8.
The Book of the Eights
1.
The Commentary on the Verses of the Elder Mahākaccāyana
494-501. In the Book of Eights, the verses beginning with "One should not undertake much work" are of the Venerable Elder Mahākaccāyana. What is the origin? This one too, having formed aspirations under former Buddhas, in the time of the Blessed One Padumuttara, having been reborn in a very wealthy householder's family, having come of age, one day, while hearing the Teaching in the presence of the Teacher, having seen a certain monk being established in the foremost position among those who analyse in detail the meaning of what has been spoken in brief by the Teacher, himself too aspiring to that position, having made an aspiration, having performed meritorious deeds such as giving and so on, wandering in the round of rebirths among gods and humans, in the time of the Blessed One Sumedha, having become a knower of charms, going through space, having seen the Teacher seated in a certain jungle thicket on the Himalaya mountain, with a gladdened mind, made an offering with kaṇikāra flowers.
He, by that meritorious action, turning again and again only in fortunate destinations, in the time of Kassapa, the One of Ten Powers, having been reborn in a family home in Bārāṇasī, when the Blessed One had attained final Nibbāna, at the place of making a golden shrine, having made an offering with a golden brick worth a hundred thousand, he made the aspiration: "May my body be golden-coloured in whatever place I am reborn."
Thereupon, having performed wholesome action for as long as life lasted, having transmigrated among gods and humans for one interval between Buddhas, in this arising of a Buddha, he was reborn in the house of the chaplain of King Caṇḍapajjota in Ujjenī. On his name-giving day, his mother, thinking "My son is golden-coloured; he has come having brought his own name," gave him the name Kañcanamāṇava. He, following the course of growth, having learnt the three Vedas, by the elapse of his father, obtained the position of chaplain. He became known as Kaccāyana by virtue of his clan. King Caṇḍapajjota, having heard of the arising of a Buddha, sent him saying "Teacher, go there and bring the Teacher here." He, himself as the eighth, approached the presence of the Teacher. The Teacher teaches him the Teaching. At the conclusion of the teaching, he, together with seven persons, became established in arahantship together with the analytical knowledges. Therefore it was said in the Apadāna -
A hundred thousand cosmic cycles ago from now, the Leader arose.
Resembling a golden mountain, with radiance equal to the sun's light.
Gone beyond all paths of speech, honoured by humans and deities.
With a continuum bound by compassion, confident in the assemblies.
He lifts up living beings sunk in the mire of delusion.
Going through the sky to the human world, I saw the Conqueror.
Of the hero praising the great virtue of the disciple.
He pleases both the assembly and me, just as this Kaccāyana does.
Therefore henceforth he is the foremost, thus remember, monks.'
Having gone to the Himalaya, having brought a collection of flowers.
Then, having known my disposition, he who abandons conflict made the declaration.
With hair standing on end, with full shoulders, standing unshakeable with joined palms.
Born of the Dhamma, with a heart for learning, resembling one sprinkled with the Deathless.'
In the future time, of Gotama, the great sage.
Kaccāna by name, will be a disciple of the Teacher.
He will attain that state, just as he was declared by me.
I do not know of an unfortunate realm, this is the fruit of honouring the Buddha.
I go to no other destination, this is the fruit of honouring the Buddha.
I am not born in a low family, this is the fruit of honouring the Buddha.
Under the fierce Pajjota, dependent on the chief priest, a brahmin.
And my mother was named Candimā, I am Kaccāna of excellent skin.
Having seen the leader, the accumulation of virtues, the door to the city of liberation.
I attained the Deathless, the peaceful, together with the remaining seven.
And established in the foremost position, with wish well fulfilled.
Then the Teacher stretched out his hand saying "Come, monks." They at that very instant had hair and beards of only two inches' length, bearing bowls and robes created by supernormal power, and were like elder monks of sixty rains retreats. Thus the elder, having accomplished his own welfare, reported to the Teacher: "Venerable sir, King Pajjota wishes to pay homage at your feet and to hear the Teaching." The Teacher said: "You yourself, monk, go there; even when you have gone, the king will have confidence." The elder, by the Teacher's command, being himself the eighth, having gone there, having gladdened the king, having established the Dispensation among the Avantis, went again to the very presence of the Teacher. He, one day, having seen many monks who had abandoned the ascetic duty, delighting in work, delighting in company, and given over to craving for flavours, dwelling in heedlessness, by way of exhortation to them -
494.
