4.
The Chapter on the Elders
1-3.
Commentary on the Vehicle Discourse and Others
81-83. In the first discourse of the fourth, "with a mind rid of barriers" means having broken the barrier of mental defilements, made without barriers. The second is of clear meaning. In the third, "and does not attend on" means does not attend.
4.
Commentary on the Discourse on Declaration
84. In the fourth, "a meditator skilled in attainment" means accomplished in meditative absorptions and skilful in attainment. "Barrenness" means the state of hollowness. "Confusion" means the state of being without virtue, bereft of virtuous qualities. Or alternatively, he is as if having entered a wilderness termed as barrenness and a great thicket termed as confusion. "Calamity" means decline. "Disaster" means destruction. "Calamity and disaster" means decline and destruction. "Why indeed" means for what reason.
5-6.
Commentary on the Boaster Discourse and Others
85-86. In the fifth, "is a boaster, a vaunter" means one who is habitually given to boasting, one who is habitually given to vaunting, having made it open, he speaks. "Not one who acts continuously" means not one who acts constantly. In the sixth, "one who overestimates" means one who is endowed with the conceit of having attained what has not been attained. "The truth of overestimation" means he speaks of the conceit of having attained as though it were truth.
7.
Commentary on the Unpleasant Discourse
87. In the seventh, "one who creates legal cases" means one who is a maker of legal cases. "Not to affection" means not to the state of being dear. "Not to respect" means not to the state of being honoured. "Not to asceticism" means not to the state of the ascetic's practice. "Not to unity" means not to the state of continuity. "Not by nature one who discerns the teachings" means not having the intrinsic nature of discerning, not having the intrinsic nature of comprehending the ninefold supramundane states. "Not seclusion" means not in seclusion. "Fraudulent behaviours" means the state of being fraudulent. "Deceitful behaviours" means the state of being deceitful. "Crooked behaviours" means not the states of being upright. "Dishonest behaviours" means the states of being dishonest.
8.
Commentary on the Reviler Discourse
88. In the eighth, "one who reviles and abuses, who slanders noble ones among his fellows in the holy life" - here the term "fellows in the holy life" should be connected with the terms "one who reviles" and "one who abuses," thus: "one who reviles his fellows in the holy life, one who abuses his fellows in the holy life." But one who criticises with the final case, thinking "I shall cut off the virtues of the noble ones," is called a slanderer of noble ones. "The Good Teaching does not become purified for him" means the Good Teaching of the Dispensation, reckoned as the threefold training, does not reach cleansing for him. "Illness" - here, disease itself should be understood as "affliction" by making the state of life difficult.
9.
Commentary on the Kokālika Sutta
89. In the ninth, "the monk Kokālika approached the Blessed One" - who is this Kokālika, and why did he approach? It is said that this one, having gone forth in the Kokālika country, in the Kokālika city, as the son of the Kokālika millionaire, dwells in the monastery built by his father, by the name Cūḷakokālika; he is not, however, a pupil of Devadatta. For that one, a brahmin's son, is named Mahākokālika. Now, while the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī, the two chief disciples, wandering on a journey through the country together with about five hundred monks, when entering the rains retreat was approaching, wishing to dwell in a secluded residence, having dismissed those monks, having taken their own bowls and robes, having reached that city in that country, went to the monastery. There Kokālika performed the duties for them. They too, having exchanged friendly greetings with him, having obtained the promise "Friend, we shall dwell here for three months; do not report it to anyone," dwelt there. Having dwelt there, on the invitation ceremony day, having celebrated the invitation ceremony, they took leave of Kokālika saying "We are going, friend." Kokālika, having said "Having stayed just one day today, friends, you should go tomorrow," on the second day entered the city and addressed the people - "Friends, you do not even know that the two chief disciples have come here and are dwelling here; no one even invites them with requisites." The city-dwellers said "Where, venerable sir, are the elders? Why did you not inform us?" What is the use of informing, friends? Do you not see two monks sitting on the elders' seats? These are the chief disciples. They, having quickly assembled together, collected ghee, molasses, and so on, as well as robe-cloths.
Kokālika thought - "The chief disciples, being supremely of few wishes, will not consent to material gain arisen through contrived speech; not consenting, they will say 'Give it to the resident monk'" - having had that gain taken, he went to the presence of the elders. The elders, having seen them, having rejected them saying "These requisites are allowable neither for us nor for Kokālika," departed. Kokālika gave rise to resentment, thinking "How indeed could they, not taking for themselves, depart without even having it given to me?" They too, having gone to the presence of the Blessed One, having paid homage to the Blessed One, again taking their own following, wandering on a journey through the country, gradually returned to that very same city in that country. The citizens, having recognised the elders, having prepared a gift together with requisites, having made a pavilion in the middle of the city, gave the gift, and offered requisites to the elders. The elders handed them over to the Community of monks. Having seen that, Kokālika thought - "These were formerly of few wishes; now they have become ones with evil desires. Even formerly they were, methinks, similar to those of few wishes, content, and secluded" - having approached the elders, having said "Friends, you were formerly as if of few wishes, but now you have become evil monks," thinking "I shall destroy their support at the very root," being in a hurry, having departed, he approached the Blessed One. It should be understood that this is that Kokālika, and he approached for this reason.
