3.
The Chapter on Abodes of Beings
1.
Commentary on the Three States Discourse
21. In the first of the third, "the Uttarakurukans" means the inhabitants of Uttarakuru. "Surpass" means they overpower; they are superior, distinguished, and foremost. "Without attachment" means free from craving. In the commentary, however, it is said to mean "free from suffering." "Without possessions" means devoid of possessing thinking "this is mine." "With fixed life span" means for them the life span is constantly a thousand years only; their destination too is fixed, having passed away from there they are reborn in heaven itself. "Mindful" means for deities, because of being exclusively happy, mindfulness is not firm; for those doomed to Niraya Hell, because of being exclusively afflicted. But for these, because of having a mixture of happiness and suffering, mindfulness is firm. "Here is the abiding by the holy life" means since Buddhas and Paccekabuddhas arise in the Indian subcontinent, the abiding by the holy life of the Eightfold Path also exists right here.
2.
Commentary on the Inferior Horse Discourse
22. In the second, "endowed with speed" means endowed with speed of foot. "Not endowed with beauty" means not endowed with bodily beauty. Among the inferior persons, "endowed with speed" means endowed with the speed of knowledge. "Not endowed with beauty" means not endowed with the beauty of virtuous qualities. The remainder should be understood according to the method of the Pāḷi text itself. Whatever should be said here, that has already been stated in the commentary on the Book of Threes.
3.
Commentary on the Discourse on What is Rooted in Craving
23. In the third, "dependent on craving" means there are two cravings: craving as search and craving for what is searched. The craving by which, having entered upon goat-tracks, stake-paths, and so on, one seeks and searches for wealth - this is called craving as search. Whatever craving arises regarding those things that have been sought, searched for, and obtained - this is called craving for what is searched. Here, however, craving as search should be seen. "Quest" means the quest for objects beginning with matter. For that exists when craving as search exists. "Material gain" means the obtaining of objects beginning with matter. For that exists when quest exists.
Judgment, however, is fourfold by way of knowledge, craving, wrong view, and applied thought. Therein, "One should know the judgment of happiness; having known the judgment of happiness, one should pursue internal happiness" - this is the judgment of knowledge. "Judgments" means there are two judgments - judgment of craving and judgment of wrong view" - the one hundred and eight thoughts of craving that have come down thus are the judgment of craving. The sixty-two wrong views are the judgment of wrong view. "Desire, lord of the gods, has applied thought as its source" - but in this discourse, what is stated here as "judgment" has come as applied thought itself. For having obtained material gain, one judges the desirable and undesirable, the beautiful and unbeautiful, by applied thought alone - "This much will be for the purpose of visual objects, this much for the purpose of sound objects, this much will be for me, this much for another, this much I shall consume, this much I shall store away." Therefore it was said - "dependent on material gain there is judgment."
"Desire and lust" means thus, regarding the matter thought about with unwholesome applied thought, both weak lust and powerful lust arise. For here "desire" is a designation for weak lust. "Holding" means the powerful conviction "I" and "mine." "Possession" means the making of possession by way of craving and wrong view. "Stinginess" means the inability to endure the state of sharing in common with others. Therefore the ancients explain the meaning of the word thus - "Because it occurs as 'Let this wonderful thing be for me alone, let it not be a wonderful thing for another,' it is called stinginess." "Safeguarding" means thorough protection by way of closing doors, guarding in caskets, and so on. "It does exceedingly" (adhikaroti) means a legal case (adhikaraṇa); this is a name for a cause. "On account of safeguarding" (ārakkhādhikaraṇa) is an abstract neuter compound; the meaning is "having safeguarding as the cause." Among "taking up of sticks" and so on, the taking up of a stick for the purpose of restraining others is "taking up of sticks." The taking up of a knife with a single edge and so on is "taking up of knives." "Dispute" means both bodily dispute and verbal dispute. The former is strife, the latter is contention. "You, you" talk is disrespectful speech, "you, you."
