English
"He frequents secluded lodgings," and so on, he said. There, "secluded" means empty. "Seta" (lies down) and "āsati" (sits) are here, therefore it is "senāsanaṃ" (lodging), such as a couch, etc., and a monastery, etc. Hence, in its explanation, it is said, "couch, chair," and so on. Now, to show another division of it, "forest," and so on, is said. There, "forest," setting aside the Vinaya definition for the moment, is everything except the village and the vicinity of the village; and according to the Suttanta definition, the last five-hundred-bow-length area, with reference to a forest-dwelling bhikkhu, is called "forest"; but according to the Abhidhamma definition, everything outside the gate's boundary pillar is to be taken as "forest." For it is said, "Having gone out beyond the boundary pillar" (Vibha. 529). "Kandara" means "kaṃ," which is water; therefore, "daritaṃ" (split) by it, a mountainous region split by water, which they also call "nitumba" (slope) or "nadīkuñja" (river grove). For there, sitting in a forest thicket with a canopy of jewels in the cool shade, on a sandy bank like a sheet of silver, while the water flows like a trunk of jewels, and being fanned by the cool breeze, the mind of one practicing the ascetic life becomes concentrated. "Giriguha" (mountain cave) means the space between two mountains, or a large opening like a tunnel in one mountain. "Vanapattha" (forest thicket) means a place beyond the edge of the village, where people do not frequent, where they neither plow nor sow. Hence, in its explanation, it is said, "Vanapattha is a designation for remote lodgings," and so on. "Abbhokāsa" means uncovered. Here, if he wishes, he can build a hut for his robes and live there. "Palālapuñja" (heap of straw) means a pile of straw. For having pulled out straw from a large pile of straw, they make a dwelling like a cave in a cliff, and having thrown straw on top of trees, bushes, etc., they sit underneath, this is what is meant by this. In "appasadda," and so on, "appasaddaṃ" (little sound) because it is devoid of the sound of words. "Appanigghosaṃ" (little noise) because it is devoid of the noise of the city and the noise of birds and animals. "Vijanavātaṃ" (deserted of wind) because it is devoid of the bodily wind of people who travel around, It is also read as "vijanavāda". It means the inside of the dwelling is devoid of the sound of people. Because of the absence of secret activities of people, it is free from human secrets, and because the mind retreats from here and there and truly clings to the meditation subject, it is suitable for the cultivation of seclusion, which is called retreat. It is related that he frequents it. In "araññagatotiādi," except for the wilderness and the foot of a tree, all the remaining dwellings are included in the empty house. "Pallaṅkaṃābhujitvā" means having tied the legs cross-legged all around. "Ujuṃ kāyaṃ paṇidhāya" means having straightened the upper body, aligning the eighteen vertebrae of the spine point by point. For one sitting in this way, the skin, flesh, sinews, and bones do not bend, and because of their not bending, pains do not arise moment by moment, therefore the mind becomes concentrated, and the meditation subject grows. "Parimukhaṃ satiṃ upaṭṭhapetvā" means having established mindfulness facing the meditation subject, or having it near the face. Therefore, in its explanation, it is said, "This mindfulness is established, well-established, either at the tip of the nose or at the face-sign." Here, "face-sign" means the middle part of the upper lip, where the breath from the nose strikes. Or, "parīti means grasping, mukha means outlet, satīti means establishing, therefore it is called parimukhaṃ sati," in this way, the meaning should be understood here according to the method stated in the Paṭisambhidā. Here, the concise meaning is "having made mindfulness with a grasped outlet." In "Abhijjhaṃloketiādi," abhijjhā means greed, because it intensely contemplates. Loka means the world in the sense of breaking and decaying, the five aggregates subject to clinging. Here, it means having suppressed desire for sensual pleasures. It means with greed dispelled only by way of suppression, not like eye-consciousness and so on. Cetasā means with the mind, it means he dwells in such a state. Abhijjhāyāti means from greed. "Cittaṃ parisodheti" means as. Having released it, he does not take it again; this is the meaning of "thus he frees himself." "Ill will" is that by which the mind abandons its natural state, like rotten gourds and the like. It is corrupted by the state of distortion, or it corrupts or destroys another; "resentment" is also a synonym for anger. And since this is taught in relation to all meditation subjects in general, instead of saying "compassionate to the welfare of all living beings" in terms of loving-kindness, only "with a mind free from ill will" is said. "Sloth" is the illness of the