2.
The Chapter on Walking
1.
Commentary on the Walking Discourse
11. In the first of the second, "accepts" means having placed it upon the mind, one lets it dwell. "Does not abandon" means does not give up. "Does not dispel" means does not drive out. "Does not put an end to" means does not make it gone to its end, cut off and bounded. "Does not bring to obliteration" means does not bring it to gradual obliteration, decline and destruction. "Even while walking" means even as one walks. "Not ardent" means without energy. "Having no moral fear" means devoid of fear of blame. "Constantly" means permanently. "Continuously" means without interruption. Thus, having understood the meaning everywhere, in the bright side the meaning should be understood by the reverse of what has been stated.
In the verses, "connected with the household life" means dependent on mental defilements. "By things leading to delusion" means in objects that produce delusion. "Unable" means one who is an unworthy vessel. "Touching the highest enlightenment" means to reach the highest knowledge reckoned as the path of arahantship.
2.
Commentary on the Discourse on Morality
12. In the second, "accomplished in morality" means complete in morality. "Accomplished in the Pātimokkha" means complete in the Pātimokkha. "Restrained by the restraint of the Pātimokkha" means dwell restrained, shut, endowed with the morality of the Pātimokkha restraint. "Accomplished in good conduct and lawful resort" means be accomplished in and endowed with good conduct and lawful resort. "In the slightest faults" means in immeasurably small faults. "Seeing danger" means those who habitually see those slightest faults as danger. "Having accepted, train in the training rules" means having accepted what should be accepted in all divisions of training, having taken it up, train. "For those accomplished in morality, etc. training in the training rules" - by this much teaching of the Dhamma, having both urged the undertaking of the threefold training and having spoken praise of the qualities attained, now showing what further is to be done, he said beginning with "what would there be" and so on. Therein, "what would there be" means what could there be.
"Restrained one should walk" means one should walk in such a way that while walking one is restrained, self-controlled. This same method applies everywhere. "One should sit" means one should sit down. "Restrained he should stretch out" means whatever limb or minor limb one would stretch out, one should stretch it out having made it restrained and self-controlled. "Above" (uddhaṃ) means upward. "Across" means the middle. "Below" means downward. By this much, the past, present, and future five aggregates are spoken of. "As far as" is a word of delimitation. "The world extends" means the occurrence of the world. "Having examined the phenomena, the rise and fall of the aggregates" means having examined the rise and the fall of those phenomena of the five aggregates classified as past and so on in the entire world. By the even fifty characteristics stated as "seeing the rise of the five aggregates, one sees twenty-five characteristics; seeing the fall, one sees twenty-five characteristics," it is rightly examined. "What is proper for serenity of mind" means the befitting practice for serenity of consciousness. "Training" means proceeding, the meaning is fulfilling. "Resolute" means one whose self is directed. "They call" means they speak. The remainder here is clear in itself. But in this discourse, having spoken of morality in a mixed manner, in the verses one who has eliminated the mental corruptions is spoken of.
3.
Commentary on the Padhāna Sutta
13. In the third, "right strivings" means good strivings, the highest energy. "Right strivings" means complete energy. "Have overcome Māra's realm" means having overcome and transcended the realm of Māra, which is termed the round of rebirths of the three planes, they stand established. "They are unattached" means those who have eliminated the mental corruptions are said to be independent. "Of the fear of birth and death" means of the fear arising dependent on birth and death, or of the fear which is termed birth and death itself. "Gone beyond" means gone to the far shore. "They are content" means those who have eliminated the mental corruptions are said to be satisfied. "Having conquered Māra with his army" means having conquered Māra together with his army, they stand established. "They are without longing" means those who have eliminated the mental corruptions are said to be without longing, motionless, due to the absence of longing, which is a term for craving. "Namuci's power" means the power of Māra. "Having surpassed" means having gone beyond. "They are happy" means those who have eliminated the mental corruptions are said to be happy with supramundane happiness. Therefore he said -
The conceit 'I am' is cut off, the net of delusion is burst."
4.
Commentary on the Discourse on Restraint
14. In the fourth, "strivings" means energies. "Striving by restraint" means the arisen energy of one exercising restraint over the eye and so on. "Striving by abandonment" means the arisen energy of one abandoning sensual thoughts and so on. "Striving by development" means the arisen energy of one developing the enlightenment factors. "Striving by protection" means the arisen energy of one guarding the sign of concentration.
In "based upon seclusion" and so on, seclusion, dispassion, and cessation - all three are names for Nibbāna. For Nibbāna is seclusion because of being secluded from clinging. Having come to that, lust and so on fade away - thus it is dispassion; they cease - thus it is cessation. Therefore, in "based upon seclusion" and so on, the meaning is "based upon Nibbāna" by way of object or by way of what is to be attained.
