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B040101Visuddhimagga(purification path treatise)

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English

dried salted fish in a basket, rice in a jar, and ghee in a pot. He then came out and sat down. The housewife returned, saying "I couldn't find rice." The bhikkhu said, "Laywoman, I saw a sign beforehand that 'today there will be no alms food'." "What is it, venerable sir?" "I saw a snake like the sugarcane placed in the corner by the door. As I looked to strike it, I saw a stone like the lump of jaggery in the pot. The hood, made by the snake struck by the clod, was like the dried salted fish placed in the basket. Its teeth, wanting to bite that clod, were like the rice in the jar. And its venomous spittle, coming out of its mouth when it was angry, was like the ghee poured into the pot." She thought, "It's impossible to deceive this shaven-headed one," and giving him sugarcane, cooked rice, and gave him everything with ghee, jaggery, and fish. Thus, muttering close by is to be understood as "sāmantajappā." "Parikathā" means relating it by turning it over so that one obtains it. In the explanation of "Nippesikatā," "akkosanā" means reviling with the ten kinds of reviling. "Vambhanā" means speaking contemptuously. "Garahaṇā" means blaming, in the manner of "he is faithless, he is displeased," and so forth. "Ukkhepanā" means lifting up with words, saying "do not speak of this here." "Samukkhepanā" is lifting up completely, making it with a basis and a cause. Or, seeing someone not giving, lifting up by saying "Oh, a donor!" is "ukkhepanā." Lifting up very well, by saying "a great donor," is "samukkhepanā." "Khipanā" means what His life is a seed-eater: thus, mockery. Belittling: "What, is this one not a giver?" you say. He who always gives the word "there is nothing" to everyone: that is even better mockery. Bringing disgrace: causing disgrace for not being a giver, or for disgrace. Complete bringing of disgrace: causing disgrace in every way. Carrying disgrace: "Thus, even out of fear of disgrace, he will give to me," carrying disgrace from house to house, from village to village, from country to country. Backbiting: speaking sweetly in front, speaking disgracefully behind one's back. This indeed is like eating the back-flesh of those behind one's back, for one unable to look them in the face. Therefore, it is called backbiting. This is called crushing: because this one, like a bamboo splinter, crushes and wipes away another's good qualities. Or because, like crushing fragrant substances to seek fragrance, this is seeking gain by crushing and pulverizing another's good qualities. Therefore, it is called crushing. In the explanation of "seeking gain with gain," "seeking gain" means searching. "Obtained from here" means obtained from this house. "There" means in that house. "Seeking" means desiring. "Searching" means searching. "Thorough searching" means repeated searching. Starting from the beginning, the story of the monk who, having given the alms he obtained here and there to the children of those families, and finally obtained milk-gruel, should be told here. "Seeking" and so on are synonyms of "seeking" and so on. Therefore, "eṭṭhi" is "esanā." "Gaveṭṭhi" is "gavesanā," "pariyeṭṭhi" is "pariyesanā." Thus, the application here should be understood. This is the meaning of "deceit" and so on. Now, concerning "evil practices such as these," here, by the word "such as," (it refers to) those mentioned in the Brahmajāla Sutta, in the manner beginning with: "Just as some revered recluses and brahmins, having eaten food given out of faith, maintain a livelihood by such base arts, by wrong livelihood. That is to say, (interpreting) limbs, omens, portents, dreams, bodily marks, rat-gnawed (cloth), fire offerings, spoon offerings..." the grasping of evil deeds should be understood. Thus, this wrong livelihood which arises through the transgression of these six training rules enjoined for the sake of livelihood, and through these evil deeds such as "deception, flattery, divination, hinting, and seeking gain with gain," and the complete abstinence from all kinds of wrong livelihood, this is the livelihood-purity virtue. Herein, this is the meaning of the word. They live relying on this, thus it is livelihood. What is it? The effort to seek requisites. Purity means being pure. The purity of livelihood is livelihood-purity. Virtue Dependent on Requisites 18. As for what was said immediately after that, the virtue dependent on requisites, therein, "reflecting wisely" means understanding by means of a method, a path, reflecting and knowing. And here, the reflection stated in the manner "for warding off cold," etc., should be understood as "reflecting wisely." Therein, "robe" means any of the inner robes, etc. "Uses" means enjoys, or wears, or puts on. "Only just enough" is a restrictive statement defining the limit of the purpose; for the meditator, this much is indeed the purpose in using a robe, namely, for warding off cold, etc., nothing