The Notion of Release (vimokkha) in the Paṭisambhidāmagga

The Classification of the Releases in the Vimokkhakathā
The Vimokkhakatha¯ is a section of the Patisambhida¯magga consisting of three recitations (bhānavāra), and containing a detailed account of the releases (vimokkha), i.e. the various facets, levels of, and entry points to, liberation.
 The chapter begins with a standard threefold classification (suññatavimokkha, animittāvimokkha, appaṇihitavimokkha), followed by a more complex arrangement of sixty-eight vimokkhas. As far as I am aware of, this is the only occurrence of the sixty-eight vimokkhas in Pali literature. The complete list is as follows: (1) Release characterized by emptiness (suññato vimokkho), (2) release characterized by absence of impressions (animitto vimokkho), (3) release characterized by absence of longing (appaṇihito vimokkho), (4) release arising internally (ajjhattavuṭṭhāno vimokkho), (5) release arising externally (bahiddhavuṭṭhāno vimokkho), (6) release arising both [internally and externally] (dubhatovuṭṭhāno vimokkho), (7–10) four releases arising internally (ajjhattavuṭṭhānā cattāro vimokkhā), (11–14) four releases arising externally (bahiddhāvuṭṭhānā cattāro vimokkhā), (15–18) four releases arising both [internally and externally] (dubhatovuṭṭhānā cattāro vimokkhā), (19–22) four releases [proceeding] along with those arising internally (ajjhattavuṭṭhānānaṃ anulomā cattāro vimokkhā), (23–26) four releases [proceeding] along with those arising externally (bahiddhāvuṭṭhānānaṃ anulomā cattāro vimokkhā), (27–30) four releases [proceeding] along with those arising both [internally and externally] (dubhatovuṭṭhānānaṃ anulomā cattāro vimokkhā), (31–34) four releases characterized by relaxation and arising internally (ajjhattavuṭṭhānā paṭipassaddhī cattāro vimokkhā), (35–38) four releases characterized by relaxation and arising externally (bahiddhāvuṭṭhānā paṭipassaddhī cattāro vimokkhā), (39–42) four releases characterized by relaxation and arising both [internally and externally] (dubhatovuṭṭhānā paṭipassaddhī cattāro vimokkhā), (43) release expressed as “having form, one see forms” (rūpī rūpāni passatīti vimokkho), (44) release expressed as “not cognizing forms internally he sees forms externally” (ajjhattaṃ arūpasaññī bahiddhā rūpāni passatīti vimokkho), (45) release expressed as “one is resolved on what is beautiful” (subhan t’ eva adhimutto hotīti vimokkho), (46) release characterized by the attainment of the sphere of infinite space (ākāsānañcāyatanasamāpattivimokkho), (47) release characterized by the attainment of the sphere of infinite consciousness (viññāṇañcāyatanasamāpattivimokkho), (48) release characterized by the attainment of the sphere of nothingness (ākiñcaññāyatanasamāpattivimokkho),

(49) release characterized by the attainment of the sphere of neither cognition nor non-cognition (nevasaññānāsaññāyatanasamāpattivimokkho), (50) release characterized by the attainment of the cessation of cognition and feeling (saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpattivimokkho), (51) occasional release (samayavimokkho), (52) definitive release (asamayavimokkho), (53) temporary release (sāmayiko vimokkho), (54) ultimate release (asāmayiko vimokkho), (55) shakeable release (kuppo vimokkho), (56) unshakeable release (akuppo vimokkho), (57) mundane release (lokiyo vimokkho), (58) supra-mundane release (lokuttaro vimokkho), (59) release with outflows (sāsavo vimokkho), (60) release without outflows (anāsavo vimokkho), (61) material release (sāmiso vimokkho), (62) immaterial release (nirāmiso vimokkho), (63) more immaterial than immaterial release (nirāmisā nirāmisataro vimokkho), (64) release with longing (paṇihito vimokkho), (65) release without longing (appaṇihito vimokkho), (66) release characterized by the relaxation of longing (paṇihitappaṭippassaddhivimokkho), (67) bound release (saññutto vimokkho), (68) unbound release (visaññutto vimokkho), (69) unified release (ekattavimokkho), (70) diversified release (nānattavimokkho), (71) release characterized by cognition (saññāvimokkho), (72) release characterized by awareness (ñāṇavimokkho), (73) release of “may it be cold” (sītisiyā vimokkho),2 (74) release of the meditative stages (jhānavimokkho), (75) release of the mind free from attachment (anupāda cittassa vimokkho).


The enumeration, as explained in the commentary, eliminates redundancies and thus should not reckon the three fundamental releases (1–3),4 which are already explained by the standard definitions from the Suttas and mentioned in the preliminary list; three releases (4–6) are not to be counted because they occur in the extended version of the three fourfold releases (7–10; 11–14; 15–18); and the release without longing (65), is also not counted, since it overlaps with the third vimokkha. The most common lists in Pali literature include either the three first vimokkhas, as in the Vimokkhasutta (A CSCD VIII.66, PTS IV.306), or eight vimokkhas (43– 50), as in the Maha¯nidana sutta of the Dı¯gha Nika¯ya (here numbered according to their place in the Patisambhidha¯magga list): (43) rūpī rūpāni passati—having form, one sees forms; (44) ajjhattaṃ arūpasaññī bahiddhā rūpāni passati—not cognizing internal forms, one sees external forms; (45) subhan’ t’ eva adhimutto hoti—one is resolved on what is beautiful; (46) sabbaso rūpasaññānaṃ samatikkamā paṭighasaññānaṃ atthaṅgamā nānattasaññānaṃ amanasikārā ananto ākāsoti ākāsānañcāyatanaṃ upasampajja viharati—by completely overcoming the cognitions of forms, through the disappearing of the cognitions of aversion, by paying no attention to the cognitions of variety, and [by focusing on the notion that] “space is infinite”, one enters the sphere of infinite space; (47) sabbaso ākāsānañcāyatanaṃ samatikkamma anantaṃ viññāṇanti viññāṇañcāyatanaṃ upasampajja viharati—by completely overcoming the sphere of infinite space, one enters the sphere of infinite consciousness; (48) sabbaso viññāṇañcāyatanaṃ samatikkamma natthi kiñcīti ākiñcaññāyatanaṃ upasampajja viharati—by completely overcoming the sphere of infinite consciousness, one enters the sphere of nothingness; (49) sabbaso ākiñcaññāyatanaṃ samatikkamma nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṃ upasampajja viharati—by completely overcoming the sphere of nothingness, one enters the sphere of neither cognition nor non-cognition; (50) sabbaso nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṃ samatikkamma saññāvedayitanirodhaṃ upasampajja viharati—by completely overcoming the sphere of neither cognition nor non-cognition, one enters the cessation of cognition and feeling.

