Synopsis

AN 8.65 abhibh-āyatana

abhibh-āyatana-suttaṃ (AN 8.65)	AN 8.65 Overcoming

♦ 65. “aṭṭhimāni, bhikkhave, abhibh-āyatanāni.	“(there are) eight-(of)-these, *********, overcoming-(of)-bases.
katamāni aṭṭha?	What eight?

(1. Perceives internal rupa, sees external rupa limited)


1. ajjhattaṃ rūpa-saññī eko bahiddhā rūpāni passati	(1) “internally form-percipent, *** externally form (he) sees,
parittāni suvaṇṇa-dubbaṇṇāni.	limited, beautiful-(or)-ugly.
‘tāni abhibhuyya jānāmi passāmī’ti, evaṃ-saññī hoti.	‘those (having been) overcome, I know, I see’, thus-(he is)-percipient.
idaṃ paṭhamaṃ abhibh'-āyatanaṃ.	This (is the) first overcoming-of-bases.

(2. Perceives internal rupa, sees external rupa measureless)


2. ♦ “ajjhattaṃ rūpa-saññī eko bahiddhā rūpāni passati	(2) “internally form-percipent, *** externally form (he) sees,
appamāṇāni suvaṇṇa-dubbaṇṇāni.	measureless, beautiful-or-ugly.
‘tāni abhibhuyya jānāmi passāmī’ti, evaṃ-saññī hoti.	‘those (having been) overcome, I know, I see’, thus-(he is)-percipient.
idaṃ dutiyaṃ abhibh'-āyatanaṃ.	This (is the) second overcoming-of-bases.

(3. Does not perceive internal rupa, sees external rupa limited)


3. ♦ “ajjhattaṃ a-rūpa-saññī eko bahiddhā rūpāni passati	(3) “internally not-form-percipent, *** externally form (he) sees,
parittāni suvaṇṇa-dubbaṇṇāni. ‘	limited, beautiful-or-ugly.
‘tāni abhibhuyya jānāmi passāmī’ti, evaṃ-saññī hoti.	‘those (having been) overcome, I know, I see’, thus-(he is)-percipient.
idaṃ tatiyaṃ abhibh-āyatanaṃ.	This (is the) third overcoming-of-bases.

(4. Does not perceive internal rupa, sees external rupa measureless)


4. ♦ “ajjhattaṃ a-rūpa-saññī eko bahiddhā rūpāni passati	(4) “internally not-form-percipent, *** externally form (he) sees,
appamāṇāni suvaṇṇa-dubbaṇṇāni.	measureless, beautiful-or-ugly.
‘tāni abhibhuyya jānāmi passāmī’ti, evaṃ-saññī hoti.	‘those (having been) overcome, I know, I see’, thus-(he is)-percipient.
idaṃ catutthaṃ abhibh'-āyatanaṃ.	This (is the) fourth overcoming-of-bases.

(5. Does not perceives internal rupa, sees external rupa blue color)


5. ♦ “ajjhattaṃ a-rūpa-saññī eko bahiddhā rūpāni passati	(5) “internally not-form-percipent, *** externally form (he) sees,
nīlāni nīlavaṇṇāni nīlanidassanāni nīlanibhāsāni.	blue ones, blue in color, with a blue hue, with a blue tint.
‘tāni abhibhuyya jānāmi passāmī’ti, evaṃ-saññī hoti.	‘those (having been) overcome, I know, I see’, thus-(he is)-percipient.
idaṃ pañcamaṃ abhibh'-āyatanaṃ.	This (is the) fifth overcoming-of-bases.

(6. Does not perceives internal rupa, sees external rupa yellow color)


6. ♦ “ajjhattaṃ a-rūpa-saññī eko bahiddhā rūpāni passati	(6) “internally not-form-percipent, *** externally form (he) sees,
pītāni pītavaṇṇāni pītanidassanāni pītanibhāsāni.	yellow ones, yellow in color, with a yellow hue, with a yellow tint.
‘tāni abhibhuyya jānāmi passāmī’ti, evaṃ-saññī hoti.	‘those (having been) overcome, I know, I see’, thus-(he is)-percipient.
idaṃ chaṭṭhaṃ abhibh'-āyatanaṃ.	This (is the) sixth overcoming-of-bases.

(7. Does not perceives internal rupa, sees external rupa red color)


7. ♦ “ajjhattaṃ a-rūpa-saññī eko bahiddhā rūpāni passati	(7) “internally not-form-percipent, *** externally form (he) sees,
lohitakāni lohitakavaṇṇāni lohitakanidassanāni lohitakanibhāsāni.	red ones, red in color, with a red hue, with a red tint.
‘tāni abhibhuyya jānāmi passāmī’ti, evaṃ-saññī hoti.	‘those (having been) overcome, I know, I see’, thus-(he is)-percipient.
idaṃ sattamaṃ abhibh'-āyatanaṃ.	This (is the) seventh overcoming-of-bases.

(8. Does not perceives internal rupa, sees external rupa white color)


8. ♦ “ajjhattaṃ a-rūpa-saññī eko bahiddhā rūpāni passati	(8) “internally not-form-percipent, *** externally form (he) sees,
odātāni odātavaṇṇāni odātanidassanāni odātanibhāsāni.	white ones, white in color, with a white hue, with a white tint.
‘tāni abhibhuyya jānāmi passāmī’ti, evaṃ-saññī hoti.	‘those (having been) overcome, I know, I see’, thus-(he is)-percipient.
idaṃ aṭṭhamaṃ abhibh'-āyatanaṃ.	This (is the) eighth overcoming-of-bases.

imāni kho, bhikkhave, aṭṭha abhibh-āyatanānī”ti. pañcamaṃ.	“These, bhikkhus, are the eight bases of overcoming.”

