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en:dictionary:pacchāpuresaññī



pacchāpuresaññī {pi}


Pāḷi; √ pacchāpuresaññī
gender:
type:
alt. sp.: IPA: pət͡ʃt͡ʃʰɑːpuɾeːs̪əɲɲiː, Velthuis: pacchaapuresa~n~nii, readable: pachchhaapuresannyii, simple: pacchapuresanni
translation ~:
skr.:
khmer: បច្ឆាបុរេសញ្ញី
thai: ปจฺฉาปุเรสญฺญี
sinhal.: පච්ඡාපුරේසඤ්ඤී
burm.: ပစ္ဆာပုရေသညီ
appears:



pachchhaapuresannyii.jpg

[dic] pacchāpuresaññī (pacchapuresanni)

pacchāpuresaññī: Description welcome. Info can be removed after imput.

ATI Glossary

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Buddhist Dictionary

by late Ven. Nyanalokita Thera:

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PTS Dictionary

by the Pali Text Society:

 

Glossary Thanissaro

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Illustrated Glossary of Pāli Terms

by Ven. Varado Maha Thera:

Renderings
Introduction

Pacchāpuresaññī: background

Pacchāpuresaññī is a form of meditation that occurs as part of the development of the four paths to psychic power (catusu iddhipādesu). It therefore leads to both the attainment of various kinds of psychic power (anekavihitaṁ iddhividhaṁ) and the destruction of perceptually obscuring states (āsavānaṁ khayā, SN v 282).

It was also a meditation taught to Venerable MahāMoggallāna to overcome torpor, to be used in conjunction with walking meditation:

• Perceiving the constant nature of reality, concentrate on pacing back and forth, your senses inwardly immersed, your mind not straying outwards. It is possible that by abiding in this way, that the torpor will be abandoned

pacchāpuresaññī caṅkamaṁ adhiṭṭheyyāsi antogatehi indriyehi abahigatena mānasena. Ṭhānaṁ kho panetaṁ vijjati yaṁ te evaṁ viharato taṁ middhaṁ pahīyetha. (AN iv 87)

This meditation is analysed in the commentary, but Bodhi says its ‘explanation sounds strained’ (CDB p.1946 n.272).

Pacchā and pura: physically behind and in front

One problem is that pacchā and pura can refer to either space or time. For example, it is an offence for the one who is walking behind on a path (pacchato gacchanto) to explain the teaching to someone walking in front (purato gacchantassa) (Vin.4.205). According to this, pacchāpuresaññī would involve meditating on ‘what is physically behind and in front.’

Pacchā and pura: past and future

But pacchā and pura can also refer to time:

1) ‘First’ and ‘afterwards’: one can ridicule others of saying first what they should have said afterwards, or afterwards what they should have said first (pure vacanīyaṁ pacchā avaca. Pacchā vacanīyaṁ pure avaca DN i 8).

2) ‘Past’ and ‘what is in the future’: some people wish for what is in the future or the past, longing for present and former pleasures (pacchā pure vāpi apekkhamānā ime va kāme purime va jappaṁ Snp 773).

Yathā pure tathā pacchā

The term pacchāpuresaññī is explained by the reflection yathā pure tathā pacchā; yathā pacchā tathā pure. If we take pacchā and pura as referring to time, it leads to the following translation:

• He abides perceiving the constant nature of reality: ‘As what is past, so what is to come; as what is to come, so what is past.’

pacchāpuresaññī ca viharati: yathā pure tathā pacchā yathā pacchā tathā pure. (SN v 277)

This is further explained as follows:

• And how does a bhikkhu abide perceiving the constant nature of reality: ‘As what is past, so what is to come; as what is to come, so what is past’? In this regard, the perception of the constant nature of reality is correctly grasped by the bhikkhu, correctly contemplated, correctly pondered, correctly penetrated by penetrative discernment.

Kathañca bhikkhave bhikkhu pacchāpure saññī ca viharati? Yathā pure tathā pacchā yathā pacchā tathā pure. Idha bhikkhave bhikkhuno pacchā pure saññā suggahitā hoti sumanasikatā sūpadhāritā suppaṭividdhā paññāya. (SN v 277)

Sāriputta: either later or sooner

The last passage should be compared to Venerable Sāriputta saying:

• Either way this [life ends in] death, not no death, either later or sooner.

