English
Bringing it from there, the Venerable Upāli learned from the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One, the Venerable Dāsaka from his preceptor, the Venerable Upāli, the Venerable Soṇaka from his preceptor, the Venerable Dāsaka, the Venerable Siggava from his preceptor, the Venerable Soṇaka, and the Venerable Moggaliputtatissa from his preceptors, the Venerable Siggava and the Venerable Caṇḍavajji. Thus, bringing forth the entire lineage of teachers, the Theravada tradition, he establishes it up to his own teacher. A lineage of teachers learned in this way is well-learned. One who cannot do so must necessarily learn two or three turns. Indeed, by the very last method, it is fitting to know how the teacher and the teacher's teacher recite the Pāli and the questions. And by a Vinaya-holder endowed with these three characteristics, when a case has come before the Sangha gathered to decide a matter, and what is to be said has been said by the accuser and the accused, without deciding hastily, six points should be looked into. Which six? The case should be looked into, the mātikā (summary) should be looked into, the word-analysis should be looked into, the section on triplets should be looked into, the intermediate offenses should be looked into, the non-offenses should be looked into. Even when looking into the case, he sees a certain offense, such as: "One should come having covered oneself with grass or leaves, but one should not come naked; whoever should come, there is an offense of wrong-doing." So he brings that Sutta and settles that dispute. Even when looking into the mātikā, he sees one of the five offenses, in the manner of: "For intentionally telling a lie, there is an offense of expiation." So he brings that Sutta and settles that dispute. Even when looking into the word-analysis, he sees "sexual intercourse with an undecomposed body..." practices that dhamma, an offense of defeat. Mostly with a wasted body, practices sexual intercourse, an offense of grave transgression," and so on (Pārā. 59 onwards, similar in meaning), in this way, he sees one of the seven offenses. He will bring the Sutta from the word-division and settle that case. Even looking at the section on threes, or a Sanghādisesa of three, or a Pācittiya of three, or a Dukkaṭa of three, or any other offense in the section on threes, he sees, he will bring the Sutta from there and settle that case. Even looking at an intermediate offense, "he lifts up a bowl, an offense of wrong-doing" (Pāci. 355) thus, whatever intermediate offense occurs between the training rules, he sees that, he will bring that Sutta and settle that case. Even looking at non-offenses, "no offense for a bhikkhu who does not consent, whose intention is not theft, whose intention is not to kill, whose intention is not to make boastful claims, whose intention is not to release, unintentionally, without mindfulness, unknowingly" (Pārā. 72 onwards) thus, he sees the non-offense specified in each training rule, he will bring that Sutta and settle that case. Indeed, the bhikkhu who is skilled in the fourfold Vinaya, endowed with the three characteristics, having looked at these six points, will settle a case, his decision is irreversible, it is like a decision made by the Buddha himself sitting there. Such a bhikkhu, skilled in decision-making, if some bhikkhu who has transgressed a training rule approaches him and asks about his remorse; having carefully considered it, if it is a non-offense, it should be said, "It is a non-offense." But if it is an offense, it should be said, "It is an offense." If it leads to confession, it should be said, "It leads to confession." If it leads to rehabilitation, it should be said, "It leads to rehabilitation." But if a shadow of a Pārājika is seen, it should not yet be said, "It is a Pārājika offense." Why? For the transgression of sexual intercourse is of a higher And a transgression of the higher Dhamma is gross. But transgressions of taking what is not given, or of human disputes, are subtle, light in mind. They are incurred subtly, guarded subtly. Therefore, when asked about a scruple concerning that matter, without saying "it is an offense," if his teacher is alive, then that bhikkhu should be sent by him to ask, "Ask our teacher." If he comes back again and says, "Your teacher, having examined it according to the Suttas and the method, told me 'it is curable'," then he should be told, "Good, excellent, do what the teacher says." But if his teacher is not there, but there is an elder with whom he studied, he should be sent to him, saying, "The elder with whom we studied is the leader of the group, go and ask him." If he also decides "it is curable," he should be told, "Good, excellent, do what he says." But if even the elder with whom he studied is not there, but there is a wise pupil, he should be sent to him, saying, "Go and ask such-and-such a young one." If he also decides "it