15.
The Book of the Sixteens
1.
Commentary on the Verses of the Elder Aññāsi Koṇḍañña
673-688. In the Chapter of Sixteens, the verses beginning with "I am exceedingly" are those of the Venerable Elder Aññāsikoṇḍañña. What is the origin? This one too, in the time of the Blessed One Padumuttara, having been reborn in a very wealthy householder's family in the city of Haṃsavatī, having attained discretion, one day, while hearing the Teaching in the presence of the Teacher, having seen the Teacher establishing a certain monk in the foremost position among those of long standing who had first penetrated the Teaching in his own Dispensation, himself too aspiring to that position of rank, having carried on a great giving for seven days to the Teacher with a retinue of a hundred thousand monks, he made an aspiration. The Teacher too, having seen that there was no obstacle for him, declared his future success. He, having performed meritorious deeds for as long as life lasted, when the Teacher had attained final Nibbāna, while a shrine was being established, had a jewel house built inside the shrine, and having surrounded the shrine, had things worth a thousand jewels made as well.
He, having thus performed meritorious deeds, having passed away from there, wandering in the round of rebirths among gods and humans, in the time of the Blessed One Vipassī, having become a householder named Mahākāla, having split open the ripening young rice in a field measuring eight karīsas, having prepared milk-rice unmixed with the rice grains obtained, having added honey, ghee, sugar and so on therein, he gave it to the Community headed by the Buddha. Having split open the ripening young rice, whatever place was taken from was filled again; at the time of flattened rice he gave what is called the first-fruits of flattened rice. At the reaping, the first-fruits of the reaping; at the sheaf-making, the first-fruits of the sheaves; at the bundling and so on, the first-fruits of the bundles, the first-fruits of the threshing floor, the first-fruits of the produce, the first-fruits of the measuring, the first-fruits of the granary. Thus in one crop he gave the gift of the first-fruits on nine occasions. That crop too was exceedingly abundant.
Thus, having performed meritorious deeds for as long as life lasted, having passed away from there, having been reborn in the heavenly world, wandering in the round of rebirths among gods and humans, even before the arising of our Blessed One, he was reborn in a wealthy brahmin family in a brahmin village named Doṇavatthu, not far from the city of Kapilavatthu. His name was Koṇḍañña, derived from his clan. He, having come of age, having learnt the three Vedas, reached mastery in the texts on the marks. At that time our Bodhisatta, having passed away from the Tusita realm, was reborn in the house of the Great King Suddhodana in the city of Kapilavatthu. On his name-giving day, when one hundred and eight brahmins had been brought, eight brahmins were brought to the great terrace for the purpose of discerning the marks. He, being the most junior among them, having seen the accomplishment of the marks of the great man, having come to the conclusion "Definitely this one will be a Buddha," went about looking out for the Great Being's renunciation.
The Bodhisatta too, growing up with a great retinue, gradually having come of age, having reached the maturity of knowledge, in his twenty-ninth year, going forth in the great renunciation, having gone forth on the bank of the river Anomā, gradually having gone to Uruvelā, he strove in striving. Then the young man Koṇḍañña, having heard of the Great Being's state of having gone forth, as the fifth of a group together with the sons of the brahmins who had discerned the marks, beginning with the young man Vappa, having gone forth, gradually having approached the presence of the Bodhisatta, attending upon him for six years, having become disgusted with his use of gross food, having departed, he went to Isipatana. Then the Bodhisatta, having gained bodily strength through the use of gross food, on the full moon day of Vesākha, seated on the unconquered divan at the foot of the Bodhi tree, having crushed the heads of the three Māras, having fully awakened, having spent seven weeks at the seat of enlightenment itself, having known the maturity of knowledge of the group of five, having gone to Isipatana on the full moon day of Āsāḷhī, he taught them the Discourse on the Setting in Motion of the Wheel of the Teaching. At the conclusion of the teaching, the Elder Koṇḍañña became established in the fruition of stream-entry together with eighteen crores of brahmā gods. Then on the fifth of the fortnight, through the teaching of the Discourse on the Characteristic of Non-self, he realised arahantship. Therefore it was said in the Apadāna -
Who had attained Buddhahood, I first saw.
