Hi Nina,
Thanks for the detailed response. Is "the way of mindfulness" a
translation of the same commentaries to satipathana that appear in Vism.?
-Frank

On 1/21/2010 12:04 PM, Nina van Gorkom wrote:
>
> 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.
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>



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