English
it does not extend itself.’’ (A. Ni. 7.49). "Monks, I wish to seclude myself for half a month" – This means, "Monks, I wish to seclude myself, to hide, to dwell alone for half a month." "No one should approach me except for one who brings almsfood" – This refers to one who, without speaking on his own behalf, brings forth almsfood prepared in faithful families for my sake and presents it to me. Except for that one monk who brings almsfood, I should not be approached by any other monk or layperson. or to approach. Why did he say this? It is said that in the past, five hundred deer hunters, with large nets, surrounded a forest and, delighted and joyful, lived by the work of killing deer and birds for their entire lives. They were reborn in hell. After suffering there, by some good deed done previously, they were reborn among humans. By virtue of their good disposition, all of them received ordination and full admission from the Blessed One. From that root unwholesome kamma, the unripened results of their subsequent intentions created an opportunity for the cutting off of life, through self-exertion and exertion by others, within that half-month. The Blessed One saw this. Kamma-vipāka (the result of kamma) cannot be prevented by anyone. Among those bhikkhus, there were also ordinary people, as well as stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, and Arahants. The Arahants would not be reborn again. The other noble disciples had a fixed destiny, bound for a good destination. But the destiny of ordinary people was unfixed. Then the Blessed One thought, "In this existence, terrified by the fear of death due to lustful craving, they will not be able to purify their destiny. Let me teach them a discourse on impurity for the abandonment of lustful craving. Hearing that, and with lustful craving for existence gone, they will purify their destiny and be reborn in heaven. Thus, their ordination with me will be fruitful." Therefore, for their benefit, he taught a discourse on impurity as a meditation subject, not with the intention of describing or praising death. And having taught, it occurred to him, "If the bhikkhus see me during this half-month, they will come again and again and report, 'Today one bhikkhu has died, today two... (and so on)... today ten.' And this kamma-vipāka cannot be prevented by me or by anyone else. What will I do even if I hear it? What is the use of hearing such a disadvantageous, calamitous, and distressing thing for me? Let me go into seclusion from the bhikkhus." Therefore, he said, "I wish, bhikkhus, to seclude myself for half a month; no one indeed, no one should approach, except for one who brings almsfood. Others, however, say: "To avoid the blame of others, he spoke thus and retired." Others, it is said, would blame the Blessed One: "This one, claiming 'I am omniscient, I am the supreme Wheel-turning Monarch of the True Dhamma,' cannot even stop his own disciples from killing each other. What else will he be able to do?" There, the wise would say: "The Blessed One, devoted to seclusion, does not know this event. Nor is there anyone to inform him. If he knew, he would surely stop it." This, however, is merely a wish. The first reason is indeed the cause here. In "Nāssudhā" here, "assudhā" is a particle merely for filling out the phrase, or for emphasis. The meaning is: "Indeed, no one approaches the Blessed One." "Anekākāravokāro" means "there is a mixture due to many reasons such as colors and shapes." It is said to be "mixed in many ways, mingled with many reasons." What is that? The practice of impurity meditation. "They dwell devoted to that impurity meditation, which is mixed in many ways" means "they dwell diligently engaged." "They are disgusted" means "they are afflicted, distressed in their own bodies." "They are ashamed" means "they feel shame." "They are repelled" means "they have generated repulsion." "Dahara" means "young." "Yuvā" means "endowed with youth." "Maṇḍanakajātiko" means "of a decorating nature." "Sīsaṃnhāto" means "bathed with the head." Here, by the word "dahara" (young), it shows the state of early youth. Indeed, in early youth, beings are especially of a decorating nature. By "sīsaṃnhāto" (bathed with the head), it indicates the time for applying adornments. Even a youth, having done some work and with a soiled body, is not devoted to adornment. But one who has bathed with the head is devoted only to adornment. He does not even wish to see a snake carcass and the like. Just as such a person, at that moment, if an enemy were to bring a snake carcass, or a dog carcass, or a human carcass, and tie it around his neck, facing him, he would be disgusted, ashamed, and repelled; even so, these monks Indeed, with their own bodies being wearied, being ashamed, being disgusted, just as that man with that corpse, desiring to abandon their own body due to the absence of lust and passion, taking a weapon, they themselves deprive themselves of