5.
The Chapter on the Great Sacrifice
1-2.
Commentary on the Discourse on the Seven Stations of Consciousness and So On
44-45. "Stations of consciousness" means the states of rebirth-consciousness. "Just as" (seyyathāpi) is an indeclinable particle in the sense of illustration; the meaning is "as for instance human beings." For in immeasurable world-systems, not even two among immeasurable human beings are alike by way of colour, shape, and so on. For even those who somewhere are twin brothers alike in colour or in shape, even for them there is indeed a distinction by way of looking, glancing, speaking, laughing, walking, standing, and so on. Therefore they are said to be "different in body." But their reconnection perceptions are with three roots, with two roots, or without roots. Therefore they are said to be "different in perception." "Some gods" means the six sensual-sphere gods. For among them, the body of some is blue, and of some is of yellow and other colours. But their perception is with two roots or with three roots; there are none without roots. "Some beings in states of misfortune" means those freed from the four realms of misery, such as the demoness Uttaramātā, Piyaṅkaramātā, Phussamittā, Dhammaguttā, and other mansion-dwelling ghosts. For their bodies are diverse by way of yellow, white, black, dark yellow, clear-skinned, dark-complexioned colour and so on, and by way of thin, fat, short, and tall; and their perception too, like that of human beings, by way of with two roots, with three roots, and without roots. But they are not influential like gods; they are of little influence like destitute human beings, with food and clothing hard to obtain, dwelling oppressed by suffering. Some are afflicted during the dark fortnight and happy during the bright fortnight. Therefore, because of having fallen from the accumulation of happiness, they are said to be "beings in states of misfortune." But those among them who are with three roots, for them there is even full realisation of the Teaching, as in the case of Piyaṅkaramātā and others.
"Of Brahmā's retinue" means the Brahmā's ministers, Brahmā's chaplains, and the Great Brahmās. "First reborn" means all of them are reborn by means of the first meditative absorption. The Brahmā's ministers are reborn by means of the limited, and their life-span is a third part of a cosmic cycle. The Brahmā's chaplains by means of the middling, and their life-span is half a cosmic cycle, and their body is more extensive. The Great Brahmās by means of the superior, and their life-span is a cosmic cycle, and their body is exceedingly extensive. Thus, because of the diversity of their body and the unity of their perception by means of the first meditative absorption, they should be understood as different in body and identical in perception.
And just as those, so too are beings in the four realms of misery. For in the hells, the individual existence of some is a league, of some half a yojana, of some a yojana, but Devadatta's was born a hundred yojanas in size. Among animals too, some are small, some are great. In the sphere of ghosts too, some are sixty cubits, some eighty cubits; some are beautiful, some are ugly. Likewise the Kālakañcikā titans. And furthermore, here there are ghosts called "long-backed" who are even sixty yojanas in size. But the perception of all of them is only unwholesome-resultant and rootless. Thus even beings in the realms of misery are reckoned as different in body and identical in perception.
"Radiant" means that, like the flame of a torch, the radiance from their bodies, breaking off again and again, as if falling, flows and spreads forth - thus they are "radiant." Among them, according to the fivefold method, those who have developed the pair of the second and third meditative absorptions as limited and are reborn are called "of limited radiance," and their life-span is two cosmic cycles. Those who have developed the middling and are reborn are called "of immeasurable radiance," and their life-span is four cosmic cycles. Those who have developed the superior and are reborn are called "radiant," and their life-span is eight cosmic cycles. But here, by way of the superior delimitation, all of them are included. For the body of all of them is of one single extent, but their perception is diverse, being either without applied but sustained thought only, or without applied and sustained thought.
"Of streaming radiance" means covered with and scattered with beauty; the meaning is compact with the beautiful radiance and colour of the body. For in their case, the radiance does not go breaking off again and again as in the case of the radiant gods. But according to the fivefold method, by means of the limited, middling, and superior fourth meditative absorption, they arise having become those called "of limited glory," "of immeasurable glory," and "of streaming radiance," with life-spans of sixteen, thirty-six, and sixty-four cosmic cycles respectively. Thus all of them should be understood as identical in body and also identical in perception by means of the perception of the fourth meditative absorption. The gods of great fruit also belong to the fourth station of consciousness. The non-percipient beings, because of the absence of consciousness, do not come under the classification here, but they come under the abodes of beings.
The Pure Abode beings, established on the side of the end of the round of rebirths, are not perpetual; even for a hundred thousand cosmic cycles or even for an incalculable period, in a world devoid of a Buddha, they do not arise. They arise only when Buddhas have arisen within sixteen thousand cosmic cycles. They are similar to the staging posts of the Blessed One who set in motion the wheel of the Teaching. Therefore they belong to neither a station of consciousness nor an abode of beings. But the Elder Mahāsīva says, "By this discourse, 'But, Sāriputta, there is no residence easy to obtain that has not been previously dwelt in by me during this long period of time, except for the gods of the Pure Abodes,' the Pure Abodes too belong to the fourth station of consciousness and the fourth abode of beings"; because it has not been refuted, it is permitted by the discourse.
