2.
The Chapter on a Protector
1.
Commentary on the Discourse on Lodging
11. In the first of the second, "possessed of five factors" means endowed with five quality-factors. "It is not too far and not too near" means for that which is too far, for one who, having walked for almsfood, goes back there, there is bodily and mental disturbance; therefore he is not able to produce unarisen concentration or to make arisen concentration firm. What is too near is crowded with many people. But for those dwelling in a place of about forty usabhas, it is free from the faults of being too far or too near, and is called accessible for coming and going. "Uncrowded by day" means not crowded by a great multitude of people during the daytime.
2.
Commentary on the Discourse on Five Factors
12. In the second, "a consummate one" means endowed with consummate, entire virtues. "One who has lived the holy life" means one who has dwelt the dwelling of the holy life. "Of one beyond training" means included in the state of one beyond training, supramundane. "With the aggregate of morality" means with the mass of morality. "With the aggregate of liberation" means here, having set aside the three beginning with morality, the remaining fruition states are called liberation; knowledge and vision of liberation is reviewing knowledge; that is mundane only.
3-4.
Commentary on the Fetter Discourse and So On
13-14. In the third, "lower" means belonging to the lower part. "Higher" means belonging to the upper part. In this discourse only the round of rebirths has been spoken of. In the fourth, the barrennesses and shackles have been explained in detail in the Book of Fives itself. "In height and circumference" means in length, breadth and extent.
5.
Commentary on the Heedfulness Discourse
15. In the fifth, regarding "just so" - just as the One Enlightened by himself is the foremost of all beings, so it should be seen that the diligence of one who causes others to act is the foremost of all wholesome mental states. But is this not mundane only, while wholesome mental states are also supramundane? And this is of the sensual sphere only, while wholesome mental states are of the four planes. How then is this the foremost among them? By being the cause of their attainment. For they are attained through diligence, therefore it is their foremost. For that very reason it was said - "all of them are rooted in diligence."
"Of land-dwelling" means of those that walk on the surface of the earth. "Of living beings" means of living beings that have feet. "Footprints" means feet. "Are included in" means they go into containment, into inclusion. "Is declared the foremost" means it is declared the best. "That is to say, in terms of its greatness" means it is declared the foremost by way of greatness, not by way of excellence of qualities - this is the meaning. "Vassika" means the jasmine flower. It is said that, having heard this discourse, the great king Bhātiya, out of a desire to investigate, having plastered an inner room with the four kinds of perfumes, having had fragrant flowers brought, having placed a handful of jasmine flowers in the middle of one casket, and having made the remaining ones into handfuls and placed them all around it, having shut the door, went outside. Then, having waited outside a moment, having opened the door, as he was entering, the odour of jasmine flowers first of all struck his nose. He, right there on the large flat roof, having lain down facing the great shrine, paid homage to the shrine, saying: "Well spoken by the One Enlightened by himself who declared 'jasmine is the foremost among them'." "Petty kings" means minor kings. "Kūṭarājāno" is also a reading.
6.
Commentary on the Discourse on Those Worthy of Offerings
16. In the sixth, "change-of-lineage" means endowed with change-of-lineage knowledge having Nibbāna as its object, which has come to be through insight that has reached its peak.
7.
Commentary on the First Discourse on the Protector
17. In the seventh, "with a protector" means dwell having become those with relatives, with many groups of kin. "They make for protection" means making for protection; the meaning is those that make for the state of having a protector for oneself, that make for a support. In the terms beginning with "has good friends," those who are good, being accomplished in virtues beginning with morality, are his friends - thus he "has good friends." Those very ones are his companions because of going together with him in standing, sitting and so on - thus he has "good companions." With mind and with body he is inclined, bent down towards good friends only - thus he has "good associates." "Is easy to admonish" means he is easily spoken to, easily instructed. "Patient" means when spoken to firmly, harshly, and roughly, he is patient and does not become angry. "Receiving instruction respectfully" means just as a certain person being exhorted takes it wrongly, or opposes, or goes away without listening, without doing thus, he receives it respectfully, saying: "Exhort me, venerable sir, instruct me; when you are not exhorting, who else will exhort?"