Having surrounded the Enlightened by himself, they venerate with joined palms.
This Buddha has arrived, the dispeller of blinding darkness.
'We shall burn up the defilements in the teaching of the One Enlightened by himself.'
Joyful, with a joyful mind, I gave the first almsfood.
Having sat down in the assembly of gods, spoke these verses.
This is my first meal, sustenance for one practising the holy life.
Him I will explain, listen to me as I speak.
Having overcome all the gods, he will inhabit the celestial abode.
A thousand times as a wheel-turning monarch, there he will exercise kingship.
Gotama by name, by clan, the Teacher in the world will be.
Having gone forth from home, he will dwell for six years.
Koṇḍañña by name, will first realise it.'
For the purpose of burning up the defilements, I went forth into homelessness.
At Isipatana in the Deer Park, beat the drum of the Deathless for me.
Having fully understood all mental corruptions, I dwell without mental corruptions.
Then the Teacher, at a later time, seated on the excellent Buddha-seat prepared in the midst of the community of monks at the great monastery of Jetavana, explaining his state of being the first to have penetrated the Teaching, established him in the foremost position: "This is the foremost, monks, of my disciples who are monks of long standing, that is to say, Aññāsikoṇḍañña." He, wishing to avoid the supreme respect being shown to him by the two chief disciples, the crowded dwelling in a lodging near a village, and wishing to dwell in delight in seclusion, considering even the making of friendly welcome to householders and those gone forth who had come to his presence as an obsession, having asked permission of the Teacher, having entered the Himalayas, being attended upon by six-tusked elephants, dwelt for twelve years on the shore of the Chaddanta lake. One day, Sakka, the king of gods, having approached the elder who was dwelling there thus, having paid homage, standing, said thus - "It would be good, venerable sir, if the noble one would teach me the Teaching." The elder taught him the Teaching containing the four truths, pertaining to the three characteristics, connected with emptiness, variegated with diverse methods, grounded upon the Deathless, with the grace of a Buddha. Having heard that, Sakka, declaring his own confidence -
673.
Dispassion is the Teaching taught, altogether by non-clinging." He spoke the first verse.
Therein, "I am exceedingly pleased, having heard the Teaching of great flavour" means even though having heard the Teaching on many occasions in the presence of the Teacher, he was devoted therein. But now, having heard the Teaching of great flavour spoken by you, with its diversity of various methods and its deliciousness, this I am exceedingly more pleased. "Dispassion is the Teaching taught, altogether by non-clinging" means dispassion because of becoming dispassionate towards all defilements and all activities, and because of generating dispassion. Precisely because of that, without grasping, without seizing any phenomenon among matter and so on, because it proceeds by way of being a means to liberation, it is taught altogether by non-clinging.
Thus Sakka, the king of gods, having praised the elder's teaching, having paid respect to the elder, went to his own place. Then one day the elder, having seen the mental conduct of certain worldlings who were being overcome by wrong thoughts, and having recollected the successive method that is the counterpart of those, and having adverted to his own state of mind completely turned away from that in every respect, having explained that meaning -
674.
They churn, I imagine, the thought, beautiful, connected with lust.
675.
So thoughts are appeased, when one sees with wisdom." He spoke two verses.
Therein, "many variegated things in the world" means by way of matter and so on, and therein too by way of blue, yellow and so on, and by way of women, men and so on, many variegated and diverse objects in the world. "In this circle of the earth" - he speaks with reference to the human world that is evident. "They churn, I imagine, the thought" means wrong thoughts constituted by unwise attention, like fire together with the appropriate man's effort together with the fire-drill, churn - I imagine, they stand as if churning. Of what kind? "Beautiful, connected with lust" - the meaning is sensual thought. For it is expressed as "beautiful" because of grasping the aspect of beauty.
"And as dust raised by the wind" - "and" (ca) is merely a particle. Just as a great rain cloud, raining, would appease, would calm, the dust raised and risen by the wind in the last month of summer. "So thoughts are appeased, when one sees with wisdom" means when a noble disciple sees with wisdom as it really is those variegated things of the world in terms of their origin, gratification, danger, and escape, then just as that dust raised by a rain cloud, so all wrong thoughts too are appeased by wisdom. For indeed, when right view has arisen, wrong thoughts do not obtain a support. But showing how one sees with wisdom -
676.
