Exploring the Path - Pāli Course

A further extract from the Girimānandasutta continues with the description of four more of the ten perceptions (saññā) commencing with aniccasaññā.¹ If these get perfected and fully developed, they will lead to liberation of mind — in the case of the Venerable Girimānanda, the alleviation of his sickness to enable him to get back to the practice of meditation.

Here the quoted reference refers first to pahānasaññā, the understanding of how unwholesome thoughts should be properly rejected. These are thoughts of sensual pleasure, thoughts of aversion and thoughts of violence or evil or unwholesome thoughts.

Whoever is successful in these attempts will reach a stage that is described as someone who has mastery over one’s thought-process.

Ayaṃ vuccati, bhikkhave, bhikkhu vasī² vitakkapariyāyapathesu.³ Yaṃ vitakkaṃ ākaṅkhissati⁴ taṃ vitakkaṃ vitakkessati, yaṃ vitakkaṃ nākaṅkhissati na taṃ vitakkaṃ vitakkessati. Acchecchi⁵ taṇhaṃ, vivattayi saṃyojanaṃ, sammā mānābhisamayā antamakāsi dukkhassā.

This, Bhikkhus, is a Bhikkhu who has gained control over the succession of thoughts. He will think whatever thought he desires to think, whatever thought he does not want to think, he doesn’t think. He has cut off craving; with fetters removed and with the complete penetration of conceit, he has made an end to suffering!”⁶

To reach this stage the Buddha gives a detailed five-fold progressive description in the Vitakkasaṇṭhānasutta how all kinds of disturbing thoughts can be removed. He gives a simile of a fast-walking man who starts considering: ‘Why am I walking fast?’ — and then walks slowly — he again considers — ‘Why am I walking slowly?’ and so on until he finally stands, sits and lies down. In the same way the thought formation process can be stopped!

The Buddha describes that one should begin to avoid getting attracted or attached to any sign of thoughts that are arising and connected with unwholesomeness, whether connected with desire, with ill will or with delusion:

yaṃ nimittaṃ manasikaroto uppajjanti pāpakā akusalā vitakkā chandūpasaṃhitāpi⁷ dosūpasaṃhitāpi mohūpasaṃhitāpi

by referring to any sign that is connected to wholesomeness:

tassa tamhā nimittā aññaṃ nimittaṃ manasikaroto kusalūpasaṃhitaṃ.

In this way, those unwholesome thoughts should get removed and the mind reaches a state full of tranquillity, quietude and concentration:

tesaṃ pahānā ajjhattameva cittaṃ santiṭṭhati sannisīdati ekodi hoti samādhiyati.

If some thoughts of unwholesome character still arise, one may also further remain alert by investigating the danger involved in these thoughts:⁸

… tesampi vitakkānaṃ ādīnavaṃ upaparikkhato⁹ ye pāpakā akusalā vitakkā chandūpasaṃhitāpi dosūpasaṃhitāpi mohūpasaṃhitāpi te pahīyanti te abbhatthaṃ gacchanti.

In this way, one should once more reach a calmed and quietened position of the mind to proceed further in one’s meditation. Again, in case of still further distracting thoughts of the same impure character, one should proceed in the following manner by forgetting them as well as by not paying any attention to them:

… tesaṃ vitakkānaṃ asatiamanasikāro āpajjitabbo.¹⁰

And, if still necessary, to work further by stopping the thought formation process:

 … tesaṃ vitakkānaṃ vitakkasaṅkhārasaṇṭhānaṃ¹¹ manasikātabbaṃ. …

If one still shouldn’t be successful then even forcefully one should beat and crush down these persisting thoughts¹² even with teeth clenched and the tongue pressed against the upper gum:

… dantebhidantamādhāya jivhāya tāluṃ āhacca¹³ cetasā cittaṃ abhiniggaṇhato abhinippīḷayato¹⁴ abhisantāpayato.¹⁵…

and any such unwholesome thoughts will get abandoned.

In this way, he will reach the state where he is vasī vitakkapariyāyapathesu.

One will only think whatever thought one wants to think and whatever thought one does not want to think, one doesn’t ponder on.

… Yaṃ vitakkaṃ ākaṅkhissati taṃ vitakkaṃ vitakkessati, yaṃ vitakkaṃ nākaṅkhissati na taṃ vitakkaṃ vitakkessati.

The three more wholesome perceptions proposed by Ānanda to the Venerable Girimānanda are the perception of dispassion (virāgasaññā), the perception of cessation (nirodhasaññā) and the perception of displeasure with the whole world (sabbaloke anabhiratasaññā), which foster the notion of sublime peace when all conditionings become quieted, attachments abandoned and cravings removed, having faded away.