The plane of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, just as with perception, so too because of the subtlety of consciousness, it is neither consciousness nor non-consciousness. Therefore it was not stated among the stations of consciousness. In the second, "accessories of concentration" means the requisites of path concentration.
3.
Commentary on the First Discourse on Fire
46. In the third, all those beginning with lust are fires in the sense of burning. Regarding "the fire worthy of offerings" and so on, here "āhuna" means honour; "they deserve honour" thus they are "worthy of offerings." For mother and father deserve honour because of their great helpfulness to their children; children who act wrongly towards them are reborn in hell and so on. Therefore, although mother and father do not themselves burn, they are conditions for burning. Thus, in the sense of burning, they are called "the fire worthy of offerings." "Householder" means the master of a house; he is very helpful to a woman by providing bedding, clothing, ornaments, and so on. A woman who commits adultery against him is reborn in hell and so on. Therefore he too is called the householder's fire in the sense of burning, by the former method. "The fire worthy of gifts" - here, "offering" means the four requisites; the Community of monks is worthy of gifts. For he is very helpful by urging laypeople towards wholesome qualities such as the three refuges, the five precepts, the ten precepts, attendance upon mother and father, and attendance upon righteous ascetics and brahmins, and so on. Laypeople who have wrongly practised, having reviled and abused the Community of monks, are reborn in hell and so on. Therefore he too is called the fire worthy of gifts in the sense of burning, by the former method. The fire arisen from wood, being just a natural fire, is called the wood fire.
4.
Commentary on the Second Discourse on Fire
47. In the fourth, "of Uggatasarīra" means he was, it is said, a wealthy brahmin who was lofty both in his individual existence and in his possessions, having attained the core; therefore he became known as Uggatasarīra. "Set aside" means prepared. "Brought to the sacrificial post" means brought to the post designated as a sacrificial stake. "For the purpose of sacrifice" means for the purpose of sacrificing after slaughtering. "Approached" means he, it is said, having prepared all those sacrificial materials, thought - "The ascetic Gotama, it is said, is of great wisdom; will he speak praise or blame of my sacrifice? Having asked, I shall find out" - for this reason he approached the Blessed One. "The taking up of fire" means the taking up of a new auspicious fire for the purpose of performing the sacrifice. "In every respect" shows that all that was heard agrees with, concurs with, all that was heard, being uniform. "Knives" means knives in the sense of being like knives in the sense of violence. "Himself first undertakes" means he himself begins first of all. "To slaughter" means to kill.
"To be abandoned" means to be maintained. "From them" means from them, that is, from mother and father, this one. "Has come forth" means has come. "Has arisen" means has been born. "This is called, brahmin, the householder's fire" means this group of sons, wives, and so on, because, like a householder, like a master of a house, it goes about and moves around, therefore it is called the householder's fire. "Themselves" means the mind. "They tame" means they tame by the taming of the faculties. "They calm" means they calm by the calming of lust and so on. They bring to final quenching by the final quenching of those very same. "Should be put aside" means should be placed so that it does not perish. "Let blow upon" means let it blow upon. And having said thus, the brahmin, having given life to all those living beings, having demolished the sacrificial hall, became a well-spring in the Teacher's Dispensation.
5-6.
Commentary on the Two Discourses on Perception
48-49. In the fifth, "grounded upon the Deathless" means having Nibbāna as support. "Having the Deathless as their final goal" means having Nibbāna as their end. In the sixth, "attainment of sexual intercourse" means by reason of being endowed with sexual intercourse. "Sinew-sponge" means a piece of sinew or a sinew-scraping. "Flows along" means proceeds. "There is no distinction in me from before to after" means there is no distinction for me between the earlier time when it was not developed and the later time when it is developed. "In the world's manifold attractions" means in the world's manifold attractions, which are termed the dwelling-places of the world of three elements. "In sloth" means in the state of laziness. "In laxity" means in the state of laxity. "In non-pursuit" means in the non-pursuit of exertion. "Free from I-making, mine-making, and conceit" means departed from the wrong view of I-making, from the craving of mine-making, and from the ninefold conceit. "Having transcended discrimination" means having gone beyond the three discriminations. "Peaceful" means peaceful from the opposing mental defilements. "Well liberated" means well liberated by the five liberations.
7.
