So It Was Said 63
Itivuttaka 63
The Book of the Threes
Tikanipāta
Chapter Two
Dutiyavagga
Periods
Addhāsutta
This was said by the Buddha, the Perfected One: that is what I heard.
Vuttañhetaṁ bhagavatā vuttamarahatāti me sutaṁ:
“Mendicants, there are these three periods.
“Tayome, bhikkhave, addhā.
What three?
Katame tayo?
Past, future, and present.
Atīto addhā, anāgato addhā, paccuppanno addhā—
These are the three periods.”
ime kho, bhikkhave, tayo addhā”ti.
The Buddha spoke this matter.
Etamatthaṁ bhagavā avoca.
On this it is said:
Tatthetaṁ iti vuccati:
“Sentient beings who perceive the communicable,
“Akkheyyasaññino sattā,
become established in the communicable.
akkheyyasmiṁ patiṭṭhitā;
Not understanding the communicable,
Akkheyyaṁ apariññāya,
they fall under the yoke of Death.
yogamāyanti maccuno.
But having fully understood the communicable,
Akkheyyañca pariññāya,
they don’t conceive a communicator,
akkhātāraṁ na maññati;
as they’ve touched liberation with their mind,
Phuṭṭho vimokkho manasā,
the supreme state of peace.
santipadamanuttaraṁ.
Accomplished in the communicable,
Sa ve
the Commentary:
4. addhāsuttavaṇṇanā
63. catutthe addhāti kālā. atīto addhātiādīsu dve pariyāyā – suttantapariyāyo, abhidhammapariyāyo ca. tattha suttantapariyāyena paṭisandhito pubbe atīto addhā nāma, cutito pacchā anāgato addhā nāma, saha cutipaṭisandhīhi tadanantaraṃ paccuppanno addhā nāma. abhidhammapariyāyena uppādo, ṭhiti, bhaṅgoti ime tayo khaṇe patvā niruddhadhammā atīto addhā nāma, tayopi khaṇe asampattā anāgato addhā nāma, khaṇattayasamaṅgino paccuppanno addhā nāma.
aparo nayo – ayañhi atītādivibhāgo addhāsantatisamayakhaṇavasena catudhā veditabbo. tesu addhāvibhāgo vutto. santativasena sabhāgā ekautusamuṭṭhānā, ekāhārasamuṭṭhānā ca pubbāpariyavasena vattamānāpi paccuppannā. tato pubbe visabhāgautuāhārasamuṭṭhānā atītā pacchā anāgatā. cittajā ekavīthiekajavanaekasamāpattisamuṭṭhānā paccuppannā nāma, tato pubbe atītā, pacchā anāgatā. kammasamuṭṭhānānaṃ pāṭiyekkaṃ santativasena atītādibhedo natthi, tesaṃyeva pana utuāhāracittasamuṭṭhānānaṃ upatthambhakavasena tassa atītādibhāvo veditabbo. samayavasena ekamuhuttapubbaṇhasāyanharattidivādīsu samayesu santānavasena pavattamānā taṃtaṃsamaye paccuppannā nāma, tato pubbe atītā, pacchā anāgatā. ayaṃ tāva rūpadhammesu nayo. arūpadhammesu pana khaṇavasena uppādādikkhaṇattayapariyāpannā paccuppannā, tato pubbe atītā, pacchā anāgatā. apica atikkantahetupaccayakiccā atītā, niṭṭhitahetukiccā aniṭṭhitapaccayakiccā paccuppannā, ubhayakiccaṃ asampattā anāgatā. attano vā kiccakkhaṇe paccuppannā, tato pubbe atītā, pacchā anāgatā. ettha ca khaṇādikathāva nippariyāyā, sesā pariyāyā. ayañhi atītādibhedo nāma dhammānaṃ hoti, na kālassa. atītādibhede pana dhamme upādāya paramatthato avijjamānopi kālo idha teneva vohārena atītotiādinā vuttoti veditabbo.
