Path of Freedom [Vimuttimagga]

358 Appendixthe central factor in the development of amity (rnetta), which is a contemplationsubject of serenity and in pondering on things (dhammdnupassand), which is acontemplation subject of pure insight (suddhavipassand); so mindfulness iswanted in all wholesome activities of the yogi, and has been compared to asalt-tempering required for all curries. 1Mindfulness is above all the quality chiefly instrumental in organisingmental activity generally, making it useful and coherent, producing mentalcatharsis (cittavoddna)* and perfecting sense-faculty restraint. In connectionwith control of the sense-faculties it has been compared to a rope that restrainsa rebellious elephant. 3 Pure intellectual activity cannot come to be unlessthe mind is freed of the dirt of false imaginings, judgment and views, throughmindfulness, which produces right understanding through its ability to discriminate,choose what is good, and eliminate what is ill.The development of mind (cittabhavand) takes place through serenity(samatha), .which eliminates obstructions to clear thinking. Without such eliminationclear vision due to analysis that is to say, insight (vipassana)can never arise. Serenity has been described thus, 'What extinguishes, destroys,the hostile things beginning with sense-desire is serenity; it is a name for concentration'.Insight has been explained thus, 'What sees things in differentways, according to impermanence and the like, is insight; it is a name forwisdom'. These two, serenity and insight, are essential factors of the SupramundanePath. But they are also necessary to the antecedent part of thePath leading to the highest. In the antecedent part of the Path these two aremundane factors. Thus they have first to be developed as mundane qualitiesbefore they can become supramundane. 4Of the great suttas in which both serenity (samatha) and insight (vipassana)have been combined, the most popular are the Satipatthana Sutta of the MajjhimaNikdya, and the Mahd Satipatthana Sutta of the Digha Nikdya. Nowboth these discourses on the foundations of mindfulness lay more stress on thedevelopment of insight, but the aim of these suttas is to lead the yogi to therealisation of the highest according to the inevitable method of attainment1. S. V, 115: Satin ca kvdham hhikkhave sabbatthikam vaddmiti. («Satin ca kvdharhbhikkhave sabtf atthikarh vaddmx ti, lona-dhupanam viya sabbattha icchitabbam vaddmiti attho—Spk. Ill, 171).2. S. Ill, 151: Cittasarhkilesd bhikkhave satta samkilissanti, cittavoddnd satta visujjhanti.( — citta-sankilesd ti, sunahdtdpi hi satta citta-sankilesen' eva sankilissanti. Mala-ggahitasarirdpicittassa vodanatta visujjhanti. Ten* dhu p or and:Rupamhi sankilitthamhi sankilissanti mdnavd,Rupe suddhe visujjhanti anakkhdtam Mahesind.Cittamhi sankilitthamhi sankilissanti mdnavd,Citte suddhe visujjhanti: iti vuttam Mahesind—Spk. II, 327).3. Th. 1141: Arammane tarn balasd nibandhisam ndgam va thambhamhi dalhdya rajjuyd,tarn me suguttam satiya subhavitam anissitam sabbabhavesu hehisi.4. Pts.-a. I, 125: Samatho ca vipassana cd 'ti kdmacchandddayo paccanikadhamme vindseti''ti samatho, samddhiss' etam namam. Aniccatddivasena vividhehi dkarehi dhamme vipassati'ti vipassana, panndy' etam namam. Ime pana dve Dasuttarapariyaye pubbabhagd 'tivutta, Sangitipariyaye ca lokiya-lokuttara-missakd ti,