English
white, pleasing, a great burden-bearer, enduring all dangers, unshaken even by the sound of a hundred thunderbolts, that nisabha is intended here as usabha. This too is a synonym for him. Belonging to the usabha is āsabha. Ṭhāna means the unshakable position of that nisabha, endowed with the strength of an usabha, pressing down on the earth with its four feet. But this is like āsabha, it is āsabha. Just as the usabha called nisabha, endowed with the strength of an usabha, stands in an unshakable position pressing down on the earth with its four feet, so too the Tathāgata, endowed with the ten powers, with the four confidence-feet, Having crushed the entire earth with its eight assemblies, And in the world with its deities, Unshakable by anyone, It stands on an immovable foundation, And it acknowledges and accepts this, Does not reject it, takes it upon itself, Therefore it is said, "Acknowledges the place of an excellent bull." In the eight assemblies. Roars the lion's roar, The excellent roar, the fearless roar, Or roars a roar like a lion's roar. This meaning should be explained by the Lion's Roar Sutta. Just as a lion is called "lion" Because of its endurance and its striking, So too, the Tathagata is called "lion" Because of his endurance of worldly conditions, And his striking down of others' doctrines, He roars its roar. In "The Wheel of Brahma" and so on, "Brahma" means excellent, pure. But the word "wheel" is seen in these instances: "These four wheels, monks, With which gods and humans are endowed," In the sense of prosperity. "Wheels were born on the soles of his feet," In the sense of a mark. "As the wheel follows the ox that draws," Here, in the sense of a chariot wheel. "Four wheels, nine doors," Here, in the sense of deportment. "May he set in motion the wheel for all beings," Here, in the sense of giving. "A divine wheel-jewel appeared," Here, in the sense of a jewel-wheel. "For the man overcome by desire, The wheel spins on his head," Here, in the sense of the chest. "Even with a wheel with a razor-sharp edge," Here, in the sense of a weapon-wheel. "Thunderbolt wheel," Here, in the sense of a circle of lightning. "The wheel set in motion by me," Here, in the sense of the Dhamma-wheel. But here, it is the Dhamma-wheel that is set in motion. And the Dhamma-wheel is of two kinds: The knowledge of penetration and the knowledge of teaching. Therein, the supramundane knowledge of penetration, Developed by wisdom, bringing noble fruits to oneself, And the knowledge of teaching, Developed by compassion, bringing noble fruits to disciples, Both of these are un- It is the common foundation, the original knowledge of the Buddhas. That is, he causes it to proceed, produces it, distinguishes it, and makes it extensive. Now, to expand on the ten knowledges initially stated as "the powers of the Tathāgata," he begins with "What are the ten? Here, the Tathāgata," and so on. There, ṭhānañca ṭhānatoti means the cause and from the cause. For the cause is called ṭhāna because the result stands there, arises, proceeds, and exists dependent on it. Aṭṭhānañca aṭṭhānatoti means the non-cause and from the non-cause. Yampīti, by whatever knowledge he knows as it actually is, this knowledge of what is possible and impossible is called a power of the Tathāgata. Thus, the connection should be understood similarly in all the following cases. But how does the Blessed One know as it actually is the possible as possible, and the impossible as impossible? It is impossible, there is no opportunity, for a person endowed with wrong views to regard any conditioned thing as permanent… …to regard any phenomenon as self, to deprive his mother of life, his father… …to deprive an arahant of life, to produce blood from a Tathāgata with a malicious mind, to cause a schism in the Sangha, to designate another teacher, to produce an eighth existence. This is not possible, but a worldling might do all this, this is possible, he knows. Similarly, that in one world-system two arahants, fully enlightened Buddhas, should arise simultaneously, unprecedentedly, for the last time, or that two wheel-turning monarchs should arise, this is not possible, but one arises, this is possible, he knows. Similarly, that the desired result of the three kinds of misconduct, namely bodily misconduct and so on, and the undesired result of good conduct should arise, this is not possible, but the opposite result arises, this is possible. Whatever things are the causes and conditions for the arising of whatever things, that is possible, the others are impossible, he knows as it actually is. Here, however, is a summary. Here ends the commentary's decision. "May they approach happily" means it is said referring to the grasping of happiness due to the perversion of view, such as "the self is utterly happy" etc. But due to the perversion of perception and mind, even a noble disciple, overwhelmed by the torment of