,paticcasamuppáda), 5. application of the 3 characteristics (impermanency, etc.) tomind-and-body-cum-conditions.The stages of gradually growing insight are described in the 9insight- knowledges (vipassaná-ñána),constituting the 6th stage of purification: beginning with the 'knowledge of rise and fall' and ending with the'adaptation to Truth'. For details, see visuddhi VI and Vis.M. XXI.Eighteen chief kinds of insight-knowledge (or principal insights, mahá-vipassaná) are listed and described inVis.M. XXII, 113: (1) contemplation of impermanence (aniccánupassaná), (2) of suffering(dukkhánupassaná), (3) of no self (anattánupnupassaná), (4) of aversion (nibbidánupassaná). (5) ofdetachment (virágánupassaná), (6) of extinction (nirodhánupassaná), (7) of abandoning(patinissaggánupassaná), (8) of waning (khayánupassaná), (9) of vanishing (vayánupassaná), (10) of change(viparinámánupassaná), (11) of the unconditioned (or signless, animittánupassaná), (12) of desirelessness(apanihitánupassaná), (13) of emptiness (suññatáupassaná), (14) insight into phenomena which is higherwisdom (adhipaññá-dhamma-vipassaná), (15) knowledge and vision according to reality(yathá-bhúta-ñánadassana), (16) contemplation of misery (or danger, ádínavánupassaná), (17) reflectingcontemplation (patisankhánupassaná), (18) contemplation of turning away (vivattanánupassaná).Through these 18, the adverse ideas and views are overcome, for which reason this way of overcoming iscalled 'overcoming by the opposite' (tadanga-pahána, overcoming this factor by that). Thus (1) dispels theidea of permanence. (2) the idea of happiness, (3) the idea of self, (4) lust, (5) greed, (6) origination, (7)grasping, (8) the idea of compactness, (9) karma-accumulation, (10) the idea of lastingness, (11) theconditions, (12) delight, (13) adherence, (14) grasping and adherence to the idea of substance, (15)attachment and adherence, (17) thoughtlessness, (18) dispels entanglement and clinging.Insight may be either mundane (lokiya, q.v.) or supermundane (lokuttara, q.v.). Supermundane insight is of 3kinds: (1) joined with one of the 4 supermundane paths, (2) joined with one of the fruitions of these paths, (3)regarding the extinction, or rather suspension, of consciousness (s. nirodha-samápatti).See samatha-vipassaná, visuddhi, III-VII.Literature: Manual of Insight, by Ledi Sayadaw (WHEL 31/32). Practical Insight Meditation, Progress ofInsight, both by Mahási Sayadaw (BPS). The Experience of Insight, by Joseph Goldstein (BPS).vipassaná-yánika = sukkha-vipassaka (q.v.).vipassanúpakkilesa: 'imperfections of insight'; s. visuddhi.vipatti: 'aberration' or 'deviation', may be: deviation from morality (síla-vipatti), or deviation fromunderstanding (ditthivipatti)."To deviate in deeds, or in words, or in both deeds and words: this is called deviation from morality." 'Alms and offerings are useless, there is no fruit and result of good and bad actions, there are no such thingsas this and the next life' .... Such wrong views are called deviation from understanding." (Pug. 67, 68)