14.
The Book of the Fourteens
1.
Commentary on the Verses of the Elder Revata of the Acacia Forest
645-658. In the Book of Fourteens, the verses beginning with "When I" are of the Venerable Elder Revata of the Acacia Forest. What is the origin? Although this elder's verse has come above in the Book of Ones. But therein, since only the extent of arousing mindfulness in his nephews was shown, the inclusion of that was made in the Book of Ones. But these verses, which make known the practice from the time of going forth up to final Nibbāna of the elder, were placed in the classification in this Book of Fourteens. Therein the occasion of the meaning has been stated above already. But this is the distinction - The elder, it is said, having attained arahantship, from time to time having gone to the attendance upon the Teacher and the great elders beginning with the General of the Teaching, having dwelt there for only a few days, having returned to the Acacia Forest itself, spent time in the happiness of fruition attainment and in the divine abidings. Thus as time went on, he became old, aged, one who had reached advanced years. He, one day, while going to attend upon the Buddha, on the way, dwelt in a forest not far from Sāvatthī. And at that time thieves, having done their deed in the city, being pursued by the guard-men, fleeing, having thrown away the seized goods near the elder, fled. The people, running after them, having seen the goods near the elder, having bound the elder, with the perception "a thief," having seized him, showed him to the king, "This, Sire, is a thief." The king, having had the elder released, asked "Venerable sir, was this act of theft done by you, or not?" The elder, although from birth such a thing had never been done by himself, but for the purpose of making known the state of its not having been done from the time of going forth, and the inability to do such a thing because of the complete eradication of all defilements, teaching the Teaching to the monks standing nearby and to the king -
645.
I do not know of any thought, ignoble, connected with hate.
646.
I do not know of such a thought, in this long interval.
647.
Gradually practised, as taught by the Buddha.
648.
I develop a mind of friendliness, always delighting in non-ill-will.
649.
I develop the divine abiding, not practised by wretched persons.
650.
Is endowed with noble silence at that very moment.
651.
So a monk, through the elimination of delusion, does not tremble like a mountain.
652.
Even a hair-tip of evil appears like a cloud.
653.
So guard yourselves, let not the moment pass you by.
654.
And I await the time, like a hired servant earning his wages.
655.
And I await the time, fully aware, mindful.
656.
The heavy burden has been laid down, the conduit to existence has been uprooted.
657.
That purpose has been attained by me, the destruction of all mental fetters.
658.
Come, I shall attain final Nibbāna, I am liberated everywhere." He spoke these verses.
Therein, this is the explanation of terms not previously encountered. "In this long interval" means: from the time when I went forth, and up to this my final time, during this long intervening period, I do not directly know of any thought, ignoble, connected with hate, whether by way of covetousness as "May this be mine," or by way of anger as "May these beings be killed" and so on - this is the explanation.
"And I directly know friendliness" means: that by which one bonds with (mijjati) and feels affection (siniyhati) is friendliness (mettā); it is non-anger. "Friendliness exists in this" is friendliness (mettā); the development of friendliness, the divine abiding of friendliness - that is friendliness. By the word "and" he includes the other divine abidings, namely compassion, altruistic joy, and equanimity. "I directly know" means I know face to face. For when one reviews the meditative absorption that has been attained, it comes face to face with the reviewing knowledge. "Of what kind?" - he said "limitless" and so on. For that, just as taught by the Buddha, the Blessed One, so by way of non-specific pervading, through having immeasurable beings as its object, it is limitless. Through bringing about the state of being well-practised and powerful, because of being well developed, it is well developed. First friendliness, then compassion, then altruistic joy, afterwards equanimity - thus gradually, in due course, practised, frequented, and cultivated, I directly know - this is the explanation.
A friend of all beings, or all of them are my friends - thus "friend of all." For one developing friendliness becomes dear to beings. "Companion of all" - here too the same method applies. "Compassionate towards all creatures" means one who supports all beings. "And I develop a mind of friendliness" means I distinctively develop, cultivate, or make known the mind together with, associated with friendliness, even without saying so, because of having reached the highest excellence through meditative development. Or the reading is "I develop friendliness and the mind." Its meaning is by the same method as stated above. "Delighting in non-affliction" means delighting in non-affliction, in bringing welfare to beings. "Always" means at all times; by that he shows perseverance therein.