Then one becomes disenchanted with suffering, this is the path to purification.
677.
678.
Then one becomes disenchanted with suffering, this is the path to purification."
He spoke three verses.
Therein, "all activities" means all the five aggregates of the three planes included in the six objects. "Impermanent" means when one sees with insight wisdom that "they are not permanent because of having a beginning, middle, and end, because of not being everlasting, because of being temporary, because of breaking up here and there." "Then one becomes disenchanted with suffering" means then one becomes disenchanted with this suffering of the round of rebirths; becoming disenchanted, one penetrates the truths by the method of the full understanding of suffering and so on. "This is the path to purification" means this aforesaid method of insight is the path, the means of achievement, for purification by knowledge and vision and for absolute purification.
"Suffering" means they are suffering because of being fearful, because of the oppression of rise and fall, because of being full of suffering, and because of rejecting happiness. The remainder is according to the method already stated.
"All phenomena are non-self" means all phenomena of the four planes are non-self. But here only the phenomena of the three planes should be taken. For they should be contemplated with insight as non-self because of being without substance, because of not being subject to control, because of being empty, and because of rejecting self. The remainder is just as before.
Having thus shown the method of insight, showing himself as if another, as one who has performed his obligations by that method -
679.
Having abandoned birth and death, complete in the holy life.
680.
Having cut off the barrenness and the snare, having broken through the rock hard to break;
One who has crossed over, gone beyond, a meditator, he is freed from Māra's bondage."
He spoke a pair of verses.
Therein, "awakened following the Buddha" means awakened following the Buddhas; the meaning is that he understands the truths understood by the Fully Enlightened by themselves, in accordance with their teaching. Because of being endowed with firm, beyond-training qualities such as the substance of morality and so on, he is an "elder." "Koṇḍañña" is the mention of his clan. "Of keen energy" means of firm energy, of steady effort. "Having abandoned birth and death" because the cause of birth and death has been abandoned. "Complete in the holy life" means completely, or one who fulfils the holy life of the path without remainder; or alternatively, "complete" means because of being unmixed with mental defilements, path knowledge and fruition knowledge - that exists in this one, thus he is "complete." But since both of those exist by means of the holy life of the path and not otherwise, therefore "complete in the holy life" is said.
"The mental flood and the snare" means the four mental floods stated thus: "the mental flood of sensuality, the mental flood of existence, the mental flood of views, the mental flood of ignorance" - and the snare of lust stated thus: "The snare that moves through the sky, that which prowls connected with the mind." "The firm barrenness" means the firm, stable, fivefold mental rigidity stated thus: "is uncertain about the Teacher, is uncertain about the Teaching, is uncertain about the Community, is uncertain about the training, is angry towards fellows in the holy life, displeased, with a struck mind, with barrenness arisen." "Hard to split" because of the impossibility of being split by many people. For that very reason, because of being similar to a mountain, it has gone to the term "mountain." And the variety of not knowing stated by the method beginning with "not knowing regarding suffering." Thus, "having cut off all this, the barrenness and the snare" means whoever, among these fourfold defiling states, has cut the barrenness and the snare with the sword of noble path knowledge. "Having broken through the rock hard to break" means having cut with diamond-like knowledge the rock of not knowing that cannot be cut by any other knowledge whatsoever, and having crossed the four mental floods too, because of standing on their far shore, in Nibbāna, he is one who has crossed over, gone beyond. "By the characteristic of meditation on a single object and by the characteristic of meditation on the three characteristics" means a meditator by both kinds; "He is freed from Māra's bondage" means he of such a nature, one who has eliminated the mental corruptions, is freed, free, unbound from all bondage of the defilement-Māra. The elder speaks with reference to himself.
Then one day the elder, having seen his own co-resident pupil, a certain monk, dwelling lazy, of inferior energy, agitated, and arrogant through association with bad friends, having gone there by supernormal power, exhorted him: "Do not, friend, act thus; abandoning bad friends, associating with good friends, practise the ascetic duty." He did not heed the elder's words. The elder, having attained spiritual urgency through his disregard, censuring wrong practice and praising right practice and dwelling in seclusion through a talk based on the standpoint of persons -
681.
