English
By the abundance of greed and so on, they go to the path of woe, by the abundance of non-greed and so on, who fulfill the path to the Sugata, the path leading to Nibbāna, therefore, due to the abundance of a mind endowed with non-greed and so forth, as well as greed and so forth, the beings dwelling on the four great continents, along with those on the small islands, are called humans, distinguished beings. But the worldly say, "Humans are those who are not descendants of Manu." Manu, in the first eon, was the originator of the world's customs, a benefactor of beings, determining what is good and bad, like a father in terms of what should and should not be done. He is called Mahāsammata in the Dispensation, our Bodhisatta. Beings who stand in his advice and instruction, directly and through tradition, are called "manussā" and "mānusā" because they are like his children. For this very reason, they are also referred to as "mānavā" and "manujā." They shine, play, sport, and glow with the five sense pleasures and their respective divine powers, which are special psychic powers; therefore, they are called devas (gods). Among them, the kāmadevas (sensual gods) shine with both sense pleasures and psychic powers, while the others shine only with psychic powers; this should be understood. They are called devas because they are resorted to or praised. Here, the aggregates are mentioned in terms of space, along with the states of woe, the states of gods, and the states of humans. It should be understood that by taking the animal realm and the realm of hungry ghosts, the aggregates themselves are taken, because they do not have such a defined space. Wherever they dwell, in forests, oceans, mountains, or on trees, space should be understood in terms of such a place. The seven stations of consciousness and the nine abodes of beings are as described below. "For repeated existence" means for repeated states, from one womb to another. "Binding" means knotting. "Sewing" means stitching. "Emerged from craving" means craving is entirely absent there. Its emergence is indeed disconnection from craving, thus it says "disconnected." "Abandonment of desires" here means that by the term "desire," both types of desire are included: that which is desired (vatthukāma) and that which desires (kilesakāma). Thus it says, "abandonment of material desires and defilement desires." Material desire... And here, relinquishment should be understood as the relinquishment of desire-passion in them. "Perceptions of sensual pleasures" means perceptions concerning sensual pleasures, or perceptions associated with sensual pleasures. "Full understanding" means all three kinds of full understanding are intended here, thus it is said: "Full understanding is threefold by way of knowing, scrutinizing, and abandoning." Among these, what is full understanding by knowing? All name-and-form in the three realms, "This is form, this much is form, no more than this. This is name, this much is name, no more than this." It distinguishes form by its elements and derivatives, and name by contact and so on, according to its characteristics, functions, manifestations, and proximate causes. It comprehends its causes, such as kamma and ignorance. This is full understanding by knowing. What is full understanding by scrutinizing? Having thus known, it scrutinizes all of it as impermanent, as suffering, as a disease, in forty-two ways. This is called full understanding by scrutinizing. What is full understanding by abandoning? Having thus scrutinized, by the supreme path, it abandons desire-passion in everything. This is full understanding by abandoning. Or, purification of view and purification by overcoming doubt are full understanding by knowing. Knowledge and vision of the path and not-path, and other purifications, or wisdom beginning with comprehension by groups and ending with conformity knowledge, are full understanding by scrutinizing. Knowledge in the Noble Path is, directly, full understanding by abandoning. Here, however, regarding perceptions of sensual pleasures, since the accomplishment of the tasks of full understanding by knowing and full understanding by scrutinizing, which proceed by penetrating their intrinsic characteristics and by their common characteristics of impermanence and so on, is achieved only by the path, all three kinds of full understanding are stated with reference to the moment of the path itself. Therefore, it is said: "In these five instances, the supramundane path, which destroys defilements, is indeed declared." "Thirst for sensual pleasures" means the desire to drink in sensual pleasures, or sensual pleasures themselves. Thus it is said: "for those to be drunk in among sensual pleasures, or for those desiring to drink in sensual pleasures." "In these five instances" means in the five instances stated beginning with "the abandoning of sensual pleasures is declared." "In three instances" means in the instances