The rendering of upadana here by
'assuming' instead of the usually accepted 'clinging' needs perhaps
justifying. A verbal substantive from the verb upadiyati, it is made
up of the prefix upa- + adana ( = 'taking', itself made up of prefix
a +da 'to give'). Literally upadana = 'uptake' and upadiyati = 'to
take up' (cf. Latin ad+sumere = assumere, English to assume, assuming
= 'to take upon oneself and assumptive = 'to take for granted' COD).
By first metaphor, upadana is a normal Pali word for a fire's fuel
(cf. 'consumption'). By second metaphor it is placed in
conscious-behaviour contexts, principally in the formula of Dependent
Arising, where it occupies the position intermediate between Craving
(tanha) and Being (bhava): Craving (governed by Ignorance) conditions
the Assuming ('clinging') that is necessary in order to Be. Four
kinds are distinguished, namely sensual- desires (both objective and
subjective), views, misapprehended virtue and duty, and
self-theories. Two otherwise identical Sutta presentations of an
aspect of Dependent Arising, which specially underlines Being by
attaching the word pabhava ('given being by') to each term, appear
with only one difference: the one starts with the 4 kinds of upddana
(M. i, 67) and the other with the four kinds of ahara ('nutriment'),
namely physical food, contact, choice, and consciousness (M. i, 261).
This indicates some interchangeability of the two ideas upaadna and
ahara. ('Nutriment', lit. 'a bringing towards one': English has
already metaphorized the word 'food' in one way by the expression
'food for thought,' see also note 570/1.)
It is a fundamental tenet, too, in the
Buddha's teaching that 'all creatures subsist by nutriment' (sabbe
sattd aharatthitikd: D. iii, 211; A. v, 50-1; Khp. 2) thus the two
ideas of nutriment and existence signify, as it were, or are
inseparable from, assimilation and becoming—Assuming and Being—and
are bound together with the conditionality of sine qua non (D. ii,
57), just as both are to the idea Craving, and so on. The word
'clinging' does not represent this at all well and its own familiar
contexts prevent its acquiring this new sense: 'assuming', though by
no means perfect, is certainly better. But again, there is another
aspect: upadana is in Pali utraquistic, that is, it can refer both to
the fire's fuel consumed or to its act of consuming the fuel, and
likewise in the mental metaphor of 'assuming being', 'assuming to be'
(as the word 'percept' can refer either to the act of perceiving or
to the thing perceived).
The word upādāna (lit. 'taking up') has a certain ambiguity about it. As well as 'holding' (seizing, grasping), which is eminently a characteristic of fire no less than of passion (the upādāna of pañc'upādānakkhandhā is chandarāga, 'desire-&-lust'), the word can also mean the fuel of a fire (Majjhima viii,2 <M.i,487>; Avyākata Samy. 9 <S.iv,399-400>). The burning fuel, being held by the 'holding' fire, is itself the fire's 'holding'. The fire is burning, the fuel is burning: two aspects of the same thing. Nanavira Thera
On p. 302 you say, 'The Arahat Grasps only towards the end of all Grasping'. With this I do not agree. There is no grasping (upādāna) whatsoever in the arahat. The puthujjana is describable in terms of pañc'upādānakkhandhā, but the arahat (while he still lives) only in terms of pañcakkhandhā. Upādāna has already ceased.
There are four kinds of upādāna—kāma, ditthi, sīlabbata, and attavāda—, and the arahat has none (see Majjhima 11: i,67). The expression in the Suttas for the attainment of arahatship is anupādāya āsavehi cittam vimucci. The term sa-upādisesa-nibbānadhātu, which applies to the living arahat, you take (p. 299) as 'Nibbāna with the Grasping Groups remaining'. But this, in fact, has nothing to do with upādāna. Upādisesa means simply 'stuff remaining' or 'residue'. In Majjhima 10: i,62 the presence of upādisesa is what distinguishes the anāgāmī from the arahat, and this is clearly not the same precise thing as what distinguishes the living arahat (sa-upādisesa-nibbānadhātu) from the dead arahat (an-upādisesa-nibbānadhātu). Upādisesa is therefore unspecified residue, which with the living arahat is pañcakkhandhā. The arahat says pañcakkhandhā pariññātā titthanti chinnamūlakā (Theragātha 120), and the mūla (or root) that is chinna (or cut) is upādāna. This means that there can still be rūpa, vedanā, saññā, sankhārā, and viññāna without upādāna.