more than this. "Of cold" means of any cold whatsoever arising either due to internal elemental disturbance or due to external seasonal change. "For warding off" means for repelling. So that it does not produce illness in the body, thus for its removal. For when the body is afflicted by cold, one's mind is distracted and one cannot strive wisely. Therefore, the Blessed One permitted that a robe should be used for warding off cold. This method applies everywhere. Only here, "of heat" means of the heat of fire. Its occurrence in forest fires, etc., should be understood. As for "of the touch of flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and creeping things," here, "flies" are biting flies, also called blind flies. "Mosquitoes" are mosquitoes themselves. "Wind" means of the dusty and dustless kinds. "Sun" means sunlight. "Creeping things" are Whatever long-bodied creatures, like snakes, crawl and go, their contact by biting and contact by touching are two kinds of contact. Even that does not harm one who is seated wearing the robe. Therefore, in such places, he uses it to ward them off. Again, the phrase "only for" is to show the limit of a fixed purpose. For covering shame and nakedness is a fixed purpose. Other things happen sometimes. There, "shame and nakedness" refers to those private parts. For when any limb is exposed, shame arises and is lost. Because it makes shame arise, it is called "shame and nakedness." And for covering that shame and nakedness, it is "for covering shame and nakedness." "For covering shame and nakedness" is also a reading. "Almsfood" means any kind of food. Whatever food falls into the bhikkhu's bowl by way of alms-round, is called "almsfood." Or, "almsfood" is the falling of lumps, meaning the collection of what bhikkhus have received here and there. "Not for sport" means not for sport, like village boys, it is said to be for play. "Not for intoxication" means not for intoxication, like boxers and wrestlers, it is said to be for the intoxication of strength and the intoxication of manliness. "Not for adornment" means not for adornment, like palace women and courtesans, it is said to be for the plumpness of limbs and minor limbs. "Not for beautification" means not for beautification, like actors and dancers, it is said to be for a clear skin and complexion. Here, "not for sport" is said to be for abandoning the basis of delusion. "Not for intoxication" is for abandoning the basis of hatred. "Not for adornment, not for beautification" is for abandoning the basis of greed. And "not for sport, not for intoxication" is for preventing the arising of one's own fetters. "Not for adornment, not for beautification" is for preventing the arising of others' fetters. And by these four, through unwise practice, the indulgence in sensual pleasures is abandoned. is to be understood. "Yāvadeva" means the same as what has been said. "Imassa kāyassa" means of this body, this body of four great elements. "Ṭhitiyā" means for the sake of its continuous existence. "Yāpanāya" means for the sake of the uninterrupted continuation of its activity, or for its long-term existence. Indeed, just as the owner of an old house props it up, and a cart driver greases the axle, so too does one partake of almsfood for the body's existence and for its continuation, not for intoxication, pride, adornment, or beautification. Moreover, "ṭhiti" is a term for the life faculty; therefore, "imassa kāyassa ṭhitiyā yāpanāya" means that it is said for the sake of causing the life faculty of this body to continue, so it is to be understood. "Vihiṃsūparatiyā" means that "vihiṃsā" (harm) is hunger, in the sense of an affliction. For the cessation of that, one partakes of almsfood, like an ointment for a wound, or like a remedy for heat and cold. "Brahmacariyānuggahāya" means for the support of the entire holy life of the Dispensation and the holy life of the Path. Indeed, by partaking of almsfood, relying on the strength of the body, and practicing in accordance with the three trainings for the purpose of crossing the wilderness of existence, one partakes for the support of the holy life, just as one desirous of crossing a wilderness eats one's son's flesh, just as one desirous of crossing a river uses a raft, and just as one desirous of crossing an ocean uses a ship. "Iti purāṇañca vedanaṃ paṭihaṅkhāmi navañca vedanaṃ na uppādessāmīti" means: by partaking of this almsfood, "I will ward off old feelings of hunger, and I will not create new feelings" (of discomfort) like one of those who, due to immoderate eating, are like a person with a hand full of food, or a person with a torn cloak, or a person with a torn cloth, or a crow, or a glutton, or a vomiting person, or a brahmin; so one partakes, like a sick person taking medicine. Or, the feeling that now arises due to old kamma, caused by unwholesome immoderate eating, is called "old feeling." By destroying its cause with wholesome moderate eating, "I will ward off that old feeling." And this that now

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