..續本文上一頁rom training the mind. The skill, here, is knowing which preoccupations of the mind are in the past, which are in the future, and which are in the present. This is cognitive skill (vijja). Letting go of the past, letting go of the future, letting go of the present, not latching onto anything at all: This is purity and release.

　　As for unawareness, it”s the exact opposite, i.e., not knowing what”s past, not knowing what”s future, not knowing what”s present — that is, the arising and falling away of sensations and mental acts, or body and mind — or at most knowing only on the level of labels and concepts remembered from what other people have said, not knowing on the level of awareness that we”ve developed on our own. All of this is classed as avijja, or unawareness.

　　No matter how much we may use words of wisdom and discernment, it still won”t gain us release. For instance, we may know that things are inconstant, but we still fall for inconstant things. We may know about things that are stressful, but we still fall for them. We may know that things are not-self, but we still fall for things that are not-self. Our knowledge of inconstancy, stress, and not-self isn”t true. Then how are these things truly known

　　 Like this:

　　Knowing both sides,

　　Letting go both ways,

　　Shedding everything.

　　"Knowing both sides" means knowing what”s constant and what”s inconstant, what”s stress and what”s ease, what”s not-self and what”s self. "Letting go both ways" means not latching onto things that are constant or inconstant, not latching onto stress or ease, not latching onto self or not-self. "Shedding everything" means not holding onto past, present, or future: Awareness doesn”t head forward or back, and yet you can”t say that it”s taking a stance.

　　Yavadeva ñanamattaya patissatimattaya

　　anissito ca viharati

　　na ca kiñci loke upadiyati.

　　"Simply mindful and aware, the mind remains independent, not attached to anything in the world."

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　　Epilogue

　　I. There are three sets of results arising from the practice.

　　Set A

　　1. Pubbenivasanussati-ñana: the ability to remember previous lives.

　　2. Cutupapata-ñana: the ability to know how the living beings of the world die and are reborn.

　　3. Asavakkhaya-ñana: understanding how to put an end to the defilements of the heart.

　　Set B

　　1. Vipassana-ñana: clear insight, through training the mind, into phenomena in and of themselves, in terms of the four Noble Truths.

　　2. Manomayiddhi: psychic power, making things appear in line with your thoughts — for example, thinking of a visual image that then appears to the physical eye. Those who are to develop this skill must first become expert at uggaha nimittas.

　　3. Iddhividhi: the ability to change such images as you like. Those who are to develop this skill must first become expert in patibhaga nimittas.

　　4. Dibbacakkhu: clairvoyance, the ability to see great distances. Only people with good optic nerves — and who understand how to adjust the physical properties in the body so as to keep the nerves charged and awake — will be able to develop this skill.

　　5. Dibbasota: clairaudience, the ability to hear sounds at great distances. Only people whose auditory nerves are good — and who understand how to adjust the properties in the body so that they act as a conducting medium — will be able to develop this skill.

　　6. Cetopariya-ñana: knowing the thoughts and mental states of other people. To do this, you first have to adjust the fluids nourishing your heart muscles so that they”re clean and pure.

　　7. Pubbenivasanussati-ñana: the ability to remember previous lives, knowing by means of mental images or intuitive verbal knowledge. To remember past …

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