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giving his son, the lamp of his lineage, and his beloved wife, and enduring such things as cutting and breaking in other existences, in the manner of patience and so forth. "Ha" is a particle in this sense, meaning "clearly." Some say "in one sense." The construction is: "Ha, clearly, in one sense, or enough, useless, to teach the Dhamma attained with such difficulty." Or "halan" is a word synonymous with "alam" (enough), as in "halan ti vadāmi" (I say enough). Some also read "pakāsitam" (revealed), meaning "desitam" (taught). It means: "Enough of teaching the Dhamma attained with such difficulty, it is sufficient to teach it, what is the point of teaching it?" "Overcome by lust and hatred" means afflicted by lust and hatred, meaning overwhelmed by lust and hatred, as if afflicted by the venom of a snake. Or "overcome by lust and hatred" means followed by lust and hatred, meaning bound by lust and hatred. tho. "Going against the stream" (Dī. Ni. Aṭṭha. 2.65; Ma. Ni. Aṭṭha. 1.281; Saṃ. Ni. Aṭṭha. 1.1.172) means the four noble truths, which are gone and proceed against the stream of permanence, etc., as impermanent, suffering, non-self, and impure. "Stained by passion" means stained by sensual passion, passion for existence, and passion for views. "They will not see" means they will not see with this nature as impermanent, suffering, non-self, and impure. The intention is: who will be able to make them, who do not see, know the Dhamma as it truly is, with the nature of impermanence, etc.? That they are overcome by passion and hatred is also due to their deluded state, so it says, "covered by a mass of darkness," meaning overwhelmed by a mass of ignorance. "His mind inclined to inaction." Why did his mind incline thus? Was it not he who said, "I, who am liberated, will liberate; I, who have crossed over, will help others cross over. What is it to me, who have realized the Dhamma here, in an unknown guise? Having attained omniscience, I will save the world with its devas." (Bu. Vaṃ. 2.55) – Having made this aspiration, fulfilled the perfections, and attained omniscience? It is true, but it was by the power of that very reflection that his mind inclined thus. For, having attained omniscience, as he reflected on the density of beings' defilements and the profundity of the Dhamma, both the density of beings' defilements and the profundity of the Dhamma became fully manifest to him. Then, as he thought, "These beings are filled with defilements, exceedingly defiled, like a gourd full of pus, like a pot filled with curds, like a rag soaked in oil and fat, like a hand smeared with collyrium. They are stained by passion, corrupted by hatred, deluded by ignorance. What will they ever penetrate?" Thus, by the power of reflecting on the density of defilements, his mind inclined thus. "This Dhamma is profound, like the mass of water supporting the earth. It is difficult to see, like a mustard seed hidden by a mountain. It is subtle, like the tip of a hair split a hundred times. Indeed, in my striving to penetrate this Dhamma, there was no gift I did not give, no virtue I did not protect, no perfection There are no such things as perfections, and when I, dispelling the forces of Māra as if without zeal, the earth did not tremble. When I recollected past lives in the first watch of the night, it did not tremble. When I purified the divine eye in the middle watch of the night, it did not tremble. But when I penetrated dependent origination in the last watch of the night, then the ten-thousand-world-system trembled for me. Thus, even by one like me, with keen wisdom, this Dhamma was penetrated with difficulty. How will the ordinary people penetrate it? It should be understood that his mind inclined thus due to the profoundness of the Dhamma and the power of his reflection. Moreover, his mind inclined thus due to his desire to teach when requested by Brahmā. For the Blessed One knew: "When my mind inclines to little effort, Mahābrahmā will request the teaching of the Dhamma. And these beings revere Brahmā. They will think, 'Indeed, the Teacher was not inclined to teach the Dhamma, but Mahābrahmā requested him and made him teach. Truly, this Dhamma is excellent and sublime!' and they will listen attentively." It should be understood that his mind inclined to little effort due to this reason, not to the teaching of the Dhamma itself. 