Abhisamayakathā - The Treatise on Breakthrough

What is breakthrough?

By means of what does one break through?

One breaks through by means of the mind.

If one breaks through by means of the mind, does one who is ignorant break through?

One who is ignorant does not break through.

One breaks through by means of knowing.

If one breaks through by means of knowing, does one who is mindless break through by means of knowing apart from the mind?

One who is mindless does not break through.

One breaks through by means of both the mind and knowing together.

If one breaks through by means of both the mind and knowing, does one break through by means of a mind and knowing belonging to the sense realm?

One does not break through by means of a mind and knowing belonging to the sense realm.

Then does one break through by means of a mind and knowing belonging to the fine-material realm?

One does not break through by means of a mind and knowing belonging to the fine-material realm.

Then does one break through by means of a mind and knowing belonging to the formless realm?

One does not break through by means of a mind and knowing belonging to the formless realm.

Then does one break through by means of a mind and knowing of the ownership of kamma?

One does not break through by means of a mind and knowing of the ownership of kamma.

Then does one break through by means of a mind and knowing in conformity with the Truths? (Four Noble Truths)

One does not break through by means of a mind and knowing in conformity with the Truths.

Then does one break through by means of a past mind and knowing?

One does not break through by means of a past mind and knowing.

Then does one break through by means of a future mind and knowing?

One does not break through by means of a future mind and knowing.

Then does one break through by means of a present mundane mind and knowing?

One does not break through by means of a present mundane mind and knowing.

Then how does one break through?

At the moment of the supramundane Path, one breaks through by means of a present mind and knowing.

(Opening of the Dhamma Eye)

The Interdependence of Mind and Knowing at the Path Moment

Question: How does one break through by means of a present mind and knowing at the moment of the supramundane Path?

Answer: At the moment of the supramundane Path:

The mind, having arising as its primary factor, serves as a root and condition for knowing. (Awareness allows wisdom to function.)

The associated knowing, taking cessation (Nibbāna) as its object and direct seeing as its primary factor, serves as a root and condition for the mind.

(Wisdom gives direction and sight to awareness)

Thus, the associated knowing takes cessation as its object.

In this way, at the moment of the supramundane Path, one breaks through by means of a present mind and knowing.

The Multi-Faceted Nature of Breakthrough

Is breakthrough limited only to this?

No.

At the moment of the supramundane Path:

The Noble Eightfold Path:

Right View is breakthrough in the sense of direct seeing.

Right Intention is breakthrough in the sense of mental application.

Right Speech is breakthrough in the sense of embrace.

Right Action is breakthrough in the sense of originative virtue. (purifying intention and attention at the source)

Right Livelihood is breakthrough in the sense of purification. (on what the mind sustains itself)

Right Effort is breakthrough in the sense of exertion.

Right Mindfulness is breakthrough in the sense of establishment.

(dwelling)

Right Concentration is breakthrough in the sense of non-distraction.

(collected)

The Seven Factors of Awakening (Bojjhaṅga):

Mindfulness is breakthrough in the sense of establishment.

Investigation of phenomena is breakthrough in the sense of examination.

Energy is breakthrough in the sense of exertion.

Pīti is breakthrough in the sense of suffusion.

Tranquility is breakthrough in the sense of stilling.

Concentration is breakthrough in the sense of non-distraction.

Equanimity is breakthrough in the sense of reflective poise.(without greed or aversion)

The Five Powers (Bala):

Faith is breakthrough by being unshakable by faithlessness.

Energy is breakthrough by being unshakable by laziness.

Mindfulness is breakthrough by being unshakable by negligence.

Concentration is breakthrough by being unshakable by restlessness.

Wisdom is breakthrough by being unshakable by ignorance.

The Five Spiritual Faculties (Indriya):

Faith is breakthrough in the sense of resolution.

Energy is breakthrough in the sense of exertion.

Mindfulness is breakthrough in the sense of establishment.

Concentration is breakthrough in the sense of non-distraction.

Wisdom is breakthrough in the sense of seeing.

Defining the Essential Characteristics of Breakthrough

Breakthrough into the faculties is in the sense of predominance.

Breakthrough into the powers is in the sense of being unshakable.

Breakthrough into the factors of awakening is in the sense of leading out to liberation.

Breakthrough into the Path is in the sense of being a foundational root.

Breakthrough into the establishings of mindfulness is in the sense of establishment.

Breakthrough into the right strivings is in the sense of exertion.

Breakthrough into the bases of psychic power (potency of the mind) is in the sense of accomplishment.

