English
"Kingship" means the state of a king, or the duty to be done by a king. In "Sonā by name, Koḷivisa by clan," Sonā is his name; Koḷivisa is his clan. "Hairs on the soles of the feet" means soft, collyrium-colored hairs, made beautiful by kamma, were born on his red soles. He, it is said, formerly, having been the chief man of eighty thousand men, with them, having made a leaf-hut at the dwelling place of a Paccekabuddha, made his own splendid woolen cloak into a foot-wiping cloth at the place where the Paccekabuddha stepped with his feet, and placed it there. For three months, however, all of them attended upon the Paccekabuddha. This was the former connection of him and those eighty thousand village-dwellers. "Eighty thousand village-dwellers" means eighty thousand sons of good families dwelling in those villages. "For some reason" means as if for some reason; but there was no reason for him other than seeing him. The king, it is said, gathering those eighty thousand sons of good families, gathered them, thinking, "Thus, Sonā will come without suspicion." "In matters pertaining to this life" means having instructed in matters beneficial for this world, in the manner of "farming, trade, etc., should be done righteously, parents should be supported righteously," and so on. "He, our Lord" means that our Lord will instruct you in matters pertaining to the next world. "I inform the Blessed One" means I make the Blessed One know. "Having plunged into the slab" means having plunged into the half-moon stone below the steps. "Now, venerable sir, for whom the Blessed One deems it time" means for whom, for the purpose of doing good for them, the Blessed One knows the time. "In the shade behind the monastery" means in the shade at the back of the monastery. "They bring to mind" means they repeatedly bring to mind with faith. "For the sake of greater excellence" means the meaning is, "Show again something more excellent for the sake of greater excellence." "Disappears" means becomes invisible. The story of Sonā's ordination 243. "Becomes covered with blood" means lo He is smeared with benefit. “Cattle slaughter” means where cattle are killed, that is the meaning. “Skilled” means skilled in playing the lute. “The string of the lute sounds” means with the string of the lute. “Overstretched” means too stretched, harshly tuned. “Having a sound” means endowed with sound. “Workable” means fit for work. “Too loose” means loosely tuned. “Established on equal qualities” means tuned by setting it to a middle pitch. “Establish equanimity of energy” means establish equanimity endowed with energy, meaning, join energy with tranquility. “And penetrate the equanimity of the faculties” means the equanimity, the evenness of the faculties such as faith. There, by joining faith with wisdom, and wisdom with faith, energy with concentration, and concentration with energy, penetrate the equanimity of the faculties. “And there seize the sign” means when that tranquility is present, the sign that should arise, like the image of one’s face in a mirror, that sign of tranquility, sign of insight, sign of the path, and sign of the fruit, seize it, meaning, produce it. 244. “They would declare another” means I would make it known that I am an Arahant. “Six stations” means six reasons. “He is devoted” means having penetrated and made it direct, he stands. “Devoted to renunciation,” and so on, all is said in terms of Arahantship. For Arahantship is called renunciation because it has gone forth from all defilements, seclusion because it is secluded from them, non-affliction because there is no affliction, destruction of clinging because it arises at the end of the destruction of clinging, destruction of craving because it arises at the end of the destruction of craving, and non-delusion because there is no delusion. “Mere faith” means mere faith devoid of penetration, unmixed with the wisdom of penetration. “They increase” means growth by repeated doing. “Because of being without passion” means because passion has departed through the penetration of the path, he stands having penetrated Arahantship, which is called renunciation. He dwells only with the dwelling of fruit-attainment, his mind is inclined towards that, that is the meaning. The same method applies to the remaining passages. “Gain, honor, and fame” means and the praise-chanting of their well-done state, and of the gains they have obtained. "Desiring," means wishing, aspiring. "Inclined to seclusion," means "I am inclined to seclusion," thus he declares arahantship, is the meaning. "Grasping at precepts and vows," means the mere grasping, having grasped, at precepts and vows. "Returning to the essence," means knowing it as the essence. "Inclined to non-affliction," means he declares arahantship as non-affliction, is the meaning. By this same method, the meaning should be understood in all cases. "Strongly," means powerfully. "They do not overwhelm his mind," means they