Unlike the long list of the Vimokkhakatha¯, this eightfold classification apparently describes a sequential pattern of partial releases. Walshe, accordingly, states that these eight vimokkhas are “relative ‘liberations’, since one has to pass through them successively to gain true freedom” (Walshe 1987, p. 566, n. 356); Bronkhorst notes that “one can easily see that it is a list of graded exercises by which the practitioner gradually puts an end to all ideations” (Bronkhorst 1993, p. 56).
 Nonetheless, the following passage from the Maha¯nida¯nasutta should be taken into account:
“[…] a monk who enters these eight releases forwardly, reversely, forwardly and reversely, who immerses into and emerges from them wherever he wishes, as he wishes, and as long as he wishes, he will deeply know, realize and reach right on the spot the destruction of the outflows, the releasing of the mind wherein outflows are absent, the releasing by means of wisdom, and that monk will be called released in both respects.”
This description suggests that the progressive pattern may not be the only one possible approach to the eightfold list, and the function of each vimokkha (and of the whole sequence) might be more complex. The text does not offer a conclusive explanation of the relationship between the list of the vimokkhas and the other practices therein expounded. Taken together, the lists should not be read as components of one longer sequence of the path to liberation, since some lists do culminate in the ultimate goal. It may be reasonable to understand them as a summary of practices taught by the Buddha.7 Alternatively, the list might describe eight possible areas wherein releases are favored. The commentary suggests that the sequential order (forward and backward) has to be strictly followed only at the beginning: once a bhikkhu has extreme competence (atipaguṇatta) in the attainments (samāpatti), he may access the vimokkhas as he wishes, transforming them into an assorted and yet homogeneous set of techniques (D-a CSCD II.130, PTS II.513). In the Salayatanavibhanga sutta, the eight vimokkhas are called the ‘eight directions’ (disā replaces vimokkha), and they are allegorically compared to the directions followed by an elephant tamed by the elephant tamer (M 137, CSCD III.312, PTS III.222). This supports reading the eight vimokkhas as interrelated instruments rather than as necessarily gradual steps. Although the eight vimokkhas here are still in a sequence, the metaphor employed indicates that they should be considered as areas to be explored by means of a specific training.8 According to the Maha¯nida¯nasutta and the Sal˙ a¯yatanavibhan˙gasutta, the eight areas/directions seem to be consecutive, interrelated, homogeneous, and separate from each other. These attributes are apparently contradictory, but the paradox is cleared up in the passage from the Maha¯nida¯nasutta quoted above, where it is stated that the meditator may eventually access the vimokkhas as he wishes (yadicchakaṃ) and through various angles. The relationship between releases and the cultivation of wholesome factors is echoed in the commentarial description of the role of the Vimokkhakatha¯ within the broader structure of the Pat˙ isambhida¯magga. In fact Maha¯na¯ma, the author of the Pat˙ isambhida¯magga-at˙ t ˙ hakatha¯, at the beginning of the Vimokkhuddesavan˙ n ˙ ana¯ explains that the Vimokkhakatha¯ is found immediately after the Indriyakatha¯ because the releases are a necessary consequence of the cultivation of the faculties.9 Although the Vimokkhakatha¯ suggests that the list of vimokkhas is complete even in the respect of practice, it is reasonable to interpret the commentarial preamble as emphasizing the relation of the vimokkhas to the indriyas and, indirectly, to all the wholesome factors illustrated in the Pat˙ isambhida¯magga. The long list from the fourth to the fiftieth vimokkha describes the meditative stages (jhāna) and the consequent attainments (samāpatti). Standard formulas are here employed in a complex combination whose reiterations are probably for the sake of accuracy and completeness. Vimokkha 45, “one is resolved on what is beautiful” (subhan t’eva adhimutto hoti), plays a unique role in this specific list of meditations and attainments as well as in the overall scheme. This release depends on the cultivation of the four brahmavihāras (CSCD I.212, PTS II.39) and in the resulting cessation of repulsion towards any living beings (sattā appaṭikūlā honti), fostering the progression towards the last two samāpattis

The Three Root-Releases 
‘Emptiness’, ‘absence of longing’, and ‘absence of impressions’, recur throughout Buddhist literature, not only in Pali. We find them discussed in the Abhidharmakosabhasya (8.24), where they are explained as three samādhis connected to the aspects of the Truths; and importantly, they become a recurrent focus for the Prajnaparamita¯ Sutras. This pan-Buddhist popularity should be enough to suggest a special place for these three vimokkhas. The list of the Vimokkhakatha¯ begins with the enunciation of these three releases, then reckons and illustrates the overall sixty-eight releases, including the first three. This procedure suggests that the first three play a distinguished role in the whole list, which in turn seems to be disposed in a hierarchical rather than sequential or causal order. The special nature of these three specific releases is corroborated by occurrences in the Suttas where they are treated separately. The following descriptions of the three vimokkhas in the Pat˙ isambhida¯magga offer several elements for reflection. Katamo suññato vimokkho? Idha bhikkhu araññagato vā rukkhamūlagato vā suññāgāragato vā iti paṭisañcikkhati—‘‘suññamidaṃ attena vā attaniyena vā’’ti. So tattha abhinivesaṃ na karotīti—suññato vimokkho. Ayaṃ suññato vimokkho

And what is release characterized by emptiness? Here a monk, gone to the forest, gone to the feet of a tree or to an empty place, would reflect thus “this is empty of a self or what belongs to a self”. As a result, he does not generate attachment: this is what release characterized by emptiness means. This is release characterized by emptiness.


Katamo animitto vimokkho? Idha bhikkhu araññagato vā rukkhamūlagato vā suññāgāragato vā iti paṭisañcikkhati—‘‘suññamidaṃ attena vā attaniyena vā’’ti. So tattha nimittaṃ na karotīti—animitto vimokkho. Ayaṃ animitto vimokkho.

And what is release characterized by absence of impressions?Here a monk, gone to the forest, gone to the feet of a tree or to an empty place, would reflect thus “this is empty of a self or what belongs to a self”. As a result, he does not generate impression: this is what release characterized by absence of impressions means. This is release characterized by absence of impressions

Katamo appaṇihito vimokkho? Idha bhikkhu araññagato vā rukkhamūlagato vā suññāgāragato vā iti paṭisañcikkhati—‘‘suññamidaṃ attena vā attaniyena vā’’ti. So tattha paṇidhiṃ na karotīti—appaṇihito vimokkho. Ayaṃ appaṇihito vimokkho

And what is release characterized by absence of longing? Here a monk, gone to the forest, gone to the feet of a tree or to an empty place, would reflect thus “this is empty of a self or what belongs to a self”. As a result, he does not generate longing: this is what release characterized by absence of longing means. This is release characterized by absence of longing.

