English
Thus, for him there is no "raho gamana" (secret going) in destinies, no rebirth, therefore he is Arahant. Therefore it is said – Whose secret going, In transmigration, is utterly no more; Who has abandoned birth and death, Is considered an Arahant, a Sugata. Or, the Blessed One is Arahant because he is praiseworthy. For etymologists explain the word "arahant" in the sense of praise. And the praiseworthy nature of the Blessed One, being unique and endowed with true qualities, is well-established in the world with its devas. For he is, by unsurpassed virtue, by unsurpassed concentration, by unsurpassed wisdom, by unsurpassed liberation, unequalled, incomparable, peerless, matchless, an unparalleled person; thus, when spoken of by wise men, devas, Brahmas, or even by the Blessed One himself, describing each of these qualities, it is impossible to exhaust them. Thus, the Blessed One is Arahant also because he is praiseworthy. Therefore it is said – Since there is no one equal in qualities, In the world with its devas; Therefore, being praiseworthy, The Arahant is the supreme among bipeds. However, in summary – Far from the dull-witted, And far from those who know; Because secret deeds are well abandoned, Because the wise are worthy; And because there is no secret in existences, The Praiseworthy Arahant is the Conqueror. By this much, the meaning of the word "Arahant" is fully explained. Now, intending to explain the meaning of "Sammāsambuddha," he says "sammā, sāmaṃ, and so on." Therein, "sammā" means unerringly. "Sāmaṃ" means by oneself, meaning without being led by another. For in "Sambuddha," the prefix "saṃ-" means "sayanti et" is to be understood as the Awakener of this meaning. Of all phenomena: of all knowable phenomena without remainder. How is this distinction, "of all phenomena," obtained here? From the non-grasping of a part. For when there is no grasping of a part, the non-partness of what is to be grasped is understood, just as in "one who is initiated does not give." And having done so, the establishment of the word "Buddha" in the agent alone, without expecting a special meaning, is to be known, due to the absence of the desire for a passive voice. For only this much is obtained from the word here: "Because he is rightly and by himself awakened, he is the Perfectly Self-Awakened One." But "of all phenomena" is said having taken what is obtained from the meaning. For the act of awakening is not appropriate without an object. Now, to show its object, which was generally stated as "all phenomena," by dividing it, "phenomena to be fully understood," etc., is said. Therein, "to be fully understood" means the phenomena of the Four Noble Truths to be known by a specially distinguished knowledge from impermanence, etc., and from characteristics, essences, etc. "Buddha by fully understanding" means he awakened by the state of being fully understood; in the earlier part, at the moment of attainment by insight-wisdom, etc., he knew by path-wisdom; in the later part, by omniscient knowledge, etc. This is the same method for the subsequent ones. "Phenomena to be fully comprehended" refers to the Noble Truth of Suffering to be fully comprehended in terms of impermanence, etc. "To be abandoned" refers to those belonging to the origin. "To be realized" refers to Nibbāna. The plural designation here is made with reference to the distinctions that are implicitly established, such as with and without remainder, or this is a designation even of the phenomena of the Four Noble Truths. Thus, it will be said, "The eye is the truth of suffering," etc. And a designation is made in terms of a phenomenon whose meaning is not yet determined. For by designation, only the existence of what is designated is stated, not its determination. Therefore, it is stated in the plural with non-determination, just as in "unconditioned phenomena, uncreated phenomena." Or "to be realized" is the grasping of the fruit-liberations as well, not just Nibbāna; thus, the plural designation is made. And in "to be developed," the grasping of the jhānas also is to be understood. And therefore, asserting his own Buddhahood to the brahmin Sela, thus he spoke. But does the Blessed One himself assert his own perfect Buddhahood? He asserts it out of great compassion, because it is beyond the scope of others. In this regard, phrases like "I am the one Perfectly Awakened, all-conquering, all-knowing" are sutta passages, and this very sutta passage beginning with "to be fully understood" confirms this meaning. Here, by "to be fully understood" he means the truth of suffering, by "to be developed" the truth of the path. The word "ca" (and) here has the meaning of including what is unstated; by which the grasping of what is to be realized should be understood. Or alternatively, by this very "to be fully understood," by the method of inference, he indicates things to be fully comprehended and things to be realized. Therefore, "I am the