3.
The Chapter on Lay Followers
1-3.
Commentary on the Discourse on Timidity and So On
171-173. In the first, second and third of the third, the practice of household life was spoken of. Let them even be stream-enterers and once-returners, they are indeed applicable.
4.
Commentary on the Enmity Discourse
174. In the fourth, "fears" means fears that cause terror to the mind. "Enmities" means both unwholesome enmities and personal enmities. "Mental" means dependent on consciousness. "Suffering" means suffering founded on body-sensitivity. "Displeasure" means feeling of displeasure. In this discourse, abandoning through abstinence has been spoken of.
5.
Commentary on the Outcast Discourse
175. "Scorned as a lay follower" means the meanest of lay followers. "Superstitious about omens" means because it proceeds thus "By this, this will come about," one is possessed of omens of what is seen, heard and sensed, reckoned as superstitious. "He looks to blessings not to action" means he looks at blessings, he does not look at action. "Outside of here" means outside of this Dispensation. "Gives priority" means he performs wholesome duties such as giving and so on first of all.
6.
Commentary on the Joy Discourse
176. In the sixth, "how may we" means by what method indeed may we. "The rapture of solitude" means the rapture arising in dependence on the first and second meditative absorptions. "Connected with sensuality" means dependent on sensuality, arising referring to the twofold sensual pleasures. "Connected with the unwholesome" means thinking "I shall shoot deer, boars, and so on," having cast an arrow, when that has missed, arising in dependence on the unwholesome thus: "It was missed by me." But for one who does not miss in such instances, what arises as "Well shot by me, well struck by me" is called happiness and pleasure connected with the unwholesome. But what arises through the non-attainment of requisites such as gifts and so on should be understood as pain and displeasure connected with the wholesome.
7.
Commentary on the Trade Discourse
177. In the seventh, "trades" means trading activities. "By a lay follower" means by one who has gone to the three refuges. "Trade in weapons" means having had weapon goods produced and the sale of them. "Trade in beings" means the sale of human beings. "Trade in meat" means having reared pigs, deer, and so on, and the sale of them. "Trade in intoxicants" means having produced whatever intoxicant and the sale of it. "Trade in poison" means having produced poison and the sale of it. Thus it is not proper to engage in all this trade either by oneself or to have it done by instigating others.
8.
Commentary on the King Discourse
178. In the eighth, "banish" means they banish from the country. "Do with them as they wish" means they do according to intention, according to disposition. "They declare his evil deed in this way" means just as it was done by him, that they in the same way report and tell to others.
9.
Commentary on the Layman Discourse
179. In the ninth, "whose actions are restrained" means whose actions are shut off. "Pertaining to the higher mind" means dependent upon the highest mind. "Pleasant abidings in the present life" means of pleasant abidings at the moment of occurrence in the evident teaching itself. "Pleasing to the noble ones" means by those pleasing to the noble ones, by the morality of the path and fruition.
"Having undertaken the noble teaching" - here, "noble teaching" means the five precepts have been spoken of. "Fermented liquor and spirits" means the fourfold fermented liquor and the fivefold spirits. "And reflect upon the Teaching" means one should reflect upon the ninefold supramundane teaching by way of recollection itself. "A mind free from ill-will, beneficial" means a mind of the divine abidings beginning with friendliness, free from suffering. "Should develop for the world of the gods" means one should develop for the purpose of the Brahma world. "For one desiring merit" means for one who needs merit, for one seeking merit. "To the peaceful ones" means to the Buddhas, Individually Enlightened Ones, and disciples of the Truth-finder. "The offering is abundant" means thus a gift given is of great fruit. "Gradually" means in due order by the fulfilment of morality and so on. The remainder has the same meaning as stated in the Book of Threes.
10.
Commentary on the Gavesī Discourse
180. In the tenth, "manifested a smile" means while going along the highway itself, having looked at that sal grove, "Has there indeed arisen previously in this place any good deed?" he saw the good deed done by the lay follower Gavesī in the time of the Buddha Kassapa. Then this occurred to him - "This good deed is unknown to the Community of monks, concealed; come, let me make it known to the Community of monks" - having turned aside from the road, while just standing at a certain spot, he performed the manifestation of a smile, showing the very tips of his teeth, he smiled a gentle smile. For just as mundane people, striking their bellies, laugh "kahaṃ kaha," Buddhas do not laugh thus. But the laughter of Buddhas is merely the appearance of being joyful and delighted.
And this laughter occurs with thirteen types of consciousness accompanied by pleasure. Therein, the mundane public laughs with eight types of consciousness - four from the unwholesome and four from sensual-sphere wholesome; learners, having removed the two associated with wrong view from the unwholesome, laugh with six types of consciousness; those who have eliminated the mental corruptions laugh with five types of consciousness - four functional consciousnesses with roots and one rootless functional consciousness. Among those too, when a strong object has come into range, they laugh with two types of consciousness associated with knowledge; when a weak object comes, they laugh with three types of consciousness - the dyad of two-rooted consciousness and the rootless consciousness. But in this instance, the functional rootless mind-consciousness-element consciousness accompanied by pleasure produces in the Blessed One a smile that is merely the appearance of being delighted.
But this smile, even though so slight, was evident to the elder. How? For at such a time, from the Truth-finder's four canine teeth, shining like lightning gathered from the mouth of a great cloud covering the four continents, rays of light the size of a great palm-tree trunk, having arisen and having circumambulated the noble head three times, disappear at the very tips of the canine teeth. By that sign, the Venerable Ānanda, even while walking behind the Blessed One, knows of the manifestation of a smile.
"Successful" (iddhaṃ) means prosperous. "Flourishing" (phītaṃ) means exceedingly prosperous, like a tree fully in fruit and blossom. "Crowded with people" means thronged with people. "One who did not fulfil the moral precepts" means one who did not completely practise the five precepts. "Were acknowledged" means they were acknowledged in the state of being lay followers. "Were encouraged" means they were established in the refuges - this is the meaning. "Thus this is exactly equal" means thus this reason is equal in every respect by way of equality, not merely in part. "There is nothing exceeding" means there is nothing exceeding in me compared to these. "Well then" is an indeclinable particle used in the sense of release. "To exceed" means I shall proceed for the purpose of a distinguishing reason - this is the meaning. "Remember me as one who fulfils the moral precepts" means know me as one who completely practises the five precepts. To that extent, the five precepts are said to have been undertaken by him. "How much more then we" means for what reason indeed would we not be ones who fulfil them. The remainder here is clear in itself.
The Chapter on Lay Followers is third.