Dear Frank,
Op 21-jan-2010, om 18:18 heeft frank het volgende geschreven:

> In the term " dhamma vicaya" (2nd of the 7 factors of enlightenment),
> is vicaya the same base word and meaning as vicara of (vitakha and
> vicara, 2 of the 5 jhana factors)?

-------
N: Vicaya: from vicinati. Investigation of Dhamma. This is different
in meaning from the jhaanafactor vicaara, often translated as
sustained thinking.

Dhamma vicaya is not mere intellectual investigation, it is
investigation of all dhammas appearing through eyes, ears, nose,
tongue, bodysense and mind-door, otherwise enlightenment cannot be
attained. Also what is kusala and what is akusala should be object of
this investigation, they should be seen as mere conditioned dhammas,
non-self.

Ancient commentary to the satipa.t.thaanasutta (translated by Ven.
Soma as the Way of Mindfulness):

<2. Investigation of Mental Objects

There are karmically good and karmically bad things... right and
wrong counterparts of bright and dark things, and an abundance of
right reflection on them is the reason conducive to the arising of
the non-arisen enlightenment factor of the investigation of mental
objects and for the increase, expansion and the completion of culture
of that enlightenment factor when it has arisen.

Here, right reflection is the conscious state that is associated with
knowledge and which arises by way of perceiving, according to
actuality, the nature, function, characteristic and so forth of the
several skillful (or wholesome) states of mind and the like. Because
it is correct reflection it is called right (or radical) reflection.

Six things lead to the arising of this enlightenment factor:
Inquiring about the aggregates and so forth; the purification of the
basis (namely, the cleaning of the body, clothes and so forth);
imparting evenness to the (five spiritual) controlling faculties;
avoiding the ignorant; associating with the wise; reflecting on the
profound difference of the hard-to-perceive processes of the
aggregates, modes (or elements), sense-bases and so forth; and the
inclining (sloping, bending) towards the development of the
enlightenment factor of the investigation of mental objects.

Inquiring about the aggregates and so forth means: seeking the
meaning of the aggregates, the modes (or elements), sense-bases,
controlling faculties, powers, enlightenment factors, way factors,
absorption factors, the meditation for quietude, and the meditation
for insight by asking for explanation of knotty points regarding
these things in the Five Nikayas with the commentaries from teachers
of the Dhamma.>

(end quote).

Nina.




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