This statement alone, if it is correct, is enough to invalidate the account on p. 149 (and elsewhere) of life as a process of grasping—i.e., a flux, a continuous becoming.
For this reason I expect that you will be inclined to reject it as
mistaken. Nevertheless, I must point out that the two doctrines upon
which your account of grasping seems principally to rely—namely, the
simile of the flame (p. 146) and the celebrated expression 'na ca so na ca añño'
(p. 149), both of which you attribute to the Buddha—are neither of them
to be found in the Suttas. They occur for the first time in the
Milindapañha, and there is no evidence at all that they were ever taught
by the Buddha.
But now this difficulty arises. What, precisely, is upādāna (grasping, or as I prefer, holding) if it is not synonymous with cetanā (intention)? This, and not any other, is the fundamental question raised by the Buddha's Teaching; and it is extremely difficult to see the answer (though it can be stated without difficulty). The answer is, essentially, that all notions of subjectivity, of the existence of a subject (to whom objects are present), all notions of 'I' and 'mine', are upādāna. Can there, then, be intentional conscious action—such as eating food—without the notion 'It is I who am acting, who am eating this food'? The answer is, Yes. The arahat intentionally eats food, but the eating is quite unaccompanied by any thought of a subject who is eating the food. For all non-arahats such thoughts (in varying degrees, of course) do arise. The arahat remains an individual (i.e. distinct from other individuals) but is no longer a person (i.e. a somebody, a self, a subject). This is not—as you might perhaps be tempted to think—a distinction without a difference. It is a genuine distinction, a very difficult distinction, but a distinction that must be made. Nanavira Thera (from letters)
"And what is being, what is the origin of being, what is the cessation of being, what is the way leading to the cessation of being? There are these three kinds of being: sense-sphere being, fine-material being and immaterial being. With the arising of holding there is the arising of being. With the cessation of holding there is the cessation of being. .. And what is holding, what is the origin of holding, what is the cessation of holding, what is the way leading to the cessation of holding? There are these four kinds of holding: holding to sensual pleasures, holding to views, holding to rituals and observances, and holding to a doctrine of self. With the arising of craving there is the arising of holding. With the cessation of craving there is the cessation of holding. The way leading to the cessation of holding is just this Noble Eightfold Path; that is, right view... right concentration.M 9
'Just so, Māgandiya, if I were to set you forth the Teaching, 'This is that good health, this is that extinction', you might know good health, you might see extinction; with the arising of the eye, that in the five holding aggregates which is desire-&-lust would be eliminated for you; moreover it would occur to you, 'For a long time, indeed, have I been cheated and deceived and defrauded by this mind (or heart—citta): I was holding just matter, holding just feeling, holding just perception, holding just determinations, holding just consciousness'.') (Majjhima viii,5 <M.i,511>
holding to sensual pleasures (from M 75):
“Suppose, Māgandiya, there was a leper with sores and blisters on his limbs, being devoured by worms, scratching the scabs off the openings of his wounds with his nails, cauterising his body over a burning charcoal pit. Then his friends and companions, his kinsmen and relatives, brought a physician to treat him. The physician would make medicine for him, and by means of that medicine the man would be cured of his leprosy and would become well and happy, independent, master of himself, able to go where he likes. Then two strong men would seize him by both arms and drag him towards a burning charcoal pit. What do you think, Māgandiya? Would that man twist his body this way and that?”
“Yes, Master Gotama. Why is that? Because that fire is indeed painful to touch, hot, and scorching.”
“What do you think, Māgandiya? Is it only now that that fire is painful to touch, hot, and scorching, or previously too was that fire painful to touch, hot, and scorching?”