The Blessed One, having seen him coming in great haste, reflecting, understood "This one has come wishing to revile the chief disciples; is it possible to prevent him?" Then, having seen "It is not possible to prevent him; he has come having offended against the elders; he will definitively be reborn in the Paduma hell," thinking "Having heard one censuring even Sāriputta and Moggallāna, he does not prevent him," for the purpose of freeing himself from the charge, and for the purpose of showing the greatly blameworthy nature of insulting noble ones, he prevented him three times saying "Do not say so." Therein, "do not say so" means do not speak thus. "Trustworthy" means a source of faith, inspiring confidence, or one whose word is to be believed. "Reliable" means one whose word is to be relied upon.
"Departed" means he departed being driven by the power of his action. For action that has found its opportunity cannot be warded off. "Not long after he had departed" means not long after he had departed. "His whole body was covered" means, not leaving even a space as small as a hair-tip, his entire body was overwhelmed by boils that had risen up having broken through the bones. But since, by the power of the Buddha, such action cannot give its result in the presence of Buddhas, but gives it as soon as one has left the region of sight, therefore boils arose on him not long after he had departed. "The size of chickpeas" means the size of gram. "The size of unripe wood-apples" means the size of young wood-apples. "Burst open" means they broke open. When those had burst, his entire body was like a ripe jackfruit. He, with his decaying body, lay on plantain leaves at the gateway of Jeta's Grove, like a fish that has swallowed poison. Then people who had come one after another for the purpose of hearing the Teaching said "Fie on Kokālika, fie on Kokālika, he did what was inappropriate; in dependence on his own mouth alone he has come to calamity and disaster." Having heard their sound, the guardian deities uttered exclamations of "fie"; from the guardian deities to the sky deities - by this method, a single proclamation of "fie" arose up to the Akaniṭṭha realm.
"Turū" means Kokālika's preceptor, the elder named Turū, having attained the fruition of non-returning, was reborn in the Brahma world. He, beginning with the earth-dwelling deities, having heard through succession that sound which had reached the Brahma world, that "what was done by Kokālika was inappropriate, accusing the chief disciples with the final case," thinking "Let not the wretched one perish while I am watching; I shall exhort him for the purpose of confidence of mind in the elders," having come, he stood before him. With reference to that, this was said - "Turū, an individual Brahmā." "Well-behaved" means of amiable nature. "Who are you, friend" - while sitting down, having opened his spotted eyes, he spoke thus. "See how much you have failed in this" means however much has been failed by you; not seeing the great swelling on one's own forehead, you think I should be accused on account of a mustard-seed-sized boil, he said.
Then, having known "This Kokālika has not attained to right view; like one who has swallowed poison, he will not heed anyone's word," he said beginning with "For a person" and so on. Therein, "an axe" means harsh speech resembling an axe. "Cuts" means he cuts off right at the root, which is termed the wholesome root. "One who is blameworthy" means a person who should be blamed, an immoral person. "Praises" means having esteemed him in the highest goal, he says "one who has eliminated the mental corruptions." "Or blames one who is praiseworthy" means whoever is praiseworthy, one who has eliminated the mental corruptions, accusing him with the final case, he says "this one is immoral." "He gathers with his mouth misfortune" means he accumulates that offence with his mouth. "By that misfortune" means by that offence he does not find happiness. For the result of praising the blameworthy and of blaming the praiseworthy is indeed equal.
"Together with all, together with oneself" means whatever is called the loss of wealth at dice, together with all one's own property and even with oneself, this is an insignificant offence. "He who towards the Fortunate Ones" means whoever would corrupt his mind towards persons who have come to the right path, this corruption of mind alone is a greater misfortune than that.
Now, showing its greater nature, he said beginning with "a hundred thousand" and so on. Therein, "a hundred thousand" means a hundred thousand by the nirabbuda calculation. "Thirty-six" means another thirty-six nirabbudas. "And five" means five abbudas by the abbuda calculation. "He who blames the noble ones" means whoever, blaming the noble ones, is reborn in hell, therein such is the measure of the life span - this is the meaning.
"Died" means when the preceptor had departed, he died. "The Paduma hell" - there is no separate hell called the Paduma hell; but he was reborn in a place within the Avīci great hell itself where one must suffer for a duration reckoned by the paduma calculation.
"Measuring twenty khāris" means four Magadhan patthas make one pattha in the Kosala country. Four of those patthas make one āḷhaka; four āḷhakas make one doṇa; four doṇas make one mānikā; four mānikās make one khārī; twenty of those khārīs make the measure of twenty khāris. "A cartload of sesame" means a cart of sesame seeds, of the fine sesame seeds of the Magadhans. "The Abbuda hell" - there is no separate hell called the Abbuda; but it is the name for a place within Avīci itself where one must suffer for a duration reckoned by the abbuda calculation. The same method applies in the case of the Nirabbuda and so on too.
But the calculation of years here should be understood thus - For just as a hundred times a hundred thousand is a koṭi, so a hundred times a hundred thousand koṭis is called a pakoṭi, a hundred times a hundred thousand pakoṭis is called a koṭipakoṭi, a hundred times a hundred thousand koṭipakoṭis is a nahuta, a hundred times a hundred thousand nahutas is a ninnahuta, a hundred times a hundred thousand ninnahutas is one abbuda, twenty times that is a nirabbuda, and this same method applies everywhere. The tenth should be understood by the method already stated above. The remainder is of manifest meaning everywhere.
The Chapter on Elders is fourth.