1.
The Chapter on Gotamī
1.
Commentary on the Gotamī Discourse
51. In the first of the sixth, "was dwelling among the Sakyans" means having gone on his first visit, he dwells. "Mahāpajāpati" means she obtained this name thus because of the greatness of her generation of sons and her generation of daughters. "She approached the Blessed One" means the Blessed One, having gone to Kapilavatthu, first gave Nanda the going forth, and on the seventh day, the boy Rāhula. Now in the coil-dispute, when the inhabitants of both cities had gone forth for the purpose of battle, the Teacher, having gone and having convinced those kings, related the Attadaṇḍa Sutta. The kings, having become confident, gave two hundred and fifty princes each; those five hundred princes went forth in the presence of the Teacher; then their wives sent a message and gave rise to discontent. The Teacher, having known the arisen state of their discontent, having led those five hundred young monks to Lake Kuṇāla, having sat down on the rock surface where he had formerly sat in the time of the Kuṇāla, having dispelled their discontent by the story of the Kuṇāla Jātaka, established them all in the fruition of stream-entry, and having brought them back to the Great Wood, in the fruition of arahantship. For the purpose of knowing their minds, the wives again sent a message. They sent a reply: "We are incapable of the household life." They, thinking "It is not proper now for us to go home; having gone to the presence of Mahāpajāpati and having had the going forth permitted, we shall go forth," all five hundred, having approached Mahāpajāpati, said "Lady, have the going forth permitted for us." Mahāpajāpati, having taken those women, approached the Blessed One. Some say she approached at the time of the passing away of the king beneath the white parasol.
"Enough, Gotamī! Do not find delight" - why did he refuse? Do not all Buddhas have four assemblies? Surely they do; but having wearied them, when the going forth is permitted after being requested many times, thinking "It was obtained with difficulty," they will properly look after it - wishing to permit it after making it weighty, he refused. "Departed" means she entered Kapilavatthu again. "Having dwelt as long as he liked" means surveying the decisive support of beings capable of being enlightened, having dwelt according to his disposition. "Set out on a journey" means caring for the welfare of the public, with the highest Buddha's glory, with incomparable Buddha's grace, he departed on an unhurried journey.
"Together with many Sakyan women" means right within the inner quarters, having taken on the appearance of the going forth with reference to the One of Ten Powers, having made five hundred Sakyan women take on the very appearance of the going forth, together with all those many Sakyan women. "Set out on a journey" means she aspired to go. But at the time of aspiring to go, the Sakyan and Koliyan kings provided golden palanquins, thinking those delicate royal women would not be able to go on foot. But they, thinking "Going by mounting a vehicle would be showing disrespect to the Teacher," set out on foot only for the fifty-one yojana journey. The kings too, having arranged protection at the front and the back, having filled carts with rice, ghee, oil, and so on, sent men saying "At every place reached, prepare food." "With swollen feet" means because of their delicateness, on their feet one blister arises and one bursts. Both feet, having become as if strewn with broken pieces of wood, became swollen. Therefore it was said - "with swollen feet." "Outside the door-porch" means outside from the door-porch. But why did she stand thus? Thus, it is said, this occurred to her - "I, not permitted by the Truth-finder, took on the appearance of the going forth by myself; and this fact of my having taken it has become well-known throughout the whole Indian subcontinent. If the Teacher permits the going forth, that is wholesome. But if he does not permit it, there will be great reproach" - being unable to enter the monastery, she stood there weeping.
"Why are you, Gotamī" means has some failure arisen for the royal families, by what reason have you reached such a faded state, with swollen feet... etc. standing. "By another method" means by another reason. Having spoken her virtues by the words beginning with "has been very helpful, venerable sir," requesting the going forth again, he spoke thus. The Teacher too, having refused three times, thinking "Women are indeed of limited wisdom; if the going forth is permitted by merely being asked once, they will not take my Dispensation having treated it with respect," now, wishing to make them take it with respect, said beginning with "If, Ānanda, Mahāpajāpati Gotamī accepts the eight rules of respect, let that be her full ordination." Therein, "let that be hers" means let that itself be her going forth and full ordination.
