This term is probably found for the first time in the Com., esp. Vis.M. IV. The rudiments of this doctrine, however, are already found in the old sutta texts, e.g. A. III, 100.
”equilibrium, balance, or harmony of faculties”, relates to the 5 spiritual faculties: faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom (s. indriya 15-19). Of these there are two pairs of faculties, in each of which both faculties should well counter-balance each other, namely: faith and wisdom (saddha^, pan~n~a^, q.v.) on the one hand and energy and concentration (viriya, sama^dhi, q.v.) on the other. For excessive faith with deficient wisdom leads to blind belief, whilst excessive wisdom with deficient faith leads to cunning. In the same way, great energy with weak concentration leads to restlessness, whilst strong concentration with deficient energy leads to indolence. Though for both faculties in each of the 2 pairs a balanced degree of intensity is desirable, mindfulness should be allowed to develop to the highest degree of strength. Cf. Vis.M. III- (App.).
tranquillity of mental factors, s. bojjhanga.
metta^; s. brahmaviha^ra.
s. para^ma^sa.
s. kala^pa (2).
natthika-ditthi; s. ditthi.
”support”, base, foundation, is one of the 24 conditions (s. paccaya, 8).
the ”vow to wear only robes made from picked-up rags”, is one of the ascetic rules of purification; s. dhutanga.
”earth-kasina” (s. kasina).
”personality-belief”, is the first of the 10 fetters (samyojana). It is entirely abandoned only on reaching the path of Stream-winning (sota^patti-magga; s. ariya-puggala). There are 20 kinds of personality-belief, which are obtained by applying 4 types of that belief to each of the 5 groups of existence (khandha, q.v.): (1-5) the belief to be identical with corporeality, feeling, perception, mental formations or consciousness; (6-10) to be contained in them; (11-15) to be independent of them; (16-20) to be the owner of them (M. 44; S. XXII. 1). See prec., ditthi, upa^da^na 4.
”one who takes tranquillity as his vehicle”. This is a name for a person who not only has reached insight but also one or the other of the absorptions, to distinguish him from one ”who practises only insight” (sukkha-vipassaka, q.v.).
s. sukkha-vipassaka.
”Perfect Enlightenment”, Universal Buddhahood, is the state attained by a Universal Buddha (samma^-sambuddha), i.e. one by whom the liberating law (dhamma) which had become lost to the world, has again been discovered, realized and clearly proclaimed to the world.
"Now, someone, in things never heard before, understands by himself the truth, and he therein attains omniscience, and gains mastery in the powers. Such a one is called a Universal Buddha, or Enlightened One" (Pug. 29).
The doctrine characteristie of all the Buddhas, and each time rediscovered by them and fully explained to the world, consists in the 4 Truths (sacca, q.v.) of suffering, its origin, its extinction and the way to its extinction (s. magga). See bodhi.
in the Satipattha^na Sutta, signifies the ”contracted” or ”cramped” mind, not the concentrated (sama^hita) mind, as often translated by Western authors. Cf. Satipattha^na (3).
s. dhutanga.
”corporeality reacting to sense stimuli”, refers to the 5 sense-organs (a^yatana, q.v.). - Cf. Vibh. II (s. Guide II, Chap. II) and Vis.M. XIV; further s. patigha 2.
vicikiccha^ (q.v.). Cf. kankha^.