English
means and this pursuit of the pleasure of defilement-sensual desires in material sensual desires, meaning the pursuit of pleasure connected with defilement-sensual desires. "Inferior" means low. "Vulgar" means belonging to villagers, to be practiced by them. "Of the common folk" means practiced by ordinary, ignorant, foolish people. "Not noble" means not noble, not pure, not supreme, or not belonging to the noble ones. "Not connected with benefit" means not connected with benefit, meaning it does not lead to what is beneficial and conducive to happiness. "Devotion to self-mortification" means the pursuit of one's own torment, meaning causing suffering, producing suffering. "Painful" means bringing suffering through self-afflictions like lying on thorns, and so on. "The Middle Way" is said with reference to the Noble Path. For the Path does not approach or go to these two extremes: the devotion to sensual pleasures is one extreme, the devotion to self-mortification is one extreme. It is freed from these extremes, therefore "the Middle Way." is called. Among these, it is middle because it is in the middle, and it is path because it is to be practiced by those who seek liberation from the suffering of the cycle of existence. Similarly, craving is one extreme, hatred is one extreme. Eternity is one extreme, annihilation is one extreme— this should be elaborated in the same way as before. With "eye-making" and so on, he praises that very path. It makes the eye of wisdom, therefore it is eye-making. For it leads to the seeing of the four noble truths, in the sense of bringing about the seeing which is of the nature of full understanding and realization, thus it is called "eye-making." This, though not different from the path, is to be understood as spoken metaphorically, as an effect achieved by the whole through its constituent parts. The second term is a synonym for the same. For appeasement, for the appeasement of defilements. For higher knowledge, for the direct knowing of the four truths. For full enlightenment, for the full awakening to those very truths. For Nibbāna, for the realization of Nibbāna. Or, for Nibbāna, for Nibbāna without remainder. For by "for appeasement" Nibbāna with remainder is understood. Now, wishing to show that middle path in its true nature, having asked "And what is it?", he answered in the manner of "It is this very one" and so on. There, "this very one" is an emphatic word to deny the existence of any other path leading to Nibbāna. For here, the denial of other paths is a rejection of existence, as no other path is found. Noble, because it is far from defilements, it is noble by etymology. It leads to the abandonment of enemies, therefore it is noble, because evil states, the enemies, go away by it. It is noble because it was taught by the Noble One, the Blessed One, and because it leads to the attainment of nobility. Here, however, the derivation of the word "ariya" (noble) should be understood as an elision of the latter part, meaning "that which makes noble is noble." It has eight constituents, therefore it is eight-membered. The term "path" refers to the collection of path-factors, and a collection is endowed with its constituents. This is the meaning of the word here: the eight factors which are its own constituents It has eight constituents, thus it is called eight-constituent. But in the ultimate sense, the constituents themselves are the path, like a five-constituent musical instrument, and not separate from the constituents, like the six-constituent Veda. It goes killing defilements, thus it is the path, by etymology, or it seeks Nibbāna, thus it is the path. For the Noble Path, making Nibbāna its object, is as if seeking it. Or it is sought by those who desire Nibbāna, thus it is the path, from the time of performing merit that is a condition for liberation, and from the practice for that purpose. Or it is attained, or practiced by them, thus it is the path. Here, the derivation of the word should be understood by reversing the beginning and end. "Seyyathidaṃ" is a particle, its meaning is "which is that?" or "which are those eight constituents?" For this particle is common to all genders, cases, and numbers. Even each constituent is itself the path. As it is said: "Right View is the path and also the cause." The ancients also say: "Right View is the path of seeing, Right Intention is the path of directing... Right Concentration is the path of non-distraction." But are not the constituents collectively the path, since there is no Noble Path lacking even one of the seven constituents? This is true in the realization of the truths, but in terms of being a condition for the path, by performing their respective functions, each of them is itself the path. Otherwise, even when collected, their function as the path would not be possible. Among Right View and so on, one sees rightly, thus Right View. One intends rightly, directing the associated phenomena to the object called Nibbāna, thus Right Intention. One speaks rightly by this, thus Right Speech. One acts rightly by this, thus Right Action. That is Right Livelihood. One lives rightly by this, thus Right Livelihood. One strives rightly, exerting oneself, thus Right Effort. One remembers rightly, recollects, thus Right Mindfulness. The mind is concentrated rightly by this, thus Right Concentration. Such is the explanation to be understood. Now, "This, monks, is that..." He says, concluding that practice. Its meaning is: This, which has been spoken of, combining all four supramundane paths into one, the eight- the eight-factored path. This, monks, is that… …which leads to Nibbāna. 