"Fully ordained that very day" means fully ordained on that day. "Paying respect, rising up in respect, saluting with joined palms, and doing the proper duties should be done" means without making an inferiority complex or arrogance, paying respect with the fivefold prostration, rising up in respect by way of rising from one's seat and going out to meet, saluting with joined palms by joining the ten fingernails together, and the proper duties reckoned as suitable actions such as preparing seats, fanning, and so on should be done. "In a residence without monks" means where there is no teacher who gives exhortation at a place of approach for the purpose of exhortation without obstacle for one dwelling there - this is called a residence without monks. The rains retreat should not be entered in such a residence. "Every half-month" means every Observance day. "Approaching for exhortation" means approaching for the purpose of exhortation. "By what is seen" means seen with the eye. "By what is heard" means heard with the ear. "By suspicion" means by what is suspected on the basis of what is seen and heard. "A serious offence" means a heavy offence entailing initial and subsequent meetings of the Community. "Penance for a fortnight" means penance for no fewer than fifteen days. "In the six rules" means in the training rules of which eating at the improper time is the sixth. "Has completed the training" means one who has fulfilled the training by keeping even a single training rule unbroken. "Should be reviled or abused" means he should not be reviled with any one of the ten grounds for reviling, nor should he be abused with any abuse whatsoever by way of causing fear.
"The path of speech is closed for nuns towards monks" means the path of speech reckoned as exhortation, instruction, and proclamation of the Teaching is barred and closed for nuns towards monks; no monk should be exhorted or instructed by a nun. However, it is proper to speak by way of tradition thus: "Venerable sir, the elders of old fulfilled this robe duty." "The path of speech is not closed for monks towards nuns" means the path of speech for monks towards nuns is unrestricted, to exhort, to instruct, to teach the Teaching as one likes. This is the summary here; but in detail, this discussion of the rules of respect should be understood according to the method stated in the Samantapāsādikā, the commentary on the Vinaya.
But having learnt these eight rules of respect in the presence of the Teacher, upon merely hearing them being reported to her by the elder, Mahāpajāpati's so great displeasure subsided in a moment, and as if sprinkled on the head with a hundred pots of cool water brought from Lake Anotatta, free from fever, delighted, making manifest the joy and gladness arisen through the acceptance of the rules of respect, she uttered the inspired utterance beginning with "Just as, venerable sir."
"By burglars" means by thieving robbers who, having lit a lamp in a pot, by that light searched for goods in others' houses. "A disease called mildew" means a single insect pierces the stem that has gone into the middle of the stalk, and the stem thus pierced is unable to take in milk even though the head of rice has emerged. "A disease called red rust" means the state of being red inside the sugar-canes.
"An embankment for a great lake beforehand" - but by this he shows this meaning: Just as even when the embankment of a great lake is not built, some water remains, but when it is built first, even that which would not remain due to the embankment not being built would also remain; just so, these rules of respect were laid down beforehand for the purpose of non-transgression when the case had not yet arisen; if they had not been laid down, because of a woman's going forth, the Good Teaching would remain for five hundred years. But because they were laid down beforehand, it will remain for another five hundred years as well - thus it will remain for the very thousand years stated at first. "A thousand years" - this was said only with reference to those who have eliminated the mental corruptions having attained the distinctions of analytical knowledge; but beyond that, a further thousand years by way of dry insight practitioners who have eliminated the mental corruptions, a thousand years by way of non-returners, a thousand years by way of once-returners, a thousand years by way of stream-enterers - thus the Good Teaching of penetration will remain for five thousand years. The Teaching of the Scriptures too is the same. For indeed when the Scriptures are absent, there is no penetration; nor when the Scriptures are present does penetration not occur. But the outward form will continue for a long time even when the Scriptures have disappeared.
2.
Commentary on the Ovāda Sutta
52. In the second, "very learned" means here the state of being very learned should be understood by way of the entire teaching of the Buddha. "A serious offence" means physical contact. This is the summary here. But the judgment regarding the exhorter of nuns should be understood in the manner stated in the Samantapāsādikā.
