[^521]: Pakataññū is not elsewhere attested in the suttas, but it is found in the Vinaya, for example at Bu Pc 72:1.8).
[^522]: Here the Buddha argues that, since it is possible to change the nature of one's own mind through practice, such changes cannot be random.
[^523]: It is is unusual if not unique to add "said the Buddha" (bhagavā avoca) in such a context. Normally, once a speaker starts, the text does not insert extra tags identifying the speaker without a reason, such as an interruption for a question.
[^524]: Sinhalese manuscripts, followed by PTS, include the paragraphs on the metaphor of the king's security (DN 2:63.1) and on guarding the sense doors here.
[^525]: Progress through the jhānas is explained in terms of the refining of perceptions.
[^526]: "Subtle and true" is sukhumasacca, a term that appears only here.
[^527]: We have encountered the "formless attainments" (arūpasamāpatti) before, where they formed a refined basis for attachment to self (DN 1:3.13.4). Here they appear as part of the gradual refinement of consciousness through the cessation of increasingly subtle perceptions.
[^528]: This is the vision of light that later came to be called a "sign" (nimitta). In the first four jhānas this persists as a "subtle" (sukhuma) reflection or echo of the "substantial" (olārika) material basis of meditation, such as the breath or the parts of the body. Even though it is a purely mental phenomenon, it is still "form" (rūpa) since it has physical properties like light or extension.
[^529]: The "light" (obhāsa) of jhāna grows from "limited" (paritta) to "limitless" (appamāṇa, MN 128:29.1). Then the perception of even this limitless light vanishes, leaving only infinite space.
[^530]: Perception of infinite space fades away leaving only the infinite consciousness that is aware.
[^531]: The meditator is no longer even aware of infinite consciousness, but of the even vaster nothingness.
[^532]: The last of the four formless attainments is the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. Since this, by definition, lies beyond the scope of perception, it is not included here.
[^533]: For sakasaññī ("takes charge of their own perception"), see Bu Pj 2:6.2.2. One relevant factor in determining whether an object has been stolen is if the accused "perceives it as their own". Here it means that the meditator understands that they can evolve their own perceptions through meditation.
[^534]: "Intend and choose" is ceteyyaṁ abhisaṅkhareyyaṁ (1st singular optative). These synonyms are used in the sense of a subtle sense of will or intentionality that underlies such attainments (MN 52:14.3) and which must be let go lest they generate rebirth (MN 140:22.10).
[^535]: Compare with "progressive cessation" (AN 9.31), "progressive tranquilizing of conditions" (SN 36.15), "progressive meditations" (AN 9.32), etc. | "Awareness" is sampajāna, which we have encountered previously as "situational awareness" in daily activities, or as the "awareness" in the third jhāna. Here it refers to a reflective capacity to understand the nature of deep meditation in terms of causality. The term was adopted by Patañjalī, who defined saṁprajñātasamādhi in a way that is clearly drawn from the Buddhist definition of jhāna. It is attained with vitakka, vicāra, ānanda ("bliss"), and āsmitā. According to the commentary, this last term is "experience of the one self", ekātmikā saṁvid) and so is probably adapted from the Buddhist factor of ekaggatā. (Yogasūtra 1.17).
[^536]: Taking the kernel of Yājñavalkya's theory of the cessation of limited perception, the Buddha has expanded it in psychological and practical detail, while leaving out the metaphysical assumption of the Self.
[^537]: Poṭṭhapāda shows the Buddha that he has been paying attention. Notice how it is culturally assumed that it is possible to retain and repeat the exact content of the teaching.
[^538]: The meaning of this is not clear to me. It might mean that insight can be developed based on any of the stages of meditation, so for that person their peak of perception is different to another's. The commentary says that it refers to different meditation subjects, or simply to different occasions of meditation.
[^539]: Poṭṭhapāda's distinction between "perception" (saññā) and "knowledge" (ñāṇa) echoes Yājñavalkya's distinction between "perception" (saṁjā) and "consciousness" (vijñāna, or in the repeated passage at 4.5.13, prajñāna).
[^540]: Perception has been described in terms of the progress through more refined meditations (samādhi). Only then does the "knowledge" (ñāṇa) of insight arise.
[^541]: The term "specific condition" (idappaccayā) is well known from dependent origination (eg. SN 12.20:2.3), where it applies to the general situation of ongoing existence in transmigration. When developing insight, a meditator takes their own meditation experience as their primary locus. This is then generalized to an understanding of the nature of conscious existence.
[^542]: This draws from the initial presentation of different theories of the person and perception (DN 9:6.4).
[^543]: "Believe" is paccesi, literally "fall back on". It implies that an idea is something one relies on or takes as fundamental. The Buddha wants to know where Poṭṭhapāda stands before exploring this topic.
