English
"It descends and it agrees" means it descends by way of comparison with what one has brought forth, and it agrees with what another has brought forth. "All weak" is said because of the defilement-tendencies of a non-omniscient person and the absence of a true understanding of the meaning. Due to carelessness in recitation, the teachers' view might not conform to the Suttas, therefore it is said, "the other should not be accepted." "Only what is consistent should be taken" means that such meanings as conform to the Sutta should be drawn from the great authorities, it shows, because meanings drawn in various ways are indeed in accordance with the Sutta; therefore it is said, "for in accordance with the Sutta, the Sutta itself is stronger." "Irreversible" means unhindered. "Like the council of doers" means like the council that performed the recitations, because of its authority. "Like the time when the Buddhas were present" means like the living Buddha; that is the meaning. In phrases like "one's own proponent speaks taking the Sutta," whoever is accustomed to speaking having taken the true meaning, he is one's own proponent. "The Sutta" means the Pāḷi word that has ascended into the three recitations. "The other proponent" means whether he be a resident of the Mahāvihāra or a resident of another sect, whoever is accustomed to speaking having taken the meaning in a contrary way, he alone is called "the other proponent" here. "In accordance with the Sutta" means that which has ascended into the three recitations. whether included or not included, whatever, shown as "this has come from the three recitations" by distortion or by deception, that is suttānuloma (conformity to the suttas). Some say, "suttānuloma is in other nikāyas," that is not proper, because for both one's own school and other schools, only suttas, etc., included in the three recitations are to be taken. For thus it will be said: "That which is included in the three recitations, is known to have come from the Pāḷi, it should be taken," and so on. For one's own school does not take suttas, etc., from other nikāyas as authority, so that in those suttas, etc., shown, one should abide there. And it will be said: "The other party shows many reasons and decisions from the suttas, proving its unsuitability... ...having accepted 'good,' one should stand by the unsuitable." (Pārā. Aṭṭha. 1.45) Therefore, even by the other party, that which is not included in the three recitations is shown as indeed not included. The only difference is the spuriousness of that particular sutta, etc., which has not come into the three recitations, and the misinterpretation of the meaning of what has come, by the shadow of the words. And there, what is spurious, that is removed. What is otherwise interpreted, for the purpose of showing its opposite nature, a comparison is made with other suttas, etc. But if the meaning taken by the other party conforms with the suttantas, etc., then even by one's own school, having abandoned one's own view, it should be taken. Thus it should be understood that for both, only suttas, etc., included in the three recitations are the authority. For that very reason, in the Kathāvatthu treatise, five hundred suttas in one's own school, and five hundred in the other school, (Dhammasaṅgaṇī Aṭṭhakathā, Nidānakathā; Kathāvatthu Aṭṭhakathā, Nidānakathā) even a thousand suttas, by the diversity of understanding the meaning, were taken as only having come from the three recitations, and nothing from another nikāya. "They reject" means abandoning with "What is this for?" "They blame" means censuring with "What does this fool know?" "It should be brought into a sutta" means: into that sutta, or into any other similar sutta, by conformity to which sutta one made this suttānuloma, the suttānuloma taken by oneself should be brought in by way of conforming in meaning. to be kept in mind, "for this and that reason it corresponds in this Sutta," having made it correspond, it should be shown, this is the meaning. "Ayaṃ" means one's own school. "Paro" means another's school. "The teacher's doctrine should be brought into the Sutta" means that in the Sutta whose commentary this teacher's doctrine concerns, and in any other such Sutta, it should be brought in by way of corresponding the earlier and later meanings. "Reprehensible teacher's doctrine" means one written carelessly, or established by those of divergent views; this method applies everywhere. To show that "any false Sutta, or external Sutta, or similar statement should not be accepted," it is said, "the Sutta should be brought into conformity with the Sutta," and so on. "Guḷhavessantara" and the like are treatises of the Mahāsaṅghikas and other divergent sects. The word "ādi" (and so on) includes "Guḷhaummaggā" and the like. "One's own school takes the Sutta and speaks, and another's school also takes the Sutta," and so on; other points of contention can be