are unable to take hold of the mind of this Arahant. "Unmixed," means unmixed. Defilements mix the mind with the object; due to their absence, it is unmixed. "Established," means firmly established. "Attained to imperturbability," means attained to unshakeability. "And he sees its passing away," means he sees both the arising and the passing away of that mind. "Of one inclined to renunciation," means of one who has penetrated and stands in arahantship. In the remaining terms too, only arahantship is spoken of. "Of the destruction of clinging," is a genitive case in the sense of purpose. "And the non-confusion of mind," means of one inclined to the non-confusion of mind. "Having seen the arising of sense-bases," means having seen both the arising and passing away of the sense-bases. "The mind is rightly liberated," means the mind is liberated rightly, by means of the cause, by the method, by this practice of insight, in the way of fruition-attainment, it is inclined towards the object of Nibbāna. "Of one whose mind is calm," means of one whose mind is extinguished. "Of such a one," means he is "such" because he is unshakeable by attachment and aversion to desirable and undesirable things; of such a one. The discourse on rejecting shoes, etc., with two layers. 245. "They declare another," means they declare arahantship. "And the meaning is stated," means the meaning by which one is known as an Arahant is stated. But the meaning of the Sutta is to be taken only from the Sutta commentary. "And the self is not brought forward," means the self is not brought forward in terms of expression, saying "I am an Arahant." But here, some foolish men, as if laughing, declare as existing, by mere words, something that does not exist. Kapalāsika means single-layered. In "carrying eighty cart-loads," it should be understood that two cart-loads are carried by one. And in "an army of seven elephants," here six female elephants and one male elephant make one army. Seven such armies are called an army of seven elephants. "Double" means two-layered. "Triple" means three-layered. "Many-layered sandals" are said from four layers upwards. Story of the rejection of all blue, etc. 246. "All blue" means entirely blue. The same method applies to all yellow, etc. There, blue is the color of flax flowers. Yellow is the color of kanikāra flowers. Red is the color of jayasumana flowers. Madder-red is simply madder-red. Black is the color of half-burnt bricks. Deep red is the color of a centipede's back. Great-name-red is a mixed color, the color of a pale leaf. But in the Kurundi, it is said to be "lotus flower color." Having obtained any of these, it is permissible to wear them after wiping off the dye with a cloth and changing the color. Even if only slightly changed, it is permissible. "Blue-strapped" means those whose straps are blue. The same method applies everywhere. These too should be worn after changing their color. "Heel-bound" means made by binding a heel-piece to the sole for covering the heel. "Bag-bound" is called a Greek sandal, which covers the entire foot up to the calf. "Foot-wrapped" means made by wrapping around the foot; which covers only the foot above, not the calf. "Cotton-filled" means made by filling with cotton fluff. "Partridge-leaf-like" means variously bound, resembling partridge leaves. "Ram's-horn-strapped" means made by attaching straps resembling ram's horns at the ear-like places. The same method applies to goat's-horn-strapped, etc. "Scorpion-tail-like" also means made by attaching straps resembling a scorpion's tail at the same place. "Peacock-feather-stitched" means stitched with peacock feathers, like threads, on the soles or on the straps. "Variegated" means diverse; having obtained any of these, if it is possible to use them after removing those heel-pieces, etc., then to be used. If one uses them when they are present, there is an offense of wrong-doing. "Lion-skin-edged" means made by attaching lion-skin like a border to the edge of the robe. "Lūvaka-skin-edged" means made with the skin of a wild cat. Even if one obtains these, one should remove that skin and then wear them. 247. "Removed" means taken off after being put on. "New" means unused. Regarding the prohibition of sandals within the monastery 248. "For the sake of livelihood" means for the reason of the craft by which they live, by which they sustain their life. "Here, monks, that" here, "that" is merely a particle; the meaning is, "Here, monks, you should be adorned." "That you" means "those of you who." Or it means, "If you." For this particle is used in the sense of "if." "Among teachers" and so on: the ordination teacher, the higher ordination teacher, the reliance teacher, the instruction teacher— these four are all teachers here. A teacher of one who has not spent the rains is one who has spent six rains. For he will reside relying on him when he has spent four rains; similarly, for one who has spent one rain, seven rains;