Sinks down in the great flood, covered over by the wave.
682.
A good friend, wise, one may be one who makes an end of suffering.
683.
Moderate in food and drink, a man of undepressed mind.
684.
Like an elephant at the head of battle, mindful, one should endure there.
685-686.
687.
688.
That purpose has been attained by me, what need have I of a co-resident?"
He spoke these verses.
Therein, "agitated" means conjoined with restlessness, unconcentrated, with a distracted mind. "Fickle" means endowed with fickleness such as adorning bowl and robes and so on, one whose nature is greedy. "Having come to evil friends" means in dependence on bad friends, not practising the ascetic duty. "Sinks down in the great flood, covered over by the wave" means just as a man fallen into the great ocean, submerged by the ocean waves, unable to raise his head, sinks down right there, so too one wandering in the great flood of the round of rebirths, covered over and submerged by the wave of wrath and anguish, unable to raise the head of wisdom by means of insight, sinks down right there.
"Prudent" means subtle, skilled in one's own welfare and the welfare of others. "With faculties restrained" means one whose faculties are closed by the restraining of the faculties with mind as the sixth. "A good friend" means endowed with good friends. "Wise" means possessing wisdom nourished by the Teaching. "Would be one who makes an end of suffering" means such a one would be a maker of the end of the entire suffering of the round of rebirths.
"Resembling a dark joint" and so on is the praising of delight in seclusion. "I do not delight in" and so on, however, is the showing of the state of one whose task is done. All that is just the meaning already stated below. But at the conclusion, "what need have I of a co-resident" was said with reference to his own co-resident pupil. Therefore, what use to me is such a difficult to admonish, disrespectful co-resident; dwelling alone alone is pleasing to me - this is the meaning.
But having said thus, he went to the Chaddanta lake itself. Having dwelt there for twelve years, when final Nibbāna was approaching, having approached the Teacher, having obtained permission for final Nibbāna, having gone to that very place, he attained final Nibbāna.
The commentary on the verses of the Elder Aññāsi Koṇḍañña is concluded.
2.
Commentary on the Verses of the Elder Udāyi
689-704. "Who has become a human being" and so on are the verses of the Venerable Elder Udāyī. What is the origin? This one too, having formed aspirations under former Buddhas, having accumulated merit 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, having been reborn in a brahmin family at Kapilavatthu, having received the name Udāyī, having come of age, having seen the majestic power of the Buddha at the Teacher's gathering of relatives, having gained faith, having gone forth, doing the work of insight, before long attained arahantship. For there are these three Elder Udāyīs: the minister's son who came formerly, Kāḷudāyī; the son of Kovariya, Lāḷudāyī; and this brahmin's son, Mahāudāyī. He, one day, when the Teacher, having made a white elephant adorned with all ornaments being praised by the great multitude the occasion, had taught the Nāgopama Suttanta, at the conclusion of the teaching, having recollected the Teacher's virtues in accordance with the power of his own knowledge, with a mind inspired by rapture having the Buddha as its object, thinking "This great multitude praises this animal elephant, not the great Buddha-elephant. Come, let me make well-known the virtues of the great Buddha-tusker" - praising the Teacher -
689.
Dwelling on the Brahma path, delighting in the peace of mind.
690.
Even the gods pay homage to him, thus I have heard from the Worthy One.
691.
Delighting in renunciation from sensual pleasures, freed like gold from rock.
692.
Of all those bearing the name of elephant, he of true name is unsurpassed.
693.
Meekness and non-violence, these two are the feet of the elephant.
694.
The great elephant with faith as his trunk, with equanimity as his white tusks.
695.
The Teaching is the belly's residence, seclusion is his tail.
696.
Going, the elephant is concentrated, standing, the elephant is concentrated.
697.
Everywhere restrained is the elephant, this is the accomplishment of the elephant.
698.
Having obtained food and clothing, he avoids storage.
699.
Wherever he goes, he goes without longing.
700.
It is not tainted by water, fragrant and delightful.
701.
He is not tainted by the world, as a lotus by water.
702.
And when the embers are stilled, he is called 'quenched'.