"Unshakable" means not shakable, not to be dragged away by lust, which is the near enemy. "Unagitated" means not agitated, not to be disturbed by anger, which is the far enemy; having made it thus, I gladden, I greatly rejoice in my mind of friendliness, I develop the divine abiding. "Not practised by wretched persons" means not practised by wretched persons, by low people; or practised by those who are not wretched, by noble ones such as the Buddha and others - I develop, I cultivate the supreme, foremost, faultless abiding of friendliness and so on - this is the meaning.
Having thus shown his own practice by five verses by way of self-reference, now showing that by way of indirect reference, he spoke four verses beginning with "without applied thought." Therein, "having attained the state without applied thought" means having attained the second and subsequent meditative absorptions, which are devoid of applied thought; by this the elder, by way of indirect reference, spoke of his own attainment of the second and subsequent meditative absorptions through the meditative development of the divine abidings. But since this elder, having made that very meditative absorption the foundation, having developed insight, attained arahantship in a single sitting, therefore, showing that meaning by way of indirect reference itself, having said "having attained the state without applied thought," "the disciple of the One Enlightened by himself; Is endowed with noble silence at that very moment" - thus he said. Therein, because of the absence of verbal activity, the attainment without applied and sustained thought is called "noble silence." But from the statement "When you have gathered together, monks, there are two things to be done - either a talk on the Teaching or noble silence," whatever attainment is called noble silence. But here the fruition attainment of the fourth meditative absorption is intended.
Now, making known by a simile his unshakeability by worldly adversities because of having attained that, he spoke the verse "just as a mountain." Therein, "just as a rocky mountain" means just as a mountain made of stone, a mountain of a single mass of rock, not a mountain of earth, not a mixed mountain - this is the meaning. "Immovable, firmly established" means having a firmly established base, it is immovable, unshakeable by ordinary winds; therefore "so a monk, through the elimination of delusion, does not tremble like a mountain" means through the complete abandoning of delusion, and because all unwholesome states are rooted in delusion, a monk who has abandoned all unwholesome states, just as that mountain by ordinary winds, so does not tremble, does not waver by worldly adversities. Or "elimination of delusion" - since arahantship and Nibbāna are called thus, therefore "through the elimination of delusion" means because of having attained Nibbāna and arahantship, which is the cause of the elimination of delusion, one who is firmly established in the four noble truths, even at the time of not being in attainment, like a mountain, does not tremble, how much more so at the time of being in attainment - this is the intention.
Now, showing that evil is indeed practised only by one of impure morality, and not by one of pure morality, but for one of pure morality even the slightest amount of it appears as weighty, he spoke the verse beginning with "for one without blemish." Its meaning is - For a good person without blemish, because of the absence of blemishes such as lust and so on, who at all times seeks only pure and blameless qualities, even a hair-tip's worth, a hair-point's worth of evil, even a mere trifle, having pervaded the entire world system, appears as the size of a cloud; therefore those such as myself should not be suspected in such a deed - this is the intention.
Since even towards those free from mental defilements, the blindly foolish raise such false accusations, therefore those who desire welfare should carefully guard themselves - giving this exhortation, he spoke the verse beginning with "just as a city." Its meaning is - Just as a borderland city is made guarded within and without by the people dwelling in the borderland city - making the doors, walls, and so on firm being "with the inner," and making the bastions, moats, and so on firm being "with the outer" - so you too, having established mindfulness, having closed the six internal doors, not releasing the door-guarding mindfulness, just as the six external sense bases when being grasped lead to the destruction of the internal ones, so by non-grasping, having made those too firm, not abandoning the door-guarding mindfulness for the purpose of their non-entry, wandering about, guard yourselves. Why? Let not the moment pass you by. For whoever does not guard himself thus, this moment - the moment of a Buddha's arising, the moment of human existence, the moment of birth in the Middle Country, the moment of attaining right view, the moment of non-deficiency of the six sense bases - all this moment passes by that person. Let not that moment pass you by.
