9.
The Book of the Nines
1.
The Commentary on the Verses of the Elder Bhūta
518-526. In the Ninth Book, the verses beginning with "When suffering" are those of the Venerable Elder Bhūta. What is the origin? This one too, having formed aspirations under former Buddhas, accumulating merit as a decisive support for the end of the round of rebirths in this and that existence, in the time of the Blessed One Siddhattha, having been reborn in a brahmin family, having received the name "Sena," having attained discretion, one day, having seen the Teacher, with a gladdened mind, praised him with four verses beginning with "The bull, the excellent."
He, by that meritorious action, wandering in the round of rebirths among gods and humans, in this arising of a Buddha, was reborn as the son of a millionaire of great wealth in a village outside the city-gates of the city of Sāketa. It is said that the children born one after another to that millionaire were devoured by a certain demon through a contracted killing; but because this one was a being in his last existence, spirits took up his protection. But the demon, having gone to the attendance of Vessavaṇa, did not come again. And on his naming day, they gave him the name "Bhūta," thinking "When this is done, non-human spirits, having compassion, would look after him." But he, by the power of his own merit, grew up without obstacle; all regarding him should be understood as in the description of the wealth of Yasa, the son of good family, beginning with "He had three mansions." He, having attained discretion, while the Teacher was dwelling at Sāketa, went together with lay followers to the monastery. Having heard the Teaching in the presence of the Teacher, having gained faith, having gone forth, dwelling in a rock cell on the bank of a river named Ajakaraṇī, having established insight, before long he attained arahantship. Therefore it was said in the Apadāna -
The golden-coloured Enlightened by himself, who, having seen him, is not pleased?
So too is the Buddha's meditative absorption, who, having seen it, is not pleased?
So too is the Buddha's morality, who, having seen it, is not pleased?
So too is the Buddha's knowledge, who, having seen it, is not pleased?"
Having praised the foremost Buddha, Siddhattha, the unconquered.
You experienced no small amount of the fortunate realm and the achievement of happiness.
I do not know of an unfortunate realm, this is the fruit of praise.
Accomplished with the seven treasures, wheel-turning monarchs of great power.
But having attained arahantship, at a later time, out of compassion for his relatives, having gone to Sāketa, being attended upon by them for a few days, having dwelt in the Añjana Grove, wishing to go again to the very place where he had formerly dwelt, he showed the appearance of departing. His relatives requested the elder: "Right here, venerable sir, dwell; you too will not be wearied, and we too shall grow in merit." The elder, making known his delight in seclusion and his comfortable abiding there -
518.
Having fully understood suffering, mindfully he meditates, from that he finds no delight more supreme.
519.
Having abandoned craving, mindfully he meditates, from that he finds no delight more supreme.
520.
Having seen it with wisdom, mindfully he meditates, from that he finds no delight more supreme.
521.
He develops that which cuts the bondage of fetters, from that he finds no delight more supreme.
522.
And the monk, gone to a mountain slope, meditates, from that he finds no delight more supreme.
523.
Seated, with gladdened mind he meditates, from that he finds no delight more supreme.
524.
And the monk, gone to a mountain slope, meditates, from that he finds no delight more supreme.
525.
Free from anguish, free from barrenness, he meditates, from that he finds no delight more supreme.
526.
Unobstructed, free from craving, free from the dart;
Having ended all mental corruptions, he meditates,
From that he finds no delight more supreme." He spoke these verses.
Herein, this is the explanation of the meaning of the first verse by way of the method of word-combination - The maturing of the aggregates is ageing. Their breaking up is death. And here, by the heading of ageing and death, phenomena subject to ageing and death are taken. "That this ageing and death is suffering" - the foolish worldlings, not knowing as it really is, where, in which fivefold aggregates of clinging, they are attached, bound, and clinging - having fully understood that by path wisdom together with insight wisdom as "this is suffering, this much is suffering, there is no more beyond this," here in this Dispensation, mindful and fully aware, the wise monk, when, at whatever time, he meditates by meditation on the characteristics. From that, he does not find, does not obtain, a delight more supreme, more highest, than the delight in insight and the delight in path and fruition. Therefore the Blessed One said -
One obtains joy and gladness, that is the Deathless for those who understand.
By universal power, the fruition of stream-entry is excellent."
Having thus shown the delight in seclusion by way of the full realisation of full understanding, now in order to show that also by way of the full realisation of abandoning and so on, he spoke three verses beginning with the second. Therein, "bringing suffering" means the future occurrence of suffering, the production of suffering - this is the meaning. "Attachment" means craving. For it is attachment because it is spread out, attachment because it is extensive, attachment because it is diffused, attachment because it is difficult to cross, attachment because it carries away poison, attachment because it speaks falsely, attachment because it has poison as its root, attachment because it has poison as its fruit, attachment because it has poison as its enjoyment; or that craving is extensive, spread out regarding visible form, sound, odour, flavour, tangible object, mental phenomena, family, and group - thus it is called attachment. "Conveying the suffering of the mass of obsessions" means they obsess, they expand the continuity of beings in the round of rebirths - thus they are obsessions, namely lust and so on, conceit and so on. Those very ones are a mass in the sense of being a mass of the suffering of occurrence, and because of their nature of being accompanied by disturbance and fever they are also suffering - thus the suffering of the mass of obsessions; because of conveying, because of producing that, it is the conveyor of the suffering of the mass of obsessions. "Having abandoned that craving" means having completely destroyed it by the noble path.
