English
One who has attained the state of being free from defilements, Because of being far from them, And has reached the supramundane liberation. This is what is said: For those attaining the eight mundane attainments, There is both a time and a non-time. But for liberation through the path, There is no time or non-time. For one whose faith is strong, And whose insight is aroused, As they go, stand, sit, lie down, Eat, or consume, There is no such thing as The non-occurrence of the realization of path and fruit. Thus, for liberation through the path, There is no time or non-time. The King of Dhamma, Dragged down and not dragged down, Stringed this ivory peg. An ordinary person who attains the attainments, Is still not dragged down by this string. But when being practiced, Due to the defilements suppressed by the attainments, One may experience liberation at a specific time. 3. In the exposition of "liable to lapse" and "not liable to lapse": One whose attained state of attainment lapses and is destroyed, Is liable to lapse. "Accompanied by form" means Accompanied by form, Which is defined as the sign of form. Meaning, the four form-sphere jhānas That occur together with it, And are not without a form object. "Accompanied by the formless" means Other than form, Not form, is the formless. Meaning, the four formless-sphere jhānas That occur together with the formless, And are not without a formless object. "Not one who obtains at will" means Not one who obtains at will, Because of not having practiced mastery in the five ways, And thus not obtaining as desired. Meaning, one whose attainment is of little quality. "Not one who obtains without difficulty" means One who obtains with difficulty, One who obtains with suffering. One who, while suppressing defilements in approaching, Bringing about proximity, Bringing about absorption, Obtaining the casket of the mind, Is able to attain that accomplishment With difficulty, with effort, with exertion, with striving. Such a one does not obtain without difficulty. Indeed. He is not one who gains easily, not one who gains abundantly. He cannot fill the duration after attaining absorption. He rises quickly after experiencing one or two moments of consciousness, that is the meaning. Wherever he wishes, in whatever place he wishes to sit after attaining absorption. Whatever he wishes, whether it be the kasiṇa absorption, or the ānāpāna absorption, or the brahmavihāra absorption, or the asubha absorption, whatever absorption he wishes to sit after attaining. As long as he wishes, according to the duration he desires. This is what is said: wherever, whatever absorption, for whatever duration he wishes to enter into and arise from, there, that absorption, for that duration, he cannot enter into and arise from. Having looked at the moon or the sun, and determined, "When the moon or sun has moved this far, I will arise," having entered into absorption, he cannot arise according to the determined time, he arises in between; because of the weakness of the absorption. Having come to negligence, because of negligence. This is said: this kind of person is called one subject to agitation. This, however, is the name for three individuals: a worldling who has attained the eight attainments, a stream-enterer, and a once-returner. For these, the things that obstruct concentration and the things that obstruct insight are not well suppressed, not well destroyed, therefore their absorption is lost, it declines. And that, indeed, is not through a breach of morality, nor through transgression of an offense. But this one whose Dhamma is not weighty is lost even by a small task or a slight change in routine. Here is a story about this: it is said that a certain elder was developing absorption. When he had entered the village for alms, the children played in the monastery and left. The elder, returning, thought, "The monastery should be swept," but without sweeping it, he entered the monastery and sat down, thinking, "I will attain absorption." But being unable to attain it, considering, "What could be the obstacle?" he reflected on his morality Noticing even a tiny transgression, looking to see if there was any lapse, knowing the monastery was unswept, sweeping it, entering, and sitting down, he sat as if attaining absorption. 