• Cakkhupālattheravatthu - 2
  • Buddhā (nom.pl.) ca nāma dhammaṃ desentā saraṇasīlapabbajjādīnaṃ (catutthi/chaṭṭhī) upanissayaṃ oloketvā ajjhāsayavasena dhammaṃ desenti, tasmā taṃ divasaṃ satthā tassa (mahāpāla’s) upanissayaṃ oloketvā dhammaṃ desento anupubbikathaṃ kathesi. Seyyathidaṃ – dānakathaṃ, sīlakathaṃ, saggakathaṃ, kāmānaṃ ādīnavaṃ okāraṃ saṃkilesaṃ, nekkhamme ānisaṃsaṃ pakāsesi.
    • And those who are called Buddhas, while teaching the dhamma, having checked the strong supporting conditions for / of refuge-taking, precepts, ordination and so on, preach the dhamma according to the disposition (of the listeners). Therefore, on that day, the Teacher, seeing his strong supporting conditions, gave a progressive talk while teaching the dhamma explaining the following: talk on giving, talk on precepts, talk on divine realms, the danger, inferiority and corruption of sense-pleasures, the advantages of renunciation.
  • Taṃ sutvā mahāpālo kuṭumbiko cintesi – “Paralokaṃ gacchantaṃ puttadhītaro vā bhātaro vā bhogā vā nānugacchanti, sarīrampi attanā saddhiṃ na gacchati, kiṃ me gharāvāsena, pabbajissāmī”ti. So desanāpariyosāne satthāraṃ upasaṅkamitvā pabbajjaṃ yāci.
    • Having heard that, the householder Mahāpāla thought, “Sons, daughters, brothers or wealth do not follow one who is going to the next world. Even the body does not go together with one. What is the household life for me? I will go forth.” At the end of the teaching, he approached the Teacher and requested for ordination.
    • note:
      • the comm. explains that sometimes the accusative case can also be understood as bhavalakkhaṇa (when…)
      • kiṁ - in the meaning “what is the use of” - is followed by tatiyāvibhatti: “kiṁ me ekena tiṇṇena…”
  • Atha naṃ satthā – “Atthi te (gen.) koci āpucchitabba(kitaka)yuttako (suitable; someone who is ‘combined’ with the state of one who should be asked permission from; the bhāva suffix is dropped) ñātī”ti āha. “Kaniṭṭhabhātā (bhātu) me atthi, bhante”ti. “Tena hi (nipātasamudāya) taṃ āpucchāhī”ti. So “Sādhū”ti sampaṭicchitvā satthāraṃ vanditvā gehaṃ gantvā kaniṭṭhaṃ pakkosāpetvā (having had summoned) – “Tāta, yaṃ mayhaṃ (dat/gen) imasmiṃ gehe saviññāṇakampi aviññāṇakampi dhanaṃ kiñci atthi, sabbaṃ taṃ tava (dat.) bhāro (responsibility, duty), paṭipajjāhi nan’ti. “Tumhe pana kiṃ karissathā”ti āha. “Ahaṃ satthu santike pabbajissāmī”ti.
    • Then the Teacher said this: “Is there any relative of yours from whom it is suitable for permission to be asked?”, “There is my younger brother, venerable sir”, “If that is so, ask his permission”. He accepted by saying “sādhu”, payed respects to the Teacher, went back home and having summoned his younger brother, said: “Dear brother, whatever wealth is there in this house that is mine, be it either inanimate or animate, all of that is your responsiblity, please manage it”. “But what will you do?”, “I will ordained under the Buddha”.
    • “āgataṁ bhāraṁ vahitabbaṁ” - a monk should carry his responsiblity
    • note:
      • yuttaka [√yuj + ta + ka]: adj. proper; suitable; appropriate
      • kaci [ka + ci]: pron. someone; something; anyone; anything; whoever; somewhere, anywhere
      • bhāra [√bhar + *a] masc.: burden; load; weight; 2 masc. duty; task; responsibility; difficult matter; 3 adj. difficult; burdensome
      • nipātasamudāya masc.: (gram) collection of indeclinable words
      • paṭipajjati [pati + √pad + ya + ti]: pr. (+acc) follows a path; undertake a journey; travels 2 pr. (+acc) practices; follows a course of action; follows a method 3 pr. (+acc) goes to; walks along
  • “Kiṃ kathesi (vattamāna) bhātika, tvaṃ me mātari matāya (bhavalakkhaṇa) mātā viya, pitari mate pitā viya laddho (received by me), gehe (sattamī) te (dat./gen.) mahāvibhavo, sakkā (nipāta) gehaṃ ajjhāvasanteheva (pl.) puññāni kātuṃ, mā evaṃ karitthā”ti. “Tāta, ahaṃ satthu (gen.) dhammadesanaṃ sutvā gharāvāse vasituṃ na sakkomi. Satthārā (ins./abl.) hi atisaṇhasukhumaṃ tilakkhaṇaṃ āropetvā ādimajjhapariyosānakalyāṇo dhammo desito, na sakkā so agāramajjhe vasantena pūretuṃ, pabbajissāmi, tātā”ti.
