THE PATH
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka
143. However, it was also asked (vi) WHAT IS THE DEFILING OF
IT? and WHAT IS THE CLEANSING OF IT?
We answer that virtue's tornness, etc., is its defiling, and that its un-
tornness, etc., is its cleansing. Now that tornness, etc., is comprised
under the breach that has gain, fame, etc., as its cause, and under the
seven bonds of sexuality. When a man has broken the training course at
the beginning or at the end in any instance of the seven classes of
offences,
40
his virtue is called torn, like a cloth that is cut at the edge. But
when he has broken it in the middle, it is called rent, like a cloth that is
rent in the middle. When he has broken it twice or thrice in succession, it
is called blotched, like a cow whose body is some such colour as black
or red with a discrepant colour appearing on the back or the belly. When
he has broken it [all over] at intervals, it is called mottled, like a cow
speckled [all over] with discrepant-coloured spots at intervals. This in
the first place is how there comes to be tornness with the breach that has
gain, Qtc.y as its cause.
144. And likewise with the seven bonds of sexuality; for this is said by
the Blessed One: 'Here, brahman, some ascetic or brahman claims to
lead the life of purity rightly; for he does not [52] enter into actual
sexual intercourse with women. Yet he agrees to massage, manipulation,
bathing and rubbing down by women. He enjoys it, desires it and takes
satisfaction in it. This is what is torn, rent, blotched and mottled in one
who leads the life of purity. This man is said to lead a life of purity that
is unclean. As one who is bound by the bond of sexuality, he will not be
released from birth, ageing and death ... he will not be released from
suffering, I say.
145. 'Furthermore, brahman, ... while he does not agree to [these things],
yet he jokes, plays and amuses himself with women ...
146. 'Furthermore, brahman,... while he does not agree to [these things],
yet he gazes and stares at women eye to eye ...
147. 'Furthermore, brahman,... while he does not agree to [these things],
yet he listens to the sound of women through a wall or through a fence
as they laugh or talk or sing or weep ...
148. 'Furthermore, brahman,... while he does not agree to [these things],
yet he recalls laughs and talks and games that he formerly had with
women ...
149. 'Furthermore, brahman, ... while he does not agree to [these things],
[53] yet he sees a householder or a householder's son possessed of,
endowed with, and indulging in, the five cords of sense desire ...
150. 'Furthermore, brahman, while he does not agree to [these things],
yet he leads the life of purity aspiring to some order of deities, [thinking]
"Through this rite (virtue) or this ritual (vow) or this asceticism I shall
become a [great] deity or some [lesser] deity". He enjoys it, desires it,
and takes satisfaction in it. This, brahman, is what is torn, rent, blotched
and mottled in one who leads the life of purity. This man ... will not be
released from suffering, I say' (A.iv, 54-56).
This is how tornness, etc., should be understood as included under
the breach that has gain, etc., as its cause and under the seven bonds of
sexuality.
151. Untornness, however, is accomplished by the complete non-break-
ing of the training precepts, by making amends for those broken for
which amends should be made, by the absence of the seven bonds of
sexuality, and, as well, by the non-arising of such evil things as anger,
enmity, contempt, domineering, envy, avarice, deceit, fraud, obduracy,
presumption, pride (conceit), haughtiness, conceit (vanity), and negli-
gence (see M. Sutta 7), and by the arising of such qualities as fewness of
wishes, contentment, and effacement (see M. Sutta 24).
152. Virtues not broken for the purpose of gain, etc., and rectified by
making amends after being broken by the faults of negligence, etc., and
not damaged by the bonds of sexuality and by such evil things as anger
and enmity, are called entirely untorn, unrent, unblotched, and unmottled.
And those same virtues are liberating since they bring about the state of
a freeman, and praised by the wise since it is by the wise that they are
praised, and unadhered-to since they are not adhered to by means of
craving and views, and conducive to concentration since they conduce to
access concentration or to absorption concentration. That is why their
untornness, etc., should be understood as 'cleansing' (see also Ch. VII,
§101f.).
153. . This cleansing comes about in two ways: through seeing the danger
of failure in virtue, and through seeing the benefit of perfected virtue.
[54] Herein, the danger of failure in virtue can be seen in accordance
with such suttas as that beginning 'Bhikkhus, there are these five dan-
gers for the unvirtuous in the failure of virtue' (A.iii,252).
154. Furthermore, on account of his unvirtuousness an unvirtuous person
is displeasing to deities and human beings, is uninstructable by his fel-
lows in the life of purity, suffers when unvirtuousness is censured, and is
remorseful when the virtuous are praised. Owing to that unvirtuousness
he is as ugly as hemp cloth. Contact with him is painful because those
who fall in with his views are brought to long-lasting suffering in the
states of loss. He is worthless because he causes no great fruit [to accrue]
to those who give him gifts. He is as hard to purify as a cesspit many
years old. He is like a log from a pyre (see Iti. 99); for he is outside both
[recluseship and the lay state]. Though claiming the bhikkhu state he is
no bhikkhu, so he is like a donkey following a herd of cattle. He is
always nervous, like a man who is everyone's enemy. He is as unfit to
live with as a dead carcase. Though he may have the qualities of learn-
ing, etc., he is as unfit for the homage of his fellows in the life of purity
as a charnel-ground fire is for that of brahmans. He is as incapable of
reaching the distinction of attainment as a blind man is of seeing a
visible object. He is as careless of the Good Law as a guttersnipe is of a
kingdom. Though he fancies he is happy, yet he suffers because he reaps
suffering as told in the Discourse on the Mass of Fire (A.iv,128-34).
155. Now the Blessed One has shown that when the unvirtuous have
their minds captured by pleasure and satisfaction in the indulgence of the
five cords of sense desires, in [receiving] salutation, in being honoured,
etc., the result of that kamma, directly visible in all ways, is very violent
pain, with that [kamma] as its condition, capable of producing a gush of
hot blood by causing agony of heart with the mere recollection of it.
Here is the text:
4
Bhikkhus, do you see that great mass of fire burning, blazing and
glowing?—Yes, venerable sir.—What do you think,'bhikkhus, which is
better, that one [gone forth] should sit down or lie down-embracing that
mass of fire burning, blazing and glowing, or that he should sit down or
lie down embracing a warrior-noble maiden or a brahman maiden or a
maiden of householder family, with soft, delicate hands and feet? —It
would be better, venerable sir, that he should sit down or lie down
embracing a warrior-noble maiden ... [55] It would be painful, venerable
sir, if he sat down or lay down embracing that great mass of fire burning,
blazing and glowing.
156. 'I say to you, bhikkhus, I declare to you, bhikkhus, that it would be
better for one [gone forth] who is unvirtuous, who is evil-natured, of
unclean and suspect habits, secretive of his acts, who is not an ascetic
and claims to be one, who does not lead the life of purity and claims to
do so, who is rotten within, lecherous, and full of corruption, to sit down
or lie down embracing that great mass of fire burning, blazing and glow-
ing. Why is that? By his doing so, bhikkhus, he might come to death or
deadly suffering, yet he would not on that account, on the breakup of the
body, after death, reappear in states of loss, in an unhappy destiny, in
perdition, in hell. But if one who is unvirtuous, evil-natured ... and full
of corruption, should sit down or lie down embracing a warrior-noble
maiden ... that would be long for his harm and suffering: on the breakup
of the body, after death, he would reappear in states of loss, in an un-
happy destiny, in perdition, in hell' (A.iv, 128-29).
157. Having thus shown by means of the analogy of the mass of fire the
suffering that is bound up with women and has as its condition the
indulgence of the five cords of sense desires [by the unvirtuous], to the
same intent he showed, by the following similes of the horse-hair rope,
the sharp spear, the iron sheet, the iron ball, the iron bed, the iron chair,
and the iron cauldron, the pain that has as its condition [acceptance of]
homage and reverential salutation, and the use of robes, alms food, bed
and chair, and dwelling [by unvirtuous bhikkhus]:
'What do you think, bhikkhus, which is better, that one should have
a strong horse-hair rope twisted round both legs by a strong man and
tightened so that it cut through the outer skin, and having cut through the
outer skin it cut through the inner skin, and having cut through the inner
skin it cut through the flesh, and having cut through the flesh it cut
through the sinews, and having cut through the sinews it cut through the
bones, and having cut through the bones it remained crushing the bone-
marrow—or that he should consent to the homage of great warrior-
nobles, great brahmans, great householders?' (A.iv,129). [56]
And: 'What do you think, bhikkhus, which is better, that one should
have a strong man wound one's breast with a sharp spear tempered in
oil—or that he should consent to the reverential salutation of great war-
rior-nobles, great brahmans, great householders?' (A.iv,130).
And: 'What do you think, bhikkhus, which is better, that one's body
should be wrapped by a strong man in a red-hot iron sheet burning,
blazing and glowing—or that he should use robes given out of faith by
great warrior-nobles, great brahmans, great householders?' (A.iv,130-
31).
And: 'What do you think, bhikkhus, which is better, that one's
mouth should be prised open by a strong man with red-hot iron tongs
burning, blazing and glowing, and that into his mouth should be put a
red-hot iron ball burning, blazing and glowing, which burns his lips and
burns his mouth and tongue and throat and belly and passes out below
carrying with it his bowels and entrails—or that he should use alms food
given out of faith by great warrior-nobles ...?' (A.iv,131-32).
And: 'What do you think, bhikkhus, which is better, that one should
have a strong man seize him by the head or seize him by the shoulders
and seat him or lay him on a red-hot iron bed or iron chair, burning,
blazing and glowing—or that he should use a bed or chair given out of
faith by great warrior-nobles ...?' (A.iv,132-33).
And: 'What do you think, bhikkhus, which is better, that one should
have a strong man take him feet up and head down and plunge him into
a red-hot metal cauldron burning, blazing and glowing, to be boiled
there in a swirl of froth, and as he boils in the swirl of froth to be swept
now up, now down, and now across—or that he should use a dwelling
given out of faith by great warrior-nobles ...?' (A.iv, 133-34).
158. What pleasure has a man of broken virtue
Forsaking not sense pleasures, which bear fruit
Of pain more violent even than the pain
In the embracing of a mass of fire?
What pleasure has he in accepting homage
Who, having failed in virtue, must partake
Of pain that will excel in agony
The crushing of his legs with horse-hair ropes? [57]
What pleasure has a man devoid of virtue
Accepting salutations of the faithful,
Which is the cause of pain acuter still
Than pain produced by stabbing with a spear?
What is the pleasure in the use of garments
For one without restraint, whereby in hell
He will for long be forced to undergo
The contact of the blazing iron sheet?
Although to him his alms food may seem tasty,
Who has no virtue, it is direst poison,
Because of which he surely will be made
For long to swallow burning iron balls.
And when the virtueless make use of couches
And chairs, though reckoned pleasing, it is pain
Because they will be tortured long indeed
On red-hot blazing iron beds and chairs.
Then what delight is there for one unvirtuous
Inhabiting a dwelling given in faith,
Since for that reason he will have to dwell
Shut up inside a blazing iron pan?
The Teacher of the world, in him condemning,
Described him in these terms: 'Of suspect habits,
Full of corruption, lecherous as well,
By nature evil, rotten too within*.
So out upon the life of him abiding
Without restraint, of him that wears the guise
Of the ascetic that he will not be,
And damages and undermines himself!
What is the life he leads, since any person,
No matter who, with virtue to his credit
Avoids it here, as those that would look well
Keep far away from dung or from a corpse?
He is not free from any sort of terror,
Though free enough from pleasure of attainment;
While heaven's door is bolted fast against him,
He is well set upon the road to hell.
Who else if not one destitute of virtue
More fit to be the object of compassion?
Many indeed and grave are the defects
That brand a man neglectful of his virtue.
Seeing danger in the failure of virtue should be understood as re-
viewing in such ways as these. And seeing benefits in perfected virtue
should be understood in the opposite sense.
159. Furthermore: [58]
His virtue is immaculate,
His wearing of the bowl and robes
Gives pleasure and inspires trust,
His going forth will bear its fruit.
A bhikkhu in his virtue pure
Has never fear that self-reproach
Will enter in his heart: indeed
There is no darkness in the sun.
A bhikkhu in his virtue bright
Shines forth in the Ascetics' Wood41
As by the brightness of his beams
The moon lights up the firmament.
Now if the bodily perfume
Of virtuous bhikkhus can succeed
In pleasing even deities,
What of the perfume of his virtue?
It is more perfect far than all
The other perfumes in the world,
Because the perfume virtue gives
Is borne unchecked in all directions.
The deeds done for a virtuous man,
Though they be few, will bear much fruit,
And so the virtuous man becomes
A vessel of honour and renown.
There are no cankers here and now
To plague the virtuous man at all;
The virtuous man digs out the root
Of suffering in lives to come.
Perfection among human kind
And even among deities,
If wished for, is not hard to gain
For him whose virtue is perfected;
But once his virtue is perfected,
His mind then seeks no other kind
Than the perfection of nibbana,
The state where utter peace prevails.
Such is the blessed fruit of virtue,
Showing full many a varied form,
So let a wise man know it well
This root of all perfection's branches.
160. The mind of one who understands thus, shudders at failure in virtue
and reaches out towards the perfecting of. virtue. So virtue should be
cleansed with all care, seeing this danger of failure in virtue and this
benefit of the perfection of virtue in the way stated.
161. And at this point in the Path of Purification, which is shown under
the headings of virtue, concentration and understanding by the stanza,
4
When a wise man, established well in virtue' (§1), virtue, firstly, has
been fully illustrated.
The first chapter called *The Description of
Virtue' in the Path of Purification composed for
the purpose of gladdening good people.
Showing posts with label sila. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sila. Show all posts
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Visuddhimagga - DESCRIPTION OF VIRTUE - Pentads
THE PATH
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka
131. 18. In the first pentad in the fivefold section the meaning should be
understood in accordance with the virtue of those not fully admitted to
the Order, and so on. For this is said in the Patisarnbhida: *(a) What is
virtue consisting in limited purification? That of the training precepts for
those not fully admitted to the Order: such is virtue consisting in limited
purification, (b) What is virtue consisting in unlimited purification? That
of the training precepts for those fully admitted to the Order: such is
virtue consisting in unlimited purification, (c) What is virtue consisting
in fulfilled purification? That of magnanimous ordinary men devoted to
profitable things, who are perfecting [the course] that ends in trainership,
regardless of the physical body and life, having given up [attachment to]
life: such is virtue of fulfilled purification, (d) What is virtue consisting
in purification not adhered to? That of the seven kinds of trainer: such is
virtue consisting in purification not adhered to. (e) What is virtue con-
sisting in tranquillized purification? That of the Perfect One's disciples
with cankers destroyed, of the Paccekabuddhas, of the Perfect Ones, ac-
complished and fully enlightened: such is virtue consisting in tranquil-
lized purification' (Ps.i,42-43).
132. (a) Herein, the virtue of those not fully admitted to the Order
should be understood as virtue consisting in limited purification, because
it is limited by the number [of training precepts, that is, 5 or 8 or 10],
(b) That of those fully admitted to the Order is [describable] thus:
Nine thousand millions, and a hundred
And eighty millions then as well,
And fifty plus a hundred thousand,
And thirty-six again to swell
The total restraint disciplines:
These rules the Enlightened One explains
Told under heads for filling out,
Which the Discipline restraint contains.
35
So although limited in number, [47] it should yet be understood as virtue
consisting in unlimited purification, since it is undertaken without re-
serve and has no obvious limit such as gain, fame, relatives, limbs or
life. Like the virtue of the Elder Maha-Tissa the Mango-eater who lived
at Ciragumba (see §122 above).
133. For that venerable one never abandoned the following good man's
recollection:
*Wealth for a sound limb's sake should be renounced,
And one who guards his life gives up his limbs;
And wealth and limbs and life, each one of these,
A man gives up who practises the Dhamma'.
And he never transgressed a training precept even when his life was in
the balance, and in this way he reached Arahantship with that same
virtue of unlimited purification as his support while he was being carried
on a lay devotee's back. According as it is said:
'Nor your mother nor your father
Nor your relatives and kin
Have done as much as this for you
Because you are possessed of virtue'.
So, stirred with urgency, and wisely
Comprehending36
with insight,
While carried on his helper's back
He reached the goal of Arahantship.
134. (c) The magnanimous ordinary man's virtue, which from the time
of admission to the Order is devoid even of the stain of a [wrong]
thought because of its extreme purity, like a gem of purest water, like
well-refined gold, becomes the proximate cause for Arahantship itself,
which is why it is called consisting of fulfilled purification; like that of
the Elders Sahgharakkhita the Great and Sahgharakkhita the Nephew.
135. The Elder Sahgharakkhita the Great (Mahd-Sahgharakkhita), aged
over sixty, was lying, it seems, on his deathbed. The Order of Bhikkhus
questioned him about attainment of the supramundane state. The elder
said: 'I have no supramundane state'. Then the young bhikkhu who was
attending on him said: 'Venerable sir, people have come as much as
twelve leagues, thinking that you have reached nibbana. It will be a dis-
appointment for many if you die as an ordinary man'. — 'Friend, think-
ing to see the Blessed One Metteyya, I did not try for insight. [48] So
help me to sit up and give me the chance'. He helped the elder to sit up
and went out. As he went out the elder reached Arahantship and he gave
a sign by snapping his fingers. The Order assembled and said to him:
'Venerable sir, you have done a difficult thing in achieving the supra-
mundane state in the hour of death'. — 'That was not difficult, friends.
But rather I will tell you what is difficult. Friends, I see no action done
[by me] without mindfulness and unknowingly since the time I went
forth'. His nephew also reached Arahantship in the same way at the age
of fifty years.
136. 'Now if a man has little learning
And he is careless of his virtue,
They censure him on both accounts
For lack of virtue and of learning.
'But if he is of little learning
Yet he is careful of his virtue,
They praise him for his virtue, so
It is as though he too had learning.
'And if he is of ample learning
Yet he is careless of his virtue,
They blame him for his virtue, so
It is as though he had no learning.
'But if he is of ample learning
And he is careful of his virtue,
They give him praise on both accounts
For virtue and as well for learning.
'The Buddha's pupil of much learning
Who keeps the Law with understanding—
A jewel of Jambu River gold37
—
Who is here fit to censure him?
Deities praise him [constantly],
By Brahma also is he praised' (A.ii,7).
137. (d) What should be understood as virtue consisting in purification
not adhered to is trainers' virtue, because it is not adhered to by [false]
view, and ordinary men's virtue when not adhered to by greed. Like the
virtue of the Elder Tissa the Landowner's Son (Kutumbiyaputta-Tissa-
thera). Wanting to become established in Arahantship in dependence on
such virtue, this venerable one told his enemies:
I broke the bones of both my legs
To give the pledge you asked from me.
I am revolted and ashamed
At death accompanied by greed. [49]
And after I had thought on this,
And wisely then applied insight,
When the sun rose and shone on me,
I had become an Arahant' (see MA.i,233).
138. Also there was a certain senior elder who was very ill and unable to
eat with his own hand. He was writhing smeared with his own urine and
excrement. Seeing him, a certain young bhikkhu said, 'Oh, what a pain-
ful process life is!'. The senior elder told him: 'If I were to die now,
friend, I should obtain the bliss of heaven; I have no doubt of that. But
the bliss obtained by breaking this virtue would be like the lay state ob-
tained by disavowing the training', and he added: 'I shall die together
with my virtue'. As he lay there, he comprehended that same illness
[with insight], and he reached Arahantship. Having done so, he pro-
nounced these verses to the Order of Bhikkhus:
'I am victim of a sickening disease
That racks me with its burden of cruel pain;
As flowers in the dust burnt by the sun,
So this my corpse will soon have withered up.
'Unbeautiful called beautiful,
Unclean while reckoned as if clean,
Though full of ordure seeming fair
To him that cannot see it clear.