4. The explanation of the unwavering quality should be understood in terms of the opposites already stated. But "unwavering quality" is a designation for two types of individuals: the non-returner who has attained the eight attainments, and the arahant. For them, the things that hinder concentration and the things that hinder insight are well suppressed, well destroyed. Therefore, even if they spend time with negligence appropriate to themselves, through idle talk, socializing, enjoying gardens, and so on, or through anything else, their attainment does not waver, does not perish. But dry-insight practitioners, stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, and arahants, are not found in this pair; they are called individuals beyond pairs. Therefore, the Teacher, in his perfect enlightenment, drawing together what was included below and what was not, stringing the thread in this pair as well, together with the backings, said, "all noble individuals," and so on. For the eight attainments there could be wavering and perishing, but for the supramundane quality, once realized, there is no wavering or perishing; this was said with that in mind. 5. The explanations of the liable-to-decline quality and the not-liable-to-decline quality should also be understood in terms of the wavering quality and the unwavering quality. Only here, regarding the individual's negligence, both the decline and non-decline of qualities are taken; this is merely a matter of indirect teaching. The rest is the same everywhere. 7. In the explanation of the capable-of-arising quality: "capable of arising" means capable of attaining non-decline in arising. "If he reflects," means if he attains absorption. For one who attains absorption is said to reflect. He does not decline; the other declines. 8. In the explanation of the capable-of-protecting quality: "capable of protecting" means capable of attaining non-decline in protecting. "If he protects," means if, abandoning detrimental things, he cultivates beneficial things. falls away. Thus behaving, he is said to be protecting. He does not decline, the other declines. Both of these are capable of establishing attainment, of making it stable. But due to being incapable of intention, the one incapable of protecting is stronger. For the one incapable of intention does not know what things are helpful or unhelpful. Not knowing, he rejects and discards helpful things, and cultivates unhelpful things. Cultivating these, he declines from attainment. The one incapable of protecting knows what things are helpful or unhelpful. Knowing, he rejects and discards unhelpful things, and cultivates helpful things. Cultivating these, he does not decline from attainment. Just as two field-keepers, one sick with jaundice, diseased, incapable of enduring cold and so on, the other healthy, enduring cold and so on. The sick one does not go down to the lower hut, abandons night watch and day watch. Because of his negligence, peacocks and so on enter the field by day and eat the rice heads, and at night wild pigs and so on enter, cutting it down as if planing a log. Because of his own negligence, he does not obtain even the amount of seed again. The other does not abandon night watch and day watch. Because of his own diligence, he obtains four or even eight cartloads from one karisa. There, the sick field-keeper is to be seen as like the one incapable of intention, the healthy one as like the one incapable of protecting. Just as the sick one, through his own negligence, does not obtain even the amount of seed again, so the one incapable of intention, not knowing what things are helpful or unhelpful, abandoning helpful things and cultivating unhelpful things, declines from attainment. Just as the other, through his own diligence, extracts four or eight cartloads from just one karisa, so the one incapable of protecting, knowing what things are helpful or unhelpful, abandoning unhelpful things and cultivating helpful things, is understood not to decline from attainment. Thus, the one incapable of protecting is to be understood as stronger than the one incapable of intention in making attainment stable. 9. In the exposition of ordinary people – three fetters, namely, the fetter of views, the fetter of clinging to rules and rituals, and the fetter of doubt. These are abandoned at the moment of fruition. But this does not exist even at the moment of fruition, it shows. Of those things, of those fetter-things. For at the moment of the path, one is said to be practicing for their abandonment. But this does not exist even at the moment of the path. Thus, it should be understood that here is spoken of a common, coarse, uninstructed person whose meditation subject is abandoned. 10. In the exposition of the Gotrabhu: of those things, of those wholesome things of the fifty-four which arise together with the Gotrabhu-knowledge. Of the Noble Dhamma, of the supramundane path. There is descent, there is descent, arising, manifestation. This is called, this, by the knowledge with Nibbana as its object, having transcended all the multitude of common people, the lineage of common people, the sphere of common people, the designation of common people, and having descended into the multitude of the noble ones, the lineage of the noble ones, the sphere of the noble ones, the designation of the noble ones, is called the Gotrabhu-person. 11. In the exposition of being restrained by fear: restrained by fear is one restrained by fear. Even seven trainees and common people, fearing, abstain from evil, do not do evil.