[^544]: Despite his previous questions about perception and the self, Poṭṭhapāda takes his stand on a purely materialist view, identifying the "self" with the organic "substantial" body.
[^545]: Again, the Buddha does not rush to tell Poṭṭhapāda he is right or wrong, but rather draws out the implications of his statement.
[^546]: Here tiṭṭhateva is not "leaving aside", but "remains". Compare the similar construction at MN 107:13.1.
[^547]: This is the "subtle" (sukhuma) body, corresponding with the form experienced in the four jhānas. All manuscripts appear to be missing the expected rūpī in this passage, but it occurs in the corresponding passage on "reincarnation" below.
[^548]: This identifies the self as that which is experienced in the formless attainments. Poṭṭhapāda is simply cycling through possible self theories without really thinking through the implications.
[^549]: Poṭṭhapāda can only attest a belief in various theories and still does not know how to assess them for himself.
[^550]: The text shifts from añña "other" (eg. aññadiṭṭhikena) to aññatra (aññatr'āyogena), which normally means "apart from". Most authorities follow the commentary in taking aññatra here in the sense of "other". However I think the change of sense is deliberate; the Buddha is not discouraging them, merely informing them what it will take.
[^551]: This is the famous list of ten "undeclared points", which are found throughout the suttas (eg. MN 25:10.21, MN 63:2.3, MN 72:3.1, and the whole of SN 44). They seem to have functioned as a kind of checklist by which philosophers could be evaluated and classified. | The word loka occurs in a number of senses, but here it refers to the entire "cosmos" of countless worlds.
[^552]: This phrase recurs at SN 21.9:1.4 and AN 3.64:11.1, with some variant readings.
[^553]: The commentary says Citta was the son of an elephant trainer. Here he shows greater respect to the Buddha than does Poṭṭhapāda.
[^554]: This point seems to be lost on a number of modern commentators, who infer from passages such as the ten undeclared points that the Buddha refused to make any definitive declarations at all. The Buddha, rather, was a vibhajjavādin (MN 99:4.4, AN 10.94:4.7), "one who speaks after analysis".
[^555]: See DN 1:2.38.2.
[^556]: The Buddha does not rely on rumor; he begins by checking his facts with those concerned. Not only does this affirm his commitment to truth, it shows respect and establishes a common ground from which the argument proceeds.
[^557]: The verb viharati means "dwell", and functions as an auxiliary verb implying duration. In spiritual contexts it often means "a period or state of meditation". This first question is asking whether they see such a state in a regular meditation practice.
[^558]: Perhaps they might not be able to develop a meditation for seeing that self, but at some point they may have had some sort of perception or vision or insight.
[^559]: Since they have no experience, they might at least have an idea how to reach that experience.
[^560]: They haven't even heard a report about it.
[^561]: "No demonstrable basis" renders appāṭihīrakataṁ. This is related to pāṭihāra, which is usually understood as "miracle, wonder". But the root sense is "demonstration" and the sense of "display of wonder" is secondary.
[^562]: Janapadakalyāṇī is typically rendered as "the most beautiful lady in the land". At SN 47.20:2.2 we learn that she is a dazzling singer and dancer. And while she was famed for her beauty (Ud 3.2:9.1), the word kalyāṇa normally means "(morally) good, fine, lovely" and does not refer solely to her appearance.
[^563]: Nisseni only occurs elsewhere in Bu Ss 6:2.3.6 and Bu Ss 7:2.67, where it is something carried, i.e. a ladder rather than a flight of stairs.
[^564]: Attapaṭilābha is literally "re-acquisition of self", where attā is explained by the commentary as attabhāva, the "state of the self" or "life-form" that is acquired at rebirth, i.e. the body (sarīra), whether material or immaterial.
[^565]: These recap the three theses of perception and the self posted by Poṭṭhapāda from DN 9:22.1.
[^566]: Compare with the similar sentiment at SN 22.2:10.1.
[^567]: The Buddha points to the experience to demonstrate what he is talking about, rather than offering a long theoretical explanation. Ayaṁ is a pronoun of presence, used to indicate what is apparent before the subject.
[^568]: Citta is asking an ontological question, assuming that these three states are existent realities of the self.
[^569]: The Buddha reframes the question as one of conventional description. He is describing states in which one might be reborn, not underlying ontologies.
[^570]: This anticipates one of the great philosophical debates of sectarian Buddhists which gave rise to the Sarvāstivāda, the school whose core doctrine was that "all exists (in the past, future, and present)". The Buddha describes past, future, and present with the three grammatical tenses.
[^571]: Compare Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 3.3.3.2.