An important premise to the understanding of the first three vimokkhas is that the entire classification of the releases in the Pat˙ isambhida¯magga’s Vimokkhakatha¯ is complex and not unidirectional. For instance, the highest goal, nibbāna, recurs in different guises in the second longer list. We may assume that the first three releases are a sort of leap potentially leading the bhikkhu from defilements to liberation, and that they are characterized by a common underlying attitude to be cultivated at any stage of the path. According to this hypothesis, a glimpse of a higher understanding is offered in the first list as a guideline for the second one. On this basis, we may search and examine the factors of understanding that are accessible in this preliminary setting.
 A common attitude underlying the three root vimokkhas is suggested by the use of a formula often employed in meditative instructions (bhikkhu araññagato vā rukkhamūlagato vā suññāgāragato: “a bhikkhu, gone to a forest, gone to the feet of a tree or gone to an empty place”). This standard expression, alongside the investigation of the absence of the self, indicates that these three releases concern a specific practice and are permeated by a contemplative attitude.13 Also, the phrasing of this list is a clear parallel to two consecutive suttas on emptiness, namely the Cu¯l ˙ asun˜n˜atasutta (M 121, CSCD III.176 ff. PTS III.104 ff.) and the Maha¯sun˜n˜atasutta (M 122, CSCD III.185 ff., PTS III.109 ff.). The two discourses describe a meditative process wherein the mind shifts away (amanasikaroti) from cognitions (saññā, in M 121) or from their impressions/objects (nimitta, in M 122), is then placed in internal and external emptiness (so ajjhattabahiddhā suññataṃ manasikaroti), and lastly abides in an increasingly purified state of emptiness.14 In the hypothesis that the abovementioned interchangeability of the terms disā (direction) and vimokkha (release) applies to the long list suggesting that it is not necessarily linear, we may deduce that the three root-releases represent both processes and attainments. Indeed, the locution tīṇi vimokkhamukhāni (three entryways to release) in the Vimokkhakatha¯ and trīṇi vimokṣamukhāni employed in Sanskrit Buddhist literature in the context of the three root releases (e.g. in the S´ra¯vakabhu¯mi, Karunesha Shukla 1973, p. 296) would indicate that the importance of the level reached in a given vimokkha is secondary to the directions and modalities it describes. This said, in terms of the polarities of sāsava (with outflows) and anāsava (without outflows), lokiya (mundane) and lokuttara (supra-mundane) or kuppa (shakeable) and akuppa (unshakeable), the three root vimokkhas seem to represent a gateway from the first to the second type.15 An extended definition of mukha is given in the third recitation (bhāṇavāra) of the Vimokkhakatha¯ (CSCD II.230, PTS II.69), wherein the term is associated with the wings of awakening (bodhipakkhiya); likewise, in the same bhāṇavāra (CSCD II.229, PTS II.67 ff.) the three root vimokkhas are explained through the application of three respective contemplations (anupassanā). Therefore, the releases are defined by these meditative factors, and they in turn provide an attitude that permeates the practices themselves. In this regard, the three root-releases are to be seen as complementary to the more explicit meditative instructions: these are enriched by a specific lexicon that employs, as just seen, mukha and dīsa, and also verbs like muccati (is released) and vuṭṭhāti (emerges, arises). In particular, vuṭṭhāti describes not only the three first ones, but all the sixty-eight releases as various ways to leave behind a condition still affected by some sort of defilements, outflows or hindrances
The contemplative nature of the three releases is emphasized in the second recitation of the Vimokkhakatha¯, where the vimokkhamukhas are accompanied with the contemplation (samanupassatā) of the compositional factors (saṅkhāra) in the light of the three characteristics of existence, i.e. impermanence (anicca), unsatisfactoriness (dukkha) and absence of self (anattā).17 In this complex process, the three characteristics determine three distinct tracks. The contemplative practices of the vimokkhas, in fact, focus on the three marks relying upon three qualities: (a) resolution (adhimokkha) to apply the mind on the characteristic of impermanence, (b) relaxation (passaddhi) to deal with unsatisfactoriness, and (c) knowledge (veda) to focus on selflessness. As an immediate result, a specific faculty (from the standard list of the indriyas) will become predominant: (a) faith (saddhā) by paying attention to impermanence, (b) concentration (samādhi) by paying attention to unsatisfactoriness, and (c) wisdom (paññā) by paying attention to selflessness (Pat˙ is CSCD III I.221, PTS II.49). Consequently, the disciple is, in accordance with the specific track he has followed: (a) one who proceeds with faith (saddhānusārin) and then is released by faith (saddhāvimutta), (b) a physical witness (kāyasakkhin) 18 and then is released in both respects (ubhatobhāgavimutta),19 and (c) one who proceeds with the Dhamma (dhammānusārin) and eventually is released by wisdom (paññāvimutta). Ultimately, each of the three contemplations is bound to one of the three main vimokkhas: the attention on anicca to animittavimokkha, the attention on dukkha to appaṇihitavimokkha, and the attention on anattā to suññatavimokkha (Pat˙ is CSCD I.227, PTS II.64). The reference to saddhā and paññā (the first and the last in the list of the five faculties) in this process supports the incipit of the commentary that, as seen above, highlights the connection of the Vimokkhakatha¯ with the preceding Indriyakatha¯. This articulate method seems to be an innovation of the Vimokkhakatha¯ of the Pat˙ isambhida¯magga, standardized and further elaborated in later commentarial literature.20 Buddhaghosa (Vism CSCD 769 ff., PTS 657 ff.), again drawing extensively from the Pat˙ isambhida¯magga, identifies the three entryways to release as contemplations (anupassanā), and describes them as deeply rooted in impartiality (majjhatta) and equanimity (upekkhā). Equanimity (or better, the knowledge based on equanimity: upekkhāñāṇa) plays a crucial role here: although the object of the contemplation is the compositional factors (saṅkhāra), the knowledge based on equanimity (upekkhāñāṇa) is not really interested in them, but is concerned only with the final destination, nibbāna. Buddhaghosa offers here the simile of the shipcrow, sent to explore ahead in search of the land, and flying towards it if it spots it;
likewise, the penetrative knowledge based on equanimity is meant to look ahead and eventually to leave the saṅkhāras, the ocean in the metaphor, for the sake of nibbāna, the safe land (Vism CSCD 767, PTS 657). To better understand the meaning and implications of suññata, animitta and appaṇihita vimokkha (release characterized respectively by emptiness, absence of impressions, and absence of longing), it could be useful to examine some passages from the Nika¯yas where they seem to qualify specific approaches to senseexperience. For instance, in the Dutiyaka¯mabhu¯sutta of the Cittasam˙ yutta (S CSCD IV.348, PTS IV.295), they describe a mode of contact (phassa) occurring to a bhikkhu once he emerges from the condition of “attainment of the cessation of cognition and feelings” (saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpatti).21 Similarly, in the Sun˜n˜atasama¯dhisutta of the Asan˙khatasam˙ yutta they represent three modes of samādhi and together constitute the path that leads to the uncompounded (asaṅkhatagāmimagga), the nibbāna. 22 In this sutta they seem to be an intermediate stage of the process leading to the unconditioned, which here begins with mindfulness of the body and terminates with the eightfold path. In the light of these examples, the sequence of the three vimokkhas, whether occurring in the Pat˙ isambhida¯magga or elsewhere, cannot be seen as merely progressive. The terms suññata, animitta, and appaṇihita, rather than presenting merely a result, embody a peculiar set of practices while indicating a basic approach to be cultivated in these and other meditative practices. On the other hand, the inherent features of three root releases are intimately connected with and even characterize the final liberation. By placing the description of the major qualities pertaining to the final liberation at the beginning of the list of the vimokkhas, the Pat˙ isambhida¯magga seems to be concerned with the initial setting of the route described afterward. It is plausible that, at least to a certain extent, the relevance of a formal practice of investigation might be explicitly stated in the preliminary list and remains implicit in the descriptions of the other releases: the three root vimokkhas may simultaneously represent a direction and a foundation of a multifaceted approach. A different interpretation of the three vimokkhas occurs in the Nettipakaran˙ a, wherein they correspond to the three main branches of the eightfold path:
“Here the entryway to release characterized by emptiness is the branch of wisdom, the entryway to release characterized by absence of impression is the branch of concentration, the entryway to release characterized by absence of longing is the branch of morality. Cultivating the three directions of release he cultivates the three branches, and cultivating the three branches he cultivates the noble eightfold path. In this regard, right speech, right action and right livelihood represent the branch of morality, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration represent the branch of concentration, and right view and right intention represent the branch of wisdom.”
In this case, each training is also recommended to a specific type of disciple, respectively: “an individual moved by craving has to be guided by the entryway to release characterized by absence of impression … an individual moved by hatred has to be guided by the entryway to release characterized by absence of longing … an individual moved by delusion has to be guided by the entryway to release characterized by emptiness."

