English
This was said only to prevent that. Having repeatedly consulted the Pāli, the commentary, the sub-commentary, and the doubts, etc., may the eminent poets consider. This is the examination of the water-toss boundary here. A district boundary is each area within the dominion of a king, where great ministers reside, and is called a district boundary. A kingdom boundary is the sixteen great countries such as Kāsi, Kosala, etc. Their name is also "Sixteen Great Cities." There, the sixteen great countries are: Aṅga, Magadha, Kosala, Vajji, Cetiya, Kuru, Pañcāla, Majjha, Surasena, Assaka, Avanti, Gāndhāra, Malla, Kamboja. These are the sixteen great countries. These sixteen great countries, existing in the Middle Country, are called great kingdoms. Besides these, there are many others, such as Sunāparanta, etc. Similarly, in the border regions, there are various kinds of great kingdoms such as Rāmañña, etc. All of these are called kingdom boundaries. However, in worldly texts, the area where the four castes of nobles, brahmins, merchants, and laborers reside is called a "great kingdom." For it was said by the ancients: "Where the four castes exist, in whatever area they are found, that is not a barbarian land." That, beyond, is the land of merit." A royal boundary is the place where a king's command prevails, that is called a royal boundary. An island boundary is an island established in the middle of the ocean or river, that is called an island boundary. But the island where villages reside is counted as a village boundary, for it will be said, "They dig a well or make a pond in a place where self-grown rice grows, that place is the village field." A world-circle boundary is: "In length and breadth, twelve hundred thousand, three thousand, four hundred and fifty yojanas. In circumference: "All hundred thousand, thirty-six in circumference; Ten thousand, and half and half hundreds." This is said to be one world-circle, that is called a world-circle boundary. Thus, the boundary is of fifteen kinds. There, an individual with psychic power, in whichever boundary he performs a Sangha act such as the Uposatha, the monks who have arrived there, whether to extend the hand's reach or to exclude the boundary, the ability to bring consent from those who are eligible for consent is the measure. Thus, for an individual without psychic power who is unable to do so, in a very large forest, a boundary of seven abbbhantara all around is allowed. There, in relation to the boundary, together with the seven abbhantara all around, the boundary arises by its own nature, similarly, in self-grown rice in rivers and oceans, a water-splash boundary all around for a man of medium stature is allowed, there too, to avoid group actions, having made a boundary in relation to the boundary, together with the water-splash, a water-splash boundary arises, similarly, in village, market town, district, city, kingdom, and royal boundaries, a fixed boundary is allowed to avoid group actions. Beyond those, however, in small villages, market towns, districts, and cities, according to the suitability of the sutta following the allowance of the village boundary, the seven abbhantara, and the water-splash boundary, the monks who have arrived there, having purified and brought consent from those who are eligible for consent, should perform Sangha acts such as the Uposatha only with the approval of the united Sangha, similarly, in small forests and rivers. Even in that, the Uposatha and Saṅgha acts should be performed as appropriate. Thus, though undivided in its characteristic of delimitation, it is twofold as bound and unbound. By its subdivisions, it is fifteenfold, but by its essential forms, it is the boundary of a section, the boundary of proximity, the boundary of common dwelling, the boundary of non-separation, the boundary of gain, the boundary of a village. The boundary of a market town, the boundary of a city, the inner boundary, the forest boundary, the water-throwing boundary, the river boundary, the naturally formed lake boundary, the ocean boundary, the boundary of a country, the boundary of a kingdom, the boundary of a realm, the boundary of an island, and the boundary of a world-system, thus in nineteen forms, the treatise called "Sīmavisodhanī," which reveals the characteristics of validity, abandoning the characteristics of invalidity of boundaries, is completed. Thus, "The Sīmavisodhanī by name, compiled from various texts; May the wise and learned listen to me. Having plunged into the Pāli and commentary, and the matrix of terms; Having repeatedly and completely explored all that. In my own intellectual treatises, in the sub-commentaries and glosses; In the judgments and doubts, and in the matrix commentaries. Having made everything complete, having collated it into one; This explanation proceeds, pleasing to the discerning." The meaning of these