English
Thus, all the Buddha's qualities, beautiful in their beginning, middle, and end, are shown, because they are shown by way of this method. This indeed is the method for showing all the Buddha's qualities completely, namely, grasping this method; otherwise, who could possibly describe the qualities of the Blessed One completely, word by word? Therefore it is said: "Even a Buddha might describe the praise of a Buddha, for an eon, speaking of nothing else; The eon would come to an end, long and drawn out, but the praise of the Tathāgata would not come to an end." And for this reason, even by the venerable Elder Sāriputta, when questioned about defining the Buddha's qualities, it was rejected with "No, venerable sir," and then said, "But venerable sir, the sequence of the Dhamma is known to me." Thus, briefly, the Blessed One is praised with all the qualities of omniscience. Having explained, now to praise the True Dhamma, it says "endowed with knowledge and conduct," and so on. There, "being endowed with knowledge and conduct" is the remainder of the phrase. Knowledge is that which finds the specific characteristics and general characteristics of phenomena, or knowledge is that which pierces the aggregates of greed and so on, or knowledge is that which makes known the four Noble Truths; thus, knowledge should be understood here from the meaning of the word. In terms of classification, the three knowledges are indeed knowledge, as stated in the Bhayabherava Sutta, and the eight knowledges are indeed knowledge, as stated in the Ambaṭṭha Sutta and others. That by which one conducts oneself are the conducts, the fifteen qualities such as moral restraint and so on. Thus, with these knowledges, and with these conducts, one is endowed, one is possessed, thus "endowed with knowledge and conduct." "By which" means by which phenomenon, as an instrument, and as a cause. There, the instrumental meaning of the path-phenomenon should be understood because it is most effective in the act of leading out. The causal meaning of the Nibbāna-phenomenon is due to its being an object-condition. Indeed, this causal meaning is a conditional meaning. The causal meaning is also fitting for the study-Dhamma, due to its being a cause in succession. In the fruit-Dhamma, however, both are possible. How? By the saying, "By that faith, not subsided," due to the task of calming and abandoning defilements eradicated by the path, the fruit is conducive to leading out, and is the culmination of leading out; by this method, there may be an instrumental meaning for the act of leading out. However, due to being a decisive support condition for the path of once-returner, insight, and so on, there may be a causal meaning. And having done so, even though the fruit-Dhamma and study-Dhamma are not taken as primary in the Aggappasāda Sutta and others as the highest, they are taken as a refuge in the Chattamāṇavaka Vimāna and others; thus, their refuge-nature, like that of the path and Nibbāna, is extracted in the Great Commentary. Especially here, the qualities of knowledge and conduct that are included in the path should be understood. For these are directly most effective for the act of leading out, not the others. But for the others, the purpose of leading out... the means of escape. If so, why is it said, “having become endowed with knowledge and conduct”? For the attainment of the said knowledge and conduct occurs at the very moment of escape. This is no contradiction, as simultaneity is intended, just as in “dependent on the eye and forms, eye-consciousness arises.” Or, the present tense meaning of the word “endowed” should be understood, like the word “arisen” in “arisen phenomena.” And having done so, the word-construction is complete without the need for additional words. And the word “by which” should be connected to both: “by which Dhamma one is endowed with knowledge and conduct, by which Dhamma they escape.” From the world: from the world of aggregates and so on, meaning from the cycle of existence. That Dhamma, which is of the nature of path, Nibbāna, fruit, and scripture. Supreme: excellent. For it is called “unexcelled” due to the absence of anything higher than itself. Here, the excellence of the path should be understood as being the cause of escape, and so on; of Nibbāna, as being release, seclusion, and so on; and of the fruit, as being the state of the noble ones, and so on. This meaning should be elaborated in accordance with such suttas as: “As far as conditioned phenomena go, monks, the Noble Eightfold Path is declared to be the foremost.” Dhamma: that which holds those who practice as instructed from falling into the lower realms and into transmigration, thus it is Dhamma. Perfectly, and by himself, having awakened to all phenomena, the Perfectly Self-Awakened One, the Buddha, the Lord with omniscient and unobstructed knowledge, with all-seeing eye. Just as all the qualities of a Buddha are attained by the very attainment of perfect