'So out upon this ailing rotting body,
Fetid and filthy, punished with affliction,
Doting on which this silly generation
Has lost the way to be reborn in heaven!' (JA.ii,437).
139. (e) It is the virtue of the Arahants, etc., that should be understood
as tranquillized purification, because of tranquillization of all distur-
bance and because of purifiedness.
So it is of five kinds as 'consisting in limited purification', and so
on.
140. 19. In the second pentad the meaning should be understood as the
abandoning, etc., of killing living things, etc.; for this is said in the Pati-
sambhida: 'Five kinds of virtue: (1) In the case of killing living things,
(a) abandoning is virtue, (b) abstention is virtue, (c) volition is virtue,
(d) restraint is virtue, (e) non-transgression is virtue. (2) In the case of
taking what is not given ... (3) In the case of sexual misconduct... (4) In
the case of false speech ... (5) In the case of malicious speech ... (6) In
the case of harsh speech ... (7) In the case of gossip ... [50] (8) In the
case of covetousness ... (9) In the case of ill will ... (10) In the case of
wrong view ...
'(11) Through renunciation in the case of lust, (a) abandoning is vir-
tue ... (12) Through non-ill-will in the case of ill-will ... (13) Through
perception of light in the case of stiffness-and-torpor ... (14) Through
non-distraction ... agitation ... (15) Through definition of states (dhamrna)
... uncertainty ... (16) Through knowledge ... ignorance ... (17) Through
gladdening in the case of boredom ...
'(18) Through the first jhana in the case of the hindrances, (a) aban-
doning is virtue ... (19) Through the second jhana ... applied and sus-
tained thought ... (20) Through the third jhana ... happiness ...
(21) Through the fourth jhana in the case of pleasure and pain,
(a) abandoning is virtue ... (22) Through the attainment of the base con-
sisting of boundless space in the case of perceptions of matter, percep-
tions of resistance, and perceptions of variety, (a) abandoning is virtue
... (23) Through the attainment of the base consisting of boundless con-
sciousness in the case of the perception of the base consisting of bound-
less space ... (24) Through the attainment of the base consisting of noth-
ingness in the case of the perception of the base consisting of boundless
consciousness ... (25) Through the attainment of the base consisting of
neither perception nor non-perception in the case of the perception of the
base consisting of nothingness . . .
'(26) Through the contemplation of impermanence in the case of the
perception of permanence, (a) abandoning is virtue ... (27) Through the
contemplation of pain in the case of the perception of pleasure ...
(28) Through the contemplation of not-self in the case of the perception
of self ... (29) Through the contemplation of dispassion in the case of
the perception of delighting ... (30) Through the contemplation of fading
away in the case of greed ... (31) Through the contemplation of cessa-
tion in the case of originating ... (32) Through the contemplation of re-
linquishment in the case of grasping ...
'(33) Through the contemplation of destruction in the case of the
perception of compactness, (a) abandoning is virtue ... (34) Through the
contemplation of fall [of formations] in the case of accumulating [kamma]
... (35) Through the contemplation of change in the case of the percep-
tion of lastingness ... (36) Through the contemplation of the signless in
the case of a sign ... (37) Through the contemplation of the desireless in
the case of desire ... (38) Through the contemplation of voidness in the
case of misinterpreting (insistence) ... (39) Through insight into states
that is higher understanding in the case of misinterpreting (insistence)
due to grasping ... (40) Through correct knowledge and vision in the
case of misinterpreting (insistence) due to confusion ... (41) Through the
contemplation of danger in the case of misinterpreting (insistence) due to
reliance [on formations] ... (42) Through reflexion in the case of non-
reflexion ... (43) Through the contemplation of turning away in the case
of misinterpreting (insistence) due to bondage ...
'(44) Through the path of stream-entry in the case of defilements
coefficient with [false] view, (a) abandoning is virtue ... (45) Through
the path of once-return in the case of gross defilements ... (46) Through
the path of non-retum in the case of residual defilements ... (47) Through
the path of Arahantship in the case of all defilements, (a) abandoning is
virtue, (b) abstention is virtue, (c) volition is virtue, (d) restraint is virtue,
(e) non-transgression is virtue.
'Such virtues lead to non-remorse in the mind, to gladdening, to
happiness, to tranquillity, to joy, to repetition, to development, to culti-
vation, to embellishment, to the requisite [for concentration], to the equip-
ment [of concentration], to fulfilment, to complete dispassion, to fading
away, to cessation, to peace, to direct-knowledge, to enlightenment, to
nibbana' (Ps.i,46-47).
38
141. And here there is no state called abandoning other than the mere
non-arising of the killing of living things, etc., as stated. But the aban-
doning of a given [unprofitable state] upholds [51] a given profitable
state in the sense of providing a foundation for it, and concentrates it by
preventing wavering, so it is called 'virtue' {sila) in the sense of com-
posing (silana), reckoned as upholding and concentrating as stated ear-
lier (§19).
The other four things mentioned refer to the presence
39
of occur-
rence of will as abstention from such and such, as restraint of such and
such, as the volition associated with both of these, and as non-transgres-
sion in one who does not transgress such and such. But their meaning of
virtue has been explained already.
So it is of five kinds as 'virtue consisting in abandoning' and so
on.
142. At this point the answers to the questions, 'What is virtue? In what
sense is it virtue? What are its characteristic, function, manifestation,
and proximate cause? What are the benefits of virtue? How many kinds
of virtue are there?', are complete.
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka
131. 18. In the first pentad in the fivefold section the meaning should be
understood in accordance with the virtue of those not fully admitted to
the Order, and so on. For this is said in the Patisarnbhida: *(a) What is
virtue consisting in limited purification? That of the training precepts for
those not fully admitted to the Order: such is virtue consisting in limited
purification, (b) What is virtue consisting in unlimited purification? That
of the training precepts for those fully admitted to the Order: such is
virtue consisting in unlimited purification, (c) What is virtue consisting
in fulfilled purification? That of magnanimous ordinary men devoted to
profitable things, who are perfecting [the course] that ends in trainership,
regardless of the physical body and life, having given up [attachment to]
life: such is virtue of fulfilled purification, (d) What is virtue consisting
in purification not adhered to? That of the seven kinds of trainer: such is
virtue consisting in purification not adhered to. (e) What is virtue con-
sisting in tranquillized purification? That of the Perfect One's disciples
with cankers destroyed, of the Paccekabuddhas, of the Perfect Ones, ac-
complished and fully enlightened: such is virtue consisting in tranquil-
lized purification' (Ps.i,42-43).
132. (a) Herein, the virtue of those not fully admitted to the Order
should be understood as virtue consisting in limited purification, because
it is limited by the number [of training precepts, that is, 5 or 8 or 10],
(b) That of those fully admitted to the Order is [describable] thus:
Nine thousand millions, and a hundred
And eighty millions then as well,
And fifty plus a hundred thousand,
And thirty-six again to swell
The total restraint disciplines:
These rules the Enlightened One explains
Told under heads for filling out,
Which the Discipline restraint contains.
35
So although limited in number, [47] it should yet be understood as virtue
consisting in unlimited purification, since it is undertaken without re-
serve and has no obvious limit such as gain, fame, relatives, limbs or
life. Like the virtue of the Elder Maha-Tissa the Mango-eater who lived
at Ciragumba (see §122 above).
133. For that venerable one never abandoned the following good man's
recollection:
*Wealth for a sound limb's sake should be renounced,
And one who guards his life gives up his limbs;
And wealth and limbs and life, each one of these,
A man gives up who practises the Dhamma'.
And he never transgressed a training precept even when his life was in
the balance, and in this way he reached Arahantship with that same
virtue of unlimited purification as his support while he was being carried
on a lay devotee's back. According as it is said:
'Nor your mother nor your father
Nor your relatives and kin
Have done as much as this for you
Because you are possessed of virtue'.
So, stirred with urgency, and wisely
Comprehending36
with insight,
While carried on his helper's back
He reached the goal of Arahantship.
134. (c) The magnanimous ordinary man's virtue, which from the time
of admission to the Order is devoid even of the stain of a [wrong]
thought because of its extreme purity, like a gem of purest water, like
well-refined gold, becomes the proximate cause for Arahantship itself,
which is why it is called consisting of fulfilled purification; like that of
the Elders Sahgharakkhita the Great and Sahgharakkhita the Nephew.
135. The Elder Sahgharakkhita the Great (Mahd-Sahgharakkhita), aged
over sixty, was lying, it seems, on his deathbed. The Order of Bhikkhus
questioned him about attainment of the supramundane state. The elder
said: 'I have no supramundane state'. Then the young bhikkhu who was
attending on him said: 'Venerable sir, people have come as much as
twelve leagues, thinking that you have reached nibbana. It will be a dis-
appointment for many if you die as an ordinary man'. — 'Friend, think-
ing to see the Blessed One Metteyya, I did not try for insight. [48] So
help me to sit up and give me the chance'. He helped the elder to sit up
and went out. As he went out the elder reached Arahantship and he gave
a sign by snapping his fingers. The Order assembled and said to him:
'Venerable sir, you have done a difficult thing in achieving the supra-
mundane state in the hour of death'. — 'That was not difficult, friends.
But rather I will tell you what is difficult. Friends, I see no action done
[by me] without mindfulness and unknowingly since the time I went
forth'. His nephew also reached Arahantship in the same way at the age
of fifty years.
136. 'Now if a man has little learning
And he is careless of his virtue,
They censure him on both accounts
For lack of virtue and of learning.
'But if he is of little learning
Yet he is careful of his virtue,
They praise him for his virtue, so
It is as though he too had learning.
'And if he is of ample learning
Yet he is careless of his virtue,
They blame him for his virtue, so
It is as though he had no learning.
'But if he is of ample learning
And he is careful of his virtue,
They give him praise on both accounts
For virtue and as well for learning.
'The Buddha's pupil of much learning
Who keeps the Law with understanding—
A jewel of Jambu River gold37
—
Who is here fit to censure him?
Deities praise him [constantly],
By Brahma also is he praised' (A.ii,7).
137. (d) What should be understood as virtue consisting in purification
not adhered to is trainers' virtue, because it is not adhered to by [false]
view, and ordinary men's virtue when not adhered to by greed. Like the
virtue of the Elder Tissa the Landowner's Son (Kutumbiyaputta-Tissa-
thera). Wanting to become established in Arahantship in dependence on
such virtue, this venerable one told his enemies:
I broke the bones of both my legs
To give the pledge you asked from me.
I am revolted and ashamed
At death accompanied by greed. [49]
And after I had thought on this,
And wisely then applied insight,
When the sun rose and shone on me,
I had become an Arahant' (see MA.i,233).
138. Also there was a certain senior elder who was very ill and unable to
eat with his own hand. He was writhing smeared with his own urine and
excrement. Seeing him, a certain young bhikkhu said, 'Oh, what a pain-
ful process life is!'. The senior elder told him: 'If I were to die now,
friend, I should obtain the bliss of heaven; I have no doubt of that. But
the bliss obtained by breaking this virtue would be like the lay state ob-
tained by disavowing the training', and he added: 'I shall die together
with my virtue'. As he lay there, he comprehended that same illness
[with insight], and he reached Arahantship. Having done so, he pro-
nounced these verses to the Order of Bhikkhus:
'I am victim of a sickening disease
That racks me with its burden of cruel pain;
As flowers in the dust burnt by the sun,
So this my corpse will soon have withered up.
'Unbeautiful called beautiful,
Unclean while reckoned as if clean,
Though full of ordure seeming fair
To him that cannot see it clear.
'So out upon this ailing rotting body,
Fetid and filthy, punished with affliction,
Doting on which this silly generation
Has lost the way to be reborn in heaven!' (JA.ii,437).
139. (e) It is the virtue of the Arahants, etc., that should be understood
as tranquillized purification, because of tranquillization of all distur-
bance and because of purifiedness.
So it is of five kinds as 'consisting in limited purification', and so
on.
140. 19. In the second pentad the meaning should be understood as the
abandoning, etc., of killing living things, etc.; for this is said in the Pati-
sambhida: 'Five kinds of virtue: (1) In the case of killing living things,
(a) abandoning is virtue, (b) abstention is virtue, (c) volition is virtue,
(d) restraint is virtue, (e) non-transgression is virtue. (2) In the case of
taking what is not given ... (3) In the case of sexual misconduct... (4) In
the case of false speech ... (5) In the case of malicious speech ... (6) In
the case of harsh speech ... (7) In the case of gossip ... [50] (8) In the
case of covetousness ... (9) In the case of ill will ... (10) In the case of
wrong view ...
'(11) Through renunciation in the case of lust, (a) abandoning is vir-
tue ... (12) Through non-ill-will in the case of ill-will ... (13) Through
perception of light in the case of stiffness-and-torpor ... (14) Through
non-distraction ... agitation ... (15) Through definition of states (dhamrna)
... uncertainty ... (16) Through knowledge ... ignorance ... (17) Through
gladdening in the case of boredom ...
'(18) Through the first jhana in the case of the hindrances, (a) aban-
doning is virtue ... (19) Through the second jhana ... applied and sus-
tained thought ... (20) Through the third jhana ... happiness ...
(21) Through the fourth jhana in the case of pleasure and pain,
(a) abandoning is virtue ... (22) Through the attainment of the base con-
sisting of boundless space in the case of perceptions of matter, percep-
tions of resistance, and perceptions of variety, (a) abandoning is virtue
... (23) Through the attainment of the base consisting of boundless con-
sciousness in the case of the perception of the base consisting of bound-
less space ... (24) Through the attainment of the base consisting of noth-
ingness in the case of the perception of the base consisting of boundless
consciousness ... (25) Through the attainment of the base consisting of
neither perception nor non-perception in the case of the perception of the
base consisting of nothingness . . .
'(26) Through the contemplation of impermanence in the case of the
perception of permanence, (a) abandoning is virtue ... (27) Through the
contemplation of pain in the case of the perception of pleasure ...
(28) Through the contemplation of not-self in the case of the perception
of self ... (29) Through the contemplation of dispassion in the case of
the perception of delighting ... (30) Through the contemplation of fading
away in the case of greed ... (31) Through the contemplation of cessa-
tion in the case of originating ... (32) Through the contemplation of re-
linquishment in the case of grasping ...
'(33) Through the contemplation of destruction in the case of the
perception of compactness, (a) abandoning is virtue ... (34) Through the
contemplation of fall [of formations] in the case of accumulating [kamma]
... (35) Through the contemplation of change in the case of the percep-
tion of lastingness ... (36) Through the contemplation of the signless in
the case of a sign ... (37) Through the contemplation of the desireless in
the case of desire ... (38) Through the contemplation of voidness in the
case of misinterpreting (insistence) ... (39) Through insight into states
that is higher understanding in the case of misinterpreting (insistence)
due to grasping ... (40) Through correct knowledge and vision in the
case of misinterpreting (insistence) due to confusion ... (41) Through the
contemplation of danger in the case of misinterpreting (insistence) due to
reliance [on formations] ... (42) Through reflexion in the case of non-
reflexion ... (43) Through the contemplation of turning away in the case
of misinterpreting (insistence) due to bondage ...
'(44) Through the path of stream-entry in the case of defilements
coefficient with [false] view, (a) abandoning is virtue ... (45) Through
the path of once-return in the case of gross defilements ... (46) Through
the path of non-retum in the case of residual defilements ... (47) Through
the path of Arahantship in the case of all defilements, (a) abandoning is
virtue, (b) abstention is virtue, (c) volition is virtue, (d) restraint is virtue,
(e) non-transgression is virtue.
'Such virtues lead to non-remorse in the mind, to gladdening, to
happiness, to tranquillity, to joy, to repetition, to development, to culti-
vation, to embellishment, to the requisite [for concentration], to the equip-
ment [of concentration], to fulfilment, to complete dispassion, to fading
away, to cessation, to peace, to direct-knowledge, to enlightenment, to
nibbana' (Ps.i,46-47).
38
141. And here there is no state called abandoning other than the mere
non-arising of the killing of living things, etc., as stated. But the aban-
doning of a given [unprofitable state] upholds [51] a given profitable
state in the sense of providing a foundation for it, and concentrates it by
preventing wavering, so it is called 'virtue' {sila) in the sense of com-
posing (silana), reckoned as upholding and concentrating as stated ear-
lier (§19).
The other four things mentioned refer to the presence
39
of occur-
rence of will as abstention from such and such, as restraint of such and
such, as the volition associated with both of these, and as non-transgres-
sion in one who does not transgress such and such. But their meaning of
virtue has been explained already.
So it is of five kinds as 'virtue consisting in abandoning' and so
on.
142. At this point the answers to the questions, 'What is virtue? In what
sense is it virtue? What are its characteristic, function, manifestation,
and proximate cause? What are the benefits of virtue? How many kinds
of virtue are there?', are complete.
Visuddhimagga - DESCRIPTION OF VIRTUE - Virtue of the fourfold purification III
THE PATH
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka
101. [37] When not undertaken thus, virtue of Patimokkha restraint is
unenduring: it does not last, like a crop not fenced in with branches. And
it is raided by the robber defilements as a village with open gates is by
thieves. And lust leaks into his mind as rain does into a badly-roofed
house. For this is said:
'Among the visible objects, sounds, and smells,
And tastes, and tangibles, guard the faculties;
For when these doors are open and unguarded,
Then thieves will come and raid as 'twere a village' (?).
4
And just as with an ill-roofed house
The rain comes leaking in, so too
Will lust come leaking in for sure
Upon an undeveloped mind' (Dh. 13).
102. When it is undertaken thus, virtue of Patimokkha restraint is endur-
ing: it lasts, like a crop well fenced in with branches. And it is not raided
by the robber defilements, as a village with well-guarded gates is not by
thieves. And lust does not leak into his mind, as rain does not into a
well-roofed house. For this is said:
'Among the visible objects, sounds and smells,
And tastes and tangibles, guard the faculties;
For when these doors are closed and truly guarded,
Thieves will not come and raid as 'twere a village' (?).
4
And just as with a well-roofed house
No rain comes leaking in, so too
No lust comes leaking in for sure
Upon a well-developed mind' (Dh. 14).
103. This, however, is the teaching at its very highest.
This mind is called 'quickly transformed' (A.i,10), so restraint of -
the faculties should be undertaken by removing arisen lust with the con-
templation of foulness, as was done by the Elder Vanglsa soon after he
had gone forth. [38]
As the elder was wandering for alms, it seems, soon after going
forth, lust arose in him on seeing a woman. Thereupon he said to the
venerable Ananda:
'I am afire with sensual lust.
And burning flames consume my mind;
In pity tell me, Gotama,
How to extinguish it for good' (S.i,188).
The elder said:
'You do perceive mistakenly,
That burning flames consume your mind.
Look for no sign of beauty there,
For that it is which leads to lust.
See foulness there and keep your mind
Harmoniously concentrated;
Formations see as alien,
As ill, not self, so this great lust
May be extinguished, and no more
Take fire thus ever and again' (S.i,188).
The elder expelled his lust and then went on with his alms round.
104. Moreover, a bhikkhu who is fulfilling restraint of the faculties should
be like the Elder Cittagutta resident in the Great Cave at Kurandaka, and
like the Elder Maha-Mitta resident at the Great Monastery of Coraka.
105. In the Great Cave of Kurandaka, it seems, there was a lovely paint-
ing of the Renunciation of the Seven Buddhas. A number of bhikkhus
wandering about among the dwellings saw the painting and said, 'What
a lovely painting, venerable sir!'. The elder said: 'For more than sixty
years, friends, I have lived in the cave, and I did not know whether there
was any painting there or not. Now, today, I know it through those who
have eyes'. The elder, it seems, though he had lived there for so long,
had never raised his eyes and looked up at the cave. And at the door of
his cave there was a great ironwood tree. And the elder had never looked
up at that either. He knew it was in flower when he saw its petals on the
ground each year.
