the ”Great Ones”, i.e.”Highest Gods”, are the inhabitants of the 5th and highest heaven of the Pure Abodes (suddha^va^sa, q.v.); cf. avacara, deva (II) Ana^ga^mi^.
s. ahirika.
”zeal”, non-laxity, earnestness, diligence, is considered as the foundation of all progress.
Just as all the footprints of living beings are surpassed by the footprint of the elephant, and the footprint of the elephant is considered as the mightiest amongst them, just so have all the meritorious qualities zeal as their foundation, and zeal is considered as the mightiest of these qualities”” (A. X, 15).
Cf. the Chapter on Zeal (Appama^da Vagga) in Dhp., and the Buddha”s last exhortation: "Transient are all formations. Strive zealously!" (appama^dena sampa^detha: D. 16) - In the commentaries, it is often explained as the presence (lit.”non-absence”) of mindfulness (satiya^ avippava^sa).
The ”Unformed, Unoriginated, Unconditioned” is a name for Nibba^na, the beyond of all becoming and conditionality.
s. manasika^ra.
(equivalents: ahimsa^, avihesa^): ”harmlessness”, nonviolence, absence of cruelty. The ”thought of harmlessness” (or: ”non-cruelty”; avihimsa^-vitakka) is one of the three constituents of right thought (samma^-sankappa), i.e. the 2nd factor of the Eightfold Path (s. magga). In the several lists of ”elements” (dha^tu) appears also an ”element of harmlessness” (avihesa^-dha^tu), in the sense of an elementary quality of noble thought. See Dhp. 225, 261, 270, 300.
”undistractedness”, is a synonym of concentration (sama^dhi, q.v.), one-pointedness of mind (citt”ekaggata^) and tranquillity (samatha, q.v.; further s. samatha-vipassana^).
lit.”indeterminate” - i.e. neither determined as karmically ”wholesome” nor as ”unwholesome” - are the karmically neutral, i.e. amoral, states of consciousness and mental factors. They are either mere karma-results (vipa^ka, q.v.), as e.g. all the sense perceptions and the mental factors associated therewith, or they are karmically independent functions (kiriya-citta, q.v.), i.e. neither karmic nor karma-resultant. See Tab. I. (App.).
This term in the sense of ”amoral” or ”karmically neutral”, does not occur in the old sutta texts, while it is found in Pts.M. (e.g. I, 79ff). It plays an important role in the Abh. Canon (e.g. Dhs.) and the philosophical commentaries.
sobhana (q.v.).
morality consisting in good: abhisama^ca^rikasi^la (q.v.) .
”mental development” (lit.”calling into existence, producing”) is what in English is generally but rather vaguely called ”meditation”. One has to distinguish 2 kinds: development of tranquillity (samatha-bha^vana^), i.e. concentration (sama^dhi), and development of insight (vipassana^-bha^vana^), i.e. wisdom (pan~n~a^).
These two important terms, tranquillity and insight (s. samatha-vipassana^), are very often met with and explained in the Sutta, as well as in the Abhidhamma.
Tranquillity (samatha) is the concentrated, unshaken, peaceful, and therefore undefiled state of mind, whilst insight (vipassana^) is the intuitive insight into the impermanence, misery and impersonality (anicca, dukkha, anatta^; s. tilakkhana) of all bodily and mental phenomena of existence, included in the 5 groups of existence, namely, corporeality, feeling, perception, mental formations and consciousness; s. khandha.
Tranquillity, or concentration of mind, according to Sankhepavannana (Commentary to Abhidhammattha-sangaha), bestows a threefold blessing: favourable rebirth, present happy life, and purity of mind which is the condition of insight. Concentration (sama^dhi) is the indispensable foundation and precondition of insight by purifying the mind from the 5 mental defilements or hindrances (ni^varana, q.v.), whilst insight (vipassana^) produces the 4 supra mundane stages of holiness and deliverance of mind. The Buddha therefore says: "May you develop mental concentration, o monks; for who is mentally concentrated, sees things according to reality" (S. XXII, 5). And in Mil. it is said: "Just as when a lighted lamp is brought into a dark chamber, the lamp-light Will destroy the darkness and produce and spread the light, just so will insight, once arisen, destroy the darkness of ignorance and produce the light of knowledge."
Vis.M. III-XI gives full directions how to attain full concentration and the absorptions (jha^na, q.v.) by means of the following 40 meditation subjects (kammattha^na):
10 kasina-exercises (s. kasina). These produce the 4 absorptions
10 loathsome subjects (asubha, q.v.). These produce the 1st absorption.
