English
Not skilled in this designation: "This defilement is abandoned by such and such a path." For such a noble disciple, it is thus. Is there no reflection for him? There is, but it is not complete for everyone. One reflects only on the defilements abandoned, one only on the remaining defilements, one only on the path, one only on the fruit, one only on Nibbāna. Among these five reflections, it is not proper not to attain one or two. Thus, for one whose reflection is not complete, due to not being skilled in the designation of defilements to be overcome by the path, it is thus. Skilled in learning and questioning, expert in the description of the path of recitation. The practice by which one's noble path comes, that preliminary practice is the practice of arrival. It should be purified, meaning it should be purified by way of investigation, whether it is pure or not pure. It is not purified because of the presence of negligent practice here and there. It should be removed, meaning it should be removed by one's own declaration. Having said "it is purified," to show the manner of purification, "for a long time," etc., was said. Here too, by bringing in the word "if," the connection is: if that bhikkhu is discerned by that practice. Due to not being attached to the four requisites, it was said, "with a mind like a bird in the sky." "Similar to what was said" means that bhikkhu's declaration is similar to what was said in this sutta, that is the meaning. The practice is similar to that of an Arahant because the defilements have been thoroughly suppressed for a long time. For an Arahant, it is not so... (etc.) ... because perversions have been abandoned and there is no craving for life. But for an ordinary person, because perversions have not been abandoned and there is a craving for life, it occurs even with a small amount. Therein are these stories – It is said that Thera Abhaya, the long reciter, being unable to take hold of a certain alms-gatherer, gave a sign to a young monk. He, diving into the mouth of the Kalyāṇī river where the alms-gatherer was bathing, seized his feet. The alms-gatherer, perceiving it as a "crocodile," made a loud noise; then they knew him to be an "ordinary person." But during the time of King Candamukhatissa, the chief elder of the Sangha in the Great Monastery An Arahant, with weak eyes, stayed in the monastery. The king, thinking "I will test the elder," when the monks had gone for alms, approached silently, and like a snake, grasped his feet. The elder, still as a stone pillar, said, "Who is there?" "It is I, venerable sir, Tissa." "You smell fragrant, not Tissa." Thus, for an Arahant, there is no fear. But some ordinary person is very brave, fearless; he should be tested with an enticing object. King Vasabha, too, testing an elder, made him sit in the house, and sat near him, crushing a jujube fruit. The elder's saliva flowed; the elder's ordinary state was revealed. For an Arahant, craving for taste is completely abandoned; even for divine tastes, there is no delight. Therefore, by these means, having tested him, if fear or agitation or craving for taste arises in him, he should be dismissed, saying, "You are not an Arahant." "Evil desire" is characterized by the assumption of non-existent qualities, as stated: "That which, in this case, someone... and so on... by this method." By "and so on" is included the Pāli passage that says: "Being faithless, he wishes: 'May people know me as faithful.' Being unlearned, he wishes: 'May people know me as learned.' Being fond of company, he wishes: 'May people know me as secluded.' Being lazy, he wishes: 'May people know me as energetic.' Being forgetful, he wishes: 'May people know me as mindful.' Being unconcentrated, he wishes: 'May people know me as concentrated.' Being unwise, he wishes: 'May people know me as wise.' Being not an Arahant, he wishes: 'May people know me as an Arahant.' Such a wish, a wish-driven evil desire, lust, attachment, attachment of mind, this is called evil desire." (Vibh. 851) "By evil" means by base desire. "Deviated" means deviated from right livelihood by evil desire; "made by desire" means deviated. Therefore. And one who is such, overcome by wrong livelihood, is called defeated, thus it is said, "overcome, defeated." "Monkhood badly grasped drags one to hell." Just as kusa grass, by whom it is badly grasped, cuts and pierces his hand, even so, monkhood, called the ascetic's practice, badly grasped due to broken precepts and so on, drags one to hell, meaning, causes one to be reborn in hell. "Lax" means done by shrinking back, made with a lax grasp. "Wanderer" means the ascetic's practice that has reached a state of being broken and so on. "It scatters more dust" means the dust of passion and so on existing within, such an ascetic's practice cannot remove it, but rather, it scatters more dust of passion and so on upon it. "State of being a bhikkhu" means having committed a pārājika offense, and