97. From arisen: from born, become, produced. Hurtful: here “hurt (affliction)” is a disturbance of elements, and it is the leprosy, tumours, boils, etc., originated by that disturbance. Hurtful (veyyábádhika) because arisen in the form of hurt (byábádha). Feelings: painful feelings, feelings resulting from unprofitable kamma—from those hurtful feelings. 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 paþi + ayati); “concerning requisites” is concerning those requisites.
98. So, in this fourfold virtue, Pátimokkha restraint has to be undertaken 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 undertaken through faith the training precepts without exception
as announced, one should completely perfect them without regard for life. For
this is said:
“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.” (Source untraced)
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 of life” (A IV201).
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 Mahávaþþanì Forest bound an elder with blackcreepers 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 Brahmá-world. Also they bound another elder in Tambapaóói Island(Sri Lanka) with string creepers and made him lie down. When a forest fire came and the creepers were not cut, he established insight and attained Nibbána simultaneously with his death. When the Elder Abhaya, a preacher of the Dìgha
Nikáya, 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. And as Pátimokkha restraint is undertaken out of faith, so restraint 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” (SIV 168), this [restraint] should be properly undertaken by preventing withunremitting 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 connection with the eye door, and so on.
By Bhikkhu Ñānamoli