English
and swift comprehension; being able to suppress defilements with difficulty. Because it should be asked, "Why does one proceed thus?" It is said, "What is the reason there?" and so on. It asks what is the reason by which one proceeds. Since for that person of craving, sensual pleasures are not easily abandoned, therefore, due to the difficult abandonment of sensual pleasures, one proceeds thus. That person of craving, when separated from sensual pleasures— sensual objects and defiling sensual pleasures— withdraws with difficulty, and comprehends the Dhamma, the Dhamma of the Four Noble Truths, slowly. But this person who is of speculative views, this person of speculative views is from the very beginning disinterested in sensual pleasures— defiling sensual pleasures and sensual objects. That person of speculative views, when separated from those sensual pleasures, withdraws swiftly and with ease, and comprehends the Dhamma swiftly. Because it should be said, "A person of craving proceeds with painful practice and slow comprehension; a person of speculative views proceeds with pleasant practice and swift comprehension," implying only one path for each, it is said, "Painful practice is also twofold: slow comprehension and swift comprehension; and pleasant practice is also twofold: slow comprehension and swift comprehension." Because it should be said, "If so, it follows that one person proceeds by two practices each," it is said, "beings also," and so on. A person of craving Those beings, seven in number, are of two kinds: those with dull faculties, and those with keen faculties. Beings whose conduct is based on views, seven in number, are also of two kinds: those with dull faculties, and those with keen faculties— this is how the connection should be made. Those whose conduct is based on craving and views, who have dull faculties, they, whose conduct is based on craving and views, are slow to escape, and slow to understand the Dhamma. Those whose conduct is based on craving and views, who have keen faculties, they, whose conduct is based on craving and views, are quick to escape, and quick to understand the Dhamma. Therefore, for each one, a suitable path is appropriate. Because it is said, "They escape by these paths, not 'they escaped' or 'they will escape'," referring to the present tense, it is stated, "These four," and so on. The meaning to be understood is that in the past too, they escaped by these four paths, in the present too, they escape, and in the future too, they will escape, just as "the mountain stands." Thus, in the manner stated. Noble individuals declare the fourfold path as the way. Because it is asked, "For what purpose do they declare it?" it is stated, "For the sake of those unawakened," and so on. This is called the ground of the Nandiyāvaṭṭa method, where the two directions and four causal connections are shown in the defilement aspect, due to craving and ignorance, and also the two directions and four causal connections are shown in the purification aspect, due to serenity and insight. This fourfold causal connection is the ground for the arising of the Nandiyāvaṭṭa method, the state of its arising. Because it is asked, "By whom should the arising of the Nandiyāvaṭṭa method, with such a fourfold causal connection, be believed?" it is stated, "Therefore he said," and so on. 82. The ground for the arising of the Nandiyāvaṭṭa method has been shown. Because it is asked, "Where, and which direction of that Nandiyāvaṭṭa method, and by how much, should it be examined?" it is stated, "Indeed, in the expositions," and so on. The word "hi" (indeed) has the meaning of an alternative. Those dhammas, such as nutriment, which are directions, are called "wholesome and unwholesome" in the expositions. Those dhammas, such as nutriment, which are directions, are of two kinds: by which "these unwholesome states are defiling states, these wholesome states are purifying states" should be examined and revealed in two ways. Because it is asked: "By which two ways?" it is said: "Following the worldly cycle, and following the worldly un-cycle." Because it is asked: "What is the cycle? What is the un-cycle?" it is said: "The cycle is saṃsāra, the un-cycle is nibbāna." Because it is asked: "What is the cause of saṃsāra?" it is said: "Kamma and defilements are the cause of saṃsāra." Because it is asked: "What is kamma? Is kamma merely volition? Or is kamma also mental factors, capable or incapable of yielding results?" "There, kamma" and so on is said. "There" means among those kamma and defilements. If one should say: "How, in what manner, should that kamma be seen?" that kamma should be seen in the accumulation by which it becomes capable of yielding results. If one should ask: "By which states should those defilements be indicated?" all defilements should be indicated by the four perversions. If one should ask: "Where should those defilements be seen?" those defilements