106 The king heard of the elder's great virtues, and he sent for him three
times, desiring to pay homage to him. When the elder did not go, he had
the breasts of all the women with infants in the town bound and sealed
off, [saying] 'As long as the elder does not come let the children go
without milk'. [39] Out of compassion for the children the elder went to
Mahagama. When the king heard [that he had come, he said] 'Go and
bring the elder in. I shall take the precepts'. Having had him brought up
into the inner palace, he paid homage to him and provided him with a
meal. Then, saying 'Today, venerable sir, there is no opportunity. I shall
take the precepts tomorrow', he took the elder's bowl. After following
him for a little, he paid homage with the queen and turned back. As
seven days went by thus, whether it was the king who paid homage or
whether it was the queen, the elder said, 'May the king be happy'.
107. Bhikkhus asked: 'Why is it, venerable sir, that whether it is the king
who pays the homage or the queen you say "May the king be happy"?'.
The elder replied: 'Friends, I do not notice whether it is the king or the
queen'. At the end of seven days [when it was found that] the elder was
not happy living there, he was dismissed by the king. He went back to
the Great Cave at Kurandaka. When it was night he went out onto his
walk. A deity who dwelt in the ironwood tree stood by with a torch of
sticks. Then his meditation subject became quite clear and plain. The
elder, [thinking] 'How clear my meditation subject is today!', was glad,
and immediately after the middle watch he reached Arahantship, making
the whole rock resound.
30
108. So when another clansman seeks his own good:
Let him not be hungry-eyed,
Like a monkey in the groves,
Like a wild deer in the woods,
Like a nervous little child.
Let him go with eyes downcast
Seeing a plough yoke's length before,
That he fall not in the power
Of the forest-monkey mind.
109. The Elder Maha-Mitta's mother was sick with a poisoned tumour.
She told her daughter, who as a bhikkhuni had also gone forth, 'Lady, go
to your brother. Tell him my trouble and bring back some medicine'.
She went and told him. The elder said: 'I do not know how to gather root
medicines and such things and concoct a medicine from them. But rather
I will tell you a medicine: since I went forth I have not broken [my vir-
tue of restraint of] the sense faculties by looking at the bodily form of
the opposite sex with a lustful mind. By this [40] declaration of truth
may my mother get well. Go and tell the lay devotee and rub her body*.
She went and told her what had happened and then did as she had been
instructed. At that very moment the lay devotee's tumour vanished, shrink-
ing away like a lump of froth. She got up and uttered a cry of joy:
4
If the
Fully Enlightened One were still alive, why should he not stroke with his
net-adorned hand the head of a bhikkhu like my son?'. So:
110. Let another noble clansman
Gone forth in the Dispensation
Keep, as did the Elder Mitta,
Perfect faculty restraint.
111. (c) As restraint of the faculties is to be undertaken by means of
mindfulness, so livelihood purification is to be undertaken by means of
energy. For that is accomplished by energy, because the abandoning of
wrong livelihood is effected in one who has rightly applied energy.
Abandoning, therefore, unbefitting wrong search, this should be under-
taken with energy by means of the right kind of search consisting in
going on alms round, etc., avoiding what is of impure origin as though it
were a poisonous snake, and using only requisites of pure origin.
112. Herein, for one who has not taken up the ascetic practices, any
requisites obtained from the Community, from a group of bhikkhus, or
from laymen who have confidence in his special qualities of teaching the
Dhamma, etc., are called 'of pure origin'. But those obtained on alms
round, etc., are of extremely pure origin. For one who has taken up the
ascetic practices, those obtained on alms round, etc., and—as long as
this is in accordance with the rules of the ascetic practices—from people
who have confidence in his special qualities of asceticism, are called 'of
pure origin'. And if he has got putrid urine with mixed gall nuts and
'four sweets'
31
for the purpose of curing a certain affliction, and he eats
only the broken gall nuts, thinking 'Other companions in the life of
purity will eat the "four-sweets" \ his undertaking of the ascetic prac-
tices is befitting, for he is then called a bhikkhu who is supreme in the
noble ones' heritages (see A.ii,28).
113. As to the robe and the other requisites, no hint, indication, round-
about talk, or intimation about robes and alms food is allowable for a
bhikkhu who is purifying his livelihood. But a hint, indication, or round-
about talk about a resting place is allowable for one who has not taken
up the ascetic practices. [41]
114. Herein, a 'hint' is when one who is getting the preparing of the
ground, etc., done for the purpose of [making] a resting place is asked,
'What is being done, venerable sir? Who is having it done?' and he
replies, 'No one'; or any other such giving of hints. An 'indication' is
saying 'Lay follower, where do you live?'—'In a mansion, venerable
sir'.—'But, lay follower, a mansion is not allowed for bhikkhus'. Or any
other such giving of indication. 'Roundabout talk' is saying, 'The resting
place for the Community of Bhikkhus is crowded'; or any other such
oblique talk.
115. All, however, is allowed in the case of medicine. But when the dis-
ease is cured, is it or is it not allowed to use the medicine obtained in this
way? Herein, the Vinaya specialists say that the opening has been given
by the Blessed One, therefore it is allowable. But the Suttanta specialists
say that though there is no offence, nevertheless the livelihood is sullied,
therefore it is not allowable.
116. But one who does not use hints, indications, roundabout talk, or inti-
mation, though these are permitted by the Blessed One, and who de-
pends only on the special qualities of fewness of wishes, etc., and makes
use only of requisites obtained otherwise than by indication, etc., even
when he thus risks his life, is called supreme in living in effacement, like
the venerable Sariputta.
117. It seems that the venerable one was cultivating seclusion at one
time, living in a certain forest with the Elder Maha-Moggallana. One day
an affliction of colic arose in him, causing him great pain. In the evening
the Elder MahA-Moggallana went to attend upon him. Seeing him lying
down, he asked what the reason was. And then he asked, 'What used to
make you better formerly, friend?'. The elder said, 'When I was a lay-
man, friend, my mother used to mix ghee, honey, sugar and so on, and
give me rice gruel with pure milk. That used to make me better'. Then
the other said, 'So be it, friend. If either you or I have merit, perhaps
tomorrow we shall get some'.
118. Now a deity who dwelt in a tree at the end of the walk overheard
their conversation. [Thinking] 'I will find rice gruel for the lord tomor-
row', he went meanwhile to the family who was supporting the elder
[42] and entered into the body of the eldest son, causing him discomfort.
Then he told the assembled relatives the price of the cure: 'If you pre-
pare rice gruel of such a kind tomorrow for the elder, I will set this one
free'. They said: 'Even without being told by you we regularly supply
the elder's needs', and on the following day they prepared rice gruel of
the kind needed.
119. The Elder MahA-MoggallAna came in the morning and said, 'Stay
here, friend, till I come back from the alms round'. Then he went into the
village. Those people met him. They took his bowl, filled it with the
stipulated kind of rice gruel, and gave it back to him. The elder made as
though to go, but they said, 'Eat, venerable sir, we shall give you more'.
When the elder had eaten, they gave him another bowlful. The elder left.
Bringing the alms food to the venerable SAriputta, he said, 'Here, friend
Sariputta, eat'. When the elder saw it, he thought, 'The gruel is very
nice. How was it got?', and seeing how it had been obtained, he said,
'Friend, the alms food cannot be used'.
120. Instead of thinking, 'He does not eat alms food brought by the likes
of me', the other at once took the bowl by the rim and turned it over on
one side. As the rice gruel fell on the ground the elder's affliction van-
ished. From then on it did not appear again during forty-five years.
121. Then he said to the venerable MahA-MoggallAna, 'Friend, even if
one's bowels come out and trail on the ground, it is not fitting to eat
gruel got by verbal intimation', and he uttered this exclamation:
'My livelihood might well be blamed
If I were to consent to eat
The honey and the gruel obtained
By influence of verbal hints.
And even if my bowels obtrude
And trail outside, and even though
My life is to be jeopardized,
I will not blot my livelihood (Miln. 370).
For I will satisfy my heart
By shunning all wrong kinds of search;
And never will I undertake
The search the Buddhas have condemned'. [43]
122. And here too should be told the story of the Elder Maha-Tissa the
Mango-eater who lived at Ciragumba (see §132 below).
32
So in all re-
spects:
A man who has gone forth in faith
Should purify his livelihood
And, seeing clearly, give no thought
To any search that is not good.
123. (d) And as livelihood purification is to be undertaken by means of
energy, so virtue dependent on requisites is to be undertaken by means
of understanding. For that is accomplished by understanding, because
one who possesses understanding is able to see the advantages and the
dangers in requisites. So one should abandon greed for requisites and
undertake that virtue by using requisites obtained lawfully and properly,
after reviewing them with understanding in the way aforesaid.
124. Herein, reviewing is of two kinds: at the time of receiving requisites
and at the time of using them. For use is blameless in one who at the
time of receiving robes, etc., reviews them either as [mere] elements or
as repulsive,
33
and puts them aside for later use, and in one who reviews
them thus at the time of using them.
125. Here is an explanation to settle the matter. There are four kinds of
use: use as theft,
34
use as a debt, use as an inheritance, use as a master.
Herein, use by one who is unvirtuous and makes use [of requisites], even
sitting in the midst of the Community, is called 'use as theft'. Use with-
out reviewing by one who is virtuous is 'use as a debt'; therefore the
robe should be reviewed every time it is used, and the alms food lump by
lump. One who cannot do this [should review it] before the meal, after
the meal, in the first watch, in the middle watch, and in the last watch. If
dawn breaks on him without his having reviewed it, he finds himself in
the position of one who has used it as a debt. Also the resting place
should be reviewed each time it is used. Recourse to mindfulness both in
the accepting and the use of medicine is proper; but while this is so,
though there is an offence for one who uses it without mindfulness after
mindful acceptance, there is no offence for one who is mindful in using
after accepting without mindfulness.
126. Purification is of four kinds: purification by the Teaching, purifica-
tion by restraint, purification by search, and purification by reviewing.
Herein, virtue of the Patimokkha restraint is called 'purification by the
Teaching'; [44] for that is so called because it purifies by means of
teaching. Virtue of restraint of faculties is called 'purification by re-
straint'; for that is so called because it purifies by means of the restraint
in the mental resolution 'I shall not do so again'. Virtue of livelihood
purification is called 'purification by search'; for that is so called be-
cause search is purified in one who abandons wrong search and gets
requisites lawfully and properly. Virtue dependent on requisites is called
'purification by reviewing'; for that is so called because it purifies by
the reviewing of the kind already described. Hence it was said above
(§125): 'There is no offence for one who is mindful in using after ac-
cepting without mindfulness'.
127. Use of the requisites by the seven kinds of trainers is called 'use as
an inheritance'; for they are the Buddha's sons, therefore they make use
of the requisites as the heirs of requisites belonging to their father. But
how then, is it the Blessed One's requisites or the laity's requisites that
are used? Although given by the laity, they actually belong to the Blessed
One, because it is by the Blessed One that they are permitted. That is
why it should be understood that the Blessed One's requisites are used.
The confirmation here is in the DhammadAyAda Sutta (M. Sutta 3).
Use by those whose cankers are destroyed is called 'use as a mas-
ter'; for they make use of them as masters because they have escaped the
slavery of craving.
128. As regards these kinds of use, use as a master and use as an inheri-
tance are allowable for all. Use as a debt is not allowable, to say nothing
of use as theft. But this use of what is reviewed by one who is virtuous is
use freed from debt because it is the opposite of use as a debt or is
included in use as an inheritance too. For one possessed of virtue is
called a trainer too because of possessing this training.
129. As regards these three kinds of use, since use as a master is best,
when a bhikkhu undertakes virtue dependent on requisites, he should
aspire to that and use them after reviewing them in the way described.
And this is said: [45]
'The truly wise disciple
Who listens to the Dhamma
As taught by the Sublime One
Makes use, after reviewing,
Of alms food, and of dwelling,
And of a resting place,
And also of the water
For washing dirt from robes' (Sn. 391).
'So like a drop of water
Lying on leaves of lotus,
A bhikkhu is unsullied
By any of these matters,
By alms food, [and by dwelling,]
And by a resting place,
And also by the water
For washing dirt from robes' (Sn. 392).
'Since aid it is and timely
Procured from another
The right amount he reckons,
Mindful without remitting
In chewing and in eating,
In tasting food besides:
He treats it as an ointment
Applied upon a wound' (?).
'So like the child's flesh in the desert
Like the greasing for the axle,
He should eat without delusion
Nutriment to keep alive' (?).
130. And in connexion with the fulfilling of this virtue dependent on re-
quisites there should be told the story of the novice Sahgharakkhita the
Nephew. For he made use of requisites after reviewing, according as it is
said:
* Seeing me eat a dish of rice
Quite cold, my preceptor observed:
"Novice, if you are not restrained,
Be careful not to burn your tongue".
On hearing my Preceptor's words,
I then and there felt urged to act
And, sitting in a single session,
I reached the goal of Arahantship.
Since I am now waxed full in thought
Like the full moon of the fifteenth (see M.iii,277),
And all my cankers are destroyed,
There is no more becoming now'. [46]
And so should any other man
Aspiring to end suffering
Make use of all the requisites
Wisely after reviewing them.
So virtue is of four kinds as 'virtue of Patimokkha restraint', and so
on.
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka
101. [37] When not undertaken thus, virtue of Patimokkha restraint is
unenduring: it does not last, like a crop not fenced in with branches. And
it is raided by the robber defilements as a village with open gates is by
thieves. And lust leaks into his mind as rain does into a badly-roofed
house. For this is said:
'Among the visible objects, sounds, and smells,
And tastes, and tangibles, guard the faculties;
For when these doors are open and unguarded,
Then thieves will come and raid as 'twere a village' (?).
4
And just as with an ill-roofed house
The rain comes leaking in, so too
Will lust come leaking in for sure
Upon an undeveloped mind' (Dh. 13).
102. When it is undertaken thus, virtue of Patimokkha restraint is endur-
ing: it lasts, like a crop well fenced in with branches. And it is not raided
by the robber defilements, as a village with well-guarded gates is not by
thieves. And lust does not leak into his mind, as rain does not into a
well-roofed house. For this is said:
'Among the visible objects, sounds and smells,
And tastes and tangibles, guard the faculties;
For when these doors are closed and truly guarded,
Thieves will not come and raid as 'twere a village' (?).
4
And just as with a well-roofed house
No rain comes leaking in, so too
No lust comes leaking in for sure
Upon a well-developed mind' (Dh. 14).
103. This, however, is the teaching at its very highest.
This mind is called 'quickly transformed' (A.i,10), so restraint of -
the faculties should be undertaken by removing arisen lust with the con-
templation of foulness, as was done by the Elder Vanglsa soon after he
had gone forth. [38]
As the elder was wandering for alms, it seems, soon after going
forth, lust arose in him on seeing a woman. Thereupon he said to the
venerable Ananda:
'I am afire with sensual lust.
And burning flames consume my mind;
In pity tell me, Gotama,
How to extinguish it for good' (S.i,188).
The elder said:
'You do perceive mistakenly,
That burning flames consume your mind.
Look for no sign of beauty there,
For that it is which leads to lust.
See foulness there and keep your mind
Harmoniously concentrated;
Formations see as alien,
As ill, not self, so this great lust
May be extinguished, and no more
Take fire thus ever and again' (S.i,188).
The elder expelled his lust and then went on with his alms round.
104. Moreover, a bhikkhu who is fulfilling restraint of the faculties should
be like the Elder Cittagutta resident in the Great Cave at Kurandaka, and
like the Elder Maha-Mitta resident at the Great Monastery of Coraka.
105. In the Great Cave of Kurandaka, it seems, there was a lovely paint-
ing of the Renunciation of the Seven Buddhas. A number of bhikkhus
wandering about among the dwellings saw the painting and said, 'What
a lovely painting, venerable sir!'. The elder said: 'For more than sixty
years, friends, I have lived in the cave, and I did not know whether there
was any painting there or not. Now, today, I know it through those who
have eyes'. The elder, it seems, though he had lived there for so long,
had never raised his eyes and looked up at the cave. And at the door of
his cave there was a great ironwood tree. And the elder had never looked
up at that either. He knew it was in flower when he saw its petals on the
ground each year.
106 The king heard of the elder's great virtues, and he sent for him three
times, desiring to pay homage to him. When the elder did not go, he had
the breasts of all the women with infants in the town bound and sealed
off, [saying] 'As long as the elder does not come let the children go
without milk'. [39] Out of compassion for the children the elder went to
Mahagama. When the king heard [that he had come, he said] 'Go and
bring the elder in. I shall take the precepts'. Having had him brought up
into the inner palace, he paid homage to him and provided him with a
meal. Then, saying 'Today, venerable sir, there is no opportunity. I shall
take the precepts tomorrow', he took the elder's bowl. After following
him for a little, he paid homage with the queen and turned back. As
seven days went by thus, whether it was the king who paid homage or
whether it was the queen, the elder said, 'May the king be happy'.
107. Bhikkhus asked: 'Why is it, venerable sir, that whether it is the king
who pays the homage or the queen you say "May the king be happy"?'.
The elder replied: 'Friends, I do not notice whether it is the king or the
queen'. At the end of seven days [when it was found that] the elder was
not happy living there, he was dismissed by the king. He went back to
the Great Cave at Kurandaka. When it was night he went out onto his
walk. A deity who dwelt in the ironwood tree stood by with a torch of
sticks. Then his meditation subject became quite clear and plain. The
elder, [thinking] 'How clear my meditation subject is today!', was glad,
and immediately after the middle watch he reached Arahantship, making
the whole rock resound.
30
108. So when another clansman seeks his own good:
Let him not be hungry-eyed,
Like a monkey in the groves,
Like a wild deer in the woods,
Like a nervous little child.
Let him go with eyes downcast
Seeing a plough yoke's length before,
That he fall not in the power
Of the forest-monkey mind.
109. The Elder Maha-Mitta's mother was sick with a poisoned tumour.
She told her daughter, who as a bhikkhuni had also gone forth, 'Lady, go
to your brother. Tell him my trouble and bring back some medicine'.
She went and told him. The elder said: 'I do not know how to gather root
medicines and such things and concoct a medicine from them. But rather
I will tell you a medicine: since I went forth I have not broken [my vir-
tue of restraint of] the sense faculties by looking at the bodily form of
the opposite sex with a lustful mind. By this [40] declaration of truth
may my mother get well. Go and tell the lay devotee and rub her body*.
She went and told her what had happened and then did as she had been
instructed. At that very moment the lay devotee's tumour vanished, shrink-
ing away like a lump of froth. She got up and uttered a cry of joy:
4
If the
Fully Enlightened One were still alive, why should he not stroke with his
net-adorned hand the head of a bhikkhu like my son?'. So:
110. Let another noble clansman
Gone forth in the Dispensation
Keep, as did the Elder Mitta,
Perfect faculty restraint.
111. (c) As restraint of the faculties is to be undertaken by means of
mindfulness, so livelihood purification is to be undertaken by means of
energy. For that is accomplished by energy, because the abandoning of
wrong livelihood is effected in one who has rightly applied energy.
Abandoning, therefore, unbefitting wrong search, this should be under-
taken with energy by means of the right kind of search consisting in
going on alms round, etc., avoiding what is of impure origin as though it
were a poisonous snake, and using only requisites of pure origin.
112. Herein, for one who has not taken up the ascetic practices, any
requisites obtained from the Community, from a group of bhikkhus, or
from laymen who have confidence in his special qualities of teaching the
Dhamma, etc., are called 'of pure origin'. But those obtained on alms
round, etc., are of extremely pure origin. For one who has taken up the
ascetic practices, those obtained on alms round, etc., and—as long as
this is in accordance with the rules of the ascetic practices—from people
who have confidence in his special qualities of asceticism, are called 'of
pure origin'. And if he has got putrid urine with mixed gall nuts and
'four sweets'
31
for the purpose of curing a certain affliction, and he eats
only the broken gall nuts, thinking 'Other companions in the life of
purity will eat the "four-sweets" \ his undertaking of the ascetic prac-
tices is befitting, for he is then called a bhikkhu who is supreme in the
noble ones' heritages (see A.ii,28).