4.
Commentary on the Discourse on Abodes of Beings
24. "Abodes of beings" means the residences of beings; the meaning is dwelling places. Therein, the Pure Abodes too are indeed abodes of beings, but because they are not present at all times, they were not included. For the Pure Abodes are like the staging posts of the Buddhas; during incalculable cosmic cycles when Buddhas are not arising, that state is empty. Thus because they are not present at all times, they were not included. The remainder here should be understood by the method already stated regarding the stations of consciousness.
5.
Commentary on the Discourse on Wisdom
25. In the fifth, "when" (yato) means at whatever time. "Well cultivated" means thoroughly accumulated, well grown. "Proper to say" means fitting to say. "Without lust" means whose lust has disappeared. "Not subject to lust" means not having the intrinsic nature of becoming lustful. "Not subject to return" means having the intrinsic nature of non-returning, not worthy of being reborn, having the intrinsic nature of ceasing by way of being incapable of rebirth-linking - this is the meaning. In this discourse, only one who has eliminated the mental corruptions is spoken of.
6.
Commentary on the Discourse on the Stone Pillar
26. In the sixth, "Candikāputta" is the elder monk Candikāputta, known by way of his mother's name. "The mind has been cultivated by thought" means by the method of mind-turns, the method of mind-turns has been heaped up, increased. "The mind has been well cultivated by thought" means by the method of mind-turns, the method of mind-turns has been well heaped up again and again, well increased. "They do not overpower his mind" means those objects are unable to remain having seized and exhausted the arising of consciousness of that one who has eliminated the mental corruptions. "Unmixed" means because of not clinging to those objects, it is unmixed with them. "Having attained imperturbability" means having attained the state of immobility, the state of non-agitation.
"Stone pillar" means a stone post. "Of sixteen cubits" means sixteen cubits in length. "Below having entered the foundation" means gone below the pit. "Above the foundation" means above the pit. "Because of being well planted" means because of being well planted by pounding again and again with iron pestles. "Just so" - here, one who has eliminated the mental corruptions should be seen as like the stone pillar; the mental defilements arising at the six doors should be seen as like the great winds; just as the inability of the winds coming from the four directions to shake the stone pillar, so should be understood the inability of the mental defilements arising at the six doors to shake the mind of one who has eliminated the mental corruptions. In this discourse too, only one who has eliminated the mental corruptions is spoken of.
7-8.
Commentary on the Two Discourses on Enmity
27-28. In the seventh, "produces fear and enmity" means one obtains the fear of mental terror and personal enmity. "Mental" means dependent on consciousness. "Suffering" means having the body as its basis. "Displeasure" means suffering associated with aversion. In this discourse, the path of stream-entry is spoken of. The eighth was spoken to the community of monks, but in this one only the stream-enterer has been spoken of, it is said.
9.
Commentary on the Discourse on Grounds of Resentment
29. In the ninth, "grounds of resentment" means causes of resentment. "Binds resentment" means binds, gives rise to irritation.
10-11.
Commentary on the Discourse on Removal of Resentment and Others
30-31. In the tenth, "removals of resentment" means the causes for the removal of resentment. "How could it be obtained here" means that harmful conduct - "may it not have been so" - how could it be obtained in regard to this person, for what reason is it possible to obtain? Having reflected thus - "another indeed does harm to another according to his own mind's preference" - one removes resentment. Or alternatively, if I were to make irritation, how could that making of irritation be obtained here in regard to this person, for what reason should it be obtained - this is the meaning. "Kuto lābhā" is also a reading. If I were to make irritation here, in that making of irritation by me, whence would there be material gains, what indeed would the gains be - this is the meaning. And in this meaning, "taṃ" is merely an indeclinable particle. In the eleventh, "gradual cessations" means cessations in succession. The remainder is of manifest meaning everywhere.
The Chapter on the Abodes of Beings is the third.