THE UDANA COMMENTARY
(Paramatthadipani nama Udanatthakatha)
by
Dhammapala
Translated from the Pali
by
PETER MASEFIELD
CHAPTER THREE: NANDA CHAPTER
§1. Kamma
[165] In the first (sutta) of the Nanda Chapter: a certain monk
(annataro bhikkhu): some monk in whom the asavas had been
destroyed unspecified byway of name and gotra.
It is said that he, a gentleman (and) a resident of Rajagaha, saw the fault with
samsara upon receiving a shock from the elder Moggallana,
went forth in the Teacher’s presence, cleansed the precepts,
took up, as his meditation subject, the four truths, and then, not
long afterwards, reached arahantship after eagerly practising
vipassana.
At a later stage there arose in him a grating affliction—
he dwelled putting up with it by means of reviewing (same), for
there is known no mental dukkha on the part of those in whom
the asavas have been destroyed, although there is still bodily
dukkha
. One day, when the Lord was teaching Dhamma, he
seated himself in a cross-legged position, at a place not too far
off, putting up with that dukkha, for which reason “Was seated
not far from the Lord” and so on was said. Herein:
Crosswise (pallankam): the sitting posture in which the thighs
are completely locked. After folding (abhujitvay after locking.
After directing his body upright (ujum kayam panidhaya)\ after
setting his upper body upright, causing the eighteen backbones
to be arranged end to end. For in that way the skin, flesh and
sinews of one who is seated are not twisted; therefore he was
seated in that manner. Bom as the ripening of ancient kamma
(puranakammavipakakajam) born as a result of being the ripening
of kamma formerly performed; or alternatively born within the
ripening of ancient kamma, within the collective that forms the
cycle of ripening made up of happiness and dukkha, through
being a part thereof. What is this ?—that which is painful. And
in indicating, by means of this “Born as the ripening of ancient
kamma”, that that affliction has kamma as its origination, he
rejects the possibility of its being born due to sudden attack from
without or seasonal change and so on.
That was painful (dukkham). that was impossible to be
tolerated by puthujjanas. [166] Sharp (tippam)'. acute; or
alternatively thick by way of their overpowering occurrence.
Grating(kharam): harsh. Stabbing(katukam): disagreeable. Putting
up with (adhivasento): staying on top of (upari vasento), enduring,
tolerating. Mindful, attentive (sato sampajano): possessing
mindfulness and attending by way of mindfulness and
attentiveness seizing upon that sensation.
This is what is said:
having become mindful through mindfulness exercised by
way of noting the impermanence of sensation, viz. “This, known
as sensation, is impermanent in the sense of being non-existent
after having been, is dependently co-arisen on account of its
having arisen dependent upon an undesirable object-condition
- and so on, (and), on account of the fact that its own nature is
that of being utterly perishable, is, once it has arisen, liable to
destruction, liable to decay, liable to fading away, liable to
cessation”, and attentive by way of piercing its unequivocal
nature. Or, alternatively, mindful on account of the fact of
mindfulness being fully present quite everywhere where body,
sensations, mind and mental states16 are concerned through
attainment of fullness of mindfulness; likewise attentive on
account of the fact of the formations having been apprehended
through attainment of fullness of insight. Not coming to grief
(avihannamano): was seated as though he had attained (some)
attainment, not coming to grief—unlike the blind puthujjana
after the manner stated, viz. “Not being in possession of the oral
teaching, monks, the puthujjana, upon being contacted by all
manner of painful phenomenon, grieves, becomes disspirited,
laments, wails beating his breast, falls into disillusionment”
( —(but) putting up with bodily dukkha alone, born as
the ripening of kamma, without giving rise to mental dukkha,
on account of its having been completely rooted out byway of
the path itself.
Saw (addasa): saw (addakkhi, alternative grammatical form)
that venerable one seated in that way with the tolerance that
puts up with things.
This matter (etam attham): fathoming in all its modes this
matter, reckoned as the failure on the part of those in whom the
asavas have been destroyed to be smeared by worldly dhammas,
that is the reason for their not exercising concern aimed at
having even ill health of such a kind cured by physicians and so
on.
