English
Therefore, that Paccekasambuddha said: “Avoid the evil companion, who sees no good, who is stuck in unevenness; One should not associate with the attached and the negligent, one should wander alone like a rhinoceros horn. 144. Associate with the learned, the Dhamma-holder, a noble friend, one with ready wit; Having understood the meanings, having dispelled doubts, one should wander alone like a rhinoceros horn. “Associate with the learned, the Dhamma-holder,” means a friend who is learned, a holder of the teachings, a storehouse of the teachings. Those teachings which are good in the beginning, good in the middle, good in the end, with meaning and with letter, proclaiming the utterly complete, pure holy life, such teachings are learned by him, held by him, familiarized by speech, contemplated by mind, well-penetrated by view. “Dhamma-holder” means one who holds the Dhamma – sutta, geyya, veyyākaraṇa, gāthā, udāna, itivuttaka, jātaka, abbhutadhamma, vedalla. “Associate with the learned, the Dhamma-holder,” means one should associate with, should mix with, should frequent, should fully frequent, should mix with, should fully mix with a friend who is learned and a Dhamma-holder – “Associate with the learned, the Dhamma-holder.” “A noble friend, one with ready wit” An excellent friend is one who is noble by virtue, by concentration, by wisdom, by liberation, by the knowledge and vision of liberation. One with ready wit: there are three kinds of ready wit – ready wit concerning learning, ready wit concerning questioning, ready wit concerning attainment. Which is ready wit concerning learning? For some, the word of the Buddha is learned: Sutta, Geyya, Veyyākaraṇa, Gāthā, Udāna, Itivuttaka, Jātaka, Abbhutadhamma, Vedalla. Relying on that learning, it becomes clear to him. This is ready wit concerning learning. Which is ready wit concerning questioning? For some, there is also questioning concerning meaning, concerning method, concerning characteristics, concerning reasons, concerning what is possible and impossible. Relying on that questioning, it becomes clear to him. This is ready wit concerning questioning. Which is ready wit concerning attainment? For some, there are attained: the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of psychic power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of awakening, the Noble Eightfold Path, the four Noble Paths, the four fruits of recluseship, the four analytical knowledges, the six supernormal powers. For him, the meaning is known, the Dhamma is known, the language is known. When the meaning is known, the meaning becomes clear. When the Dhamma is known, the Dhamma becomes clear. When the language is known, the language becomes clear. Knowledge in these three is the analytical knowledge of ready wit. That Paccekabuddha is endowed, fully endowed, approached, fully approached, arisen, fully arisen, possessed of this analytical knowledge of ready wit. Therefore, the Paccekabuddha has ready wit. For whom there is no learning, no questioning, no attainment, what will become clear to him? An excellent friend with ready wit. Having known the meanings, having removed doubts, having known one's own welfare, having known others' welfare, having known the welfare of both, having known welfare in this very life, having known welfare in future lives, having known ultimate welfare, having directly known, having understood, having weighed, having investigated, having clarified, having made clear, k Having removed, having completely removed, having abandoned, having dispelled, having annihilated, having brought to non-existence the blemish – Having understood the meanings, having dispelled doubt, one should wander alone like a rhinoceros horn. Therefore, that Paccekabuddha said: “Associate with the learned, the upholder of the Dhamma, A noble friend, one with ready wit; Having understood the meanings, having dispelled doubt, One should wander alone like a rhinoceros horn.” 145. Play, delight, and sensual pleasure in the world, Not adorning, not longing for; Abstaining from places of adornment, a speaker of truth, One should wander alone like a rhinoceros horn. “Play, delight, and sensual pleasure in the world” means: “Play” means two kinds of play: bodily play and verbal play... ...this is bodily play... ...this is verbal play. “Delight” is a synonym for not being displeased – delight. “Sensual pleasure” is what was said by the Blessed One: “Monks, there are these five strands of sensuality. Which five? Forms cognizable by the eye that are desirable, lovely, agreeable, pleasing, associated with sensuality, and enticing; sounds cognizable by the ear... smells cognizable by the nose... tastes cognizable by the tongue... tactile objects cognizable by the body that are desirable, lovely, agreeable, pleasing, associated with sensuality, and enticing. These, monks, are the five strands of sensuality. Whatever happiness and joy arise, monks, dependent