English
Vessantara or Jotipalo. "Such-and-such by clan" means: Bhaggava or Gotama. "Such-and-such by complexion" means: fair or dark. "Such-and-such by food" means: food of rice and meat, or food of ripe fruits. "Such-and-such experiencing pleasure and pain" means: experiencing various kinds of physical and mental pleasures and pains, such as those with attachment and without attachment. "Such-and-such by lifespan" means: with a maximum lifespan of a hundred years, or with a maximum lifespan of eighty-four thousand aeons. "Having passed away from there, you arose there" means: I, having passed away from that existence, birth, destination, consciousness-abode, abode of beings, or group of beings, arose again in such-and-such an existence, birth, destination, consciousness-abode, abode of beings, or group of beings. "You were also there" means: and there too, in that existence, birth, destination, consciousness-abode, abode of beings, or group of beings, I was again. "Such-and-such by name" and so on, is as stated before. Or, because "you were there" is a recollection for one ascending gradually, as far as one wishes. "Having passed away from there" is a review for one returning. Therefore, "arisen here" means of this here-arisen... Immediately after the attainment arose there, it should be understood that it refers to the Tusita heaven. There I was of such a name: there, in the Tusita heaven, I was a deva-son named Setaketu. Of such a clan: of the same clan as those deities. Of such a color: golden colored. Of such a food: divine ambrosial food. Experiencing such happiness and suffering: thus experiencing divine happiness. Suffering, however, was merely the suffering of formations. Of such a lifespan: thus, a lifespan of fifty-seven crores, sixty hundred-thousand years. He, having fallen from there: I, having fallen from that Tusita heaven. Born here: here, born in the womb of Queen Mahāmāyā. Thus: so. With characteristics, with designation: designated by name and clan, with characteristics by color and so on. Indeed, a being is designated by name and clan as "Datta, Tissa, Gotama." By color and so on, as "fair, dark," it is known by difference. Therefore, name and clan are the designation, the others are characteristics. Do only Buddhas remember past existences? It is said – not only Buddhas, Paccekabuddhas, Buddha's disciples, and sectarians also, but not without distinction. Indeed, sectarians remember only forty aeons, not beyond that. Why? Because of weak wisdom. For them, indeed, due to the absence of discrimination of mind-and-matter, wisdom is weak. Among disciples, however, the eighty great disciples remember one hundred thousand aeons; the two chief disciples (remember) one incalculable aeon and one hundred thousand. Paccekabuddhas (remember) two incalculable aeons and one hundred thousand. Indeed, this much is their aspiration. For Buddhas, however, there is no limit; as far as they wish, so far they remember. And sectarians remember only the sequence of aggregates. Leaving aside the sequence, they are unable to remember by way of falling and re-linking. For them, indeed, like the blind, there is no going to a desired place. Disciples remember in both ways; likewise Paccekabuddhas. Buddhas, however, by the sequence of aggregates, and by way of falling and re-linking, and by way of a lion's leap, for many crores of aeons, downwards or upwards, whatever place... they desire, all that they remember. In phrases like "This, indeed, is my brahmin," "my" means "by me." "Knowledge" (vijjā) is so called because it makes known. What does it make known? Previous existences. "Ignorance" (avijjā) is called the delusion that conceals previous existences, because it makes them unknown. "Darkness" (tamo) is that very delusion, called "darkness" because it conceals. "Light" (āloko) is that very knowledge, called "light" because it illuminates. Here, "knowledge was attained" is the meaning, the rest is praise. The connection here is: "This knowledge, indeed, was attained by me; for me, who had attained knowledge, ignorance was destroyed, annihilated." Why? Because knowledge arose. The same method applies to the other two pairs of words. "Just as" (yathā tanti) here, "just as" is in the sense of an simile. "Tanti" is an particle. "Of one who is diligent," through not straying from mindfulness. "Of one who is ardent," through the ardor of effort. "Of one who has sent forth his mind," meaning, "of one who has made an effort," through not caring for body or life. This is what is said: "Just as for one who is diligent, ardent, and has sent forth his mind, ignorance would be destroyed, knowledge would arise; darkness would be destroyed, light would arise; even so, my ignorance was destroyed, knowledge arose; darkness was destroyed, light arose. The fruit I obtained was indeed in accordance with my strenuous exertion." "This, indeed, brahmin, was my first breakthrough, like a chick from an