3.
Commentary on the Saṃkhitta Discourse
53. In the third, "for lust" means for the purpose of lust. "For dispassion" means for the purpose of becoming dispassionate. "For bondage" means for the purpose of bondage in the round of rebirths. "For separation from bondage" means for the purpose of the state of separation from bondage in the round of rebirths. "For accumulation" means for the purpose of increasing the round of rebirths. "Not for diminution" means not for the purpose of the destruction of the round of rebirths. "For being difficult to support" means for the purpose of being difficult to nourish. "Not for being easy to support" means not for the purpose of being easy to nourish. In this discourse, by the first method the round of rebirths was spoken of, by the second method the end of the round of rebirths was spoken of. And by this exhortation, Gotamī attained arahantship.
4.
Commentary on the Dīghajāṇu Discourse
54. In the fourth, "Byagghapajja" - this is an address by way of his family tradition. For his forefathers were born on the tiger's path, thus the people in that family are called "Byagghapajjas." "By archery" means by the work of an archer. "Endowed with investigation into the means for that" means endowed with investigation that serves as the means in knowing "At this time, it is proper to do this particular thing." "Of mature morality" means of cultivated morality, of mature conduct. "Income" means incoming. "Not too extravagant" means not too great. "Not too meagre" means not too difficult. "Exceeding" means having taken and having exhausted. Therein, for one whose income is double his expenditure, his expenditure is not able to exhaust his income.
With one part he should enjoy wealth, with two he should engage in work;
And the fourth he should store away, it will be there in times of misfortune."
But for one who practises thus, expenditure is indeed not able to exhaust income.
"Like a fig-eater" means just as when a ripe fig tree is shaken by one desiring to eat figs, many fruits fall all at once, and he, having eaten those fit to be eaten, goes away leaving behind the greater number of others; just so, whoever, making expenditure greater than income, consumes wealth scattering it about, he is said to be "This son of good family consumes his wealth like a fig-eater." "Death without a master" means death like one without a leader. "Leads a balanced livelihood" means leads a livelihood rightly. "Balanced living" means living by balanced livelihood. "Causes of ruin" means grounds of destruction.
"One who is energetic in his work" means accomplished in industrious energy in the places of performing work. "Resourceful" means accomplished in arrangement. "For safety pertaining to the future life" means that which has become safety, pertaining to the future life. "By the one whose name is truth" means by the unerring name, thus: "Buddha" precisely because of the state of being a Buddha. "Generosity and merit increase" means generosity and the remaining merit increase. In this discourse, faith and so on are spoken of as combined. The fifth is clear in itself.
6.
Commentary on the Discourse on Fear
56. In the sixth, "womb" means dwelling in the womb. "Pertaining to the present life also" means visible here and now, similar to dwelling in the womb, again human wombs. "Pertaining to the future life also" means, setting aside human wombs, the remaining wombs. "Both, these are called sensual pleasures" means fear and suffering, fear and disease, fear and boil, fear and dart, fear and attachment, fear and mire, fear and womb - thus both, these are called sensual pleasures. "In the guise of the pleasant" means by sensual happiness. "Dangerous path" means the dangerous path of the round of rebirths. "Having overcome" means in this passage, having developed insight, the state of that monk's attainment of arahantship is taken. "Such a generation beset by birth and ageing, trembling in the three existences, he looks upon" means having spoken of the round of rebirths in the discourse, the end of the round of rebirths is spoken of in the verses. The seventh and eighth are of manifest meaning only.
9-10.
Commentary on the Pair of Discourses on Persons
59-60. In the ninth, "upright" means straight through the absence of crookedness of body and so on. "Concentrated in wisdom and morality" means endowed with wisdom and morality. "Who sacrifice" means of those who give gifts. "Hoping for merit" means of those looking at merit, seeking merit. "Leading to acquisition" means having clinging as its result, the state that has become clinging is immeasurable. In the tenth, "superior" means superior, highest. "Of beings" means of all beings. The remainder is clear everywhere.
The Chapter on Gotamī is the sixth.