English
“There is, great king, the venerable Mahāariṭṭha is capable in this task.” “What should I do here, venerable sir?” “It is fitting, great king, to make a pavilion.” “Very well, venerable sir,” the king, having had a pavilion made by the power of the king, like the pavilion made by King Ajātasattu at the time of the Great Council, in the precinct of the minister Meghavaṇṇābhayassa, having engaged all musicians in their respective arts, and saying, “I shall see the roots of the Dispensation being established,” attended by many thousands of men, arrived at the Thūpārāma. At that time, sixty-eight thousand monks had gathered at the Thūpārāma. The seat of the Mahāmahindatthera was arranged facing south. The Dharma-seat of the Mahāariṭṭhatthera was arranged facing north. Then the Mahāariṭṭhatthera, invited by the Mahindatthera, sat on the Dharma-seat in his proper order. Sixty-eight great elders, led by the Mahindatthera, sat surrounding the Dharma-seat. The king’s younger brother, the elder named Mattābhayatthera, saying, “I will take the lead and learn the Vinaya,” sat with five hundred monks surrounding the Dharma-seat of the Mahāariṭṭhatthera itself. The remaining monks and the assembly with the king sat on their respective seats. Then the venerable Mahāariṭṭhatthera recited the Vinaya-nidāna, “At that time, the Buddha, the Blessed One, was dwelling in Verañjā, at the foot of the Naḷeru-pucimanda tree.” And when the Vinaya-nidāna was recited by the venerable Ariṭṭhatthera, the sky roared with a great sound. Unseasonal lightning flashed. they walked. The deities applauded. The great earth, making the ocean its boundary, trembled. Thus, while many wonders were occurring, the Venerable Elder Ariṭṭha, accompanied by sixty-eight individual leaders headed by Mahinda, who were Arahant Great Elders, and by sixty-eight thousand other monks, on the day of the first Kattika Pavāraṇā, in the middle of the Thūpārāma Vihāra, proclaimed the Vinaya Piṭaka, which illuminates the Buddha's quality of compassion, and is the Buddha's instruction for the removal of wrong bodily and verbal actions. Having proclaimed it, remaining for as long as his life lasted, having taught it to many, having established it in the hearts of many, he attained final Nibbāna without any remainder of clinging. And those Great Elders, headed by Mahinda, at that assembly— "Sixty-eight Great Elders, leaders, gathered together; All individual leaders, disciples of the Dhamma King. "Arahants, masters of powers, possessors of the three knowledges, skilled in psychic powers; Having fully understood the highest goal, they instructed the king. "Having shown the light, having illuminated this earth; Having blazed like a mass of fire, the great sages attained Nibbāna." After their final Nibbāna, other disciples of those Elders, such as Tissadatta, Kāḷasumaṇa, Dīghasumaṇa, and the disciples of the Great Elder Ariṭṭha, and the disciples of the disciples— thus, the lineage of teachers mentioned before brought this Vinaya Piṭaka down to the present day. Therefore, it is said: "From the Third Council onwards, this island was brought by Mahinda and others; Having received it from Mahinda, for some time, it was brought by Elder Ariṭṭha and others; From then until today, it has been brought by the lineage of teachers, who are the succession of their disciples." Where is it established? It should be understood that it is established in individuals who are conscientious, scrupulous, and desirous of training, who possess abundant mindfulness, wisdom, and perseverance, in whom it flows undiminished in both Pāli and meaning, not leaking even a little, like oil poured into a jewel-jar. Therefore, for the establishment of the Vinaya, Having considered the benefit of learning the Vinaya, by a bhikkhu desirous of training, the Vinaya should be mastered. Herein is this benefit of learning the Vinaya – For a person skilled in learning the Vinaya for young men who have gained faith in the Dispensation is like a mother and father, for on him depend their going forth, their full ordination, their practice of proper conduct, and their skill in deportment and alms-round. Moreover, relying on his learning of the Vinaya, his own aggregate of virtue is well-guarded and well-protected; he is a refuge for bhikkhus prone to remorse; he speaks confidently in the midst of the Saṅgha; he thoroughly refutes opponents with the Dhamma; he is practicing for the stability of the True Dhamma. Therefore the Blessed One said – ‘‘Bhikkhus, there are these five benefits for a person who upholds the Vinaya; his own aggregate of virtue is well-guarded and well-protected… he is practicing for the stability of the True Dhamma.’’ (Pari. 325) And whatever wholesome states rooted in restraint were spoken by the Blessed One, a person who upholds the Vinaya is their heir; because those states are rooted in the Vinaya. This too was said by the Blessed One – ‘‘The Vinaya is for the purpose of restraint, restraint is for the purpose of non-remorse, non-remorse is for the purpose of joy, joy is for the purpose of rapture, rapture is for the purpose of tranquility, tranquility is for the purpose of happiness, happiness is for the purpose of concentration, concentration is for the purpose of knowledge and vision of things as they are, knowledge and vision of things as they are is for the purpose of disenchantment, disenchantment is for the purpose of dispassion, dispassion is for the purpose of liberation, liberation is for the purpose of knowledge and vision of liberation, knowledge and vision of liberation is for the purpose of unconditioned final Nibbāna. For this purpose is talk, for this purpose is counsel, for this purpose is instruction, for this purpose is giving ear – namely, the liberation of the mind without clinging.’’ (Pari. 366) Therefore, effort should be made in learning the Vinaya. And thus, the matrix established there for the purpose of explaining the Vinaya – ‘‘By whom it was said, and when, and why, by whom it was held, and brought forth; And where it is established, this, having said, then the method.’’ The meaning of this verse, first of all, The description of the external introduction to the Vinaya is explained according to intention. The account of the Third Council is finished. The account of the External Introduction is finished. Description of the Verañja Section 1. Now, "Of the passage beginning 'Tena', the meaning in various ways, showing, I shall make the explanation of the Vinaya's meaning." Because it has been said, I shall explain the meaning of "By that time, the Buddha, the Blessed One," and so on. That is to say: "Tena" (by that) is an indefinite demonstrative word. Even though not stated in its form, it should be referred back to by the word "yena" (by which), which is established in meaning later on. For later on, the thought of Venerable Sāriputta, which was the cause for requesting the Vinaya rule, is established. Therefore, the connection here should be understood as: "By which time that thought arose, by that time the Buddha, the Blessed One, was dwelling in Verañjā." This is indeed the method in the entire Vinaya: wherever "tena" is said, there, either before or after, it should be referred back to by the word "yena" which is established in meaning. Here is a mere example: "Therefore, bhikkhus, I shall lay down a training rule for the bhikkhus, by which Sudinna engaged in sexual intercourse; because he engaged, therefore I shall lay it down." Thus it is said. Thus, the reference back by the word "yena" established in meaning beforehand is appropriate. "By that time the Buddha, the Blessed One, was dwelling in Rājagaha, by which time Dhaniya, the potter's son, took wood belonging to the king without being given it." Thus, the reference back by the word "yena" established in meaning afterwards is appropriate. This is the meaning of the word "tena". But here, regarding "samayena", the word "samaya" is seen in the sense of: conjunction, moment, time, collection, cause, views, acquisition, abandonment, and penetration. For example, in passages like: "Perhaps we might approach tomorrow, taking into account the time and the occasion (samaya)," (Dī. Ni. 1.447) the meaning is conjunction (occasion). "Indeed, only one," "Monks, there is a moment and an opportunity for living the holy life" (A.N. 8.29) and so on, 'khaṇo' means 'moment'. "The hot season, the season of fever" (Pāci. 358) and so on, 'samayo' means 'time'. "The great assembly in the forest" and so on, 'samūho' means 'multitude'. "Indeed, Bhaddāli, this opportunity was not penetrated by you – 'The Blessed One is dwelling in Sāvatthī, the Blessed One will know me – Bhaddāli, a monk, is one who does not fulfill the training in the Teacher's dispensation.' Indeed, Bhaddāli, this opportunity was not penetrated by you" (M.N. 2.135) and so on, 'samayo' means 'reason'. "Now at that time, the wanderer Uggahamāna, son of Samaṇamuṇḍikā, was dwelling in the Tindukācīra, in a single-chambered hall, in Mallikā's park, among those who expounded views" (M.N. 2.260) and so on, 'samaya' means 'view'. "The good in this very life, and the good in the life to come; By penetrating the good, the wise one is called a sage." (S.N. 1.129) And so on, 'abhisamaya' means 'attainment'. "By rightly penetrating conceit, one makes an end of suffering" (M.N. 1.28) and so on, 'abhisamaya' means 'abandonment'. "Suffering means the sense of oppression, the sense of being conditioned, the sense of torment, the sense of change, the sense of penetration" (Paṭi. Ma. 2.8) and so on, 'abhisamaya' means 'penetration'. Here, however, its meaning is 'time'. Therefore, the meaning here should be understood as: "at that time when the thought arose in Venerable Sāriputta, which was the cause for requesting the promulgation of the Vinaya." Here it is said: "Why is it that in the suttas the designation is made with the accusative case,