Ubhayenamidaṁ maraṇameva nāmaraṇaṁ pacchā vā pure vā. (Tha 1004)

This supports our saying that pacchāpuresaññī means the perception of the constant nature of reality. The near future and the distant future have the same mortal nature. In this respect the present is no different from any other time period.

Pārājika recitation: ‘defeated’ until the time of his death

The same conclusion can be drawn from the Pārājika recitation, which concludes that a bhikkhu who commits a pārājika offence is no longer in communion with the bhikkhus:

• ‘The four rules that merit expulsion have been recited. If a bhikkhu commits any of them, he is no longer in communion with the bhikkhus. As in the near future, so in the distant future, he is expelled, not in communion’

Uddiṭṭhā kho āyasmanto cattāro pārājikā dhammā. Yesaṁ bhikkhu aññataraṁ vā aññataraṁ vā āpajjitvā na labhati bhikkhuhi saddhiṁ saṁvāsaṁ yathā pure tathā pacchā pārājiko hoti asaṁvāso Vin.3.109).

This illustrates ‘the constant nature of reality’: the bhikkhu’s status as ‘expelled’ is the same from the time of the offence until the time of his death: he cannot be reinstated.

Comparing present past and future in the scriptures

The idea of comparing the present to the past and the future is well-established in the scriptures. For instance:

• Whatever bodily form, past, future, or present… one should see all bodily form with perfect penetrative discernment as this is “not [in reality] mine” etc

Yaṁ kiñci rūpaṁ atītānāgatapaccuppannaṁ ajjhattaṁ vā bahiddhā vā oḷārikaṁ vā sukhumaṁ vā hīnaṁ vā paṇītaṁ vā yaṁ dūre santike vā sabbaṁ rūpaṁ n’etaṁ mama n’eso’hamasmi na me so attā ti. (MN iii 18-9)

• Formerly as well as now all these visible objects are unlasting

pubbe ceva rūpā etarahi ca sabbe te rūpā aniccā. (MN iii 219)

Dhammaṭṭhitatā: comparison

• And what is dependent origination? Old-age-and-death arises dependent on birth. Whether or not there is an arising of Perfect Ones, there persists that phenomenon, that stability in the nature of reality, that orderliness in the nature of reality, that specific conditionality.

Katamo ca bhikkhave paṭiccasamuppādo? Jātipaccayā bhikkhave jarāmaraṇaṁ uppādā vā tathāgatānaṁ anuppādā vā tathāgatānaṁ ṭhitāva sā dhātu dhammaṭṭhitatā dhammaniyāmatā idapaccayatā. (SN ii 25)

• Whether or not there is an arising of Perfect Ones, there persists that phenomenon, that stability in the nature of reality, that orderliness in the nature of reality, [namely] the unlastingness of all originated phenomena.

Uppādā vā bhikkhave tathāgatānaṁ anuppādā vā tathāgatānaṁ ṭhitāva sā dhātu dhammaṭṭhitatā dhammaniyāmatā sabbe saṅkhārā aniccā ti. (AN i 286)

Conclusion

The reflection on pacchāpuresaññī suggests that one should contemplate the constant nature of reality. Although reality is inconstant, its nature is constant.

Illustrations

Illustration: pacchāpuresaññī, perceiving the constant nature of reality

And he abides perceiving the constant nature of reality: ‘As what is past, so what is to come; as what is to come, so what is past; as below, so above; as above, so below; as by day, so at night; as at night, so by day.’ Thus with an attitude open and unclouded, he makes his mind radiant.

pacchāpuresaññī ca viharati: yathā pure tathā pacchā yathā pacchā tathā pure yathā adho tathā uddhaṁ yathā uddhaṁ tathā adho yathā divā tathā rattiṁ yathā rattiṁ tathā divā Iti vivaṭena cetasā apariyonaddhena sappabhāsaṁ cittaṁ bhāveti. (SN v 277)

COMMENT:

  • ‘As below, so above,’ as explained in the Vibhaṅga Sutta (SN v 277), means one reviews bodies from head to toe as being full of various foul things (idha bhikkhave bhikkhu imameva kāyaṁ uddhaṁ pādatalā adho kesamatthakā tacapariyantaṁ pūraṁ nānappakārassa asucino paccacekkhati).
  • ‘As by day, so by night,’ says the Vibhaṅga Sutta, means one practises the meditation similarly, during the day and during the night.
 

Glossary various Teacher

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See also

Suttas and Dhammadesanā

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en/dictionary/pacchāpuresaññī.txt · Last modified: 2019/09/25 05:31 by 127.0.0.1