He who is zealous, greedy for flavours, neglects the benefit that brings happiness.
495.
A subtle dart, difficult to remove, honour is hard to give up by a contemptible person."
He spoke two verses.
Therein, "one should not undertake much work" means one should not commence great new construction work such as having new residences built and so on, which becomes an obstruction to the practice of the ascetic duty; but minor work of little undertaking such as the restoration of broken and dilapidated portions and so on should indeed be done for the purpose of honouring the Teacher's word. "One should avoid people" means one should avoid people by way of group socialising. Or "people" means one should avoid such a person who has become a bad friend, of such a kind that when associating with, keeping company with, and attending on whom, wholesome mental states decline and unwholesome mental states increase. "One should not exert oneself" means one should not strive by way of cultivating families for the purpose of producing requisites; because "he who is zealous, greedy for flavours, neglects the benefit that brings happiness" means whatever monk, greedy for flavours, under the control of craving for flavours, is intent on producing requisites, he is zealous for the purpose of cultivating families, happy when they are happy, unhappy when they are unhappy, when duties to be done have arisen he himself commits to exertion in them; whatever benefit that brings happiness - that which brings the happiness of serenity, insight, path, fruition, and Nibbāna, the benefit beginning with morality - that he neglects, abandons, absolutely separates himself from it. This is the meaning.
Thus, having exhorted by the first verse "One should avoid delight in work, delight in company, and greed for requisites," now censuring the desire for honour, he spoke the second verse. Its meaning is - That salutation and veneration which is being done by householders through esteem for virtues in families towards those gone forth who have approached for alms - since the noble ones such as the Buddha and others declared, directly knew, or made known that this is mire, mud, for those who are undeveloped, in the sense of causing them to sink and in the sense of making them impure; and since they declared that the desire for honour of blind worldlings whose aggregates have not been fully understood is a subtle dart, difficult to remove, because of its nature being difficult to discern, because of generating affliction, because of piercing within, and because of being impossible to extract - for that very reason, honour is hard to give up by a contemptible person, difficult to abandon, because of his not undertaking the practice of abandoning it. For by the abandoning of the desire for honour, honour is abandoned; therefore it shows that exertion should be made for its abandoning -
496.
One should not pursue that oneself, for mortals have action as their kinsman.
497.
As oneself knows him, so too the gods know him.
498.
Those who understand this, thereby their quarrels are appeased.
499.
But with the loss of wisdom, even one with wealth does not live.
500.
Yet the wise one should not reject all that is seen and heard.
501.
One with wisdom should be as if mute, one with strength as if weak;
Then when a matter has arisen, one should lie like one dead."
He spoke these six verses by way of exhortation to King Pajjota. It is said that he, having believed the brahmins, had animal-slaughter sacrifices performed, and without even investigating the case, he punished the innocent with the perception of them being thieves, and in the court of justice he made non-owners into owners and owners into non-owners. Thereupon the elder, in order to separate him from that, spoke six verses beginning with "Not on account of another."
Therein, "not on account of another, the evil action of a mortal" means one should not pursue evil action such as killing, imprisonment and so on, having compared with, with reference to, having made a reason for another mortal, another being; the meaning is one should not have it done by another. "One should not pursue that oneself" means one should not do that evil even by oneself. Why? "For mortals have action as their kinsman" - these mortals are heirs to their actions; therefore one should not do any evil deed oneself, nor should one have it done by another. This is the meaning.
"Not by another's word is one a thief" means without having committed theft oneself, by another's word, by the mere utterance of another, one is not called a thief. Likewise, "not by another's word is one a sage" - by the mere utterance of another, one does not become a sage of thoroughly purified bodily, verbal and mental conduct. Here indeed "pare" is a description made by eliding the case ending. Some, however, say "where 'pares' should be said, 'pare' is stated by eliding the saṃ-kāra." "As oneself knows him" means one's own self, that is, one's mind, knows that being as he really is, knowing "I am pure or impure." "The gods too know him likewise" means purification gods and rebirth gods likewise know, they cognize, they understand. Therefore oneself and such gods are the measure in knowing the state of purity or impurity of the pure and impure, not any beings whatsoever who are overcome by desire and hate. This is the intention.
