Page:A History of Indian Philosophy Vol 1.djvu/118

 102 Buddhist Philosophy ECHo The man who has practised slla must train his mind first in particular ways, so that it may be possible for him to acquire the chief concentration of meditation called jha:na (fixed and steady meditation). Thes preliminary endeavours of the mind for the acquirement of jha:nasamadhi eventually lead to it and are called upacara sama:dhi (preliminary sama:dhi) as dis- tinguished from the jha:nasamadhi called the appanasamadhi (achieved samadhi)1. Thus as a preparatory measure, firstly he has to train his mind continually to view with disgust the appe- titive desires for eating and drinking (iihiire pa{ikkitlasafulii) by emphasizing in the mind the various troubles that are associated in seeking food and drink and their ultimate loathsome trans- formations as various nauseating bodily elements. When a man continually habituates himself to emphasize the disgusting associations of food and drink, he ceases to have any attach- ment to them and simply takes them as an unavoidable evil, only awaiting the day when the final dissolution of all sorrows will come 2. Secondly he has to habituate his mind to the idea that all the parts of our body are made up of the four elements, kiti (earth), ap (water), tejas (fire) and wind (air), like the carcase of a cow at the butcher's shop. This is technically called catu- dha:tuvavatthanabhavana (the meditation of the body as being made up of the four elements)3. Thirdly he has to habituate his mind to think again and again (allltssati) about the virtues or greatness of the Buddha, the saI1gha (the monks following the Buddha), the gods and the law (dhaJ/l1/la) of the Buddha, about the good effects of slla, and the making of gifts (ciigiimtssati) , about the nature of death (mara?liillussat!") and about the deep nature and qualities of the final extinction of all phenomena (llpasaJ/lllJlll ssa!i) 4. ] As it is not possible for me to enter into details, I follow what appears to me to he the main line of division showing the interconnection of -jhana (Skr. dhYllna) with its accessory stages called parikammas (ViSttddhi11laga, pp. 85 f.). 2 Visutldhimagga, pp. 34 1 -347; mark the intense pessimistic attitude, "Imaii ca palla iihare pa(iku/asaiillii'!,l a1Zuyullassa bhikkhuzo rasala1fhiiya cit/am pa!i1iyati, pa!iku!(llti, pa!z"'Z'attati J' so, kallliirallit/harala{thiko viya pUllama1!ISGl?l vigata11laclo iihiira1!1 iihiireli ytivad eva dukkhassa llit!hara1}atlhiiya," p. 347. The mind of him who inspires himself with this supreme disgust to all food, hecomes free from all desires for palatahle tastes. and turns its back to them and Aies off from them. As a means of getting rid of all sorrow he takes his food without any attachment as one would eat the flesh of his own son to sustain himself in crossing a forest. " VisuddhimaJ.:ga, pp. 347-370. 4 ViszuldhimaKga, pp. 197- 2 94.