703.
The great elephants will understand, the elephant taught by an elephant.
704.
Abandoning the body, the elephant will attain final nibbāna, without mental corruptions." He spoke these verses.
Therein, "who has become a human being" means one who has come to be, has arisen among human beings; or one who has attained the state of human existence. For the Teacher, although liberated from all destinations through the achievement of the knowledge of the elimination of mental corruptions, is expressed as "a human being" by virtue of the conception taken in his final individual existence. But by virtue of his qualities, he is a super-god among gods, a super-Brahmā among Brahmās. "The Enlightened by himself" means one who possesses the awakening to what should be awakened to by himself alone. "Self-restrained" means tamed by oneself alone. For the Blessed One is tamed by the highest mastery through the noble path produced by himself alone, from the eye too, etc. through the mind too, tamed by the highest mastery. "Concentrated" means concentrated by the eightfold concentration and by the concentration of path and fruition. "Dwelling on the Brahma path" means proceeding by way of entering upon the fourfold path of the divine abidings, or upon the supreme, excellent path of fruition attainment. Although the Blessed One does not dwell on the aforesaid Brahma path at all times, yet with reference to his ability to dwell therein and his inclination towards it, "dwelling" was said. "Delighting in the peace of mind" means delighted in the stilling of all activities, which is the cause of the peace of mind, that is, in Nibbāna. "Him whom human beings pay homage to, who has gone beyond all phenomena" means that One Enlightened by himself who has gone beyond all phenomena such as aggregates, sense bases, and so on - gone beyond through direct knowledge, gone beyond through full understanding, gone beyond through abandoning, gone beyond through development, gone beyond through realization, gone beyond through attainment - thus gone beyond in six ways, one who has attained the achievement of the highest excellence - him do human beings such as warriors, wise men, and others pay homage to. Venerating through the practice in accordance with the Teaching, by body, by speech, and by mind, they are inclined towards that, sloping towards that, inclining towards that. "Even the gods pay homage to him" means not only human beings alone, but also in immeasurable world systems, even the gods pay homage to him. "Thus I have heard from the Worthy One" shows that "thus it was heard by me in the presence of the Worthy One, the Blessed One, by reasons such as being far from mental defilements, and in the presence of the General of the Teaching and others who were saying 'the Teacher of gods and humans' and so on - thus it was heard."
"Gone beyond all mental fetters" means one who has surpassed all ten mental fetters, as is fitting, by the four paths together with their habitual tendencies. "Come from the forest to the forestless" means one who has reached the forestless state, free from the forest of mental defilements. "Delighting in renunciation from sensual pleasures" means one who, having entirely gone forth from sensual pleasures, delights in renunciation classified as going forth, meditative absorption, insight, and so on. "Freed like gold from rock" means similar to gold released from rock, because of its nature of having substance released from what is without substance - the explanation is: "even the gods pay homage to him."
"He, the elephant, indeed outshone" means he assuredly does not commit an offence, does not go to rebirth; powerful like an elephant. The One Enlightened by himself who obtained the name "Nāga" - "outshone" means having surpassed the world with its gods by the radiance of his own body and the radiance of his knowledge, he shone, was resplendent. Like what? "The Himalayas and other rocky mountains" - just as indeed the Himalayas, the king of mountains, outshines other mountains by its own virtues such as firmness, weightiness, great substance, and so on, so too he outshines - this is the meaning. "Of all those bearing the name nāga" means of serpent-nāgas, elephant-nāgas, person-nāgas, or of learner-nāgas, non-learner-nāgas, and Individually Enlightened One-nāgas. "True in name" means one whose name "nāga" is by truth itself. But that truth of name he himself will declare by the passage beginning with "for he does not commit an offence."
Now, showing the Buddha-elephant by its constituent parts and first showing it by name, he said "for he does not commit an offence." Because he does not commit offence, evil, in any way whatsoever, therefore he is called "nāga" - this is the meaning. "Meekness" means morality. "Non-violence" means compassion. Having considered that both of these are the forerunner of the entire heap of virtues, it is fitting that they are the front feet of the Buddha-elephant - thus he said "these two are the feet of the elephant."