"Others" means setting aside the wise, the others apart from them - those who, not knowing wholesome and unwholesome action, blameworthy and blameless action, the fruit of action, the foulness of the body, and the impermanence of activities, are here called "others." They do not know "we here in this world of the living are perishing, are ceasing, we are constantly, continuously going near to Death." "Those who understand this" means those who are wise therein understand "we are going near to Death." "Thereby their quarrels are appeased" means for thus knowing, they proceed towards the appeasement of quarrels and violence against others; the meaning is they themselves do not quarrel with and do not afflict others. But you, for the sake of livelihood, even making the innocent into thieves, even making owners into non-owners by punishment, you afflict through loss of wealth, due to deficiency of wisdom. Even without doing so, the wise one lives, even with the utter elimination of wealth; even one whose wealth is exhausted, being wise by nature, contented with whatsoever contentment, lives indeed by a blameless livelihood. For that indeed is called living. Therefore the Blessed One said - "Living by wisdom they call life foremost." But an imprudent person, with the loss of wisdom, failing in the benefit pertaining to the present life and pertaining to the future life, even one with wealth does not live; through the occurrence of reproach and so on, though living, he is not truly living; through not knowing the right means, destroying whatever wealth has been obtained, he is indeed unable even to sustain his life.
It is said that the elder spoke these four verses also to the king by means of a dream. The king, having seen a dream, while venerating the elder, having awoken, when the night became light, having approached the elder, having paid homage, related the dream according to the procedure he himself had seen. Having heard that, the elder, having spoken those verses in response, exhorted the king with two verses beginning with "one hears everything." Therein, "one hears everything with the ear" means here one who is not deaf hears with the ear all sound that should be heard, that has come into range, all that is well-spoken and ill-spoken. Likewise, one who is not blind sees with the eye all form, beautiful and ugly; this is the intrinsic nature of the faculties. Therein, however, "yet the wise one should not reject all that is seen and heard" - this is merely an illustration. For whatever is seen or heard, the wise one, the one with wisdom, does not deserve to reject, to abandon, or to accept all of that. But having examined the virtues and faults therein, one deserves to reject what should be rejected and to accept what should be accepted. Therefore, "one with eyes should be as if blind" - even though possessing eyes, with regard to what is seen that should be rejected, one should be as if blind, as if not seeing; likewise, with regard to what is heard that should be rejected, even one with ears should be as if deaf, as if not hearing. "One with wisdom should be as if mute" means one who is wise with the wisdom of examination, even though skilled in speech, should be as if mute regarding what should not be spoken. "One with strength," even though accomplished in vigour, regarding what should not be done, should be as if weak - the letter "ra" serves as a word-connector - as if unable. "Then when a matter has arisen, one should lie like one dead" means when a task that ought to be done by oneself has arisen and is at hand, one should lie like one dead; even having lain like one dead, that task should indeed be accomplished, it should not be neglected. Or alternatively, "then when a matter has arisen" means when a matter or task that should not be done by oneself has arisen and is at hand, one should lie like one dead; even having lain like one dead, that should indeed not be done. For a wise person does not deserve to do what is inappropriate. Thus exhorted by the elder, the king, having abandoned what ought not to be done, became properly engaged in only what ought to be done.
The commentary on the verses of the Elder Mahākaccāyana is concluded.
2.
The Commentary on the Verses of the Elder Sirimitta
502-509. "Without wrath" and so on are the verses of the Venerable Elder Sirimitto. What is the origin? This one too, having formed aspirations under former Buddhas, having accumulated wholesome action as a decisive support for the end of the round of rebirths in this and that existence, in this arising of a Buddha, was born as the son of a householder of great wealth in Rājagaha, and received the name Sirimitto. It is said that his mother was the sister of Sirigutta. His story has come in the Dhammapada Commentary itself. He, Sirimitto, the nephew of Sirigutta, having come of age, having gained confidence in the Teacher at the taming of Dhanapāla, having gone forth, doing the work of insight, before long attained arahantship. One day, having ascended the seat to recite the Pātimokkha, having taken a decorated fan, seated, he taught the Teaching to the monks. And while speaking, analysing and showing the more lofty virtues -
502.
Such a monk indeed, thus after death does not grieve.
503.