[^572]: Words such as "self" have a conventional usage and in that context are perfectly fine. But what that "self" refers to is constantly changing, as it is reincarnated in different states. It is like a river which keeps the same name even though the water is always changing. If, driven by attachment, we assume there is a metaphysical reality underlying the conventional "self", we step beyond what can be empirically verified. Note, however, that the Buddha is not asserting that there are two levels of truth, conventional and ultimate, a distinction not found in early Buddhism. | Compare MN 139:3.9, MN 74:13.1.
[^573]: In AN 6.60 we find Citta Hatthisāriputta, still a somewhat junior monk, rudely interrupting his seniors. After admonition he disrobed, but he ordained again and later achieved arahantship. We can reconcile these two accounts by recognizing that the phrase acira "not long after" is a conventional term, which might be several years. Thus the events of AN 6.60 occurred some time between his ordination and awakening.
[^574]: Ānanda's role became more prominent as a leader of the Saṅgha in the years after the Buddha's passing. This sutta shows the continued propagation of the Buddha's teachings after his death.
[^575]: The same Subha earlier met the Buddha in MN 99 and again in MN 135, where he asked about kamma. His father Todeyya was a prominent brahmin, often mentioned alongside Pokkharasāti. The two apparently lived not far from each other, as, according to the commentary, Todeyya was named for his village of Tudi outside of Sāvatthī (see Pāṇini's Aṣṭādhyāyī 4.3.94). | These events suggest a certain, albeit tenuous, timeframe for the significant conversion of influential brahmins initiated by Pokkharasāti in DN 3. Here, Subha is active after the Buddha's death, suggesting his age is aligned with that of Ānanda, a generation younger than the Buddha. If this is so, Subha's first meeting with the Buddha would have taken place no earlier than the middle period of his teaching, perhaps twenty years before the Parinibbāna (MN 99). There he mentions Pokkharasāti's hostility to the claims of ascetics, so this must precede Pokkharasāti's conversion in DN 3 by a considerable period. If we are on the right track, the conversion of Pokkharasāti, and the events that flowed from that, must have happened late in the Buddha's career, perhaps in the final decade of his life.
[^576]: Ānanda was getting old.
[^577]: Cetaka is mentioned only here. The commentary says he was named for his home country of Cetī, which is roughly the modern region of Bundelkhand, about 500 km south-west of Sāvatthī.
[^578]: What follows has much the same content as DN 2, but arranged under these three heads rather than as successively refined happiness.
[^579]: While samādhi proper is the deep immersion in meditation, here it is a category that pertains to developing such states.
[^580]: He had already gone to the Buddha for refuge in MN 99:28.4 and MN 135:21.4.
[^581]: This was the scene for some controversial discussions with Jains (MN 56, SN 42.8), and Sāriputta's touching declaration of faith shortly before his passing (SN 47.12, DN 16:1.16.1, DN 28). It is probably the Pāvā (modern Pawapuri) at which Mahāvīra died according to the Jain tradition.
[^582]: Kevaḍḍha is mentioned only here. Manuscripts spell his name variously as Kevaddha or Kevaṭṭa ("fisherman"). The Chinese form means "sturdy" (from dṛḍha) and thus supports Kevaḍḍha.
[^583]: I have been asked to do the same thing for the same reason.
[^584]: In fact it is forbidden in Kd 15:8.2.23.
[^585]: The reading dhaṁsemi is dubious. An old Burmese manuscript has the reading dhammaṁ desemi, which echoes the Buddha just above. Note too that Kevaḍḍha urges the Buddha to "direct" the monks (samādisatu, from the same root as desemi). I think the tension is deliberate: Kevaḍḍha says he isn't telling the Buddha how to teach, but he absolutely is. Other readings convey the sense "attack, insult", but this seems out of place.
[^586]: As noted previously, the basic sense of pāṭihāriya is "demonstration", and as the context here shows, it may or may not involve a "demonstration of wonders" i.e. a "miracle".
[^587]: These three are mentioned frequently in the suttas. Only the last is endorsed by the Buddha, as it leads to genuine growth.
[^588]: Their priors have been confirmed.
[^589]: Note how a skeptical mindset sticks closer to the truth.
[^590]: "Spell" is vijjā (Sanskrit vidyā, "(potent) knowledge", cf. English "wicca", "wizard", "witch"). The commentary says it was practiced by the seers of Gandhāra (north-west Pakistan). Jain tradition also knows a Gandhārī mantra, but attribute it to certain vidyādhara deities. Sanskrit tradition similarly knows of a vidyādevī ("lore goddess") named Gandhārī. Gandhāra was an ancient land of learning, and a convenient location for exotic magics.
[^591]: These feats that have nothing to do with spiritual growth, hence they may be produced or perhaps faked by a variety of means.
[^592]: "Revealing" is ādesana, from root dis "to indicate, show, or point".
