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B040207Aṭṭhakathā (pu vi)(commentaries q and a)

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he becomes ugly and dumb. As long as that is not abandoned, gods and humans, even wishing for non-enmity and so on, are not freed from enmity and so on. Then indeed Sakka, king of the gods, asked the Blessed One a further question: "Envy and stinginess, venerable sir, what is their source, what is their origin, what is their birth, what is their arising? When what exists, do envy and stinginess exist? When what does not exist, do envy and stinginess not exist?" "Envy and stinginess, king of the gods, have liking and disliking as their source, liking and disliking as their origin, liking and disliking as their birth, liking and disliking as their arising. When liking and disliking exist, envy and stinginess exist. When liking and disliking do not exist, envy and stinginess do not exist." "It is not possible to give, or he will be tired, or he will be annoyed" —having said thus and so on, he practices stinginess. "Oh, would that such a thing would not happen to him!" —he practices envy. "We too, clinging to this, do not enjoy it; it is not possible to give it" —he practices stinginess. "Except for me, who else is a recipient of such a thing?" —or he practices envy. Being asked, even for a short time, not giving, or he practices stinginess. "Liking and disliking, venerable sir, what is their source, what is their origin, what is their birth, what is their arising? When what exists, do liking and disliking exist? When what does not exist, do liking and disliking not exist?" "Liking and disliking, king of the gods, have desire as their source, desire as their origin, desire as their birth, desire as their arising. When desire exists, liking and disliking exist. When desire does not exist, liking and disliking do not exist." Here, regarding "having desire as its source," desire for seeking, desire for acquisition, desire for enjoyment, desire for accumulation, and desire for giving up— thus, desire is fivefold. "These will protect me, will guard me, will make me their own, will surround me." "Desire, venerable sir, what is its source, what is its origin, what is its birth, what is its arising? When what exists, does desire exist? When what does not exist, does desire not exist?" "Desire, king of the gods, has thought as its source, thought as its origin, thought as its birth, thought as its arising. When thought exists, desire exists. When thought does not exist, desire does not exist." ...ti. This much will be of form, this much of sound, this much of smell, this much of taste, this much of touch; this much will be mine, this much will be another's; this much I will store, this much I will give to another— such determination arises through thought and analysis. Therefore it is said, "Desire, O Sakka, is the origin of thought." How, venerable sir, is a bhikkhu practicing the path conducive to the cessation of the proliferation of perceptions? I declare, O Sakka, that joy is of two kinds: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. I declare, O Sakka, that sorrow is of two kinds: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. I declare, O Sakka, that equanimity is of two kinds: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. Was what the Blessed One spoke asked or unasked? Was it connected or unconnected? It was asked and spoken, not unasked. It was connected, not unconnected. These five aggregates, what are their causes? He examines and sees that they are caused by ignorance and so forth. "Oh, happiness! Oh, happiness!" it arises by uttering such a speech. "Oh, suffering! Oh, suffering!" it arises by lamenting thus. "I declare, O Sakka, that joy is of two kinds: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated." This was said. In reference to what was this said? Therein, if one knows of any joy: "By cultivating this joy, unwholesome states increase, wholesome states decrease," such joy should not be cultivated. Therein, if one knows of any joy: "By cultivating this joy, unwholesome states decrease, wholesome states increase," such joy should be cultivated. Therein, that which is with initial application and sustained application, and that which is without initial application and without sustained application, those without initial application and without sustained application are more refined. "I declare, O Sakka, that joy is of two kinds: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated." This which... That was said, this was said concerning this. "Alas, I have not obtained to make the purification invitation with my fellow celibates!" As he reflected thus, sorrow arose. Tears flowed, like for the Elder Mahāsīva, resident of the village-border cave. "Our teacher is a refuge for others, but cannot be for himself. I will give him advice!" Thinking thus, he went through the air, descended near the monastery, approached the teacher seated in his day-abode, showed his observance, and sat down to one