English
I will make something called "Sīmavisodhanī." Listen to it, pay close attention, disciples of the King of Dhamma. Therein, "the arising of a Buddha is rare" means the time of a Buddha's arising is rare. Indeed, in times when no Buddha has arisen, the number of eons that pass without even hearing the word "Buddha" exceeds the path of calculation. The difficulty of the cause of a Buddha has already been stated below. Then, "and renunciation and ordination" here, the suffix "to" is in the sense of inferiority, or in the sense of the ablative. The arising of a Buddha is rare, therefore renunciation and ordination are also rare, is the meaning. Just as in the world, having obtained something very valuable and unobtainable, A forest is called cheap, yet it is expensive, it is expensive, it is called rare, it is rare. Just so, having come to the exceedingly rare arising of a Buddha, to go forth following him is also called rare. Just as when water is filling up in the upper part of a pool, like a lotus leaf, those unable to swim in some place below say, "This place is difficult." Just so, because of the difficulty of the cause of a Buddha, even going forth and ordination following him are called difficult and rare. Otherwise, the going forth and ordination of the Blessed Buddha himself would be the best. Or it should be seen that it is said thus by way of transferring the cause, just as "phlegm of molasses." For indeed, phlegm arises from the forest product of molasses, and even though one should say "molasses with phlegm," having imposed the resultant phlegm on the causal molasses, it is called "phlegm of molasses." So too, because of the difficulty of the cause, in the rare arising of a Buddha, the going forth in imitation of him, having imposed it on the Buddha's arising, which is the root cause, is called "rare going forth." Even in the time of a Buddha's arising, seeing a Buddha is rare, but when he has not arisen, how much more so! And because it is the ninth of all unfavorable times. For those born in border countries, formless realms, unconscious beings, hell, the realm of ghosts, or the animal realm, or even those born in the middle country who are of wrong view, or those born in a family of right view but are physically disabled with defective eyes or ears, are not worthy to see a Buddha. And even seeing is only mere seeing. Supernal birds, Nāga kings, and others do not attain the path and its fruit in that existence, but they do here. "One born in a border country, formless, Disabled, unconscious; Of wrong view, an animal, A ghost, and one in hell. These eight unfavorable times are spoken of By the Buddha, kinsman of the sun; The arising of a Buddha is one unfavorable time, The ninth, thus it is called." Even though "going forth" is spoken of here generally, only novices are intended, since ordination is stated separately. And the novices, having said three times, "I go to the Buddha for refuge," etc. They stand in the sāmaṇera-bhūmi, pure in conduct. But for them, the ten precepts are merely a training rule. If one is unable to recite them in Pāli, It is proper to explain them in meaning, saying, "Undertake and practice these." There is nothing more to be said here. Now, ordination is of eight kinds: ordination by "Come, Bhikkhu," ordination by taking refuge, ordination by receiving instruction, ordination by answering questions, ordination by undertaking the eight weighty rules, ordination by a messenger, ordination by the eight utterances, and ordination by formal act with four announcements. Therein, the Blessed One, seeing a person endowed with the potential for "Come, Bhikkhu-hood," extending his golden-colored right hand from within his rag-robe, uttering a Brahma-like voice, says, "Come, Bhikkhu, live the holy life for the complete destruction of suffering." Immediately upon that, his lay appearance vanishes. "The three robes and the bowl, a razor, needle, and belt, a water strainer—these eight things belong to a bhikkhu engaged in striving." Thus, with these eight requisites appearing on his body, he stands like a century-old elder, perfect in deportment, with the Buddha as his teacher and preceptor, venerating the Fully Enlightened One. This is called ordination by "Come, Bhikkhu." The Blessed One, at the time of his first enlightenment, ordained only by "Come, Bhikkhu" ordination. Those were the group of five, and so on, ending with the Elder Aṅgulimāla. Three hundred thousand, and forty more, and one wise elder; all these were "Come, Bhikkhus." These are the "Come, Bhikkhus" mentioned in the Vinaya Piṭaka. But those not mentioned in the Vinaya Piṭaka are the brahmin Sela with his three hundred followers, and so on. Twenty-seven thousand, and three hundred; these are all counted, all these were "Come, Bhikkhus." Combining all that, there are twenty-eight thousand, six hundred, and forty-one more. This is the first enlightenment, lasting twenty years. The Blessed One set in