201gāthāsu akkheyyasaññinoti ettha akkhāyati, kathīyati, paññāpīyatīti akkheyyaṃ, kathāvatthu, atthato rūpādayo pañcakkhandhā. vuttañhetaṃ –
"atītaṃ vā addhānaṃ ārabbha kathaṃ katheyya, anāgataṃ vā…pe… paccuppannaṃ vā addhānaṃ ārabbha kathaṃ katheyyā"ti (dī. ni. 3.305).
tathā –
"yaṃ, bhikkhave, rūpaṃ atītaṃ niruddhaṃ vipariṇataṃ, ‘ahosī’ti tassa saṅkhā, ‘ahosī’ti tassa samaññā, ‘ahosī’ti tassa paññatti, na tassa saṅkhā atthīti, na tassa saṅkhā bhavissatī"ti (saṃ. ni. 3.62) –
evaṃ vuttena niruttipathasuttenapi ettha attho dīpetabbo. evaṃ kathāvatthubhāvena akkheyyasaṅkhāte khandhapañcake ahanti ca mamanti ca devoti ca manussoti ca itthīti ca purisoti ca ādinā pavattasaññāvasena akkheyyasaññino, pañcasu upādānakkhandhesu sattapuggalādisaññinoti attho. akkheyyasmiṃ taṇhādiṭṭhiggāhavasena patiṭṭhitā, rāgādivasena vā aṭṭhahākārehi patiṭṭhitā. ratto hi rāgavasena patiṭṭhito hoti, duṭṭho dosavasena, mūḷho mohavasena, parāmaṭṭho diṭṭhivasena, thāmagato anusayavasena, vinibaddho mānavasena, aniṭṭhaṅgato vicikicchāvasena, vikkhepagato uddhaccavasena patiṭṭhito hotīti.
akkheyyaṃ apariññāyāti taṃ akkheyyaṃ tebhūmakadhamme tīhi pariññāhi aparijānitvā tassa aparijānanahetu. yogamāyanti maccunoti maraṇassa yogaṃ tena saṃyogaṃ upagacchanti, na visaṃyoganti attho.
atha vā yoganti upāyaṃ, tena yojitaṃ pasāritaṃ mārasenaṭṭhāniyaṃ anatthajālaṃ kilesajālañca upagacchantīti vuttaṃ hoti. tathā hi vuttaṃ –atha vā yoganti upāyaṃ, tena yojitaṃ pasāritaṃ mārasenaṭṭhāniyaṃ anatthajālaṃ kilesajālañca upagacchantīti vuttaṃ hoti. tathā hi vuttaṃ –
"na hi no saṅgaraṃ tena, mahāsenena maccunā"ti. (ma. ni. 3.272, jā. 2.22.121, netti. 103),
ettāvatā vaṭṭaṃ dassetvā idāni vivaṭṭaṃ dassetuṃ "akkheyyañca pariññāyā"tiādi vuttaṃ. tattha ca-saddo byatireke, tena akkheyyaparijānanena laddhabbaṃ vakkhamānameva visesaṃ joteti. pariññāyāti[/quote]
Translation Chatgpt:
In the fourth sutta, “addhā” means time (kāla). Regarding the terms “past addhā,” etc., there are two approaches: the Sutta method and the Abhidhamma method.
In the Sutta method, the time before rebirth-linking (paṭisandhi) is called past addhā. The time after death (cuti) is called future addhā. The time including both death and rebirth-linking immediately following is called present addhā.
In the Abhidhamma method: the dhammas that, having gone through the three moments—arising (uppāda), presence (ṭhiti), and dissolution (bhaṅga)—have ceased, are called past addhā. Those dhammas that have not yet reached the three moments are future addhā. Those dhammas that are undergoing the three moments are present addhā.
Another method: this classification into past, etc., should be understood in four ways—by time periods (addhā), continuities (santati), occasions (samaya), and moments (khaṇa). Of these, the classification by time period has been explained.
