• 1. Forgetting because of thīna-middha.

• 2. Forgetting because of pīti.

• 3. Forgetting because of passaddhi.

• 4. Forgetting because of upekkhā.

• 5. Forgetting due to magga-phala.

1. Forgetting because of thīna-middha: Suppose one notes Rising-Falling for a long time and then loses track, drooping because viriya and samādhi are not balanced; viriya is slack and samādhi is excessive to the point where one loses awareness of oneself. This is the characteristic of thīna-middha.

2. Forgetting because of pīti: It is bound to happen in the weak udayabbaya-ñāna and the strong sammasana-ñāna. For example: One notes Rising-Falling well and suddenly loses oneself, drooping in a flash. This kind of oblivion is caused by pīti.

3. Forgetting because of passaddhi: It can be encountered at the stage of weak udayabbaya-ñāna. In the course of contemplation one starts to feel more at ease, very calm, cool and refreshed, as if sitting on top of an ice-block. This very feeling of comfortable coolness makes one uninterested until one loses oneself. When one returns to take up noting again but drifts away again. This is called: Forgetting because of passaddhi.

4. Forgetting because of upekkhā: After contemplating on rūpa-nāma for some time one becomes uninterested. One is not really attentive and not really calm but gradually gets calmed down overmuch, and then drooping sets in. This kind of disinterest and forgetting oneself like this is called forgetting because of upekkhā-tatramajjhattatā.

These four ways of forgetting are no good. It is going on a bad way, a dangerous way, because they are false magga, an artificial magga. If a well-learned person has heard that these are good he may be satisfied. In this way he will meet the counterfeit magga, the artificial magga. When the yogī has encountered this kind of deluded oblivion and his mood gives rise to satisfaction, then he will stop there and cannot gain the real magga and the real phala. This is a fault of the teacher who doesn't understand and has no ability to know the really good qualities. 

 

5. Forgetting due to magga-phala: This must be fully prepared by the qualities of the Path factors, then it will deserve the name: Cessation owing to magga-phala.