Emptiness (suññatā) in the Vimokkhakathā and in the Suññakathā of the Paṭisambhidāmagga
The fairly homogeneous structure of the Pat˙ isambhida¯magga suggests that the understanding of the suññatāvimokkha finds a reliable source in the Yuganandhavagge Sun˜n˜akatha¯ of the same text (CSCD II.2.46 ff., PTS II.177 ff.). This chapter (like others of the Pat˙ isambhida¯magga, but not the Vimokkhakatha¯) is structured like a Sutta, i.e. introduced by the standard set of formulas (called nidāna):
 Thus I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was living in Savatthi, at Anathapindika’s park in Jeta’s forest
The content of the whole chapter is a conversation between the Buddha and his attendant Ananda on the topic of emptiness (suññatā); more precisely, the Buddha presents a thorough elucidation of the locution suñño loko (the world is empty). This text seems to be a longer version of the Sunnatalokasutta of the Salayatana Sam˙ yutta (S CSCD IV.85, PTS IV.54), wherein the Buddha likewise explains to  Ananda the meaning of suñño loko. Both the Sunnatalokasutta and the Sunnakatha list the six internal and the six external sense-bases, and declare each of them as empty of a self and of whatever pertains to a self. Whereas the Sunnatalokasutta ends with that, the Sun˜n˜akatha¯ reads and describes, in a mātikā/niddesa Abhidhamma guise, twenty-eight types of emptiness, some of which are methods to realize emptiness: emptiness as emptiness, emptiness of compositional factors, emptiness because of transformation, emptiness as the highest goal, emptiness of characteristics, emptiness by means of unclogging,26 emptiness by that factor, emptiness by cutting off, emptiness by escape, internal emptiness, external emptiness, both [internal and external] emptiness, emptiness in similarity, emptiness in difference, emptiness by seeking, emptiness by embracing, emptiness by attaining, emptiness by penetrating, emptiness by unity and separation, emptiness by patiently bearing, emptiness by determination, emptiness by immersion, emptiness as the ultimate meaning of every emptiness, the complete ending of the cycle [of saṃsāra] for one who understands
The notion of emptiness seems here ontological as well as soteriological: reality (the world) is empty, and one has to empty oneself of the unwholesome factors in order to achieve liberation. These two aspects are closely interconnected: the unwholesome factors that one has to become empty of, are rooted in the fundamental incapability of understanding the locution suñño loko—of seeing that the dhammas are empty of any substantial, isolated, unchanging self. The Sun˜n˜akatha¯ seems to provide a second level of exegesis of suñño loko, still in accordance with the hermeneutics employed in the Suttas. Schematically, we may say that the Sun˜n˜atalokasutta contains a poignant and concise (saṅkhittena) teaching, epitomized by the locution suñño loko, and a detailed (vitthārena) elucidation, that examines the sense-bases and their respective objects. The Sun˜n˜akatha¯, adding a second level of explanation by means of a list closely resembling the mātikas that introduce the Abhidhamma texts, represents a specific use of the vitthārena instruction; by the same token, a lot of the analytical style variously employed in Abhidhamma literature could be understood as an elaboration of the vitthārena teachings already developed in the Nika¯yas, resulting in a form of exegesis partially different from those found in the At˙ t ˙ hakatha¯s. Not only the suññatāvimokkha is clarified by the Sun˜n˜ata¯katha¯ of the Pat˙ isambhida¯magga, but the converse is also the case: while the Sun˜n˜ata¯katha¯ provides most of the definitions of suñña, the Vimokkhakatha¯ focuses on its function in a complex framework. For instance, the soteriological aspect found in the former is thoroughly described in the latter, which also, as we will see in more details below, outlines its relation with the compositional factors (saṅkhāra) and with the three marks (tilakkhaṇa). Particularly relevant in this sense is the insertion of suññatā in the context of the three root vimokkhas. The association of suññatāvimokkha with animittāvimokkha and appaṇihitavimokkha implicitly ascribes specific qualities to suññatā. In Sutta literature, the letting go of the impressions (nimitta) is seen both as a practice of abiding in emptiness (M 122) and as a form of restraint (saṃvara), as in the following standard set of formulas about the protection of the six sense-faculties (indriyesu guttadvāra):

“And, Maha¯na¯ma, how is a noble disciple a guardian of [his own] sensefaculties? In this regard, Maha¯na¯ma, when a noble disciple sees a form with the eye, he does not cling to [its] impressions and characteristics; he walks the way of restraint, he protects the eye-faculty and engages in the restraint of the eye-faculty, because when the eye-faculty is left unrestrained, sinful and unwholesome factors such as greed and sorrow would overflow. When [a noble disciple] hears a sound with ear […] smells an odor with the nose […] tastes a flavor with tongue […] touches what is touchable with the body […] discerns a [mental] dhamma with the mind, he does not cling to [its] impressions and characteristics; he walks the way of restraint, he protects the eye-faculty and engages in the restraint of the eye-faculty, because when the eye-faculty is left unrestrained, sinful and unwholesome factors such as greed and sorrow would overflow. This way, Maha¯na¯ma, a noble disciple is a guardian of [his own] sense-faculties.”