113. As to the robe and the other requisites, no hint, indication, round-
about talk, or intimation about robes and alms food is allowable for a
bhikkhu who is purifying his livelihood. But a hint, indication, or round-
about talk about a resting place is allowable for one who has not taken
up the ascetic practices. [41]
114. Herein, a 'hint' is when one who is getting the preparing of the
ground, etc., done for the purpose of [making] a resting place is asked,
'What is being done, venerable sir? Who is having it done?' and he
replies, 'No one'; or any other such giving of hints. An 'indication' is
saying 'Lay follower, where do you live?'—'In a mansion, venerable
sir'.—'But, lay follower, a mansion is not allowed for bhikkhus'. Or any
other such giving of indication. 'Roundabout talk' is saying, 'The resting
place for the Community of Bhikkhus is crowded'; or any other such
oblique talk.
115. All, however, is allowed in the case of medicine. But when the dis-
ease is cured, is it or is it not allowed to use the medicine obtained in this
way? Herein, the Vinaya specialists say that the opening has been given
by the Blessed One, therefore it is allowable. But the Suttanta specialists
say that though there is no offence, nevertheless the livelihood is sullied,
therefore it is not allowable.
116. But one who does not use hints, indications, roundabout talk, or inti-
mation, though these are permitted by the Blessed One, and who de-
pends only on the special qualities of fewness of wishes, etc., and makes
use only of requisites obtained otherwise than by indication, etc., even
when he thus risks his life, is called supreme in living in effacement, like
the venerable Sariputta.
117. It seems that the venerable one was cultivating seclusion at one
time, living in a certain forest with the Elder Maha-Moggallana. One day
an affliction of colic arose in him, causing him great pain. In the evening
the Elder MahA-Moggallana went to attend upon him. Seeing him lying
down, he asked what the reason was. And then he asked, 'What used to
make you better formerly, friend?'. The elder said, 'When I was a lay-
man, friend, my mother used to mix ghee, honey, sugar and so on, and
give me rice gruel with pure milk. That used to make me better'. Then
the other said, 'So be it, friend. If either you or I have merit, perhaps
tomorrow we shall get some'.
118. Now a deity who dwelt in a tree at the end of the walk overheard
their conversation. [Thinking] 'I will find rice gruel for the lord tomor-
row', he went meanwhile to the family who was supporting the elder
[42] and entered into the body of the eldest son, causing him discomfort.
Then he told the assembled relatives the price of the cure: 'If you pre-
pare rice gruel of such a kind tomorrow for the elder, I will set this one
free'. They said: 'Even without being told by you we regularly supply
the elder's needs', and on the following day they prepared rice gruel of
the kind needed.
119. The Elder MahA-MoggallAna came in the morning and said, 'Stay
here, friend, till I come back from the alms round'. Then he went into the
village. Those people met him. They took his bowl, filled it with the
stipulated kind of rice gruel, and gave it back to him. The elder made as
though to go, but they said, 'Eat, venerable sir, we shall give you more'.
When the elder had eaten, they gave him another bowlful. The elder left.
Bringing the alms food to the venerable SAriputta, he said, 'Here, friend
Sariputta, eat'. When the elder saw it, he thought, 'The gruel is very
nice. How was it got?', and seeing how it had been obtained, he said,
'Friend, the alms food cannot be used'.
120. Instead of thinking, 'He does not eat alms food brought by the likes
of me', the other at once took the bowl by the rim and turned it over on
one side. As the rice gruel fell on the ground the elder's affliction van-
ished. From then on it did not appear again during forty-five years.
121. Then he said to the venerable MahA-MoggallAna, 'Friend, even if
one's bowels come out and trail on the ground, it is not fitting to eat
gruel got by verbal intimation', and he uttered this exclamation:
'My livelihood might well be blamed
If I were to consent to eat
The honey and the gruel obtained
By influence of verbal hints.
And even if my bowels obtrude
And trail outside, and even though
My life is to be jeopardized,
I will not blot my livelihood (Miln. 370).
For I will satisfy my heart
By shunning all wrong kinds of search;
And never will I undertake
The search the Buddhas have condemned'. [43]
122. And here too should be told the story of the Elder Maha-Tissa the
Mango-eater who lived at Ciragumba (see §132 below).
32
So in all re-
spects:
A man who has gone forth in faith
Should purify his livelihood
And, seeing clearly, give no thought
To any search that is not good.
123. (d) And as livelihood purification is to be undertaken by means of
energy, so virtue dependent on requisites is to be undertaken by means
of understanding. For that is accomplished by understanding, because
one who possesses understanding is able to see the advantages and the
dangers in requisites. So one should abandon greed for requisites and
undertake that virtue by using requisites obtained lawfully and properly,
after reviewing them with understanding in the way aforesaid.
124. Herein, reviewing is of two kinds: at the time of receiving requisites
and at the time of using them. For use is blameless in one who at the
time of receiving robes, etc., reviews them either as [mere] elements or
as repulsive,
33
and puts them aside for later use, and in one who reviews
them thus at the time of using them.
125. Here is an explanation to settle the matter. There are four kinds of
use: use as theft,
34
use as a debt, use as an inheritance, use as a master.
Herein, use by one who is unvirtuous and makes use [of requisites], even
sitting in the midst of the Community, is called 'use as theft'. Use with-
out reviewing by one who is virtuous is 'use as a debt'; therefore the
robe should be reviewed every time it is used, and the alms food lump by
lump. One who cannot do this [should review it] before the meal, after
the meal, in the first watch, in the middle watch, and in the last watch. If
dawn breaks on him without his having reviewed it, he finds himself in
the position of one who has used it as a debt. Also the resting place
should be reviewed each time it is used. Recourse to mindfulness both in
the accepting and the use of medicine is proper; but while this is so,
though there is an offence for one who uses it without mindfulness after
mindful acceptance, there is no offence for one who is mindful in using
after accepting without mindfulness.
126. Purification is of four kinds: purification by the Teaching, purifica-
tion by restraint, purification by search, and purification by reviewing.
Herein, virtue of the Patimokkha restraint is called 'purification by the
Teaching'; [44] for that is so called because it purifies by means of
teaching. Virtue of restraint of faculties is called 'purification by re-
straint'; for that is so called because it purifies by means of the restraint
in the mental resolution 'I shall not do so again'. Virtue of livelihood
purification is called 'purification by search'; for that is so called be-
cause search is purified in one who abandons wrong search and gets
requisites lawfully and properly. Virtue dependent on requisites is called
'purification by reviewing'; for that is so called because it purifies by
the reviewing of the kind already described. Hence it was said above
(§125): 'There is no offence for one who is mindful in using after ac-
cepting without mindfulness'.
127. Use of the requisites by the seven kinds of trainers is called 'use as
an inheritance'; for they are the Buddha's sons, therefore they make use
of the requisites as the heirs of requisites belonging to their father. But
how then, is it the Blessed One's requisites or the laity's requisites that
are used? Although given by the laity, they actually belong to the Blessed
One, because it is by the Blessed One that they are permitted. That is
why it should be understood that the Blessed One's requisites are used.
The confirmation here is in the DhammadAyAda Sutta (M. Sutta 3).
Use by those whose cankers are destroyed is called 'use as a mas-
ter'; for they make use of them as masters because they have escaped the
slavery of craving.
128. As regards these kinds of use, use as a master and use as an inheri-
tance are allowable for all. Use as a debt is not allowable, to say nothing
of use as theft. But this use of what is reviewed by one who is virtuous is
use freed from debt because it is the opposite of use as a debt or is
included in use as an inheritance too. For one possessed of virtue is
called a trainer too because of possessing this training.
129. As regards these three kinds of use, since use as a master is best,
when a bhikkhu undertakes virtue dependent on requisites, he should
aspire to that and use them after reviewing them in the way described.
And this is said: [45]
'The truly wise disciple
Who listens to the Dhamma
As taught by the Sublime One
Makes use, after reviewing,
Of alms food, and of dwelling,
And of a resting place,
And also of the water
For washing dirt from robes' (Sn. 391).
'So like a drop of water
Lying on leaves of lotus,
A bhikkhu is unsullied
By any of these matters,
By alms food, [and by dwelling,]
And by a resting place,
And also by the water
For washing dirt from robes' (Sn. 392).
'Since aid it is and timely
Procured from another
The right amount he reckons,
Mindful without remitting
In chewing and in eating,
In tasting food besides:
He treats it as an ointment
Applied upon a wound' (?).
'So like the child's flesh in the desert
Like the greasing for the axle,
He should eat without delusion
Nutriment to keep alive' (?).
130. And in connexion with the fulfilling of this virtue dependent on re-
quisites there should be told the story of the novice Sahgharakkhita the
Nephew. For he made use of requisites after reviewing, according as it is
said:
* Seeing me eat a dish of rice
Quite cold, my preceptor observed:
"Novice, if you are not restrained,
Be careful not to burn your tongue".
On hearing my Preceptor's words,
I then and there felt urged to act
And, sitting in a single session,
I reached the goal of Arahantship.
Since I am now waxed full in thought
Like the full moon of the fifteenth (see M.iii,277),
And all my cankers are destroyed,
There is no more becoming now'. [46]
And so should any other man
Aspiring to end suffering
Make use of all the requisites
Wisely after reviewing them.
So virtue is of four kinds as 'virtue of Patimokkha restraint', and so
on.
Visuddhimagga - DESCRIPTION OF VIRTUE - Virtue of the fourfold purification II
THE PATH
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka
72. In the description of talking: talking at is talking thus on seeing
people coming to the monastery, 'What have you come for, good people?
What, to invite bhikkhus? If it is that, then go along and I shall come
later with [my bowl]', etc.; or alternatively, talking at is talking by ad-
vertising oneself thus, 'I am Tissa, the king trusts me, such and such
king's ministers trust me'. [27] Talking is the same kind of talking on
being asked a question. Talking round is roundly talking by one who is
afraid of householders' displeasure because he has given occasion for it.
Talking up is talking by extolling people thus, 'He is a great landowner,
a great ship-owner, a great lord of giving'. Continual talking up is talk-
ing by extolling [people] in all ways.
73. Persuading is progressively involving22
[people] thus, 'Lay follow-
ers, formerly you used to give first-fruit alms at such a time; why do you
not do so now?' until they say, 'We shall give, venerable sir, we have
had no opportunity', etc.; entangling, is what is meant. Or alternatively,
seeing someone with sugarcane in his hand, he asks 'Where are you
coming from, lay follower?'—'From the sugarcane field, venerable sir'.
— 'Is the sugarcane sweet there?' — 'One can find out by eating, vener-
able sir'.— 'It is not allowed, lay follower, for bhikkhus to say "Give
[me some] sugarcane" '. Such entangling talk from such an entangler is
persuading. Persuading again and again in all ways is continual persuad-
ing.
74. Suggesting is insinuating by specifying thus, 'That family alone un-
derstands me; if there is anything to be given there, they give it to me
only'; pointing to, is what is meant. And here the story of the oil-seller
should be told.
23
Suggesting in all ways again and again is continual sug-
gesting.
75. Ingratiating chatter is endearing chatter repeated again and again
without regard to whether it is in conformity with truth and Dhamma.
Flattery is speaking humbly, always maintaining an attitude of inferio-
rity. Bean-soupery is resemblance to bean soup; for just as when beans
are being cooked only a few do not get cooked, the rest get cooked, so
too the person in whose speech only a little is true, the rest being false, is
called a 'bean soup'; his state is bean-soupery.
76. Fondling is the state of the act of fondling. [28] For when a man
fondles children on his lap or on his shoulder like a nurse—he nurses, is
the meaning—, that fondler's act is the act of fondling. The state of the
act of fondling is fondling.
77. In the description of hinting (nemittikata): a sign (nimitta) is any
bodily or verbal act that gets others to give requisites. Giving a sign is
making a sign such as 'What have you got to eat?', etc., on seeing
[people] going along with food. Indication is talk that alludes to requi-
sites. Giving indication: on seeing cowboys, he asks, 'Are these milk
cows' calves or buttermilk cows' calves?', and when it is said 'They are
milk cows' calves, venerable sir', [he remarks] 'They are not milk cows'
calves. If they were milk cows' calves the bhikkhus would be getting
milk', etc.; and his getting it to the knowledge of the boys' parents in
this way, and so making them give milk, is giving indication.
78. Indirect talk is talk that keeps near [to the subject]. And here there
should be told the story of the bhikkhu supported by a family. A bhik-
khu, it seems, who was supported by a family went into the house want-
ing to eat and sat down. The mistress of the house was unwilling to give.
On seeing him she said, 'There is no rice', and she went to a neighbour's
house as though to get rice. The bhikkhu went into the storeroom. Look-
ing round, he saw sugarcane in the corner behind the door, sugar in a
bowl, a string of salt fish in a basket, rice in a jar, and ghee in a pot. He
came out and sat down. When the housewife came back, she said, 'I did
not get any rice'. The bhikkhu said, 'Lay follower, I saw a sign just now
that alms will not be easy to get today'.— 'What, venerable sir?' — 'I
saw a snake that was like sugarcane put in the corner behind the door;
looking for something to hit it with, I saw a stone like a lump of sugar in
a bowl. When the snake had been hit with the clod, it spread out a hood
like a string of salt fish in a basket, and its teeth as it tried to bite the clod
were like rice grains in a jar. Then the saliva mixed with poison that
came out to its mouth in its fury was like ghee put in a pot'. She thought,
'There is no hoodwinking the shaveling', so she gave him the sugarcane
[29] and she cooked the rice and gave it all to him with the ghee, the
sugar and the fish.
79. Such talk that keeps near [to the subject] should be understood as
indirect talk. Roundabout talk is talking round and round [the subject] as
much as is allowed.
80. In the description of belittling: abusing is abusing by means of the
ten instances of abuse.
24
Disparaging is contemptuous talk. Reproach-
ing is enumeration of faults such as 'He is faithless, he is an unbeliever'.
Snubbing is taking up verbally thus 'Don't say that here'. Snubbing in
all ways, giving grounds and reasons, is continual snubbing. Or alterna-
tively, when someone does not give, taking him up thus, 'Oh, the prince
of givers!' is snubbing; and the thorough snubbing thus, 'A mighty prince
of givers!' is continual snubbing. Ridicule is making fun of someone
thus, 'What sort of a life has this man who eats up his seed [grain]?'.
Continual ridicule is making fun of him more thoroughly thus, 'What,
you say this man is not a giver who always gives the words "There is
nothing" to everyone?'.
81. Denigration25
is denigrating someone by saying that he is not a
giver, or by censuring him. All-round denigration is continual denigration.
Tale-bearing is bearing tales from house to house, from village to vil-
lage, from district to district, [thinking] 'So they will give to me out of
fear of my bearing tales'. Backbiting is speaking censoriously behind
another's back after speaking kindly to his face; for this is like biting the
flesh of another's back, when he is not looking, on the part of one who is
unable to look him in the face; therefore it is called backbiting. This is
called belittling (nippesikata) because it scrapes off (nippeseti)y wipes
off, the virtuous qualities of others as a bamboo scraper (velupesika)
does unguent, or because it is a pursuit of gain by grinding (nippimsitvd)
and pulverizing others' virtuous qualities, like the pursuit of perfume by
grinding perfumed substances; that is why it is called belittling.
82. In the description of pursuing gain with gain: pursuing is hunting
after. Got from here is got from this house. There is into that house.
Seeking is wanting. Seeking for is hunting after. Seeking out is hunting
after again and again. [30] The story of the bhikkhu who went round
giving away the alms he had got at first to children of families here and
there and in the end got milk and gruel should be told here. Searching,
etc., are synonyms for 'seeking', etc., and so the construction here should
be understood thus: going in search of is seeking; searching for is seek-
ing for; searching out is seeking out.
This is the meaning of scheming, and so on.
83. Now [as regards the words] The evil states beginning with (§42):
here the words beginning with should be understood to include the many
evil states given in the Brahmajala Sutta in the way beginning 'Or just as
some worthy ascetics, while eating the food given by the faithful, make a
living by wrong livelihood, by such low arts as these, that is to say, by
palmistry, by fortune-telling, by divining omens, by interpreting dreams,
marks on the body, holes gnawed by mice; by fire sacrifice, by spoon
oblation ...' (D.i,9).
84. So this wrong livelihood entails the transgression of these six train-
ing precepts announced on account of livelihood, and it entails the evil
states beginning with 'Scheming, talking, hinting, belittling, pursuing
gain with gain'. And so it is the abstinence from all sorts of wrong live-
lihood that is virtue of livelihood purification, the word-meaning of
which is this: on account of it they live, thus it is livelihood. What is
that? It is the effort consisting in the search for requisites. 'Purification'
is purifiedness. 'Livelihood purification' is purification of livelihood.
85. (d) As regards the next kind called virtue concerning requisites,
[here is the text: 'Reflecting wisely, he uses the robe only for protection
from cold, for protection from heat, for protection from contact with
gadflies, flies, wind, burning and creeping things, and only for the pur-
pose of concealing the private parts. Reflecting wisely, he uses alms
food neither for amusement nor for intoxication nor for smartening nor
for embellishment, but only for the endurance and continuance of this
body, for the ending of discomfort, and for assisting the life of purity:
"Thus I shall put a stop to old feelings and shall not arouse new feelings,
and I shall be healthy and blameless and live in comfort." Reflecting
wisely, he uses the resting place only for the purpose of protection from
cold, for protection from heat, for protection from contact with gadflies,
flies, wind, burning and creeping things, and only for the purpose of
warding off the perils of climate and enjoying retreat. Reflecting wisely,
he uses the requisite of medicine as cure for the sick only for protection
from arisen hurtful feelings and for complete immunity from affliction'
(M.i,10)]. Herein, reflecting wisely is reflecting as the means and as the
way;
26
by knowing, by reviewing, is the meaning. And here it is the re-
viewing stated in the way beginning 'For protection from cold' that
should be understood as 'reflecting wisely'.
86. Herein, the robe is any one of those beginning with the inner cloth.
He uses: he employs; dresses in [as inner cloth], or puts on [as upper
garment]. Only [31] is a phrase signifying invariability in the definition
of a limit
27
of a purpose; the purpose in the meditator's making use of
the robes is that much only, namely, protection from cold, etc., not more
than that. From cold: from any kind of cold arisen either through distur-
bance of elements internally or through change in temperature externally.
For protection: for the purpose of warding off; for the purpose of elimi-
nating it so that it may not arouse affliction in the body. For when the
body is afflicted by cold, the distracted mind cannot be wisely exerted.
That is why the Blessed One permitted the robe to be used for protection
from cold. So in each instance, except that from heat means from the
heat of fire, the origin of which should be understood as forest fires, and
so on.
87. From contact with gadflies and fliest wind and burning and creep-
ing things: here gadflies are flies that bite; they are also called 'blind
flies'. Flies are just flies. Wind is distinguished as that with dust and that
without dust. Burning is burning of the sun. Creeping things are any
long creatures such as snakes and so on that move by crawling. Contact
with them is of two kinds: contact by being bitten and contact by being
touched. And that does not worry him who sits with a robe on. So he
uses it for the purpose of protection from such things.
88. Only: the word is repeated in order to define a subdivision of the
invariable purpose; for the concealment of the private parts is an invari-
able purpose; the others are purposes periodically. Herein, private parts
are any parts of the pudendum. For when a member is disclosed, con-
science (hiri) is disturbed (kuppati), offended. It is called 'private parts'
(hirikopina) because of the disturbance of conscience (hiri-kopana). For
the purpose of concealing the private parts: for the purpose of the con-
cealment of those private parts. [As well as the reading 'hirikopina-
paticchddanattharh'] there is a reading ' hirikopinam paticchddanattham'.
