1.
The Chapter on Friendliness
1.
Commentary on the Discourse on Friendliness
1. In the first of the Book of Eights, "practised" means cultivated with regard. "Developed" means increased. "Cultivated" means done again and again. "Mastered" means made like a yoked vehicle. "Made a basis of" means made like a foundation in the meaning of a support. "Practised" means established. "Accumulated" means heaped up all around, built up. "Thoroughly undertaken" means well undertaken, well done. "Benefits" means virtues. What should be said regarding "one sleeps pleasantly" and so on, we shall explain in the Book of Elevens.
"Immeasurable" means immeasurable by way of pervading. "Mental fetters become thin, for one seeing the destruction of clinging" means for one who has gradually attained arahantship reckoned as the destruction of clinging through insight that has friendliness as its foundation, the ten mental fetters are abandoned - this is the meaning. Or alternatively, "mental fetters become thin" means aversion itself and the mental fetters associated with aversion become thin. "For one seeing the destruction of clinging" means for one seeing by way of the achievement of friendliness, which is reckoned as the elimination of those very defilements as clinging. "By that one becomes skilful" means by that practice of friendliness one becomes wholesome. "Filled with beings" means possessed of a multitude reckoned as beings; the meaning is filled with beings. "Having conquered" means having conquered without rod, without sword, by righteousness alone. "Royal seers" means righteous kings who are like sages. "Sacrificing" means giving gifts. "Went about" means they wandered.
In the passage beginning with "horse-sacrifice" and so on, in the time of ancient kings, it is said, there were four ways of supporting others - the sassamedha, the purisamedha, the sammāpāsa, and the vācāpeyya - by which kings supported the world. Therein, taking a tenth share from the produced crop is called sassamedha; the meaning is wisdom in the production of crops. The giving of food and wages every six months to great warriors is called purisamedha; the meaning is wisdom in supporting people. Taking a written bond from poor people and giving them wealth amounting to one or two thousand without any interest for three years is called sammāpāsa. For that rightly binds people, keeps them as if having bound them to the heart; therefore it is called sammāpāsa. Speaking gentle words by the method of addressing them as "Dear son, uncle" and so on is called vācāpeyya; the meaning is pleasant speech. A country thus supported by the four ways of supporting others becomes prosperous and flourishing, with abundant food and drink, secure, and free from trouble. The people, rejoicing with gladness, dancing their children on their breasts, dwell with open doors. This is called niraggaḷa because of the absence of door-bolts at the house-doors. This is the ancient tradition.
But afterwards, in the time of King Okkāka, the brahmins, having turned these four ways of supporting others and this success of the country upside down, made five so-called sacrifices beginning with the horse-sacrifice and the human-sacrifice. Among these, "horses are slaughtered here" - thus it is the horse-sacrifice. This is a designation for a sacrifice to be performed with two subsidiary sacrifices, having twenty-one sacrificial posts, dreadful with the slaughter of five hundred and ninety-seven animals on a single last day alone, with the offering of all remaining wealth apart from land and men. "Men are slaughtered here" - thus it is the human-sacrifice. This is a designation for a sacrifice to be performed with four subsidiary sacrifices, together with land, having the same offering of wealth as stated in the horse-sacrifice. "They throw the peg here" - thus it is the sammāpāsa. This is a designation for a sattra-sacrifice to be performed by one who, day by day, having thrown the peg - reckoned as the stick for inserting into the hole of the yoke - having made an altar at the place where it fell, proceeds in reverse direction from the place of submersion in the Sarassatī river, with movable sacrificial posts and so on. "They drink the vāja here" - thus it is the vājapeyya. This is a designation for a sacrifice to be performed with one subsidiary sacrifice, with seventeen animals, having a bilva-wood sacrificial post, with seventeen-fold offerings. "There is no door-bolt here" - thus it is the niraggaḷa. This is a designation for a variant of the horse-sacrifice, to be performed with nine subsidiary sacrifices, together with land and men, having the same offering of wealth as stated in the horse-sacrifice, whose alternative name is the "all-sacrifice."
"They are not worth even a sixteenth fraction" means all those great sacrifices, due to the greatness of the result of a single mind of friendliness, are not worth a sixteenth fraction, do not reach a sixteenth part - this is the meaning. "Neither conquers" means one does not cause loss to another by oneself. "Nor causes to conquer" means one does not cause loss to another through another. "Having a share of friendliness" means having become a portion of consciousness that is practising friendliness. "Towards all beings" means towards all beings. "For him there is no enmity with anyone" means for him there is no unwholesome enmity or personal enmity with anyone.
2.
Commentary on the Discourse on Wisdom
2. In the second, "fundamental to the holy life" means that which is the beginning of the holy life of the path. "Of wisdom" means of insight. "Who holds the place of a teacher" means one who is a condition for the arising of respect, worthy of reverence and esteem. "Acute" means thick. "Questions" means he asks about the meaning, the text, the connection, and what comes before and after. "Inquires" means he formulates a question, he reflects thus: "I shall ask about this and that." "Twofold" means of two kinds. "Not one who engages in various talk" means he is not one who speaks on diverse topics. "Not one who engages in animal talk" means he does not engage in various kinds of pointless talk. "Noble silence" means noble silence is the fourth meditative absorption; attention to the remaining meditation subjects is also fitting. "One who knows, knows" means he knows what is to be known. "One who sees, sees" means he sees what is to be seen. "To affection" means for the purpose of the state of being dear. "To respect" means for the purpose of the state of being venerable. "To development" means for the purpose of development, or for the esteem of virtues. "To asceticism" means for the purpose of the practice of an ascetic. "To unity" means for the purpose of the state of uninterruptedness.