Thus the elder, having exhorted the assembly including the king and the monks with this verse, again making known his own equanimity of mind regarding death and life and his having performed his obligations, said beginning with "I do not delight in death." That is just the meaning already stated below.
But having said thus, seeing that the time of his own final Nibbāna had arrived, having given them an exhortation only in brief, declaring his final Nibbāna, he spoke the concluding verse. Therein, "strive on with diligence" means accomplish with diligence what should be accomplished, namely giving, morality, and so on; be heedful in the varieties of pertaining to the present life and pertaining to the future life, in the householder's duties, in the protection of morality, in the pursuit of serenity meditation, and in the development of insight meditation. "This is my instruction" means do not be negligent in giving, morality, and so on; this is my admonition, my exhortation.
Thus, having explained the practice for the welfare of others as having reached its peak, and also reaching the summit of the practice for one's own welfare, he said "Come, I shall attain final Nibbāna, I am liberated everywhere." Therein, "I am liberated everywhere" means I am altogether free from mental defilements and existences; therefore I shall definitely attain final Nibbāna.
But having said thus, seated cross-legged in the sky, having attained the heat element, blazing forth, he attained final Nibbāna through the Nibbāna element without residue of clinging.
The commentary on the verses of the Elder Revata of the Acacia Forest is concluded.
2.
Commentary on the Verses of the Elder Godatta
659-672. The verses beginning with "Just as a good" are the verses of the Venerable Elder Godatta. What is the origin? This one too, having formed aspirations under former Buddhas, having accumulated wholesome action as a decisive support for the end of the round of rebirths in this and that existence, wandering in the round of rebirths among gods and humans, in this arising of a Buddha, was reborn in a caravan leader's family at Sāvatthī. Known by the name Godatta, having come of age, when his father had deceased, establishing the family, having taken goods with five hundred carts, having wandered here and there, he earns his livelihood by trade and also performs meritorious deeds according to his means. One day, on the road, when an ox yoked to the shaft, being unable to pull, had fallen, and when the men were unable to raise it up, having gone himself, he pierced it strongly in the tail. The ox, angered, thinking "This bad person, not knowing my strength and weakness, pierces me strongly," spoke in human speech: "My dear Godatta, for so long a time, not concealing my own strength, I bore your burden; but today, when I have fallen through inability, you afflict me exceedingly. So be it; having passed away from here, in whatever place I am reborn, may there be an enemy able to afflict you" - thus he reviled him with a curse in accordance with his aspiration. Having heard that, Godatta, with a sense of urgency arisen, thinking "Having thus afflicted beings, what is the use of this livelihood?" having abandoned all his wealth, having gone forth in the presence of a certain great elder, doing the work of insight, before long, having attained arahantship, spending his time in the happiness of meditative attainment, one day, teaching the Teaching referring to worldly adversities to groups of noble ones, both householders and those gone forth, who had come to his presence -
659.
Though shaken by an excessive load, does not go beyond the yoke.
660.
They do not despise others, this is the noble teaching for living beings.
661.
Men undergo suffering, they grieve here, young men.
662.
By this dyad the foolish are destroyed, not seeing as it really is.
663.
They stand firm like a gate-post, they are neither elated nor depressed.
664.
Not in blame nor in praise, not for them in suffering nor in happiness.
665.
Everywhere happy are the wise, everywhere unconquered.
666.
Righteous loss is better, than if gain is not righteous.
667.
Disgrace among the wise is better, not fame among those of little wisdom.
668.
Reproach by the wise is better, than if there is praise by fools.
669.
The suffering of seclusion is better, than if happiness is born of sensual pleasure.
670.
Righteous death is better, than if one should live unrighteously.
671.
They wander in the world unattached, for them there is nothing dear or not dear.
672.
Having attained the supreme peace, they attain final nibbāna without mental corruptions." He spoke these verses.
