English
“Covetousness is a bodily fetter, ill-will is a bodily fetter, adherence to rites and rituals is a bodily fetter, insistence on ‘this is the truth’ is a bodily fetter” —the four, covetousness and so on, that occur in this way, in whom they are found, they bind, they fasten him in the cycle of existence by way of death and rebirth, thus they are “ganthas” (fetters). “The flood of sensuality, the flood of existence, the flood of views, the flood of ignorance” —the four, craving for sensuality and so on, that occur in this way, in whom they are found, they plunge him, they cause him to sink in the cycle of existence, thus they are “oghas” (floods). These same, “the yoke of sensuality, the yoke of existence, the yoke of views, the yoke of ignorance” —that occur in this way, they harness him in the cycle of existence, thus they are “yogas” (yokes). The Noble Ones do not go by this, thus it is “agati” (wrong course), which is fourfold by way of desire and so on. “If craving arises in a monk for the sake of robes, it is a arising, almsfood, lodging, or due to the cause of becoming and non-becoming, when craving arises in a bhikkhu, it arises. Thus are the four origins of craving. Therein, regarding "due to the cause of becoming and non-becoming," "iti" is a particle for illustration, just as it is a cause for robes and so on, so too it is a cause for becoming and non-becoming. And here, "becoming and non-becoming" refers to excellent and more excellent things like oil, honey, and treacle. The four clingings are clinging to sensuality and so on. Regarding "five fetters of the mind" and so on: "He doubts the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha, he doubts the training, he is angry with his fellow practitioners, displeased, his mind is agitated, he is like a barren field." Thus are the five fetters of the mind, that by which the mind becomes barren, attains a rigid state, are fetters of the mind. In "binders" and so on, the word "five" should be applied to each individually. "He is not free from passion for sensual pleasures, he is not free from passion for the body, he is not free from passion for forms, having eaten his fill, stuffing his belly, he indulges in the pleasure of sleep, the pleasure of lying down, the pleasure of slumber, he practices the holy life with the aspiration for a certain divine realm." These are the five binders of the mind, which seize the mind as if binding it and holding it in a fist. For these, by their nature of craving's arising, by not giving opportunity for the arising of wholesome states, seize the mind as if binding and restraining it. From the meaning of the word, that by which the mind is bound in a distorted way, is restrained, are binders of the mind. Sensual desire and so on, the five, obstruct, hinder wholesome states, thus they are hindrances. Delighting in forms and so on, the five delights. Regarding "six roots of contention" and so on: anger, hypocrisy, envy, deceit, evil desires, and clinging to one's own views— these are the six roots of contention. Because one who is angry, or due to anger... or one who clings to his own views, or due to clinging to his own views, falls into quarrel, dispute, contention, therefore anger and so on are called "the six roots of contention." Craving for forms, craving for sounds, and so on, are the six groups of craving. Sensual passion, ill-will, wrong view, doubt Lust for existence, conceit, ignorance are latent tendencies. Because they are firmly established and not abandoned, they lie latent; therefore they are called latent tendencies. Wrong view, wrong intention, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, wrong concentration are the eight wrongnesses. Dependent on craving is seeking. Dependent on seeking is acquisition. Dependent on acquisition is decision. Dependent on decision is passionate desire. Dependent on passionate desire is clinging. Dependent on clinging is grasping. Dependent on grasping is stinginess. Dependent on stinginess is guarding. On account of guarding, taking up sticks, taking up weapons, quarrels, disputes, arguments, mutual accusations, slander, and false speech, many evil unwholesome states arise. Thus, seeking and so forth, these nine, have craving as their root. Therein, "dependent on craving" means relying on craving. Seeking means seeking for objects like forms and so forth. For it arises when craving exists. Acquisition means the acquisition of objects like forms and so forth. For it arises when seeking exists. Decision here is intended as thought. For having acquired an acquisition, one decides by thought alone what is desirable and undesirable, and what is beautiful and ugly: "This much will be for my visual objects, this much for auditory and other objects, this much will be mine, this much for another, this much I will consume, this much I will store away." Therefore it is said: "Dependent on acquisition is decision." Passionate desire means that in