A monk with guarded doors always, thus after death does not grieve.
504.
That monk of good morality, thus after death does not grieve.
505.
That monk of good friends, thus after death does not grieve.
506.
That monk of good wisdom, thus after death does not grieve.
507.
And whose morality is good, dear to the noble ones, praised.
508.
They call him 'not poor', his life is not in vain.
509.
The wise one should pursue, remembering the Buddhas' teaching." He spoke these verses.
Therein, "without wrath" means one whose nature is not to be angry. For when a sign for the arising of wrath has presented itself, standing firm in the patience of endurance, he is one who does not give rise to irritation. "Without resentment" means not bearing hostility; one whose nature is not to bind up wrath by way of "He reviled me, he struck me, he defeated me, he robbed me" and so on, dependent on an offence committed by others. "Without deceit" because of the absence of deceit, which has the characteristic of concealing one's own existing faults. "Rid of slander" because of being devoid of divisive speech. "Such a monk indeed" means he is a monk of such form, of such nature, endowed with the aforesaid qualities. "Thus" means by the aforesaid practice, after death he does not grieve in the world beyond, because of the absence of a cause for sorrow. "With guarded doors" means one whose eye-door and so on and body-door and so on are guarded, shut, and restrained - thus "with guarded doors." "Of good morality" means of beautiful morality, of well-purified morality. "Good friend" means -
A maker of profound talk, and he does not urge towards an impossibility."
One whose good friend has characteristics thus made clear - thus "good friend." "Of good wisdom" means of beautiful wisdom. Although there is no wisdom that is not beautiful, this is said by way of wisdom leading to liberation.
Thus here, having shown right practice by way of suppression and by way of eradication of wrath and so on, through the approach beginning with non-wrath, by a verse based on the standpoint of persons, now, having taken up the accomplished supramundane faith and so on, showing right practice by a verse based on the standpoint of persons itself, he said beginning with "whose faith." Its meaning is - Whatever person's faith in the Truth-finder, the One Enlightened by himself, proceeding in the manner beginning with "Thus indeed is the Blessed One," arrived at through the path - from that very source unshakeable, unwavering, well established. The term "there is" should be brought and connected. "Agreeable to the noble ones" means pleasant to the noble ones, held dear, because of not abandoning it even in another existence. "Praised" means extolled by the Buddha and others, described, lauded - "there is" is the explanation. But this morality is twofold: the morality of a householder and the morality of one gone forth. Therein, the morality of a householder means the morality of the five training rules, which can be kept by a householder. The morality of one gone forth means, with reference to the morality of the ten training rules, all the fourfold purification morality; all this should be understood as "good" because of being unbroken and so on and because of not being adhered to.
"One who has confidence in the Community" means confidence, faith in the noble Community by the method beginning with "The Community of the Blessed One's disciples is practising well" - for whatever person there is - "unshakeable, well established" should be brought and connected. "And whose vision is upright" means upright because of the absence of crookedness of view and the absence of crookedness of mental defilements. Not crooked, not bent - the twofold vision, namely the vision of the ownership of actions and the vision of mentality-materiality with its conditions, for whoever there is, unshakeable, well established - this is the explanation. "Not poor" - they call him thus: because of the existence of these well-purified treasures - the treasure of faith, the treasure of morality, the treasure of learning, the treasure of generosity, the treasure of wisdom - the noble ones such as the Buddha and others call such a person "not poor." "His life is not in vain" means the life of that such person, through the achievement of benefits pertaining to the present life and so on, is not in vain, not barren, but fruitful indeed - thus they say. This is the meaning.
"Therefore" means since a person endowed with the aforesaid qualities beginning with faith is called "not poor, one whose life is not futile," therefore "may I too become such." "Faith and" etc. "Teaching" means a son of good family, recollecting the teaching of the Buddhas stated by "the non-performance of all evil" and so on, should engage in and cultivate the aforementioned variety of faith and morality and confidence that has become deliverance through firm determination in the Teaching rooted in the vision of the Teaching.
Thus the elder, by way of teaching the Dhamma to the monks, making known the virtues existing in himself, declared the final liberating knowledge.
The commentary on the verses of the Elder Sirimitta is concluded.
3.
