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4. Explanation of the Suddhaṭṭhaka Sutta Now he will explain the Suddhaṭṭhaka Sutta – 23. I see the pure, the supreme, the free from illness; By what is seen, purity for a person comes to be; Thus knowing it as supreme, one who sees the pure, knowledge approaches. "I see the pure, supreme, free from illness" means: "I see the pure" means: I see the pure, I will see the pure, I look at the pure, I contemplate the pure, I investigate the pure. "Supreme, free from illness" means: attained supreme health, attained protection, attained shelter, attained refuge, attained fearlessness, attained the unshakeable, attained the deathless, attained Nibbāna – I see the pure, supreme, free from illness. "By what is seen, purity for a person comes to be" means: By eye-consciousness, by the sight of forms, for a person, purity, purification, complete purification, liberation, complete liberation, perfect liberation comes to be. The person becomes pure, purified, completely purified, liberated, completely liberated, perfectly liberated – by what is seen, purity for a person comes to be. "Thus knowing it as supreme" means: Thus knowing, understanding, discerning, comprehending, penetrating. Knowing, understanding, weighing, determining, clarifying, making manifest that "This is supreme, foremost, excellent, distinguished, principal, highest, pre-eminent" – thus knowing it as supreme. "One who sees the pure, knowledge approaches" means: Whoever sees the pure, that one is a seer of the pure. "Knowledge approaches" means: eye-consciousness, by the sight of forms, knowledge approaches, the path approaches, the way approaches, the exit approaches – one who sees the pure, knowledge approaches. Therefore, the Blessed One said – "I see the pure, the supreme, the free from illness; By what is seen, purity for a person comes to be; Thus knowing it as supreme, one who sees the pure, knowledge approaches." 24. If by what is seen, purity for a person comes to be, Or by knowledge, he abandons suffering; By another, he becomes pure, one with clinging; For a view indeed leads him, who speaks thus. "If by what is seen, purity for a person comes to be" means: Eye-consciousness, r If by seeing, a person has purity, purification, complete purification, release, liberation, complete liberation, the person is purified, is purified, is completely purified, is released, is liberated, is completely liberated – if by seeing, a person has purity. Or by knowledge, he abandons suffering – if by eye-consciousness, by seeing forms, a person abandons the suffering of birth, abandons the suffering of old age, abandons the suffering of sickness, abandons the suffering of death, abandons the suffering of sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair – or by knowledge, he abandons suffering. By another way, he is purified, being with defilements. By another impure path, by wrong practice, by a path that does not lead out, apart from mindfulness foundations, apart from right exertions, apart from bases of psychic power, apart from faculties, apart from powers, apart from enlightenment factors, apart from the Noble Eightfold Path, a person is purified, is purified, is completely purified, is released, is liberated, is completely liberated. "Being with defilements" means being with lust, with hatred, with delusion, with conceit, with craving, with wrong view, with defilements, with clinging – by another way, he is purified, being with defilements. Indeed, views declare him to be speaking thus. That very view declares that person – "This person is of wrong view, seeing things wrongly." "Speaking thus" means speaking, declaring, saying, explaining, expressing thus. "The world is eternal, this alone is true, anything else is foolish" – speaking, declaring, saying, explaining, expressing thus. "The world is not eternal... the world is finite... the world is infinite... the soul is the same as the body... the soul is different from the body... the Tathagata exists after death... the Tathagata does not exist after death... the Tathagata both exists and does not exist after death... the Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist after death, this alone is true, anything else is foolish" – speaking, declaring, saying, explaining, expressing thus. Indeed, views declare him to be speaking thus. Therefore the Blessed One said: "If by seeing, a person has purity, or by knowledge he..." he abandons suffering; By another, he is purified, with substratum, for views declare him to be such." 25. A brahmin does not declare purity from another, in what is seen, heard, moral, or known; unattached to merit and demerit, abandoning self, not acting here. "A brahmin does not declare purity from another, in what is seen, heard, moral, or known." 