    • “What are you saying, brother? When mother passed away, you were received by me like a mother, when father passed away, like a father. In your house there is a lot of wealth / There is a lot of your wealth in the house. It is possible for those who are living in the household life to perform meritorious deeds. Do not do like that!”, “Dear brother, after hearing the Teacher’s explanation on the dhamma, I am unable to live in the household life. The dhamma, which is good in the beginning, middle and end, was preached by the Teacher having gained insight into the three very fine and subtle characteristics. That dhamma cannot be fulfilled by one who is living the household life. I will ordain, dear brother.”
  • “Bhātika, taruṇāyeva (taruṇā eva [plural out of respect]) tāvattha (tāva attha [you are]), mahallakakāle pabbajissathā (bhavissanti)”ti. “Tāta, mahallakassa hi attano hatthapādāpi anassavā honti, na attano vase vattanti, kimaṅgaṃ pana ñātakā (let alone relatives), svāhaṃ (so ahaṁ) tava kathaṃ na karomi, samaṇapaṭipattiṃyeva pūressāmi” “jarājajjaritā (tatiyā/pañcamī tappurisa) honti, hatthapādā anassavā, yassa so vihatatthāmo (bahubbīhi), kathaṃ dhammaṃ carissati”. –
    • Brother, you are still very young. You can ordain (lit. you will ordain) in old age”. “Dear brother, even the arms and legs of an old person are disobedient, they do not occur according to their wish, let alone relatives. That I won’t do your argument, I will fulfill the contemplative practice” “Old and weakened are disobedient hands and feet, whoever’s strength was destroyed, how could he follow the dhamma?”
  • Pabbajissāmevāhaṃ, tātāti tassa viravantasseva (anādara - bhāvalakkhaṇa) satthu santikaṃ gantvā pabbajjaṃ yācitvā laddhapabbajjūpasampado (bahubbīhi) ācariyupajjhāyānaṃ santike pañca vassāni vasitvā vuṭṭhavasso pavāretvā satthāramupasaṅkamitvā vanditvā pucchi – “bhante, imasmiṃ sāsane kati dhurānī”ti? “ganthadhuraṃ, vipassanādhuranti dveyeva dhurāni bhikkhū”ti. “katamaṃ pana, bhante, ganthadhuraṃ, katamaṃ vipassanādhura”nti? “attano paññānurūpena ekaṃ vā dve vā nikāye sakalaṃ vā pana tepiṭakaṃ buddhavacanaṃ uggaṇhitvā tassa dhāraṇaṃ, kathanaṃ, vācananti idaṃ ganthadhuraṃ nāma,
    • “I will certainly ordain, dear brother” - even as the young brother was crying out, he went nonetheless to the presence of the Teacher, requested for ordination, and after having received the going-forth and higher ordination lived for five years under his preceptor and teachers. After spending the rainy season he performed the Invitation, approached the Teacher and after paying respect asked, “Your reverance, how many responsibilities are there in the dispensation?”, “The responsibility of learning and the responsibility of insight, these are the two responsibilities, monk”. “What is the responsibility of learning, and what that of insight?”, “After learning one or two collections, or even the whole of the Buddha’s words consisting of three baskets according to one’s wisdom, keeping it in mind, discussing it and reciting it. This is called the responsibility of learning.
    • anādara “mātāpitunnaṁ rudantānaṁ bodhisatto pabbaji”: bhāvalakkhaṇa with the additional meaning not caring, disregarding
  • sallahukavuttino (dat./gen.) pana pantasenāsanābhiratassa attabhāve khayavayaṃ paṭṭhapetvā sātaccakiriyavasena vipassanaṃ vaḍḍhetvā arahattaggahaṇanti idaṃ vipassanādhuraṃ nāmā”ti.
    • For (?) one who lives frugally, rejoicing in a secluded dwelling, establishing [the meditation] on the exhaustion and vanishing of the the five aggregates, growing the insight by means of perseverance seizing the state of a worthy one. This is the responsibility of insight.