89. Alms food is any sort of food. For any sort of nutriment is called
'alms food' (pindapdta—lit. lump-dropping) because of its having been
dropped (patitatta) into a bhikkhu's bowl during his alms round (pindolya).
Or alms food (pindapdta) is the dropping (pdta) of the lumps (pinda); it
is the concurrence (san/zipdta), the collection, of alms (bhikkhd) ob-
tained here and there, is what is meant.
Neither for amusement: neither for the purpose of amusement, as
with village boys, etc.; for the sake of sport, is what is meant. Nor for
intoxication: not for the purpose of intoxication, as with boxers, etc.; for
the sake of intoxication with strength and for the sake of intoxication
with manhood, is what is meant. [32] Nor for smartening: not for the
purpose of smartening, as with royal concubines, courtesans, etc.; for the
sake of plumpness in all the limbs, is what is meant. Nor for embellish-
ment: not for the purpose of embellishment, as with actors, dancers, etc.;
for the sake of a clear skin and complexion, is what is meant.
90. And here the clause neither for amusement is stated for the purpose
of abandoning support for delusion; nor for intoxication is said for the
purpose of abandoning support for hate; nor for smartening nor for em-
bellishment is said for the purpose of abandoning support for greed. And
neither for amusement nor for intoxication is said for the purpose of
preventing the arising of fetters for oneself. Nor for smartening nor for
embellishment is said for the purpose of preventing the arising of fetters
for another. And the abandoning of both unwise practice and devotion
to indulgence of sense pleasures should be understood as stated by these
four. Only has the meaning already stated.
91. Of this body: of this material body consisting of the four great
primaries. For the endurance: for the purpose of continued endurance.
And continuance: for the purpose of not interrupting [life's continued]
occurrence, or for the purpose of endurance for a long time. He makes
use of the alms food for the purpose of the endurance, for the purpose of
the continuance, of the body, as the owner of an old house uses props for
his house, and as a carter uses axle grease, not for the purpose of amuse-
ment, intoxication, smartening, and embellishment. Furthermore, endur-
ance is a term for the life faculty. So what has been said as far as the
words for the endurance and continuance of this body can be understood
to mean: for the purpose of maintaining the occurrence of the life faculty
in this body.
92. For the ending of discomfort: hunger is called 'discomfort' in the
sense of afflicting. He makes use of alms food for the purpose of ending
that, like anointing a wound, like counteracting heat with cold, and so
on. For assisting the life of purity: for the purpose of assisting the life of
purity consisting in the whole dispensation and the life of purity consist-
ing in the path. For while this [bhikkhu] is engaged in crossing the desert
of existence by means of devotion to the three trainings depending on
bodily strength whose necessary condition is the use of alms food, he
makes use of it to assist the life of purity just as those seeking to cross
the desert used their child's flesh,
28
just as those seeking to cross a river
use a raft, and just as those seeking to cross the ocean use a ship.
93. Thus I shall put a stop to old feelings and shall not arouse new
feelings: [33] thus as a sick man uses medicine, he uses [alms food,
thinking]: 'By use of this alms food I shall put a stop to the old feeling of
hunger, and I shall not arouse a new feeling by immoderate eating, like
one of the [proverbial] brahmans, that is, one who eats till he has to be
helped up by hand, or till his clothes will not meet, or till he rolls there
[on the ground], or till crows can peck from his mouth, or till he vomits
what he has eaten. Or alternatively, there is that which is called "old
feelings" because, being conditioned by former kamma, it arises now in
dependence on unsuitable immoderate eating—I shall put a stop to that
old feeling, forestalling its condition by suitable moderate eating. And
there is that which is called "new feeling" because it will arise in the
future in dependence on the accumulation of kamma consisting in mak-
ing improper use [of the requisite of alms food] now—I shall also not
arouse that new feeling, avoiding by means of proper use the production
of its root*. This is how the meaning should be understood here. What
has been shown so far can be understood to include proper use [of
requisites], abandoning of devotion to self-mortification, and not giving
up lawful bliss (pleasure).
94. And I shall be healthy: 'In this body, which exists in dependence on
requisites, I shall, by moderate eating, have health called "long endur-
ance" since there will be no danger of severing the life faculty or inter-
rupting the [continuity of the] postures'. [Reflecting] in this way, he
makes use [of the alms food] as a sufferer from a chronic disease does of
his medicine. And blameless and live in comfort (lit. 'and have blame-
lessness and a comfortable abiding'): he makes use of them thinking: 'I
shall have blamelessness by avoiding improper search, acceptance and
eating, and I shall have a comfortable abiding by moderate eating'. Or he
does so thinking: 'I shall have blamelessness due to absence of such
faults as boredom, sloth, sleepiness, blame by the wise, etc., that have
unseemly immoderate eating as their condition; and I shall have a com-
fortable abiding by producing bodily strength that has seemly moderate
eating as its condition'. Or he does so thinking: 'I shall have blameless-
ness by abandoning the pleasure of lying down, lolling and torpor, through
refraining from eating as much as possible to stuff the belly; and I shall
have a comfortable abiding by controlling the four postures through
eating four or five mouthfuls less than the maximum'. For this is said:
'With four or five lumps still to eat
Let him then end by drinking water,
For energetic bhikkhus' needs
This should suffice to live in comfort'
(Thag. 983).
29
[34]
Now what has been shown at this point can be understood as discern-
ment of purpose and practice of the middle way.
95. Resting place (sendsana): this is the bed (sena) and seat (dsana).
For wherever one sleeps (seti), whether in a monastery or in a lean-to,
etc., that is the bed (sena); wherever one seats oneself (dsati), sits (nisi-
dati), that is the seat (dsana). Both together are called 'resting-place' (or
'abode'— sendsana).
For the purpose of warding off the perils of climate and enjoying
retreat: the climate itself in the sense of imperilling (parisahana) is
'perils of climate' (utu-parissaya). Unsuitable climatic conditions that
cause mental distraction due to bodily affliction can be warded off by
making use of the resting place; it is for the purpose of warding off these
and for the purpose of the pleasure of solitude, is what is meant. Of
course, the warding off of the perils of climate is stated by [the phrase]
'protection from cold', etc., too; but, just as in the case of making use of
the robes the concealment of the private parts is stated as an invariable
purpose while the others are periodical [purposes], so here also this [last]
should be understood as mentioned with reference to the invariable ward-
ing off of the perils of climate. Or alternatively, this 'climate' of the kind
stated is just climate; but 'perils' are of two kinds: evident perils and
concealed perils, (see Nd.1,12). Herein, evident perils are lions, tigers,
ctc.y while concealed perils are greed, hate, and so on. When a bhikkhu
knows and reflects thus in making use of the kind of resting place where
these [perils] do not, owing to unguarded doors and sight of unsuitable
visible objects, etc., cause affliction, he can be understood as one who
'reflecting wisely makes use of the resting place for the purpose of
warding off the perils of climate'.
The requisite of medicine as cure for the sick: here 'cure' (paccaya
= going against) is in the sense of going against (pati-ayand) illness; in
the sense of countering, is the meaning. This is a term for any suitable
remedy. It is the medical man's work (bhisakassa kammam) because it is
permitted by him, thus it is medicine (bhesajja). Or the cure for the sick
itself as medicine is 'medicine as cure for the sick'. Any work of a
medical man such as oil, honey, ghee, etc., that is suitable for one who is
sick, is what is meant. A 'requisite' (parikkhdra), however, in such pas-
sages as 'It is well supplied with the requisites of a city' (A.iv,106) is
equipment; in such passages as 'The chariot has the requisite of virtue,
the axle of jhana, the wheel of energy' (S.v,6) [35] it is an ornament; in
such passages as 'The requisites for the life of one who has gone into
homelessness that should be available' (M.i,104), it is an accessory. But
here both equipment and accessory are applicable. For that medicine as a
cure for the sick is equipment for maintaining life because it protects by
preventing the arising of affliction destructive to life; and it is an acces-
sory too because it is an instrument for prolonging life. That is why it is
called 'requisite'. So it is medicine as cure for the sick and that is a
requisite, thus it is a 'requisite of medicine as cure for the sick'. [He
makes use of] that requisite of medicine as cure for the sick; any requi-
site for life consisting of oil, honey, molasses, ghee, etc., that is allowed
by a medical man as suitable for the sick, is what is meant.
97. From arisen: from born, become, produced. Hurtful: here 'hurt (af-
fliction)' is a disturbance of elements, and it is the leprosy, tumours,
boils, etc., originated by that disturbance. Hurtful (yeyydbddhika) be-
cause arisen in the form of hurt (bydbddha). Feelings: painful feelings,
feelings resulting from unprofitable kamma—from those hurtful feel-
ings. For complete immunity from affliction: for complete freedom from
pain; so that all that is painful is abandoned, is the meaning.
This is how this virtue concerning requisites should be understood.
In brief its characteristic is the use of requisites after wise reflection.
The word-meaning here is this: because breathing things go {ayanti),
move, proceed, using [what they use] in dependence on these robes, etc.,
these robes, etc., are therefore called requisites (paccaya = ger. of pati +
ayati); 'concerning requisites' is concerning those requisites.
98. (a) So, in this fourfold virtue, Patimokkha restraint has to be under-
taken by means of faith. For that is accomplished by faith, since the
announcing of training precepts is outside the disciples' province; and
the evidence here is the refusal of the request to [allow disciples to]
announce training precepts (see Vin.iii, 9-10). Having therefore under-
taken through faith the training precepts without exception as announced,
one should completely perfect them without regard for life. For this is
said: [36]
'As a hen guards her eggs,
Or as a yak her tail,
Or like a darling child,
Or like an only eye—
So you who are engaged
Your virtue to protect,
Be prudent at all times
And ever scrupulous' (?).
Also it is said further: 'So too, sire, when a training precept for disciples
is announced by me, my disciples do not transgress it even for the sake
oflife'(A.iv,201).
99. And the story of the elders bound by robbers in the forest should be
understood in this sense.
It seems that robbers in the MahavattanI Forest bound an elder with
black creepers and made him lie down. While he lay there for seven days
he augmented his insight, and after reaching the fruition of non-return,
he died there and was reborn in the Brahma-world. Also they bound an-
other elder in Tambapanni Island (Ceylon) with string creepers and made
him lie down. When a forest fire came and the creepers were not cut, he
established insight and attained nibbana simultaneously with his death.
When the Elder Abhaya, a preacher of the Digha NikAya, passed by with
five hundred bhikkhus, he saw [what had happened] and he had the
elder's body cremated and a shrine built. Therefore let other clansmen
also:
Maintain the rules of conduct pure,
Renouncing life if there be need,
Rather than break virtue's restraint
By the World's Saviour decreed.
100. (b) And as Patimokkha restraint is undertaken out of faith, so re-
straint of the sense faculties should be undertaken with mindfulness. For
that is accomplished by mindfulness, because when the sense faculties'
functions are founded on mindfulness, there is no liability to invasion by
covetousness and the rest. So, recollecting the Fire Discourse, which
begins thus, 'Better, bhikkhus, the extirpation of the eye faculty by a
red-hot burning blazing glowing iron spike than the apprehension of
signs in the particulars of visible objects cognizable by the eye' (S.iv,168),
this [restraint] should be properly undertaken by preventing with unre-
mitting mindfulness any apprehension, in the objective fields consisting
of visible data, etc., of any signs, etc., likely to encourage covetousness,
etc., to invade consciousness occurring in connexion with the eye door,
and so on.
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka
72. In the description of talking: talking at is talking thus on seeing
people coming to the monastery, 'What have you come for, good people?
What, to invite bhikkhus? If it is that, then go along and I shall come
later with [my bowl]', etc.; or alternatively, talking at is talking by ad-
vertising oneself thus, 'I am Tissa, the king trusts me, such and such
king's ministers trust me'. [27] Talking is the same kind of talking on
being asked a question. Talking round is roundly talking by one who is
afraid of householders' displeasure because he has given occasion for it.
Talking up is talking by extolling people thus, 'He is a great landowner,
a great ship-owner, a great lord of giving'. Continual talking up is talk-
ing by extolling [people] in all ways.
73. Persuading is progressively involving22
[people] thus, 'Lay follow-
ers, formerly you used to give first-fruit alms at such a time; why do you
not do so now?' until they say, 'We shall give, venerable sir, we have
had no opportunity', etc.; entangling, is what is meant. Or alternatively,
seeing someone with sugarcane in his hand, he asks 'Where are you
coming from, lay follower?'—'From the sugarcane field, venerable sir'.
— 'Is the sugarcane sweet there?' — 'One can find out by eating, vener-
able sir'.— 'It is not allowed, lay follower, for bhikkhus to say "Give
[me some] sugarcane" '. Such entangling talk from such an entangler is
persuading. Persuading again and again in all ways is continual persuad-
ing.
74. Suggesting is insinuating by specifying thus, 'That family alone un-
derstands me; if there is anything to be given there, they give it to me
only'; pointing to, is what is meant. And here the story of the oil-seller
should be told.
23
Suggesting in all ways again and again is continual sug-
gesting.
75. Ingratiating chatter is endearing chatter repeated again and again
without regard to whether it is in conformity with truth and Dhamma.
Flattery is speaking humbly, always maintaining an attitude of inferio-
rity. Bean-soupery is resemblance to bean soup; for just as when beans
are being cooked only a few do not get cooked, the rest get cooked, so
too the person in whose speech only a little is true, the rest being false, is
called a 'bean soup'; his state is bean-soupery.
76. Fondling is the state of the act of fondling. [28] For when a man
fondles children on his lap or on his shoulder like a nurse—he nurses, is
the meaning—, that fondler's act is the act of fondling. The state of the
act of fondling is fondling.
77. In the description of hinting (nemittikata): a sign (nimitta) is any
bodily or verbal act that gets others to give requisites. Giving a sign is
making a sign such as 'What have you got to eat?', etc., on seeing
[people] going along with food. Indication is talk that alludes to requi-
sites. Giving indication: on seeing cowboys, he asks, 'Are these milk
cows' calves or buttermilk cows' calves?', and when it is said 'They are
milk cows' calves, venerable sir', [he remarks] 'They are not milk cows'
calves. If they were milk cows' calves the bhikkhus would be getting
milk', etc.; and his getting it to the knowledge of the boys' parents in
this way, and so making them give milk, is giving indication.
78. Indirect talk is talk that keeps near [to the subject]. And here there
should be told the story of the bhikkhu supported by a family. A bhik-
khu, it seems, who was supported by a family went into the house want-
ing to eat and sat down. The mistress of the house was unwilling to give.
On seeing him she said, 'There is no rice', and she went to a neighbour's
house as though to get rice. The bhikkhu went into the storeroom. Look-
ing round, he saw sugarcane in the corner behind the door, sugar in a
bowl, a string of salt fish in a basket, rice in a jar, and ghee in a pot. He
came out and sat down. When the housewife came back, she said, 'I did
not get any rice'. The bhikkhu said, 'Lay follower, I saw a sign just now
that alms will not be easy to get today'.— 'What, venerable sir?' — 'I
saw a snake that was like sugarcane put in the corner behind the door;
looking for something to hit it with, I saw a stone like a lump of sugar in
a bowl. When the snake had been hit with the clod, it spread out a hood
like a string of salt fish in a basket, and its teeth as it tried to bite the clod
were like rice grains in a jar. Then the saliva mixed with poison that
came out to its mouth in its fury was like ghee put in a pot'. She thought,
'There is no hoodwinking the shaveling', so she gave him the sugarcane
[29] and she cooked the rice and gave it all to him with the ghee, the
sugar and the fish.
79. Such talk that keeps near [to the subject] should be understood as
indirect talk. Roundabout talk is talking round and round [the subject] as
much as is allowed.
80. In the description of belittling: abusing is abusing by means of the
ten instances of abuse.
24
Disparaging is contemptuous talk. Reproach-
ing is enumeration of faults such as 'He is faithless, he is an unbeliever'.
Snubbing is taking up verbally thus 'Don't say that here'. Snubbing in
all ways, giving grounds and reasons, is continual snubbing. Or alterna-
tively, when someone does not give, taking him up thus, 'Oh, the prince
of givers!' is snubbing; and the thorough snubbing thus, 'A mighty prince
of givers!' is continual snubbing. Ridicule is making fun of someone
thus, 'What sort of a life has this man who eats up his seed [grain]?'.
Continual ridicule is making fun of him more thoroughly thus, 'What,
you say this man is not a giver who always gives the words "There is
nothing" to everyone?'.
81. Denigration25
is denigrating someone by saying that he is not a
giver, or by censuring him. All-round denigration is continual denigration.
Tale-bearing is bearing tales from house to house, from village to vil-
lage, from district to district, [thinking] 'So they will give to me out of
fear of my bearing tales'. Backbiting is speaking censoriously behind
another's back after speaking kindly to his face; for this is like biting the
flesh of another's back, when he is not looking, on the part of one who is
unable to look him in the face; therefore it is called backbiting. This is
called belittling (nippesikata) because it scrapes off (nippeseti)y wipes
off, the virtuous qualities of others as a bamboo scraper (velupesika)
does unguent, or because it is a pursuit of gain by grinding (nippimsitvd)
and pulverizing others' virtuous qualities, like the pursuit of perfume by
grinding perfumed substances; that is why it is called belittling.
82. In the description of pursuing gain with gain: pursuing is hunting
after. Got from here is got from this house. There is into that house.
Seeking is wanting. Seeking for is hunting after. Seeking out is hunting
after again and again. [30] The story of the bhikkhu who went round
giving away the alms he had got at first to children of families here and
there and in the end got milk and gruel should be told here. Searching,
etc., are synonyms for 'seeking', etc., and so the construction here should
be understood thus: going in search of is seeking; searching for is seek-
ing for; searching out is seeking out.
This is the meaning of scheming, and so on.
83. Now [as regards the words] The evil states beginning with (§42):
here the words beginning with should be understood to include the many
evil states given in the Brahmajala Sutta in the way beginning 'Or just as
some worthy ascetics, while eating the food given by the faithful, make a
living by wrong livelihood, by such low arts as these, that is to say, by
palmistry, by fortune-telling, by divining omens, by interpreting dreams,
marks on the body, holes gnawed by mice; by fire sacrifice, by spoon
oblation ...' (D.i,9).
84. So this wrong livelihood entails the transgression of these six train-
ing precepts announced on account of livelihood, and it entails the evil
states beginning with 'Scheming, talking, hinting, belittling, pursuing
gain with gain'. And so it is the abstinence from all sorts of wrong live-
lihood that is virtue of livelihood purification, the word-meaning of
which is this: on account of it they live, thus it is livelihood. What is
that? It is the effort consisting in the search for requisites. 'Purification'
is purifiedness. 'Livelihood purification' is purification of livelihood.
85. (d) As regards the next kind called virtue concerning requisites,
[here is the text: 'Reflecting wisely, he uses the robe only for protection
from cold, for protection from heat, for protection from contact with
gadflies, flies, wind, burning and creeping things, and only for the pur-
pose of concealing the private parts. Reflecting wisely, he uses alms
food neither for amusement nor for intoxication nor for smartening nor
for embellishment, but only for the endurance and continuance of this
body, for the ending of discomfort, and for assisting the life of purity:
"Thus I shall put a stop to old feelings and shall not arouse new feelings,
and I shall be healthy and blameless and live in comfort." Reflecting
wisely, he uses the resting place only for the purpose of protection from
cold, for protection from heat, for protection from contact with gadflies,
flies, wind, burning and creeping things, and only for the purpose of
warding off the perils of climate and enjoying retreat. Reflecting wisely,
he uses the requisite of medicine as cure for the sick only for protection
from arisen hurtful feelings and for complete immunity from affliction'
(M.i,10)]. Herein, reflecting wisely is reflecting as the means and as the
way;
26
by knowing, by reviewing, is the meaning. And here it is the re-
viewing stated in the way beginning 'For protection from cold' that
should be understood as 'reflecting wisely'.