Speaking by way of the hind feet, he said "mindfulness and full awareness, these are the other feet of the elephant." Or the reading is "tyāpare." The analysis of terms is just "te apare." Faith is the trunk of this one in the taking up of blameless qualities - thus "one with faith as his trunk." Equanimity, which is a variety of knowledge with thoroughly purified feeling, is the white tusks; those are present in this one - thus "one with equanimity as his white tusks."
Wisdom is the highest limb; mindfulness is its foundation - thus he said "mindfulness is the neck, wisdom is the head." "Investigation is reflection on the Teaching" means just as the touching and smelling with the trunk of what is to be eaten and what is not to be eaten is called the investigation of a noble elephant, so too the reflection on wholesome and other qualities is the investigation of the Buddha-elephant. "Things dwell evenly here" - thus "residence"; a vessel, the belly itself, is the residence; because of being the receptacle for direct knowledges and serenity, the quality reckoned as serenity and insight meditation is the belly's residence of this one - thus "the Teaching is the belly's residence." "Seclusion" means seclusion from clinging. "Of that" means of the Buddha-elephant. The tail, because of being the final limb.
"A meditator" means one who is disposed to meditating by meditation on a single object. "Delighting in comfort" means delighting in Nibbāna, which is the supreme comfort. "Internally well concentrated" means well concentrated in the fruition attainment within the domain of one's own internal experience. In order to show that this concentration is well established at all times, "going, the elephant is concentrated" and so on was stated. For the Blessed One is always concentrated, because of the absence of distraction, due to the abandoning of restlessness together with its habitual tendencies. Therefore, whatever posture he adopts, that he adopts while concentrated.
"Everywhere" means in every resort and in every door, with conduct completely shut off in every respect. Therefore he said - "All bodily action is preceded by knowledge, follows knowledge," and so on. "This is the accomplishment of the elephant" means this achievement of the Buddha, the fragrant elephant, as stated by the method beginning with "for he does not commit an offence," or by the method beginning with "the One Enlightened by himself," both as already stated and as will be stated, is complete in virtues.
"He consumes blameless things" means because of having reached the highest perfection of right livelihood, he consumes things that are not blameworthy; because wrong livelihood has been altogether abandoned together with its latent tendencies, he does not consume blameworthy, censurable things. The explanation is: while consuming blameless things, he consumes while avoiding storage.
"Mental fetter" means the tenfold mental fetter that, because of fettering the continuity together with the suffering of the round of rebirths, is capable of causing one to sink in the round of rebirths. "Subtle and gross" means both small and great. "Having cut off all bondage" means having cut by path knowledge the bondage of mental defilements without remainder. "Wherever" means in whatever direction.
Just as indeed a white lotus born in water grows in water and is not tainted by water, because of its intrinsic nature of non-defilement, just so the Buddha, born in the world, dwells in the world and is not tainted by the world, because of the absence of the defilement of craving, wrong view, and conceit - this is the explanation.
"Fire" (ginī) means fire (aggi). "Without fuel" (anāhāro) means without firewood (anindhano).
"This is a conveyer of meaning" means this simile of the elephant is a conveyer, an elucidator, of the meaning to be compared, which is reckoned as the Teacher's virtues. "By the wise" means he speaks with reference to himself, as those who fully understand the Teaching of the four truths penetrated by the Teacher. "They will understand" and so on is a statement of reason: because the great elephants, those who have eliminated the mental corruptions, standing in their own domain, will understand the elephant, the Truth-finder, the fragrant elephant, taught by me, an elephant, therefore this simile has been spoken by us for the purpose of informing other worldlings - this is the intention.
"Abandoning the body, the elephant will attain final nibbāna, without mental corruptions" means the One Enlightened by himself, the elephant, without mental corruptions through the Nibbāna with residue of clinging at the foot of the Bodhi tree, now abandoning the body, the individual existence, will attain final Nibbāna through the extinguishment of the aggregates.
Thus, having adorned with fourteen similes, in sixteen verses, with sixty-four lines, while praising the Teacher's virtues, he concluded the teaching with the Nibbāna element without residue of clinging.
The commentary on the verses of the Elder Udāyī is concluded.
The commentary on the Chapter of Sixteens is concluded.