The “release characterized by absence of impression” might correspond to the peak of a progressive letting go meant to purify the mind from various disturbances, unloading mindfulness from sense-impressions, and intensifying concentration. The three releases are also treated in the Vimokkhakatha¯ of the Visuddhimagga. This follows the section on “awareness deriving from the contemplation of emptiness” (suññatānupassanāñāṇa), and quotes extensively from the Pat˙ isambhida¯magga and from the Dhammasan˙ganı

The vimokkhas are here strictly related to equanimity (upekkhā), developed through the contemplation of emptiness and the understanding of the compositional factors (saṅkhāra) in the view of the three marks (tilakkhana). The process is reminiscent of the exposition of the entryways to the three releases in the second recitation of the Pat˙ isambhida¯magga Vimokkhakatha¯. The releases are presented as the way to perfect these gradual steps of understanding: by means of the knowledge
attained through the contemplation of emptiness, the meditator becomes impartial (majjhatta) to the saṅkhāras, and “does not take them as me or mine, like a man who has broken up with his wife.”30 The awareness deriving from equanimity towards saṅkhāras (saṅkhārupekkhāñāṇa) is the key factor to enter the three releases, and the metaphor of the separation from one’s wife is meant to explain the desire to be released (muñcitukamyatā) from the saṅkhāras, a desire which is fundamental in pursuing the three releases.31 The ‘desire to be released’ (muñcitukamyatā, a compound that does not occur in the first four Nika¯yas) is specifically addressed in the section of the Pat˙ isambhida¯magga that explains the awareness deriving from equanimity (upekkhā) with regard to the compositional factors (saṅkhāra). The text here relates this equanimity to the desire for emancipation, interpreted as the emancipation from the fifteen phases of the cycle of rebirth beginning with arising (uppāda).32 The relationship between ‘awareness deriving from desire to be released’ (muñcitukamyatāñāṇa) and ‘awareness deriving from equanimity towards compositional factors’ (saṅkhārupekkhā- ñāṇa) is explained in the Visuddhimagga by outlining three levels of awareness: muñcitukamyatāñāṇa, paṭisaṅkhānupassanāñāṇa (awareness deriving from contemplation and reflection) and saṅkhārupekkhāñāṇa. 33 The progression from the desire to be released from the compositional factors to an attitude of equanimity towards them, is clarified by a specific interpretation of upekkhā: watching things as they arise (upapattito ikkhati) and seeing without partiality (apakkhapatita).34 This exegesis highlights the relevance of the Pat˙ isambhida¯magga list of the cycle of rebirth (from uppāda on). These descriptions of the desire for emancipation suggest that the vimokkhas are to be seen not only as releases from a specific stage, but also as emancipations from the saṅkhāras and the resulting suffering that permeates the whole cycle of rebirths, and for this reason they correspond to respective phases of knowledge characterized by the equanimity about the compositional factors that are at the very basis of saṃsāra. The instructions on understanding the saṅkhāras in the view of the tilakkhana are further expanded in the commentary to the Vimokkhakatha¯, which interprets the reference to the impermanence of the saṅkhāras as entailing the whole tilakkhana

Other Subdivisions in the Taxonomy of the Vimokkhakathā, and Problems of Interpretations