side. "For what reason have you come, O alms-mendicant?" he said. "It is not for your approval," he said, and rising into the air, he departed. "This bhikkhu has no work in study, but he will be a goad for me," knowing he had come thus, (the teacher thought) "Now there will be no opportunity. I will go at dawn." Placing his bowl and robe nearby, he taught the Dhamma for the entire day, the first watch and the middle watch. When an elder, having taken his lesson in the last watch, departed, he took his bowl and robe and departed with him. Then (he thought), "The path and its fruit will not arise for me in these four postures. Until I attain Arahantship, I will neither lay my back on a bed, nor wash my feet." He lifted up his bed and put it away. "Now, for thirty years, I have practiced the ascetic's way, but I could not attain Arahantship. Surely, in this existence, there is no path or fruit for me. I have not obtained to make the purification invitation with my fellow celibates!" He thought thus. "Hey, Elder Mahāsīva! Even devas play with you! Is this fitting for you?" Thus, increasing his insight, he attained Arahantship together with the analytical knowledges. Then he thought, "Now I will lie down." He prepared his lodging, arranged a small bed, placed water at the water-place, and sat on the step-plank, thinking, "I will wash my feet." "Get away, venerable sir, O woman!" Making way, he approached the elder, paid homage, and sat squatting in front. He said, "I will go and wash my feet." Those most excellent devas, The glorious Akaniṭṭhas; When the end is occurring, That will be their dwelling. "Monks, be heirs of the Dhamma, not heirs of material things. I have compassion for you, (thinking) 'How might my disciples be heirs of the Dhamma, not heirs of material things?' For if, monks, you were heirs of material things, not heirs of the Dhamma, you too would be blamed for that: 'The disciples of the Teacher live as heirs of material things, not heirs of the Dhamma.' And I too would be blamed for that: 'The disciples of the Teacher live as heirs of material things, not heirs of the Dhamma.' But if, monks, you were heirs of the Dhamma, not heirs of material things, you too would be praised for that: 'The disciples of the Teacher live as heirs of the Dhamma, not heirs of material things.' And I would not be blamed for that: 'The disciples of the Teacher live as heirs of the Dhamma, not heirs of material things.' Therefore, monks, be heirs of the Dhamma, not heirs of material things. I have compassion for you, (thinking) 'How might my disciples be heirs of the Dhamma, not heirs of material things?'" "Where is the Buddha? Where is the Blessed One? Where is the God of gods, the bull among men, the lion among men?" Thus they seek the Blessed One. And this was said: "Now at that time, the Blessed One was honored, respected, esteemed, revered, venerated, a recipient of robes, almsfood, lodgings, and requisites for the sick. And the community of monks was also honored... ...and a recipient of requisites." "Cunda, as far as any assembly or group has arisen in the world at present, I do not perceive any other single assembly, Cunda, that has attained such a peak of gains and a peak of fame, as this community of monks, Cunda." "Give to our teacher! Give to our preceptor!" they make a loud noise, a great noise. And that report of theirs became known even to the Blessed One. Then the Blessed One, having aroused a sense of urgency, (thinking) "This is not suitable," reflected. "Requisites are not allowable"— it is not possible to lay down a training rule. (They are) dependent on requisites. Here is the practice of the recluse for good sons. Come, I will teach the path of the heirs of the Dhamma. This will be like a rule of training for good sons who desire to train, and like a full-body mirror placed at the city gate. For just as at the city gate, in a full-body mirror, four kinds of people, seeing their own reflection, abandon faults and become faultless. For that Blessed One, O brahmin, is the producer of the unproduced path, the generator of the ungenerated path, the proclaimer of the unproclaimed path, the knower of the path, the understander of the path, the expert in the path. For that Blessed One, O friend, knowing, knows; seeing, sees. He is eye-become, knowledge-become, Dhamma-become, Brahmā-become, the speaker, the proclaimer, the leader to the goal, the giver of the deathless, the master of the Dhamma, the Tathāgata. With choice hard food and soft food, he personally satisfied and appeased them. Alas, you, rejecting even the surplus alms-food of the Sugata, generated such a desire! A difficult monk to support, he cannot be maintained. Our venerable one is easy to support, he is content with little. We ourselves will support him, they promise and support him. "Alas, you, who then rejected even the surplus alms-food of the Sugata, and though overcome by hunger and weakness, practiced the recluse's way, today indulge in laziness!" And whatever talk, Ānanda, is conducive to mental purification,