is curable," he should be told, "Good, excellent, do what he says." But if even for the young one the shadow of a pārājika appears, even by him he should not be told, "You are defeated." Indeed, the arising of a Buddha is rare, and rarer than that are both going forth and full ordination. But he should be told thus: "Having swept a secluded place, and sat down for the day's abiding, having purified your virtues, attend to the thirty-two parts of the body." If his virtue is faultless, the meditation subject connects, formations become manifest and appear, and the mind becomes one-pointed as if having reached access and absorption, he does not even know that the day has passed. When he comes for attendance after the day has passed, he should be told thus: "What was the course of your mind?" When the course of his mind has been reported, he should be told: "Going forth is for the purification of the mind, diligently practice the duties of a recluse." But for whom the virtue is broken, his meditation subject... he cannot settle down, his mind trembles as if pierced by a goad, he is burned by the fire of remorse, he rises up immediately as if sitting on a hot stone. When he comes, he should be asked, "What is the state of your mind?" When the state of his mind has been revealed, he should be told, "There is no secret in the world for one who commits evil deeds. First of all, when one commits evil, one knows it oneself, then his guardian deities, monks and brahmins who know the minds of others, and other deities know it. Now you yourself should seek your own welfare." Here ends the discourse on the fourfold discipline. And the discourse on the characteristics of a Vinaya-holder. Description of the Bhikkhu-pada-bhājanīya. Now we will explain the meaning of the Vibhaṅga of the training rules. What was said, "Yo pana" means "yo yādiso" and so on. Here, "yo pana" is the word to be analyzed; "yo yādiso" and so on are its analytical words. And here, since "pana" is merely a particle; "yo" is a meaningful word; and it indicates a person without specification, therefore, in showing its meaning, it states the word "yo" which indicates a person without specification. Therefore, here this meaning should be understood: "yo pana" means "whoever it may be." Since whoever it may be is necessarily known by one of these aspects: gender, occupation, birth, name, clan, virtue, dwelling, or age, therefore, to make that known, expressing that distinction, it says "yādiso" and so on. Therein, "yādiso" means, in terms of gender, whatever kind he may be; whether tall or short, black or white, or with a mottled skin, or thin or fat. "Yathāyutto" means, in terms of occupation, whatever he may be engaged in; whether engaged in new construction, or engaged in teaching, or engaged in the burden of residence. "Yathājacco" means, in terms of birth, whatever birth he may be; whether a khattiya or a brahmin, a vessa or a sudda. "Yathānāmo" means, in terms of name, whatever name he may be; whether Buddharakkhita or Dhammarakkhita or Saṅgharakkhita. "Yathāgotto" means, in terms of clan, whatever clan he may be; Let him be of whatever clan; whether Kaccāyana, or Vāsiṭṭha, or Kosiya, is the meaning. "As to his virtue" means, let him be of such virtue or of such virtue in his virtues; meaning, whether one whose virtue is in new construction, or in study, or in the duty of residence. "As to his dwelling" means, let him be of such a dwelling or of such a dwelling in his dwellings; meaning, whether one whose dwelling is in new construction, or in study, or in the duty of residence. "As to his resort" means, let him be of such a resort or of such a resort in his resorts; meaning, whether one whose resort is in new construction, or in study, or in the duty of residence. In "elder" and so on, let him be whoever among the aged and so on; meaning, an elder by having completed ten years, or a novice by having less than five years, or a middle one by having more than five years. But indeed, all of this in this context is called "whoever." In the explanation of "bhikkhu," "he begs" means a beggar; meaning, whether obtaining or not obtaining, he begs with a noble begging. By having undertaken the alms-round undertaken by the Buddhas and others, he is called one who has undertaken the alms-round. Whoever, having abandoned a small or large mass of wealth, has gone forth from home to homelessness, he, having given up making a living by farming, cattle-rearing, and so on, by merely adopting the insignia, has undertaken the alms-round, and so is a bhikkhu. Or, because his livelihood is dependent on others, even while eating food prepared in the monastery, he has undertaken the alms-round, and so is a bhikkhu; or, because he has become zealous for ordination relying on alms-food, he has undertaken the alms-round, and so is a bhikkhu. He wears a broken robe by the breaking of value, touch, and color, thus he is a "wearer of broken robes."