86. Herein, the robe is any one of those beginning with the inner cloth. He uses: heemploys; dresses in [as inner cloth], or puts on [as upper garment]. Only is a phrase signifying invariability in the definition of a limit 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 disturbance of elements internally or through change in temperature externally. For protection: for the purpose of warding off; for the purpose of eliminating 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 flies, wind and burning and creeping 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 invariable purpose; the others are purposes periodically. Herein, private parts are any parts of the pudendum. For when a member is disclosed, conscience (hiri) is disturbed (kuppati), offended. It is called “private parts” (hirikopìna) because of the disturbance of conscience (hiri-kopana). For the purpose of concealing the private parts: for the purpose of the concealment of those private parts. [As well as the reading “hiriko-pìna-paticchádanattham] there is a reading “hirikopìnam paticchádanattham.”
89. Alms food is any sort of food. For any sort of nutriment is called “alms food” (pindapáta—lit. “lump-dropping”) because of its having been dropped (patitattá) into a bhikkhu’s bowl during his alms round (pindolya). Or alms food (pindapáta) is the dropping (páta) of the lumps (pinda); it is the concurrence (sannipáta), the collection, of alms (bhikkhá) obtained 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. 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 embellishment: 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 embellishment 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 amusement, intoxication, smartening, and embellishment. Furthermore, endurance 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 consisting 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, just as those seeking to cross a river use a raft, and just as those seeking to cross the ocean use a ship.
By Bhikkhu Ñānamoli