tiraccha^na-katha^ (q.v.).
”stinginess”, avarice."There are 5 kinds of stinginess, o monks; regarding the dwelling place, regarding families, regarding gain, regarding recognition, regarding mental things” (A. IX, 49; Pug. 56).
Mahasattva == 摩诃萨
These are great Bodhisattvas, who attain higher stages of fruition and enlightenment. See also Ten Stages of Bodhisattva.
”mental action”; s. karma, kammapatha.
Meditation == 静虑
the fifth Paramita. There are numerous methods and subjects of meditation. See also Contemplation.
s. bha^vana^, jha^na, sama^dhi.
the 3 divine: s. deva-dúta.
Middle Way == 中道
It denotes the mean between two extremes, particularly between realism and nihilism, eternal substantial existence and annihilation. This doctrine opposes the rigid categories of existence and non-existence in the interest of a middle way. This is the utlimate truth of Buddhism, and the reality character of all Buddha. See also Eight Negations.
Contemplation of: viparina^manupassana^: see vipassana^.
the 5 mental: ceto-khila (q.v.).
lit.”accidental” (from upapa^ta, accident; not from upapatti, as PTS Dict. has);”spontaneously born”, i.e. born without the instrumentality of parents. This applies to all heavenly and infernal beings."After the disappearing of the 5 lower fetters (samyojana, q.v.), he (the Ana^ga^mi) appears in a spiritual world (opapa^tika) ...."
the 5 kinds of: s. paha^na. - Full understanding consisting in o.; s. parin~n~a^ - the effort to overcome, s. padha^na. - Overcoming doubt, the purification by; s. visuddhi, IV.
”adherence”, attachment, ”misapprehension”, is according to Vis.M. XXII a name for wrong views; in that sense it occurs in Dhs. 1174 ff. - See si^labbata-para^ma^sa.
s. voha^ra-desana^.
(-sacca, -vacana, -desana^): ”truth (or term, exposition) that is true in the highest (or ultimate) sense”, as contrasted with the ”conventional truth” (voha^ra-sacca), which is also called ”commonly accepted truth” (sammuti-sacca; in Skr: samvrti-satya). The Buddha, in explaining his doctrine, sometimes used conventional language and sometimes the philosophical mode of expression which is in accordance whith undeluded insight into reality. In that ultimate sense, existence is a mere process of physical and mental phenomena within which, or beyond which, no real ego-entity nor any abiding substance can ever be found. Thus, whenever the suttas speak of man, woman or person, or of the rebirth of a being, this must not be taken as being valid in the ultimate sense, but as a mere conventional mode of speech (voha^ra-vacana).
It is one of the main characteristics of the Abhidhamma Pitaka, in distinction from most of the Sutta Pitaka, that it does not employ conventional language, but deals only with ultimates, or realities in the highest sense (paramattha-dhamma^). But also in the Sutta Pitaka there are many expositions in terms of ultimate language (paramattha-desana^), namely, wherever these texts deal with the groups (khandha), elements (dha^tu) or sense-bases (a^yatana), and their components; and wherever the 3 characteristics (ti-lakkhana, q.v.) are applied. The majority of Sutta texts, however, use the conventional language, as appropriate in a practical or ethical context, because it "would not be right to say that ”the groups” (khandha) feel shame, etc."
It should be noted, however, that also statements of the Buddha couched in conventional language, are called ”truth” (voha^ra-sacca), being correct on their own level, which does not contradict the fact that such statements ultimately refer to impermanent and impersonal processes.
The two truths - ultimate and conventional - appear in that form only in the commentaries, but are implied in a sutta-distinction of ”explicit (or direct) meaning” (ni^tattha, q.v.) and ”implicit meaning (to be inferred)” (neyyattha). Further, the Buddha repeatedly mentioned his reservations when using conventional speech, e.g. in D. 9: "These are merely names, expressions, turns of speech, designations in common use in the world, which the Perfect Qne (Tatha^gata) uses without misapprehending them." See also S. I. 25.
The term paramattha, in the sense here used, occurs in the first para. of the Katha^vatthu, a work of the Abhidhamma Pitaka (s. Guide, p. 62). (App: voha^ra).
The commentarial discussions on these truths (Com. to D. 9 and M. 5) have not yet been translated in full. On these see K N. Jayatilleke, Early Buddhist Theory of Knowledge (London, 1963), pp. 361ff.
In Maha^yana, the Ma^dhyamika school has given a prominent place to the teaching of the two truths.
n~a^ta-, ti^rana-, paha^na-p., belong to the exegetical literature, but they are already implied in Pts.M. I. 87: ”Abhin~n~a^-pan~n~a^ n~a^tatthe n~a^nam, parin~n~a^-pan~n~a^ ti^ranatthe n~a^nam, paha^na-pan~n~a^ paricca^gatthe n~a^nam ... ye ye dhamma^ abhin~n~a^ta^ honti, te te dhamma^ n~a^ta honti ... ti^rita^ ... pahi^na^.”
”full understanding”, full comprehension. There are 3 kinds of mundane f.u. (lokiya-p.), namely: full understanding of the known (n~a^ta-p.), f.u. as investigating (ti^rana-p.), and f.u. as overcoming (paha^na-p.) In Vis.M. XX, 3 it is said:
"Full understanding of the known is the knowledge consisting in the discernment of the specific characteristics of such and such phenomena, as: ”Corporeality has the characteristic of being oppressed; feeling has the characteristic of being felt, etc.”
"Full understanding by investigating is that insight-wisdom (vipassana^-pan~n~a^; s. vipassana^), which has the 3 general characteristics (impermanence, suffering, not-self) as its objects, and which arises when attributing a general characteristic to (physical and mental) phenomena, as for instance: ”Corporeality is impermanent, feeling is impermanent, etc.”
"Full understanding by overcorning is that insight-wisdom which has the above mentioned general characteristics as its objects, and arises after overcoming the idea of permanence, etc." - (App.).
is chiefly a commentarial term; but it occurs several times in one of the later books of the Sutta Pitaka, the Patisambhida^ Magga (Pts.M. I, 11f, 52, 59f.; II, 72f.). The usual sutta term for ”rebirth” is punabbhava.