on these five strands of sensuality, this is called sensual pleasure.” “In the world” means in the human world – play, delight, and sensual pleasure in the world. “Not adorning, not longing for” means: not adorning and not longing for play, delight, and sensual pleasure in the world, having abandoned, having dispelled, having annihilated, having brought to non-existence – not adorning, not longing for. “Abstaining from places of adornment, a speaker of truth” means: “Adornment” means two kinds of adornment: there is adornment for householders, and there is adornment for the homeless. What is adornment for householders? Hair and beard, garlands, perfumes, unguents, and ornaments and adornment, and clothing, and covering, and ornamentation, and anointing, and massaging, and bathing, and rubbing, a mirror, collyrium, garlands, perfumes, ointments, face powder, face paint, hand-bands, hair-bands, a staff, a tube, a sword, an umbrella, ornate sandals, a turban, a gem, a fly-whisk, white clothes, long fringes – this is householder's adornment. What is non-householder's adornment? Adorning robes, adorning bowls, adorning dwellings, or adorning this putrid body, or adorning external requisites, adornment, embellishment, play, excessive play, greediness, greed, fickleness, flightiness – this is non-householder's adornment. "Truth-speaker" means that Paccekabuddha is a truth-speaker, truthful, firm, reliable, not deceiving the world, averse to, detached from, completely detached from, gone forth from, released from, freed from, disjoined from places of adornment, he dwells with an unbound mind – "averse to places of adornment, a truth-speaker, let him wander alone like a rhinoceros horn." Therefore, that Paccekabuddha said: "Play, delight, and sensual pleasure in the world, not adorning, not longing for; Averse to places of adornment, a truth-speaker, let him wander alone like a rhinoceros horn." 146. Son and wife, father and mother, wealth and grain and relatives; Having abandoned desires as they arise, let him wander alone like a rhinoceros horn. "Son and wife, father and mother." "Sons" means four kinds of sons: a son born of oneself, a son born of the field, an adopted son, a pupil son. "Wives" are called consorts. "Father" is he who is the begetter. "Mother" is she who is the genetrix – "son and wife, father and mother." "Wealth and grain and relatives." "Wealth" is called gold, silver, pearls, gems, lapis lazuli, conch. Stone, coral, silver, gold, ruby, sapphire. Grains are called early crops and late crops. Early crops are rice, paddy, barley, wheat, millet, common millet, foxtail millet. Late crops are pulses. Relatives are four kinds of relatives: Blood relatives are relatives, Clan relatives are relatives, Friends are relatives, Craft-related associates are relatives. Wealth and grains are also relatives. "Having abandoned desires as appropriate." Desires, by way of enumeration, are two kinds of desires: Desires for objects and defiling desires... ...these are called desires for objects... ...these are called defiling desires. "Having abandoned desires" means: Having fully understood desires for objects, Having given up, abandoned, removed, eradicated, and brought to an end defiling desires. "Having abandoned desires as appropriate" means: The defilements abandoned by the path of stream-entry, One does not return to, does not come back to, does not come again to those defilements. The defilements abandoned by the path of once-returning... ...the defilements abandoned by the path of non-returning... ...the defilements abandoned by the path of arahantship, One does not return to, does not come back to, does not come again to those defilements. "Having abandoned desires as appropriate, One should wander alone like a rhinoceros horn." Therefore, that Paccekabuddha said: "Son and wife, father and mother, Wealth and grains and relatives; Having abandoned desires as appropriate, One should wander alone like a rhinoceros horn." 147. "This is an attachment, little happiness is here, Little satisfaction, more suffering is here; Knowing this to be a snare, the wise one, Should wander alone like a rhinoceros horn." "This is an attachment, little happiness is here" means: Attachment, or hook, or bait, or clinging, or impediment, These are synonyms for the five strands of sensual pleasure. "Little happiness is here" means this was said by the Blessed One: "Monks, there are these five strands of sensual pleasure. Which five? Forms cognizable by the eye, Desirable, lovely, agreeable, pleasing, Connected with sensual pleasure, enticing... ...tangibles cognizable by the body..." These are desirable, agreeable, pleasing, lovely, connected with sensual pleasures, and enticing. These, monks, are the five strands of sensual pleasure. Whatever happiness and joy, monks, arises dependent on these five strands of sensual pleasure, this is called sensual pleasure. This happiness is little,