"High and low" means high and low. "Duties to be done" means tasks to be done, having said "What shall I do?" Therein, high duty means the making of robes, dyeing, plastering work at the shrine, work to be done at the Observance hall, the shrine house, the Bodhi tree house, and so on. Low duties means minor tasks such as foot-washing, anointing, and so on. "Endowed with investigation into the means for that" means with the ability to approach that. "Able to do" means he is capable of doing. "Able to arrange" means capable of managing.
"He has desire and affection for the Teaching" means a lover of the Teaching; the meaning is that he holds dear the three Canons of the Buddha's teaching. "Of amiable conversation" means when another is speaking, he listens attentively, and he himself wishes to teach others - this is the meaning. In "the higher teaching and higher discipline," a set of four should be known: the Teaching, the higher teaching, the monastic discipline, and the higher discipline. Therein, "the Teaching" means the Canon of Discourses. "The higher teaching" means the seven treatises. "The monastic discipline" means the Ubhatovibhaṅga. "The higher discipline" means the Khandhaka and the Parivāra. Or alternatively, both the Canon of Discourses and the Canon of the Higher Teaching are simply "the Teaching"; the paths and fruitions are "the higher teaching." The entire Canon of Monastic Discipline is "the monastic discipline"; the making of the appeasement of mental defilements is "the higher discipline." Thus here in all - the Teaching, the higher teaching, the monastic discipline, and the higher discipline - he has great gladness - this is the meaning. "Regarding wholesome mental states" - the locative is used in the sense of cause; on account of wholesome mental states of the four stages, he is one who does not shirk the responsibility for the purpose of achieving them - this is the meaning.
8.
Commentary on the Second Discourse on the Protector
18. In the eighth, "shown compassion by elders" means shown compassion through the pervading of welfare instigated by the occasion of exhortation and instruction by the elder monks.
9.
Commentary on the First Discourse on the Noble Abodes
19. In the ninth, "noble residences" means the residence of the noble ones; they have dwelt, are dwelling, or will dwell - thus they are "noble residences." "In which the noble ones" means those who are noble in the residences.
10.
Commentary on the Second Discourse on the Noble Abodes
20. The tenth: because the monks inhabiting the Kuru country were producers of profound wisdom and properly engaged, therefore just as the Great Causality and so on were spoken to them in the Dīgha Nikāya and so on, so too he spoke this profound, subtle discourse pertaining to the three characteristics right there. Therein, "one who has abandoned five factors" means having become dissociated from the five factors, one who has eliminated the mental corruptions dwelt, dwells, and will dwell. Therefore this state of having abandoned five factors is called a noble residence. This same method applies everywhere. "Thus, monks, a monk is endowed with six factors" means he is endowed with six-factored equanimity. What are the mental states called six-factored equanimity? Knowledge and so on. When "knowledge" is stated, from the functional, four types of consciousness associated with knowledge are obtained; when "constant abiding" is stated, eight great types of consciousness are obtained; when "there is no being lustful or being averse" is stated, ten types of consciousness are obtained. Pleasure is obtained by way of habitual practice. "With a mind protected by mindfulness" means for one who has eliminated the mental corruptions, mindfulness accomplishes the function of safeguarding at all times in the three doors. Therefore it is said of him: "Whether he is walking or standing, sleeping or awake, knowledge and vision is constantly and continuously present for him."
"Of the many ascetics and brahmins" means of many ascetics and brahmins. Here, "ascetics" means those who have gone forth into the going forth; "brahmins" means those who address others as "sir." "Individual truths of the many" means many separate truths. The meaning is many truths individually grasped as "only this view is the truth, only this is the truth." "Rejected" means thrown out. "Thoroughly rejected" means well thrown out. "Given up" means relinquished. "Vomited out" means expelled. "Released" means made with their bonds cut. "Abandoned" means forsaken. "Relinquished" means given up in such a way that they do not again ascend to the mind. All of these are synonyms for the state of relinquishment of the grasping that was previously grasped.
"One who has completely relinquished all seeking" - here, "avayā" means not lacking; "saṭṭhā" means relinquished. One whose seekings are completely and without deficiency relinquished - thus one who has completely relinquished all seeking. The meaning is one who has well relinquished all seeking. By "the mind is liberated from lust" and so on, the accomplishment of the function of the path has been spoken of. By "lust in me has been abandoned" and so on, the fruit of reviewing has been spoken of. The remainder is of manifest meaning everywhere.
The Chapter on Protector is the second.