English
all are synonyms for the state of being gradually sloping. Not a sudden precipice, meaning, not a precipice from the very beginning, like a cliff-edged great chasm. For it, starting from the shore, becoming deep by one finger, two fingers, a span, a cubit, a rod, an usabha, half a gāvuta, a gāvuta, half a yojana, a yojana, and so on, going on and on, it becomes deeper. shows that it stands eighty-four thousand leagues deep at the foot of Mount Sineru. "Established nature" means a stable nature, an unmoving nature. "By a corpse" means by any elephant, horse, or other carcass. "Washes away" means it throws them onto the land as if taking them by hand, or by the impact of waves. "Gaṅgā and Yamunā" refers to the five streams that flow from the southern mouth of Lake Anotatta, which are known as Gaṅgā, etc. There, "river" and "stream" are generic terms, while Gaṅgā, Yamunā, etc., are proper names. "Flowing ones" means any great rivers or small streams that are flowing and moving. "They approach" means they adhere, they descend. "Stream" means a rain shower. "Fullness" means the state of being full. Indeed, this is the nature of the great ocean: it is not possible to say, "At this time, the god has become weak, I will take nets and hooks and catch fish and turtles," or "At this time, there is very heavy rain, will we get a place to stretch our backs?" From the time of the first eon, the water has stood after eroding the shore and reaching the girdle of Sineru; from there, the water does not descend even one inch, nor does it rise. "Of one taste" means of unmixed taste. "Pearls" are many kinds of pearls, distinguished by being small or large, round or long, etc. "Jewels" are many kinds of jewels, distinguished by being rubies, sapphires, etc. "Beryl" is many kinds, distinguished by its appearance like bamboo, or the color of Sirīsa flowers, etc. "Conch" is many kinds, distinguished by being right-spiraled, pot-bellied, or a blowing conch, etc. "Stones" are many kinds, distinguished by being white, black, mung-bean colored, etc. "Coral" is also many kinds, distinguished by being small or large, dense red or deep red, etc. "Red gem" is many kinds, distinguished by being lotus-ruby, etc. "Masāragalla" is a variegated gem. Some also call it "colorful crystal." "Of great beings" means of great creatures. "Timi, timingala, timitimiṅgala" are three species of fish. They say that "timingala" is capable of swallowing a timi, and "timitimiṅgala" is capable of swallowing both a timi and a timingala. "Nāgas" are those dwelling on the back of waves. Even the poor, even the nāgas dwelling in mansions. Description of the Eight Wonders in this Dhamma and Discipline 385. "Even so," even though the Teacher in this Dhamma and Discipline is able to explain and show sixteen, thirty-two, or even more wonderful and amazing things, yet, in accordance with the eight taken as similes, explaining and showing just those eight things to be compared, he said: "Even so, monks, in this Dhamma and Discipline there are eight wonderful and amazing things." Therein, by gradual training, the three trainings are taken. By gradual practice, the thirteen ascetic practices. By gradual path, the seven contemplations, eighteen great insights, thirty-eight classifications of objects, and thirty-seven factors of awakening are taken. "Realization of knowledge not by a long jump" means: like a frog jumping and going, there is no realization of arahantship without first fulfilling the perfections of virtue and so on. But by sequence, only after fulfilling virtue, concentration, and wisdom, is the attainment of arahantship. This is the meaning. "My disciples" refers to noble individuals such as stream-enterers. "Does not dwell together" means does not perform communal acts like Uposatha. "Raises up" means removes. "Far away" means indeed far. "Declared by the Tathāgata" means taught, explained, proclaimed by the Blessed Tathāgata to his disciples. "There is no deficiency or fullness in the Nibbāna element" means: even if for countless great eons Buddhas do not arise, and not even a single being can attain final Nibbāna, even then it cannot be said "the Nibbāna element is empty." But in the time of a Buddha, in each assembly, countless beings realize the Deathless. Even then it cannot be said "the Nibbāna element is full." "The taste of liberation" is the taste of liberation from defilements. Indeed, all the prosperity of the Dispensation is just the liberation of the mind from the taints, without clinging. This is the meaning. "Jewels" are jewels in the sense of generating delight. Indeed, the foundations of mindfulness and so on, when developed, generate various kinds of joy and gladness even in the initial stages, not to mention in the later stages. This has been said – Whenever one contemplates the rise and fall of the aggregates; one gains joy and delight, that is the Deathless for one who knows. But the joy and delight caused by worldly