eggshell." This means: "This, brahmin, was my first breakthrough, my first emergence, my first noble birth, having shattered the eggshell of ignorance, which concealed the aggregates of previous existences, with the beak-like knowledge of the recollection of previous existences; just as a chick, by shattering the eggshell with its beak or the tip of its claws, breaks through, emerges, and is reborn into the chicken species from that eggshell." The discourse on previous existences is concluded. The discourse on the divine eye knowledge 13. So thus... (pe)... for the knowledge of passing away and reappearing. For the knowledge of passing away and reappearing; by which knowledge the passing away and reappearing of beings is known, that for the purpose of is said to be killed. "He directed his mind" means he brought forth the preparatory mind. "He with the divine…pe… I see" – here, for the Great Beings who have perfected the perfections, there is no preparatory work. For they, as soon as their minds are directed, see beings with the divine eye. But the beginner noble sons perform preparatory work. Therefore, preparatory work should be spoken of in their context. However, if it were spoken of, it would make the Vinaya account too heavy; therefore, we do not speak of it. Those who are interested should understand it according to the method stated in the Visuddhimagga (Visuddhi. 2.411). Here, however, we will only explain the Pāli text. "I heard thus." In "with the divine," etc., it is "divine" because it is similar to the divine. For the gods, the divine eye of sensitivity, produced by their good deeds, unhindered by bile, phlegm, blood, etc., and free from defilements, is capable of perceiving objects even from afar. And this eye of knowledge, produced by the power of energy and development, is similar to that, so it is "divine" because it is similar to the divine. It is also "divine" because it is attained through a divine abiding, and because it itself is associated with a divine abiding. It is also "divine" because it has great brilliance due to its grasp of light. It is also "divine" because it has great range, seeing forms beyond walls, etc. All that should be understood according to the science of words. It is "eye" in the sense of seeing. It is also "eye" as if it were an eye because it performs the function of an eye. It is "pure" because it is a cause of purity of view through seeing passing away and reappearing. For he who sees only passing away, but not reappearing, grasps the view of annihilation. He who sees only reappearing, but not passing away, grasps the view of the manifestation of new beings. But he who sees both, since he transcends both kinds of wrong views, for him that seeing is a cause of purity of view. And the Blessed One saw both. Therefore, it is said: "It is pure because it is a cause of purity of view through seeing passing away and reappearing." Or it is pure due to the absence of eleven defilements. For the Blessed One's divine eye is free from the eleven defilements. As it is said: "He who..." O, Anuruddha, I, ‘Doubt is an imperfection of the mind’ thus having known, doubt, an imperfection of the mind, I abandoned. Inattention... and so on... sloth and torpor... agitation... elation... unwholesome states... over-exertion... lax exertion... longing... diverse perceptions... ‘Over-contemplation of forms is an imperfection of the mind’ thus having known, over-contemplation of forms, an imperfection of the mind, I abandoned. So then, Anuruddha, I, dwelling heedful, ardent, resolute, I perceive light, but I do not see forms. I see forms, but I do not perceive light.” (MN 3.242-243) and so on. Thus, it is purified by the absence of these eleven imperfections. Transcending human range, by the sight of forms, it is superhuman; or, it should be understood as superhuman because it transcends the human flesh-eye. By that divine eye, purified, superhuman. ‘I see beings’ means as if with a human flesh-eye I see beings, I perceive, I observe. Regarding ‘passing away and reappearing’: here, at the moment of passing away or at the moment of reappearing, it is not possible to see with the divine eye. But those who are close to passing away, who will now pass away, they are ‘passing away’. And those who have taken rebirth or are presently being born, they are intended as ‘reappearing’. It shows that ‘I see such beings passing away and reappearing’. ‘Inferior’ means due to the outflow of delusion, despised, looked down upon, scorned, disregarded in terms of birth, family, wealth, and so on. ‘Superior’ means the opposite, due to the outflow of non-delusion. ‘Fair-skinned’ means due to the outflow of non-hatred, endowed with agreeable, pleasing, delightful complexions. ‘Ill-skinned’ means due to the outflow of hatred, endowed with disagreeable, unpleasing, undesirable complexions; it also means beautiful and ugly. ‘Gone to a good destination’ means gone to a good destination,