The Practice Which leads to Nibbana - A Buddhist Library

w 32pass on to the third age. He sees that the matter ceases in the age inwhich it arises.After he has done this by dividing a lifetime into three ages hethen divide the lifetime into progressively smaller periods of timeand applies the three characteristics to each age. He divides thelifetime into:10 periods of 10 years, then 20 periods of 5 years, 25 periodsof 4 years, 33 periods of 3 years, 50 periods of 2 years, and 100periods of 1 year.Then 300 periods of 4 months, 600 periods of 2 months, and2400 periods of half months.Then he divides each day into 2 parts, and then 6 parts and seesthat the matter present in any period ceases in that same period anddoes not pass on to the next period and so is impermanent, painfuland not-self.Then after that the meditator applies the three characteristics tothe period of each movement of the body. That is during the periodthat he is going forward or going back, looking toward or lookingaway, bending a limb or stretching a limb.Then he divides each footstep that he takes into six parts oflifting up, moving forward, moving sideways, lowering down,placing down, and fixing down and applies the three characteristicsto each of these parts of a footstep.3. The third way for matter is by applying the threecharacteristics to matter arising from nutriment. This is done bydiscerning matter at the time when the meditator is hungry and at thetime when he has eaten sufficient food and applying the three characteristicsto the matter present at each of these times.