English
“Pucchissaṃ” means I will ask those same seven sick persons. “Upaṭṭhissaṃ” means I will attend to those same sick persons. “Abhiramatīti abhirato” means delighted. “Na abhirato” means not delighted in the Dispensation by seeing disagreeable forms and so on. Or “abhirataṃ” means delight. “Natthi abhiratamassāti nābhirato” means one who has no delight, that one. “Sahadhammikesu yo nābhirato, taṃ vūpakāsessaṃ” means I will remove that one who is not delighted among the fellow Dhamma-practitioners, I will lead him elsewhere to remove distraction. “Kukkuccaṃ” means the Vinaya anxiety that has arisen in those five. In the sense of “kitakayoge,” it is the accusative by option. “Diṭṭhiṃ” means their wrong view. “Garukamādikaṃ” is the analysis: “garukaṃ ādi yassāti,” meaning that of which a serious matter is the beginning. By the word “ādi,” asking the novices about the Rains-retreat, training... Desire to undertake, actions like 'tajjanīya' are included. 'Vuṭṭhāna' means the monk's rising from a grave offense by giving 'parivāsa', 'mānatta', etc. 'Ussukka' means eagerness like asking about the rains. Here, in 'Evamādinā' (and so on), the word 'ādi' (etc.) includes the telling of Dhamma stories about views, etc. "May go" means that one who goes, while still within the boundary of the precinct, should make a resolve, "I will return within seven days," and then go. If one crosses the boundary without making such a resolve, they say the rains-residence is broken. "For a seven-day task" means a Sangha-act or other task, spoken of and to be spoken of, obtainable within seven days, is a seven-day task. Because it must be completed in the monastery by the dawn of the seventh day, the seven days are taken as a whole. 316. "Goes for a Sangha-act" means goes for a task to be done for the Sangha, in Uposatha halls, etc., or in dwellings, or at stupas, umbrella-stands, altars, etc., or even in individual dwellings. It should be connected thus: may go even if invited to hear the Dhamma, may go even if sent by elders, may go even to see elders. Here, regarding "invited," if an agreement has been made beforehand, "on such and such a day, we must assemble," then one is indeed invited. "By elders" means by teachers and preceptors. "Sent" means sent for purposes like washing robes. "To see" means even if not sick. 317. "For robes... etc. ... seeing, one should not go" should be connected. Here too, the seventh case is in the sense of purpose. 'Bhaṇḍa' means robes. 'Relatives' are others besides mother and father. 'Attendants' are lay followers. "I will return today" - one who is not far should not reach (the destination), "may obtain" is the connection. "May obtain" refers to the aforementioned act of not reaching. They say that if one goes to a nearby monastery and, while returning, dawn breaks on the way, there is no breaking of the rains-residence, nor is there a 'dukkata' offense for breaking the night. 318. "By other relatives" means by relatives remaining besides mother and father. "Having specified" means giving, hearing Dhamma, etc. Here, in "when sent, when dispatched," "l..." …should be understood as “rain.” 319. When there is an obstacle to oneself, that is, an obstacle to a thief, a snake, a coral, life, or the holy life; even if there is no medicine or suitable attendant. Some ancients say, “A reason for breaking the Rains Retreat might be a seven-day matter.” That seems appropriate. How could it not be a reason for not breaking the Rains Retreat, by staying inside the monastery after spending only seven days outside for a reason that allows one to stay outside, having broken the Rains Retreat in any way? The connection is: one who has broken the Rains Retreat does not invite. 320. Although the meaning is understood by “without a lodging,” the phrase “and in the open air” was said to prevent one from not staying, thinking, “I am an open-air dweller, what do I need with a lodging?” “In the hollow of a tree” means in a clean tree hollow. However, it is permissible to make a small hut with a plank roof inside a large hollow, attach an entrance door, and enter. “Having built a platform in the branches” and so on is as stated before. Similarly, in umbrellas and pots, it should be understood accordingly. A “chavakuṭi” is a hut of the type of a nailed bed and so on. A “nailed bed” is one made by piercing the long bed legs in the middle and inserting crossbars; a bed made by laying a stone on top of four stones is also a nailed bed. 321. “Without a lodging” means by one who does not have a lodging roofed with one of the five coverings: grass, leaves, bricks, stones, or plaster, and with a door attached. Some say this is said by making a distinction in speech and referring to the determination, but that is inappropriate, for if so, there should be a separate provision as in the case of boats and so on. “One who goes to a boat or caravan” indicates that it is permissible for one without a lodging to undertake the Rains Retreat in boats and so on. And there, if one finds a hut, one should enter it and say three times, “I undertake the Rains Retreat here,” because there is no monastery to stay in; if one does not find one, one should make a dwelling. And “to invite” (pavāretuñca) with the particle “ca” implies the absence of an offense that would be a reason for breaking the Rains Retreat. It summarizes. “In the case of a herd, a caravan, or a boat, in these three situations, there is no offense of breaking the rains-residence, and one is allowed to invite,” it is said in the Commentary (Mahāva. Aṭṭha. 