3-4.
Commentary on the Pair of Discourses on the Disagreeable
3-4. In the third, "one who praises the disagreeable" means one who praises and speaks in praise of a disagreeable person. "One who blames the dear" means one who censures and reproaches a dear person. In the fourth, "desirous of not being despised" means desirous that others should not despise one, thus: "Oh, indeed, may others not despise me!" "One who does not know the proper time" means he does not know the proper time for discussion; he speaks at the wrong time. "Impure" means possessed of impure bodily action and so on.
5.
Commentary on the First Discourse on Worldly Adversities
5. In the fifth, "phenomena of the world" means worldly adversities. There is no one who is free from these; they occur even for Buddhas. Therefore he said - "Keep revolving around the world" means they pursue and do not abandon; the meaning is they do not turn back from the world. "And the world keeps revolving around the eight worldly adversities" means this world too pursues those and does not abandon them, does not turn back from those phenomena. This is the meaning.
"Material gain and loss" should be understood as: when material gain has come, loss has come as well. In "disgrace" and so on too, the same method applies. "Considers them as subject to change" means he considers thus: "these are subject to change." "Scattered" means destroyed, demolished. "And having known the state" means having known the state of Nibbāna. "He rightly understands, one gone beyond existence" means one who has gone to the beyond of existence, who has reached the accomplishment, the summit; having known the state of Nibbāna, he rightly understands that state of having gone beyond. In this discourse, the round of rebirths and the end of the round of rebirths have been spoken of.
6.
Commentary on the Second Discourse on Worldly Adversities
6. In the sixth, "what is the distinction" means what is the distinguishing cause. "What is the disparity" means what is the additional exertion. "Obsessing" means having taken hold of and having brought to completion. Here too, only the round of rebirths and the end of the round of rebirths are spoken of.
7.
Commentary on the Discourse on Devadatta's Failure
7. In the seventh, "recently departed" means having split the Community, not long after he had departed. "Referring to" means having come to, dependent on, with reference to. "One's own failure" means one's own failure, the manner of having failed. The same method applies to the remaining terms as well. "Having overcome" means having overpowered, having trampled.
8.
Commentary on the Discourse on Uttara's Failure
8. In the eighth, "in Vaṭajālikā" means in the monastery so named. It is said that because it was established in a banyan grove, it came to be termed "Vaṭajālikā." "Appeared" means having gone thinking "I will report this matter to the king of gods," he became manifest. "Fundamental to the holy life" means what has become the foundation of the entire holy life of the Dispensation that is included in the threefold training.
9.
Commentary on the Nanda Discourse
9. In the ninth, "son of good family" means a son of good family by birth. "Powerful" means endowed with strength. "Pleasing" means one who generates confidence through beauty. "One of intense lust" means one of thick lust. In the passage beginning with "how else" and so on, this is the meaning - what need is there of any other reason being spoken of, this Nanda is with guarded doors in the sense faculties, knowing moderation in food, devoted to wakefulness, endowed with mindfulness and full awareness, by which Nanda is able to live the holy life that is complete and pure. If he had not been endowed with these reasons, he would not have been able. "Thus he is fully aware there" means thus there. In this discourse only the round of rebirths has been spoken of.
10.
Commentary on the Kāraṇḍava Discourse
10. In the tenth, "evades the issue with another issue" means he conceals one reason or statement with another reason or statement. "Diverts the discussion outside" means he introduces from outside another extraneous discussion. "This person should be removed" means this one should be removed, should be expelled. "Corrupter of ascetics" means one who corrupts ascetics. "Chaff among ascetics" means just as chaff among paddy is worthless among paddy, so chaff among ascetics is worthless among ascetics. "Refuse among ascetics" means rubbish among ascetics. "They remove him outside" means they expel him outside. "Barley field" means in a barley field. "Being winnowed" means being winnowed in a strong wind while standing at a high place. "They sweep away" means for the purpose of separating the grains with substance on one side and the weak grains on the other side, they sweep away again and again; they remove them with what is called a sweeping instrument - a winnowing basket or a cloth that catches the wind. "Hollow sound" means a hollow sound.
"By living together" means this one through living together. "You should cognize" means you should know. "Of gentle speech" means of smooth speech. "Among people" means in the midst of people. "He does his deed in secret" - "deed" is called evil action; he does that having become concealed, in secret. "And one who creeps about and speaks falsely" means having crept about, a liar; speaking falsely he creeps about, trembles - this is the meaning. In this discourse, having spoken only of the round of rebirths, the round of rebirths and the end of the round of rebirths are spoken of in the verses.
The Chapter on Friendliness is the first.