Commentary on the Discourse on Sexual Intercourse
50. In the seventh, "approached" means having eaten his morning meal, surrounded by slaves and labourers, he approached. "Does Master also" means "does Master indeed." "Claims to be one leading the holy life" means he asks whether he claims the dwelling of the holy life thus: "I am one leading the holy life." For thus it occurred to him - "In the brahmin tradition, those learning the Vedas practise the holy life for forty-eight years. But the ascetic Gotama, while dwelling in a house, delighted in three mansions with the enjoyment of threefold dancers; now what indeed will he say?" - with reference to this meaning, he asks thus. Then the Blessed One, like one seizing a black snake with a spell, like one treading upon the neck of an enemy with his foot, with reference to the fact that during his own time of defilement, throughout the six years of striving practice, not even a mere thought had arisen concerning the happiness of kingship or the success of dancers in the mansions, roaring a lion's roar, said beginning with "Whatever, brahmin." Therein, "sexual intercourse" means the state of being engaged in by two and two. "From suffering" means from the entire suffering of the round of rebirths. "Jokes" means he speaks talk mixed with laughter. "Plays" means he engages in sport. "Sports" means he laughs a great laugh. "With his own eye, her eye" means having penetrated her eye with his own eye, he gazes upon her. "Through a wall or through a rampart" means beyond another's wall or beyond another's rampart. "A god" means one king of gods. "An inferior deity" means a certain young god. "The unsurpassed perfect enlightenment" means both arahantship and the knowledge of omniscience.
8.
Commentary on the Discourse on Bondage
51. In the eighth, "union and separation" means accomplishing union and separation. "Exposition of the Teaching" means a cause of the Teaching. "Internally the femininity faculty" means the state of being a woman in one's own internal self. "Feminine behaviour" means feminine action. "Feminine deportment" means feminine deportment of wearing the inner robe, the outer robe, and so on. "Feminine manner" means a woman's manner of conceit. "Feminine desire" means a woman's desire of disposition. "Feminine voice" means a woman's sound. "Feminine adornment" means a woman's ornamental goods. In the case of the masculinity faculty and so on too, the same method applies. "External union" means meeting together with a man. "Goes beyond" means "not delighting" means having attained the noble path through powerful insight stated thus, one goes beyond. In this discourse, the round of rebirths and the end of the round of rebirths have been spoken of.
9.
Commentary on the Discourse on Giving Rich in Result
52. In the ninth, "with expectation" means with craving. "With mind bound to the result" means with mind bound to the result. "Expecting storage" means having been one looking for a deposit. "After death" means having gone to the world beyond. "Having exhausted that action" means having exhausted that result of action. "Supernormal power" means resultant supernormal power. "Fame" means the accomplishment of a retinue. "Sovereignty" means the cause of the state of being foremost. "One who comes back to this state of being" means one who comes back again to this state, these five aggregates; he is not one who is reborn there nor one who is reborn above, but is one who returns below only - this is the meaning. "Giving is good" means this giving is indeed good, auspicious, beautiful. "Those great sacrifices" means those great gifts that reached completion with ghee, butter, curds, honey, molasses and so on. "As an ornament and accessory for the mind" means that which has become an ornament and that which has become an accessory for the mind of serenity and insight meditation. "In the company of the gods of Brahmā's company" means it is not possible to be reborn there by giving alone. But because that has become an ornament for the mind of serenity and insight meditation, therefore with that mind adorned by giving, having produced both meditative absorption and the noble path, one is reborn there through meditative absorption. "Becomes a non-returner" means one becomes what is called a non-returner by meditative absorption. "One who does not come back to this state of being" means one who does not come back again to this state, having become either one who is reborn above or one who is reborn there, attains final Nibbāna right there. Thus among these gifts, the first is called the gift surpassing craving, the second the gift of respect, the third the gift of moral shame and moral fear, the fourth the gift without remainder, the fifth the gift worthy of offerings, the sixth the gift of exploration of pleasure, and the seventh the gift of ornament and accessory.
10.
Commentary on the Discourse on Nanda's Mother
53. The tenth was taught by way of the arising of the occasion. It is said that the Teacher, having finished keeping the rains retreat, having celebrated the pavāraṇā, leaving behind the two chief disciples, departed saying "I shall go on a journey to the Southern Hills." King Pasenadi of Kosala, the householder Anāthapiṇḍika, the great female lay follower Visākhā, and other many people were not able to make the One of Ten Powers turn back. The householder Anāthapiṇḍika sat pondering in a secret place, thinking "I was not able to make the Teacher turn back." Then a slave woman named Puṇṇā, having seen him, asked "Why indeed, master, are your faculties not very clear as before?" Yes, Puṇṇā, the Teacher has departed on a journey, and I was not able to make him turn back. But it is not possible to know whether he would come back quickly again or not; therefore I am sitting pondering. If I were to make the One of Ten Powers turn back, what would you do for me? I will make you a free woman. She, having gone and having paid homage to the Teacher, said "Please turn back, venerable sir." On account of my turning back, what will you do? You, venerable sir, know my state of dependence on others; I am not able to do anything else, but having become established in the refuges, I shall observe the five precepts. "Good, good, Puṇṇā" - the Teacher, out of respect for the Teaching, turned back at just that one statement. For this was said: "The Truth-finder, monks, respects the Teaching, has respect for the Teaching."