jewels is not worth even a sixteenth part of that. Moreover – Esteemed and highly valuable, incomparable, rarely seen; enjoyed by noble beings, is called a jewel. If a jewel is so called by virtue of being esteemed, etc., then the jewel-nature belongs precisely to the foundations of mindfulness, etc. For such is the power of the factors of enlightenment, that disciples attain the knowledge of the perfection of discipleship, Paccekabuddhas attain the knowledge of Paccekabodhi, and Sammāsambuddhas attain Sammāsambodhi, due to being the proximate cause. For giving and so forth are the remote causes (supporting conditions). Thus, by being a source of delight and by being esteemed, etc., the jewel-nature of the factors of enlightenment is pre-eminent. Therefore it is said: "Among these are these jewels, namely – the four foundations of mindfulness," and so on. That which stands firm, having plunged into the object, is 'paṭṭhāna' (foundation). Mindfulness itself is the foundation, hence 'satipaṭṭhāna' (foundation of mindfulness). But because the object is fourfold, in terms of body and so on, it is said "the four foundations of mindfulness." Thus, by abandoning the perceptions of beauty, pleasure, permanence, and self in body, feelings, mind, and phenomena, and by grasping their nature as unbeautiful, suffering, impermanent, and non-self, their nature as contemplation of the body, etc., is explained. They strive rightly by this, or one strives rightly oneself, or it is a praiseworthy and beautiful striving – thus 'sammappadhāna' (right exertion). Or it is 'sammappadhāna' because it makes a person truly pre-eminent. This is a designation for energy (effort). And because it accomplishes four tasks – by preventing the arising of unarisen unwholesome states, by abandoning arisen unwholesome states, by arousing unarisen wholesome states, and by maintaining arisen wholesome states – it is said "the four right exertions." It succeeds, thus 'iddhi' (power/success). The meaning is, it prospers, it is accomplished. Or beings succeed by it, become prosperous, developed, exalted – thus 'iddhi'. By the first meaning, 'iddhi' itself is the 'pāda' (basis), thus 'iddhipāda' (basis of power). means a portion of power. By the second meaning, the foot of power, the foundation, the means of attainment, is a power-foot. For by it they reach, they attain, power, which is called higher and higher distinction. And this power-foot, because it arises by making the four dominant qualities like desire the chief, the foremost, therefore it is said: “Four power-feet.” The five faculties: are the five faculties of faith and so on. Therein, faith is a faculty because it overcomes lack of faith and establishes the state of a lord in the characteristic of resolution. Effort is a faculty because it overcomes laziness and establishes the state of a lord in the characteristic of exertion. Mindfulness is a faculty because it overcomes heedlessness and establishes the state of a lord in the characteristic of presence of mind. Concentration is a faculty because it overcomes distraction and establishes the state of a lord in the characteristic of non-distraction. Wisdom is a faculty because it overcomes ignorance and establishes the state of a lord in the characteristic of seeing. Those same are to be known as powers because they are not to be overcome by lack of faith and so on, because they are unshakeable, and because of their firmness in the conjoined states. Seven factors of enlightenment: are factors of enlightenment because they are factors of enlightenment, or of the enlightened one. For this combination of states, by which, when it arises at the moment of the supramundane path, being opposed to many dangers like sloth and agitation, attachment to existence, addiction to sensual pleasures, addiction to self-mortification, annihilationism, eternalism, and so on, and being called mindfulness, investigation of states, energy, joy, tranquility, concentration, and equanimity, the noble disciple becomes enlightened, rises up for the destruction of defilements, or penetrates the four noble truths, or realizes Nibbāna itself, is called “enlightenment.” The factors of this enlightenment, which is called the combination of states, are factors of enlightenment, like factors of jhāna, factors of the path, and so on. And also, because the noble disciple becomes enlightened by this combination of states of the kind described, he is called “enlightenment.” The factors of that enlightened one are also factors of enlightenment, like factors of an army, factors of a chariot, and so on. Therefore the ancients said: “Factors of the person who becomes enlightened are factors of enlightenment,” “They conduce to enlightenment, therefore they are factors of enlightenment,” and so on. By this, the meaning of 'factors of awakening' should be understood. "The Noble Eightfold Path" is noble because it keeps away defilements that are obstacles to that path,