should be seen in the ten-based heap of defilements. If one should ask: "What are the ten bases?" the four nutriments, the four perversions, the four clingings, the four bonds, the four knots, the four taints, the four floods, the four darts, the four stations of consciousness, the four wrong courses of action — these are to be known as the ten bases, due to the unity of their function in fours. And here, the condition for defilements, whether it be sensual desire for objects or defilement itself, becomes a basis for defilement, because earlier defilements are conditions for later defilements. Because it is asked: "Which is which, of which and which basis?" "In the first nutriment" and so on is said. In the first nutriment to be clung to, which is physical food, the first perversion, "form is beautiful," arises by way of making it an object. In the second nutriment to be clung to, which is contact, the second... where the perversion, "feeling due to contact is pleasant," arises. When the third nutriment, consciousness, is taken as object, the third perversion, "consciousness is permanent," arises. When the fourth nutriment, mental volition, is taken as object, the perversion, "phenomena are self," arises by way of making it an object. When the first nutriment, form, is taken as object, the perversion, "form is beautiful," arises by way of making it the object of the first clinging to sensual pleasures. In the remaining cases too, the meaning should be understood by connecting them according to the appropriate method. 83. Because it is to be said, "Among these nutriments, which is a defilement for which person?", "And there, which..." and so on, was stated. "There" means among those nutriments, or among those of craving-nature and view-nature. For one of craving-nature, because intense desire and lust arise for form and feeling, the nutriment of edible food and the nutriment of contact that arise, these nutriments of edible food and contact become defilements for the person of craving-nature. For one of view-nature, because strong adherence to self and permanence arises for phenomena and consciousness, the nutriment of mental volition and the nutriment of consciousness that arise, these nutriments of mental volition and consciousness become defilements for the person of view-nature. In "And there, that which is beautiful in the unbeautiful," and so on, the meaning should also be understood according to the stated method. Because the former two are predominant in craving and are of the nature of craving, and the latter two are predominant in views and are of the nature of views. 84. Because it is to be asked, "In which of the first and so on nutriments does which of the first and so on perversion arise?", by specifying by name, "There, in edible food," and so on, it shows the meaning already stated earlier. Because it is to be asked, "Standing in which perversion does one cling to which?", "Standing in the first perversion," and so on, was stated. The person standing in the first perversion clings to sensual pleasures with whatever clinging, this clinging is called "clinging to sensual pleasures." In the remaining cases, the connection should be made in this way. with which a person is bound by craving for sensual pleasures, this phenomenon of craving for sensual pleasures is called ‘the yoke of sensual pleasures’,” and so on, the connection should be made. For the rest, the meanings and connections are clear from the Pāli text and the commentary. 85. Since it should be asked, “Among the nutriments and so on, which are which directions?” it is said, “Among them, these are the four directions.” Among those ten tetrads, such as the tetrad of nutriments, the first, the first, such as physical nutriment, is the first direction; the second, the second, such as contact nutriment, is the second direction; the third, the third, such as consciousness nutriment, is the third direction; the fourth, the fourth, such as mental volition nutriment, is the fourth direction. This should be understood. Since it should be asked, “Among those four directions, among those phenomena such as physical nutriment, which phenomena are defilements for which person?” to show that these phenomena, such as nutriments, are defilements for this person, it is said, “Among them, whatever is physical nutriment… …these are defilements for one of speculative character, who is arrogant.” In the commentary, however, it is said, “‘Physical nutriment is nutriment,’ and so on, is begun to show by distinguishing which nutriments and so on are defilements for which person.” Of the ten suttas means of the ten suttas which are a part of the whole. Meaning is the inherent nature of a phenomenon. Indeed, the meaning of the word is not the same. By “only the expression is different,” it shows the difference in the meaning of the word. Since it should be asked, “Among physical nutriment and so on, which nutriments and so on