stated thus: "The Dhamma is taught for dispassion, not for passion; the Dhamma is taught for disjunction, not for conjunction; the Dhamma is taught for non-clinging, not for clinging." Regret, ka "it weeps" thus that evil produces remorse. "What kind of remorse does it cause?" he says, "Even such a name..." and so on. 39. "Not out of desire for affection" means not out of a desire for the Teacher's affection for oneself. "Not out of a wish for division" means not out of a wish for the Teacher to be divided by that monk. "Not for the purpose of imposing blame" means not for the purpose of imposing fault. "Kali" is a designation for anger; its instruction is "kalisāsana," a fault of blame spoken out of anger. "Vela" means the boundary of the training rule. "Mariyādā" is a synonym for that. For a training rule is called "boundary" and "limit" because it is not to be transgressed. "Transgression of misconduct" means the transgression called misconduct, which occurs through sexual intercourse. In "pakaraṇeti" here, the prefix "pa-" is a word indicating commencement, so he says, "he begins to do." Sometimes a prefix expresses only the meaning of the root, not indicating a special meaning, so he says, "or simply does." "By birth" means by the birth of a warrior, etc. "By clan" means by the clan of Gotama, Kassapa, etc. "By being a son of a good family" means by being a son of distinguished families like the Sakya clan, the Sottiya clan, etc., among the warrior and other castes. "Famous" means having a large retinue. "Amiable" means having a pleasing character. "Unwavering" means not wavering due to aversion or attachment. Those in whom, in that existence, there is no supporting condition for the paths and fruits that are worthy of arising, the Buddhas call them "worthless men," like Ariṭṭha, Lāḷudāyī, and others. Even if there is a supporting condition, but at that moment there is no path or fruit, they are still called "worthless men," like Dhaniya, Upasena Thera, and others. But for Sudinna, in that existence, the supporting condition for the paths and fruits was completely cut off; therefore, he called him "worthless man." "Of the qualities that make one a recluse" means shame and fear of wrongdoing, etc. Since the teaching of penetration is understood by the inclusion of the paths, fruits, and Nibbāna, "teachings" should be understood as including the teachings of practice and study. "Skin" means the skin that makes them radiant. "What is that?" he says, "shadow," meaning the light that illuminates them. The meaning. What is the tradition? He says, "beauty." Suitable, following the complexion. Even in "suitable" and so on, "of them" should be brought in and connected. The work of ascetics is ascetic-like; what is not ascetic-like is un-ascetic-like. By the combination with the word "how," "you will not be able" is made a future tense. And they say, "by the combination with the word 'nāma'." "By one who is compassionate" means "accompanied by compassion." "Reviling" means "blaming." Showing the meaning of the word "āsīvisa" by way of etymology, he says, "quickly, swiftly," and so on. "Of this" means "of the āsīvisa." "Comes back" means that whoever is bitten by it, it comes back to him. "One with infused poison" is also an āsīvisa; the meaning is, one whose poison is placed as if infused throughout the whole body, and which infuses poison into another's body. "One with eaten poison" is also an āsīvisa. For whatever is eaten and consumed by it, that becomes poison itself. Therefore, it is said by way of etymology "āsīvisa" where it should be said "asitavisa" (one whose eaten is poison), meaning "its eaten is poison." "One with sword-like poison" is also an āsīvisa; it is said to be an āsīvisa because its poison is sharp like a sword, capable of cutting the vital parts of another. Or "āsī" is said to be a fang; one whose poison is located there is an āsīvisa. Because of the great poisonousness of the black snake compared to other snakes, the black snake is mentioned immediately after the āsīvisa. Even the mouth of a snake, being as terrifying as a pit of embers, is not a place for the arising of unwholesome deeds. With the intention of deterring from unwholesome actions, and to show that for one who stands in pure morality, death is better than breaking precepts, it is said, "It is better to put one's private parts into the mouth of an āsīvisa, a black snake." For an evil deed done by a renunciant is greatly blameworthy due to its great scope, being a transgression of the Buddha's command. "Kāsu" is also called a pit, and also a heap. "Why, as if in a hurry, do you dig a pit, charioteer? Asked by me, friend, tell me, what will you do with the pit?" Here, indeed, a pit is called kāsu. "Some fall into a pit of embers, men weeping, with bodies burnt." Here, a heap. Here, both are intended, so it is said: "in a pit full of embers, or a heap of embers." It is dug, it is excavated, so it is a pit, a well.