English
Causing to roam, Causing to cut, Causing to cook, Causing to ripen. Thus, having shown the external great thief, in order to show five great thieves in the Dispensation similar to him, he said, "Even so..." and so on. Therein, by "evil monk," in other places, one who is uprooted, having incurred a pārājika offense, is called an "evil monk." Here, however, one who has not incurred a pārājika, but stands in willful conduct, trampling on minor and lesser training rules, wandering about, is intended as an "evil monk." For him too, like the external thief, in the beginning it is thus: "When indeed shall I... (etc.)... requisites." Therein, "honored" means one who has attained honor. "Respected" means one who has attained respect. "Esteemed" means one who is loved in mind. "Worshipped" means one who is worshipped with the offering of the four requisites. "Revered" means one who has attained reverence. Therein, one to whom they give the four requisites, having honored them, having well prepared them, having made them choice and excellent, he is honored. One to whom they give, having approached with a sense of respect, he is respected. One whom they love in mind, he is esteemed. One for whom they do all this, he is worshipped. One for whom they perform the highest reverence by way of salutation, rising to meet, the gesture of clasped hands, and so on, he is revered. And for this one, desiring all this worldly bait, it is thus. So, at a later time, having thought thus in the beginning, he gradually gathered evil monks who were disrespectful of the training, arrogant, insolent, fickle, talkative, scattered in speech, forgetful, without clear comprehension, with uncontrolled senses, abandoned by their teachers and preceptors, and greedy for gain. Having taught them deceptive practices such as arranging their deportment, and having his virtues praised by evil monks who were skilled in ripening the world through means such as describing widely acclaimed monasteries (e.g., "This elder, having entered the rains retreat in such and such a monastery, having fulfilled his duties and practices, has emerged after dwelling for the rains"), who were experienced in Jātaka tales and so on, and who were endowed with a good voice, he became surrounded by a hundred or a thousand (monks)... (etc.)... requisites of medicine. This, monks, is the first great thief. This one, like a house-breaker and other thieves, not one family, not two, but having deceived the great multitude, by taking the four requisites, is to be known as "the first great thief." But those monks, who are experts in Suttanta, or Abhidhamma, or Vinaya, when alms-round is not successful, reciting the Pāḷi, explaining the commentaries, pleasing the world with their words of appreciation, Dhamma talks, and perfect deportment, wander through the country, honored, respected, esteemed, revered, and venerated, they are to be known as "upholders of the tradition, illuminators of the Dispensation." "Declared by the Tathāgata" means penetrated, directly experienced, or made known by the Tathāgata. "He burns himself" means in the midst of the assembly, having compared the Pāḷi and the commentary, having spoken a pleasing discourse in a sweet voice by way of a Dhamma talk, when asked by discerning people, filled with wonder and amazement, "Oh, venerable sir, the Pāḷi and the commentary are very pure, from whom did you learn them?" he, not mentioning a teacher, saying "Who is capable of teaching one like me?" declares the Dhamma-Vinaya as penetrated by himself, attained by self-existent knowledge. This one, who steals the Dhamma penetrated by the Tathāgata with great difficulty and hardship after fulfilling perfections for four incalculable eons and a hundred thousand world-cycles, is the second great thief. "A pure celibate" means a monk whose defilements are destroyed. "Practicing pure celibacy" means practicing the supreme conduct free from defilements; or also, starting from a non-returner, down to a virtuous ordinary person, practicing pure celibacy, whose basis is freedom from remorse and so on. "He denigrates with groundless unchastity" means he accuses and charges that person with a final offense that does not exist in him; this one, who slanders existing virtues, who steals noble qualities, is the third great thief. "Heavy goods, heavy requisites" means just as in the case of taking what is not given, where it is said, "Four people conspired and carried away heavy goods" (Pari. 479), here, what is worth five māsa coins is called "heavy goods." But here it is not so. Rather, “Monks, these five are not to be given away, not to be alienated by the Sangha, or by a group, or by an individual. Even if alienated, they are not alienated. Whoever alienates them incurs an offense of grave fault. Which five? A monastery, monastery land… …wooden articles, earthenware articles.” Because of this saying, they are heavy articles, not to be alienated. “Monks, these five are