203). And by “breaking the rains-residence” it should be understood that, because it is said, “I allow, bhikkhus, to go wherever the herd goes” (Mahāva. 203), and because a caravan and a boat are by nature moving, it refers to merely going elsewhere without staying in the place where one entered the rains-residence. The explanation of the section on entering the rains-residence is finished. 40. Explanation of the section on non-divisible items 322-5. “Parks...etc....earthenware” – these five should be connected as non-divisible. “Five” means five in terms of categories, such as “parks and park-grounds are one.” But in terms of their actual forms, these become twenty-five kinds by including leaves and grass. As it is said: “Two are of two collections, The third is of four collections; The fourth has nine divisions, The fifth has eight distinctions. “Thus, by these five categories, The Lord, with five pure eyes, Declared the twenty-five kinds Of weighty requisites.” (Cūḷava. Aṭṭha. 321) Therein, a park means a flower garden or a fruit orchard. Park-ground means the place where these are established, or the old land area after they have been destroyed. A monastery means any dwelling, such as a mansion. A metal pot means a pot made of black iron or copper. The same method applies to cauldrons and so on. Here, ‘bhāṇaka’ is called a large jar. ‘Vāraka’ is a pot. This is a masculine designation, referring to a category. “Non-divisible” means non-distributable in the sense of cutting off the root. However, in the sense of exchange, there is no offense for one who uses or disposes of it. And by the word “and” in “non-disposable,” it summarizes what is not stated, namely “and non-distributable.” 326-8. Because the first three categories are entirely weighty requisites, starting from the fourth category, in order to distinguish between weighty and non-weighty requisites, “creepers” and so on are introduced. Even a creeper half an arm’s length, and a bamboo eight finger-breadths long, and even a handful of grass, etc. And even one leaf, whether natural or five-colored, and clay even the size of a palm fruit, and lime even the size of a palm fruit, and kaṅguṭṭha (red arsenic) and so on, even the size of a palm fruit, whether given or born there, belonging to the Saṅgha, protected, are not to be divided. And ropes, yokes, etc., given to the Saṅgha, are not to be divided – this is the explanation. A bamboo, in circumference, should be taken as the size of a stylus handle. Grass, muñja grass, pabbaja grass, excluding what is included by 'etc.', any other remaining grass. A leaf, eight finger-breadths in size, an empty book, is indeed heavy property. 'Natural' means born naturally. 'Five-colored' means red, white, etc., five colors. Lime, kaṅguṭṭha, etc., are included by the term 'clay'. 'Kaṅguṭṭha, etc.' means by the word 'etc.', the inclusion of resin, lac, vermilion, etc. 'Given' means given to the Saṅgha. 'Born there' means born on Saṅgha land. 'Ropes, yokes, etc.' means ropes made of thread, makacivāka (a type of fiber), coconut fiber, leather, and yokes, etc. By the word 'etc.', single strands made by twisting makacivāka, etc., are included. By way of exception here, in the fourth category, others are to be divided – this should be understood. In Saṅgha work, or work for a cetiya, when finished, they are to be divided – this should be applied. 329. Among metal articles, suitable for monks, such as bowls, etc., and metal articles that are unfinished or not made, and a pādagaṇhaka (a measure) and a vāraka (a measure), are to be divided – this is the explanation. 'Bowls, etc.' means an iron bowl, an iron plate, a copper plate, an eye-salve stick, an ear-wax remover, a needle, a stylus, a small pipphalaka (a small metal object), a small ārakaṇḍaka (a small tool), a key, a lock, etc. 'Unfinished' means not completed. 'Not made' means not made at all. 'Pādagaṇhaka' means a pādagaṇhanaka in Sri Lanka. A pāda is a fourth part, five nāḷis of a Magadhan nāḷi. And this Magadhan nāḷi should be understood as less than five pasatas. Also a small pot and an oil vessel. A chisel with which, apart from cutting tooth-sticks or trimming sugarcane, no other major work can be done, this is to be divided. But a broomstick-digging tool is just the blade without a handle, which can be split. to be put into a bag and carried, this is shareable.