mind, "torpor" is the illness of mental factors. "Perceiving light" means being endowed with the perception of light seen both at night and during the day; but because mindfulness and clear comprehension are especially desired for dispelling sloth and torpor by means of that perception of light, he says "mindful and clearly comprehending." "Undistracted" means unscattered, and likewise with a mind calmed internally. "Having overcome doubt" means standing having transcended doubt. "Without perplexity about skillful qualities" means being devoid of doubt, known as perplexity, which arises in relation to blameless qualities, thinking "how are these, how are these?" Thus, having shown the abandonment of the five hindrances, now, since jhāna does not arise for one who has not abandoned the hindrances—for a mind scattered with various objects by sensual desire and the like is not concentrated on a single object, nor does it proceed to transcend the realm of sensual desire—therefore "having abandoned these five hindrances" and so on is said. There, "he" means one who, established in the qualities of virtue and the like as stated above, having gone to a suitable secluded dwelling such as a forest, strives for the attainment of the first jhāna with a continuous effort free from sloth and agitation, having generated access jhāna by means of a meditation subject suitable to his own disposition, he is "he." "Defilements of the mind" means things that make the mind unradiant. "Weakening of wisdom" means that since these hindrances, when arising, do not allow mundane or supramundane wisdom that has not arisen to arise, but, for mundane attainments of the eight absorptions or for the superknowledges, they cut off the root, They fall away, therefore they are called "weakening of wisdom." In "quite secluded from sensual pleasures," sensual pleasures mean object-sensual pleasures and defilement-sensual pleasures. "Quite secluded" means having secluded, being without, having departed. Here, the particle "eva" with its restrictive meaning shows that the first jhāna is attained only by abandoning sensual pleasures, which are the opponents of jhāna, just as a lamp is lit only by abandoning darkness. And this particle "eva" should be brought to the following phrase and connected as "quite secluded from unwholesome states." For it is not possible to attain and abide in jhāna without being secluded from other unwholesome states, namely the hindrances. However, in both phrases, by "secluded," all kinds of seclusion are meant here, except for the seclusion of abandonment and the seclusion of escape, such as bodily seclusion and momentary seclusion. For by the statement of seclusion from object-sensual pleasures, bodily seclusion is stated; by the statement of seclusion from defilement-sensual pleasures and remaining unwholesome states, mental seclusion and seclusion by suppression are stated. The supramundane jhāna should also be seen as included. Thus, by these two phrases, the suppression of the sensual desire hindrance and the remaining hindrances is stated respectively. Similarly, it should be applied appropriately to the floods and so on. Having shown the abandoning factors of the first jhāna so far, now, to show the associated factors, "accompanied by applied thought and sustained thought" and so on is stated. There, that jhāna is called "accompanied by applied thought and sustained thought" because it exists together with applied thought and sustained thought, like a tree with a flower and a fruit. In "born of seclusion," vivitti is seclusion, meaning the removal of hindrances. Or vivitta is seclusion, meaning the aggregate of jhāna-associated states secluded from hindrances, therefore, born of seclusion, or born in that seclusion. In "joy and pleasure," joy is the pervading joy that has reached access concentration, and pleasure is that which is associated with it, thus, this joy and this pleasure belong to that jhāna, or exist in it, therefore this jhāna is called "joy and pleasure." Or joy and pleasure are joy-pleasure. Yes, it has joy and happiness born of seclusion. Yes, there is joy and happiness born of seclusion in this. Thus, although it should be said as "vivekajapītisukha" in a single word, it is also proper to say "vivekajaṃ pītisukha" by making it an augment with the inclusion of the Niggahīta. Just as jhāna is seclusion, so too are joy and happiness. "First jhāna" means first in the order of enumeration, and also first in the order of arising. Jhāna is so called because of contemplating an object, or because of burning away opposing factors. In this way, the meaning should be understood in the subsequent "second jhāna" and so on. "Having attained, he dwells" means having attained the first jhāna, which is free from the five hindrances, endowed with the five factors, of threefold excellence, and complete with the ten characteristics, he lives with a mode of conduct befitting it.