AN 8.65 b.bodhi version with footnotes from cmy

“Bhikkhus, there are these eight bases of overcoming.

^{1771 Abhibhāyatanāni.

From the descriptions both in the text and commentary, it seems that the “bases of overcoming” are actually approaches to the kasiṇas, described in detail in Vism, chaps. 4 and 5.

Mp: “The abhibhāyatanāni are causes of overcoming (abhibhavanakāraṇāni). What do they overcome? The adverse qualities and the objects. For they overcome the adverse qualities opposed to them (paṭipakkhabhāvena paccanīkadhamme) and, through a person’s superior knowledge, [they overcome] the objects (puggalassa ñāṇuttariyatāya ārammaṇāni).”}

What eight?

(1) “One percipient of forms internally sees forms externally, limited, beautiful or ugly. Having overcome them, he is percipient thus: ‘I know, I see.’ This is the first basis of overcoming.

^{1772

Mp: “Percipient of forms internally (ajjhattaṃ rūpasaññī): This refers to the internal form used for the preliminary work. For someone does the preliminary work [of meditation] on a blue form, such as the head hairs, the bile, or the irises. Doing the preliminary work on a yellow form, he uses bodily fat, the skin, or the surfaces of the hands and feet, or a yellow area in the eyes. Doing the preliminary work on a red form, he uses flesh, blood, the tongue, or a red area in the eyes. Doing the preliminary work on a white form, he uses bones, teeth, nails, or the whites of the eyes. These are not perfectly blue, yellow, red, or white, but impure.

[He] sees forms externally (eko bahiddhā rūpāni passati): When the preliminary work has thus occurred internally, but the mark appears externally, he is said to be ‘one percipient of forms internally [who] sees forms externally,’ that is, his preliminary work is done internally but absorption (jhāna) occurs externally.

Having overcome them (tāni abhibhuyya): As a person with good digestion who has obtained a mere spoonful of food collects it together, thinking, ‘What is there to eat here?’ and uses limited ability, so a person whose knowledge is emerging, one of clear knowledge, thinks: ‘What is there to attain in regard to a limited object? This isn’t troublesome for me.’ Having overcome those forms, he enters an attainment, and with the arising of the mark he reaches absorption.

He is percipient thus (evaṃsaññī hoti): He is percipient with the perception of reflective attention (ābhoga) and with the perception of the jhāna.

‘I know, I see’ (jānāmi passāmi): By this, his reflective attention is spoken of; for that occurs after he has emerged from the attainment, not in the attainment itself. The perception of overcoming (abhibhavanasaññā) exists in the attainment, but the perception of reflective attention (ābhogasaññā) occurs after he has emerged from the attainment.”}

(2) “One percipient of forms internally sees forms externally, measureless, beautiful or ugly. Having overcome them, he is percipient thus: ‘I know, I see.’ This is the second basis of overcoming.

^{1773

Mp: “As a hungry person who has obtained ample food does not see that meal as large but thinks: ‘Give me seconds and thirds. What will this do for me?’ so a person whose knowledge is emerging, one of clear knowledge, thinks: ‘What is there to attain here? This isn’t a measureless object. It isn’t troublesome for me to obtain one-pointedness of mind.’ Having overcome [those forms], he enters an attainment, and with the arising of the mark he reaches absorption.”}

(3) “One not percipient of forms internally sees forms externally, limited, beautiful or ugly. Having overcome them, he is percipient thus: ‘I know, I see.’ This is the third basis of overcoming.

^{1774

Mp: “One not percipient of forms internally sees forms externally (ajjhattaṃ arūpasaññī eko bahiddhā rūpāni passati): This describes one for whom the preliminary work and the mark have arisen externally. Thus both by way of the preliminary work and by way of absorption, he is called one who is not percipient of forms internally [but] sees forms externally.”}

(4) “One not percipient of forms internally sees forms externally, measureless, beautiful or ugly. Having overcome them, he is percipient thus: ‘I know, I see.’ This is the fourth basis of overcoming.

(5) “One not percipient of forms internally sees forms externally, blue ones, blue in color, with a blue hue, with a blue tint. Having overcome them, he is percipient thus: ‘I know, I see.’ This is the fifth basis of overcoming.

^{1775 Mp: “From the fifth base of overcoming on, he shows their thorough purification. For these bases are stated by way of purified colors (visuddhavaṇṇavasen’eva).” The colored bases of overcoming are illustrated by similes below at 10:29, as well as at DN 16.3.29–32, II 110–11.}

(6) “One not percipient of forms internally sees forms externally, yellow ones, yellow in color, with a yellow hue, with a yellow tint. Having overcome them, he is percipient thus: ‘I know, I see.’ This is the sixth basis of overcoming.

(7) “One not percipient of forms internally sees forms externally, red ones, red in color, with a red hue, with a red tint. Having overcome them, he is percipient thus: ‘I know, I see.’ This is the seventh basis of overcoming.

(8) “One not percipient of forms internally sees forms externally, white ones, white in color, with a white hue, with a white tint. Having overcome them, he is percipient thus: ‘I know, I see.’ This is the eighth basis of overcoming.

“These, bhikkhus, are the eight bases of overcoming.”

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