an object thus thought about with unwholesome thought, a weak lust and a strong lust arise. For 'chanda' here is a term for weak lust. Clinging means a strong determination of 'I' and 'mine'. Grasping means the act of grasping by way of craving and views. Stinginess means the inability to endure commonality with others. Therefore, the ancients explain its meaning thus: "May this wonderful thing be only mine, may it not be a wonderful thing for another" – because it proceeds thus, it is called 'macchariya' (stinginess). Guarding means closing doors and... Excellent protection by way of guarding cattle and so on. That which makes it over is adhikaraṇa; this is a name for a cause. Ārakkhādhikaraṇa is a neuter noun expressing the state of being; the meaning is 'a cause for protection'. Taking up a stick for the purpose of preventing others, among taking up a stick and so on, is daṇḍādāna. Taking up a weapon with a single edge and so on is satthādāna. Kalaha is a quarrel of body and a quarrel of speech. The former, the former, is opposition, contention. The latter, the latter, is dispute. "Tuvaṃ tuvaṃ" is a disrespectful expression; the meaning is "tvaṃ tvaṃ". Taking life, taking what is not given, sexual misconduct, false speech, divisive speech, harsh speech, idle chatter, covetousness, ill-will, wrong view—these are the ten unwholesome courses of action. Four eternalist views, four partial-eternalist views, four views of finitude and infinitude, four evasive views, two views of fortuitous origination, sixteen views of consciousness, eight views of unconsciousness, eight views of neither conscious nor unconscious, seven annihilationist views, five views of Nibbāna as seen in this very life—these are the sixty-two wrong views. The six cravings, such as craving for forms, each become eighteen by way of craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, and craving for non-existence. Thus indeed, craving for a form-object, or craving in forms, is craving for forms. That, existing as sensual desire, enjoying form, is craving for sensual pleasures. Existing as desire accompanied by eternalist view, enjoying (thinking) "form is permanent, stable, eternal" in this way, is craving for existence. Existing as desire accompanied by annihilationist view, enjoying (thinking) "form is cut off, perishes, and does not exist after death" in this way, is craving for non-existence. Thus it is threefold. And just as craving for forms, so too craving for sounds and so on. These become eighteen modes of craving. Those are eighteen in internal forms and so on, and eighteen in external forms and so on, making thirty-six. Thus, thirty-six in the past, thirty-six in the future, and thirty-six in the present, making one hundred and eight modes of craving. The meaning is one hundred and eight modes of craving. The word 'pabheda' should be connected to each. Here is the application: "The division of greed, the division of hatred..." Its varieties extend up to the 800 varieties of the modes of craving. All the hundreds of thousands of defilements causing distress and feverishness are indeed the many hundreds of thousands of defilements that cause distress and feverishness for beings. Indeed, defilements are of infinite varieties, by division into objects and so on, and by division into modes of occurrence. In brief, in the phrases 'Māra' and so on: Because they bring harm to beings now and in the future, in the sense of killing and obstructing, the defilements themselves are Māra; thus, Defilement-Māra. In the sense of being a killer, the aggregates themselves are Māra; thus, Aggregate-Māra. For thus it is said: 'Form is a killer, form is a killer,' one does not truly understand, and so on. By producing great calamities such as birth and old age, volitional formations themselves are Māra; thus, Volitional-Formation-Māra. By becoming a cause of defilement, in the sense of killing virtues, the son of a deity himself is Māra; thus, Devaputta-Māra. By causing loss of life and life's requisites for beings, because it is a great obstruction, death itself is Māra; thus, Death-Māra. Therein, he broke, he shattered, that is the meaning: Defilement-Māra by making it cease completely through eradication; Aggregate-Māra by understanding the abandonment of its origin; Volitional-Formation-Māra by making it cease completely through making its companions powerless; and Devaputta-Māra and Death-Māra by overcoming their power and sphere. 'Of dangers' means 'of calamities'. 'Of him who possesses the marks born of a hundred merits' means of him who possesses the marks of a great man, born of many hundreds of merits. Here, indeed, the commentators did not approve of the meaning 'that each mark is produced by merely a hundred meritorious deeds,' saying, 'If that were so, anyone could become a Buddha.' But as many beings as there are in infinite world-systems, as many meritorious deeds of giving and so on as were performed a hundred times