Breakthrough into the Truths is in the sense of reality. (the way things actually are)

Breakthrough into serenity (samatha) is in the sense of non-distraction.

Breakthrough into insight (vipassanā) is in the sense of contemplation.

Breakthrough into serenity and insight is in the sense of unified function.

Breakthrough into their Yoking is in the sense of non-excess over one another.

Breakthrough into purification of conduct is in the sense of restraint.

Breakthrough into purification of mind is in the sense of non-distraction.

Breakthrough into purification of view is in the sense of seeing.

Breakthrough into liberation is in the sense of freedom.

Breakthrough into true knowing is in the sense of penetration.

Breakthrough into release is in the sense of relinquishment.

Breakthrough into knowing of destruction is in the sense of severance.

Breakthrough of desire is in the sense of being the root.

Breakthrough of attention is in the sense of origination.

Breakthrough of contact is in the sense of concurrence.

Breakthrough of feeling is in the sense of convergence.

Breakthrough of concentration is in the sense of leadership.(single intended mind)

Breakthrough of mindfulness is in the sense of governance.

Breakthrough of wisdom is in the sense of supreme excellence.

Breakthrough of release is in the sense of core essence.

Breakthrough of Nibbāna, culmination in the Deathless, is in the sense of final goal.

Scope Across the Four Paths and Fruits

Question: Is breakthrough limited only to this?

Answer: No.

At the moment of the Path of Stream-entry... (repeat full sequence above down to Nibbāna).

At the moment of the Fruit of Stream-entry...

(repeat full sequence down to the knowing of non-arising as subsiding).

At the moments of the Path and Fruit of Once-returning...

At the moments of the Path and Fruit of Non-returning...

At the moments of the Path and Fruit of Arahantship... (the entire matrix applies continuously through each stage of noble attainment).

The Paradox of Abandoning Defilements

Question: When one abandons defilements, does one abandon past, future, or present defilements?

If one abandons past defilements: does one exhaust what is already exhausted, cease what has already ceased, or destroy what has already vanished?

Does one abandon that which no longer exists?

No. One does not abandon past defilements.

If one abandons future defilements: does one abandon what is unborn, unproduced, unarisen, and unmanifested?

Does one abandon that which does not yet exist?

No. One does not abandon future defilements.

If one abandons present defilements: does an impassioned person abandon passion while feeling it?

Does a hateful person abandon hatred while feeling it?

Does a deluded person abandon delusion while deluded?

Do dark (unwholesome) and bright (wholesome) mental states occur simultaneously in the exact same moment?

Is the development of the Path itself defiled?

No. One does not abandon present defilements.

(liberation does not mean wrestling with present emotions; it means eradicating the condition that allows future defilements to arise from latent tendencies.)

Resolution of the Paradox: The Tree Analogy

Question: If one abandons neither past, future, nor present defilements, then is there no development of the Path, no realization of the Fruit, no abandoning of defilements, and no breakthrough to the Dhamma?

Answer: There is development of the Path, realization of the Fruit, abandoning of defilements, and breakthrough to the Dhamma.

How so?

Suppose there is a young tree that has not yet borne fruit.

If a person cuts its root, the unborn fruits of that tree remain unborn and do not arise; they remain unproduced, unarisen, and unmanifested.

In exactly the same way:

1. Arising is the root cause; arising is the condition for the generation of defilements.

1. Seeing the danger in arising, the mind leaps into non-arising.

3.

Because the mind has leaped into non-arising, those defilements that would otherwise have been produced:conditioned by arising:remain unborn and never arise; they remain unproduced, unarisen, and unmanifested.

(This refers to seeing the gratification, the danger and the escape.

The Gratification is why people get attached to sights, sounds, feelings, and existence.

The Danger is that all these arisen things are impermanent, subject to change, fraught with stress, and bound up with decay and death. The Escape is the total stepping out or release from them. As long as the mind views arisen experience, the five aggregates as reliable or delightful, it keeps reaching out to create more of it.

But when direct insight reveals that everything that arises is a source of binding, the mind experiences disenchantment and dispassion.)

Thus, with the total cessation of the cause, there is the cessation of suffering.

The process of worldly occurrence, the sign, and continuous accumulation are the root causes for generating future defilements (grasping the attractive or repulsive features of sight, sound, and thought).

Seeing the danger in accumulation, the mind leaps into non-accumulation.

Because the mind has leaped into non-accumulation, those defilements that would have arisen remain permanently unborn.

In this way, there is the development of the Path, the realization of the Fruit, the abandoning of defilements, and the direct breakthrough to the Dhamma.

This concludes the Treatise on Breakthrough.