..續本文上一頁mind. These things can be known by means of the discernment that arises exclusively and directly within us and is termed the eye of discernment or the eye of Dhamma: the eye of the mind, awakening from its slumbers.
”Vijja udapadi”: The eight forms of cognitive skill, which follow the laws of cause and effect — means of practice that bring us results — can arise in a quiet mind.
”Aloko udapadi”: Brightness, clarity, relief, and emptiness arise in such a mind.
Thus, the discernment that results from developing the mind differs from the beginning stages of discernment that come from studying and reflecting. Study and reflection are classed as Dhamma on the level of theory, and can give only a preliminary level of knowledge. They”re like a person who has awakened but has yet to open his eyes. The discernment that comes from developing the mind, though, is like waking up and seeing the truth — past, present, and future — in all four directions. We can clearly see stress, its cause, its disbanding, and the Path to its disbanding, and so can abandon the first set of Fetters. Our hearts will then flow to nibbana, just as the water in a mountain cataract is sure to flow to the sea. Our hearts will flow to their natural truth: the mental fullness and completeness of a person who has practiced mental development until discernment arises within. We will meet with a special form of wisdom — transcendent wisdom — whose power will stay with us always, a quality that”s certain and sure, termed certain truth, certain wisdom, making us people certain for nibbana.
So this level of discernment — termed the discernment of liberating insight — is especially important. It arises on its own, not from cogitating along the lines of old concepts we”ve learned, but from abandoning them. Old concepts are what obscure the new knowledge ready to arise.
The nature of liberating insight is like an electric light: Simply press the switch once, and things all around are made bright. In the same way, when the mind reaches a stage of readiness, insight will arise in a single mental instant, and everything will become clear: properties, aggregates, and the sense media. We”ll know, on the one hand, what”s inconstant (aniccam), stressful (dukkham), and not-self (anatta); and on the other hand, what”s uncommon, i.e., niccam — what”s constant and true; sukham — true happiness, termed niramisa-sukha; and atta — the self. The eye of the mind can know both sides and let go both ways. It”s attached neither to what”s inconstant, stressful, and not-self; nor to what”s constant (niccam), good (sukham), and right (atta). It can let these things go, in line with their true nature. The knowledge that comes from discernment, cognitive skill, and intuitive insight, it can let go as well. It isn”t attached to views — for there”s yet another, separate sort of reality that has no ”this” or ”that.” In other words, it has no sense of ”I.” It lets go of the assumptions that, ”That”s the self,” ”That”s not the self,” ”That”s constant,” ”That”s inconstant,” ”That arises,” ”That doesn”t arise.” It can let go of these things completely. That”s the Dhamma, and yet it doesn”t hold onto the Dhamma, which is why we say that the Dhamma is not-self. It also doesn”t hold on to the view that says, ”not-self.” It lets go of views, causes, and effects, and isn”t attached to anything at all dealing with wordings or meanings, conventions or practices.
This, then, is discernment that arises from the development of the mind.
To conclude: The discernment that comes from studying and reflecting is classed as Dhamma on the level of theory. The discernment that comes from developing the mind is classed as Dhamma on the level of practice. The results that arise are two —
1. Mundane discernment: comprehe…
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