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B020101Pārājikakaṇḍa aṭṭhakathā(grave sins commentary)

English

so too, is a Perfectly Self-Enlightened One... ...so too, is a Blessed One, for this and that reason, so it is said. Now, for the Vinaya-holders' skill in the Suttanta method, and to gladden the mind with a Dhamma talk on the Buddha's qualities, at the start of this Vinaya commentary, I shall explain these terms in detail. Therefore, what was said: "That Blessed One, so too, is an Arahant," and so on; there, because of being far, because of having destroyed enemies and spokes, because of being worthy of requisites, and because of no secrecy in doing evil, for these reasons, that Blessed One is to be understood as an Arahant. Indeed, he is far, standing very, very far from all defilements. Because he destroyed defilements with their latent tendencies by the path, he is an Arahant due to being far. And those defilement-enemies were destroyed by him by the path, so he is an Arahant also for destroying enemies. And this wheel of existence, with spokes of ignorance, craving for existence, and meritorious and other volitional formations, with old age and death as its rim, pierced by the axle of the origin of effluents, joined to the chariot of the three existences, and continuing from beginningless time— all its spokes were destroyed by him at the Bodhi-maṇḍa, having stood on the ground of virtue with the feet of effort, and having taken the axe of knowledge that destroys kamma with the hand of faith. So he is an Arahant also for destroying the spokes. Or, the "wheel of existence" is called the beginningless cycle of existence. And of that, ignorance is the hub, being the root. Old age and death are the rim, being the end. The remaining ten phenomena are the spokes. Rooted in ignorance, ending in old age and death. Therein, not knowing suffering and so forth is ignorance. And in the sense-sphere existence, ignorance is a condition for volitional formations in the sense-sphere existence. In the form-sphere existence, ignorance is a condition for volitional formations in the form-sphere existence. In the formless-sphere existence, ignorance is a condition for volitional formations in the formless-sphere existence. In the sense-sphere existence, volitional formations are a condition for rebirth-consciousness in the sense-sphere existence. This method applies to the others. In the sense-sphere existence, rebirth-consciousness is a condition for mind-and-matter in the sense-sphere existence, likewise in the form-sphere existence. In the formless-sphere existence, it is a condition for mind alone. In the sense-sphere existence, mind-and-matter is a condition for the six sense bases in the sense-sphere existence. In the form-sphere existence, mind-and-matter is a condition for three sense bases in the form-sphere existence. In the formless-sphere existence, mind is a condition for one sense base in the formless-sphere existence. In the sense-sphere existence, the six sense bases are a condition for six kinds of contact in the sense-sphere existence. In the form-sphere existence, three sense bases are a condition for three contacts in the form-sphere existence; in the formless-sphere existence, one sense base is a condition for one contact in the formless-sphere existence. In the sense-sphere existence, six contacts are a condition for six feelings in the sense-sphere existence. In the form-sphere existence, three (contacts) are a condition for three (feelings) there; in the formless-sphere existence, one (contact) is a condition for one feeling there. In the sense-sphere existence, six feelings are a condition for six bodies of craving in the sense-sphere existence. In the form-sphere existence, three (feelings) are a condition for three (bodies of craving) there; in the formless-sphere existence, one feeling is a condition for one body of craving in the formless-sphere existence. There, there, that craving is a condition for that clinging; clinging and so forth are conditions for existence and so forth. How? Here, someone, thinking "I will enjoy sense pleasures," due to the condition of clinging to sense pleasures, performs misconduct by body, performs misconduct by speech, performs misconduct by mind. Due to the completion of misconduct, he is reborn in a lower realm. There, the kamma that is the cause of his rebirth is kamma-existence; the aggregates produced by kamma are rebirth-existence; the arising of the aggregates is birth; their maturation is old age; their breaking up is death. Another, thinking "I will experience heavenly bliss," likewise performs good conduct. Due to the completion of good conduct, s is born in the highest. There, the karma that is the cause of his birth is karma-existence, and the same method applies. Another, thinking, "I will experience the bliss of the Brahma-world," cultivates loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, due to the clinging to sensual pleasures. Upon the perfection of this