defilements, like one terrified by a drunken elephant, like one desiring a needle approaching a cesspool, approaches some formation as happiness. In the case of approaching as self, to include the designations such as the kasina, and to include Nibbana, instead of saying "formation," it is said "some thing." In "mother" etc., although a noble disciple, even when facing beheading, cannot commit killing, even of a kunthakipillika ant, or any misconduct in theft etc., that is a cause for woe, even in another existence, only the five heinous crimes are cited here to show the great fault of the state of a common person. For the state of a common person is blameworthy, in that he might even commit the heinous crimes. Here, the deed is heinous for one who, being a human, deprives of life his mother or father who is a human, or even one whose gender is changed. But one who, being an animal, deprives of life his mother or father, or himself being an animal, deprives of life a human or an animal, does not incur a heinous crime, but the deed is weighty, and the heinous crime stands by, awaiting. Also, one who kills an Arahant who is a human incurs a heinous crime. And if he gives a blow while a common person, and attains Arahantship, and the Arahant dies from that same disease, he is a killer of an Arahant, but not if he kills an Arahant who is a spirit, or any other noble individual, even if a human, but the deed is similar to a heinous crime. But the gift given while a common person, he enjoys after attaining Arahantship, it is given to the common person himself. There is no heinous crime for killing any other noble individual, but the deed is grave. Here, the four beginning with "sheep" should be understood - "I kill a sheep." Because with that intention, killing a mother, a father, or an arahant lying in a sheep pen, one incurs an immediate result. But killing a sheep with the intention of killing a sheep, or with the intention of killing a mother, etc., one does not incur an immediate result. But killing those very beings with the intention of killing a mother, etc., one certainly incurs it. This same method applies to the group of four thieves, etc. In the case of causing blood to flow from the Tathāgata, because his body is indivisible, there is no cutting of the skin or flow of blood by the action of another with an angry mind. But as if by the blow of a splinter broken off from a rock thrown by Devadatta, only a little blood, like the amount lapped up by a small fly, unevenly gathers in one place inside the body, for one doing such a thing, there is an immediate result. But not for Jīvaka, who with a tender heart removes bad blood and makes it comfortable, for him there is only merit. For one destroying a cairn after the Blessed One's complete extinction, or cutting down the Bodhi tree, or harming the relics, there is no immediate result, but the deed is similar to one with immediate result. But it is fitting to cut a branch obstructing the Bodhi tree, or a stupa, or a statue with relics, and to go away having broken the property of a cairn, and to cut and carry away the Bodhi root. Even if birds nested in a branch defecate on a cairn, it is fitting to cut it. For a cairn of use is greater than a cairn of the body. It is not fitting to cut a branch obstructing a statue house or a Bodhi house without a relic deposit, but it is fitting to cut a branch that draws sap, or a rotten spot; as in tending to the body, there is only merit. In the case of schism in the Saṅgha, in a Saṅgha of common residence within a boundary of common residence, taking a separate factional Saṅgha, having stood apart, for one causing schism in the Saṅgha with five reasons, there is schism in the Saṅgha and an immediate result. For it was said: "In five ways, Upāli, is there schism in the Saṅgha. Which five? By action, by recitation, by declaration, by proclamation, by ballot." Here, "by action" means by one of the four actions beginning with formal declaration. "By recitation" means by reciting the Pāṭimokkha. "Speaking" means declaring the eighteen grounds for division, such as "unrighteousness is righteousness," with various arguments. "By causing to hear" means causing division by whispering in the ear, with arguments such as "Surely you know of my great learning, how could one like me accept what is not the Dhamma or the Vinaya, the Teacher's teaching? Am I not afraid of the lower realms?" "By taking lots" means supporting their minds with such speaking and causing to hear, making them of irreversible nature, and "take this lot." Here, the action or the recitation itself is the measure, while the speaking, causing to hear, and taking lots are preliminary actions. Even when these are completed, the Saṅgha is not yet divided. But when, by speaking and causing to hear, four or more bhikkhus take a lot, take a faction, and perform a separate action or recitation, then the Saṅgha is said to be divided.