Some of the sixty-eight vimokkhas are grouped in two main branches, described in different ways and corresponding to two hierarchical modalities: the first one consists in the four jhānas (meditative stages) and the four arūpasamāpattis (formless attainments), and the second one consists in the four ariyamaggas (the noble paths: sotāpattimagga, sakadāgāmimagga, anāgāmimagga, and arahattamagga), the four sāmaññaphalas (the fruits of ascetic life: sotāpattiphala, sakadāgāmiphala, anāgāmiphala, and arahattaphala), and nibbāna. In the following list, the first term belongs to the first group, and the latter to the higher stages: (51–52) samaya | asamaya (occasional | definitive) (53–54) sāmayika | asāmayika (temporary | ultimate) (55–56) kuppa | akuppa (shakeable | unshakeable) (57–58) lokiya | lokuttara (mundane | supra-mundane) (59–60) sāsava | anāsava (with outflows | without outflows) (61–63) sāmisa (rūpappaṭisaññutta) and nirāmisa (arūpappaṭisaññutta) (coarse, material—associated with forms, and subtle, immaterial—not associated with forms) | nirāmisā nirāmisatara (subtler than subtle; more immaterial than immaterial; a higher stage of the second type) (64–66) paṇihita | appaṇihita (with longing | free from longing) | paṇihitappaṭippassaddhi (with relaxation of the longing; still belonging to the second type) (67–68) saññutta | visaññutta (bound | unbound) (69–70) nānatta | ekatta (diversified | unified)
 These two branches represent the basic criterion by which the text categorizes the vimokkhas, polarizing them according to the presence or absence of certain features and, ultimately, according to their level of purification. Furthermore, they include in a different set all the other releases, except the first three and the ‘resolution to the beautiful’ mentioned above. The list of couples may seem incongruent with the classification found in the Lokuttarakatha¯ of the Pat˙ isambhida¯magga, where the lokuttaras include the steps of the path, the final fruits, and nibbāna. 36 The term lokuttara has two different referents in the Pat˙ isambhida¯magga: a. it refers to supra-mundane stages (in the Vimokkhakatha¯); b. it refers to the supra-mundane stages and to the instruments to reach them (in the Lokuttarakatha¯).37 This discrepancy is only apparent, since the lokiyas (mundane) listed in the Vimokkhakatha¯ are actually achievements and not proper instruments, and therefore they are not mentioned in the list of lokuttaras of the Lokuttarakatha¯. Also, the list of instruments in the Lokuttarakatha¯ is in some respect a complement to the four noble paths (ariyamaggas) of the Vimokkhakatha¯’s classification (which it includes). In other words, the Lokuttarakatha¯ works as another frame of reference for the Vimokkhakatha¯, which sets the abridged list of the lokuttaras in the complex architecture of the releases, offering a more detailed exposition. The lexicon of the dyads’ classification of the vimokkhas presents very specific features: the compounds rūpappaṭisaññutta (associated with forms) and arūpappaṭisaññutta (not associated with forms), for instance, seem to occur only here, thus providing a concise though precise description of sāmisa (material) and nirāmisa (immaterial). Also, the term nibbāna, though explicitly mentioned as the fourth of the four fruits, is repeated on its own. The concept of nibbāna seems to be an underlying presence throughout the whole Vimokkhakatha¯, whether explicitly mentioned, hinted by the descriptions of the highest vimokkhas, or suggested through references to suññatā. In commentarial literature the fourth fruit (arahattaphala) is identified with “the supreme releases” (anuttaravimokkhā), a category of vimokkha that in the Vimokkhakatha¯ is not mentioned separately but implicit in all the releases referring to the highest goal.38 The terminology used to define these last vimokkhas is in part drawn from Sutta literature, but the referents are at times different. The Sal˙ a¯yatanavibhan˙ gasutta (M 137), for instance, in its application of the dyad nānatta/ekatta (diversified/unified) to upekkhā (equanimity), displays different stages of the path: diversified equanimity relies upon sense-experience, whereas unified equanimity is based on the arūpasamāpattis (formless attainments). The commentary, instead, refers nānatta (diversified) to various objects of concentration, and ekatta (unified) to a single object (M-a CSCD III.310, PTS V.26). Also, in the binary classification of the Vimokkhakatha¯ the unified stage corresponds to the four phalas (fruits) and to nibbāna, i.e. to the final goal, whereas in the Sal˙ a¯yatanavibhan˙ gasutta it is said to be overcome too. In other words, what in the Majjhima Nika¯ya are the diversified and unified attributes of equanimity, in the Vimokkhakatha¯’s classification would belong only to the diversified state.39 The second shift from the arūpasamāpattis (formless attainments) to the unshakeable, supra-mundane path is explained as due to non-identification (atammayatā), a form of detachment from the experience of the arūpasamāpattis (formless attainments). Here atammayatā (non-identification) is the factor that determines the overcoming of the subtler form of upekkhā (equanimity) deriving from the arūpasamāpattis (formless attainments): “O monks, by relying on non-identification, on account of non-identification, abandon, overcome that equanimity which is unified and based on unity.”40 A useful hint to better understand this process is found in the corresponding At˙ t ˙ hakatha¯, which identifies tammayatā with taṇhā: In the word ‘non-identification’ (atammayatā), the term identification tammayatā corresponds to ‘craving’ (taṇhā), and the profound vision (vipassanā) leading to emerging at the ending of this (craving) is called non-identification.41 According to the Atthasa¯linı¯ the ‘insight leading to emerging’ (vuṭṭhānagāminī vipassanā) sees the compositional factors (saṅkhāra) as empty and thereby is tantamount to emptiness (Dhs-a CSCD 343; PTS 222, §473). Non-identification must be itself seen as a realization of emptiness. This is confirmed by the explanation, in the same passage, of emptiness as emptiness of rāga (passion, yearning), perfect synonym of taṇhā (thirst, craving), which in the Sal˙ a¯yatanavibhan˙ ga defines tammayatā (identification): absence of craving is nonidentification and emptiness. The two texts differ in their application of these correspondences to the scheme of the supra-mundane path. In the Vimokkhakatha¯ the unshakeable and supramundane releases include the final stages of the path from sotapatti (stream-entry) to nibbāna, while in the parallel passage of the Atthasa¯linı¯ suññatā correspond to nibbāna (Dhs-a CSCD 343, PTS 222 §473). The taxonomy of the sixty-eight releases, and the binary classification of their nature, may suggest various degrees of efficacy. Some passages of the Vimokkhakatha¯ describe them in ways that suggest identical applications but different results. For instance, some releases may abandon one or more viewpoints (diṭṭhi), yet they do not lead to the final liberation, but to a stage where those very viewpoints (or other obstacles) are to be overcome again. This seemingly circularity could be explained by examining the contribution of the dormant inclinations (anusaya) to the obscuration of the mind. The anusayas are latent dispositions that only temporarily do not affect the mind, but may arise when causes and conditions trigger them. They usually accompany the three kinds of feelings (like in M 44), but they may also underlie the simple contact of the sense-spheres with their objects. The Sammohavinodanı¯ explains the term anusaya as “a defilement that has not yet been abandoned, eradicated” (anusayanti appahīnānusayitaṃ kilesaṃ).42 In the Vimokkhakatha¯, the anusayas are referred to as obstacles overcome when the four paths are reached:
And what are the four releases arising from both? The path of the stream-entry arises from the view of a collection as real, from doubt, from clinging to precepts and rituals, from the dormant inclination to speculation, from the dormant inclination to doubt, and it arises from the consequent defilements and aggregates, and it also arises from all the external impressions.43 The path of once return arises from the coarse fetter of craving for sense-desire and from the coarse fetter of aversion, it arises from the coarse dormant inclination to craving for sense-desire and from the coarse dormant inclination to aversion and it arises from the consequent defilements and aggregates, and it also arises from all the external impressions. The path of non-return arises from the closely accompanying fetter of craving for sense-desire and from the fetter of aversion, it arises from the closely accompanying dormant inclination to craving for sense-desire and from the dormant inclination to aversion and it arises from the consequent defilements and aggregates, and it also arises from all the external impressions. The path of arahanthood arises from craving for the material, from craving for the immaterial, from conceit, from agitation, from ignorance, from the dormant inclination to conceit, from the dormant inclination to craving for becoming, from the dormant inclination to craving for ignorance, it arises from the consequent defilements and aggregates, and it also arises from all the external impressions. These are the four releases arising from both


Another possible explanation for the various degrees of release ascribed to the vimokkhas could be found in the conclusion of the Vimokkhakatha¯, which concisely illustrates their roles and the ways to approach them:

There is release, there is the entryway, there is the entryway to release, there is what is adverse to release, there is what goes with release, there is the turning away towards release, there is the cultivation of release, there is the relaxation of release

