THE NOBLE PURITY OF VIEWS

Correct Views do arise from the elimination of Ignorance, but when we speak of the Noble Purity of Views within Vipassana, then we are considering specifically Purifying Human Perception.

Now Perception, in the normal way of considering it, is the "referring of sensations to their apparent external cause." From the Dharma point of view we can say that a PERCEPTION is a transformed sensation that is received as an irritation into a useful data item.

If you imagine an undefined mass of everchanging forms floating about and that from that undifferentiaed mass an irritation is Extracted, given a "FORM" (rupa) by the MIND and then in addition, as a best fit to known previous data, given a "NAME" (nama)...

           That FORM and NAME becomes our PERCEPTION of the IRRITATION.

Thus all Perceptions are seen as "individual and existing separate from all others." Even the concepts of our own Mind and Body are seen as an independent SELF.

Purification then consists in the comprehension of:

The respective Characteristics of the Perception

The Essence of each Perception as undefined sensation

The Manifestation as a useful illusion of Mind

The Proximate cause for its rising

This is accomplished by meditative Reflection upon:

The six senses, their six sense objects (form, sound, smell, taste, touch and thought and the six kinds of Consciousness that correspond to each).

It is clear upon such Reflection that all mental states arise with contact as cause with changes observed through the sense objects cumulating in Perception that is Impermanent and without substance or SELF and the sense-sphere only of Mind.  

Contact (Sensation), Discrimination, Perception are then seen to all be illusory mental objects.

There are other Reflection possibilities, but all determine Perception to be no more than a state of Mental Existence, conjured up by Mind and Matter through Form and Name. Thus there is no being or person apart from that form and name. 

The Digha Nikaya declares:

"These are mere names, expressions, turns of speech, designations in common use in the world. 

Of these he who has won truth makes use indeed, but is not led astray by them."