'Na' is a negation. A brahmin is so called because he has expelled seven things – wrong view of self is expelled, doubt is expelled, attachment to rites and rituals is expelled, lust is expelled, hatred is expelled, delusion is expelled, conceit is expelled. For him, evil unwholesome states are expelled, those that defile, lead to rebirth, are accompanied by suffering, have painful results, and lead to birth, aging, and death in the future. Having expelled all evil, Sabhia, the Blessed One said, stainless, well-composed, with a steadfast self; having overcome transmigration, he is complete, unattached, such a one is called a brahmin. "A brahmin does not declare purity from another." A brahmin, by another impure path, by wrong practice, by a non-leading path, apart from the foundations of mindfulness, apart from the right efforts, apart from the bases of psychic power, apart from the faculties, apart from the powers, apart from the factors of enlightenment, apart from the Noble Eightfold Path, purity, complete purity, perfect purity, liberation, complete liberation, perfect liberation, does not declare, does not speak, does not explain, does not teach – "a brahmin does not declare purity from another." "In what is seen, heard, moral, or known." There are some ascetics and brahmins who believe in purity through seeing. They consider the sight of certain forms to be auspicious, and the sight of certain forms to be inauspicious. Which forms do they consider auspicious to see? Having risen at the proper time, they see forms considered highly auspicious – they see a magpie, they see a flowering bamboo shoot, they see a pregnant woman, they see a boy walking with another on his shoulders, They see a full pot, they see a rohita fish, they see a noble steed, they see a noble chariot, they see a bull, they see a tawny cow. They consider the sight of such forms auspicious. What sight of forms do they consider inauspicious? They see a heap of straw, they see a pot of buttermilk, they see an empty pot, they see an actor, they see a naked ascetic, they see a donkey, they see a donkey cart, they see a single-yoked cart, they see a one-eyed person, they see a cripple, they see a lame person, they see a paralytic, they see an old person, they see a sick person. They consider the sight of such forms inauspicious. These are those ascetics and brahmins who are purified by sight. They consider purity, purification, complete purification, release, liberation, complete liberation by sight. There are some ascetics and brahmins purified by hearing. They consider the hearing of certain sounds auspicious, and the hearing of certain sounds inauspicious. What hearing of sounds do they consider auspicious? They, having risen at the proper time, hear sounds that have gone to auspiciousness – such as 'increase' or 'increasing' or 'full' or 'touching' or 'sorrowless' or 'good-minded' or 'good star' or 'good omen' or 'splendor' or 'increasing splendor'. They consider the hearing of such sounds auspicious. What hearing of sounds do they consider inauspicious? 'One-eyed' or 'cripple' or 'lame' or 'paralytic' or 'old' or 'sick' or 'dead' or 'they cut' or 'they break' or 'they burn' or 'they are lost' or 'there is not'. They consider the hearing of such sounds inauspicious. These are those ascetics and brahmins who are purified by hearing. They consider purity, purification, complete purification, release, liberation, complete liberation by hearing. There are some ascetics and brahmins purified by virtue. They, by mere virtue, by mere restraint, by mere self-control, by mere non-transgression, consider purity, purification, They attain complete purity, release, deliverance, ultimate liberation. The ascetic Muṇḍikāputta said this: "Householder, I declare a person endowed with four qualities to be perfectly skilled, supremely skilled, one who has attained the highest attainment, an invincible ascetic. Which four? Here, householder, he does no evil deed with the body, he speaks no evil speech, he forms no evil thought, he lives no evil livelihood. Householder, I declare a person endowed with these four qualities to be perfectly skilled, supremely skilled, one who has attained the highest attainment, an invincible ascetic." Just so, there are some ascetics and brahmins who are pure through morality. They, by morality alone, by restraint alone, by self-control alone, by non-transgression alone, attain purity, purification, complete purity, release, deliverance, ultimate liberation. There are some ascetics and brahmins who are pure through vows. They are those who have the vow of an elephant, or a horse, or a cow, or a dog, or a crow, or Vāsudeva, or Baladeva, or Puṇṇabhadda, or Maṇibhadda, or fire, or a nāga, or a supaṇṇa, or a yakkha, or an asura, or a gandhabba, or a great king, or the moon, or the sun, or Indra, or Brahmā, or a deity, or a direction. These are those ascetics and brahmins who are pure through vows. They, by their vows, attain purity, purification, complete purity, release, deliverance, ultimate liberation. There are some ascetics and brahmins who are pure through perception. They, having risen at the proper time, touch the earth,