This passage indicates a gradual process where antagonist factors are included and overcome. In this regard, the commentary explicitly ascribes them a valid function in the releases where they are present: limits are present, but as objects (ārammaṇa) of contemplation. This means that a given release does not deal passively with the outflows (āsava) and/or similar factors: likewise the standard contemplation of the dhammas (dhammānupassanā), it uses them to improve concentration and insight, as it would do with any other selected object (body, feelings, etc.) [Pat˙ is-a I.209, PTS III.552; see in Appendix]. We examined before the sophisticated application of the vimokkhamukhas to the overall soteriology of the Pat˙ isambhida¯magga. In the conclusive recitation, it epitomizes all the factors that support the awakening (bodhipakkhiyadhamma).46 About “what is adverse” (paccanīka), the text says that it consists of the three unwholesome roots (in the commentary: lobha, greed, dosa, hatred, and moha, delusion); it is the only ‘negative’ factor in this classification (apaccanīka, conversely, is a quality of the path), and it is perfectly balanced by the following compound, vimokkhānuloma (alongside release), which defines “also all the wholesome factors” (sabbe pi kusalā dhammā) of the path (CSCD I.230, PTS II.70). The “turning away towards release” (vimokkhavivaṭṭanā or vimokkhavivaṭṭa) is presented like a cognitive reversal which directly affects cognition (saññā), consciousness (ceto), and awareness (ñāṇa). The cultivation of release (vimokkhabhāvanā), as expected in the Vimokkhakatha¯, includes the four meditations, the four attainments and the four paths. The relaxation of release (vimokkhappaṭippassaddhi) is transversal in respect to the binary list seen at the beginning of this paragraph, as it includes the meditations, the attainments, and the fruits. Although this final classification is not included in the overall list of the sixty-eight releases, it has some lexical redundancy with it (e.g. paṭipassaddhi, anuloma, mukha): it may be devised to frame these terms in a differently functional set, and thus to illustrate other facets of the notion of vimokkha.


Conclusion 
The Vimokkhakatha¯ of the Pat˙ isambhida¯magga establishes a contemplative and philosophical ‘lexicon of liberation’ that elaborates upon the standard definitions employed in the Nika¯yas, and provides a complex exegetical instrument variously used in Abhidhamma literature and in other texts such as the Visuddhimagga. The taxonomy found in the text consists of shorter interwoven lists, wherein the notion of release refers to and is variously associated with:

1. turning away from defilements, i.e. a shift of direction;
2. a way to contemplate defilements (when outflows, defilements and so on are present in a vimokkha, they should be taken as objects of contemplation);
 3. a single wholesome factor that operates at various levels and needs to be cultivated;
4. specific techniques to become acquainted with (especially in regard with the four meditations and the four attainments);
5. areas of the mind to explore in order to develop wholesome qualities;
 6. aspects of reality to be investigated (through the relation of the releases to the three marks);
7. stages of the path characterized by a gradual decrease of defilements (e.g. vimokkhas 61–63);
 8. the final goal of ultimate liberation (indicated in various points);
 9. an attitude underlying all the stages above mentioned (mostly based upon the three fundamental releases).

The text also describes a process of inception, cultivation, and perfection of vimokkha. A closer examination of the Vimokkhakatha¯ has in fact demonstrated that the sixty-eight vimokkhas work through a hierarchical but not linear scale, wherein the summit occurs in various points and is not dependent on a linear progression. The list, with its different patterns, is a cross-classification, whose main axis is the binary scheme of opposite releases (as in vimokkhas 51–70), which presents a reference to nibbāna in the second element of each dyad. This scheme differs from the pattern of the eight releases illustrated in the Maha¯nida¯nasutta, which consists in a forward and reverse reiterated attending. The range of the Vimokkhakatha¯ where this anuloma /paṭiloma method might possibly fit within is the one that describes the four meditations and the four attainments contained in the eight releases, and which implies the gradual acquisition of familiarity (atipaguṇatta) with these same releases. In conclusion, the Vimokkhakatha¯ represents a soteriological framework wherein wholesome factors are meant to counteract the fundamental flaws of the mind, and where a complex net of ontological categories is thoroughly examined. Furthermore, by highlighting its sophisticated interpretation of the various releases, the present study has indirectly shown some of the reasons why the Pat˙ isambhida¯magga has been an important point of reference for the work of Buddhaghosa: its unique cross-classification has to be considered as an essential exegesis of the various occurrences, singly or in lists, of the term vimokkha in Pali Buddhist literature.

Appendix: Translation of the Commentary on the Enunciation of the Releases (Vimokkhuddesavaṇṇanā)