understood by the method stated, so they are not mentioned here. Thus, having generally shown the dispute by means of the Sutta, conformity with the Sutta, and so on, now, to show the specific point of dispute and its determination, and the Suttas and so on, it is said, "But this is allowable," and so on. In "in the Sutta and in conformity with the Sutta," the word "ca" (and) has the meaning of alternative, thereby including the teacher's doctrine and so on; therefore it says, "it shows the reason and the determination." There, "reason" is a cause extracted by one's own opinion, relying on the method of the Sutta and so on. "Determination" is the determination of the commentary. "Shadow of a reason" is a difficult-to-achieve, unclear reason that serves as a sign for the acceptance of "allowable" and "unallowable" in the Suttas and so on; it means a semblance of a reason. The explanation of "having reached the Vinaya" is "having come to the consideration of what is allowable and unallowable." "Should be restrained" means the act of transgression with the perception of "allowable" should be restrained; the mind that prevents it should be made stronger. "The stream should be cut off" means the occurrence of transgression there should be cut off. "In the state of gravity" means in the state of being unallowable. "By Sutta determinations and reasons" means by the Sutta, by the commentary. And by reasons obtained through investigation. "Thus" and so on are concluding words for the meaning stated as above. "Additional reason" means the former, former in the suttas and so on, is an additional reason, or a manifold reason. "Gone by speech" means risen by speech, meaning, continuously present there. Since it is said "Sutta means the entire Vinaya Piṭaka," "sutta" again here refers to the Pāli words of Sutta and Abhidhamma that convey its meaning. "By secondary explanation" means the elucidation of this, from questioning and from the commentaries. Therein, "questioning" is hearing the meaning of the Pāli from the teacher. "Commentary" is a determination beyond the Pāli. Indeed, both of these are called "secondary explanation" because they follow the Pāli and explain the meaning. "In the Vinaya" means in Vinaya conduct; therefore it will be said: "not abandoning the Vinaya, not transgressing," and so on. Therein, "establishment" means not intentionally committing an offense, and so on. Therefore it is said: "established by being conscientious," meaning, he is conscientious. When the characteristics of a Vinaya-holder are to be stated, "What is this conscientious state for?" he says, "For indeed, the shameless," and so on. Therein, "even if very learned" shows the possession of the first characteristic. By "due to valuing gain," and so on, it shows that if there is no establishment in the Vinaya, the connection with the first characteristic is not effective, but rather ineffective and indeed harmful. The preliminary stage of a schism in the Saṅgha is quarrel, a rift in the Saṅgha. "He spreads" means he expands, or he cannot settle down, therefore it is said: "whatever, whatever," and so on. "Teacher tradition" means the tradition of teachers' determinations. Therefore it will be said: "abandoning one's own opinion... ...it is proper to know just as the teacher and the teacher's teacher speak of the Pāli and the questioning." For there is no purpose in knowing the tradition merely by the names of the teachers. "Connected by prior and subsequent" means from knowing the connection of meaning of the prior statement with the subsequent statement. "By meaning" means from the meaning of words, the collective meaning, the intended meaning, and so on. "By reason" means from the establishment of that meaning. "Theravādaṅga" means the Theravāda tradition, the method of their decisions, this is the meaning. Here, "by these three characteristics," by the first characteristic, the thorough mastery of the Vinaya is stated. By the second, its establishment through modesty and steadfastness. By the third, the ability to decide even what is not mentioned in the Pāḷi and commentaries, in accordance with them, by the method given by the teachers. "When a matter has arisen," when a matter of transgression has arisen in the assembly by way of accusation. "What is to be said by the accuser and the accused," this means, when a matter has arisen, what is to be said by the accuser, saying "I saw, I heard," and so on, and by the accused, saying "it is, it is not," and so on, when that has been said. "Of the five offenses" is said because thullaccaya and dubbhāsita are not included in the mātikā. "Tikadukkaṭa" refers to the tikadukkaṭa mentioned as "if one, not fully ordained, thinks one is fully ordained, and grumbles or complains, there is an offense of dukkaṭa," and so on. "Or any other offense" refers to the dukadukkaṭa such as "if one, at the right time, thinks it is the wrong time, there is an offense of dukkaṭa;