English
Even the arising of right view is difficult, for even those born in families with right view, if they are blind, they cannot see the Buddha, the Sangha, the Triple Gem; if they are deaf, they decline from hearing the Dhamma; being mute or crippled, they cannot undertake wholesome practices. Even with complete faculties, if they hold wrong views, they do not consider seeing the All-Knowing Buddha, adorned with the thirty-two marks of a great man, the eighty minor marks, and the fathom-long radiance, a delight to the eyes of all, worthy of being gazed upon with eyes of faith; due to the power of mental defilement, they become stubborn and many with wrong views are born in the great hells even during the time of the Twin Miracle and so on. Thus, even the attainment of a moment conducive to wholesome deeds is difficult. "Difficult is human birth, and difficult is the arising of a Buddha; Difficult is the attainment of a favorable moment, and most difficult is the true Dhamma." The meaning of this verse has already been stated. Here ends the fifth chapter, the Miscellaneous Section, in the Sīmavisodhana composed by Sāgarabuddhi Thera. Thus, in the two thousand one hundred and thirty-first year of the Dispensation, during the reign of King Satvivamahādhammarañña, the donor of the Golden Great Stupa established on the mountain slope on the opposite bank of the Irrawaddy River in the city of Sirikhetta, named 'Isinagara' because it was built by a sage three hundred years after the Passing Away of the Teacher and was the residence of the kings of the thirty-two states, this text, which removes the defects of the boundary and proclaims its perfection, arose to rebuke the sons of good families who, having regained faith in the Dispensation, had caused the ordination ceremony to be performed without properly examining the statement in accordance with the meaning and the law, and without performing the water libation of the river, thus causing defeat in the Dispensation. And so far, in the village within the territory of Sirikhetta city, by the great elder, the great grammarian, the teacher of King Satvivamahādhammarājaguru, known by the name 'Saddhammakovida', a master of the Tipiṭaka, having been the preceptor to those with wisdom. In the excellent abode, the western Jina's dispensation, By the teacher Vāsigaṇa, a reciter, a master of the Vinaya, and the great lord, And the royal preceptor, the elder Tipiṭaka Nāga, as the teacher, Abandoning improper means such as medical practice and errands, With a right livelihood, by monks of pure living, Having formed a working group, in the southern part of Sirikhetta city, On the slope of Dīghapabbata, on the bank of the Irāvatī River, On the sandy shore, having performed the water-scattering with the boundary in mind, In the established water-scattering boundary, without committing ten kinds of verbal transgression, With a proper motion of announcement and three repetitions, for ordination, By the monk named Sāgarabuddhi, esteemed by the elders, of twenty years, This treatise, dispelling the flaws of the dispensation, named Sīmavisodhanī, is completed. Thus far divided, indeed, With its divisions and occurrences, This Sīmavisodhanī, Is skillful and well-considered. In the city known as Sirikhetta, Also named Aparanāma, In the southern direction, In a high-built monastery. Dwelling, a monk by name, Known as Sāgarabuddhi, In the completed twentieth year, This treatise is well-considered. May this treatise composed by me, Reach completion without confusion, Thus may all the intentions Of beings quickly succeed. As long as the name "Buddha" exists, Of the world's chief, the steadfast one, So long may this treatise endure, Dispelling darkness in the dispensation. Up to the peak of existence, And down to Avīci hell, And in all directions, in the world-systems, Those beings who roam the earth, May they all by me Be equal in their karmic results, Long live our king, The illuminator of the dispensation. Ruling with righteous principles, Healthy with his relatives, By this meritorious deed, May I be in every birth, Illuminating the dispensation, In the dispensation of the Sakya's son, When the true Dhamma perishes, And the earth becomes blinded, Then may I be in the deva world, In Tusita, the excellent abode. The Sīmavisodhanī is finished.