7. Here is a brief commentary [on the stanza]. Established well in virtue: standing on virtue. It is only one actually fulfilling virtue who is here said to “stand on virtue.” So, the meaning here is this: being established well in virtue by fulfilling virtue. A man: a living being. Wise: possessing the kind of understanding that is born of kamma by means of a rebirth-linking with triple root-cause. Develops consciousness and understanding: develops both concentration and insight. For it is concentration that is described here under the heading of “consciousness,” and insight under that of “understanding.” Ardent (átápin): possessing energy. For it is
energy that is called “ardour” (átápa) in the sense of burning up and consuming (átápana-paritápana) defilements. He has that, thus he is ardent. Sagacious: it is
understanding that is called “sagacity”; possessing that, is the meaning. This word shows protective understanding. For understanding is mentioned three times in the reply to the question. Herein, the first is naïve understanding, the second is understanding consisting in insight, while the third is the protective understanding that guides all affairs. He sees fear (bhayaí ikkhati) in the round of rebirths, thus he is a bhikkhu. He succeeds in disentangling this tangle: Just as a man standing on the ground and taking up a well-sharpened knife might disentangle a great tangle of bamboos, so too, he—this bhikkhu who possesses the six things, namely, this virtue, and this concentration described under the heading of consciousness, and this
threefold understanding, and this ardour—standing on the ground of virtue and taking up with the hand of protective-understanding exerted by the power of energy the knife of insight-understanding well-sharpened on the stone of concentration, might disentangle, cut away and demolish all the tangle of craving that had overgrown his own life’s continuity. But it is at the moment of the path that he is said to be disentangling that tangle; at the moment of fruition he has disentangled the tangle and is worthy of the highest offerings in the world with its deities. That is why the Blessed One said:
“When a wise man, established well in virtue,
Develops consciousness and understanding,
Then as a bhikkhu ardent and sagacious
He succeeds in disentangling this tangle.”
8. Herein there is nothing for him to do about the [naïve] understanding on account of which he is called wise; for that has been established in him simply by the influence of previous kamma. But the words ardent and sagacious mean that by persevering with energy of the kind here described and by acting in full awareness with understanding he should, having become well established in virtue, develop the serenity and insight that are described as concentration and understanding. This is how the Blessed One shows the path of purification under the headings of virtue, concentration, and understanding there.
9. What has been shown so far is the three trainings, the dispensation that is good in three ways, the necessary condition for the threefold clear-vision, etc., the avoidance of the two extremes and the cultivation of the middle way, the means to surmounting the states of loss, etc., the abandoning of defilements in three aspects, prevention of transgression etc., purification from the three kinds of defilements, and the reason for the states of stream-entry and so on. How?
10. Here the training of higher virtue is shown by virtue; the training of higher consciousness, by concentration; and the training of higher understanding, by understanding.
The dispensation’s goodness in the beginning is shown by virtue. Because of the passage, “And what is the beginning of profitable things? Virtue that is quite purified” (S V 143), and because of the passage beginning, “The not doing of any evil” (Dhp 183), virtue is the beginning of the dispensation. And that is good because
it brings about the special qualities of non-remorse,5 and so on. Its goodness in the middle is shown by concentration. Because of the passage beginning, “Entering upon the profitable” (Dhp 183), concentration is the middle of the dispensation. And that is good because it brings about the special qualities of supernormal power, and so on. Its goodness in the end is shown by understanding. Because of the passage,
“The purifying of one’s own mind-this is the Buddhas’ dispensation” (Dhp 183), and because understanding is its culmination, understanding is the end of the dispensation. And that is good because it brings about equipoise with respect to the desired and the undesired. For this is said:
“Just as a solid massive rock
Remains unshaken by the wind,
So too, in face of blame and praise
The wise remain immovable” (Dhp 81).
By Bhikkhu Ñānamoli