English
"By its power" means by the power, by the strength of that aforementioned stream of merit, having overcome obstacles, they will describe the Vinaya – this is the connection. It should be connected thus: "The Dispensation of the Blessed One, who is unestablished and well-established, is established when it stands in that." There, "in that" means in that Vinaya Piṭaka. "Standing" means standing by being complete in both text and meaning, and by being practiced by conscientious individuals. "Dispensation" means the Dispensation comprising the three trainings. "Of the unestablished" means of one unestablished in the two extremes, namely, addiction to sensual pleasures and addiction to self-mortification. Some also say, "of the Blessed One, even though he has attained final Nibbāna." "Of the well-established" means of one well-established in the Middle Way, free from the two extremes. "Unmixed" is a neuter noun indicating state. It means they will describe it by making it unmixed and unconfused with the doctrines of other schools. "Relying on the power of the former teachers" means relying on the commentaries explained by the former teachers, not by one's own power – this is the intention. Now, when ancient commentaries exist, what is the purpose of again describing the Vinaya? He says, "Indeed, and so on." There, "indeed" means absolutely, or as one wishes, or completely – this is said, and it connects with "this Vinaya was described by him." "By the foremost former teachers" means the former teachers like the Elder Mahākassapa are indeed foremost due to their unshakeable and supreme nature. It means by those excellent former teachers. But what kind of former teachers were they? He says, "Whose defilements and taints were washed away by the water of knowledge," and so on. "Whose defilements and taints were washed away by the water of knowledge" means those by whom the three defilements (greed, etc.) and the four taints (sensual desire, etc.) were completely washed away, purified, and made such that they would not arise again in the future, by the water of knowledge, which is the knowledge of the supreme path. It means by those Arahants. Even though they were Arahants, they were not mere dry-insight practitioners, so he says, "endowed with pure knowledge and analytical insights." Therein, 'knowledge' means the three knowledges, or the eight knowledges. Even among those who attained analytical knowledge, because Mahākassapa Thera and others were chosen and taken, showing their excellence in explaining the True Dhamma, it is said: "by those skilled in explaining the True Dhamma." That which prunes or makes thin the mass of defilements, or the abundance of requisites, is 'sallekha' (pruning/frugality). It is a collection of qualities like fewness of wishes. But here, due to the context of those whose taints are destroyed, the meaning should be taken only as the pruning of the abundance of requisites. 'Sallekhiya' is that which is produced by sallekha. In that sallekhiya, it is said to be the attainment of sallekha, such as the observance of dhutaṅga practices. "By those whose comparisons are not easy to find" means for their practice of sallekha, there is no easy comparison like "similar to so-and-so." Thus, they are "those whose comparisons are not easy to find." By "of the Mahāvihāra," other sects are rejected. Here, by the term 'vihāra' (monastery), it should be understood as the inclusion of all monks who reside there and who hold the same doctrine as them. Therefore, because they were the source and the distinguishing mark of the purity of view and conduct of those Mahāvihāra residents, the Dhamma reciters, Mahākassapa Thera and others, are called "banners of the Mahāvihāra." By them, this Vinaya was explained, correctly and completely described. How? It is said: "with diverse methods." With diverse methods, following the lineage of the Supreme Sambuddha, following the Supreme Omniscient Buddha, it is said to be methods that follow the intention of the Blessed One. Having thus shown the completeness of the ancient commentary, now, to show the specific purpose and the request for his own commentary, he begins with "the commentary" and so on. Therein, "because it is composed" means "because it is made." "Does not accomplish any meaning" means "does not achieve any purpose." By "that commentary" and so on, he shows the method of making his own commentary. Therein, beginning that commentary which is now being spoken, because the entire Mahāaṭṭhakathā is to be taken here, making the Mahāaṭṭhakathā the body of that commentary now being spoken, and the Mahāpaccariya... The decision stated, and the decision stated in the well-known commentaries like the Kurundī and others, without abandoning the suitable meaning from that decision, including the Theravāda tradition, they will properly begin the commentary. The connection of the meaning of the words should be understood. Here, "aṭṭhakathā" (commentary) means "that by which the meaning is told," with the "ttha" sound changed to "ṭṭha." "Mahāpaccariyanti" means the one named Mahāpaccarī. Here, "paccarī" is said to be a raft, and because it was made while sitting on it, that name came about. They say, "There is a monastery called Kurundīvallivihāra; because it was made there, the name 'Kurundī' came about." The word "ādi" (etc.) includes the Andhakaṭṭhakathā and the Saṅkhepaṭṭhakathā. "Yuttamatthanti" means the suitable meaning according to the Mahāaṭṭhakathā method, or according to the fourfold Vinaya suitability. If it were said, "I will make the commentary taking only the commentary," there might be an exclusion of the Theravāda traditions stated in the commentaries. Desiring to include these as well, he said, "antogadhatheravāda" (including the Theravāda tradition), meaning that it is said to include even the Theravāda. "Taṃ meti" shows the method to be practiced by the listeners in the verse. There, "dhammappadīpassāti" means the Dhamma itself is like a lamp because it dispels the darkness of delusion, so it is a lamp. "Dhammappadīpo" is the Buddha, and "tassa" refers to him. "Patimānayantāti" means honoring, revering in mind, "nisāmentu" means listen. "Buddhenātiādinā" (by the Buddha, etc.) shows the authority of his own commentary by demonstrating the purity of its origin, and shows that it should be followed. There, just as the Dhamma and Vinaya were taught by the Buddha, and that was known in the same way by his sons, the Elder Mahākassapa and others, the Sinhalese commentary teachers, not abandoning the views of those Buddha's sons, made the commentaries in the past. This is the connection to be understood. There, "dhammo" includes the Sutta and Abhidhamma. "Vinayo" means the entire Vinaya Piṭaka. "Vutto" means taught by the Buddha, the Blessed One, both in Pāli and in meaning. For the Blessed One did not leave any word of the text unexpounded. Indeed, the commentaries are the scattered teachings delivered by the Blessed One here and there. "Known in that way" means: just as spoken by the Buddha, without destroying a single word or even a single letter, and without distorting the meaning, it is known, it is understood. "Not abandoning their view" means: not abandoning all the commentary decisions which are the view of those sons of the Buddha, brought down through the tradition of the Elders, uninterrupted, existing both as Pāli explanations and as non-Pāli explanations. "They made the commentaries" means: they made the Sinhala commentaries such as the Mahāaṭṭhakathā and Mahāpaccari. "Aṭṭhakathāmakaṃsū" is also a reading, and the meaning is the same there. "Therefore" means: because they made the commentaries before without distorting the intention of those sons of the Buddha, therefore. The connection is: whatever is said in the commentaries, all of that is authoritative. "Hi" is merely a particle, as the meaning of cause is expressed by "tasmā" (therefore), or it has the meaning of emphasis, "it is indeed authoritative." If everything said in the commentaries is authoritative, then even errors in writing would be authoritative, so it says: "excluding errors in writing." "Errors in writing" are those that occurred when later scribes, through negligence, without establishing mindfulness, wrote something in the wrong place, or similar mistakes. These will become evident here and there in the Samantapāsādikā itself. Again, in order to show the connection of the word "yasmā" (because), this is the explanation of the meaning: Because what is said in the commentaries is indeed authoritative for the wise who are respectful of the trainings in this Dispensation, and because this explanation (commentary) is not different in meaning, being distinguished only by the abandonment of another language, therefore it will also be authoritative. Therefore, it should be followed. "From that" means: from those commentaries. "Having abandoned only the other language" means: having removed only the Sinhala language. "And having condensed the extensive method" means: what was said in the ancient commentaries in its proper place, such as the determination of word meanings, in a very extensive verbal sequence, and what was already said... Abandoning such a detailed path, which is elaborated here and there, with slight distinctions, and repeated statements; and with an easy, meaning-clarifying approach, and having indicated what is to be said in a manner similar to what has been stated, the intention is to explain it in a concise manner. However, in the Sāratthadīpanī, a commentary on the Vinaya, it is said: "Having brought forth what is stated above in the ancient commentaries, and elaborated here and there, like the detailed explanation of the four acts beginning with 'apalokana' in 'upasampanno'ti bhikkhu' (the act of declaration-followed-by-three-proclamations), such a detailed path is condensed." That is appropriate to say precisely here,