English
For by it the mind is fixed on one object, it does not wander here. But "endowed with concentration" being stated separately, it should be understood in the way mentioned. Or, since concentration itself is included in the jhāna factors, "endowed with the mind's steadfastness" is said in terms of the five jhāna factors. "Endowed with concentration" is said in terms of the five faculties, as it is included in the faculties. "Familiar with the perception of impurity" means the jhāna accompanied by the perception that the entire body is impure, thus familiarized, cultivated by it. "By mind" means by consciousness. "Frequently" means constantly. "Dwells" means for one who dwells, meaning one who frequently enters the attainment of impurity. "In the attainment of sexual intercourse" means by being endowed with sexual intercourse. "Shrinks back" means it hides on one side, becomes as if hidden. "Contracts" means it shrinks. "Turns away" means it turns back. "Does not spread out" means it does not extend, meaning it does not rush forth with delight. Or, "shrinks back" means it contracts, being established in aversion there. "Contracts" means it moves away, does not approach. "Turns away" means it turns back, and therefore does not spread out. "Sinew-strip" means a piece of sinew or a scraping of sinew. "For half a month" is a usage indicating continuous connection. "To seclude oneself" means for the mind to hide itself in attainment and contemplation of the Dhamma day by day, for the aforementioned period. "Appropriate speech" means speech connected with requisites, such as "The Buddhas do not wander for alms on these days, they sit in the monastery itself, what is given to them is of great fruit." and so on. "By way of good support" means by way of support for ordination. "Others, it is said" - the word 'kira' indicates displeasure. Therefore it is said, "But this is merely a wish," meaning that their not knowing the occurrence, not announcing it, and preventing it when known, is merely their wish, not a reason. But others say, "Indeed, during this half month, there was no one to be trained by the Buddha, then he... "Here, for this half-month, I shall pass my time in the bliss of fruit-attainment. Thus, it will be a pleasant abiding for me, and in the future, the later generations will think, 'Even the Teacher, leaving the Sangha, dwelt alone. How much more so should we!' and they will follow his example. This will be for their long-term welfare and happiness." It was for this reason that he spoke thus. "No one approaches the Blessed One" – except for the one who brings almsfood, no one else approaches the Blessed One. But the community of bhikkhus, accepting the Teacher's words, gave one bhikkhu. He, early in the morning, having performed all duties such as sweeping the Perfumed Chamber and its precincts, providing water for washing the face, and tooth-sticks, at the appropriate times, would then depart. "Mixed with many reasons" – here, the impurity, foul smell, loathsomeness, and repulsiveness of the body are the many reasons. "Of a decorative nature" – means having a tendency to adorn oneself. Some young people are not youthful, some youthful people are not of a decorative nature, like those of a calm disposition, or those overcome by laziness or other vices. Here, however, one who is both young, youthful, and of a decorative nature is intended. "First youth" is from fifteen years up to thirty-two years, or from sixteen years up to thirty-three years. "Corpse" means a dead body. "A snake's corpse" is a snake-corpse. Similarly for the others. It should be understood that only these three are mentioned here due to their extremely repulsive and loathsome nature. For the corpses of others, like dogs and pigs, people may prepare them with spices and consume them. But even fresh corpses of these (three) are loathed. What then of those that have become putrid over time? Their extreme repulsiveness and loathsomeness are due to their exceedingly foul smell. And that (foul smell) in snakes is due to their sharp venom, and in dogs and humans it is due to the accumulation of rice and gruel in the body, so they say. "Like a recluse" – means one who performs the duties of a recluse. It is said that one performs the duties of a recluse by wearing a saffron robe and so on. Therefore, it is said, "wearing the garb of a recluse." All of them "They did" means that ordinary people, considering blameworthy things to be blameless, did everything, including causing to be done, getting others to do, and approving. Here, "lohitaka" is also read as "lohitagata" (gone to blood). "Vaggu" means "dead, vaggu-dead." "Considered meritorious" means considered meritorious because they purify beings by producing results that are worthy of veneration and by repeatedly cleansing them. "I will cause to flow" means I will cause to go, I will purify. 