86. Herein, the robe is any one of those beginning with the inner cloth.
He uses: he employs; dresses in [as inner cloth], or puts on [as upper
garment]. Only [31] is a phrase signifying invariability in the definition
of a limit
27
of a purpose; the purpose in the meditator's making use of
the robes is that much only, namely, protection from cold, etc., not more
than that. From cold: from any kind of cold arisen either through distur-
bance of elements internally or through change in temperature externally.
For protection: for the purpose of warding off; for the purpose of elimi-
nating it so that it may not arouse affliction in the body. For when the
body is afflicted by cold, the distracted mind cannot be wisely exerted.
That is why the Blessed One permitted the robe to be used for protection
from cold. So in each instance, except that from heat means from the
heat of fire, the origin of which should be understood as forest fires, and
so on.
87. From contact with gadflies and fliest wind and burning and creep-
ing things: here gadflies are flies that bite; they are also called 'blind
flies'. Flies are just flies. Wind is distinguished as that with dust and that
without dust. Burning is burning of the sun. Creeping things are any
long creatures such as snakes and so on that move by crawling. Contact
with them is of two kinds: contact by being bitten and contact by being
touched. And that does not worry him who sits with a robe on. So he
uses it for the purpose of protection from such things.
88. Only: the word is repeated in order to define a subdivision of the
invariable purpose; for the concealment of the private parts is an invari-
able purpose; the others are purposes periodically. Herein, private parts
are any parts of the pudendum. For when a member is disclosed, con-
science (hiri) is disturbed (kuppati), offended. It is called 'private parts'
(hirikopina) because of the disturbance of conscience (hiri-kopana). For
the purpose of concealing the private parts: for the purpose of the con-
cealment of those private parts. [As well as the reading 'hirikopina-
paticchddanattharh'] there is a reading ' hirikopinam paticchddanattham'.
89. Alms food is any sort of food. For any sort of nutriment is called
'alms food' (pindapdta—lit. lump-dropping) because of its having been
dropped (patitatta) into a bhikkhu's bowl during his alms round (pindolya).
Or alms food (pindapdta) is the dropping (pdta) of the lumps (pinda); it
is the concurrence (san/zipdta), the collection, of alms (bhikkhd) ob-
tained here and there, is what is meant.
Neither for amusement: neither for the purpose of amusement, as
with village boys, etc.; for the sake of sport, is what is meant. Nor for
intoxication: not for the purpose of intoxication, as with boxers, etc.; for
the sake of intoxication with strength and for the sake of intoxication
with manhood, is what is meant. [32] Nor for smartening: not for the
purpose of smartening, as with royal concubines, courtesans, etc.; for the
sake of plumpness in all the limbs, is what is meant. Nor for embellish-
ment: not for the purpose of embellishment, as with actors, dancers, etc.;
for the sake of a clear skin and complexion, is what is meant.
90. And here the clause neither for amusement is stated for the purpose
of abandoning support for delusion; nor for intoxication is said for the
purpose of abandoning support for hate; nor for smartening nor for em-
bellishment is said for the purpose of abandoning support for greed. And
neither for amusement nor for intoxication is said for the purpose of
preventing the arising of fetters for oneself. Nor for smartening nor for
embellishment is said for the purpose of preventing the arising of fetters
for another. And the abandoning of both unwise practice and devotion
to indulgence of sense pleasures should be understood as stated by these
four. Only has the meaning already stated.
91. Of this body: of this material body consisting of the four great
primaries. For the endurance: for the purpose of continued endurance.
And continuance: for the purpose of not interrupting [life's continued]
occurrence, or for the purpose of endurance for a long time. He makes
use of the alms food for the purpose of the endurance, for the purpose of
the continuance, of the body, as the owner of an old house uses props for
his house, and as a carter uses axle grease, not for the purpose of amuse-
ment, intoxication, smartening, and embellishment. Furthermore, endur-
ance is a term for the life faculty. So what has been said as far as the
words for the endurance and continuance of this body can be understood
to mean: for the purpose of maintaining the occurrence of the life faculty
in this body.
92. For the ending of discomfort: hunger is called 'discomfort' in the
sense of afflicting. He makes use of alms food for the purpose of ending
that, like anointing a wound, like counteracting heat with cold, and so
on. For assisting the life of purity: for the purpose of assisting the life of
purity consisting in the whole dispensation and the life of purity consist-
ing in the path. For while this [bhikkhu] is engaged in crossing the desert
of existence by means of devotion to the three trainings depending on
bodily strength whose necessary condition is the use of alms food, he
makes use of it to assist the life of purity just as those seeking to cross
the desert used their child's flesh,
28
just as those seeking to cross a river
use a raft, and just as those seeking to cross the ocean use a ship.
93. Thus I shall put a stop to old feelings and shall not arouse new
feelings: [33] thus as a sick man uses medicine, he uses [alms food,
thinking]: 'By use of this alms food I shall put a stop to the old feeling of
hunger, and I shall not arouse a new feeling by immoderate eating, like
one of the [proverbial] brahmans, that is, one who eats till he has to be
helped up by hand, or till his clothes will not meet, or till he rolls there
[on the ground], or till crows can peck from his mouth, or till he vomits
what he has eaten. Or alternatively, there is that which is called "old
feelings" because, being conditioned by former kamma, it arises now in
dependence on unsuitable immoderate eating—I shall put a stop to that
old feeling, forestalling its condition by suitable moderate eating. And
there is that which is called "new feeling" because it will arise in the
future in dependence on the accumulation of kamma consisting in mak-
ing improper use [of the requisite of alms food] now—I shall also not
arouse that new feeling, avoiding by means of proper use the production
of its root*. This is how the meaning should be understood here. What
has been shown so far can be understood to include proper use [of
requisites], abandoning of devotion to self-mortification, and not giving
up lawful bliss (pleasure).
94. And I shall be healthy: 'In this body, which exists in dependence on
requisites, I shall, by moderate eating, have health called "long endur-
ance" since there will be no danger of severing the life faculty or inter-
rupting the [continuity of the] postures'. [Reflecting] in this way, he
makes use [of the alms food] as a sufferer from a chronic disease does of
his medicine. And blameless and live in comfort (lit. 'and have blame-
lessness and a comfortable abiding'): he makes use of them thinking: 'I
shall have blamelessness by avoiding improper search, acceptance and
eating, and I shall have a comfortable abiding by moderate eating'. Or he
does so thinking: 'I shall have blamelessness due to absence of such
faults as boredom, sloth, sleepiness, blame by the wise, etc., that have
unseemly immoderate eating as their condition; and I shall have a com-
fortable abiding by producing bodily strength that has seemly moderate
eating as its condition'. Or he does so thinking: 'I shall have blameless-
ness by abandoning the pleasure of lying down, lolling and torpor, through
refraining from eating as much as possible to stuff the belly; and I shall
have a comfortable abiding by controlling the four postures through
eating four or five mouthfuls less than the maximum'. For this is said:
'With four or five lumps still to eat
Let him then end by drinking water,
For energetic bhikkhus' needs
This should suffice to live in comfort'
(Thag. 983).
29
[34]
Now what has been shown at this point can be understood as discern-
ment of purpose and practice of the middle way.
95. Resting place (sendsana): this is the bed (sena) and seat (dsana).
For wherever one sleeps (seti), whether in a monastery or in a lean-to,
etc., that is the bed (sena); wherever one seats oneself (dsati), sits (nisi-
dati), that is the seat (dsana). Both together are called 'resting-place' (or
'abode'— sendsana).
For the purpose of warding off the perils of climate and enjoying
retreat: the climate itself in the sense of imperilling (parisahana) is
'perils of climate' (utu-parissaya). Unsuitable climatic conditions that
cause mental distraction due to bodily affliction can be warded off by
making use of the resting place; it is for the purpose of warding off these
and for the purpose of the pleasure of solitude, is what is meant. Of
course, the warding off of the perils of climate is stated by [the phrase]
'protection from cold', etc., too; but, just as in the case of making use of
the robes the concealment of the private parts is stated as an invariable
purpose while the others are periodical [purposes], so here also this [last]
should be understood as mentioned with reference to the invariable ward-
ing off of the perils of climate. Or alternatively, this 'climate' of the kind
stated is just climate; but 'perils' are of two kinds: evident perils and
concealed perils, (see Nd.1,12). Herein, evident perils are lions, tigers,
ctc.y while concealed perils are greed, hate, and so on. When a bhikkhu
knows and reflects thus in making use of the kind of resting place where
these [perils] do not, owing to unguarded doors and sight of unsuitable
visible objects, etc., cause affliction, he can be understood as one who
'reflecting wisely makes use of the resting place for the purpose of
warding off the perils of climate'.
The requisite of medicine as cure for the sick: here 'cure' (paccaya
= going against) is in the sense of going against (pati-ayand) illness; in
the sense of countering, is the meaning. This is a term for any suitable
remedy. It is the medical man's work (bhisakassa kammam) because it is
permitted by him, thus it is medicine (bhesajja). Or the cure for the sick
itself as medicine is 'medicine as cure for the sick'. Any work of a
medical man such as oil, honey, ghee, etc., that is suitable for one who is
sick, is what is meant. A 'requisite' (parikkhdra), however, in such pas-
sages as 'It is well supplied with the requisites of a city' (A.iv,106) is
equipment; in such passages as 'The chariot has the requisite of virtue,
the axle of jhana, the wheel of energy' (S.v,6) [35] it is an ornament; in
such passages as 'The requisites for the life of one who has gone into
homelessness that should be available' (M.i,104), it is an accessory. But
here both equipment and accessory are applicable. For that medicine as a
cure for the sick is equipment for maintaining life because it protects by
preventing the arising of affliction destructive to life; and it is an acces-
sory too because it is an instrument for prolonging life. That is why it is
called 'requisite'. So it is medicine as cure for the sick and that is a
requisite, thus it is a 'requisite of medicine as cure for the sick'. [He
makes use of] that requisite of medicine as cure for the sick; any requi-
site for life consisting of oil, honey, molasses, ghee, etc., that is allowed
by a medical man as suitable for the sick, is what is meant.
97. From arisen: from born, become, produced. Hurtful: here 'hurt (af-
fliction)' is a disturbance of elements, and it is the leprosy, tumours,
boils, etc., originated by that disturbance. Hurtful (yeyydbddhika) be-
cause arisen in the form of hurt (bydbddha). Feelings: painful feelings,
feelings resulting from unprofitable kamma—from those hurtful feel-
ings. For complete immunity from affliction: for complete freedom from
pain; so that all that is painful is abandoned, is the meaning.
This is how this virtue concerning requisites should be understood.
In brief its characteristic is the use of requisites after wise reflection.
The word-meaning here is this: because breathing things go {ayanti),
move, proceed, using [what they use] in dependence on these robes, etc.,
these robes, etc., are therefore called requisites (paccaya = ger. of pati +
ayati); 'concerning requisites' is concerning those requisites.
98. (a) So, in this fourfold virtue, Patimokkha restraint has to be under-
taken by means of faith. For that is accomplished by faith, since the
announcing of training precepts is outside the disciples' province; and
the evidence here is the refusal of the request to [allow disciples to]
announce training precepts (see Vin.iii, 9-10). Having therefore under-
taken through faith the training precepts without exception as announced,
one should completely perfect them without regard for life. For this is
said: [36]
'As a hen guards her eggs,
Or as a yak her tail,
Or like a darling child,
Or like an only eye—
So you who are engaged
Your virtue to protect,
Be prudent at all times
And ever scrupulous' (?).
Also it is said further: 'So too, sire, when a training precept for disciples
is announced by me, my disciples do not transgress it even for the sake
oflife'(A.iv,201).
99. And the story of the elders bound by robbers in the forest should be
understood in this sense.
It seems that robbers in the MahavattanI Forest bound an elder with
black creepers and made him lie down. While he lay there for seven days
he augmented his insight, and after reaching the fruition of non-return,
he died there and was reborn in the Brahma-world. Also they bound an-
other elder in Tambapanni Island (Ceylon) with string creepers and made
him lie down. When a forest fire came and the creepers were not cut, he
established insight and attained nibbana simultaneously with his death.
When the Elder Abhaya, a preacher of the Digha NikAya, passed by with
five hundred bhikkhus, he saw [what had happened] and he had the
elder's body cremated and a shrine built. Therefore let other clansmen
also:
Maintain the rules of conduct pure,
Renouncing life if there be need,
Rather than break virtue's restraint
By the World's Saviour decreed.
100. (b) And as Patimokkha restraint is undertaken out of faith, so re-
straint of the sense faculties should be undertaken with mindfulness. For
that is accomplished by mindfulness, because when the sense faculties'
functions are founded on mindfulness, there is no liability to invasion by
covetousness and the rest. So, recollecting the Fire Discourse, which
begins thus, 'Better, bhikkhus, the extirpation of the eye faculty by a
red-hot burning blazing glowing iron spike than the apprehension of
signs in the particulars of visible objects cognizable by the eye' (S.iv,168),
this [restraint] should be properly undertaken by preventing with unre-
mitting mindfulness any apprehension, in the objective fields consisting
of visible data, etc., of any signs, etc., likely to encourage covetousness,
etc., to invade consciousness occurring in connexion with the eye door,
and so on.
Visuddhimagga - DESCRIPTION OF VIRTUE - Virtue of the fourfold purification I
THE PATH
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka
42. 17. In the fourth tetrad:
(a) The virtue described by the Blessed One thus: 'Here a bhikkhu
dwells restrained with the Patimokkha restraint, possessed of the [proper]
conduct and resort, and seeing fear in the slightest fault, he trains himself
by undertaking the precepts of training' (Vbh.244), is virtue of Pati-
mokkha restraint.
(b) That described thus: 'On seeing a visible object with the eye,
[16] he apprehends neither the signs nor the particulars through which, if
he left the eye faculty unguarded, evil and unprofitable states of covet-
ousness and grief might invade him; he enters upon the way of its re-
straint, he guards the eye faculty, undertakes the restraint of the eye fac-
ulty. On hearing a sound with the ear ... On smelling an odour with the
nose ... On tasting a flavour with the tongue ... On touching a tangible
object with the body ... On cognizing a mental object with the mind, he
apprehends neither the signs nor the particulars through which, if he left
the mind faculty unguarded, evil and unprofitable states of covetousness
and grief might invade him; he enters upon the way of its restraint, he
guards the mind faculty, undertakes the restraint of the mind faculty,
(M.i,180), is virtue of restraint of the sense faculties.
(c) Abstinence from such wrong livelihood as entails transgression
of the six training precepts announced with respect to livelihood and en-
tails the evil states beginning with 'Scheming, talking, hinting, belittling,
pursuing gain with gain' (M.ii,75) is virtue of livelihood purification.
(d) Use of the four requisites that is purified by the reflection
stated in the way beginning 'Reflecting wisely, he uses the robe only for
protection from cold' (M.i.10) is called virtue concerning requisites.
43. Here is an explanatory exposition together with a word commentary
starting from the beginning.
(a) Here: in this dispensation. A bhikkhu: a clansman who has gone
forth out of faith and is so styled because he sees fear in the round of
rebirths (sarhsdre bhayarh ikkhanatd) or because he wears cloth gar-
ments that are torn and pieced together, and so on.
Restrained with the Patimokkha restraint: here 'Patimokkha' (Rule
of the Community)
11
is the virtue of the training precepts; for it frees
(mokkheti) him who protects (pdti) it, guards it, it sets him free (mocayati)
from the pains of the states of loss, etc., that is why it is called Pati-
mokkha. 'Restraint' is restraining; this is a term for bodily and verbal
non-transgression. The Patimokkha itself as restraint is 'Patimokkha re-
straint'. 'Restrained with the Patimokkha restraint' is restrained by means
of the restraint consisting in that Patimokkha; he has it, possesses it, is
the meaning. Dwells: bears himself in one of the postures. [17]
44. The meaning of possessed of [the proper] conduct and resort, etc.,
should be understood in the way in which it is given in the text. For this
is said: 'Possessed of [the proper] conduct and resort: there is [proper]
conduct and improper conduct. Herein, what is improper conduct? Bod-
ily transgression, verbal transgression, bodily and verbal transgression—
this is called improper conduct. Also all unvirtuousness is improper con-
duct. Here someone makes a livelihood by gifts of bamboos, or by gifts
of leaves, or by gifts of flowers, fruits, bathing powder, and tooth sticks,
or by flattery, or by bean-soupery, or by fondling, or by going on errands
on foot, or by one or other of the sorts of wrong livelihood condemned
by the Buddhas—this is called improper conduct. Herein, what is [proper]
conduct? Bodily non-transgression, verbal non-transgression, bodily and
verbal non-transgression—this is called [proper] conduct. Also all re-
straint through virtue is [proper] conduct. Here someone 'does not make
a livelihood by gifts of bamboos, or by gifts of leaves, or by gifts of
flowers, fruits, bathing powder, and tooth sticks, or by flattery, or by
bean-soupery, or by fondling, or by going on errands on foot, or by one
or other of the sorts of wrong livelihood condemned by the Buddhas—
this is called [proper] conduct.
45. '[Proper] resort: there is [proper] resort and improper resort. Herein,
what is improper resort? Here someone has prostitutes as resort, or he
has widows, old maids, eunuchs, bhikkhunis, or taverns as resort; or he
dwells associated with kings, kings' ministers, sectarians, sectarians' dis-
ciples, in unbecoming association with laymen; or he cultivates, fre-
quents, honours, such families as are faithless, untrusting, abusive and
rude, who wish harm, wish ill, wish woe, wish no surcease of bondage,
for bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, for male and female devotees [18]—this is
called improper resort. Herein, what is [proper] resort? Here someone
does not have prostitutes as resort ... or taverns as resort; he does not
dwell associated with kings ... sectarians' disciples, in unbecoming asso-
ciation with laymen; he cultivates, frequents, honours, such families as
are faithful and trusting, who are a solace, where the yellow cloth glows,
where the breeze of sages blows, who wish good, wish well, wish joy,
wish surcease of bondage, for bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, for male and
female devotees—this is called [proper] resort. Thus he is furnished
with, fully furnished with, provided with, fully provided with, supplied
with, possessed of, endowed with, this [proper] conduct and this [proper]
resort. Hence it is said "Possessed of [the proper] conduct and resort"
f
(Vbh. 246-47).
46. Furthermore, [proper] conduct and resort should also be understood
here in the following way; for improper conduct is twofold as bodily and
verbal. Herein, what is bodily improper conduct? 'Here someone acts
disrespectfully before the Community, and he stands jostling elder
bhikkhus, sits jostling them, stands in front of them, sits in front of
them, sits on a high seat, sits with his head covered, talks standing up,
talks waving his arms ... walks with sandals while elder bhikkhus walk
without sandals, walks on a high walk while they walk on a low walk,
walks on a walk while they walk on the ground ... stands pushing elder
bhikkhus, sits pushing them, prevents new bhikkhus from getting a seat
... and in the bath house ... without asking elder bhikkhus he puts wood
on [the stove] ... bolts the door ... and at the bathing place he enters the
water jostling elder bhikkhus, enters it in front of them, bathes jostling
them, bathes in front of them, comes out jostling them, comes out in
front of them ... and entering inside a house he goes jostling elder
bhikkhus, goes in front of them, pushing forward he goes in front of
them ... and where families have inner private screened rooms in which
the women of the family ... the girls of the family, sit, there he enters
abruptly, and he strokes a child's head' (Nd. 1,228-29). This is called
bodily improper conduct.
47. Herein, what is verbal improper conduct? 'Here someone acts disre-
spectfully before the Community. Without asking elder bhikkhus he talks
on the Dhamma, answers questions, recites the Patimokkha, talks stand-
ing up, [19] talks waving his arms ... having entered inside a house, he
speaks to a woman or a girl thus: "You, so-and-so of such-and-such a
clan, what is there? Is there rice gruel? Is there cooked rice? Is there any
hard food to eat? What shall we drink? What hard food shall we eat?
