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　　But not for long -- because of the power of super-mindfulness and super-discernment, qualities that by now are uncomplacent. They keep scrutinizing, investigating, and analyzing back and forth in line with their nature on this level. The time will have to come when they know for sure by noticing the subtle pleasure that behaves just slightly in an irregular manner. Even though stress displays itself just barely, in line with this level of the mind, it”s enough to make us suspicious: ”Eh -- why does the mind have symptoms like this

　　 It”s not constant.” The magnificence displaying itself in the mind, the marvelousness displaying itself in the mind, display irregularities just barely, but enough for mindfulness and discernment to catch sight of them.

　　Once they catch sight of these things, they get suspicious and take them as the point to be investigated at that moment. So now the mind -- this sort of awareness -- becomes the target of their investigation. They focus down on this point to find out, ”What is this

　　 We”ve investigated everything of every sort to the point where we”ve been able to uproot it all, stage by stage, but this knowing nature, so bright, so amazing: What exactly is it

　　”

　　Mindfulness and discernment keep focusing on down and investigating. This point thus becomes the target of a full-scale investigation, the battlefield of automatic mindfulness and discernment at that moment. Before long, they are able to destroy the mind of unawareness that is so superlative, so amazing and magnificent from the viewpoint of unawareness, smashing and scattering it completely so that nothing, not even an atom, is left remaining in the heart.

　　When the nature on which we ignorantly conferred such titles as superlative and amazing is dissolved away, something on which we don”t have to confer the titles of superlative or not-superlative appears in full measure. That nature is purity. And this purity: When we compare it with the mind of unawareness that we once held to be superlative and supreme, the mind of unawareness is like a pile of cow dung, while the nature that had been concealed by unawareness, once it is revealed, is like pure gold. Pure gold and squishy cow dung: Which has greater value

　　 Even a baby sucking his thumb can answer, so we needn”t waste our time and expose our stupidity by making comparisons.

　　This is the investigation of the mind. This level, when we have reached it, is where things are severed completely from becoming and birth in the mind, severed completely from all unawareness and craving. ”Avijja-paccaya sankhara” -- ”With unawareness as condition, there occur thought-formations” -- is completely severed and becomes ”avijjayatveva asesaviraga-nirodha sankhara-nirodho, sankhara-nirodha viññana-nirodho...” -- ”Simply with the disbanding of unawareness, with no remaining passion, thought-formations disband. With the disbanding of thought-formations, cognizance disbands...” all the way to ”this is the disbanding of this entire mass of stress.”

　　When unawareness has disbanded, the formations that are the cause of stress disband and keep disbanding, just as the Buddha said, while the formations that continue as part of the khandhas become formations pure and simple, and aren”t a cause of stress. The cognizance that appears in the heart is cognizance pure and simple, and not cognizance as a cause of stress. ”Viññana-paccaya namarupam, namarupam-paccaya salayatanam, salyatana-paccaya phasso” -- whatever is a physical or mental phenomenon, a sense medium, or a sensory contact is simply its own simple nature. It can”t provoke the mind that has finished its task to the point of ”evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa nirodho hoti” …

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