8. Sahampati: He was, it is said, a monk named Sahaka in the dispensation of Kassapa the Blessed One. Having attained the first jhāna, he was reborn as a Brahmā with a lifespan of an eon in the realm of the first jhāna. There they know him as Brahmā Sahampati. Referring to him, it is said, "by Brahmā Sahampati." It perishes, alas: He, it is said, uttered this sound in such a way that all the Brahmās of the ten-thousand-world-system, hearing it, assembled. Of little dust in their eyes: In their eye of wisdom, they have little, a small amount, of the dust of greed, hatred, and delusion. Such is their nature. Those whose nature is to have little dust of greed, etc., are of little dust in their eyes. This is the meaning to be understood here. From not hearing: Like in "by oneself, by direct knowledge," etc., the accusative case is used in the sense of the instrumental. The meaning is "from not hearing." Will be: Those who have made an aspiration by way of the ten deeds of merit in the times of previous Buddhas. Like fully bloomed lotuses touched by sunbeams, desiring only the teaching of the Dhamma, at the end of the four-lined stanza, fit to enter the noble stage, not one, not two, but many hundreds of thousands will be knowers of the Dhamma, thus it shows. "Pāturahosi" means appeared. "Samalehi cintito" means thought of by the defiled ones, that is, thought of by the six teachers like Pūraṇa Kassapa, who were defiled. For they, having arisen earlier, spread defiled doctrines of wrong view throughout the entire Jambudīpa, as if scattering thorns or sprinkling poison. Indeed, they, having become curious upon hearing the commotion about the Buddha, deceived the world, stood in a state of deception, claimed omniscience, and taught whatever was not Dhamma as Dhamma. "Apāpureta" means open this. "The door to the Deathless" means the noble path, which is the door to the Deathless, Nibbāna. This is what is said: "This great door of the city of Nibbāna, the noble path, which has been closed since the disappearance of the Dispensation of the Blessed One Kassapa, open, reveal, unlock it with the hand of the teaching of the True Dhamma." "Let them hear the Dhamma understood by the Stainless One" means, "Let these beings hear the Dhamma of the Four Noble Truths, understood by the Stainless One, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One, due to the absence of defilements like lust, O Blessed One," thus he implores. A rock mountain is high and firm, not a heap of earth or a mixed mountain, thus it is said, "As one standing on a mountain peak." Its meaning is, "As one stands on a solid rock mountain peak. For one standing there, there is no need to stretch or crane the neck to see." "Tathūpama" means its counterpart, like a rock mountain. "A Dhamma palace" refers to the supramundane Dhamma. For it is entirely inspiring, and like a palace by virtue of transcending all dhammas and being elevated. Or, the word "Dhamma" here is a synonym for wisdom. For wisdom is designated as a palace in the Abhidhamma due to its elevated nature. And thus it is said: Having ascended the palace of wisdom, sorrowless, he beholds the sorrowing folk; as one standing on a mountain, those on the ground, the wise one beholds the foolish. (Dhp. 28) This is the summary of the meaning here: Just as a man with sight standing on a mountain peak sees the people all around, so too, you, O Sumedha, of beautiful wisdom, the Buddha, with all-seeing eye, by the knowledge of omniscience, having ascended the palace of Dhamma, of wisdom, yourself free from sorrow, look upon the people immersed in sorrow, overcome by birth and old age, observe, examine, investigate. This is the intention here: Just as at the foot of a mountain, having made a large field all around, and having built huts in the rows of rice fields, they would light fires at night, and there would be complete darkness, then, for a man with sight standing on the top of that mountain, looking down at the ground, neither the field, nor the rows of rice fields, nor the huts, nor the people sleeping there would be discernible, due to their lack of brightness; but only the flames of fire in the huts would be discernible, due to their brightness. Similarly, for the Tathāgata, having ascended the palace of Dhamma, looking upon the multitude of beings, those beings who have not done good deeds, even if seated in one dwelling, by the right knee, do not come into the range of the Buddha's eye, due to their lack of brightness from the fire of knowledge, and their lack of prominence; they are like arrows shot at night. But those who have done good deeds, who are trainable individuals, even if standing far away, they come into range, due to the brightness of their ripened fire of knowledge, and their prominent disposition; they are like that fire, or like the Himālaya mountain. This was also said: "Far off, the good shine forth, like the Himālaya mountain; The bad are not seen here, like arrows shot at night." (Dhp. 304) "Arise!" He says, requesting the Blessed One to wander for the purpose of teaching the Dhamma. Or, "Arise!" from the contraction, which is the lack of zeal for teaching the Dhamma, from the state of weariness. Among "Hero," etc., the Blessed One is a hero due to his supreme fourfold right exertion; he is "victorious in battle" due to his conquest of the Māra of divine sons, defilements, and formations; from the wilderness of birth, etc. For being able to carry the caravan of the trainable, for being able to bring them to the safe place called Nibbana, he is a caravan leader.