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and covered with blue lotuses and the like. In various places, water machines are made, from which streams of water emerge as if it were raining. "By those without men" means devoid of men. Not only are the musical instruments without men, but all places are without men. The doorkeepers are women, and those who perform bathing and other services are women. For his father, it is said, "Seeing a man experiencing such lordly happiness and prosperity gives rise to suspicion; may that not happen to my son." So he appointed only women for all tasks. "With the five sense pleasures" means with the five divisions of pleasures, such as forms and sounds. "Samappitassa" means well-assigned, meaning "endowed with." "Samaṅgībhūtassa" is a synonym for that. "Paricārayamānassa" means causing to wander around, meaning "causing the senses to wander in those various sense pleasures." "Āḷambaraṃ" means a drum. "Vikesikaṃ" means with loose hair, meaning "with disheveled hair." Slobbering: with saliva flowing out. Babbling: babbling inconsistently or wailing. He thought it was a charnel ground: he saw his own retinue as if a fresh charnel ground – this is the connection. He uttered an exclamation: he uttered an exclamation due to strong emotion; the meaning is, he uttered words arising from strong emotion. 26. "This, indeed, Yasa," the Blessed One said, referring to Nibbāna. For it is undisturbed and unassailed by defilements such as craving. "Gradual discourse" means, after generosity, morality; after morality, heaven; after heaven, the path – a discourse in this sequence. Therein, the discourse on generosity is: "This generosity is the source of happiness, the root of attainments, the foundation of wealth, a refuge, shelter, destination, and ultimate resort for one who has gone astray. In this world and the next, there is no support, foundation, object, refuge, shelter, destination, or ultimate resort like generosity." For it, in the sense of support, is like a jewel-studded lion-throne; in the sense of foundation, like the great earth; in the sense of object, like a supporting rope. It, in the sense of crossing over suffering, is a boat; in the sense of comforting, a warrior in battle; in the sense of warding off fear, a well-built city; in the sense of being untainted by the stains of stinginess, a lotus; in the sense of burning them up, fire; in the sense of being unapproachable, a venomous snake; in the sense of being fearless, a lion; in the sense of being powerful, an elephant; in the sense of being considered highly auspicious, a white bull; in the sense of leading to a safe haven, a cloud-horse king. This generosity is the path I have trodden; this is my lineage. By me, when fulfilling the ten perfections, many great sacrifices were performed: the Velāma great sacrifice, the Mahāgovinda great sacrifice, the Mahāsudassana great sacrifice, the Vessantara great sacrifice. By offering myself into a blazing heap of fire as a hare, the hearts of the supplicants were captured. For generosity in the world gives the attainment of Sakka, the attainment of Māra, the attainment of Brahmā, the attainment of a Universal Monarch, the knowledge of a disciple's perfection, the knowledge of a Paccekabuddha's enlightenment, the knowledge of supreme enlightenment... gives a command," and so on, talk connected with the virtue of giving. But since one who gives a gift can undertake precepts, therefore, immediately after that, he spoke of precepts. For giving is the abandoning of one's own possessions to others with an intention of benefit or an intention of honor towards those worthy of offerings. Therefore, the giver is a person whose intention is entirely beneficial towards beings, or it is impossible that he would take what belongs to others. Therefore, since one who gives a gift can undertake precepts, precepts are spoken of immediately after giving. Moreover, the talk on giving was spoken first because it is common to many people, easy to practice, and a means for establishing oneself in precepts. For a person of generous character, being unattached to things to be grasped, easily undertakes precepts and is well-established therein. The talk on precepts was spoken immediately after the talk on giving because it speaks of benefiting others by the purity of the giver and receiver through precepts, and speaks of refraining from harming others, and speaks of the active dhamma after speaking of the inactive dhamma, and speaks of the cause of prosperity in wealth and fame after speaking of the cause of prosperity in existence. Talk on precepts is: "Precepts are a support, a foundation, a basis, a refuge, a shelter, a destination, a final resort. Precepts are my lineage. In countless existences, such as when I was the Nāga King Saṅkhapāla, the Nāga King Bhūridatta, the Nāga King Campeyya, King Sīlava, the Elephant King Mātuposaka, the Elephant King Chaddanta, I fulfilled precepts. For the prosperity of this