According to continuity: phenomena with the same nature, arising from the same seasonal condition (utu) or nutritional support (āhāra), though progressing over time, are considered present. Those arising before, with different conditions, are past; those arising after, are future.
Mental phenomena (cittajā) that arise from a single cognitive process, a single impulsion (javana), or a single absorption (samāpatti) are called present. Those before that are past, and those after that are future.
For phenomena produced by kamma, there is no distinct classification into past, etc., by continuity. But based on their support by conditions like season (utu), nutrition (āhāra), or mind (citta), their past/future/present character is understood.
In terms of occasions: dhammas arising as continuities during specific times such as a moment, forenoon, evening, night or day, are called present. Those before that are past; those after are future.
So far is the method for material phenomena. For immaterial phenomena, those included in the three moments (arising, duration, cessation) are present. Before that—past; after that—future.
Moreover, those dhammas whose cause-and-condition function has passed are past. Those whose causal function is completed, but conditional function is ongoing, are present. Those that have not yet fulfilled either function are future. Or: at the moment of fulfilling their own function, they are present; before that, past; after that, future.
Here, only the talk about moments (khaṇa) is non-figurative (literal); the rest are figurative usages. This classification into past, etc., belongs to phenomena, not to time itself. Though time does not exist in ultimate terms, it is spoken of here as “past,” etc., based on conventional usage, referring to dhammas distinguished by pastness and so on.
In the verse, “those who have concepts of the speakable” (akkheyyasaññino): akkheyya means “that which is spoken,” “talked about,” or “made known.” As to meaning, it refers to the five aggregates (pañcakkhandhā), beginning with material form.
As it is said: “One might speak in reference to a past time, or a future time, or a present time” (Dīgha Nikāya III, 305).
Likewise it is said: “Bhikkhus, any past form that has ceased and changed: the designation for it is ‘it was,’ the name for it is ‘it was,’ the conceptual term for it is ‘it was’; there is no designation for it as existing or as future” (Saṃyutta Nikāya III, 62).
Thus, by what has been said in these suttas on designations, the meaning here should be made clear.
In this way, based on being subjects of discourse (kathāvatthu), the five aggregates (called akkheyya here) become the object of concepts such as: “I”, “mine”, “god”, “human”, “woman”, “man”, etc. Thus, people who hold to these notions are called akkheyyasaññino — “those who conceptualize what is spoken of.”
That is, they hold to the perception (saññā) of a being (satta), or person (puggala), in the five clinging aggregates.
They are established in the speakable through grasping by craving (taṇhā) and views (diṭṭhi), or they are established by eight forms of defilement such as lust (rāga), and so on.
The one who is infatuated is established through lust, the one who is angry through hatred, the one who is deluded through delusion, the one who is obsessed through wrong views, the one who is entrenched through latent tendencies, the one who is bound through conceit, the one who is entangled through doubt, and the one who is scattered is established through restlessness.
Not having fully understood the akkheyya — i.e., the speakable, the five aggregates subject to clinging — becomes the cause of that lack of comprehension.
“They enter into yoga (bondage) to maccu (death)”: they enter into union with death; that is, they are bound to mortality, not freed from it.
Alternatively, yoga means means or device. By that means, they become entangled in the net of Māra and web of defilements — which are dangerous and harmful devices.
As it is said: “There is no protection for us from that great general — Death.” (MN III.272, Jātaka II.22.121, Nettipakaraṇa p.103)
Up to this point, the cycle of existence (vaṭṭa) has been shown. Now, in order to show liberation (vivaṭṭa), the following phrase is said: “Having fully understood the speakable…” — and so on.
Therein, the particle “ca” (and) indicates a contrast. By means of that full understanding of the speakable, it points toward the special attainment that will be explained shortly. “Having fully understood” refers to complete comprehension (pariññā) in the threefold sense: knowledge, analysis, and abandonment.