motion the unsurpassed wheel of Dhamma. Having given the nectar to eighteen crores of Brahmins, he spent the first rainy season. In the second, third, and fourth rainy seasons, he resided at the Veḷuvana monastery in Rājagaha. Indeed, the Blessed One, having spent the first rainy season at Isipatana in Migadāya near Bārāṇasī on the full moon day of Āsāḷhi, arrived in Rājagaha in the month of Phagguṇa on the full moon day of Phagguṇa. Having stayed for about a month at the Veḷuvana monastery built by King Bimbisāra, he went to Kapilavatthu in the month of Citta, surrounded by twenty thousand arahants. There, amidst eighty thousand relatives, he sprinkled dust on the heads of the quarrelsome kings, made them pay homage, and caused a shower of rain to fall. Then, returning, he narrated the Vessantara Jātaka to eighty thousand relatives, and having come to Rāhula's mother, he narrated the Candakinnarī Jātaka, and having established his father in the Anāgāmi fruit, he returned to Rājagaha and took up residence. Therefore, it is said, "In the second, third, and fourth rainy seasons, he resided at the Veḷuvana monastery in Rājagaha." In the fifth, however, he spent one rainy season in Vesālī. In the sixth, he spent one rainy season on the Makuḷa mountain. Or Puṇṇa did so there. Here is the connected story: In the Sunāparanta country, in a certain merchant village, there were two brothers. Among them, sometimes the elder, taking five hundred carts, would go to the countryside and bring back goods; sometimes the younger. At this time, having left the younger brother at home, the elder brother, taking five hundred carts, while wandering through the countryside, gradually arrived at Sāvatthi. Having parked the five hundred carts not far from Jetavana, having eaten breakfast, surrounded by his retinue, he sat down in a suitable place. At that time, the residents of Sāvatthi, having eaten breakfast, having undertaken the Uposatha observances, with well-arranged upper robes, with flowers and incense in their hands, inclined towards the Buddha, inclined towards the Dhamma, inclined towards the Saṅgha, went out through the southern gate, heading towards Jetavana. Seeing them, he asked a man, "Where are these people going?" "Sir, do you not know? In the world, the jewels of Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha have arisen, And so the great multitude goes to the Teacher to hear the Dhamma talk. The word "Buddha" pierced his skin and hide, reaching the bone and marrow, and stood firm. Then, surrounded by his retinue, he went to the monastery with that assembly, and hearing the Teacher sweetly preach the Dhamma, standing at the edge of the assembly, he conceived a desire for ordination. Then, when the Tathāgata, knowing the time, had dismissed the assembly, he approached the Teacher, paid homage, and invited him for the next day. On the second day, having erected a pavilion, and prepared seats, he gave a great offering to the Sangha with the Buddha at its head. At the end of the meal, the Blessed One gave thanks and departed. Having taken the morning meal, and undertaken the Uposatha vows, he summoned the treasurer, and having declared, "So much wealth has been spent, but so much has not been spent," he transferred all his possessions, saying, "Give this property to my younger brother." Having ordained in the presence of the Teacher, he was devoted to meditation subjects. But as he reflected on the meditation subject, the meditation subject did not arise for him. Then he thought, "This region is unsuitable for me. Why don't I take a meditation subject from the Teacher and go to my own place?" Then, in the forenoon, having gone for alms, and rising from seclusion in the evening, he approached the Blessed One, requested a meditation subject, and the Teacher roared a lion's roar and departed. Then Venerable Puṇṇa, having reached the Aparanta country, entered a mountain called Sammatapabbata, and went for alms to a merchant village. Then his younger brother, having led him to his house, gave him alms, and having made a promise, "Venerable, do not go elsewhere, but stay here," he made him stay. Then he went to a monastery called Samuddagiri. There, the ocean waves, coming and striking against the iron-stone rocks, made a great noise. The Elder, reflecting on the meditation subject, It was not a comfortable dwelling, so he stilled the ocean and resolved. Then he went to Mātulagiri, where a flock of birds was noisy, night and day the sound was constant. The Elder said, "This place is not comfortable," and went to the Makulakārāma monastery. It was not too far, not too near, to the merchant village, easy to come and go, secluded, quiet. The Elder said, "This place is comfortable," and had night quarters and day quarters, a walking path, and so on, made, and spent the rainy season there. Thus he lived in four places. Then one day, during that very rainy season, five hundred merchants loaded goods onto a ship,