What soft food shall we eat? Or what will you give me?"— he chatters
like this' (Nd. 1,230). This is called verbal improper conduct.
48. Proper conduct should be understood in the opposite sense to that.
Furthermore, a bhikkhu is respectful, deferential, possessed of conscience
and shame, wears his inner robe properly, wears his upper robe properly,
his manner inspires confidence whether in moving forwards or back-
wards, looking ahead or aside, bending or stretching, his eyes are down-
cast, he has (a good) deportment, he guards the doors of his sense fac-
ulties, knows the right measure in eating, is devoted to wakefulness,
possesses mindfulness and full awareness, wants little, is contented, is
strenuous, is a careful observer of good behaviour, and treats the teach-
ers with great respect. This is called (proper) conduct.
This firstly is how (proper) conduct should be understood.
49. (Proper) resort is of three kinds: (proper) resort as support, (proper)
resort as guarding, and (proper) resort as anchoring. Herein, what is
(proper) resort as support? A good friend who exhibits the instances of
talk,
12
in whose presence one hears what has not been heard, corrects
what has been heard, gets rid of doubt, rectifies one's view, and gains
confidence; or by training under whom one grows in faith, virtue, learn-
ing, generosity and understanding—this is called (proper) resort as sup-
port,
50. What is (proper) resort as guarding? Here
4
A bhikkhu, having en-
tered inside a house, having gone into a street, goes with downcast eyes,
seeing the length of a plough yoke, restrained, not looking at an ele-
phant, not looking at a horse, a carriage, a pedestrian, a woman, a man,
not looking up, not looking down, not staring this way and that'
(Nd. 1,474). This is called {proper) resort as guarding.
51. What is (proper) resort as anchoring? It is the four foundations of
mindfulness on which the mind is anchored; for this is said by the
Blessed One: 'Bhikkhus, what is a bhikkhu's resort, his own native
place? It is these four foundations of mindfulness' (S.v,148). This is
called (proper) resort as anchoring.
Being thus furnished with ... endowed with, this (proper) conduct
and this (proper) resort, he is also on that account called 'one possessed
of (proper) conduct and resort'. [20]
52. Seeing fear in the slightest fault (§42): one who has the habit (sila)
of seeing fear in faults of the minutest measure, of such kinds as uninten-
tional contravening of a minor training rule of the Patimokkha, as an
unprofitable thought. He trains himself by undertaking (samdddya) the
precepts of training: whatever there is among the precepts of training to
be trained in, in all that he trains by taking it up rightly (sammd dddya)
And here, as far as the words 'one restrained by the Patimokkha re-
straint', virtue of Patimokkha restraint is shown by discourse in terms of
persons.
13
But all that beginning with the words 'possessed of (proper)
conduct and resort' should be understood as said in order to show the
way of practice that perfects that virtue in him who so practises it.
53. (b) Now as regards the virtue of restraint of faculties shown next to
that in the way beginning 'on seeing a visible object with the eye',
herein he is a bhikkhu established in the virtue of Patimokkha restraint.
On seeing a visible object with the eye: on seeing a visible object with
the eye-consciousness that is capable of seeing visible objects and has
borrowed the name 'eye' from its instrument. But the Ancients (pordnd)
said: 'The eye does not see a visible object because it has no mind. The
mind does not see because it has no eyes. But when there is the impinge-
ment of door and object he sees by means of the consciousness that has
eye-sensitivity as its physical basis. Now (an idiom) such as this is called
an "accessory locution" (sasambhdrakathd), like "He shot him with his
bow", and so on. So the meaning here is this: "On seeing a visible object
with eye-consciousness" \
14
54. Apprehends neither the signs: he does not apprehend the sign of
woman or man, or any sign that is a basis for defilement such as the sign
of beauty, etc.; he stops at what is merely seen. Nor the particulars: he
does not apprehend any aspect classed as hand, foot, smile, laughter,
talk, looking ahead, looking aside, etc., which has acquired the name
'particular' (anubyanjana) because of its particularizing (anu anu byahja-
nato) defilements, because of its making them manifest themselves. He
only apprehends what is really there. Like the Elder Maha-Tissa who
dwelt at Cetiyapabbata.
55. It seems that as the elder was on his way from Cetiyapabbata to
AnurAdhapura for alms, a certain daughter-in-law of a clan, who had
quarrelled with her husband and had set out early from AnurAdhapura
all dressed up and tricked out like a celestial nymph to go to her rela-
tives' home, saw him on the road, and being low-minded, [21] she laughed
a loud laugh. [Wondering] 'What is that?', the elder looked up and find-
ing in the bones of her teeth the perception of foulness (ugliness), he
reached Arahantship.
15
Hence it was said:
'He saw the bones that were her teeth,
And kept in mind his first perception;
And standing on that very spot
The elder became an Arahant'.
But her husband, who was going after her, saw the elder and asked,
'Venerable sir, did you by any chance see a woman?'. The elder toldhim:
'Whether it was a man or woman
That went by I noticed not,
But only that on this high road
There goes a group of bones'.
56. As to the words through which, etc., the meaning is: by reason of
which, because of which non-restraint of the eye faculty, // he, if that
person, left the eye faculty unguarded, remained with the eye door un-
closed by the door-panel of mindfulness, these states of covetousness,
etc., might invade, might pursue, might threaten, him. He enters upon
the way of its restraint: he enters upon the way of closing that eye
faculty by the door-panel of mindfulness. It is the same one of whom it
is said he guards the eye faculty, undertakes the restraint of the eye
faculty.
57. Herein, there is neither restraint nor non-restraint in the actual eye
faculty, since neither mindfulness nor forgetfulness arises in dependence
on eye-sensitivity. On the contrary when a visible datum as object comes
into the eye's focus, then, after the life-continuum has arisen twice and
ceased, the functional mind-element accomplishing the function of ad-
verting arises and ceases. After that, eye-consciousness with the function
of seeing; after that, resultant mind-element with the function of receiv-
ing; after that, resultant root-causeless mind-consciousness-element with
the function of investigating; after that, functional root-causeless mind-
consciousness-element accomplishing the function of determining arises
and ceases. Next to that, impulsion impels.
16
Herein, there is neither
restraint nor non-restraint on the occasion of the life-continuum, or on
any of the occasions beginning with adverting. But there is non-restraint
if unvirtuousness or forgetfulness or unknowing or impatience or idle-
ness arises at the moment of impulsion. When this happens, it is called
'non-restraint in the eye faculty'. [22]
58. Why is that? Because when this happens, the door is not guarded,
nor are the life-continuum and the consciousnesses of the cognitive se-
ries. Like what? Just as, when a city's four gates are not secured, al-
though inside the city house doors, storehouses, rooms, etc., are secured,
yet all property inside the city is unguarded and unprotected since rob-
bers coming in by the city gates can do as they please, so too, when
unvirtuousness, etc., arise in impulsion in which there is no restraint,
then the door too is unguarded, and so also are the life-continuum and
the consciousnesses of the cognitive series beginning with adverting. But
when virtue, etc., has arisen in it, then the door too is guarded and so
also are the life-continuum and the consciousnesses of the cognitive se-
ries beginning with adverting. Like what? Just as, when the city gates are
secured, although inside the city the houses, etc., are not secured, yet all
property inside the city is well guarded, well protected, since when the
city gates are shut there is no ingress for robbers, so too, when virtue,
etc., have arisen in impulsion, the door too is guarded and so also are the
life-continuum and the consciousnesses of the cognitive series beginning
with adverting. Thus although it actually arises at the moment of impul-
sion, it is nevertheless called 'restraint in the eye faculty'.
59. So also as regards the phrases on hearing a sound with the ear and
so on. So it is this virtue, which in brief has the characteristic of avoiding
apprehension of signs entailing defilement with respect to visible objects,
etc., that should be understood as virtue of restraint of faculties.
60. (c) Now as regards the virtue of livelihood purification mentioned
above next to the virtue of restraint of the faculties (§42), the words of
the six precepts announced on account of livelihood mean, of the follow-
ing six training precepts announced thus: 'With livelihood as cause, with
livelihood as reason, one of evil wishes, a prey to wishes, lays claim to a
higher than human state that is non-existent, not a fact', the contraven-
tion of which is defeat (expulsion from the Order); 'With livelihood as
cause, with livelihood as reason, he acts as go-between', the contraven-
tion of which is an offence entailing a meeting of the Order; 'With live-
lihood as cause, with livelihood as reason, he says "A bhikkhu who lives
in your monastery is an Arahant", the contravention of which is a serious
offence in one who is aware of it; 'With livelihood as cause, with liveli-
hood as reason, a bhikkhu who is not sick eats superior food that he has
ordered for his own use', the contravention of which is an offence re-
quiring expiation: 'With livelihood as cause, with livelihood as reason, a
bhikkhuni who is not sick eats superior food that she has ordered for her
own use', the contravention of which is an offence requiring confession;
'With livelihood as cause, with livelihood as reason, one who is not sick
eats curry or boiled rice [23] that he has ordered for his own use', the
contravention of which is an offence of wrongdoing (Vin.v,146). Of
these six precepts.
61. As regards scheming, etc. (§42), this is the text: 'Herein, what is
scheming? It is the grimacing, grimacery, scheming, schemery, schemed-
ness,
17
by what is called rejection of requisites or by indirect talk, or it is
the disposing, posing, composing, of the deportment on the part of one
bent on gain, honour and renown, of one of evil wishes, a prey to wishes—
this is called scheming.
62. 'Herein, what is talking? Talking at others, talking, talking round,
talking up, continual talking up, persuading, continual persuading, sug-
gesting, continual suggesting, ingratiating chatter, flattery, bean-soupery,
fondling, on the part of one bent on gain, honour and renown, of one of
evil wishes, a prey to wishes—this is called talking.
63. 'Herein, what is hinting? A sign to others, giving a sign, indication,
giving indication, indirect talk, roundabout talk, on the part of one bent
on gain, honour and renown, of one of evil wishes, a prey to wishes—
this is called hinting.
64. 'Herein, what is belittling? Abusing of others, disparaging, reproach-
ing, snubbing, continual snubbing, ridicule, continual ridicule, denigra-
tion, continual denigration, tale-bearing, backbiting, on the part of one
bent on gain, honour and renown, of one of evil wishes, a prey to wishes
-this is called belittling.
65. 'Herein, what is pursuing gain with gain? Seeking, seeking for,
seeking out, going in search of, searching for, searching out material
goods by means of material goods, such as carrying there goods that
have been got from here, or carrying here goods that have been got from
there, by one bent on gain, honour and renown, by one of evil wishes,
a prey to wishes—this is called pursuing gain with gain' (Vbh. 352-
53).
18
66. The meaning of this text should be understood as follows: Firstly, as
regards description of scheming: on the part of one bent on gain, honour
and renown is on the part of one who is bent on gain, on honour, and on
reputation; on the part of one who longs for them, is the meaning. [24]
Of one of evil wishes: of one who wants to show qualities that he has not
got. A prey to wishes:
19
the meaning is, of one who is attacked by them.
And after this the passage beginning or by what is called rejection of
requisites is given in order to show the three instances of scheming
given in the Maha-Niddesa as rejection of requisites, indirect talk, and
that based on deportment.
67. Herein, [a bhikkhu] is invited to accept robes, etc., and, precisely
because he wants them, he refuses them out of evil wishes. And then,
since he knows that those householders believe in him implicitly, when
they think *Oh, how few are our lord's wishes! He will not accept a
thing!' and they put fine robes, etc., before him by various means, he
then accepts, making a show that he wants to be compassionate towards
them—it is this hypocrisy of his, which becomes the cause of their
subsequently bringing them even by cartloads, that should be understood
as the instance of scheming called rejection of requisites.
68. For this is said in the Maha-Niddesa: 'What is the instance of schem-
ing called rejection of requisites? Here householders invite bhikkhus [to
accept] robes, alms food, resting place, and the requisite of medicine as
cure for the sick. One who is of evil wishes, a prey to wishes, wanting
robes ... alms food ... resting place ... the requisite of medicine as cure
for the sick, refuses robes ... alms food ... resting place ... the requisite of
medicine as cure for the sick, because he wants more. He says: "What
has an ascetic to do with expensive robes? It is proper for an ascetic to
gather rags from a chamel ground or from a rubbish heap or from a shop
and make them into a patchwork cloak to wear. What has an ascetic to
do with expensive alms food? It is proper for an ascetic to get his living
by the dropping of lumps [of food into his bowl] while he wanders for
gleanings. What has an ascetic to do with an expensive resting place? It
is proper for an ascetic to be a tree-root-dweller or an open-air-dweller.
What has an ascetic to do with an expensive requisite of medicine as
cure for the sick. It is proper for an ascetic to cure himself with putrid
urine
20
and broken gall nuts". Accordingly he wears a coarse robe, eats
coarse alms food, [25] uses a coarse resting place, uses a coarSe requisite
of medicine as cure for the sick. Then householders think, "This ascetic
has few wishes, is content, is secluded, keeps aloof from company, is
strenuous, is a preacher of asceticism", and they invite him more and
more [to accept] robes, alms food, resting places, and the requisite of
medicine as cure for the sick. He says: "With three things present a
faithful clansman produces much merit: with faith present a faithful
clansman produces much merit, with goods to be given present a faithful
clansman produces much merit, with those worthy to receive present a
faithful clansman produces much merit. You have faith; the goods to be
given are here; and I am here to accept. If I do not accept, then you will
be deprived of the merit. That is no goqjd to me. Rather will I accept out
of compassion for you". Accordingly he accepts many robes, he accepts
much alms food, he accepts many resting places, he accepts many requi-
sites of medicine as cure for the sick. Such grimacing, grimacery, schem-
ing, schemery, schemedness, is known as the instance of scheming called
rejection of requisites' (Nd.l, 224-25).
69. It is hypocrisy on the part of one of evil wishes, who gives it to be
understood verbally in some way or Qther that he has attained a higher
than human state, that should be understood as the instance of scheming
called indirect talk, according as it is said: *What is the instance of
scheming called indirect talk? Here someone of evil wishes, a prey to
wishes, eager to be admired, [thinking] "Thus people will admire me",
speaks words about the noble state. He says, "He who wears such a robe
is a very important ascetic". He says, "He who carries such a bowl,
metal cup, water filler, water strainer, key, wears such a waist band,
sandals, is a very important ascetic". He says, "He who has such a pre-
ceptor ... teacher ... who has the same preceptor, who has the same
teacher, who has such a friend, associate, intimate, companion; he who
lives in such a monastery, lean-to, mansion, villa,
21
cave, grotto, hut,
pavilion, watch tower, hall, barn, meeting hall, [26] room, at such a tree
root, is a very important ascetic". Or alternatively, all-gushing, all-grim-
acing, all-scheming, all-talkative, with an expression of admiration* he
utters such deep, mysterious, cunning, obscure, supramundane talk sug-
gestive of voidness as "This ascetic is an obtainer of peaceful abidings
and attainments such as these". Such grimacing, grimacery, scheming,
schemery, schemedness, is known as the instance of scheming called
indirect talk' (Nd. 1,226-27).
70. It is hypocrisy on the part of one of evil wishes, which takes the
form of deportment influenced by eagerness to be admired, that should
be understood as the instance of scheming dependent on deportment,
according as it is said: 'What is the instance of scheming called deport-
ment? Here someone of evil wishes, a prey to wishes, eager to be ad-
mired, [thinking] "Thus people will admire me", composes his way of
walking, composes his way of lying down; he* walks studiedly, stands
studiedly, sits studiedly, lies down studiedly; he walks as though concen-
trated, stands, sits, lies down as though concentrated; and he is one who
meditates in public. Such disposing, posing, composing, of deportment,
grimacing, grimacery, scheming, schemery, schemedness, is known as
the instance of scheming called deportment' (Nd. 1,225-26).
71. Herein, the words by what is called rejection of requisites (§61)
mean: by what is called thus 'rejection of requisites'; or they mean: by
means of the rejection of requisites that is so called. By indirect talk
means: by talking near to the subject. Of deportment means: of the four
modes of deportment (postures). Disposing is initial posing, or careful
posing. Posing is the manner of posing. Composing is prearranging;
assuming a trust-inspiring attitude, is what is meant. Grimacing is mak-
ing grimaces by showing great intenseness; facial contraction is what is
meant. One who has the habit of making grimaces is a grimacer. The
grimacer's state is grimacery. Scheming is hypocrisy. The way (dyana)
of a schemer (kuha) is schemery (kuhdyana). The state of what is schemed
is schemedness.
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka
42. 17. In the fourth tetrad:
(a) The virtue described by the Blessed One thus: 'Here a bhikkhu
dwells restrained with the Patimokkha restraint, possessed of the [proper]
conduct and resort, and seeing fear in the slightest fault, he trains himself
by undertaking the precepts of training' (Vbh.244), is virtue of Pati-
mokkha restraint.
(b) That described thus: 'On seeing a visible object with the eye,
[16] he apprehends neither the signs nor the particulars through which, if
he left the eye faculty unguarded, evil and unprofitable states of covet-
ousness and grief might invade him; he enters upon the way of its re-
straint, he guards the eye faculty, undertakes the restraint of the eye fac-
ulty. On hearing a sound with the ear ... On smelling an odour with the
nose ... On tasting a flavour with the tongue ... On touching a tangible
object with the body ... On cognizing a mental object with the mind, he
apprehends neither the signs nor the particulars through which, if he left
the mind faculty unguarded, evil and unprofitable states of covetousness
and grief might invade him; he enters upon the way of its restraint, he
guards the mind faculty, undertakes the restraint of the mind faculty,
(M.i,180), is virtue of restraint of the sense faculties.
(c) Abstinence from such wrong livelihood as entails transgression
of the six training precepts announced with respect to livelihood and en-
tails the evil states beginning with 'Scheming, talking, hinting, belittling,
pursuing gain with gain' (M.ii,75) is virtue of livelihood purification.
(d) Use of the four requisites that is purified by the reflection
stated in the way beginning 'Reflecting wisely, he uses the robe only for
protection from cold' (M.i.10) is called virtue concerning requisites.
43. Here is an explanatory exposition together with a word commentary
starting from the beginning.
(a) Here: in this dispensation. A bhikkhu: a clansman who has gone
forth out of faith and is so styled because he sees fear in the round of
rebirths (sarhsdre bhayarh ikkhanatd) or because he wears cloth gar-
ments that are torn and pieced together, and so on.
Restrained with the Patimokkha restraint: here 'Patimokkha' (Rule
of the Community)
11
is the virtue of the training precepts; for it frees
(mokkheti) him who protects (pdti) it, guards it, it sets him free (mocayati)
from the pains of the states of loss, etc., that is why it is called Pati-
mokkha. 'Restraint' is restraining; this is a term for bodily and verbal
non-transgression. The Patimokkha itself as restraint is 'Patimokkha re-
straint'. 'Restrained with the Patimokkha restraint' is restrained by means
of the restraint consisting in that Patimokkha; he has it, possesses it, is
the meaning. Dwells: bears himself in one of the postures. [17]
44. The meaning of possessed of [the proper] conduct and resort, etc.,
should be understood in the way in which it is given in the text. For this
is said: 'Possessed of [the proper] conduct and resort: there is [proper]
conduct and improper conduct. Herein, what is improper conduct? Bod-
ily transgression, verbal transgression, bodily and verbal transgression—
this is called improper conduct. Also all unvirtuousness is improper con-
duct. Here someone makes a livelihood by gifts of bamboos, or by gifts
of leaves, or by gifts of flowers, fruits, bathing powder, and tooth sticks,
or by flattery, or by bean-soupery, or by fondling, or by going on errands
on foot, or by one or other of the sorts of wrong livelihood condemned
by the Buddhas—this is called improper conduct. Herein, what is [proper]
conduct? Bodily non-transgression, verbal non-transgression, bodily and
verbal non-transgression—this is called [proper] conduct. Also all re-
straint through virtue is [proper] conduct. Here someone 'does not make
a livelihood by gifts of bamboos, or by gifts of leaves, or by gifts of
flowers, fruits, bathing powder, and tooth sticks, or by flattery, or by
bean-soupery, or by fondling, or by going on errands on foot, or by one
or other of the sorts of wrong livelihood condemned by the Buddhas—
this is called [proper] conduct.
