English
Its meaning is: he should not act relying on gain. For, taking gain such as robes given by either the accused or the accuser, one acts relying on gain; one should not do so. "And not relying on a person" means, going by desire and so on, in the manner of "this is my preceptor or teacher," one acts relying on a person; one should not do so. But having avoided both of these, he should act just as the Dhamma stands. "He whispers into the ear" means, "Speak thus, do not speak thus..." He whispers in the ear, "It is so." He looks askance, meaning he seeks only fault. He puts aside, meaning he neglects the judgment. He follows a wrong path, meaning he reveals an offense. He admonishes at the wrong time, meaning he admonishes without opportunity, uninvited. He does not know the before and after, meaning he does not know the former statement and the latter statement. He does not know the sequence of words, meaning he does not know the words in terms of the sequence of the story and the sequence of the judgment. The rest is clear everywhere. The description of the Admonition Section is finished. The Minor Dispute Description of the Conduct of the Investigator 365. "By a monk who is a warrior in the minor dispute": A dispute is called a gathering of the Sangha for the purpose of settling a legal case. There, the litigants and those hostile to the Dispensation, revealing the Teacher's Dispensation as against the Dhamma and against the Discipline, gather like the Vajjiputtakas of Vesālī. The monk who crushes the view of these adversaries and enters there to expound his own doctrine, who plunges in and conducts the judgment, is called a warrior in the dispute, like Elder Yasa. By such a warrior monk, the Sangha should be approached with a humble mind. "With a humble mind" means having lowered the banner of pride, with a mind free from conceit. "Like a dust-remover" means like a foot-wiper; just as when feet are wiped, whether clean or unclean, there is neither attachment nor aversion in the dust-remover; so the meaning is, not being attached or averse to agreeable and disagreeable things. "On a suitable seat": Having known the suitable seat, one should sit in one's proper place, without showing one's back to the elder monks. "Not speaking various talks": Not speaking various kinds of useless talk. "Not speaking animal talk": Not speaking animal talk, such as talk about kings, even if seen, heard, or perceived. "Or the Dhamma should be spoken by oneself": In the place of the Sangha's gathering, either talk related to what is allowable and unallowable, or related to the analysis of form and non-form, or related to the practice of calm and insight, or related to the duties of sitting in a place, etc. Now, the Dhamma. Such Dhamma should be spoken by oneself, or others should be invited to speak it. A bhikkhu who is able to speak such a discourse should be told: “Friend, when questions arise in the midst of the Sangha, you should speak.” The noble silence should not be despised. For noble ones, sitting in silence, do not sit like foolish ordinary people. They sit having taken up some meditation subject. Thus, silence by way of mindfulness on a meditation subject is called noble silence. It should not be despised, thinking, “What is the use of devotion to meditation subjects?” The meaning is: one should sit having taken up a meditation subject suitable for oneself. The preceptor should not be asked: “What is your preceptor’s name?” This rule applies everywhere. Not birth: “Are you of the warrior caste, or of the brahmin caste?” Thus, birth should not be asked. Not tradition: “Are you a long-reciter, or a middle-reciter?” Thus, tradition should not be asked. By family region: This should be understood by way of warrior families and so on. Here, there is affection or aversion: In this person, by way of one of these reasons, there might be affection or aversion. Not by one who pleases the assembly: One should not be a pleaser of the assembly, one who conforms to the assembly. The meaning is: one should not speak, having merely thought and arranged what pleases the assembly. No hand gestures should be shown: Whether speaking or not speaking, no hand gestures should be made to signal. By one who follows the meaning: The meaning is: one should sit, focusing only on the penetration of the decision, deliberating thus: “This Sutta is found, in this decision, I will say this.” And one should not rise from the seat: One should not rise from the seat and wander in the assembly hall. When a Vinaya-holder rises, the entire assembly rises. One should not neglect: The decision should not be neglected. One should not follow a wrong path: One should not reveal an offense. One should be fearless: One should not be rash; with That means one should not speak harsh words. "By one patient in speech" means by one whose nature is to endure harsh words. "By one who seeks welfare" means by one who wishes welfare, who seeks