self-awakening, so too, by perfect cultivation, by development, by making it abundant, by perfect practice, by perfect contemplation, by diligent teaching of the Dhamma, by establishing it in the minds of those to be trained— “Monks, I shall teach you the noble perfect concentration. The path The eightfold path is the best. Whatever things there are, monks, conditioned or unconditioned, dispassion is declared the highest of them. This is the one-way path, monks, for the purification of beings. I shall teach you the Dhamma, monks, beautiful in the beginning. Honored, praised, revered, respected by these initial words, the Dhamma honored by the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One— I pay homage to that Dhamma honored by the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One. Here is the brief meaning: I pay homage to, I praise, that supreme and excellent Dhamma by the attainment of which beings become endowed with knowledge and endowed with conduct, and are liberated from all suffering of the round of existence. That Dhamma, the cause for the complete endowment of all noble qualities, the cause for liberation from all suffering without remainder, the ninefold supramundane Dhamma, together with the Dhamma of study, honored by the Blessed One himself through the method of right practice and so forth— I pay homage to it, I praise it. And here, by the two phrases, “by which they are liberated from the world,” and “they become endowed with knowledge and conduct,” are stated respectively the Dhamma's nature of being developed and its nature of being realized. By the first of these, he praises the Dhamma by the attainment of knowledge; by the second, by the attainment of liberation. Similarly, by the first, by the accomplishment of jhāna; by the second, by the accomplishment of release. Or, by the first, by the accomplishment of concentration; by the second, by the accomplishment of attainments. Or, by the first, by the nature of the knowledge of destruction; by the second, by the nature of the knowledge of non-arising. Or again, by the former, by its lightning-like nature; by the latter, by its diamond-like nature. Or, by the former, by the attainment of dispassion; by the latter, by the attainment of cessation. Similarly, by the first, by its nature of leading out; by the second, by its nature of escape. Or, by the first, by its nature as a cause; by the second, by its unconditioned nature. Or, by the first, by its nature of vision; by the second, by its nature of seclusion. Or, by the first, by its nature of supremacy; by the second, by its deathless nature— he praises the Dhamma. Or again, By the eighth, showing its nature of leading out, he praises the Dhamma for being well-proclaimed. By the second, for its nature of being realizable, for being visible here and now. Similarly, by the former, for being timeless. By the latter, for inviting one to come and see. Or, by the former, for leading inwards. By the latter, for being knowable by each wise person for themselves, he praises the Dhamma. And by this "Supreme," by showing the absence of anything more excellent, he praises the Dhamma for its completeness. By this "honored by the Perfectly Enlightened One," for its purity. Indeed, its venerability is due to the removal of all defilements. And by its purity is its perfection of abandonment. By its completeness is its perfection of origination. And by the perfection of abandonment is the full development of cultivation, due to the complete eradication of all defilements. By the perfection of origination is the realization, because there is nothing further to be done. Indeed, it is supreme because it is not shared by others. Thus, by its nature of being cultivated, together with preliminary virtues and so on, the training aggregates of virtue, concentration, and wisdom, and by its nature of being realized, together with the unconditioned element, the non-training aggregates of virtue, concentration, and wisdom are shown. Having thus briefly praised the True Dhamma with all its qualities, now, to praise the Noble Sangha, "endowed with virtues, etc." and so on is said. There, "endowed with virtues, etc." means endowed with, possessed of, the qualities of virtue, concentration, wisdom, liberation, and so on, or having perfected virtues, etc. Indeed, the noble ones' extremely pure virtues, etc., whose adversaries (defilements) have been destroyed by the abandonment of defilements that are to be abandoned by each path, are worthy of being called "perfected," not those of ordinary people, since the Noble Sangha is praised by "practicing well" and so on. Or, "endowed with virtues, etc." means having fully complete virtues, etc. Indeed, for noble individuals, with the penetration of the Noble Truths, the training and non-training aggregates of virtue, etc., attain completeness as appropriate. "Established in the paths and fruits" means established in the paths and in the fruits; that is, path-attainer and fruit-attainer.