Magga Magga [cp. Epic Sk. mārga, fr. mṛg to track, trace] 1. a road (usually high road), way, foot-path Vism 708 (maggaŋ agata-pubba-purisa, simile of); VbhA 256 (tiyojana˚, simile of a man travelling); DhA i.229. — addhāna˚ high road Vin iv.62; M iii.158; see under addhāna; antāra-magge on the road Miln 16; ujuka˚ a straight way S i.33; DhA i.18; ummagga (a) a conduit; (b) a devious way: see ummagga, to which add refs. J v.260; Th 2, 94; kummagga a wrong path: see kum˚, to which add S iv.195; Th 1, 1174. passāva˚ & vacca˚ defecation & urination Vin iii.127; visama˚ a bad road S i.48. — 2. the road of moral & good living, the path of righteousness, with ref. to the moral standard (cp. the 10 commandments) & the way to salvation. The exegetic (edifying) etym. of magga in this meaning is "nibbān' atthikehi maggīyati (traced by those who are looking for N.), nibbānaŋ vā maggeti, kilese vā mārento gacchatī ti maggo" (VbhA 114). — Usually designated (a) the "ariya aṭṭhangika magga" or the "Noble Eightfold Path" (see aṭṭhangika). It is mentioned at many places, & forms the corner-stone of the Buddha's teaching as to the means of escaping "dukkha" or the ills of life. It consists of 8 constituents, viz. sammā-diṭṭhi, sammā-sankappa, ˚vācā, ˚kammanta, ˚ājīva, ˚vāyāma, ˚sati, ˚samādhi, or right views, right aspirations, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right rapture. The 7 first constituents are at D ii.216 & M iii.71 enumd as requisites for sammā-samādhi. The name of this table of ethical injunctions is given as "maggam uttamaŋ" at Sn 1130, i. e. the Highest Path. See for ref. e. g. Vin iii.93; iv.26; D ii.353; iii.102, 128, 284, 286; It 18; Nd1 292; Nd2 485; Vbh 104 sq. 235 sq., VbhA 114 sq. (its constituents in detail), 121, 216; Vism 509 sq. (where the 8 constituents are discussed). — (b) as ariya magga: M iii.72; Pug 17; DA i.176 sq., 225 sq., 233; VbhA 373 sq.; ThA 205. — (c) as pañcangika or the Path of 5 constituents (the above first 2 and last 3): Dhs 89; Vbh 110 sq., 237 sq. — (d) other expressions of same import: dhamma˚ Miln 21; magga alone; S i.191 (Bhagavā maggassa uppādetā etc.)=M iii.9=S iii.66; Sn 429, 441, 724 sq., 1130; Dh 57, 273 sq., It 106; VbhA 53, 73. As the first condition & initial stage to the attainment of Arahantship (Nibbāna) it is often found in sequence of either magga-phala-nirodha (e. g. Vism 217, cp. Nd2 under dukkha II. p. 168), or magga, phala, nibbāna (e. g. Tikp. 155 sq., 158; VbhA 43, 316, 488). — magga as entrance to Arahantship is the final stage in the recognition (ñāṇa, pariññā, paññā) of the truth of the causal chain, which realises the origin of "ill," the possibility of its removal & the "way" to the removal. These stages are described as dukkhe ñāṇaŋ, samudaye ñāṇaŋ nirodhe ñāṇaŋ and magge ñāṇaŋ at D iii.227, Ps i.118. At the latter passage the foll. chapter (i.49) gives dukkha-nirodha gāminī paṭipadā as identical with magga. — Note. On the term see Cpd. 41 sq., 66 sq., 175, 186; Dhs trsl.2 58, 299 sq., 362 sq.; Expos. 216, 354n. On passages with aṭṭhangika magga & others where magga is used in similes see Mrs. Rh. D. in J.P.T.S. 1907, pp. 119, 120. — 3. Stage of righteousness, with ref. to the var. conditions of Arahantship divided into 4 stages, viz. sotāpatti-magga, sakadāgāmi˚, anāgāmi˚, arahatta˚, or the stage of entering the stream (of salvation), that of returning once, that of the never-returner, that of Arahantship. — At DhA i.110 magga-phala "the fruit of the Path" (i. e. the attainment of the foundation or first step of Arahantship) is identical with sotāpattiphala on p. 113 (a) in general: arahatta˚ S i.78; A iii.391; DA i.224. — (b) in particular as the 4 paths: Nd2 612 A; Vbh 322 sq., 328, 335; Vism 453, 672-678; DhA iv.30; VbhA 301. — 4. In the Tikapaṭṭhāna (under magga-paccaya-niddesa p. 52) 12 constituents of magga are enumd; viz. paññā, vitakka, sammāvācā, s-kammanta, s-ājīva, viriya, sati, samādhi, micchā-diṭṭhi, micchā-vācā, m-kammanta, m-ājīva.
    -angāni the constituents of the Ariyan Path VbhA 120. -âmagga which is the (right) road and which is not M i.147; Vism ch. xx (˚ssa kovida)=Sn 627; S iii.108 (id.); DhA iv.169 (id.); A v.47 (˚ssa ñāṇadassana); Dh 403. -udaka water found on the road Vism 338 (simile). -kilanta wearied by the road J i.129. -kusala one who is clever as regards the road, one who knows the road well S iii.108; Nd1 171; VbhA 332 (in simile); KhA 70, 126. -kovida=˚kusala Nd1 446. -kkhāyin (should be ˚akkhāyin) one who tells the (right) way M iii.5; Nd1 33. -jina Conqueror of the paths Sn 84 sq. -jīvin who lives in the right path Sn 88. -jjhāyin reflecting over the Path Sn 85. -ñāṇa knowledge of the Path VbhA 416. -ññū knows the Path Nd1 446. -ṭṭhāna one who stands in the Path, attains the P. see Cpd. 23, 50. -ttaya the triad of the paths (i. e. the first 3 of the 4 Paths as given above under 3) DhA iv.109. -dūsin highway robber Sn 84. -desaka one who points out the way, a guide Sn 84; J iv.257; as ˚desika at DhA ii.246. -desin=˚desaka Sn 87. -dhamma the rule of the Path, i. e. righteous living Sn 763. -dhīra wise as regards the Path Nd1 45. -paṭipanna — 1. one on the road, i. e. wandering, tramping DhA i.233. — 2. one who has entered the Path Pv iv.349. -parissaya danger of the road VvA 200. -bhāvanā cultivation of the Path (i. e. righteousness) Nd1 323. -mūḷha one who has lost the way VvA 332. -vaṇṇa praise of the Path DhA i.115. -vidū one who knows the Path Nd1 446. -sacca the truth concerning the Path VbhA 114, 124. -sira N. of a month DA i.241.