cultivation, he is reborn in the Brahma-world. There, the karma that is the cause of his rebirth is karma-existence, and the same method applies. Another, thinking, "I will experience the bliss of the formless realms," in the same way, cultivates the attainments of the sphere of infinite space and so on. Upon the perfection of this cultivation, he is reborn there. There, the karma that is the cause of his rebirth is karma-existence; the aggregates produced by karma are rebirth-existence; the arising of the aggregates is birth; their maturation is old age; their dissolution is death. This method applies to other explanations rooted in clinging. Thus, "This ignorance is the cause, the volitional formations are arisen from the cause, both of these are arisen from the cause" —the wisdom in comprehending causality is the knowledge of the stability of the Dhamma; also in the past, and also in the future; "ignorance is the cause, volitional formations are arisen from the cause, both of these are arisen from the cause" —the wisdom in comprehending causality is the knowledge of the stability of the Dhamma. In this way, all terms should be elaborated. Here, ignorance and volitional formations are one summary; consciousness, name-and-form, six sense-bases, contact, feeling are one; craving, clinging, existence are one; birth, old age, death are one. The first summary here is the past time; the two middle ones are the present; birth, old age, death are the future. By the inclusion of ignorance and volitional formations here, craving, clinging, and existence are indeed included. Thus, these five phenomena are the karma-cycle in the past; the five phenomena beginning with consciousness are the result-cycle in the present. By the inclusion of craving, clinging, and existence, ignorance and volitional formations are indeed included. Thus, these five phenomena are the karma-cycle in the present; by the designation of birth, old age, and death, the phenomena beginning with consciousness are indicated. Thus, these five phenomena are the result-cycle in the future. They are twentyfold in terms of aspects. Here, there is one link between volitional formations and consciousness; one between feeling and craving; one between existence and birth. . Thus the Blessed One in this way the four-fold summary, the three-fold duration, the twenty-fold aspect, the three-fold connection dependent origination in all aspects knows, sees, understands, penetrates. That, by the nature of knowing, is knowledge; by the nature of understanding, is wisdom. Therefore it is said: “Wisdom in grasping conditions is knowledge of the stability of phenomena.” With this knowledge of the stability of phenomena, the Blessed One, having known those phenomena as they truly are, being disenchanted with them, being dispassionate towards them, being liberated from them, cut, destroyed, annihilated the spokes of this wheel of transmigration of the kind described. Thus, because the spokes are cut, he is Arahant. And because he is worthy of the highest offerings, he is worthy of special veneration in terms of requisites like robes; and for that very reason, when the Tathāgata arose, whatever powerful devas and humans there were, they did not offer veneration elsewhere. Thus, Brahmā Sahampati venerated the Tathāgata with a jewel garland the size of Mount Sineru; and according to their power, other devas and humans, like King Bimbisāra and King Pasenadi of Kosala. And even after the Blessed One had attained Parinibbāna, Emperor Asoka, spending ninety-six crores of wealth, established eighty-four thousand monasteries throughout the entire Jambudīpa. What then to say of other special venerations! Thus, because he is worthy of requisites and so on, he is also Arahant. And just as some foolish people who consider themselves wise commit evil in secret for fear of disgrace; so he never does so, thus, because there is no secrecy in doing evil, he is Arahant. And there is this [verse]: “Because he is far from, and has destroyed, the enemies of defilements, that sage; He has destroyed the spokes of the wheel of transmigration, and is worthy of requisites and so on; He does not commit evil in secret, therefore he is called Arahant.” But because he has rightly and by himself understood all phenomena, he is Sammāsambuddha (Perfectly Self-Enlightened). Thus he has rightly and by himself understood all phenomena; he has understood phenomena to be known as they are to be known; phenomena to be fully understood as they are to be fully understood; phenomena to be abandoned as they are to be abandoned; phenomena to be realized as they are to be realized; phenomena to be developed as they are to be developed. Therefore he said: “What was to be known has been known, and what was to be developed has been developed; What was to be abandoned has been abandoned by me, therefore I am the Buddha.” Brahmins.” Moreover, the eye is the truth of suffering. The former craving that gives rise to it, being its root cause, is the truth of origin.