declaring "I am an ascetic," the state of being a bhikkhu achieved merely by convention. In the reading "ajānameva," "eva" is a particle in the sense of emphasis. But in the reading "ajānamevaṃ," it should be construed as "he did not say, 'I know thus, I see thus'." Commentary on the Analysis of Terms "Meditations on the foul and so on" by the word "and so on" includes meditation on mindfulness of the body and kasiṇa meditation. Therefore, even one who says, "I entered the meditation on mindfulness of the body, the earth kasiṇa meditation," and so on, should be understood to be guilty of a pārājika offense. "Vimokkha" here, showing that the prefix "vi-" has the meaning of "special" or "various," it is said, "well liberated" and so on. "Vimokkha" means the four noble paths. Showing its attainment of names like "emptiness" from its inherent quality, it is said, "that indeed" and so on. A path, indeed, obtains a name by five reasons: by its own essence, or by its opposite, or by its inherent quality, or by its object, or by its approach. If, indeed, the equanimity regarding formations, having contemplated formations as impermanent, arises, one is liberated by the signless liberation. If, having contemplated as suffering, it arises, one is liberated by the desireless liberation. If, having contemplated as non-self, it arises, one is liberated by the emptiness liberation. This is indeed a name by its own essence. Because this contemplation of impermanence, formations... having made it a dense penetration, he came abandoning the signs of permanence, the signs of constancy, the signs of eternity, therefore it is signless. By the contemplation of suffering, having abandoned the perception of pleasure, having dried up the aspiration and longing, he came, therefore it is unaspired. By the contemplation of non-self, having abandoned the perception of self, being, and person, having seen the formations as empty, it is empty— this is a name from its opposition. But it is empty because it is empty of lust and so on. Or it is signless due to the absence of material signs and so on, and the signs of lust and so on. It is unaspired due to the absence of aspirations for lust and so on— this is its name from its qualities. And this makes emptiness, signlessness, and unaspiredness as its object, therefore it is called empty, signless, unaspired— this is its name from its object. Coming, however, is of two kinds: the coming of insight and the coming of the path. There, the coming of insight is found in the path, the coming of the path in the fruit. For the contemplation of non-self is called emptiness, the path of insight into emptiness is empty. The contemplation of impermanence is called signlessness, the path of insight into signlessness is signless. But this name is not found in the Abhidhamma method. For it is not signless in the absolute sense because it does not abandon the sign of formations, but it is found in the Suttanta method. There, they say that the gotrabhu-knowledge, making the signless Nibbāna its object, becomes named signless, and standing in the place to be come to itself, it gives its name to the path, therefore the path is called signless. By the coming of the path, the fruit is signless— this is indeed appropriate. The contemplation of suffering, having dried up the aspiration for formations, is called unaspired, the path of insight into unaspiredness is unaspired, the fruit of the unaspired path is unaspired. Thus insight gives its name to the path, and the path to the fruit— this is its name from its coming. Empty means secluded. For there are no lusts and so on in the path, lusts and so on are signs because they are the cause for the repeated arising of lusts and so on, he said "lust, hatred, delusion "by the signless." They say that here, even the appearance of things with form is a sign. He says that greed and the like are aspirations because they are the basis for occurrence, "of aspirations of greed, hatred, and delusion." Even if one says, "I am a recipient of knowledges," it is so, because it is not said with reference to material knowledge and so on. "By way of each single division" means by way of each single division of the four foundations of mindfulness and so on. Although it is shown in the Great Commentary by way of each single division, there, however, by joining the word "supramundane" to each one, with "of the supramundane foundations of mindfulness" and so on, it is said by way of each single division. Here, without the word "supramundane," this is the distinction here. "There" means in those divisions. But why was it said, "only the abandonment of defilements"? To show that the path is indicated by way of its function, because the abandonment of defilements is the function of the path, with reference to someone who might say, "the mere abandonment of defilements is not a superhuman state," "that, however," and so on, was said. With reference to sensual lust, it was said,