Path of Freedom [Vimuttimagga]

The Five Methods 323and a man who enters into the concentration of the dissolution of perceptionand sensation? Is this concentration conditioned or unconditioned? A. Thenot-proceeding of states of mind and mental properties—this is called theconcentration of the dissolution of perception and sensation."Who enter upon it?": A, The Consummate One and the Non-returnerenter upon this attainment. Who do not enter upon it ? The commoner,the Stream-entrant, the Once-returner and he who is born in the formlesselement. Here, the commoner cannot enter upon it, because he is not of thatplane. The Stream-entrant and the Once-returner cannot, because they havenot yet cut off the bondage of the defilements. He who enters the formlesselement cannot, because it is not its plane."Through the fulfilment of how many kinds of strength is it enteredupon?": A. It is entered upon through the fulfilment of two kinds of strength:serenity-strength and insight-strength. Here "serenity" means: "masterygained in the eight attainments". 1 "Insight" means: "mastery gained in the seveninsights, namely, impermanence-reviewing, ill-reviewing, not-self-reviewing,repulsion-reviewing, dispassion-reyiewing, cessation-reviewing, abandonmentreviewing.Serenity-strength develops the factors of the meditation, jhana^of dissolution and develops^ immovable emancipation. Through insightstrengthone is able to see the tribulations of birth, and acquire the Freedom ofthe Unborn."Through tranquillizing how many activities is it entered upon?": A.One attains to concentration through the tranquillizing of three activities. Theyare verbal formations, bodily formations and thought formations. Here,entering into the second meditation, jhana, one tranquillizes the verbal formationsof initial and sustained application of thought. Entering into the fourthmeditation, jhana, one tranquillizes the bodily formations of inhalation andexhalation. Entering into the concentration of the dissolution of perceptionand sensation, one removes the thought-formations of perception andsensation."What are the preliminary duties?" 2 : A. There are four preliminaryduties: Non-destruction of others' property, discerning the time, non-disturbance,honouring the Community of Bhikkhus. He resolves as regardsbowl, robe and other requisites. He resolves as regards non-disturbance ofthis body in every way. He reflects on the strength of his body and resolvesafter discerning the time. Here, he should consider the remote past. Discerningthat it is not the time for the meeting of the Community of Bhikkhus,he sits and resolves: "I shall emerge, when I am called". And here thenon-destruction of others' property is for the sake of protecting the robes(of others). The second and third are for the sake of protecting the body.1. Attha-samapatti2. Cp. Vis. Mag. 705: Catubbidham pubbakiccam karoti: nana-baddha-avikopanam tsanghapatimananarh, satthu pakkosanam addhanaparicchedan ti.