163. "Māra's domain" refers to the three realms of existence. In terms of meaning, it is Māra's domain, Māra's sphere. "Domain" means a place, an object, a dwelling, a pasture. Or, Māra is held, stands, or operates there, hence Māra's domain. Here, "Māra" refers to the defilement-Māra, and it is due to the defilement-Māra that the Māra of the gods has dominion in the realm of sensual desire. "Thinking, 'He will not transcend Māra's domain'" means that although he might transcend Māra's domain after gaining such a sense of urgency, the deity, thinking, "If I say this, he will suppress the urgency that has arisen and will not transcend Māra's domain," spoke thus. "Dvivacana" means speaking twice, which is called an emphatic repetition. "They enjoin" means that this foolish deity, after performing the ascetic practice based on the urgency that had arisen, thought, "He might transcend Māra's domain." Due to her own ignorance, even though she held the view that "the dead are released from transmigration," she, without examining the meaning that "the dead monks are released from transmigration" according to her own view, enjoined him to do so. Although the Buddha, when speaking of the unpleasantness of the body, taught in such a way that the monks would not have fear of death, and the monks, having heard that discourse, had no fear of death because they desired death due to their dispassion for the body through the practice of contemplating the unpleasant, some say that the statement "there is indeed fear" was made with reference to the fear that would arise in other monks upon seeing that one with a sword in hand wandering about in that manner. "They themselves deprive themselves of life, and others..." thinking that they were taking away his life,” it should be understood that this was said in the sense of the majority, meaning, “he took away the lives of all those five hundred bhikkhus.” For a small deficiency or excess is not counted in the enumeration, so it was said “five hundred.” Therefore, it should be understood that, excluding those who took their own lives and each other’s lives, he took away the lives of all the remaining ordinary bhikkhus and all the noble ones. 164. In “having risen from seclusion,” seclusion here means the withdrawal, the stepping away, the hiding, the separation from those various aggregates of beings; it means being isolated from them with body and mind, being in a state of oneness. Therefore, it is said “from oneness,” meaning from solitude. For oneness is said to be the solitude of body and mind. “Risen” means separated from that twofold solitude by the arising of the bhavanga, by the connection with aggregates such as visual objects, and by the association with beings such as householders and renunciants. “They take up the topic and the questions” means they take them from their respective teachers. Although mindfulness of breathing is included by the mere taking up of the ten recollections, it is taken up again because it is suitable and beneficial for many of the bhikkhus gathered there. Thus, the Blessed One taught that very meditation subject to those bhikkhus. The perception of repulsiveness in food is similar to the meditation on impurity, but the four formless attainments are unsuitable for beginners, so their omission here should be understood. “Residing near Vesālī” means making Vesālī city their alms-gathering village. “In the service hall” means in the Dhamma hall. “In a moment” is said because the bhikkhus, out of respect for the Teacher and the True Dhamma, rose immediately upon hearing the message. It is said that in the time of the Buddha, bhikkhus lived with attentive ears to receive the Buddha’s message with their heads. “Of which” refers to what needs to be done. “Time” refers to the time of the discourse. The explanation of the cause of the first promulgation is finished. Explanation of the discourse on the concentration of mindfulness of breathing 165. For the attainment of arahantship for the purpose of self-attainment. They seek another way, another cause, for the attainment of arahantship. 'Ācikkhanto' means teaching with prior praise, and that praise is for generating interest and enthusiasm there. For having heard that, the bhikkhus, thinking "The Blessed One praises this concentration in many ways; truly, this concentration is peaceful, excellent, unmixed, and a pleasant abiding, and it makes evil states disappear completely," become interested and enthusiastic, and consider it to be diligently inquired into and practiced. 'Atthayojanakkama' means both the meaning and the method of application. The Blessed One, making the concentration that is directly experienced by himself also close and directly experienced by those bhikkhus through the power of his teaching, said "This too..." and so on, by way of summary. 'Assāsapassāsapariggāhikā' means grasping the in-breaths and out-breaths by discerning them together with their distinctions such as long and short; the meaning is that it proceeds with reference to them.