"Maturing in release" - here there are two kinds of release: release by relinquishment and release by springing forward. Therein, insight relinquishes defilements and aggregates and lust by way of substitution of opposites - this is release by relinquishment. The path springs forward to Nibbāna by way of object - this is release by springing forward. Therefore, "maturing in release" means: just as the enlightenment factor of mindfulness being developed matures for the purpose of release, and reaches the state of insight and the state of the path - thus one develops it - this is the meaning here. The same method applies to the remaining terms as well. "Excellent" means charming. "Sign of concentration" is said to be just concentration itself attained by way of the perception of a skeleton and so on. "Guards" means one protects by cleansing away lust, hate, and delusion, which are mental states that obstruct concentration. And here only five perceptions beginning with the perception of a skeleton have been stated, but in this instance, even the ten foulnesses should be expounded in detail. Their detail has been stated in the Visuddhimagga itself. In the verse, it is just the energy that produces restraint and so on that is spoken of. "Reaches the elimination of suffering" means one would attain arahantship, which is reckoned as the elimination of suffering.
5.
Commentary on the Discourse on Description
15. In the fifth, "foremost descriptions" means the highest descriptions. "Among those possessing a physical form" means of those who possess individual existence. "Namely Rāhu, the lord of titans" means whoever this Rāhu, the lord of titans, is - he is the foremost. Here, Rāhu, the lord of titans, it is said, was four thousand and eight hundred yojanas tall. The span between his two arms was twelve hundred yojanas. The breadth of his palms and soles was three hundred yojanas. His finger-joints were fifty yojanas. The space between the eyebrows was fifty yojanas. His forehead was three hundred yojanas. His head was nine hundred yojanas. "Among those who enjoy sensual pleasures, namely King Mandhātā" means whoever this king named Mandhātā is, he is known as the foremost among beings who enjoy both divine and human sensual pleasures. For he, having been reborn among human beings of incalculable life span, causing a rain of gold to fall at whatever moment he wished, enjoyed human sensual pleasures for a long time. But in the heavenly world, for as long as the life-span of thirty-six lords of gods, he enjoyed sublime sensual pleasures - thus he became known as the foremost among those who enjoy sensual pleasures. "Among those having authority" means of those who exercise the position of predominance, the position of supremacy. "The Truth-finder is declared the foremost" means by mundane and supramundane qualities, the Truth-finder is declared the foremost, the best, the highest.
"Blazing with supernormal power and fame" means of those blazing with the prosperity of divine achievement and with fame reckoned as retinue. "Above, across, below" means above and in the middle and below. "As far as the world extends" means however far the occurrence of the world.
6.
Commentary on the Discourse on Fineness
16. In the sixth, "kinds of fineness" means knowledges that penetrate the subtle characteristics. "Is endowed with the fineness of matter" means is endowed with the knowledge that discerns the smooth and subtle characteristic in matter. "The highest" means the supreme. "And with that fineness of matter" means with that knowledge that discerns the subtle characteristic, which has reached the state of conformity. "Does not regard" means does not see by the very fact of absence. "Does not desire" means does not desire by the very fact of absence. The same method applies to the fineness of feeling and so on as well.
"Having known the fineness of matter" means having known the fineness through the knowledge that discerns the smooth and subtle characteristic of the aggregate of material body. "And the origination of feelings" means having known the production of the aggregate of feeling. "From where perception arises" means having known the cause from which the aggregate of perception arises and comes into being. "And where it ceases" means having known the place where it ceases. "Having known activities as alien" means having known the aggregate of mental activities as alien through the nature of dissolution due to impermanence. Indeed, by this term, the observation of impermanence is spoken of. "As suffering and not as self" - by this, the observation of suffering and non-self. "Peaceful" means peaceful through the calming of mental defilements. "Delighting in the state of peace" means delighting in Nibbāna. Thus, in the discourse, only insight is spoken of in the four instances, but in the verses, supramundane states as well.
7.
Commentary on the First Discourse on Bias
17-19. In the seventh, "ways of going to bias" means ways of not going to the right destination. "Goes to bias through desire" means one goes to bias through desire, doing what ought not to be done. The same method applies in the remaining ones too. "Through desire, hatred, fear, and delusion" means through desire, through hate, through fear, through delusion. "Overcomes" means surpasses. The eighth is clear in itself. In the ninth, it has been spoken of by two methods, in accordance with persons who awaken in that way.
10.
Commentary on the Discourse on the Distributor of Meals
20. In the tenth, "distributor of meals" means the one who distributes ticket meals and the like. "Unrestrained in sensual pleasures" means unrestrained by defilement sensual pleasures in objective sensual pleasures. "He is called the refuse of the assembly" means this one of such nature is called the rubbish of the assembly - this is the meaning. "By the ascetic" means by the Buddha-ascetic. "He is called the cream of the assembly" means this such assembly, by one who is clear, is called the cream of the assembly.
The Conduct Chapter is the second.