English
Moreover, there, the one sun-like Lord of Sages, compassionate and arisen, with a widely spread disk of knowledge, in the pure caves of the three existences, enlightened well the flood of trainable beings, spoken of as lotuses, with excellent rays of Dhamma, whose fame is spread... And to that chief of sages, the sole eye of the three worlds, who cannot bear suffering, the great sage, I bow down. And of this verse, for easy understanding, we shall explain by way of meaning only, not by way of sound. Of the word 'dayudayaruṇa', the word division should be made thus: 'dayā-udaya-aruṇa'. The dawn of the sun risen from Udaya mountain, which is called great compassion. Or else, the meaning is: great compassion is like the dawn of the risen sun from Udaya mountain. And here, the word 'dayā' is used for compassion and loving-kindness. Indeed here, 'Adayā' is said to be pitilessness in the sense of compassion. Here, 'Dayāpanna' is used for loving-kindness. The meaning is: having attained a mind of loving-kindness. But here, compassion is intended. But this is the meaning of the word. It afflicts, it harms the compassionate one, as long as the intended welfare of others is not attained; that is 'dayā', great compassion. The root 'daya' is for harming. Or, it supports, it helps even evil people by this; that is 'dayā'. The root 'daya' is for helping. Or, abandoning even one's own happiness, it takes on weariness; that is 'dayā'. The root 'daya' is for taking. Or else, by this, Bodhisattas take and grasp both the suffering of saṃsāra and omniscience; that is 'dayā', great compassion. Indeed, Great Bodhisattas, at the time of making their aspiration for Buddhahood, having abandoned even the fruit of arahantship that was within their grasp, desiring to rescue beings from the ocean of saṃsāra, they take on the unbearable, extremely terrifying suffering of saṃsāra; and in their last existence, together with the attainment of the deathless element, they take on omniscience, adorned with innumerable virtues. Such is the meaning. Indeed, all the virtues of the Buddha are rooted in compassion. Therefore it is said in the Aṅguttara Commentary: 'Of all the virtues of the Buddha, compassion is the origin, because it is their cause.' Moreover, by this, they protect, they guard beings; or it itself feels compassion; or it is merely compassion. That is 'dayā'. The root 'daya' is for protecting. It rises, it grows; that is 'udaya', the mountain. The root 'udi' is for producing. Making light all around, it goes forth; that is 'aruṇa', a special kind of sunbeam. The root 'uṇa' with 'ā' prefix is for going. Compassion-related... From the mountain of sunrise, the dawn of the risen sun, that is Dayudayaruṇa. Or, like the dawn of the sun risen from the mountain of sunrise, whose compassion, great pity, is Dayudayaruṇa, the Lord of Sages. Just as the dawn of the risen sun is the beginning of light, so the Bodhisatta, having attained the bliss of Nibbāna at the feet of Dīpaṅkara Buddha, desiring to rescue beings from the ocean of transmigration through great compassion, performed the ten perfections, such as giving, and the five great sacrifices, for four incalculable eons plus a hundred thousand eons, thus compassion is the beginning of Buddhahood. Therefore, it is said that he is worthy to be praised as Dayudayaruṇa, the Buddha himself. "Whose knowledge is a vast orb" means the all-knowing knowledge, which is of vast extent. He possesses all-knowing knowledge whose object is as vast as the entire cosmos. Knowledge that knows all knowable phenomena, distinguished as conditioned and unconditioned, is all-knowing knowledge. The root "ñā" means to comprehend. "Vitthiṇṇa" means that which especially extends or spreads out, which is knowledge. The root "tanu" with "vi" prefix and "ta" suffix for extension. Its "iṇṇa" substitution. Deletion of the end of the root, and non-similar doubling. Or, "vitthiṇṇa" means that which spreads out or diffuses. The root "thar" is special here. "Bimba" means that which goes or proceeds in a circular form, which is the orb of knowledge. The root "vam" in the sense of motion, with "bo". Its "assi". "Vassa bo". However, in the Ñvādimoggallāna, it is said: "Vama means to vomit, with 'ba'. 'Vam' becomes 'vassa bittaṃ'. 