4.
The Chapter on Action
1.
Commentary on the Saṃkhitta Discourse
232. In the first discourse of the fourth, "dark" means black, the action of the ten unwholesome courses of action. "With dark result" means with black result, because of rebirth in the realms of misery. "Bright" means white, the action of the wholesome courses of action. "With bright result" means with white result, because of rebirth in heaven. "Dark and bright" means mixed action. "With dark and bright result" means with pleasant and unpleasant result. For having performed mixed action, one reborn through the unwholesome in the animal realm in such positions as that of a state elephant and so on, experiences happiness when the wholesome operates. One reborn even in a royal family through the wholesome experiences suffering when the unwholesome operates. "Neither dark nor bright" means the knowledge of the four paths that brings about the elimination of action is intended. For if that were dark, it would give dark result. If it were bright, it would give bright result. But because of not giving either result, it is neither dark nor bright - this is the meaning here.
2.
Commentary on the Vitthāra Discourse
233. In the second, "afflictive" means with hate. "Bodily activity" means volition at the body-door. "Generates" means strives, combines. In the remaining two as well, the same method applies. "An afflictive world" means a world with suffering. "Afflictive contacts" means resultant contacts with suffering. "Feels afflictive feeling" means feels resultant feeling with affliction. "Exclusively painful" means absolutely only suffering, not mixed with happiness. "Just as beings in hell" - here "just as" is an indeclinable particle in the sense of illustration. By that he shows only beings doomed to hell; but there are no others comparable to them. By this method the meaning should be understood everywhere. In the passage beginning with "just as human beings" and so on, for human beings first, at times pleasant feeling arises, at times unpleasant feeling. "Some gods" - here the sensual-sphere gods should be seen. For when they see deities of greater influence, by way of rising from the seat where they are sitting, lowering the upper robe that has been wrapped around, raising joined palms, and so on, at times suffering arises; for those experiencing divine success, at times happiness. "Some beings in states of misfortune" - here mansion-dwelling ghosts should be seen. They continuously, at one time experience happiness, at one time experience suffering. But serpents, supaṇṇas, elephants, horses, and so on are, like human beings, with mingled pleasure and pain. "Whatever volition there is for the abandoning" - here the path volition leading to the end of the round of rebirths should be understood. For that leads to the elimination of action.
3.
Commentary on the Discourse on Soṇakāyana
234. In the third, "Sikhāmoggallāna" means a brahmin of the Moggallāna clan endowed with a great top-knot situated on the middle of his head. "Former" means former beginning from the immediately preceding past day; beginning from the second day onwards, they should be understood as "earlier than that." "Soṇakāyana" means his own pupil. "This world, friend, is of the nature of action" means friend, this world has action as its intrinsic nature. "It persists through the undertaking of action" means it persists by the undertaking of action. It explains that one persists only by striving in action; one who does not strive is annihilated. The remainder is the same as the method stated below.
4-9.
Commentary on the Discourse on Training Rules, Etc.
235. The fourth and so on are of manifest meaning only. But regarding the path factors, because one establishes with mindfulness and defines with wisdom, therefore both are indeed action. The rest are merely factors, not action - so it was said. The same method applies to the factors of enlightenment too. But in the Abhidhamma, all of this, without distinction, is described as action associated with volition only.
10.
Commentary on the Ascetic Discourse
241. In the tenth, "here only" means in this very Dispensation. But this restriction should be understood in the remaining terms as well. For the second and so on ascetics too are only here, not elsewhere. "Empty" means void, hollow. "The other doctrines" means the four doctrines of eternalism, four partial eternalists, four finitists and infinitists, four eel-wrigglers, two fortuitous originationists, sixteen doctrines of perception, eight doctrines of non-perception, eight doctrines of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, seven doctrines of annihilationism, five doctrines of Nibbāna in this present life - all these are the sixty-two views that have come in the Brahmajāla; the doctrines of outsiders other than this are called "the other doctrines." All of those are empty of these four ascetics who have attained the fruitions. For they do not exist therein. And not only are they empty of those alone, but also of the four ascetics who have attained the paths, and also of those who have begun insight for the purpose of the four paths - thus they are empty of all twelve ascetics. With reference to this very meaning, it was said by the Blessed One in the Mahāparinibbāna -
I went forth, seeking what is wholesome;
More than fifty years have passed,
Since I went forth, Subhadda;
One practising in the domain of the true method of the Teaching,
Outside of this there is not even an ascetic."
"There is no second ascetic, there is no third ascetic, there is no fourth ascetic, the other doctrines are empty of other ascetics." Here, "one practising in the domain" means one who has begun insight is intended. Therefore, combining together the three - one who has begun insight for the path of stream-entry, one standing on the path, and one standing in the fruition - he said "there is not even an ascetic"; combining together the three - one who has begun insight for the path of once-returning, one standing on the path, and one standing in the fruition - he said "there is no second ascetic either." The same method applies in the other two as well. The eleventh is of manifest meaning.
The Action Chapter is the fourth.