Buddha" means: because the four truths have been awakened by me, and there is nothing knowable apart from the truths, therefore, I am awakened to all that is knowable, meaning, "I have fully understood." But in the commentary to the Sela Sutta this was said – "To be fully understood" means knowledge and liberation. "To be developed" means the truth of the path. "To be abandoned" means the truth of the origin. But by the statement of the cause, due to the accomplishment of the result, their results, the truth of cessation and the truth of suffering, are also indeed stated. Thus, what is to be realized is realized, what is to be fully comprehended is fully comprehended – this too is included here. By showing the development of the four truths and the fruit of the development of the four truths, which is liberation, saying "having awakened to what is to be awakened, I have become the Buddha," he asserts his Buddhahood with a fitting reason. Here, "knowledge" means the knowledge of the path is stated by way of a superior designation. "Liberation" means the liberation of the fruit. Although here the knowledge of the path is taken as "to be developed," yet all phenomena with their own nature are "to be fully understood," thus the state of knowledge as "to be fully understood" is stated. By this very method, the state of all things as "to be fully understood" should indeed be seen as stated. Without the result, since the state of being a cause itself is absent, it should be understood that the accomplishment of the result is stated by the statement of the cause. For by the attainment of cessation, of the path... the state of being a cause, and the arising of craving through the production of suffering is the state of being an origin. Thus, to show the meaning generally stated in terms of the truths, dividing it in terms of the truths with the doors and objects, and the phenomena occurring at the doors, and the aggregates and so on, the section beginning with "furthermore" has been started. By being the root cause: even though there are other causes like ignorance, it is the root cause even for them. For craving, being the cause of the varied nature of kamma and becoming a companion, is the principal cause of the varied nature of suffering. Producer: that which brings forth. Previous craving: craving established in a previous existence. Of both: of the eye and its origin. Non-occurrence: the sign of non-occurrence. Understanding cessation: the penetration of cessation by way of realization and direct knowledge. By extracting each word: by determining each part, such as "the eye, the origin of the eye, the cessation of the eye." To show that craving is also included in the truth of suffering, because it is to be fully understood, is included in the aggregates of clinging, and is the suffering of formations, it is said, "the six bodies of craving, such as craving for forms." Therefore, craving in the present existence, being included in the aggregates and being the suffering of formations, is the truth of suffering. But the craving established in a previous existence, which produces that existence by being its root cause, should be understood as the truth of origin. Kasiṇas: the jhānas with kasiṇa objects. Thirty-two aspects: the thirty-two parts and the jhānas with those as objects. Nine existences: the existence of sense-desire, the existence of form, the existence of formlessness, the existence of perception, the existence of non-perception, the existence of neither perception nor non-perception, the existence of one aggregate, the existence of four aggregates, the existence of five aggregates— these are the nine existences. Therein, that which exists is existence. Existence connected with sense-desire, called sense-desire passion, or existence called sense-desire, is the existence of sense-desire: the eleven planes of sense-desire. Having abandoned sense-desire, existence connected with form, called form-passion, or existence called form, is the existence of form: the sixteen planes of form. Having abandoned both sense-desire and form, the formless. Existence endowed with formlessness, called "beyond-form." Or existence called formless is formless existence. The four immaterial planes. Existence of those with perception is perceptual existence. Or perception exists in this existence, thus perceptual existence. It is sense-sphere existence, and form existence free from non-perceptual existence, and formless existence free from neither-perceptual-nor-non-perceptual existence. Non-perceptual existence is not perceptual existence. It is a part of form existence. Because of the absence of grossness, it is "not perception." Because of the presence of subtlety, it is "not non-perception." Thus "neither perception nor non-perception." Existence endowed with that is neither-perceptual-nor-non-perceptual existence. Or, because of the absence of gross perception and the presence of subtle perception in this existence,