14. Having thus shown the middle path in its nature, now, to show the four noble truths, he said, "This, monks…" and so on. There, (Visuddhi. 2.530) regarding "dukkha," the word "du" here is seen in the sense of "contemptible." Indeed, they call a contemptible son "duputta" (bad son). The word "kha" means "empty." Indeed, empty space is called "kha." And this first truth is contemptible because it is the abode of many afflictions, and empty because it is devoid of the state of permanence, beauty, happiness, and self imagined by foolish people. Therefore, because it is contemptible and empty, it is called "dukkha." And because the Noble Ones, such as the Buddhas, comprehend it, it is called "ariyasacca" (Noble Truth). Indeed, a truth to be comprehended by the Noble Ones is called "ariyasacca" by the elision of the latter word in the former compound. It is also "ariyasacca" as the truth of the Noble One, the Tathāgata. For, having been realized by the Tathāgata himself, and proclaimed by him, and therefore to be realized by others, it belongs to him. Or, because his state of being Noble is established by his full enlightenment of this, it is also "ariyasacca" as the truth that establishes the Noble One, by the elision of the latter word as before. Or, because it is to be known and to be attained due to its unerroneous nature, it is also "ariyasacca" as the Noble Truth. However, we will explain the meaning of "sacca" for all four truths together later. Now, to show that noble truth of suffering in its nature, he said, "Birth is also suffering," and so on. Here, the word "jāti" has many meanings. Indeed, it appears in the sense of "existence" in "one existence, two existences" (Dī. Ni. 1.31; Ma. Ni. 1.148). In "There is, Visākha, a class of ascetics called Nigaṇṭhas" (A. Ni. 3.71), it means "class." In "Jāti is comprised of two aggregates" (Dhātu. 71), it means "conditioned characteristic." In "That first consciousness that arose in the mother's womb, that first cognition that appeared, that is its birth" (Mahāva. 124), it means "relinking." Sa “The Bodhisatta was born,” here, in the sense of birth. “Unblamed, unreviled by reason of birth,” here, in the sense of family. This is to be understood as the aggregates that arise from the moment of conception up to the emergence from the mother’s womb for those born from the womb, and for others, at the moment of their rebirth. This is also a conventional statement; in the ultimate sense, the first appearance of the aggregates that arise in various beings is called birth. If it is asked, “Why is this suffering?” It is because it is the basis for many sufferings. Indeed, there are many sufferings. Such as: suffering as pain, suffering due to change, suffering due to conditioned states, hidden suffering, unhidden suffering, conventional suffering, and ultimate suffering. Among these, bodily and mental painful feelings, being suffering by nature and by name, are called suffering as pain. Pleasant feelings, being the cause for the arising of suffering due to change, are suffering due to change. Neutral feelings and the remaining three-realm conditioned states, being oppressed by rise and fall, are suffering due to conditioned states. Bodily and mental ailments such as earache, toothache, fever due to lust, fever due to hatred, are hidden suffering, because they must be asked about to be known, and their cause is not obvious. Ailments arising from the thirty-two tortures, etc., are unhidden suffering, because they are known without asking, and their cause is obvious. Apart from suffering as pain, the remaining suffering, such as birth, etc., mentioned in the Saccavibhaṅga, all of it, being the basis for that particular suffering, is conventional suffering. But suffering as pain is called ultimate suffering. Here, this birth, which the Buddha also declared by way of simile in the Bālapaṇḍita Sutta and others, is suffering in the lower realms, and also the suffering that arises even in the happy destinations in the human world, such as that rooted in conception, is suffering because it is the basis for it. Therefore, the ancients said: “If one were not born in hells, A being; There, unbearable suffering like burning by fire; He obtains suffering, nowhere to stand; Thus the sage here