45. '[Proper] resort: there is [proper] resort and improper resort. Herein,
what is improper resort? Here someone has prostitutes as resort, or he
has widows, old maids, eunuchs, bhikkhunis, or taverns as resort; or he
dwells associated with kings, kings' ministers, sectarians, sectarians' dis-
ciples, in unbecoming association with laymen; or he cultivates, fre-
quents, honours, such families as are faithless, untrusting, abusive and
rude, who wish harm, wish ill, wish woe, wish no surcease of bondage,
for bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, for male and female devotees [18]—this is
called improper resort. Herein, what is [proper] resort? Here someone
does not have prostitutes as resort ... or taverns as resort; he does not
dwell associated with kings ... sectarians' disciples, in unbecoming asso-
ciation with laymen; he cultivates, frequents, honours, such families as
are faithful and trusting, who are a solace, where the yellow cloth glows,
where the breeze of sages blows, who wish good, wish well, wish joy,
wish surcease of bondage, for bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, for male and
female devotees—this is called [proper] resort. Thus he is furnished
with, fully furnished with, provided with, fully provided with, supplied
with, possessed of, endowed with, this [proper] conduct and this [proper]
resort. Hence it is said "Possessed of [the proper] conduct and resort"
f
(Vbh. 246-47).
46. Furthermore, [proper] conduct and resort should also be understood
here in the following way; for improper conduct is twofold as bodily and
verbal. Herein, what is bodily improper conduct? 'Here someone acts
disrespectfully before the Community, and he stands jostling elder
bhikkhus, sits jostling them, stands in front of them, sits in front of
them, sits on a high seat, sits with his head covered, talks standing up,
talks waving his arms ... walks with sandals while elder bhikkhus walk
without sandals, walks on a high walk while they walk on a low walk,
walks on a walk while they walk on the ground ... stands pushing elder
bhikkhus, sits pushing them, prevents new bhikkhus from getting a seat
... and in the bath house ... without asking elder bhikkhus he puts wood
on [the stove] ... bolts the door ... and at the bathing place he enters the
water jostling elder bhikkhus, enters it in front of them, bathes jostling
them, bathes in front of them, comes out jostling them, comes out in
front of them ... and entering inside a house he goes jostling elder
bhikkhus, goes in front of them, pushing forward he goes in front of
them ... and where families have inner private screened rooms in which
the women of the family ... the girls of the family, sit, there he enters
abruptly, and he strokes a child's head' (Nd. 1,228-29). This is called
bodily improper conduct.
47. Herein, what is verbal improper conduct? 'Here someone acts disre-
spectfully before the Community. Without asking elder bhikkhus he talks
on the Dhamma, answers questions, recites the Patimokkha, talks stand-
ing up, [19] talks waving his arms ... having entered inside a house, he
speaks to a woman or a girl thus: "You, so-and-so of such-and-such a
clan, what is there? Is there rice gruel? Is there cooked rice? Is there any
hard food to eat? What shall we drink? What hard food shall we eat?
What soft food shall we eat? Or what will you give me?"— he chatters
like this' (Nd. 1,230). This is called verbal improper conduct.
48. Proper conduct should be understood in the opposite sense to that.
Furthermore, a bhikkhu is respectful, deferential, possessed of conscience
and shame, wears his inner robe properly, wears his upper robe properly,
his manner inspires confidence whether in moving forwards or back-
wards, looking ahead or aside, bending or stretching, his eyes are down-
cast, he has (a good) deportment, he guards the doors of his sense fac-
ulties, knows the right measure in eating, is devoted to wakefulness,
possesses mindfulness and full awareness, wants little, is contented, is
strenuous, is a careful observer of good behaviour, and treats the teach-
ers with great respect. This is called (proper) conduct.
This firstly is how (proper) conduct should be understood.
49. (Proper) resort is of three kinds: (proper) resort as support, (proper)
resort as guarding, and (proper) resort as anchoring. Herein, what is
(proper) resort as support? A good friend who exhibits the instances of
talk,
12
in whose presence one hears what has not been heard, corrects
what has been heard, gets rid of doubt, rectifies one's view, and gains
confidence; or by training under whom one grows in faith, virtue, learn-
ing, generosity and understanding—this is called (proper) resort as sup-
port,
50. What is (proper) resort as guarding? Here
4
A bhikkhu, having en-
tered inside a house, having gone into a street, goes with downcast eyes,
seeing the length of a plough yoke, restrained, not looking at an ele-
phant, not looking at a horse, a carriage, a pedestrian, a woman, a man,
not looking up, not looking down, not staring this way and that'
(Nd. 1,474). This is called {proper) resort as guarding.
51. What is (proper) resort as anchoring? It is the four foundations of
mindfulness on which the mind is anchored; for this is said by the
Blessed One: 'Bhikkhus, what is a bhikkhu's resort, his own native
place? It is these four foundations of mindfulness' (S.v,148). This is
called (proper) resort as anchoring.
Being thus furnished with ... endowed with, this (proper) conduct
and this (proper) resort, he is also on that account called 'one possessed
of (proper) conduct and resort'. [20]
52. Seeing fear in the slightest fault (§42): one who has the habit (sila)
of seeing fear in faults of the minutest measure, of such kinds as uninten-
tional contravening of a minor training rule of the Patimokkha, as an
unprofitable thought. He trains himself by undertaking (samdddya) the
precepts of training: whatever there is among the precepts of training to
be trained in, in all that he trains by taking it up rightly (sammd dddya)
And here, as far as the words 'one restrained by the Patimokkha re-
straint', virtue of Patimokkha restraint is shown by discourse in terms of
persons.
13
But all that beginning with the words 'possessed of (proper)
conduct and resort' should be understood as said in order to show the
way of practice that perfects that virtue in him who so practises it.
53. (b) Now as regards the virtue of restraint of faculties shown next to
that in the way beginning 'on seeing a visible object with the eye',
herein he is a bhikkhu established in the virtue of Patimokkha restraint.
On seeing a visible object with the eye: on seeing a visible object with
the eye-consciousness that is capable of seeing visible objects and has
borrowed the name 'eye' from its instrument. But the Ancients (pordnd)
said: 'The eye does not see a visible object because it has no mind. The
mind does not see because it has no eyes. But when there is the impinge-
ment of door and object he sees by means of the consciousness that has
eye-sensitivity as its physical basis. Now (an idiom) such as this is called
an "accessory locution" (sasambhdrakathd), like "He shot him with his
bow", and so on. So the meaning here is this: "On seeing a visible object
with eye-consciousness" \
14
54. Apprehends neither the signs: he does not apprehend the sign of
woman or man, or any sign that is a basis for defilement such as the sign
of beauty, etc.; he stops at what is merely seen. Nor the particulars: he
does not apprehend any aspect classed as hand, foot, smile, laughter,
talk, looking ahead, looking aside, etc., which has acquired the name
'particular' (anubyanjana) because of its particularizing (anu anu byahja-
nato) defilements, because of its making them manifest themselves. He
only apprehends what is really there. Like the Elder Maha-Tissa who
dwelt at Cetiyapabbata.
55. It seems that as the elder was on his way from Cetiyapabbata to
AnurAdhapura for alms, a certain daughter-in-law of a clan, who had
quarrelled with her husband and had set out early from AnurAdhapura
all dressed up and tricked out like a celestial nymph to go to her rela-
tives' home, saw him on the road, and being low-minded, [21] she laughed
a loud laugh. [Wondering] 'What is that?', the elder looked up and find-
ing in the bones of her teeth the perception of foulness (ugliness), he
reached Arahantship.
15
Hence it was said:
'He saw the bones that were her teeth,
And kept in mind his first perception;
And standing on that very spot
The elder became an Arahant'.
But her husband, who was going after her, saw the elder and asked,
'Venerable sir, did you by any chance see a woman?'. The elder toldhim:
'Whether it was a man or woman
That went by I noticed not,
But only that on this high road
There goes a group of bones'.
56. As to the words through which, etc., the meaning is: by reason of
which, because of which non-restraint of the eye faculty, // he, if that
person, left the eye faculty unguarded, remained with the eye door un-
closed by the door-panel of mindfulness, these states of covetousness,
etc., might invade, might pursue, might threaten, him. He enters upon
the way of its restraint: he enters upon the way of closing that eye
faculty by the door-panel of mindfulness. It is the same one of whom it
is said he guards the eye faculty, undertakes the restraint of the eye
faculty.
57. Herein, there is neither restraint nor non-restraint in the actual eye
faculty, since neither mindfulness nor forgetfulness arises in dependence
on eye-sensitivity. On the contrary when a visible datum as object comes
into the eye's focus, then, after the life-continuum has arisen twice and
ceased, the functional mind-element accomplishing the function of ad-
verting arises and ceases. After that, eye-consciousness with the function
of seeing; after that, resultant mind-element with the function of receiv-
ing; after that, resultant root-causeless mind-consciousness-element with
the function of investigating; after that, functional root-causeless mind-
consciousness-element accomplishing the function of determining arises
and ceases. Next to that, impulsion impels.
16
Herein, there is neither
restraint nor non-restraint on the occasion of the life-continuum, or on
any of the occasions beginning with adverting. But there is non-restraint
if unvirtuousness or forgetfulness or unknowing or impatience or idle-
ness arises at the moment of impulsion. When this happens, it is called
'non-restraint in the eye faculty'. [22]
58. Why is that? Because when this happens, the door is not guarded,
nor are the life-continuum and the consciousnesses of the cognitive se-
ries. Like what? Just as, when a city's four gates are not secured, al-
though inside the city house doors, storehouses, rooms, etc., are secured,
yet all property inside the city is unguarded and unprotected since rob-
bers coming in by the city gates can do as they please, so too, when
unvirtuousness, etc., arise in impulsion in which there is no restraint,
then the door too is unguarded, and so also are the life-continuum and
the consciousnesses of the cognitive series beginning with adverting. But
when virtue, etc., has arisen in it, then the door too is guarded and so
also are the life-continuum and the consciousnesses of the cognitive se-
ries beginning with adverting. Like what? Just as, when the city gates are
secured, although inside the city the houses, etc., are not secured, yet all
property inside the city is well guarded, well protected, since when the
city gates are shut there is no ingress for robbers, so too, when virtue,
etc., have arisen in impulsion, the door too is guarded and so also are the
life-continuum and the consciousnesses of the cognitive series beginning
with adverting. Thus although it actually arises at the moment of impul-
sion, it is nevertheless called 'restraint in the eye faculty'.
59. So also as regards the phrases on hearing a sound with the ear and
so on. So it is this virtue, which in brief has the characteristic of avoiding
apprehension of signs entailing defilement with respect to visible objects,
etc., that should be understood as virtue of restraint of faculties.
60. (c) Now as regards the virtue of livelihood purification mentioned
above next to the virtue of restraint of the faculties (§42), the words of
the six precepts announced on account of livelihood mean, of the follow-
ing six training precepts announced thus: 'With livelihood as cause, with
livelihood as reason, one of evil wishes, a prey to wishes, lays claim to a
higher than human state that is non-existent, not a fact', the contraven-
tion of which is defeat (expulsion from the Order); 'With livelihood as
cause, with livelihood as reason, he acts as go-between', the contraven-
tion of which is an offence entailing a meeting of the Order; 'With live-
lihood as cause, with livelihood as reason, he says "A bhikkhu who lives
in your monastery is an Arahant", the contravention of which is a serious
offence in one who is aware of it; 'With livelihood as cause, with liveli-
hood as reason, a bhikkhu who is not sick eats superior food that he has
ordered for his own use', the contravention of which is an offence re-
quiring expiation: 'With livelihood as cause, with livelihood as reason, a
bhikkhuni who is not sick eats superior food that she has ordered for her
own use', the contravention of which is an offence requiring confession;
'With livelihood as cause, with livelihood as reason, one who is not sick
eats curry or boiled rice [23] that he has ordered for his own use', the
contravention of which is an offence of wrongdoing (Vin.v,146). Of
these six precepts.
61. As regards scheming, etc. (§42), this is the text: 'Herein, what is
scheming? It is the grimacing, grimacery, scheming, schemery, schemed-
ness,
17
by what is called rejection of requisites or by indirect talk, or it is
the disposing, posing, composing, of the deportment on the part of one
bent on gain, honour and renown, of one of evil wishes, a prey to wishes—
this is called scheming.
62. 'Herein, what is talking? Talking at others, talking, talking round,
talking up, continual talking up, persuading, continual persuading, sug-
gesting, continual suggesting, ingratiating chatter, flattery, bean-soupery,
fondling, on the part of one bent on gain, honour and renown, of one of
evil wishes, a prey to wishes—this is called talking.
63. 'Herein, what is hinting? A sign to others, giving a sign, indication,
giving indication, indirect talk, roundabout talk, on the part of one bent
on gain, honour and renown, of one of evil wishes, a prey to wishes—
this is called hinting.
64. 'Herein, what is belittling? Abusing of others, disparaging, reproach-
ing, snubbing, continual snubbing, ridicule, continual ridicule, denigra-
tion, continual denigration, tale-bearing, backbiting, on the part of one
bent on gain, honour and renown, of one of evil wishes, a prey to wishes
-this is called belittling.
65. 'Herein, what is pursuing gain with gain? Seeking, seeking for,
seeking out, going in search of, searching for, searching out material
goods by means of material goods, such as carrying there goods that
have been got from here, or carrying here goods that have been got from
there, by one bent on gain, honour and renown, by one of evil wishes,
a prey to wishes—this is called pursuing gain with gain' (Vbh. 352-
53).
18
66. The meaning of this text should be understood as follows: Firstly, as
regards description of scheming: on the part of one bent on gain, honour
and renown is on the part of one who is bent on gain, on honour, and on
reputation; on the part of one who longs for them, is the meaning. [24]
Of one of evil wishes: of one who wants to show qualities that he has not
got. A prey to wishes:
19
the meaning is, of one who is attacked by them.
And after this the passage beginning or by what is called rejection of
requisites is given in order to show the three instances of scheming
given in the Maha-Niddesa as rejection of requisites, indirect talk, and
that based on deportment.
67. Herein, [a bhikkhu] is invited to accept robes, etc., and, precisely
because he wants them, he refuses them out of evil wishes. And then,
since he knows that those householders believe in him implicitly, when
they think *Oh, how few are our lord's wishes! He will not accept a
thing!' and they put fine robes, etc., before him by various means, he
then accepts, making a show that he wants to be compassionate towards
them—it is this hypocrisy of his, which becomes the cause of their
subsequently bringing them even by cartloads, that should be understood
as the instance of scheming called rejection of requisites.
68. For this is said in the Maha-Niddesa: 'What is the instance of schem-
ing called rejection of requisites? Here householders invite bhikkhus [to
accept] robes, alms food, resting place, and the requisite of medicine as
cure for the sick. One who is of evil wishes, a prey to wishes, wanting
robes ... alms food ... resting place ... the requisite of medicine as cure
for the sick, refuses robes ... alms food ... resting place ... the requisite of
medicine as cure for the sick, because he wants more. He says: "What
has an ascetic to do with expensive robes? It is proper for an ascetic to
gather rags from a chamel ground or from a rubbish heap or from a shop
and make them into a patchwork cloak to wear. What has an ascetic to
do with expensive alms food? It is proper for an ascetic to get his living
by the dropping of lumps [of food into his bowl] while he wanders for
gleanings. What has an ascetic to do with an expensive resting place? It
is proper for an ascetic to be a tree-root-dweller or an open-air-dweller.
What has an ascetic to do with an expensive requisite of medicine as
cure for the sick. It is proper for an ascetic to cure himself with putrid
urine
20
and broken gall nuts". Accordingly he wears a coarse robe, eats
coarse alms food, [25] uses a coarse resting place, uses a coarSe requisite
of medicine as cure for the sick. Then householders think, "This ascetic
has few wishes, is content, is secluded, keeps aloof from company, is
strenuous, is a preacher of asceticism", and they invite him more and
more [to accept] robes, alms food, resting places, and the requisite of
medicine as cure for the sick. He says: "With three things present a
faithful clansman produces much merit: with faith present a faithful
clansman produces much merit, with goods to be given present a faithful
clansman produces much merit, with those worthy to receive present a
faithful clansman produces much merit. You have faith; the goods to be
given are here; and I am here to accept. If I do not accept, then you will
be deprived of the merit. That is no goqjd to me. Rather will I accept out
of compassion for you". Accordingly he accepts many robes, he accepts
much alms food, he accepts many resting places, he accepts many requi-
sites of medicine as cure for the sick. Such grimacing, grimacery, schem-
ing, schemery, schemedness, is known as the instance of scheming called
rejection of requisites' (Nd.l, 224-25).
69. It is hypocrisy on the part of one of evil wishes, who gives it to be
understood verbally in some way or Qther that he has attained a higher
than human state, that should be understood as the instance of scheming
called indirect talk, according as it is said: *What is the instance of
scheming called indirect talk? Here someone of evil wishes, a prey to
wishes, eager to be admired, [thinking] "Thus people will admire me",
speaks words about the noble state. He says, "He who wears such a robe
is a very important ascetic". He says, "He who carries such a bowl,
metal cup, water filler, water strainer, key, wears such a waist band,
sandals, is a very important ascetic". He says, "He who has such a pre-
ceptor ... teacher ... who has the same preceptor, who has the same
teacher, who has such a friend, associate, intimate, companion; he who
lives in such a monastery, lean-to, mansion, villa,
21
cave, grotto, hut,
pavilion, watch tower, hall, barn, meeting hall, [26] room, at such a tree
root, is a very important ascetic". Or alternatively, all-gushing, all-grim-
acing, all-scheming, all-talkative, with an expression of admiration* he
utters such deep, mysterious, cunning, obscure, supramundane talk sug-
gestive of voidness as "This ascetic is an obtainer of peaceful abidings
and attainments such as these". Such grimacing, grimacery, scheming,
schemery, schemedness, is known as the instance of scheming called
indirect talk' (Nd. 1,226-27).
70. It is hypocrisy on the part of one of evil wishes, which takes the
form of deportment influenced by eagerness to be admired, that should
be understood as the instance of scheming dependent on deportment,
according as it is said: 'What is the instance of scheming called deport-
ment? Here someone of evil wishes, a prey to wishes, eager to be ad-
mired, [thinking] "Thus people will admire me", composes his way of
walking, composes his way of lying down; he* walks studiedly, stands
studiedly, sits studiedly, lies down studiedly; he walks as though concen-
trated, stands, sits, lies down as though concentrated; and he is one who
meditates in public. Such disposing, posing, composing, of deportment,
grimacing, grimacery, scheming, schemery, schemedness, is known as
the instance of scheming called deportment' (Nd. 1,225-26).
71. Herein, the words by what is called rejection of requisites (§61)
mean: by what is called thus 'rejection of requisites'; or they mean: by
means of the rejection of requisites that is so called. By indirect talk
means: by talking near to the subject. Of deportment means: of the four
modes of deportment (postures). Disposing is initial posing, or careful
posing. Posing is the manner of posing. Composing is prearranging;
assuming a trust-inspiring attitude, is what is meant. Grimacing is mak-
ing grimaces by showing great intenseness; facial contraction is what is
meant. One who has the habit of making grimaces is a grimacer. The
grimacer's state is grimacery. Scheming is hypocrisy. The way (dyana)
of a schemer (kuha) is schemery (kuhdyana). The state of what is schemed
is schemedness.
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