10 recollections (anussati, q.v.): of the Buddha (buddha^nussati), the Doctrine (dhamma^nussati), the Brotherhood of the Noble Ones (sangha^nussati), morality, liberality, the heavenly beings, death (maranasati, q.v. ), the body (ka^yagata^sati, q.v.), in-and-outbreathing (a^na^pa^na-sati, q.v.) and peace (upasama^nussati, q.v.). Among these, the recollection (or mindfulness) of in-and-out breathing may produce all the 4 absorptions, that of the body the 1st absorption, the rest only neighbourhood-concentration (upaca^ra-sama^dhi, s. sama^dhi).
4 sublime abodes (brahma-viha^ra, q.v.): loving-kindness, compassion, altruistic joy, equanimity (metta^, karuna^, mudita^, upekkha^). Of these, the first 3 exercises may produce 3 absorptions, the last one the 4th absorption only.
4 immaterial spheres (arúpa^yatana, s. jha^na): of unbounded space, unbounded consciousness, nothingness, neither-perception-nor-non-perception. These are based upon the 4th absorption.
1 perception of the loathsomeness of food (a^ha^re patikkúla-san~n~a^), which may produce neighbourhood-concentration
1 analysis of the 4 elements (catudha^tu-vavattha^na, s. dha^tu-vavattha^na), which may produce neighbourhood-concentration.
Mental development forms one of the 3 kinds of meritorious action (pun~n~a-kiriya-vatthu, q.v.).”Delight in meditation” (bha^vana^-ra^mata^) is one of the noble usages (ariya-vamsa, q.v.) .
bojjhanga == 七覺支
”the 7 factors of enlightenment”, are: mindfulness (sati-sambojjhanga; s. sati), investigation of the law (dhamma-vicaya-sambojjhanga), energy (viriya-sambojjhanga; s. viriya, padha^na), rapture (pi^ti-sambojjhanga, q.v.) tranquillity (passaddhi-sambojjhanga, q.v.), concentration (sama^dhi-sambojjhanga, q.v.), equanimity (upekkha^, q.v.)."Because they lead to enlightenment, therefore they are called factors of enlightenment" (S. XLVI, 5).
Though in the 2nd factor, dhamma-vicaya, the word dhamma is taken by most translators to stand for the Buddhist doctrine, it probably refers to the bodily and mental phenomena (na^ma-rúpa-dhamma^) as presented to the investigating mind by mindfulness, the 1st factor. With that interpretation, the term may be rendered by ”investigation of phenomena”.
In A.X. 102, the 7 factors are said to be the means of attaining the threefold wisdom (s. tevijja^).
They may be attained by means of the 4 foundations of mindfulness (satipattha^na, q.v.), as it is said in S. XLVI, 1 and explained in M. 118:
(1) "Whenever, o monks, the monk dwells contemplating the body (ka^ya), feeling (vedana^), mind (citta) and mind-objects (dhamma^), strenuous, clearly-conscious, mindful, after subduing worldly greed and grief, at such a time his mindfulness is present and undisturbed; and whenever his mindfulness is present and undisturbed, at such a time he has gained and is developing the factor of enlightenment ”mindfulness” (sati-sambojjhanga), and thus this factor of enlightenment reaches fullest perfection.
(2) "Whenever, while dwelling with mindfulness, he wisely investigates, examines and thinks over the law ... at such a time he has gained and is developing the factor of enlightenment ”investigation of the law” (dhamma-vicaya°) ....
(3) "Whenever, while wisely investigating his energy is firm and unshaken ... at such a time he has gained and is developing the factor of enlightenment ”energy” (viriya°) ....
(4) "Whenever in him, while firm in energy, arises supersensuous rapture ... at such a time he has gained and is developing the factor of enlightenment ”rapture” (pi^ti°) ..
(5) "Whenever, while enraptured in mind, his body and his mind become composed ... at such a time he has gained and is developing the factor of enlightenment ”tranquillity” (passaddhi°).
(6) "Whenever, while being composed in his body and happy, his mind becomes concentrated ... at such a time he has gained and is developing the factor of enlightenment ”concentration” (sama^dhi°)
(7) "Whenever he looks with complete indifference on his mind thus concentrated ... at such a time he has gained and is developing the factor of enlightenment ”equanimity” (upekkha^).
Literature: Bojjhanga Samyutta (S. XLVI); Bojjhanga Vibh. - For the conditions leading to the arising of each of the factors, see the Com. to Satipattha^na Sutta (Way of Mindfulness, by Soma Thera; 3rd ed., 1967, BPS). Further, The ”Seven Factors of Enlightenment, by Piyadassi Thera (WHEEL 1.)
consciousness (and b. space), Sphere of: s. jha^na 5, 6.
mindfulness of in-and-out-breathing a^na^pa^nasati (q.v.) .
”mental obduracies”, are 5 things which stiffen and hinder the mind from making right exertion, namely: doubt about the Master, about the Doctrine, about the (holy) Brotherhood, about the training, and anger against one”s fellow-monks. For details s. A.V, 206, X 14; D. 33; M. 16. Cf. prec.
On the 6 kinds of human character, s. carita.