English
If, in the evening, one comes out of the meditation house and, walking in the middle of the monastery, sees them, and says, "What are you doing, lay followers?" they abuse him as they please, and even try to drive him away from his dwelling. But one that is near fields, surrounded by fields on all sides, there people make a threshing floor right in the middle of the monastery and thresh grain, they sleep in the main entrances, and cause much other discomfort. And where there is a large Sangha property, the cows of the monastery families are penned, they obstruct the water supply, ma People take ears of rice and show them to the Saṅgha, saying: ‘‘Look at the work of your monastery families!’’ For this reason, they have to go to the doors of kings, great kings, and great ministers. This too is included among those dependent on fields. Where bhikkhus who are mutually hostile and inimical dwell, who, when quarreling, and being restrained with ‘‘Please, Venerable Sirs, do not do this!’’ say: ‘‘From the time this dust-heap wearer arrived, we have been ruined!’’ And one who is dependent on a water-port or a land-port, there, people constantly arriving by boats and caravans disturb them, saying: ‘‘Give us space! Give us water! Give us salt!’’ and make them uncomfortable. But in border regions, people are not devoted to the Buddha and others. In regions on the border of a kingdom, there is fear of kings. For one king attacks that region, saying: ‘‘It is not under my control!’’ And another also says: ‘‘It is not under my control!’’ There, this bhikkhu sometimes wanders in the domain of this king, sometimes in that king’s. Then, thinking him to be a spy, they bring him to ruin and destruction. Unsuitable means unsuitability due to the gathering of disagreeable sights and other objects, or due to being possessed by non-humans. Concerning this, there is this story: It is said that a certain elder dwelt in a forest. Then a certain ogress stood at the door of his leaf-hut and sang. He came out and stood at the door. She went and sang at the end of the walking-path. The elder went to the end of the walking-path. She stood on a precipice a hundred men deep and sang. The elder turned back. Then she swiftly went and seized him, and said: ‘‘Venerable Sir, I have eaten not one, not two like you!’’ Where it is not possible to obtain a teacher, or one equal to a teacher, or a preceptor, or one equal to a preceptor, or a good friend, there, the lack of good friends is a great fault indeed. Therefore, a dwelling endowed with any one of these eighteen faults should be understood as unsuitable for meditation. It has also been said: eight In the ancient sayings – A great dwelling, a new dwelling, an old dwelling, and a road; A drunkard, and a leaf, and a flower, and a fruit that is desired. A city, a field with wood, a port with a bad division; A border region, a suitable place, where a friend is not found. These eighteen places, having thus understood, the wise one should avoid from afar, like a dangerous road. (Visuddhimagga 1.52); "Endowed with the five factors of a dwelling" means endowed with the five factors of a dwelling, such as being not too far and not too near from the village. This was said by the Blessed One: "And how, monks, is a dwelling endowed with five factors? Here, monks, the dwelling is not too far and not too near, convenient for coming and going, not crowded by day, quiet and without noise by night, free from the touch of gadflies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and creeping things, and while dwelling in that dwelling, robes, almsfood, lodging, and medicines for the sick arise without much difficulty, and in that dwelling, elder monks dwell who are learned, who have come to the tradition, who uphold the Dhamma, who uphold the Vinaya, who uphold the summaries, one approaches them from time to time and asks questions, inquires: 'Venerable sir, how is this? What is the meaning of this?' And those venerable ones reveal what is unrevealed, make plain what is not plain, and dispel doubt concerning various doubtful points of Dhamma. Thus, monks, is a dwelling endowed with five factors." (Anguttara Nikaya 10.11). Here, "not too far, not too near, convenient for coming and going" is one factor; "not crowded by day, quiet and without noise by night" is one; "free from the touch of gadflies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and creeping things" is one; "and while dwelling in that dwelling, requisites arise without much difficulty" is one; "and in that dwelling, elder monks dispel doubt" is one. Thus, the five factors should be understood. "With minor impediments cut off" - here, "minor"... While cutting off hindrances to the head, long hair, nails, and body hair should be cut. In old robes, strengthening work should be done by giving a bolt, a wind-screen, or other accessories, or sewing work should be done where threads are cut, and so on, or dirty ones should be dyed. If there is