Therein, "thoroughbred" means a thoroughbred bull. "Yoked to the shaft" means yoked to the shaft of a cart. "Bearing the yoke" means one who carries the yoke. And here, for the ease of verse composition, the description is made with two syllables; the meaning is able to carry a cartload. "Shaken by an excessive load" means oppressed by an excessive load, a heavy burden. "Maddito" (crushed) is also a reading; the meaning is the same. "The yoke" means the yoke placed on its own back - it does not go beyond, does not transgress; having properly lifted it up and abandoned the shaft, it does not stand still. "Thus" means just as that beast of burden, by its own nature as a good thoroughbred, by its own steadfast heroism, does not go beyond its own burden, does not abandon it, so too those who are satisfied, sustained, and fulfilled with mundane and supramundane wisdom, as the great ocean with water, do not despise others of inferior wisdom, do not treat them with contempt. Therein, he states the reason by "this is the noble teaching for living beings"; among beings, this is the teaching of the noble ones, that is to say, because of having reached the fulfilment of their wisdom, they do not exalt themselves by means of gain and so on, nor scoff at others by means of loss and so on.
Having thus shown the pleasant abiding of the noble ones through the fulfilment of wisdom, in order to show the painful abiding of the ignoble ones due to the absence of that, "at the time" and so on was stated. Therein, "at the time" means at the time endowed with material gain, loss, and so on. "Having come under the control of time" means having come under the control of the time of material gain and so on; the meaning is gladdened by material gain and so on, and saddened by loss and so on. "Having gone under the control of existence and non-existence" means having come under the control of existence and non-existence, they conforming to growth and deterioration. "Men undergo suffering, they grieve here, young men" means those men, beings who have obtained the name "young men," having fallen into compliance and opposition by way of material gain and loss and so on, by way of growth and deterioration, grieve in this world, and go to, reach the suffering of hell and so on in the world beyond. This is the meaning.
By "elated" and so on also, he shows only the attainment of harm for beings by way of worldly adversities. Therein, "elated by pleasant phenomena" means having gone to elevation by the cause of happiness, by the condition of happiness, by the achievement of wealth and so on; the meaning is intoxicated by the vanity of wealth and so on. "And dejected by painful phenomena" means having gone to a low state by the cause of suffering, by the condition of suffering, by the failure of wealth and so on; having reached wretchedness through poverty and so on. "By the dyad" means by the aforesaid dyad of elevation and dejection, or by the dyad of material gain and loss and so on, ignorant worldlings are destroyed; they are afflicted and oppressed by way of compliance and opposition. Why? "Not seeing as it really is" - because they did not understand the intrinsic nature of phenomena as it really is, and they are not ones whose aggregates have been fully understood and whose mental defilements have been abandoned; therefore. This is the meaning. Some also read "through not seeing as it really is"; the meaning is because of not seeing. "Those who in suffering and in happiness, in the middle, have gone beyond the seamstress of death" means but those noble ones who, through the achievement of the highest path, have gone beyond, have surpassed the seamstress, craving, which has become desire and lust, bound to unpleasant feeling, pleasant feeling, and neutral feeling; they stand unshakeable by the winds of worldly adversities, like a gate-post; they are neither elated nor depressed; they are never at any time elated or depressed, because of the complete absence of attachment and aversion.
Having thus shown the non-defilement of the arahant based on the foundation of feeling, now, having analysed the worldly adversities, showing his non-defilement in every respect, he said beginning with "not indeed." Therein, "in material gain" means in the obtaining of requisites such as robes and so on. "In loss" means in the non-obtaining, the disappearance of those very same. "Not in fame" means in the deterioration of retinue and in disrepute. "In renown" means in the praising in one's absence, in the state of widely spread fame. "In blame" means in reproach face to face. "In praise" means in the extolling of virtues from direct experience. "In suffering" means when suffering has arisen. "In happiness" - here too the same method applies.
"Everywhere" means in all the aforesaid eightfold worldly adversities, or everywhere in objects such as matter and so on, those who have eliminated the mental corruptions are not stained, because of having abandoned mental defilements altogether. Like what? "Like a water drop on a lotus" - just as a drop of water, even though having clung to and resting on a lotus petal, is not stained by it, nor is the lotus petal by the drop of water; on the contrary, they are simply disconnected. So too these, when material gain and so on are present, and when objects such as matter and so on have come into range, are disconnected in the same way. For that very reason, the wise, the learned, are happy everywhere among material gain and so on, because of the absence of signs of what is dear and of sorrow and so on through the means of knowledge; and because of being unconquerable by material gain and so on, they are everywhere unconquered.