This Udana (imam udanam): gave rise to this Udana in
explanation of the attainment of freedom from annoyance
from any painful phenomena whatsoever on the part of those
who have got Dhamma weighed up. Herein:
Who has given up all kamma (sabbakammajahassa): who has
abandoned all kamma; for onwards from the time of the arising
of the topmost path, all deeds, both skilled and unskilled, are
said to be abandoned for the arahant, on account of their
being incapable of giving relinking, due to which knowledge
associated with the ariyan path is called “that which effects the
destruction of kamma”,
For the monk (bhikkhuno): for the (one
who is a) monk through being one in whom the defilements
have been broken up (bhinnakilesataya). Who is shaking off dust
created earlier (dhunamanassa purekatam rajam): who is shaking
off, who is shattering, byway of experiencing its ripening, that
kamma that is to be experienced as dukkha, that was created
previous to the attainment of arahantship, (and) that has
acquired the name “dust” on account of the fact that it is mixed
with the dusts of lust and so on26; [167] whereas after the
attainment of arahantship, there is no generation whatsoever of
blameable activity, whilst blameless activity27 is, on account of
the root of becoming having been extirpated, merely and solely
(kammically) neutral, due to the absence of any capability to
give fruition, like a flower whose root has been extirpated.
For that one with none of “mine” (amamassa): for that one with none of
‘mine’, for that one in whom mine-making is absent, due to the
absence of seizing upon (anything) as ‘mine’ anywhere amidst
material form and so on30. For he for whom there is mine
making causes his body, through affection for self, to be taken
Saw (addasa): saw (addakkhi, alternative grammatical form)
that venerable one seated in that way with the tolerance that
puts up with things.
This matter (etam attham): fathoming in all its modes this
matter, reckoned as the failure on the part of those in whom the
asavas have been destroyed to be smeared by worldly dhammas,
that is the reason for their not exercising concern aimed at
having even ill health of such a kind cured by physicians and so
on. This Udana (imam udanam): gave rise to this Udana in
explanation of the attainment of freedom from annoyance
from any painful phenomena whatsoever on the part of those
who have got Dhamma weighed up Herein:
Who has given up all kamma (sabbakammajahassa): who has
abandoned all kamma; for onwards from the time of the arising
of the topmost path, all deeds, both skilled and unskilled, are
said to be abandoned for the arahant23, on account of their
being incapable of giving relinking, due to which knowledge
associated with the ariyan path is called “that which effects the
destruction of kamma”, For the monk (bhikkhuno): for the (one
who is a) monk through being one in whom the defilements
have been broken up (bhinnakilesataya). Who is shaking off dust
created earlier (dhunamanassa purekatam rajam): who is shaking
off, who is shattering, byway of experiencing its ripening, that
kamma that is to be experienced as dukkha, that was created
previous to the attainment of arahantship, (and) that has
acquired the name “dust” on account of the fact that it is mixed
with the dusts of lust and so on; [167] whereas after the
attainment of arahantship, there is no generation whatsoever of
blameable activity, whilst blameless activity is, on account of
the root of becoming having been extirpated, merely and solely
(kammically) neutral, due to the absence of any capability to
give fruition, like a flower whose root has been extirpated. For
that one with none of “mine” (amamassa): for that one with none of
‘mine’, for that one in whom mine-making is absent, due to the
absence of seizing upon (anything) as ‘mine’ anywhere amidst
material form and so on.
For he for whom there is mine
making causes his body, through affection for self, to be taken
need to cause folk to address (lapetave) him saying “What does the worthy
one require ?” by indicating some sign, to cause them to address (
lapapetum, alternative grammatical form) him by way of an
invitation involving the requisites, on account of the fact of
wrong livelihood of such a kind (tadisassa) having been
completely rooted out by way of the path itself. Hence did the
Lord make manifest, to those wondering “For what (purpose)
is this elder, who has failed to have his ill health cured by
physicians, seated not far from the Lord?**, the reason where his
failure to have them cure him was concerned.
The exposition of the first sutta is concluded.