“Master Gotama, that fire is now painful to touch, hot, and scorching, and previously too that fire was painful to touch, hot, and scorching. For when that man was a leper with sores and blisters on his limbs, being devoured by worms, scratching the scabs off the openings of his wounds with his nails, his faculties were impaired; thus, though the fire was actually painful to touch, he acquired a mistaken perception of it as pleasant.”
“So too, Māgandiya, in the past sensual pleasures were painful to touch, hot, and scorching; in the future sensual pleasures will be painful to touch, hot, and scorching; and now at present sensual pleasures are painful to touch, hot, and scorching. But these beings who are not free from lust for sensual pleasures, who are devoured by craving for sensual pleasures, who burn with fever for sensual pleasures, have faculties that are impaired; thus, though sensual pleasures are actually painful to touch, they acquire a mistaken perception of them as pleasant.
“Suppose, Māgandiya, there was a leper with sores and blisters on his limbs, being devoured by worms, scratching the scabs off the openings of his wounds with his nails, cauterising his body over a burning charcoal pit; the more he scratches the scabs and cauterises his body, the fouler, more evil-smelling and more infected the openings of his wounds would become, yet he would find a certain measure of satisfaction and enjoyment in scratching the openings of his wounds. So too, Māgandiya, beings who are not free from lust for sensual pleasures, who are devoured by craving for sensual pleasures, who burn with fever for sensual pleasures, still indulge in sensual pleasures; the more such beings indulge in sensual pleasures, the more their craving for sensual pleasures increases and the more they are burned by their fever for sensual pleasures, yet they find a certain measure of satisfaction and enjoyment in dependence on the five cords of sensual pleasure.
“What do you think, Māgandiya? Have you ever seen or heard of a king or a king’s minister enjoying himself, provided and endowed with the five cords of sensual pleasure who, without abandoning craving for sensual pleasures, without removing fever for sensual pleasures, was able to abide free from thirst, with a mind inwardly at peace, or who is able or who will be able to so abide?”—“No, Master Gotama.”
“Good, Māgandiya. I too have never seen or heard of a king or a king’s minister enjoying himself, provided and endowed with the five cords of sensual pleasure who, without abandoning craving for sensual pleasures, without removing fever for sensual pleasures, was able to abide free from thirst, with a mind inwardly at peace, or who is able or who will be able to so abide. On the contrary, Māgandiya, those recluses or brahmins who abided or abide or will abide free from thirst, with a mind inwardly at peace, all do so after having understood as they actually are the origin, the disappearance, the gratification, the danger, and the escape in the case of sensual pleasures, and it is after abandoning craving for sensual pleasures and removing fever for sensual pleasures that they abided or abide or will abide free from thirst, with a mind inwardly at peace.”
Then at that point the Blessed One uttered this exclamation:
“The greatest of all gains is health,When this was said, the wanderer Māgandiya said to the Blessed One: “It is wonderful, Master Gotama, it is marvellous how well that has been expressed by Master Gotama:
Nibbāna is the greatest bliss,
The eightfold path is the best of paths
For it leads safely to the Deathless.”
‘The greatest of all gains is health,We too have heard earlier wanderers who were teachers and teachers of teachers saying this, and it agrees, Master Gotama.”
Nibbāna is the greatest bliss.’
“But, Māgandiya, when you heard earlier wanderers who were teachers and teachers of teachers saying this, what is that health, what is that Nibbāna?”
When this was said, the wanderer Māgandiya rubbed his own limbs with his hands and said: “This is that health, Master Gotama, this is that Nibbāna; for I am now healthy and happy and nothing afflicts me.”