'Bimba' means that which vomits, the body." That is suitable for the word "bimba" when it means body. Not when it means circular. Here, however, "bimba" means circular. But the teachers here say the meaning of "bimba" is "wheel-circle". That, however, should be considered. Why? Because in the Abhidhānappadīpikā it is said: "Bimba means reflection, and circle, and the fruit of bimbikā." And in its commentary: "In a circle, in a counter-circle." Knowledge, called all-knowing knowledge, is vast, extensive. whose knowledge-disk is a perfect circle. Or, whose knowledge-disk is vast, like the circle of the cosmos, whose knowledge is of a vast object, the knowledge of omniscience, that is the One Leader of Sages whose knowledge-disk is vast. For just as the cosmic circle is vast and immense due to the infinitude of the cosmos, even so the Buddha's omniscient knowledge is vast and immense due to its infinite objects. Therefore, he is praised as "whose knowledge-disk is vast." "Yveko" is "yo eko" (who is one) by word division. "Yekopi" is also a reading in some places. But its word division should be "yo eko". Both readings are indeed suitable. In the reading "yveko", there is a sandhi of substitution. In the reading "yeko", there is a sandhi of elision; this is the difference between them. The connection is "who is the One Leader of Sages". "Eko" means unaccompanied, second to none, one who has become a Buddha. Here, the word "eka" is seen in the meanings of other, best, unaccompanied, number, and so on. Thus, it is seen in the meaning of "other" in passages like: "Some declare thus: 'The self and the world are eternal, this alone is true, other views are false.'" In "the mind's one-pointedness", it means "best". In "one who is secluded", it means "unaccompanied". In "Monks, there is only one moment and one opportunity for the holy life", it means "number". Here, however, it is intended in the sense of "unaccompanied". This is its verbal meaning: "Eko" is one who comes, goes, or proceeds being unaccompanied. Or, "Eko" is the One Leader of Sages who comes to, knows, or penetrates the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment being second to none. From the root "i" or "idh" in the sense of knowledge-movement, with the suffix "ṇvu". Or, "Eko" is the Blessed One who is one by virtue of going forth. One by being second to none, one by abandoning craving, one by being utterly dispassionate, one by being utterly free from hatred, one by being utterly free from delusion, one by being utterly stainless, one by having gone the path alone, one by having fully awakened to unsurpassed perfect enlightenment— the meaning here should be understood according to the Great Niddesa method as presented in these ways. Moreover, in the infinite cosmoses, only one Buddha comes, arises, or blossoms, that is "Eko". As it is said in the Anguttara Nikaya, Ekanipata: “It is impossible, monks, it cannot be, that two Arahants, Fully Self-Awakened Ones, should arise in one world-system, without one preceding the other. This is not possible. But it is possible, monks, it can be, that one Arahant, a Fully Self-Awakened One, should arise in one world-system. This is possible.” And in its commentary: “In one world-system” means in the ten-thousand world-system. Indeed, there are three fields: the birth-field, the authority-field, the range-field. Among these, the birth-field is the ten-thousand world-system. For it trembles when the Tathāgata enters his mother’s womb, when he emerges, at his enlightenment, at the turning of the Wheel of Dhamma, at the renunciation of his life-span, and at his final Nibbāna. The hundred-thousand-million world-system, however, is called the authority-field. For here, the authority of the Āṭānāṭiya protection, the Peacock protection, the Dhajagga protection, the Ratana protection, and so on, prevails. As for the range-field, there is no limit to it. For as far as the Buddhas’ knowledge extends, so far extends the knowable. As far as the knowable extends, so far extends their knowledge. Since it is said, “The knowable is bounded by knowledge, and knowledge is bounded by the knowable,” there is nothing that is not within their range. Among these three fields, there is no Sutta that says Buddhas arise in another world-system apart from this one world-system. But there is that which says they do not arise. Indeed, there are three Piṭakas: the Vinaya Piṭaka, the Suttanta Piṭaka, the Abhidhamma Piṭaka. There are three Councils: the Council of the Elder Mahākassapa, the Council of the Elder Yasa, the Council of the Elder Moggaliputta. In the Buddha’s teaching, which is the Tepiṭaka, established by these three Councils, there is no Sutta that says Buddhas arise elsewhere apart from this world-system. But there is that which says they do not arise. Here, “in one world-system” meaning “in the ten-thousand world-system” refers to this birth-field. For the ten-thousand world-system stands surrounding this world-system. The nature of being a birth-field for just that many should be understood as a natural law. Among these three fields, however, “In the fields” thus shows that Buddhas do not arise in other infinite world-systems beyond this world-system, in these three Buddha-fields: the birth-field, which is ten thousand world-systems; the dominion-field, which is a hundred thousand times ten million world-systems; and the range-field, which is infinite world-systems. Indeed, having shown the three kinds of Buddha-fields, the phrase “in these three fields” is stated in the sense of a locus, not in the sense of a determination. Why? Because in the commentary,