Now, extracting and showing what is better among material gain and loss and so on, he said beginning with "by righteousness." Therein, "and loss by righteousness" means whatever loss, absence of material gain, deterioration of material gain that arises on account of one who guards the Teaching. And whatever gain that is not righteous, arisen by what is not the Teaching, by the wrong method, by a procedure scorned by the Buddha - of those two, righteous loss, which brings the Teaching, is better; of such a kind that for one who avoids such gain, unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase - such loss is more praiseworthy and brings benefit. "Than if gain is not righteous" means whatever gain has arisen by what is not the Teaching, that is not better. This is the intention.
"Fame among those of little wisdom, and disgrace among the wise" means whatever fame a person obtains through the influence of those of little wisdom, those lacking wisdom, and whatever disgrace, that is, deterioration of fame, through the influence of the wise, the intelligent. Of these two, disgrace among the wise is better. For they would wish for such deterioration of fame in the way that unwholesome mental states decline and wholesome mental states increase, and likewise one of capable nature, having abandoned that lack of virtue, would become established in virtues. "Not fame among those of little wisdom" means fame through the influence of those lacking wisdom is not better, for they might produce it even by way of declaring non-existent virtues, and that would be bringing harm both here through blame by the wise and so on, and in the future state through suffering and defilement in an unfortunate realm and so on. Therefore the Blessed One said - "Material gain, praise, honour, and whatever fame wrongly obtained" and "Honour kills a contemptible person."
"By the imprudent" means by those without wisdom. "Than if praise by fools" means whatever praise by fools, by the unwise.
"Born of sensual pleasure" means consisting of objective sensual pleasure, arisen dependent on the types of sensual pleasure. "And suffering born of seclusion" means bodily pain arisen from solitude, occurring by way of bodily fatigue, rooted in the affliction of uneven food and so on; but that is praiseworthy among the wise because of being a decisive support for the spiritual end of the round of rebirths. Therefore it was said "the suffering of seclusion is better."
"And life by what is not the Teaching" means earning a livelihood by what is not the Teaching, conduct contrary to the Teaching for the sake of life. "Death by the Teaching" means when someone says "I shall kill him who does not do this evil," even when being killed, for one who does not do evil in that situation and does not violate the Teaching, death caused by the Teaching is righteous and better - such death, because of not departing from the Teaching, is righteous, and because of leading to heaven and being a decisive support for Nibbāna, is more praiseworthy among the wise. For thus it has been said -
Limb, wealth, and even all of life, a man should abandon, remembering the Teaching."
"Than if one should live unrighteously" means if a man were to live a livelihood departed from the Teaching, he should not pursue it, because of being blamed by the wise and because of leading to a realm of misery - this is the intention.
Now, showing from the standpoint of reason the non-defilement of those who have eliminated the mental corruptions as stated, he spoke the verse beginning with "those who have abandoned sensual desire and irritation."
Therein, "those who have abandoned sensual desire and irritation" means compliance and opposition altogether abandoned by the noble path. "With peaceful minds in any kind of existence" means with minds calmed in both small and great existences, because of the fever of mental defilements having been without remainder abandoned. "In the world" means in the world of aggregates and so on. "Unattached" means independent by way of the support of craving and wrong view. "There is nothing dear or not dear for them" means for those who have eliminated the mental corruptions, anywhere in material gain and so on, or in objects such as visible form and so on, there is nothing dear or not dear, because the mental defilements that are the cause of those have been altogether eradicated.
Now, having shown the meditation by which they became of such a nature, reaching the pinnacle of the teaching with the Nibbāna element without residue of clinging, he spoke the concluding verse beginning with "having developed." Therein, "having reached" means having attained. The remainder is the same as the method stated below. And these very verses were also the elder's declaration of final liberating knowledge.
The commentary on the verses of the Elder Godatta is concluded.
The commentary on the Chapter of Fourteens is concluded.