2.
The Chapter on Pairs
1.
Commentary on the Discourses on Ignorance and so on
61-62. In the first of the second, "with nutriment" means with condition. "True knowledge and liberation" means fruition knowledge and the remaining associated mental states. "Factors of enlightenment" means the path factors of enlightenment. In the second, "craving for existence" means longing for existence. Thus in both discourses only the round of rebirths has been spoken of, and here in the first discourse the round of rebirths rooted in ignorance has been spoken of, in the second that rooted in craving.
3-4.
Commentary on the Discourses on One Who Has Reached the Goal and so on
63-64. In the third, "have come to a conclusion" means free from doubt. "The goal is here" means final nibbāna in this very world. "Having left here" means having abandoned this world, to the Pure Abodes Brahma world. In the fourth, "with unwavering confidence" means accomplished with unshakeable confidence. "Stream-enterers" means those who have entered upon the stream of the noble path.
5-7.
Commentary on the First Discourse on Happiness and so on
65-67. In the fifth, happiness and suffering rooted in the round of rebirths is asked about; in the sixth, that rooted in the Dispensation. In the seventh, "Naḷakapāna" means a market town that received this name because in the past, a troop of monkeys, having stood firm in the Bodhisatta's exhortation, created a place for drinking water with reeds. "Silent, completely silent" means whatever direction he surveys, there it is completely silent. "Having surveyed" means having looked here and there. "My back aches" - why does it ache? For when the Blessed One was making the great striving for six years, there was great bodily suffering; then afterwards, in the time of old age, a back ailment arose in him. For one with a clung-to body, it is not possible for anyone to be without even a trifling illness from standing, sitting, and so on. Even taking that as a reason, he said thus for the purpose of making room for the elder. Having prepared the double robe, having spread it on top of an allowable bed that had been set up in a suitable place to one side.
9-10.
Commentary on the Two Discourses on Topics of Discussion
69-70. In the ninth, "pointless talk" means talk that has become pointless because of not leading to liberation from the paths to heaven and deliverance. Therein, talk that has arisen about kings by the method beginning with "Mahāsammata, Mandhātā, Dhammāsoka were of such great majesty" is talk about kings. The same method applies to talk about thieves and so on. Among those, by the method beginning with "such and such a king was handsome, good-looking," talk that is merely household-based talk is pointless talk; but when it proceeds thus: "Even he, of such great majesty, has gone to destruction," it stands in the state of a meditation subject. Among thieves too, "Mūladeva was of such great majesty, Meghadeva was of such great majesty" - dependent on their deeds, "Oh, what heroes!" - talk that is merely household-based talk is pointless talk. Regarding battles too, in the Bhārata war and so on, "such and such a one was thus killed by such and such a one, thus pierced" - talk by way of gratification of action alone is pointless talk; but when it proceeds thus: "Even they have gone to destruction," everywhere it becomes just a meditation subject. Furthermore, regarding food and so on, it is not proper to speak by way of gratification of sensual pleasure thus: "We ate, consumed, drank, and used what was so colourful, so flavourful, so accomplished in touch." But having made it purposeful, it is proper to speak thus: "Formerly we gave food, drink, cloth, vehicles, garlands, and odours endowed with such colour and so on to the virtuous ones; we venerated the shrine."
Regarding talk about relatives and so on too, it is not proper to say by way of gratification: "Our relatives are heroes, able" or "Formerly we travelled about in such varied vehicles." But having made it purposeful, it should be spoken thus: "Those relatives of ours too have gone to destruction" or "Formerly we gave such sandals to the Community." Talk about villages too, by way of well-settled, poorly-settled, having plenty of food, famine, and so on, or "The inhabitants of such and such a village are heroes, able" - thus by way of gratification alone, it is not proper; but having made it purposeful, it is proper to say "They had faith, had confidence" or "They have gone to destruction and passing away." The same method applies to talk about towns, cities, and countries too.
Talk about women too, dependent on beauty, figure, and so on, by way of gratification, is not proper; but just so it is proper thus: "They had faith, had confidence, have gone to destruction." Talk about heroes too, "The warrior named Nandimitta was a hero" - by way of gratification alone, is not proper; but just so it is proper: "He had faith, has gone to destruction." "Talk about liquor" - but in the Pāḷi, it is not proper to speak about manifold intoxicant talk by way of gratification; it is proper to say only by way of danger. Talk about streets too, "Such and such a street is well-settled, poorly-settled, its people are heroes, able" - by way of gratification alone, is not proper; but it is proper thus: "They had faith, had confidence, have gone to destruction." "Talk about wells" means talk about water-places, talk about water-fords. Or talk about water-carrying slave-women. That too, "They are pleasing, skilled in dancing and singing" - by way of gratification, is not proper; it is proper only by the method beginning with "they had faith, had confidence."
"Talk about the departed" means talk about deceased relatives. Therein, the judgment is the same as for talk about present relatives. "Talk about diversity" means the remaining pointless talk of various natures, freed from the preceding and following talks. "Speculations about the world" means: "By whom was this world created? It was created by such and such a one. The crow is white because of the whiteness of its bones; the heron is red because of the redness of its blood" - such is the worldly sophistic conversational talk. "Tales about the sea" means: why is the ocean called "sāgara"? Because it was dug by the god Sāgara, it is called "sāgara"; because it made itself known by the hand-gesture "it was dug by me," it is called "samudda" - such and similar is the useless talk of tales about the sea. "Becoming" means growth; "non-becoming" means deterioration. "Thus becoming, thus non-becoming" - talk carried on by stating whatever this or that useless reason is called talk about becoming and non-becoming.
"With radiance the radiance" means with one's own radiance their radiance. "You would outshine" means having spent and seized, you would overcome. Herein is this story - One almsfood eater asked a great elder - "Venerable sir, what do monks do when outshining radiance with radiance?" The elder said - Friend, having placed something in the sunshine, just as the shadow does not descend below but goes only upward, so they do. In the tenth, "praiseworthy states" means reasons that bring praise. The remainder is of manifest meaning everywhere.
The Chapter on Pairs is the second.