"Safe" means secure; the meaning is untroubled by them through the eradication of mental defilements that cause insecurity. "Leading by two and four factors" means having become of two and four factors by way of right view and so on, it leads to Nibbāna in the noble - thus leading by two and four factors; and here it should be seen that an elision of the case-ending has been made for the ease of verse composition. "The highest path" because of being the highest among all paths such as the path to rebirth in the fine-material realm and so on. Therefore the Blessed One said - "Of paths, the Eightfold is foremost" and so on. "The cleanser of all mental defilements" because of cleansing beings of all the stains of mental defilements. "Having seen with wisdom" means having fully realised by the wisdom of penetration by way of the full realisation of development.
"Sorrowless" because of the absence of causes of sorrow and because of the cause of the absence of sorrow for the person - there is no sorrow here. Likewise, "stainless" because of being free from the defilement of lust and so on. "Unconditioned" because it is not conditioned by any condition. "The peaceful state" because of the nature of appeasement of all mental defilements and of all suffering, and because it should be reached and attained by those afflicted by the suffering of the round of rebirths. "The cleanser of all mental defilements" because of being the cause of cleansing the continuity of beings of all the stains of mental defilements. "Develops" means fully realises by way of the full realisation of direct experience. For this is said by attributing to the object the distinction being obtained by one who repeatedly engages in the full realisation of direct experience with reference to Nibbāna, transferring it to the thing to be taken as object. "The cutter of the bonds of fetters" because of the cutting of the bonds reckoned as mental fetters. Here the cause is used figuratively in the sense of the agent, just as truths that produce the noble state are called noble truths. Just as in the previous verses, when he meditates, then from that he finds no delight more supreme - this is the explanation. So here too, when he develops, then from that he finds no delight more supreme - this is the explanation.
Thus the elder, without bringing himself forward by means of four verses, having declared the final liberating knowledge through the expounding of the penetration of the four truths, now showing the comfort of his dwelling place through its secluded nature, spoke the verses beginning with "When in the sky." Therein, "in the sky" (nabhe) means in space. Because of its smooth, deep resonance, the cloud itself is the drum - thus "cloud-drum." "Entangled with streams" (dhārākulā) means entangled with streams of rain flowing forth from all around. The explanation is: "in the sky" (nabhe) means on the bird-path (vihagapathe), because it is the path of travel for birds, for the winged ones. "From that" (tato) means from the delight in meditative absorption.
"Entangled with blossoms" (kusumākulānaṃ) means of those covered with flowers fallen from the trees. "With variegated forest-wreaths" (vicittavāneyyavaṭaṃsakānaṃ) means because of being born in the forest, the forest flowers are "forest-grown" (vāneyyāni); "those which have variegated forest-grown wreaths" - thus "with variegated forest-wreaths" are the rivers; the meaning is of those with wreaths of various kinds of forest flowers. "Glad-minded he meditates" (sumano jhāyati) means one whose mind is beautiful by virtue of the super-human achievement - thus "glad-minded," he meditates.
"At midnight" (nisīthe) means at night. "In the deserted" (rahitamhi) means in a secluded place free from the crowding of people. "Sky" (deve) means cloud. "While raining" (gaḷantamhi) means while the rain-streams are flowing forth, while it is raining. "The fanged beasts" (dāṭhino) means lions, tigers, and the like, hostile creatures. For they, having fangs as weapons, are called "fanged beasts" (dāṭhino); "the fanged beasts roar" - this too is taken for the very purpose of showing seclusion from people.
"Having restrained applied thoughts of oneself" (vitakke uparundhiyattano) means having suppressed by the power of the opposite one's own wrong applied thoughts such as sensual thoughts and the like, which are included in one's own continuity. Or "of oneself" (attano) should be connected with "finds" (vindati) thus: "from that he finds no delight more supreme by himself." "In the mountain interior" (nagantare) means in the interior of the mountains. "Mountain cleft" (nagavivara) means a mountain cave or a cliff overhang. "Resorted to" (samassito) means dependent upon, having gone to. "Free from anguish" (vītaddaro) means one whose disturbance of mental defilements has departed. "Free from barrenness" (vītakhilo) means one whose mental rigidities have been abandoned.
"Happy" (sukhī) means made happy by the happiness of meditative absorption and so on. "Destroyer of stain, barrenness, and sorrow" (malakhilasokanāsano) means one who abandons the stains of lust and so on, the five mental rigidities, and the sorrow caused by separation from relatives and the like. "Unbolted" (niraggaḷo) means the door-bolt (aggaḷa) is called ignorance, because it prevents entry into the city of Nibbāna; because of the absence of that, he is unbolted. "Free from craving" (nibbanatho) means one without craving. "Free from the dart" (visallo) means one from whom the darts of lust and so on have departed. "All mental corruptions" (sabbāsave) means all the mental corruptions including the mental corruption of sensuality and the like. "Having ended" (byantikato) means one who has ended, having made an end by the noble path, standing firm, when he meditates for the purpose of pleasant abiding in the present life, from that, from the delight in meditative absorption, he finds no delight more supreme - this is the explanation. But having said thus, the elder went to the very bank of the river Ajakaraṇī.
The commentary on the verses of the Elder Bhūta is concluded.
The commentary on the Book of Nines is concluded.