45. “[Proper] resort: there is [proper] resort and improper resort. Herein, what is improper resort? Here someone has prostitutes as resort, or he has widows, old maids, eunuchs, bhikkhunìs, or taverns as resort; or he dwells associated with kings, kings’ ministers, sectarians, sectarians’ disciples, in unbecoming association with laymen; or he cultivates, frequents, honours, such families as are faithless, untrusting, abusive and rude, who wish harm, wish ill, wish woe, wish no surcease of bondage, for bhikkhus and bhikkhunìs, for male and female devotees —this is called improper resort. Herein, what is [proper] resort? Here someone does not
have prostitutes as resort … or taverns as resort; he does not dwell associated with kings … sectarians’ disciples, in unbecoming association with laymen; he cultivates, frequents, honours, such families as are faithful and trusting, who are a solace, where the yellow cloth glows, where the breeze of sages blows, who wish good, wish well, wish joy, wish surcease of bondage, for bhikkhus and bhikkhunìs, for male and female devotees—this is called [proper] resort. Thus he is furnished with, fully furnished with, provided with, fully provided with, supplied with, possessed of, endowed with, this [proper] conduct and this [proper] resort. Hence it is said, ’Possessed of [the proper] conduct and resort’” (Vibh 246–47).
46. Furthermore, [proper] conduct and resort should also be understood here inthe following way; for improper conduct is twofold as bodily and verbal. Herein, what is bodily improper conduct? “Here someone acts disrespectfully before the Community, and he stands jostling elder bhikkhus, sits jostling them, stands in
front of them, sits in front of them, sits on a high seat, sits with his head covered, talks standing up, talks waving his arms … walks with sandals while elder bhikkhus walk without sandals, walks on a high walk while they walk on a low walk, walks on a walk while they walk on the ground … stands pushing elder bhikkhus, sits
pushing them, prevents new bhikkhus from getting a seat … and in the bath house … without asking elder bhikkhus he puts wood on [the stove] … bolts the door … and at the bathing place he enters the water jostling elder bhikkhus, enters it in front of them, bathes jostling them, bathes in front of them, comes out jostling them, comes out in front of them … and entering inside a house he goes jostling elder bhikkhus, goes in front of them, pushing forward he goes in front of them … and where families have inner private screened rooms in which the women of the family … the girls of the family, sit, there he enters abruptly, and he strokes a child’s head” (Nidd I 228–29). This is called bodily improper conduct.
47. Herein, what is verbal improper conduct? “Here someone acts disrespectfully before the Community. Without asking elder bhikkhus he talks on the Dhamma, answers questions, recites the Pátimokkha, talks standing up, talks waving his arms … having entered inside a house, he speaks to a woman or a girl thus: ‘You, so and-so of such-and-such a clan, what is there? Is there rice gruel? Is there cooked rice? Is there any hard food to eat? What shall we drink? What hard food shall we eat? What soft food shall we eat? Or what will you give me?’—he chatters like this” (Nidd I 230). This is called verbal improper conduct.
48. Proper conduct should be understood in the opposite sense to that. Furthermore, a bhikkhu is respectful, deferential, possessed of conscience and shame, wears his inner robe properly, wears his upper robe properly, his manner inspires confidence whether in moving forwards or backwards, looking ahead or aside, bending or stretching, his eyes are downcast, he has (a good) deportment, he guards the doors of his sense faculties, knows the right measure in eating, is devoted to wakefulness, possesses mindfulness and full awareness, wants little, is contented, is strenuous, is a careful observer of good behaviour, and treats the teachers with great respect. This is called (proper) conduct. This firstly is how (proper) conduct should be understood.
49. (Proper) resort is of three kinds: (proper) resort as support, (proper) resort as guarding, and (proper) resort as anchoring. Herein, what is (proper) resort as support? A good friend who exhibits the instances of talk, in whose presence one hears what has not been heard, corrects what has been heard, gets rid of doubt,
rectifies one’s view, and gains confidence; or by training under whom one grows in faith, virtue, learning, generosity and understanding—this is called (proper) resort as support.
50. What is (proper) resort as guarding? Here “A bhikkhu, having entered inside a house, having gone into a street, goes with downcast eyes, seeing the length of a plough yoke, restrained, not looking at an elephant, not looking at a horse, a carriage, a pedestrian, a woman, a man, not looking up, not looking down, not staring this
way and that” (Nidd I 474). This is called (proper) resort as guarding.
51. What is (proper) resort as anchoring? It is the four foundations of mindfulness on which the mind is anchored; for this is said by the Blessed One: “Bhikkhus, what is a bhikkhu’s resort, his own native place? It is these four foundations of mindfulness” (S V 148). This is called (proper) resort as anchoring. Being thus furnished with … endowed with, this (proper) conduct and this (proper) resort, he is also on that account called “one possessed of (proper) conduct and resort.”
52. Seeing fear in the slightest fault (§42): one who has the habit (sìla) of seeing fear in faults of the minutest measure, of such kinds as unintentional contravening of a minor training rule of the Pátimokkha, or the arising of unprofitable thoughts. He trains himself by undertaking (samádáya) the precepts of training: whatever there is among the precepts of training to be trained in, in all that he trains by taking it up rightly (sammá ádáya). And here, as far as the words, “one restrained by the Pátimokkha restraint,” virtue of Pátimokkha restraint is shown by discourse in terms of persons. But all that beginning with the words, “possessed of [proper] conduct and resort” should be understood as said in order to show the way of practice that perfects that virtue in him who so practices it.
53. (b) Now, as regards the virtue of restraint of faculties shown next to that in the way beginning, “on seeing a visible object with the eye,” herein he is a bhikkhu established in the virtue of Pátimokkha restraint. On seeing a visible object with the eye: on seeing a visible object with the eye-consciousness that is capable of seeing visible objects and has borrowed the name “eye” from its instrument. But the Ancients (porána) said: “The eye does not see a visible object because it has no mind. The mind does not see because it has no eyes. But when there is the impingement of door and object he sees by means of the consciousness that has eye-sensitivity as its physical basis. Now, (an idiom) such as this is called an ‘accessory locution’ (sasambhárakathá), like ‘He shot
him with his bow,’ and so on. So the meaning here is this: ‘On seeing a visible object with eye-consciousness.’”
54. Apprehends neither the signs: he does not apprehend the sign of woman or man, or any sign that is a basis for defilement such as the sign of beauty, etc.; he stops at what is merely seen. Nor the particulars: he does not apprehend any aspect classed as hand, foot, smile, laughter, talk, looking ahead, looking aside, etc., which has acquired the name “particular” (anubyañjana) because of its particularizing (anu anu byañjanato) defilements, because of its making them manifest themselves. He only apprehends what is really there. Like the Elder Mahá Tissa who dwelt at Cetiyapabbata.
55. It seems that as the elder was on his way from Cetiyapabbata to Anurádhapura for alms, a certain daughterinlaw of a clan, who had quarrelled with her husband and had set out early from Anurádhapura all dressed up and tricked out like a celestial nymph to go to her relatives’ home, saw him on the road, and being lowminded, she laughed a loud laugh. [Wondering] “What is that?” the elder looked up and finding in the bones of her teeth the perception of foulness (ugliness), he reached Arahantship. Hence it was said:
“He saw the bones that were her teeth,
And kept in mind his first perception;
And standing on that very spot
The elder became an Arahant.”
But her husband, who was going after her, saw the elder and asked, “Venerable sir, did you by any chance see a woman?” The elder told him:
“Whether it was a man or woman
That went by I noticed not,
But only that on this high road
There goes a group of bones.”
By Bhikkhu Ñānamoli