Subsumption, Association, and Possession

What is subsumption? Briefly, subsumption is of eleven kinds: subsumption by own-mark, by seed, by kind, by occasion, by companionship, by direction, by time, as a portion, as the whole, mutually, and ultimately.

What is subsumption by own-mark? Each aggregate, element, and sense field subsumes only itself, by its own particular characteristic. What is subsumption by seed? The ālayavijñāna's own seeds subsume the aggregates, elements, and sense fields that will arise from them. What is subsumption by kind? Though the aggregates, elements, and sense fields each have distinct characteristics, they mutually subsume one another by sharing the general sense of "aggregate," "element," and "sense field" respectively. What is subsumption by occasion? The aggregates, elements, and sense fields present in a pleasant state subsume only themselves; likewise for a painful or neutral state, since occasion matches occasion. What is subsumption by companionship? The aggregate of form, as a companion to the other aggregates, subsumes them as its companions, and likewise for every other aggregate, element, and sense field.

What is subsumption by direction? The aggregates, elements, and sense fields present in the east subsume only themselves, and likewise for every other direction. What is subsumption by time? The aggregates, elements, and sense fields present in the past subsume only themselves, and likewise for the future and present. What is subsumption as a portion? Whatever dharma is subsumed under the aggregates, elements, and sense fields, but only partially, not entirely — this should be understood as subsumption as a portion. What is subsumption as the whole? Whatever dharma is subsumed under the aggregates, elements, and sense fields entirely — this should be understood as subsumption as the whole.

What is mutual subsumption? How many elements and sense fields does the aggregate of form subsume? Ten entire, and a portion of one further. How many does the aggregate of feeling subsume? A portion of one. So too for the aggregates of perception and formations. How many does the aggregate of consciousness subsume? Seven elements and one sense field entire.

How many aggregates and sense fields does the eye element subsume? A portion of the aggregate of form, and one sense field entire. So too for the ear, nose, tongue, body, form, sound, smell, taste, and touch elements. How many does the mental-faculty element subsume? One aggregate and one sense field. How many does the dharma element subsume? Three aggregates entire, a portion of the aggregate of form, and one sense field entire. How many does the eye-consciousness element subsume? A portion of the aggregate of consciousness and of the mental-faculty sense field. So too for the ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mental-consciousness elements.

How many aggregates and elements does the eye sense field subsume? A portion of the aggregate of form, and one element entire. So too for the ear, nose, tongue, body, form, sound, smell, taste, and touch sense fields. How many does the mental-faculty sense field subsume? One aggregate and seven elements. How many does the dharma sense field subsume? Three aggregates entire, a portion of one further aggregate, and one element entire.

Every other dharma spoken of either by the names "aggregate," "element," and "sense field," or by other names entirely — real or nominal existence, conventional or ultimate truth, the knowable, the discriminated, the penetrated, having form or formless, visible or invisible, and every such category already given above — should likewise be understood to mutually subsume, and be subsumed by, the aggregates, elements, and sense fields, applied as is fitting.

What is ultimate subsumption? Suchness alone subsumes the aggregates, elements, and sense fields. What benefit does skill in subsumption bring? The benefit of gathering one's objects into a manageable compass — the mind, drawn together around whatever object is at hand in this condensed way, allows one's wholesome roots to grow progressively stronger.

What is association? Briefly, association is of six kinds: inseparable association, combined association, aggregated association, co-existent association, cooperative association, and concurrent association.

What is inseparable association? Every spatially-extended form and the atomic locations that compose it, mutually inseparable from one another. What is combined association? Every spatially-extended form, from the level of the atom upward, mutually combining together. What is aggregated association? Spatially-extended, massed form successively gathering together. What is co-existent association? The aggregates, elements, and sense fields within a single body, flowing together at once, arising, abiding, and ceasing in unison. What is cooperative association? Mutual reinforcement toward a single shared undertaking, as two monastics mutually support each other in whatever task either one is doing.