    • not bhavalakkhana because no action in genitive case, only agent
  • “bhante, ahaṃ mahallakakāle pabbajito ganthadhuraṃ pūretuṃ na sakkhissāmi, vipassanādhuraṃ pana pūressāmi, kammaṭṭhānaṃ me kathethā”ti. athassa satthā yāva arahattaṃ kammaṭṭhānaṃ kathesi.
    • “Venerable Sir, I will not be able to fulfil the responsibility of learning having ordained in old age, but the responsibility of insight I will fulfil. Please, expound me a meditation subject.” Then the Teacher expounded a meditation subject up to the worthy state to him.
    • mahallaka: huge, old, ancient
    • sakkissati ⇒ sakkhissati
  • so satthāraṃ vanditvā attanā sahagāmino bhikkhū pariyesanto saṭṭhi bhikkhū labhitvā tehi saddhiṃ nikkhamitvā vīsayojanasatamaggaṃ gantvā ekaṃ mahantaṃ paccantagāmaṃ patvā tattha saparivāro piṇḍāya pāvisi.

    • Having payed homage to the Teacher, he searched for monks as companions and having gotten 60, left together with them and went on the 120-leagues-long road. After reaching a big bordering village, there he went for alms with his following.

    • always read until the gerunds or -anta for translating
    • in pāḷi there are future participles, “the one who will go” (sahagāmino), kitaka nouns that refer to future tense
    • in pāḷi it is not said 20 hundred, but two thousand, so here it must be a hundred and twenty
    • example of present / past / future participle
      • present participle vattamāna kitaka ⇒ gacchanta past participle atīta kitaka ⇒ gata future participle anāgata kitaka ⇒ gāmī (gam + ṇī) (the one who will go)
    • pāpuṇāti ⇒ pa ap tvā ⇒ paptvā ⇒ patvā
    • saparivāro ⇒ bahubbīhi samāsa
    • pa a vis i ⇒ (a is added before the root in the past and ī is shortened)
  • manussā vattasampanne bhikkhū disvāva pasannacittā āsanāni paññāpetvā nisīdāpetvā paṇītenāhārena parivisitvā, “bhante, kuhiṃ ayyā gacchantī”ti pucchitvā “yathā(?)phāsukaṭṭhānaṃ upāsakā”ti vutte paṇḍitā manussā “vassāvāsaṃ senāsanaṃ pariyesanti bhadantā”ti ñatvā, “bhante, sace ayyā imaṃ temāsaṃ idha vaseyyuṃ, mayaṃ saraṇesu patiṭṭhāya sīlāni gaṇheyyāmā”ti āhaṃsu. tepi “mayaṃ imāni kulāni nissāya bhavanissaraṇaṃ karissāmā”ti adhivāsesuṃ.
    • Just as the people saw the well-behaved monks, they gladly prepared seats and had them seat. They served them with sumptuous food and asked, “Venerable sirs, where are the masters headed to?”. Being told, “To a comfortable place, devotees”, the wise ones, understanding that the venerables were in search of a dwelling for the rains retreat said, “venerable sirs, if the masters dwell here for the three months, we shall get established in the refuges and take the precepts”. The monks too agreed thinking, “Depending on these families, we will make an exodus from existence.”
  • manussā tesaṃ paṭiññaṃ gahetvā vihāraṃ paṭijaggitvā rattiṭṭhānadivāṭṭhānāni sampādetvā adaṃsu. te nibaddhaṃ tameva gāmaṃ piṇḍāya pavisanti. atha ne eko vejjo upasaṅkamitvā, “bhante, bahūnaṃ vasanaṭṭhāne aphāsukampi nāma hoti, tasmiṃ uppanne mayhaṃ (dat.) katheyyātha, bhesajjaṃ karissāmī”ti pavāresi.
    • After getting the monks’ consent, the villagers repaired the monastery, preparing the night dwellings and day dwellings, and offered them. They continually went for alms on that village. Then one doctor approached and invited them, “Venerable Sirs, where many live there is discomfort as well. When it arises may you tell me. I shall then make some medicine.”
  • thero vassūpanāyikadivase te bhikkhū āmantetvā pucchi, “āvuso, imaṃ temāsaṃ (accantasaṁyoga) katihi iriyāpathehi vītināmessathā”ti? “catūhi, bhante”ti.
    • On the day of entering the rains retreat, the elder addressed the monks asquing, “Friends, with how many postures will you spend these three months?”, “With four, sir”