The Chanting Together

Sevens

'There are [sets of] seven things which have been perfectly proclaimed by the Lord ...

[7.01][pts][olds] 'Seven Ariyan treasures (ariya-dhanāni): faith, morality, moral shame (hiri), moral dread (ottappa), learning (suta), renunciation (cāga), wisdom.

[502] [7.02][pts][olds] 'Seven factors of enlightenment (sambojjhangā): mindfulness, [252] investigation of phenomena, energy, delight (pīti), tranquillity, concentration, equanimity.

[7.03][pts][olds] 'Seven requisites of concentration:^[1106] right view, thought, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness.

[7.04][pts][olds] 'Seven wrong practices (asaddhammā): Here, a monk lacks faith, lacks moral shame, lacks moral dread, has little learning, is slack (kusīto), is unmindful (muṭṭhassati), lacks wisdom.

[7.05][pts][olds] 'Seven right practices (saddhammā): Here, a monk has faith, moral shame and moral dread, has much learning, has aroused vigour (āraddha-viriyo), has established mindfulness (upaṭṭhita-sati hoti), possesses wisdom.

[7.06][pts][olds] 'Seven qualities of the true man (sappurisa-dhammā):^[1107] Here, a monk is a knower of the Dhamma, of meanings (atthaññū), of self (attaññū),^[1108] of moderation (mattaññū), of the right time, of groups (parisaññū), of persons.

[7.07][pts][olds] 'Seven grounds for commendation (niddasa-vatthūni),^[1109] Here, a monk is keenly anxious (a) to undertake the training, and wants to persist in this, (b) to make a close study of the Dhamma, (c) to get rid of desires, (d) to find solitude, (e) to arouse energy, (f) to develop mindfulness and discrimination (sati-nepakke), [253] (g) to develop penetrative insight.^[1110]

[7.08][pts][olds] 'Seven perceptions: perception of impermanence, of not-self, of foulness (asubhasaññā), of danger, of abandonment, of dispassion, of cessation.

[7.09][pts][olds] 'Seven powers (balāni): of faith, energy, moral shame, moral dread, mindfulness, concentration, wisdom.

[7.10][pts][olds] 'Seven stations of consciousness: Beings (a) different in body and different in perception; (b) different in body and alike in perception; (c) alike in body and different in perception; (d) alike in body and alike in perception; (e) who have attained to the Sphere of Infinite Space; (f) ... of Infinite Consciousness; (g) ... of No-Thingness (as DN.15, §33)'

[7.11][pts][olds] 'Seven persons worthy of offerings: The Both-Ways-Liberated [254], the Wisdom-Liberated, the Body-Witness, the Vision-Attainer, the Faith-Liberated, the Dhamma-Devotee, the Faith-Devotee (as Sutta 28, verse 8).

[503] [7.12][pts][olds] 'Seven latent proclivities (anusayā): sensuous greed (kāma-rāga), resentment (paṭigha), views, doubt, conceit, craving for becoming (bhava-rāga), ignorance.

[7.13][pts][olds] 'Seven fetters (saṅyojanani): complaisance (anunaya),^[1111] resentment, views, doubt, conceit, craving for becoming, ignorance.

[7.14][pts][olds] 'Seven rules for the pacification and settlement of disputed questions that have been raised:^[1112] (a) proceedings face-to-face, (b) recollection (sati), (c) mental derangement, (d) confession, (e) majority verdict, (f) habitual bad character, (g) "covering over with grass".

'These are the [sets of] seven things which were perfectly proclaimed by the Lord ... So we should all recite them together ... for the benefit, welfare and happiness of devas and humans.'

^[1106]; As if the entire Eightfold Path simply led up to Right Concentration! (cf. n.1099). See DN 18.27.

^[1107] The ideal man (Buddha or Arahant).

^[1108] Naturally in the relative sense: there would be no justification for reading any notion of a 'Great Self' into this (basically pronominal) usage! Note the characteristic play on words: attha, attā, mattā.

^[1109] Reading niddasa. RD's 'bases of Arahantship' is pretty free.

^[1110] Diṭṭhi-paṭivedhe. RD's 'intuition of the truth' does not quite hit this off.

^[1111] Lit. 'going along with'.

^[1112] These form the final part (rules 221-227) of the Pātimokkha or code of discipline.

[Ones and Twos] [Threes] [Fours] [Fives] [Sixes] [Sevens] [Eights] [Nines] [Tens]