4.
The Chapter on the Immovable
1-5.
Commentary on the Group of Five Discourses Beginning with Killing Living Beings
81-85. In the fourth, the first and so on are of manifest meaning only. In the fifth, "darkness" means connected with the darkness indicated by "reborn in a low family" and so on. "Heading for darkness" because of again approaching the darkness of hell through bodily misconduct and so on. Thus by both, only the darkness of the aggregates has been spoken of. "Light" means connected with the light indicated by "reborn in a wealthy family" and so on; it is said to mean "one who has become a light." "Heading for light" because of again approaching the state of light through rebirth in heaven by bodily good conduct and so on. By this method, the other two should also be understood.
"Basket-maker's family" means in a family of bamboo-strip workers. "Hunter's family" means in a family of deer-hunters and so on. "Chariot-maker's family" means in a family of leather-workers. "Refuse-scavenger's family" means in a family of flower-refuse removers. "With a difficult livelihood" means with a painful livelihood. "Ugly" means having the colour of a charred stump, like a dust-sprite. "Unsightly" means disagreeable to look at even for a mother who has given birth. "Dwarfish" means a dwarf. "Blind" means blind in one eye or blind in both eyes. "Crippled" means crippled in one hand or crippled in both hands. "Lame" means lame in one foot or lame in both feet. "Paralysed" means one whose side of the body is destroyed, one who crawls on a chair. "Of lighting" means of the requisites for a lamp such as an oil saucer and so on. In "Thus indeed, monks," here a certain person, without seeing the light outside, having died in the mother's womb itself, being reborn in the realms of misery, transmigrates even for an entire cosmic cycle. He too is one heading from darkness to darkness. He, however, would be a deceitful person. For it is said that such an accomplishment occurs for a deceitful person.
And here, by "in a low family" and so on, failure of coming and failure of present conditions are shown. By "poor" and so on, failure of ongoing conditions; by "with a difficult livelihood" and so on, failure of means of livelihood; by "ugly" and so on, failure of individuality; by "sickly" and so on, conjunction with causes of suffering; by "not an obtainer" and so on, failure of causes of happiness and failure of enjoyment; by "misconduct by body" and so on, conjunction with causes for the state of heading for darkness; by "upon the body's collapse" and so on, approaching darkness pertaining to the future life. The bright side should be understood by the method opposite to what was stated.
6.
Commentary on the Bent Down Discourse
86. In the sixth, "the low to low" means he is now low and in the future also will be low. "The low to high" means he is now low and in the future will be high. "The high to low" means he is now high and in the future will be low. "The high to high" means he is now high and in the future also will be high. But the detail of these should be known by the method of the preceding discourse itself.
7.
Commentary on the Son Discourse
87. In the seventh, "the unshakeable ascetic" means the ascetic who is unshakeable; the letter "m" serves to make a connection between words; the meaning is "the motionless ascetic." By this, he shows the sevenfold learner as well. For he is called unshakeable because of being established through faith born from the root in the Dispensation. "The white lotus ascetic" means an ascetic similar to a white lotus. A white lotus is a lotus growing in a lake with less than a hundred petals. By this, he shows one who has eliminated the mental corruptions through dry insight meditation. For he, because of the absence of meditative absorptions and direct knowledges, due to the incompleteness of his virtues, is called the white lotus ascetic. "The lotus ascetic" means an ascetic similar to a lotus. A lotus is a lotus growing in a lake with a full hundred petals. By this, he shows one who is liberated-in-both-ways, who has eliminated the mental corruptions. For he, because of the presence of meditative absorptions and direct knowledges, due to the completeness of his virtues, is called the lotus ascetic. "The delicate ascetic among ascetics" means among all these ascetics, the delicate ascetic is one with a tender mind and body, free from bodily and mental suffering, exclusively happy. By this, he shows both himself and those similar to himself.
Having thus laid down the matrix, now classifying in order, he said beginning with "And how, monks." Therein, "a learner" means the sevenfold learner as well. "One who practises" means a practitioner. "He dwells aspiring for the unsurpassed freedom from bondage" means he dwells aspiring for arahantship. "Anointed on the head" means sprinkled on the head; the meaning is "one whose consecration has been performed." "Fit for consecration" means fit to perform the consecration. "Unconsecrated" means not yet consecrated. "Having attained stability" means by virtue of being a son of a properly anointed king of the warrior caste, and by virtue of being the eldest among the sons, and by virtue of not yet being consecrated, he has attained unshakeability, attained stability, for the purpose of attaining consecration. The letter "m" is merely a particle. "Having touched with the body" means having touched with the mental body.
"He mostly uses robes that are requested" means he mostly uses robes brought by donors who entreat him saying "Please use this, venerable sir," and little that is unrequested, like the Elder Bākula. Almsfood, like the Elder Sīvali on the Khadira forest road. Lodging, like the Elder Ānanda in the Aṭṭhakanāgara Sutta. Requisites for the sick, like the Elder Pilindavaccha. "Those of him" means "those" and "of him." "With agreeable" means with that which clings to the mind. "They behave" means they perform the duties that should be done, or they proceed. "They offer offerings" means they offer, they bring bodily and mental offerings. "Resulting from the combination of humours" means arisen through the combination of all three. "Born from change of season" means arisen from change of season, from excessively cold or excessively hot seasons. "Born from irregular care" means arisen from irregular care such as excessive sitting, excessive standing, and so on. "Caused by assault" means arisen through assault such as murder, imprisonment, and so on. "Born from the result of action" means arisen even without these causes, solely by the power of the result of previously done action. "Of the four meditative absorptions" - here, even for those who have eliminated the mental corruptions and even for Buddhas, only functional meditative absorptions are intended. The remainder is of manifest meaning only.
8.
Commentary on the Mental Fetter Discourse
88. In the eighth, because of having gained a foothold in the Dispensation, the stream-enterer alone is said to be "the unshakeable ascetic"; because of not having exceedingly many qualities, like a lotus growing in a lake without many petals, the once-returner is "the white lotus ascetic"; because of having more qualities than that, like a lotus growing in a lake with a hundred petals, the non-returner is "the lotus ascetic"; because of the mental defilements that cause obstinacy having been altogether eradicated, having attained a state of softness, one who has eliminated the mental corruptions is "the delicate ascetic."
9.
Explanation of the Sammādiṭṭhi Sutta
89. In the ninth, by means of "one holding right view" and so on, by way of the eightfold path, seven trainees are comprised, as in the first discourse. In the second section, one who has eliminated the mental corruptions through dry insight is spoken of either by way of the tenfold path, that is, together with the knowledge of the fruition of arahantship and the liberation of the fruition of arahantship, or by way of the eightfold path; in the third section, one liberated in both ways; in the fourth section, the Truth-finder and one who has eliminated the mental corruptions similar to the Truth-finder. Thus this discourse is spoken by way of the very same persons spoken of in the first discourse, but here only the manner of teaching is different.
10.
Commentary on the Aggregate Discourse
90. In the tenth, in the first section, a learner person who stands without having begun the practice for the sake of arahantship, a dweller in heedlessness, is spoken of. In the second section, a learner person who has not produced meditative absorption, who has begun insight, a dweller in diligence, is spoken of. In the third section, a learner person who has begun insight, a dweller in diligence, an obtainer of the eight deliverances, is spoken of; in the fourth section, one who has eliminated the mental corruptions, supremely delicate.
The Macala Chapter is the fourth.