What is concurrent association? Mind and its mental factors mutually operating together toward a single object. Concurrent association carries several further senses: association across distinct kinds, not within one's own single kind — as mind is not "associated" with another mind, nor one feeling with another feeling. Association among what does not conflict, not among what does — as craving is never associated with hatred, nor wholesome with unwholesome. Association at the same moment, not across different moments. Association within a shared realm and level, not across differing ones.

There is, further, universal concurrent association: feeling, perception, volition, contact, attention, and consciousness, always associated together in every state. There is defiled universal concurrent association: the four afflictions constantly bound to the defiled manas. There is concurrent association not present at every moment: mind, sometimes accompanied by faith and other wholesome factors, sometimes by craving and other afflictions. There is concurrent association tied to a specific occasion: whatever accompanies pleasant feeling, and whatever accompanies painful or neutral feeling, respectively.

There is, further, unbroken concurrent association: present whenever mind is active at all. There is interrupted concurrent association: broken specifically by the mindless attainments. There is outward-facing concurrent association: mostly the mind and mental factors bound to the desire realm. There is inward-facing concurrent association: the mind and mental factors of every meditative-absorption realm. There is habituated concurrent association: an ordinary being's own mind and mental factors, and a portion of a trainee's. And there is unhabituated concurrent association: every supramundane mind and mental factor, together with whatever mind and mental factors arise, both at the very first moment and afterward, on the basis of that same supramundane attainment once it has occurred.

What benefit does skill in association bring? Genuine insight that feeling, perception, and the rest — whether defiled or pure — are associated or not associated purely by depending on mind, nothing more. Through this insight, one is able to abandon the presumption of a self that supposedly does the feeling, perceiving, thinking, and remembering, in either its defiled or pure guise, and one is thereby skillfully able to swiftly enter selflessness.

What is possession? Possession's own mark is as already given above — the increase or decrease of a wholesome, unwholesome, or morally neutral dharma. This, distinguished further, is of three kinds: possession as a seed, possession as mastery, and possession as active manifestation.

What is possession as a seed? One born in the desire realm possesses, as a seed, the afflictions and secondary afflictions bound to all three realms, together with one's own innately acquired wholesome dispositions. One born in the form realm possesses, as a seed, the afflictions bound to the desire realm — which can, in this sense, equally be called "not possessed" — together with the afflictions bound to the form and formless realms as a genuine seed, and one's own innately acquired wholesome dispositions.

One born in the formless realm possesses, as a seed, the afflictions bound to the desire and form realms — likewise equally callable "not possessed" — together with the afflictions bound to the formless realm as a genuine seed, and one's own innately acquired wholesome dispositions. Once one has attained the path counteracting all three realms, whatever grade of affliction that path's antidote has already arisen for is, correspondingly, no longer possessed even as a seed; whatever grade its antidote has not yet arisen for remains possessed as a seed still.

What is possession as mastery? Every wholesome dharma cultivated through deliberate effort — mundane and supramundane dhyāna, liberation, concentration, and meditative attainment, together with a portion of morally neutral dharmas — is possessed through mastery once mastered. What is possession as active manifestation? Whatever aggregate, element, or sense field, wholesome, unwholesome, or morally neutral, is presently, actively manifesting, is possessed through active manifestation.

One whose wholesome roots have already been severed still possesses their wholesome dharmas as a seed — which can equally be called "not possessed." One who lacks the very capacity for nirvāṇa at all — one of incorrigible disposition — permanently possesses only defiled dharmas, lacking the cause for liberation altogether, and is for this reason also called one without an endpoint, since the cause enabling liberation will, without exception, never be possessed at all in such a case.

What benefit does skill in possession bring? Genuine knowledge of every dharma's increase and decrease. Through knowing this increase and decrease, one abandons any fixed notion about worldly rise and fall, and is thereby able to sever craving and hatred alike.