Somewhere I was reading about the importance of distinguishing particular characteristics (sabhāvalakkhaṇā) of dhammas. Can someone, please, explain the significance of seeing particular characteristics?
Thanks.
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Distinguishing dhammas helps to see their conditionality.
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For there to be deep understanding of the Tilakkhana (the three characteristics, anicca, dukkha and anatta) of realities the realties need to be known. It is not enough to just think “all realities are anatta”, that is only the start.
So a breaking down of the wholes into various elements is integral to understanding.
for example:
VismXX 3 Tattha "ruppanalakkhaṇaṃ rūpaṃ, vedayitalakkhaṇā vedanā"ti evaṃ tesaṃ tesaṃ dhammānaṃ paccattalakkhaṇasallakkhaṇavasena pavattā paññā ñātapariññā nāma.
Herein, the understanding that occurs by observing the specific characteristics of such and such states thus, “Materiality (rūpa) has the characteristic of being molested (ruppana); feeling has the characteristic of being felt,” is called full- understanding as the known.
"Rūpaṃ aniccaṃ, vedanā aniccā"tiādinā nayena tesaṃyeva dhammānaṃ sāmaññalakkhaṇaṃ āropetvā pavattā lakkhaṇārammaṇikavipassanā paññā tīraṇapariññā nāma.
The understanding consisting in insight with the general characteristics as its object that occurs in attributing a general characteristic to those same states in the way beginning, “Materiality is impermanent, feeling is impermanent” is called full- understanding as investigation.2
Tesuyeva pana dhammesu niccasaññādipajahanavasena pavattā lakkhaṇārammaṇikavipassanā paññā pahānapariññā nāma.
The understanding consisting in insight with the characteristics as its object that occurs as the abandoning of the perception of permanence, etc., in those same states is called full-understanding as abandoning.
But even before those stages of insight there has to a gradual discerning of special and general characteristics.
From the Suttanta:
https://suttacentral.net/mn146/en/bodhi … ight=false
Majjhima Nikāya
146. Advice from Nandaka
the venerable Nandaka told the bhikkhunīs:
.”
“Sisters, what do you think? Is the eye permanent or impermanent?” —“Impermanent, venerable sir.”—“Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness?”—“Suffering, venerable sir.”—“Is what is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change fit to be regarded thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self’?”—“No, venerable sir.”“Sisters, what do you think? Is the ear….the nose…the tongue…the body…the mind permanent or impermanent?”—“Impermanent, venerable sir.”—“Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness?”—“Suffering, venerable sir.”—“Is what is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change fit to be regarded thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self’?”—“No, venerable sir. Why is that? Because, venerable sir, we have already seen this well as it actually is with proper wisdom thus: ‘These six internal bases are impermanent.’”
“Good, good, sisters! So it is with a noble disciple who sees this as it actually is with proper wisdom.
“Sisters, what do you think? Are forms…sounds…odours… flavours…tangibles…mind-objects permanent or impermanent?” —“Impermanent, venerable sir.”—“Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness?”—“Suffering, venerable sir.”—“Is what is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change fit to be regarded thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self’?”—“No, venerable sir. Why is that? Because, venerable sir, we have already seen this well as it actually is with proper wisdom thus: ‘These six external bases are impermanent.’”
“Good, good, sisters! So it is with a noble disciple who sees this as it actually is with proper wisdom.
“Sisters, what do you think? Is eye-consciousness… … ear-consciousness…nose-consciousness…tongue-consciousness… body-consciousness…mind-consciousness permanent or impermanent?” —“Impermanent, venerable sir.”—“Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness?”—“Suffering, venerable sir.”— “Is what is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change fit to be regarded thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self’?”—“No, venerable sir. Why is that? Because, venerable sir, we have already seen this well as it actually is with proper wisdom thus: ‘These six classes of consciousness are impermanent.’”
“Sisters, suppose a skilled butcher or his apprentice were to kill a cow and carve it up with a sharp butcher’s knife. Without damaging the inner mass of flesh and without damaging the outer hide, he would cut, sever, and carve away the inner tendons, sinews, and ligaments with the sharp butcher’s knife. Then having cut, severed, and carved all this away, he would remove the outer hide and cover the cow again with that same hide. Would he be speaking rightly if he were to say: ‘This cow is joined to this hide just as it was before’?”
“No, venerable sir. Why is that? Because if that skilled butcher or his apprentice were to kill a cow…and cut, sever, and carve all that away, even though he covers the cow again with that same hide and says: ‘This cow is joined to this hide just as it was before,’ that cow would still be disjoined from that hide.”
and again the Visuddhimagga
XX8282. 5. By removal of [false] view, 6. by abolition of conceit, 7. by ending of attachment: there is no individual method for any of these three. But when he has discerned this materiality as described above and this immateriality as described here, then he sees that there is no living being over and above the material and the immaterial. As soon as he no longer sees a being, the perception of a being is removed. When he discerns formations with consciousness from which perception of a being has been removed, then [false] view does not arise in him. When [false] view does not arise in him, then [false] view is said to be removed
XIV213. Order of teaching is appropriate however; for there are those people who, while teachable, have fallen into assuming a self among the five aggregates owing to failure to analyze them; and the Blessed One is desirous of releasing them from the assumption by getting them to see how the [seeming] compactness of mass [in the five aggregates] is resolved
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