English
I long for your speech, great seer; Having heard your utterance, I may learn my own Nibbāna." "I ask you, Blessed One, tell me this." "I ask" means three kinds of questions: questions to illuminate the unseen, questions to confirm what is seen, questions to cut off doubt... these three questions... questions about Nibbāna. "I ask you" means I ask you, I request you, I entreat you, I please you, tell me – I ask you. "Blessed One" is an expression of respect... a true designation, namely, Blessed One. "Tell me this" means tell, explain, teach, declare, establish, reveal, analyze, make clear, make manifest – "I ask you, Blessed One, tell me this." "Thus spoke the venerable Dhotaka." "Thus" is a conjunction of words... "Venerable" is a term of endearment, a term of respect, an expression of reverence and deference, "venerable." "Dhotaka" is the name, appellation, designation, concept, usage, name, naming, nomenclature of that brahmin... Speech, expression, declaration— Thus said the venerable Dhotaka. "I long for your speech, great sage"— Your word, your explanation, your teaching, your instruction, your advice I long for, I yearn for, I wish for, I desire, I aspire to, I crave. What is "great sage"? Is the Blessed One a great sage? He sought, searched for, investigated the great mass of virtue— Therefore, "great sage." ... "Where is the bull among men, the great sage?" "I long for your speech, great sage." "Having heard your voice"— Having heard, having listened to, having grasped, Having borne in mind, having understood Your word, your explanation, your teaching, your instruction, your advice— "Having heard your voice." "One should train for one's own Nibbana." Training means three trainings— Training in higher virtue, Training in higher mind, Training in higher wisdom... This is training in higher wisdom. "For one's own Nibbana"— For the extinguishing of one's own lust, For the extinguishing of hatred, For the extinguishing of delusion, For the extinguishing of anger, For the extinguishing of resentment... For the calming, for the appeasing, for the tranquilizing, For the extinguishing, for the relinquishing, for the cessation Of all unwholesome volitional formations. One should train in higher virtue, One should train in higher mind, One should train in higher wisdom. These three trainings, one should train by reflecting, One should train by knowing, One should train by seeing, One should train by reviewing, One should train by exerting the mind, One should train by resolving with faith, One should train by arousing energy, One should train by establishing mindfulness, One should train by concentrating the mind, One should train by understanding with wisdom, One should train by directly knowing what is to be directly known, One should train by fully understanding what is to be fully understood, One should train by abandoning what is to be abandoned, One should train by developing what is to be developed, One should train by realizing what is to be realized, One should practice, one should fully practice, One should live in accordance with, by undertaking— "One should train for one's own Nibbana." Therefore, that brahmin said— "I ask you, Blessed One, tell me this, I long for your speech, great sage; Having heard your voice..." a sound, train for your own Nibbāna.” 31. “Therefore, strive, [Dhotaka,” said the Blessed One,] Herein, sagacious, mindful; Having heard a sound from here, train for your own Nibbāna. “Therefore, strive” means: make effort, make exertion, make endeavor, make strength, make firmness, make energy, generate desire, produce, establish, arouse, bring forth, manifest – therefore, strive. “Dhotaka,” said the Blessed One: He addresses that brahmin by name. “Blessed One” is a term of respect…[etc.]…a true designation, namely, “Blessed One” – “Dhotaka,” said the Blessed One. “Herein, sagacious, mindful”: “Herein” means: in this view, in this patience, in this liking, in this acceptance, in this Dhamma, in this Vinaya, in this Dhamma-Vinaya, in this teaching, in this holy life, in this Teacher’s Dispensation, in this existence, in this human world. “Sagacious” means: sagacious, wise, discerning, intelligent, knowing, understanding, astute. “Mindful” means: mindful for four reasons – mindful cultivating the contemplation of the body in the body…[etc.]…he is called mindful – herein, sagacious, mindful. “Having heard a sound from here”: having heard, having listened to, having grasped, having retained, having understood my word, utterance, discourse, instruction, admonition from here – having heard a sound from here. “Train for your own Nibbāna”: “Train” refers to the three trainings – the training in higher morality, the training in higher mind, the training in higher wisdom…[etc.]…this is the training in higher wisdom. “For your own Nibbāna” means: for the extinguishing of one’s own lust, for the extinguishing of hatred, for the extinguishing of delusion, for the extinguishing of anger, for the extinguishing of resentment…[etc.]