[CSCD I.209 PTS III.550] The enunciation of the releases. Now we have reached the detailed commentary on the meaning, in conformity with the ‘Exposition of the releases’, illustrated straight after the exposition of the faculties. Here this exposition of the releases is said to immediately follow the exposition of the faculties because the nature of the releases is intrinsically connected with the cultivation of the faculties. The author expounded this part by placing it just after the teachings and the discourses directly heard from the Blessed One. In regard with the releases starting from the release characterized by emptiness, there in the Suttas, the release characterized by emptiness is the noble path occurring after establishing nibbāna as an object [of contemplation] by means of emptiness. This [noble path] is release because of the state of being released from defilements, and characterized by emptiness due to the generation of the element of emptiness. By the same token, absence of impressions has to be understood as occurring after establishing nibbāna as an object by means of absence of impressions, and absence of longing as occurring after establishing nibbāna as an object by means of absence of longing. Someone grasps the compositional factors in the perspective of impermanence from the very beginning. Nevertheless, since the emergence of the path does not come to be by the grasping [of the compositional factors] in the perspective of impermanence alone, but there should also be a similar grasping in the perspective of unsatisfactoriness and selflessness, one grasps [the compositional factors] in the perspective of unsatisfactoriness and selflessness as well. For one who proceeds this way there is the emergence of the path while grasping [the compositional factors] in the perspective of impermanence, and this [path] is called “it emerges in the perspective of impermanence after settling in the perspective of impermanence”. If instead the emergence of the path while grasping [the compositional factors] in the perspective of unsatisfactoriness and in the perspective of selflessness, this [path] is called “it emerges in the perspective of unsatisfactoriness and selflessness after settling in the perspective of impermanence”. This method is used also in the emergences that come to be after settling in the perspective of unsatisfactoriness and in the perspective of selflessness, as herein he is settled in the perspective of impermanence, in the perspective of unsatisfactoriness, and in the perspective of selflessness as well. If at the moment of the emergence there is emergence in the perspective of impermanence, and the three persons have a great amount of resolution, they attain the faculty of faith, they are released in virtue of the release characterized by absence of impressions; at the moment of the first path they become those who proceed with faith, and they become released by faith in the seven [remaining] stages. If there is instead emergence in the perspective of unsatisfactoriness, and the three persons have a great amount of relaxation, they attain the faculty of concentration, are released in virtue of the release characterized by absence of longing, and become physical witnesses. On the other hand, the one who has here the formless meditation as a foundation, at [the reaching of] the highest fruit he is released in both respects. Then, those whom there is the
emergence in the perspective of selflessness for, if the three persons have a great amount of knowledge, they attain the faculty of wisdom, and are released through the release which is characterized by emptiness; at the moment of the first path they become those who proceed in the Dharma, they reach the view in the six [remaining] stages, and at [the reaching of] the highest fruit they are released by wisdom.47 And the path receives such name because of five reasons: for its own essence, for what it opposes, for its own quality, for the object, for the arrival. Here if one emerges after grasping the compositional factors in the perspective of impermanence through equanimity in regard with the compositional factors, he is released through the release characterized by absence of impressions; if he emerges after grasping them in the perspective of unsatisfactoriness, [PTS 551] he is released through the release characterized by absence of longing. If he emerges after grasping them in the perspective of selflessness, he is released through the release characterized by emptiness. This denomination is called “in the perspective of its own essence”. The achievement [occurring] when one has performed the deconstructive analysis of the [apparent] solidity of the compositional factors by means of the contemplation of impermanence, and by abandoning the impressions of permanence, the impressions of certainty, and the impressions of eternity, is the [release characterized by] absence of impressions. The achievement [occurring] when one has drained longing and expectations by abandoning the notion of pleasure by means of the contemplation of unsatisfactoriness, is the [release characterized by] absence of longing. The vision of emptiness in regard with the compositional factors [attained] by abandoning the notion of beings and persons in terms of self by means of the contemplation of selflessness is the [release characterized by] emptiness. This denomination is called [that of] the counterpart. Further, [the release] is characterized by emptiness because it has the nature of being empty of craving and so on, or it is characterized by absence of impressions because of the absence of the impression of craving and so on, or it is characterized by absence of longing because of the absence of longing and so on. This is called the denomination according to its own quality. That [release] which makes as its object nibbāna, empty, without impressions, and without longing, that is said to be [the release characterized by] emptiness, by absence of impressions, and by absence of longing. This is called the denomination according to its object. The accomplishment here is twofold, i.e. the accomplishment through insight and the accomplishment through the path. Therein, the accomplishment through insight has to be in the path, and the accomplishment of the path has to be in the fruit. Contemplation of selflessness is defined as characterized by emptiness, the path of insight into emptiness as characterized by emptiness, the fruit of the path of emptiness as characterized by emptiness. Contemplation of impermanence is defined as characterized by absence of impressions, the path of insight into absence of impressions as characterized by absence of impressions. But this is said not to be attained in the method of Abhidhamma, whereas it is attained in the method of the Suttas. Then the awareness of a true disciple (gotrabhuñāṇa),48 having chosen as an object nibbāna, which is characterized by absence of impressions, having taken the name of void of impression, having put itself in the place of what should be accomplished,49 gives the path that name [void of impressions]. Thereby the path is called void of impressions. This also means that due to the accomplishment of the path, the fruit is characterized by absence of impressions. Contemplation of unsatisfactoriness, whose achievement comes after draining longing in regard with compositional factors, is called free from longing, the path of insight into absence of longing is characterized by absence of longing, and likewise, being insight the fruit of the path free from longing, it gives the name of [free from longing] to the path itself. This is said to be the way the path gives the name to the fruit according to the accomplishment. This is how the division of the releases in terms of equanimity in respect of the compositional factors is explained in detail. Having shown the three fundamental releases as they were illustrated by the Blessed One, by means of this description, wishing also to describe the other ones, [Sa¯riputta] says: “furthermore, there are sixty-eight releases etc.” In this sentence “furthermore” refers to a picture of the other methods. How are they sixty-eight instead of being seventy-five? This is true: apparently they should be seventy-five, but since the three releases had already been established by the Blessed One, in presenting the other releases they have to be excluded and not to be reckoned. [PTS 552] The [three releases] beginning with the internal release, also extensively included among the three fourfold releases, should not be reckoned. In the dyad “release characterized by longing and release characterized by absence of longing”, the release characterized by absence of longing should not be counted, because it has the same name as in the first list already illustrated. This is how there are the remaining sixty-eight releases, after removing these seven. That being so, why are the three releases that begin with the one characterized by emptiness enunciated again? The meaning is of being the instrument of the elucidation of them [which occurs] after they have been listed by the enunciation. Conversely, the three [releases] that begin with the one arising internally are enunciated one by one except the root group, and it should be understood that the release that is characterized by absence of longing is enunciated again in its opposition to the release still affected by longing. “In regard with [the releases] beginning with the one that arises internally, [the release] that arises internally” means that it arises from inside.50 “Along” means that they proceed along [with the releases arising etc.]. “Ajjhattavuṭṭhānapaṭippassaddhi” is the relaxation deriving from [the releases] that arise internally. The meaning of “having form” is as follows: the form he sees internally as ‘form-meditation’, arisen in hair etc., that is his form in “having form”. “Sees forms” means that he sees externally, by the vision of the meditative stage, forms such as the blue kasiṇa and so on. This shows the attainment of the meditative stage in reference to the kasiṇas internally and externally based. The compound “ajjhattaṃ arūpasaññi” should be read as not cognizing forms internally. The meaning is that the meditative stage belonging to the sphere of form is not arisen. This shows the nature of the meditative stages attained externally by setting the preparation externally. “[The release of] being devoted to the beautiful]” means that one is devoted to the beautiful as object [of contemplation]. Then, although there is no consideration for the beautiful within the full concentration, the one who suffuses as object the living beings with agreeability, is devoted to the beautiful and for this reason this enunciation is made. The temporary release is [called so] because of the state of being released through unclogging, in the moment of applied concentration. What is related to the moment of applied concentration by means of performing the task is called temporary (sāmayiko) [release]. Sāmāyiko is an alternative reading (pāṭha) [for sāmayiko]. [The release is] shakeable because of the possibility of shaking and breaking. Mundane (lokiko; alternative reading: lokiyo) means related to the world or that there is no overcoming of the world. Supra-mundane means surpassing, or that it surpasses the world. Sāsavo means that it is “with outflows”, because of making [the outflows] the object. Material means with the matter reckoned as form. Immaterial and more than immaterial means that [the release] is material and more than immaterial because of completely abandoning form and formless. With longing means that [the release] is with longing, or with wishing, because of craving. [The release is called] bound for being bound by the fetters because of making them the object. The unified release is the release characterized by unification [of the mind], in virtue of not [the mind] being overpowered by defilements.51 The release characterized by cognition is the release characterized by cognition which simply corresponds to the awareness deriving from insight, which occurs when one has been released from misperception. And release characterized by awareness is release corresponding to the awareness due to being released from delusion, and also corresponding to the awareness deriving from insight. The release of “may it be cold” (sītisiyāvimokkho) is still awareness characterized by insight, and occurs [by thinking] “may it become cold”. “Sītisikāvimokkho” is another reading [for sītisiyāvimokkho], and its meaning is described as the release of becoming cold. The release of the meditative stages is the release as meditation divided in access and full and divided in mundane and supra-mundane. The release of the mind free from attachment is the release of the mind that occurs when one stops holding and stops clinging. The rest should be understood according to the method herein expounded.