The Teacher, having turned back, entered the great monastery of Jeta's Grove. The great multitude gave thousands of acclamations to Puṇṇā. The Teacher taught the Teaching at that assembly; eighty-four thousand living beings drank the deathless drink. Puṇṇā too, having been permitted by the millionaire, having gone to the nuns' dwelling, went forth. The One Enlightened by himself, having addressed Sāriputta and Moggallāna, said "I shall not go to the direction to which I had departed on a journey. You, together with your following, go on a journey in that direction" - having said this, he dismissed them. In this arising of the occasion, the passage beginning with "On one occasion the Venerable Sāriputta" and so on was spoken.
Therein, "of Veḷukaṇḍaka" means a woman dwelling in the town of Veḷukaṇḍaka. It is said that for the purpose of protecting that city with a wall, bamboos were planted along the perimeter of the wall; therefore the name Veḷukaṇṭaka itself came to be. "Pārāyana" means the Teaching that has acquired the conventional expression "Pārāyana" because of going towards the far shore, which is reckoned as Nibbāna. "Recites with her voice" means seated in a well-arranged guarded place on the uppermost storey of a seven-storeyed mansion, having spent the night-time by the power of meditative attainment, having emerged from the attainment, having thought "With what delight shall I spend this remainder of the night?" having made the decision "With delight in the Teaching," a female noble disciple who had attained the three fruits recites the Pārāyana Sutta, measuring two hundred and fifty verses, with sweet melodic chanting. "He heard" means having steered past the sky-dwelling mansions, travelling along the path that went above that mansion, having ascended a man-borne vehicle, while going, he heard. "He stood waiting for the end of the talk" means having asked "What is that sound, my good men?" when it was said "It is the sound of melodic chanting of the female lay follower Nandamātā," having descended, looking for the end of the teaching saying "he said this," he stood in the sky at a place not far away.
"Good, sister, good, sister" means having said "Well taken by you, sister, is the proclamation of the Teaching, well spoken. Having sat down at the Stone Shrine, between the day when the One Enlightened by himself spoke to the sixteen Pārāyanika brahmins and today, I see no difference whatsoever; like gold split in the middle, what was spoken by you is exactly similar to what was spoken by the Teacher" - thus giving applause, he said this. "But who is this, dear one?" means in this well-arranged guarded place, with such a loud voice, who is this named one, dear one, fortunate one - is it a serpent, a supaṇṇa, a god, Māra, or a Brahmā? - having opened the window of golden slab colour, free from timidity, a female noble disciple who had attained the three fruits, conversing with Vessavaṇa, said thus. "I am your brother, sister" means being himself a stream-enterer, regarding the non-returner female noble disciple as senior, having said "sister," then again regarding her as his junior because of her standing in the first stage of life, but regarding himself as older because of having a life span of ninety hundred thousand years, he said "brother." "Good, dear one" means dear one, good, beautiful; your coming is a welcome coming; the meaning is you have come to a place that is fitting to come to. "Let this be a gift of hospitality for you" means let this very recitation of the Teaching be a guest-gift for you; the intention is: for I do not see anything else more superior than this that should be given to you. "This indeed will be a gift of hospitality for me" means having thus requested the transference of merit to himself, saying "This is your honour to the preacher of the Teaching," having filled one thousand two hundred and fifty storerooms with red rice, having determined "As long as this female lay follower lives, may these not come to exhaustion," he departed. As long as the female lay follower stood, they were not able to see the bottom of the storerooms. From then on, the conventional expression arose: "Like the storehouses of Nandamātā."
"Who had not yet had their morning meal" means who had not eaten their morning meal. "Merit" means the prior volition and the volition at the moment of giving. "Great merit" means the subsequent volition. "May it be for happiness" means may it be for the purpose of happiness, for the purpose of welfare. Thus she gave the merit of her own gift to Vessavaṇa.
"Pretext" means reason. "Forcibly abduct" means having dragged away, having overpowered. "Realm of demons" means the state of an earth deity. "He revealed himself in that very former individual existence" means having created a body similar to his former body, decorated and prepared, he shows himself on the floor of the royal bedchamber. "Acknowledged as a female lay follower" means I declared my state as a female lay follower thus: "I am a female lay follower." "Yāvade" means just "yāvadeva." The remainder is clear everywhere.
The Great Sacrifice Chapter is the fifth.
The fifty is finished.