not to be divided, not to be shared out by the Sangha, or by a group, or by an individual. Even if divided, they are not divided. Whoever divides them incurs an offense of grave fault. Which five? A monastery, monastery land… …wooden articles, earthenware articles.” (Cūḷavagga 322) Because of this saying, they are common requisites, heavy requisites, not to be divided. What is to be said about a monastery, monastery land, and so on, we will say all of that in the commentary on the Sutta that appears in the Khandhaka “Monks, these five are not to be alienated.” “He gathers laypeople with them” means he gives these things and thereby gathers and favors laypeople. “He entices” means he makes them affectionate, attached, and speaking of him, saying, “Oh, our venerable one!” This fourth great thief is one who, having stolen a heavy requisite that is not to be alienated and not to be divided, because it is such, gathers laypeople. And this one, when alienating this heavy article for the purpose of gathering families, incurs an offense of wrong-doing for corrupting families. And he is worthy of expulsion. When alienating it by overpowering the community of monks and acting as a master, he incurs an offense of grave fault. When alienating it with a thieving mind, the article should be valued, and he should be made to pay. “This is the foremost great thief” means this is the chief thief among these thieves; there is no thief like him, who steals the supramundane Dhamma, which is beyond the grasp of the five senses, extremely subtle and refined. But is it possible to deceive, steal, and take the supramundane Dhamma like gold and silver? It is not possible, therefore it is said: “Whoever declares a non-existent, unreal, superior human state.” For this one indeed He merely declares, "This is mine," regarding a quality that does not exist in him, but he cannot remove it from its place, nor make it exist within himself. Then why is he called a thief? Because, having declared it, he receives requisites that arise from the supposition of its existence. Indeed, by receiving in this way, those requisites are obtained by subtle deception and theft. Therefore, it is said: "For what reason? Because the country's alms-food, monks, is eaten by you for theft." This is the meaning here: what we said – "This is the chief great thief, who declares a non-existent, unreal superhuman quality." "For what reason?" If it is asked, "For what reason did we say this?" "Because the country's alms-food, monks, is eaten by you for theft." Monks, because that alms-food is eaten by him for theft, with a thievish mind. Here, the particle "vo" is merely a filler, as in "ye hi vo ariyā araññavanapatthānī" (MN 1.35-36). Therefore, its meaning should not be seen as "eaten by you." Now, making that very meaning more elaborate with verses, he says, "aññathā santaṃ" and so on. There, "aññathā santaṃ" means existing in another way, with impure bodily conduct and so on. "Aññathā yo pavedayeti" means who declares in another way, with pure bodily conduct and so on. "I am supremely pure, there is a supramundane quality within me" – thus he makes it known. And having declared it, he consumes the food that arises from that declaration as if he were an Arahant. "Nikacca kitavasseva bhuttaṃ theyyena tassa taṃ" "Nikacca" means having deceived, having shown what is otherwise as something else. Having shown himself as if a bush or a tree, though he is merely without bush or tree, by covering himself with branches, leaves, sprouts, and so on. "Kitavasseva" means like a deceiver, a trickster, like a fowler who lives by catching birds that come to the forest, by the perception of a bush or a tree. "Bhuttaṃ theyyena tassa taṃ" means that is eaten by him by theft, even though he is not an Arahant, by showing himself to be an Arahant. when one eats food obtained by deception; that food which is eaten, just as a fowler or gambler, having thoroughly deceived, catches a bird, so too, having deceived people, because the food obtained is eaten, it is called food eaten by theft. But those who, not knowing this danger, eat in such a way, with ochre-dyed necks… …they fall into hell, with ochre-dyed necks means with necks wrapped in ochre robes. It means that there is only the mere holding of the noble banner, the rest of the ascetic qualities are absent. “Indeed, Ananda, in the future, there will be Gotrabhus with ochre-dyed necks,” this is an appellation for such immoral people. Evil-natured means of bad character. Unrestrained means unrestrained in body, etc. Evil means bad individuals. By evil deeds means by evil deeds such as deceiving others, done without seeing the danger at the time of doing them. They fall into hell means they fall into a miserable state of suffering; therefore, a hot iron ball is better, thus the verse. Its meaning is – if this immoral, unrestrained person, who acts as he pleases, a deceiver of the world by hypocrisy, were to eat, were to swallow