verses has been fully explained. The discourse on the validity of boundaries is concluded. The validity of the assembly means, excluding the twenty-one persons to be excluded, the monks who have been ordained by a formal act with announcement and three motions, in the border regions starting from a group of five, and in the central regions starting from a group of ten, all sitting without leaving the range of an arm's reach, this is called the validity of the assembly. There, the twenty-one to be excluded are, "Monks, an assembly with a nun is not suitable," and as stated below, "Monks, the Pātimokkha should not be recited in an assembly where a nun is sitting," the nun, the female probationer, the novice, the female novice, one who has renounced the training, one who has fallen into the last offense, one who has been suspended for not seeing an offense, one who has been suspended for not expiating an offense, one who has not relinquished a sinful view. One expelled from the Order, a eunuch, one in joint theft, one who has defected to another sect, one gone to an animal existence, one who has committed matricide, one who has committed patricide, one who has killed an Arahant, one who has violated a bhikkhuni, one who has caused dissension in the Sangha, one who has caused blood to flow from a Buddha, one who is an hermaphrodite, these are seated outside the boundary, it means. If they are within arm's reach or within the boundary itself, without excluding them, the properly constituted group of five or more, seated without leaving arm's reach, the acting Sangha is at fault, but the act is not invalid, because of the absence of exclusion. Others, however, say thus: because of the non-mention of those who should not be venerated, who have fallen into a final offense, and because of the absence of a Sahaseyya offense for one sleeping with him, and because his acceptance is valid, therefore, that seems more reasonable. Even though, as long as he acknowledges bhikkhu-status, he should be venerated. But when he acknowledges, "I am not a Samana," then he should not be venerated, this distinction should be understood here. For one who has fallen into a final offense, bhikkhu-status exists only as long as he acknowledges bhikkhu-status, not beyond that. For one not acknowledging bhikkhu-status, follows the side of the non-ordained, thus it is said in the Majjhima commentary and the Sāratthadīpanī, a bhikkhu who has previously fallen into a final offense, without knowing his reason, a group of five monks performs Sangha acts such as Uposatha with him, the acting Sangha is blameless, and the act is not invalid, this is merely their opinion. Why? Even though there is no Sahaseyya offense, his bhikkhu-designation is established, and the acceptance is valid in that person, because it is believed that he is a bhikkhu, there is no Sahaseyya offense with that person, and the acceptance is valid, even in the case of the twenty-one excluded individuals, because of the lack of consideration of such a person, a group of five monks performing Sangha acts such as Uposatha with him, the acting Sangha, unintentionally, is blameless. But the act is invalid, this is our acceptance, a more reasonable explanation, if available, should be sought. The discussion of the completeness of the assembly is finished. Thus, the subject should be understood. Accomplished in five aspects, namely, the completion of the boundary, the assembly, and the hearing, it is called five-fold. Or, accomplished in the higher state by the unanimous Sangha through a motion followed by three declarations, with an unshakeable and suitable place. Thus, having a name obtained through two reasons, the state of being ordained with a motion followed by three declarations is exceedingly rare. Thus, the arising of a Buddha is rare, and so are ordination and full acceptance. The meaning of these three terms has already been stated. Thus, in the Sīmavisodhana composed by Sāgarabuddhi Thera, The chapter on Full Acceptance is the first section. 2. The Chapter on the Destruction of the Aeon Now, the discourse on the rarity of the arising of a Buddha: "A Buddha is rare in the world, and so is the hearing of the true Dhamma; The Sangha is rare in the world, and so are the virtuous people." The order of explanation of this verse has arrived. Herein, in this world of beings or the world of space, a perfectly enlightened Buddha is indeed rare. Thus, this world is threefold: the world of formations, the world of beings, and the world of space. Their prosperity and adversity should be understood as follows: Therein, the world of beings should be understood by the meaning of the word "loka" as that which breaks and decays. The world of space should be understood by the meaning of the word "lokiya" as where the communities of beings are established. Thus, beings dwell in it, therefore it is called "okāsa.