welfare, and compassion and the preliminary stage of compassion should be established; this is the intention in both these words. "By one who is not harsh" means by one who is not harsh. Harshness is called unpleasant speech, reckoned as contentious talk; that means it should not be spoken. "One's self should be understood" means "Shall I be able to decide and settle this or not?" Thus, one's self should be understood; that means one's own measure should be known. "The other should be understood" means "Is this assembly modest? Is it possible to make them understand or not?" Thus, the other should be understood. "The accuser should be understood" means "Is he a righteous accuser or not?" Thus, he should be understood. "The accused should be understood" means "Is he a righteously accused person or not?" Thus, he should be understood. "The unrighteous accuser should be understood" means his measure should be known. The same method applies to the rest. "By not letting go of what was said" means by not letting go of the words spoken by the accuser and the accused. "By not revealing what was not said" means by not revealing an unrevealed matter. "The dullard should be encouraged" means the dull, bewildered one should be encouraged, having stimulated him with "Are you not a good family man?" and having made him speak the course of questioning, his questioning should be understood. "The timid one should be reassured" means for whom timidity arises in the midst of the Sangha or a group due to not having been revealed before, such a one, even having said "Do not fear, speak freely, we shall be your supporters," should be made to speak the course of questioning. "The fierce one should be restrained" means he should be rebuked, he should be threatened. "The impure one should be exposed" means having revealed the shameless one, he should be made to confess the offense. "By one who is upright and gentle" means whichever monk is upright, virtuous, free from bodily crookedness etc., that one should be treated only with gentleness. "In regard to Dhamma and persons" means here, whoever is respectful of Dhamma, not respectful of persons, this very one should be understood as impartial in regard to Dhamma and persons. 366. The Sutta, for the purpose of comparison, etc. And by that investigator, who is dear, pleasing, and worthy of respect to his fellow celibates, among the discourses and so forth that are brought forth, the discourse is for comparison; it should be understood that it is for comparing offenses and non-offenses. "A simile is for illustration" means a simile is for showing the meaning. "The meaning is for making known" means the meaning is for making understood. "A counter-question is for establishing" means a question is for establishing the person. "The act of giving opportunity is for admonishing" means it is for admonishing by means of a matter or an offense. "Admonition is for reminding" means it is for reminding of fault and faultlessness. "Reminding is for making amenable to speech" means reminding of fault and faultlessness is for making amenable to speech. "Amenability to speech is for restriction" means amenability to speech is for restriction, thus: "Do not depart from this dwelling." "Restriction is for decision" means it is for reaching a decision. "Decision is for investigation" means it is for investigating fault and faultlessness, for weighing. "Investigation is for knowing what is proper and improper" means it is for knowing offenses and non-offenses, grave and light offenses. "The Sangha is for acceptance and approval" means it is for accepting the decision, and for knowing whether it is well-decided or ill-decided; that is the meaning. "Those who stand individually, those who stand without dispute" means they stand in a position of authority, dominance, and seniority, and in a position of non-dispute; they should not be disregarded; that is the meaning. Now, for those dull-witted, slow-minded ones who might say, "What is the Vinaya for?" merely to show the closing of the opportunity for their words, it is said, "The Vinaya is for restraint," and so forth. There, "The Vinaya is for restraint" means all the Vinaya regulations are for the restraint of the doors of body and speech. It is a strong support for morality, which culminates in purity of livelihood; it is a condition; that is the meaning. This method applies everywhere. Moreover, here, "non-remorse" means the absence of mental remorse regarding deeds done or not done, whether evil or meritorious. "Joy" is weak, nascent delight. "Delight" is strong, abundant delight. "Tranquility" is the calming of bodily and mental agitation. "Happiness" is physical and mental... unhappiness. For both are conditions for concentration. Concentration is one-pointedness of mind. Knowledge and vision of things as they are is nascent insight; it is a term for the knowledge of rise and fall. For one-pointedness of mind is a condition for