ith sila therefore the first start has to be made,
for by it one ceases to do all actions prompted by bad desires
and thereby removes the inrush of dangers and disturbances.
This serves to remove the kilesas, and therefore the proper performance
of the sila would lead one to the first two successive
stages of sainthood, viz. the sotapannabhava (the stage in which
one is put in the right current) and the sakadagamibhava (the
stage when one has only one more birth to undergo). Samadhi
is a more advanced effort, for by it all the old roots of the old
kilesas are destroyed and the ta@nha or desire is removed and

_________________________________________________________________

[Footnote 1: _Dhammasa@nga@ni,_ p. 180.]

101

by it one is led to the more advanced states of a saint. It
directly brings in panna (true wisdom) and by panna the saint
achieves final emancipation and becomes what is called an
arhat [Footnote ref 1]. Wisdom (_panna_) is right knowledge about the
four ariya saccas, viz. sorrow, its cause, its destruction and its cause
of destruction.

Sila means those particular volitions and mental states, etc.
by which a man who desists from committing sinful actions
maintains himself on the right path. Sila thus means 1. right
volition (_cetana_), 2. the associated mental states (_cetasika_),
3. mental control (_sa@mvara_) and 4. the actual non-transgression
(in body and speech) of the course of conduct already in the mind
by the preceding three silas called avitikkama. Sa@mvara is
spoken of as being of five kinds, 1. Pa@timokkhasa@mvara (the
control which saves him who abides by it), 2. Satisa@mvara (the
control of mindfulness), 3. Nanasa@mvara (the control of knowledge),
4. Khantisa@mvara (the control of patience), 5. Viriyasa@mvara
(the control of active self-restraint). Pa@timokkhasa@mvara
means all self-control in general. Satisa@mvara means
the mindfulness by which one can bring in the right and good
associations when using one's cognitive senses. Even when
looking at any tempting object he will by virtue of his mindfulness
(_sati_) control himself from being tempted by avoiding to
think of its tempting side and by thinking on such aspects of it
as may lead in the right direction. Khantisa@mvara is that by
which one can remain unperturbed in heat and cold. By the
proper adherence to sila all our bodily, mental and vocal activities
(_kamma_) are duly systematized, organized, stabilized (_samadhanam,