life. "You deprive me of life; I will deprive you," thus they deprive each other of life. "Migalaṇḍika, the pseudo-ascetic," Migalaṇḍika is his name; pseudo-ascetic means one who wears the garb of an ascetic. He, it is said, shaving his head except for a topknot, donning one saffron robe and placing one over his shoulder, lives by scavenging near the monastery. Approaching even that Migalaṇḍika, the pseudo-ascetic, they speak thus. "Sādhu" is a particle in the sense of requesting. "No" is a plural of usage, it means, "Good, friends, deprive us of life." Here, the Noble Ones neither committed nor incited nor approved of the taking of life. But ordinary people did all of it. "Lohitaka" means smeared with blood. "By which the Vaggu Mudāna River" is the Vaggu River, considered by people to be a river of merit. He, it is said, went with the intention "I will wash away that evil there," but by the power of the river, not even a tiny bit of evil was removed. 163. "There was remorse indeed." Among those monks, it is said, no bodily or verbal action was performed by anyone; all, mindful and fully aware, lay down on their right side. Remembering that, remorse indeed arose in him. "There was regret" is said to define the nature of that remorse. There was regretful remorse, not remorse concerning the Vinaya. "Alas, my loss!" and so on is said to show the manner in which remorse arises. Therein, "Alas, my loss!" he laments that "now there are no gains of welfare and happiness for me in the future." By "Indeed, there are no gains for me," he strengthens that very meaning. This is the intention here: even if someone were to say, "There are gains for you," that is wrong; indeed, there are no gains for me. "Alas, my ill-gotten gain!" means the power of merit. This human existence, though obtained by me, is indeed ill-obtained for me. "It is indeed not well-obtained for me" – by this, he strengthens that very meaning. Herein is the intention: even if someone were to say, "It is well-obtained for you," that is false; it is indeed not well-obtained for me. "Evil accumulated" means evil accumulated or generated. "Why?" if it be asked. "Because I... monks... deprive of life." Its meaning is: "Because I, monks of good conduct, because of that very good conduct, monks of excellent nature, of supreme nature, of noble nature, deprive of life." A certain earth-deity, unnamed, belonging to Māra's host, of wrong view, on Māra's side, a follower of Māra, thinking, "Thus, this one will not transcend Māra's realm, Māra's domain," adorned with all ornaments, displaying her power, came as if walking on unparted water and on the surface of the earth, and spoke to the young monk Migalaṇḍika. "Excellent, excellent!" is an interjection in the sense of encouragement; therefore, it is said twice. "You have ferried across those not ferried across" means "you have ferried across, you have released from saṃsāra, those not ferried across from saṃsāra by this deprivation of life." This indeed was the view of that foolish, ignorant deity: "Those who have not died are not released from saṃsāra. Those who have died are released." Therefore, being of such a view, as if a liberator from saṃsāra, she thus spoke, urging him to that. Then indeed, the young monk Migalaṇḍika, though greatly remorseful at first, seeing that deity's power, and thinking, "This deity says so – surely it must be so by this meaning," came to a conclusion, and proclaiming, "Indeed, gains for me!" and so on. "Going from monastery to monastery, from precinct to precinct, he would speak thus" means going to each monastery and each precinct, opening the door, entering inside, he would speak to the monks thus: "Who is uncrossed? Whom shall I ferry across?" "There is indeed fear" means there is mental terror due to death. "There is indeed horror" means starting with the heart-flesh, therefore the body... there is no shaking; some say it is a stiffening of the body from extreme fear, for indeed, being stunned is called being terrified. "Lomahaṃsa" means hairs standing on end. But those whose defilements are destroyed, having clearly seen the emptiness of beings, do not perceive the being of death at all. Therefore, it should be understood that none of this happened to them. "One bhikkhu, two... up to sixty bhikkhus he deprived of life in one day"— in this way, by counting, he deprived all those five hundred bhikkhus of life. 164. "Having emerged from seclusion"— knowing that those five hundred bhikkhus had met their end of life, he emerged from that state of solitude. Though knowing, he addressed Venerable Ānanda as if not knowing, in order to initiate a conversation. "What is it, Ānanda, the Sangha of bhikkhus seems diminished?" Ānanda, previously many bhikkhus would come together for attendance, they would take up recitation and questioning, they would chant, the monastery would appear like a single lamp. But now, after the lapse of half a month, the Sangha of bhikkhus seems diminished,