dirt in the bowl, the bowl should be cooked (cleaned by heating). Couches, chairs, and so on should be cleaned. "Having dispelled the fatigue of eating" means having dispelled the fatigue caused by food. For when food has entered the stomach, due to its foreign nature, there is usually some fatigue of the body; that should be calmed. For if that is not calmed, the mind would not attain one-pointedness due to bodily weariness. "Uggaha" (taking up) is because it is to be taken up; it is the entire method of meditation, not merely the taking up mentioned before. Taking up from a teacher is "ācariyuggaho" (taking up from a teacher), from that. "Even one word" means even one part. "Anubandhanā" (following) is the continuous following of mindfulness by way of going after the in-breaths and out-breaths. "Phusanā" (touching) is for one who counts the in-breaths and out-breaths, having withdrawn the counting, for one who follows them with mindfulness, just as absorption occurs, so too for one who places the mind, the touching of them at the tip of the nose and other places. But since there is no separate attention by way of touching and so on, as there is by way of counting and so on, to show that counting should be done at the very place of contact, here the mention of "phusanā" (touching) is made, explaining it as: "Phusanā is the place of contact." "Ṭhapanā" (placing) is concentration. For that is the placing of the mind rightly on the object. Thus, indeed, concentration is defined as "the standing, the firm standing of the mind." But because absorption is predominant in concentration, he says: "Ṭhapanā is absorption." "Sallakkhaṇā" (discernment) is insight, due to discerning impermanence and so on. "Vinivaṭṭanā" (turning away) is the path, due to turning away from the arising and the sign. "Pārisuddhi" (purification) is the fruit, due to the complete calming of all defilements, which is complete purity. "Of these" refers to the turning away and the purification. "Paṭipassanā" (reviewing) is seeing again and again, observing. Therefore, he says: "Paccavekkhaṇā" (reviewing). "Khaṇḍanti" (they are broken up) means one, three, five, and so on, g... Breaking of the debt. He makes room, referring to the method of counting, saying it depends on counting, not on the meditation object. "Has it reached the peak?" This is said with reference to one who has attended to counting for a long time. For he, relying on the mere non-distraction thus obtained, might think thus. "Taking that which appears in the in-breaths and out-breaths" - this is said with reference to one for whom only one appears first in the in-breaths and out-breaths. But for whom both appear, by him both should be taken and counted. And by "that which appears," it should be understood that this meaning is also indicated: that among the two nostril-breaths, whichever appears more clearly, that should be taken. By the repeated word "continuing, continuing," he shows the continuous observation of the in-breaths and out-breaths. "Thus," means having observed in the manner stated. He says that for one who counts, observing even when only one appears at first, gradually both become clear: "the in-breaths and out-breaths become clear." Therefore, "one should count by observing" - for this, "as he counts thus... etc.... they become clear" should be understood as the reason. There, "they become clear" means they become manifest due to the absence of external distraction by way of counting. The post where they place the turning bar for the bolt, that is the bolt-post. "For three watches of the night" is a word of usage in the sense of absolute connection. "By the former method" means by quick counting, by the counting of a cowherd. "One, two, three, four, five" is a demonstration of the counting method. Therefore, even in "eight" and so on, each "eight" and so on should be reached starting from one. Having said, "one should count quickly, quickly," he shows the reason and illustration there with "for in what is connected with counting," etc. There, "that by which a boat is moved" is a rudder, a steering oar. Supporting with a rudder is "rudder-support," in that sense. He says that continuous occurrence, without qualification, is indeed in the establishment (of mindfulness), as if "continuously occurring." Entering within, m Not attending, one lets the mind enter inside, it is said. And in drawing the mind outside, the same method applies. "Struck by wind" means for one who frequently attends to the internal wind, that place becomes as if struck by wind, as if filled with fat, and so it appears. "Drawing out" means drawing out, releasing the touched place. But for one thus drawing out, through investigating the wind's movement, the mind runs to various objects, therefore it is said: "The mind disperses among diverse objects." "This" means this arising of in-breaths and out-breaths. "Following" means the continuous following of mindfulness, making the continuously occurring