In terms of the power of knowing the exhaustion of defilements it says:
The strength of their omniscience instantly defeats
Afflictions and their imprints; and afflictions are
Blocked by the insight of disciples and so forth –
To know this fully without hindrance is their strength. (11.40)
Afflictions refers to ignorance, attachment and so forth, and it is these that afflict the threefold world. Being that which infuses and pollutes the mind and then remains, they are called imprints (vāsanā); potential afflictions, habitual patterns, seeds and imprints are all synonymous. Although they have abandoned the afflictions through the practice of the undefiled path, hearers and solitary buddhas are not able to fully rid themselves of these. Similar to the example of removing sesame oil, flowers or the like from a pot, a piece of cloth and so on – as they have been in contact, a trace of them will remain. In the same way, although for the arhat the afflictions have been removed, there are still imprints present; and the manner of moving by jumping about that one had in the past as a monkey, or the manner of speaking to servants that one had in the past as a brahmin, which have been pacified by the illustrious one (bhagavan), have not been arrested by the former. The imprints of ignorance that remain, prevent one from fathoming phenomena, and the imprints of attachment and so forth that remain will be causes for tending towards particular physical and verbal ways. Only omniscient and awakened buddhas have abolished the imprints of ignorance, attachment and so forth, no one else. Hence, the buddhas’ complete and unobstructed knowledge of having rid themselves of all remaining imprints of the afflictions and having rid themselves of the afflictions that these imprints sustain, is considered the power of knowing the exhaustion of defilements.
Title
Chapter 1: Pramuditā