The Commentary on the Verses of the Elder Mahāpanthaka
510-517. "When I first saw" and so on is the verse of the Venerable Elder Mahāpanthaka. What is the origin? This one, it is said, in the time of the Blessed One Padumuttara, having been a householder accomplished in wealth in the city of Haṃsavatī, one day, while hearing the Teaching in the presence of the Teacher, having seen the Teacher establishing a certain monk in the foremost position among those skilled in the transformation of perception, himself too aspiring to that position of rank, having carried on a great gift for seven days to the Community of monks headed by the Buddha, "Venerable sir, that monk whom you at the summit of the seventh day from now - 'This one is the foremost in my Dispensation of those skilled in the transformation of perception' - established in the foremost position, may I too, by the power of this preparatory action, like that monk, in the future become the foremost in the Dispensation of a Buddha" - thus he made the aspiration. Now his younger brother, having likewise performed the preparatory action towards the Blessed One, made the aspiration by way of two factors - the creation of a mind-made body and proficiency in mental transformation - in the very manner stated. The Blessed One, having seen that the aspiration of both would succeed without obstacle, declared "In the future, at the summit of a hundred thousand cosmic cycles, your aspiration will succeed in the Dispensation of a One Enlightened by himself named Gotama."
Both those persons, having performed meritorious deeds there for as long as life lasted, having passed away from there, were reborn in the heavenly world. Therein, the good deeds done in the interim by Mahāpanthaka are not spoken of. But Cūḷapanthaka, having gone forth in the Dispensation of the Blessed One Kassapa, having practised the white kasiṇa meditation for twenty thousand years, was reborn in the celestial city. But in the Apadāna it has come thus: "Cūḷapanthaka, in the time of the Blessed One Padumuttara, having been an ascetic, dwelling in the Himalayas, having seen the Blessed One there, made an offering with a flower umbrella." For them, while wandering in the round of rebirths among gods and humans, a hundred thousand cosmic cycles passed. Then our Teacher, having attained the highest enlightenment, having set in motion the excellent wheel of the Teaching, was dwelling in the great monastery in the Bamboo Grove in dependence on Rājagaha.
And at that time, the daughter of the wealth-millionaire at Rājagaha, having made intimacy with her own slave, frightened of her relatives, having taken her most valuable possession, having fled together with him, dwelling elsewhere, having conceived an embryo dependent on him, with a fully matured embryo, going thinking "I shall go to the house of my relatives and give birth," having given birth to a son right on the road, having been turned back by her husband, dwelling in the place where she had previously lived, because the son was born on the road, she gave him the name Panthaka. While he was running about and roaming around, at the time of going about, having conceived a second embryo dependent on that very one, with a fully matured embryo, having given birth to a son on the road in the very manner stated previously, having been turned back by her husband, having given the elder son the name Mahāpanthaka and the younger the name Cūḷapanthaka, dwelling in the very place where she had been living, as the boys gradually grew up, being persistently urged by them "Mother, show us our grandfather's family," she sent the boys to the presence of her mother and father. Thenceforth the boys grew up in the house of the wealth-millionaire. Among them, Cūḷapanthaka was very young. But Mahāpanthaka, having gone together with his grandfather to the presence of the Blessed One, having seen the Teacher, having gained faith together with the seeing, having heard the Teaching, through the achievement of decisive support, having become desirous of going forth, asked his grandfather. He, having reported that matter to the Teacher, gave him the going forth. He, having gone forth, having learnt much of the word of the Buddha, having completed the rains retreat, having received full ordination, doing the work of wise attention, having become in particular an obtainer of the four immaterial-sphere meditative absorptions, having emerged from them, having aroused zeal in insight, attained arahantship. Thus he became the foremost of those skilled in the transformation of perception. He, spending his time in the happiness of meditative absorption and the happiness of fruition, one day, having reviewed his own practice, with pleasure arisen on account of the achievement attained, roaring a lion's roar -
510.
Then there was spiritual urgency for me, having seen the highest of men.
511.
Such a Teacher he, having pleased, might fail.
512.
Having cut off hair and beard, I went forth into homelessness.
513.
Paying homage to the Enlightened by himself, I dwelt unconquered.
514.
I would not sit even for a moment, while the dart of craving is not rooted out.
515.
The three true knowledges have been attained, the Buddha's teaching has been fulfilled.
516.
I am a Worthy One, worthy of offerings, free, without clinging.
