➥ yoni: (main article see: yoniso)

Illustration: yoni, proper

Suppose a man needing milk… pulled a recently-calved cow by her horn… he would still be unable to draw milk. Why is that? Because that is not the proper way to draw milk.

Seyyathā pi bhūmija puriso khīratthiko… gāviṁ taruṇavacchaṁ visāṇato āviñcheyya… abhabbo khīrassa adhigamāya. Taṁ kissa hetu? Ayoni hesā bhūmija khīrassa adhigamāya. (MN iii 141)

Illustration: yoniso, properly

Properly reflecting you should use almsfood not for fun, not for exuberance, not for the sake of comeliness and good looks, but just for the maintenance and nourishment of this [wretched human] body for restraining its troublesomeness, for supporting the religious life.

Paṭisaṅkhā yoniso āhāraṁ āhāreyyāsi neva davāya na madāya na maṇḍanāya na vibhūsanāya yāvadeva imassa kāyassa ṭhitiyā yāpanāya vihiṁsūparatiyā brahmacariyānuggahāya. Iti purāṇañca vedanaṁ paṭihaṅkhāmi. Navañca vedanaṁ na uppādessāmi. Yātrā ca me bhavissati anavajjatā ca phāsuvihāro cāti. (MN iii 134)

Illustration: yoniso, properly

Bhikkhus, suppose that this river Ganges was carrying along a large lump of froth. A clear-sighted man would inspect it, consider it, and properly investigate it. As he does so, it would appear to be empty, hollow, insubstantial. For what substantial reality could there be in a lump of froth?

Seyyathā pi bhikkhave ayaṁ gaṅgānadī mahantaṁ pheṇapiṇḍaṁ āvaheyya tamenaṁ cakkhumā puriso passeyya nijjhāyeyya yoniso upaparikkheyya tassa taṁ passato nijjhāyato yoniso upaparikkhato rittakaññeva khāyeyya tucchakaññe va khāyeyya asārakaññeva khāyeyya kiṁ hi siyā bhikkhave pheṇapiṇḍe sāro?. (SN iii 140)

Illustration: yoniso, properly

In this regard a bhikkhu, properly reflecting, abides with the faculty of sight restrained through restraint [of grasping, through mindfulness].

idha bhikkhave bhikkhū paṭisaṅkhā yoniso cakkhundriyasaṁvarasaṁvuto viharati. (AN iii 387)

Illustration: yoniso, proper

Through proper contemplation, through proper and right inward striving, I attained and realised the unsurpassed liberation [from perceptually obscuring states].

mayhaṁ kho bhikkhave yoniso manasikārā yoniso sammappadhānā anuttarā vimutti anuppattā anuttarā vimutti sacchikatā. (Vin.1.22; SN i 105)

Illustration: yoniso, proper

There is the quality of loveliness.

Atthi bhikkhave subhanimittaṁ.

Much improper contemplation in that regard is a condition that nourishes both the arising of unarisen sensuous hankering, and the increase and expansion of arisen sensuous hankering.

Tattha ayoniso manasikārabahulīkāro ayamāhāro anuppannassa vā kāmacchandassa uppādāya uppannassa vā kāmacchandassa bhiyyobhāvāya vepullāya. (SN v 64)

Illustration: yoniso, proper

What things should a virtuous bhikkhu properly contemplate?“

sīlavatā āvuso sāriputta bhikkhunā katame dhammā yoniso manasikātabbā ti

A virtuous bhikkhu should properly contemplate the five aggregates as being unlasting, intrinsically unsatisfactory, an illness, a carbuncle, a [piercing] arrow, suffering, an affliction, alien, destined to decay, void [of personal qualities], void of personal qualities.

Sīlavatāvuso koṭṭhata bhikkhunā pañcupādānakkhandhā aniccato dukkhato rogato gaṇḍato sallato aghato ābādhato parato palokato suññato anattato yoniso manasikātabbā. (SN iii 167)

Illustration: yoniso, proper

What is the condition that nourishes lack of mindfulness and full consciousness? Improper contemplation, one should reply

ko cāhāro asatāsampajaññassa: ayoniso manasikārotissa vacanīyaṁ. (AN v 113)

Illustration: yoniso, proper

What is the cause and reason that unarisen undiscernment of reality arises, or that arisen undiscernment of reality increases and expands? Improper contemplation, one should reply.

Ko panāvuso hetu ko paccayo yena anuppanno vā moho uppajjati uppanno vā moho bhiyyobhāvāya vepullāya saṁvattatī ti? Ayoniso manasikārotissa vacanīyaṁ. (AN i 200)

Illustration: yoniso, proper

Being quickened by situations that are dismaying, and the proper striving in one who is thus quickened.

saṁvego ca saṁvejanīyesu ṭhānesu saṁviggassa ca yoniso padhānaṁ. (DN iii 214)

Illustration: yoniso, properly

Properly regard the [five grasped] aggregates as suffering, and abandon that from which suffering arises.

Dukkhan ti khandhe paṭipassa yoniso yato ca dukkhaṁ samudeti taṁ jaha. (Tha 1116)

Illustration: ayoniso, foolishly

What fools these border folk are! How can they possibly search so foolishly for the sound of the trumpet?

yāvabālā ime paccantajānapadā manussā. Kathaṁ hi nāma ayoniso saṅkhasaddaṁ gavesissantī ti. (DN ii 338)

Illustration: ayoniso, foolishly

I knew the worthless man Udāyī would foolishly interfere right now.

Aññāsiṁ kho ahaṁ ānanda idānevāyaṁ udāyī moghapuriso ummujjamāno ayoniso ummujjissatī ti. (MN iii 208)