…for the calming, for the tranquilizing, for the pacifying, for the extinguishing, for the relinquishing, for the allaying of all unwholesome volitional formations, one should train in higher morality, one should train in higher mind, one should train in higher wisdom. Contemplating these three trainings, one should train; knowing, one should train…[etc.]…to be realized. making it real, he should train, he should practice, he should fully practice, he should live having undertaken it – he should train for his own Nibbāna. Therefore, the Blessed One said – ‘‘Therefore, strive, [Dhotaka, said the Blessed One] Here itself, discerning and mindful; Having heard the teaching from here, train for your own Nibbāna.’’ 32. I see in the world of gods and humans, The Brahmin free from impediments, moving about; I pay homage to you, the All-seeing One, Release me, Sakka, from doubts. ‘I see in the world of gods and humans’. ‘Gods’ means three kinds of gods – conventional gods, rebirth gods, purified gods. Who are the conventional gods? Conventional gods are called kings, and princes, and queens. These are called conventional gods. Who are the rebirth gods? Rebirth gods are called the gods of the Four Great Kings, the Tāvatiṃsa gods, the Yāma gods, the Tusita gods, the Nimmānaratī gods, the Paranimmitavasavattī gods, the Brahmā-group gods, and those gods above them. These are called rebirth gods. Who are the purified gods? Purified gods are called the disciples of the Tathāgata, Arahants, those whose defilements are destroyed, and the Paccekabuddhas. These are called purified gods. The Blessed One is the God of conventional gods, and of rebirth gods, and of purified gods; he is a God, an Over-god, a God-above-gods, a Lion of lions, a Nāga of nāgas, a Chief of chiefs, a Sage of sages, a King of kings. ‘I see in the world of gods and humans’ means: in the human world, I see a god, I see an over-god, I see a god-above-gods, I observe, I look, I contemplate, I investigate – ‘I see in the world of gods and humans’. ‘The Brahmin free from impediments, moving about’. ‘Free from impediments’ means: the impediment of lust, the impediment of hatred, the impediment of delusion, the impediment of conceit, the impediment of views, the impediment of defilements, the impediment of misconduct. Those impediments in the Buddha, the Blessed One, are abandoned, uprooted, made like a palm-stump, brought to non-existence, not liable to arise in the future. Therefore, the Buddha is free from impediments. ‘Brahmin’ means the Blessed One is a Brahmin because he has banished seven things – self-view is banished, doubt is banished, attachment to rules and observances... Clinging to self is expelled, Lust is expelled, Hatred is expelled, Delusion is expelled, Conceit is expelled. Expelled for him are evil unwholesome states, Defiling, Leading to renewed existence, Accompanied by suffering, Having painful results, Leading to birth, aging, and death in the future. Having expelled all evil things, Stainless, well-composed, with a steadfast mind; Having transcended transmigration, he is perfect, Unattached, such a one is called a brahmin. "Moving about" means Walking, Dwelling, Behaving, Conducting, Maintaining, Passing, Spending – A brahmin who has nothing, moving about. "I pay homage to that All-seeing One." "That" refers to the Blessed One. "I pay homage" means I pay homage with the body, Or I pay homage with speech, Or I pay homage with mind, Or I pay homage by appropriate practice, Or I pay homage by practicing in accordance with the Dhamma, I honor, I respect, I esteem, I venerate. "All-seeing" means "All-seeing" is called omniscience. The Blessed One is endowed, Fully endowed, Attained, Fully attained, Possessed, Fully possessed, Endowed with omniscience. "Nothing here is unseen by him, Nor is there anything unknown or unknowable; All that is to be known, he has fully understood, Therefore the Tathāgata is All-seeing." I pay homage to that All-seeing One. "Release me, Sakka, from doubts." "Sakka" means The Blessed One, having gone forth from the Sakya clan, is also called Sakka. Or, He is also called Sakka because he is rich, greatly wealthy, possessing wealth. These are his riches, namely – The wealth of faith, The wealth of morality, The wealth of shame, The wealth of fear of wrongdoing, The wealth of learning, The wealth of generosity, The wealth of wisdom, The wealth of mindfulness foundations, The wealth of right efforts, The wealth of bases of psychic power, The wealth of faculties, The wealth of powers, The wealth of enlightenment factors, The wealth of the path, The wealth of the fruits, The wealth of Nibbāna. With these many kinds of precious wealth, He is also called Sakka because he is rich, greatly wealthy, possessing wealth. Or, Sakka means capable, Skillful, Sufficient, Brave, Heroic, Valiant, Fearless, a...