world and the next, there is no support like precepts, no foundation, basis, refuge, shelter, destination, final resort like precepts. There is no adornment like the adornment of precepts, no flower like the flower of precepts, no fragrance like the fragrance of precepts. For the world, even with its deities, looking at one adorned with the adornment of precepts, wearing the flower garland of precepts, anointed with the fragrance of precepts, does not get enough," and so on, talk connected with the virtues of precepts. And to show that by relying on these precepts, this heaven is obtained, immediately after precepts He spoke of heaven. The talk of heaven is this: "This heaven is desirable, lovely, pleasing. Always here is play, always attainments are gained. The Devas of the Four Great Kings obtain divine happiness, divine prosperity for ninety thousand years. The Tāvatiṃsa Devas for three crore years and sixty thousand years." Such is the talk connected with heaven's qualities. Indeed, the mouths of Buddhas are not enough to describe heaven's prosperity. And it was also said: "In many ways, monks, I would speak of heaven," and so on. Having thus enticed with talk of heaven, then, as if decorating an elephant and then cutting off its trunk, to show that this heaven too is impermanent, unstable, and that no desire-passion should be made for it, he spoke of the danger, the degradation, the defilement of sensual pleasures, saying: "Sensual pleasures are of little satisfaction, much suffering, much tribulation, the danger here is greater," and so on. Here, "danger" means fault, the state of being corrupted by impermanence, little satisfaction, and so on. Or, "ādīnava" means that which leads to the beginning, extreme wretchedness. And thus, sensual pleasures appear as they truly are to those who reflect. "Degradation" means wretchedness, baseness, that which should be resorted to by the ignoble, not by the noble. "Defilement" means the defilement of beings by them, the state of being afflicted, tormented. Having thus warned with the danger of sensual pleasures, he then proclaimed the advantage of renunciation. As many dangers as there are in sensual pleasures, so many advantages are there in renunciation, by contrast. Moreover, he declared the advantage of renunciation in this way: "Renunciation is unconfined, undefiled, gone forth from sensual pleasures, gone forth from sensual perceptions, gone forth from sensual thoughts, gone forth from sensual fevers, gone forth from vexation," and so on. He also explained and praised the qualities of going forth and the jhānas, etc. And here, having spoken of heaven, this heaven is defiled by lust and so on, but the noble one is undefiled in every way. For showing the foremost, after heaven, the path should be taught. And by one teaching the path, to show the means of its attainment, even those included in heaven, all other sensual pleasures, are indeed full of drawbacks, impermanent, unstable, subject to change— this is the danger in sensual pleasures. They are low, vulgar, of the common folk, ignoble, connected with no benefit— this is their degradation, their wretchedness. All existences are objects for defilements— this is the defilement in them. Nibbāna is freed from all defilements— this is the benefit in renunciation, and it should be taught. Thus, the danger in sensual pleasures, their degradation, their defilement, and the benefit in renunciation are to be understood as proclaimed. "Kallacitta" means a workable mind, meaning a mind fit for action, due to the removal of mental defilements like lack of faith, by the teaching given below, thus becoming a receptacle for the higher teaching. Or, since lack of faith and the like are diseases of the mind, and they were then removed, therefore "kallacitta" means a healthy mind. A soft mind, by the removal of defilements like wrong view and conceit. A mind free from hindrances, by the removal of sensual desire and the like. An uplifted mind, by being endowed with great joy and delight in right practice. In this context, "when the Blessed One knew his mind to be clear with the attainment of faith" is the connection. Alternatively, "kallacitta" means a healthy mind by the removal of sensual desire. "Muducitta" means a soft mind, not hard, by the removal of ill-will through loving-kindness. "Vinīvaraṇacitta" means a mind free from hindrances, not obstructed by distraction due to the removal of restlessness and remorse. "Udaggacitta" means an uplifted mind, not sluggish, by the removal of sloth and torpor through energetic effort. "Pasannacitta" means a clear mind, inclined towards right practice by the removal of doubt. Thus, the meaning here should be understood. "Sāmukkaṃsikā" means self-exalted, taken up by oneself, seen by self-existent knowledge, not common to others—this is the meaning. And what is it? The teaching of the Noble Truths. Therefore, it is said: "Suffering, its origin, its cessation, the path." By "just as..." and so on,