“Māgandiya, suppose there was a man born blind who could not see dark and light forms, who could not see blue, yellow, red, or pink forms, who could not see what was even and uneven, who could not see the stars or the sun and moon. He might hear a man with good eyesight saying: ‘Good indeed, sirs, is a white cloth, beautiful, spotless, and clean!’ and he would go in search of a white cloth. Then a man would cheat him with a dirty soiled garment thus: ‘Good man, here is a white cloth for you, beautiful, spotless, and clean.’ And he would accept it and put it on, and being satisfied with it, he would utter words of satisfaction thus: ‘Good indeed, sirs, is a white cloth, beautiful, spotless, and clean!’ What do you think, Māgandiya? When that man born blind accepted that dirty soiled garment, put it on, and being satisfied with it, uttered words of satisfaction thus: ‘Good indeed, sirs, is a white cloth, beautiful, spotless, and clean!’—did he do so knowing and seeing, or out of faith in the man with good eyesight?”
“Venerable sir, he would have done so unknowing and unseeing, out of faith in the man with good eyesight.”
“So too, Māgandiya, the wanderers of other sects are blind and visionless. They do not know health, they do not see Nibbāna, yet they utter this stanza thus:
‘The greatest of all gains is health,This stanza was uttered by the earlier Accomplished Ones, Fully Enlightened Ones, thus:
Nibbāna is the greatest bliss.’
‘The greatest of all gains is health,Now it has gradually become current among ordinary people. And although this body, Māgandiya, is a disease, a tumour, a dart, a calamity, and an affliction, referring to this body you say: ‘This is that health, Master Gotama, this is that Nibbāna.’ You do not have that noble vision, Māgandiya, by means of which you might know health and see Nibbāna.”
Nibbāna is the greatest bliss,
The eightfold path is the best of paths
For it leads to safety, to the Deathless.’
SN 44: 9
Then the wanderer Vacchagotta approached the Blessed One and exchanged greetings with him. When they had concluded their greetings and cordial talk, he sat down to one side and said to the Blessed One:
“In recent days, Master Gotama, a number of ascetics, brahmins, and wanderers of various sects had assembled in the debating hall and were sitting together when this conversation arose among them: ‘This Pūraṇa Kassapa—the leader of an order, the leader of a group, the teacher of a group, the well known and famous spiritual guide considered holy by many people—declares the rebirth of a disciple who has passed away and died thus: “That one was reborn there, that one was reborn there.” And in the case of a disciple who was a person of the highest kind, a supreme person, one who had attained the supreme attainment, when that disciple has passed away and died he also declares his rebirth thus: “That one was reborn there, that one was reborn there.” This Makkhali Gosala … This Nigaṇṭha Nataputta … This Sañjaya Belaṭṭhiputta … This Pakudha Kaccayana … This Ajita Kesakambalı̄ … when that disciple has passed away and died he also declares his rebirth thus: “That one was reborn there, that one was reborn there.” This ascetic Gotama—the leader of an order, the leader of a group, the teacher of a group, the well known and famous spiritual guide considered holy by many people—declares the rebirth of a disciple who has passed away and died thus: “That one was reborn there, that one was reborn there.” But in the case of a disciple who was a person of the highest kind, a supreme person, one who had attained the supreme attainment, when that disciple has passed away and died he does not declare his rebirth thus: “That one was reborn there, that one was reborn there.” Rather, he declares of him: “He cut off craving, severed the fetter, and, by completely breaking through conceit, he has made an end to suffering.”’
“There was perplexity in me, Master Gotama, there was doubt: ‘How is the Dhamma of the ascetic Gotama to be understood?’”
“It is fitting for you to be perplexed, Vaccha, it is fitting for you to doubt. Doubt has arisen in you about a perplexing matter. I declare, Vaccha, rebirth for one with fuel, not for one without fuel. Just as a fire burns with fuel, but not without fuel, so, Vaccha, I declare rebirth for one with fuel, not for one without fuel.”
“Master Gotama, when a flame is flung by the wind and goes some distance, what does Master Gotama declare to be its fuel on that occasion?”
“When, Vaccha, a flame is flung by the wind and goes some distance, I declare that it is fuelled by the wind. For on that occasion the wind is its fuel.”
“And, Master Gotama, when a being has laid down this body but has not yet been reborn in another body, what does Master Gotama declare to be its fuel on that occasion?”
“When, Vaccha, a being has laid down this body but has not yet been reborn in another body, I declare that it is fuelled by craving. For on that occasion craving is its fuel.”