517.
Having dried up all craving, he sat down cross-legged." He spoke these verses.
Therein, "when" means at whatever time. "First" means from the beginning. "I saw" means I beheld; "the Teacher" means the Blessed One. "Safe from every quarter" means fearless. For the meaning here is this: Safe from every quarter, fearless, because of the absence of fear from anywhere since all causes of fear were abandoned at the very foot of the Bodhi tree; the Teacher, the One Enlightened by himself, confident with the self-confidence of the four grounds of self-confidence, because of instructing those amenable to instruction as is fitting through benefits pertaining to the present life, the future life, and the highest good - having gone together with my grandfather, at whatever time I first saw him, having seen that highest of men, the foremost person in the world with its gods, then on account of that seeing, after that seeing, there arose in me spiritual urgency, thinking "For so long a time I did not obtain the opportunity to see the Teacher and to hear the Teaching" - knowledge accompanied by moral fear arose. He shows that "Having arisen spiritual urgency, I thus reflected" by the verse "fortune with hands." Its meaning is - Whatever man desirous of non-existence, saying "Having become an attendant, I shall dwell in your presence," were to strike with hands and feet and dismiss and drive out fortune that has come in bodily form and gone to his bed - such an unlucky man, having pleased such a Teacher, the One Enlightened by himself, having obtained this ninth moment, might fail, through not following his exhortation might miss it - but I do not act thus; this is the intention. Therefore he said "Then I, etc. homelessness." Therein, "abandoned" means I gave up. "Chaḍḍiya" is also a reading. But surely this elder went forth without having taken a wife, so why did he say "I abandoned children and wife"? Just as a man cutting down a tree that has not yet produced fruit, when it has been cut down, is said to have lost the fruits that would have been obtained from it. This should be seen as having the same accomplishment.
"Attained the training and way of life" means that which is the training in higher morality, and that, where monks live together, having one livelihood and common conduct, endowed with the way of life reckoned as the training rules laid down by that Blessed One, and possessing the state of training, fulfilling the training and not transgressing the way of life, accomplishing both of these - this is the meaning. By that, he shows the state of being established in the well-purified Pātimokkha morality. "Well-restrained in the faculties" means well restrained in the faculties with mind as the sixth. The meaning is that the doors beginning with the eye are well shut by the door panel of mindfulness, by way of preventing the occurrence of covetousness and so on that arise in the domains of visible form and so on. Thus, by showing the accomplishment of Pātimokkha restraint and sense-faculty restraint morality, the remaining morality too is shown in meaning itself. Thus the elder, having shown his own accomplishment of the fourfold purification morality, by this "paying homage to the Enlightened by himself," spoke of the pursuit of the meditation on recollection of the Buddha. "I dwelt unconquered" means having been unconquered by the defilements, Māra and so on, I dwelt; up to the attainment of arahantship, I was unvanquished by them; on the contrary, I dwelt overcoming them - this is the meaning.
"Then" means therefore; because he was of well-purified morality, devoted to the Teacher, and established in the practice of overcoming defilements, therefore. "Aspiration" means determination. Or alternatively, a resolution of the mind. "Was" means it was. "Wished for by the mind" means desired by my mind. But what kind was it? He said "I would not sit even for a moment, while the dart of craving is not rooted out." "While the dart of craving is not pulled out from my heart by the pincers of the highest path, I would not sit even for a moment, I would not undertake sitting" - thus was my resolution of mind - this is the meaning.
But thus, having determined the mind, having developed meditation, spending the night only in standing and walking, having emerged from the immaterial attainment, having established insight by means of the jhāna factors, he realised arahantship. Therefore it was said "for me" and so on. "Without clinging" means without clinging, due to the absence of the clinging of defilements and so on. "At the end of the night" means at the passing away of the night-time, when the night became light. "Towards the rising of the sun" means having made the rising of the sun as the characteristic. "All craving" means having dried up and desiccated by the highest path the entire stream of craving, classified as sensual craving and so on, because of being released from the acknowledgment "I would not sit while the dart of craving is not rooted out." "Sat down cross-legged" means having folded his legs crosswise, he sat down. The remainder is of clear meaning.
The commentary on the verses of the Elder Mahāpanthaka is concluded.
The commentary on the Book of Eights is concluded.