English
Two verses were spoken. In the commentary, however, it is said: “Now, to describe those terms of syllables and terms of meaning, which are called ‘sutta’ as ‘twelve terms,’ he said ‘letter, word,’ etc.” (Netti. Aṭṭha. 23). Among these, by what meaning is it a letter? By the meaning of not decaying, by the meaning of not moving. For a letter like ‘a’ does not decay, does not move, does not transfer from ‘a’ to ‘i’ and so on. Therefore, it is said in the commentary: “A letter is a sound in an unfinished word, by way of not decaying, not moving” (Netti. Aṭṭha. 23). And by “in an unfinished word,” it means that in words of two, three, or four letters that have not yet reached the state of being an inflected word, only one, two, or three letters are called a letter; when it is a finished word, it is a word itself, not a letter—this is the intention. A word, however, by entering into meaning, is as if moving by way of change, but a letter like ‘a’ is not so, being non-derivative. Or, in phrases like “Do not think thus,” single-letter words like ‘mā’ are called letters, but an inflected word is just a word. That by which meaning arises is a word. It is fourfold, by the divisions of noun, verb, prefix, and particle. Among these, a noun-word is that where substance is primary, such as “contact, feeling, consciousness.” For in these, the substance is manifest, the action is unmanifest. A verb-word is that where action is primary, such as “contacts, feels, knows.” For in these, actions like contacting are manifest, the substance is unmanifest. A prefix-word is that which is the cause of understanding a special action, such as ‘pa,’ ‘upa,’ ‘iti,’ and so on. For in phrases like “long-departed” (Dhp. 219) and “dwelt near” (A. Ni. 3.71; Su. Ni. 405), the words ‘pa,’ ‘upa,’ etc. they show the distinction of separation and so on from the act of dwelling and so on. The meaning of the word, however, should be understood as the prefix, having approached the two parts of the noun and verb, joins the meaning of those two parts. Since the particle word like "thus, so" and so on, which is the cause for revealing the specific nature of the action and of the substance, is also desired in its explanation, how is it grasped by letters? Because a special arrangement is made for those who hear by the letters that are heard, the understanding of the word's meaning occurs at the end of the word. Therefore, it should be known that the aspect of meaning is also grasped by letters. Thus it is said: "It hints by letters, it clarifies by words, it reveals by letters and by words." Elucidation is expansion. Division and making clear and designation is division-making clear-designation, this is a dvandva compound in the sense of a collection. There, making distinctions is called division. The aspect of meaning which is indicated by the aspect of expressions, that aspect of meaning is indicated by the two meaning-words: elucidation and division. Making manifest is called making clear. Making known by ways is designation. The aspect of meaning which exists, being revealed by the expression-words called linguistic indication, that aspect of meaning is indicated by making clear and designation. By these six meaning-words like hinting and so on, the meaning, the meaning of the Sutta, is grasped, and the action, the action of revealing and so on, is indicated, that is the meaning. By which meaning of the Sutta there would be the arising of the action of revealing, which is the act of awakening the mind-continuum of one who is quick to understand, that meaning of the Sutta is of the nature of hinting and clarifying. By which meaning of the Sutta there would be the arising of the action of elaborating, which is the act of awakening the mind-continuum of one who understands after elaboration, that meaning of the Sutta is of the nature of elucidation and division. By which meaning of the Sutta there would be the arising of the action of guiding, which is the act of awakening the mind-continuum of one who needs guidance, that meaning of the Sutta is of the nature of making clear and designation, so it should be understood. Therefore, the commentator said: that ‘‘the awakening of the mind-streams of those to be disciplined, such as the instantly enlightened, occurs through the exposition of the meaning of the discourse, and that meaning of the discourse is of the nature of elucidation, etc.’’ (Netti. Aṭṭha. 24). Since it is to be asked: ‘‘Is there any meaning that is not connected with the three modes of meaning and the six categories of meaning as stated, or is all meaning connected?’’ – 25. ‘‘Three modes, complete, And six categories of meaning are counted. By nine terms, the meaning Of the Buddha’s word is connected.’’ – He spoke this verse. Here, ‘‘tīṇi’’ is an indication of gender reversal, while ‘‘tayo’’ should be stated as the natural gender indication. The three modes of meaning are counted as complete, and the six categories of meaning are also counted as complete and specified. The connection should be made that all meaning of the Buddha’s word is connected by these specified categories of meaning, and there is no meaning that is not connected. ‘‘Atthassa’’ means of the meaning of the discourse. ‘‘Nayā’’ means the modes of meaning of the Netti. ‘‘Padāni’’ means the categories of meaning of the Netti. 26. To facilitate the grasping of the meaning of the terms in the Netti treatise by enumerating and defining the specified hāras and so forth, he states ‘‘atthassā’’ and so on. Here, the nine categories of meaning, which are constituent parts of the collection of meaning, become twenty-four categories of expression through the enumeration of the explanation, which is called the search for the meaning of the discourse’s expression. When both the categories of meaning and categories of expression are summarized and combined, there are thirty-three, meaning that the Netti is of these thirty-three kinds. Here, the nine terms are the three modes of meaning and the six categories of meaning. The twenty-four are the sixteen hāras, the six categories of expression, and the two modes of directional analysis and the goad mode. Thus, the Netti is of these thirty-three kinds, and it should be understood that there is no other meaning of the Netti’s terms apart from these. ‘‘How, among the hāras and modes of this Netti of thirty-three terms, is the exposition hāra and the analysis hāra?’’ and so on, is established by the order of exposition itself. Even when thus established, "Sixteen modes first" This beginning shows this meaning: "All these modes and methods are to be explained in the discourses where they are to be explained, in the manner shown here, and not in reverse order." It makes known in accordance with the words of explanation. Therefore, this order is shown. The gratification, danger, and escape are the foundations of the teaching. The fruit is the fruit of the teaching. The means is the means of the teaching. The command is the body of the teaching. Because the teaching mode is of the nature of revealing these gratifications, dangers, escapes, fruits, means, and commands. Even without specific determination, it is naturally well understood that it is appropriate in all discourses to be explained. And because the teaching mode is the foundation for special explanations like the investigation mode, the teaching mode is shown first. Because the investigation mode is the investigation of the meanings of the teaching mode, such as gratification, along with questioning of words, answering questions, and chanting of words, the investigation mode comes after the teaching mode. Because the justification mode is the consideration of the right and wrong of the meanings investigated by the investigation mode, the justification mode comes after the investigation mode. Because the word-basis mode is the determination of the right and wrong meanings in accordance with their arising through a sequence of reasons, the word-basis mode comes after the justification mode. Because the characteristic mode is the characteristic of grasping even unstated phenomena that are of the same characteristic as those right and wrong phenomena that are grasped by a sequence of reasons, the characteristic mode comes after the word-basis mode. To show that the definitions and so on are to be stated for phenomena determined by the characteristic mode from meaning and from other discourses, and not only for phenomena that appear in the discourse itself, the fourfold mode comes after the characteristic mode. For in this way, there is a complete understanding of the meaning. When the meanings of the words in the discourse, along with the definitions, intentions, and origins stated by the fourfold mode, are shown in the context of the comparison with other discourses, which is called the consideration of earlier and later, then the turning over of similar and dissimilar phenomena among those meanings of the discourse words can easily be shown. Therefore, after the fourfold mode, the turning over mode. The Turning Mode. For it is a means of turning over similar and dissimilar phenomena within the Suttanta, and thus, in the Suttanta, the negligence that turns over is shown to be the root of non-application to the exertion, concentration, and wisdom faculties, which are determined by the beginning, going forth, and the burden of the Buddha's dispensation, as in the verse "Begin, go forth" (Saṃ. Ni. 1.185; Netti. 29; Peṭako. 38). After the Turning Mode, the Distinguishing Mode follows, because with the Turning Mode, by turning over similar and dissimilar phenomena, the distinction of defilement and purification phenomena can be easily established from their basis and ground, whether common or uncommon. After the Distinguishing Mode, the Reversing Mode follows, for when the defilement and purification phenomena are distinguished by the Distinguishing Mode,