[^593]: The Pali terms here are citta, cetasika, vitakka, and vicāra.
[^594]: Here we have mano (twice) and citta.
[^595]: From maṇi, "gem". Magical gems are a common feature of Indian storytelling. Buddhist stories often feature the "wish-granting gem" (cintāmaṇi), which according to the commentary is meant here.
[^596]: This story is presented as an actual event, but is phrased like a fable.
[^597]: The question is about meditation, not the annihilation of the material world. The first four jhānas are based on the "subtle form" (sukhumarūpa) that manifests as light in deep meditation. He is asking how to go beyond this to the formless attainments.
[^598]: The mendicant has already well developed the jhānas. | "Controlling the body as far as the Brahmā realm" is one of the "demonstrations of psychic power" listed above.
[^599]: The "gods of the Four Great Kings" are deities born in a realm subject to the overlords known as the Four Great Kings. These deities inhabit the lowest of the celestial realms.
[^600]: These are powerful spirits who guard the four quarters. In AN 8.36 it is explained that they, like the other leading gods mentioned below, achieved their station due to their greater generosity and morality.
[^601]: The "thirty-three" enjoy refined sensual delights. The number is a reduplication of the trinity. In Buddhist texts they are not enumerated, but Yājñavalkya reckons them as eight Vasus, eleven Rudras, twelve Ādityas, plus Indra and Prajāpati (Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.9.2). The final pair are elsewhere said to be Dyaus ("Heaven" = Zeus) and Pṛthivī ("Earth"), or the twin Aśvins.
[^602]: Conventionally known as "lord of gods", but in fact the ruler only of the relatively lowly realm of the thirty-three. He is Vedic Indra, heroic slayer of the dragon Vṛtra, and is the most personally known god in the Pali Canon.
[^603]: Gods in this realm (spelled yāma, "of Yama") are subjects of the god of the dead, Yama.
[^604]: The previous deities achieved their station by mere morality and generosity, not by jhāna. The gods of Brahmā's Host practiced the first jhāna, but they do not know what lies beyond.
[^605]: The same passage appears in DN 1:2.5.2, where it also had a satirical tone, poking fun at the pomposity of religious titles.
[^606]: Even Brahmā's community are not confident.
[^607]: This passage may be one of the sources for the later use of nimitta to mean the appearance of light that signifies the approach of jhāna.
[^608]: He puffs his own chest, but like the ascetic teachers of DN 2, he does not answer the question.
[^609]: He addresses Brahmā with āvuso. This is often translated as "friend", but the root is āyu ("age") and it is respectful not familiar.
[^610]: Rather than trying to engage with Brahmā's agenda, he keeps restating his question. This is a skillful way of curbing narcissism.
[^611]: Brahmā is embarrassed to reveal his ignorance. Perhaps a satire of Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.2.13, where Yājñavalkya takes Jāratkārava Ārtabhāga by the hand and leads him aside for a secret discussion.
[^612]: At least he is honest about his lack of knowledge, even if not publicly.
[^613]: The following verses are difficult because they speak of a kind of consciousness at the start and the cessation of consciousness at the end. The simplest way to resolve this is to assume there are two distinct questions.
[^614]: This is a rephrasing of the original question, asking where the four "form" jhānas end.
[^615]: Here starts the second question, asking the deeper question of how all these things end. A similar list of descriptors elsewhere describes things that are not stolen (Snp 3.9:45.1) or the kinds of sentient beings (Snp 1.8:4.3). These are aspects of how "form" manifests in desirable or undesirable ways.
[^616]: The first four terms in this verse are identical with the first four terms in Yājñavalkya's description of the immutable Brahman as "neither coarse nor fine, neither short nor long" at Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.8.8.
[^617]: "Where nothing appears" (anidassanaṁ) here is a synonym for "formless" (see eg. MN 21:14.8, "space is formless and invisible", ākāso arūpī anidassano). Normally the colors and images seen in the "form" absorptions are described as "visible" (eg. DN 16:3.29.1), so this indicates the formless attainments.
[^618]: "Infinite" (ananta) is the direct qualifier of "consciousness", but in the Pali it is shifted to the next line to fit the meter. It indicates the second of the formless attainments. Yājñavalkya describes consciousness as infinite in the famous passage at Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 2.4.12. | Pabhaṁ means "luminous", as with the deities that are "self-luminous" (sayaṁpabhā, DN 27:10.3). Sabbato pabhaṁ ("luminous all-round") is synonymous with pariyodāta ("bright", literally "white all over"), a stock descriptor of the mind of fourth jhāna, on which the formless states are based.
[^619]: I read these verses as broken into two statements. The first part, ending here, speaks of the formless attainments as "infinite consciousness", agreeing with the highest of the Brahmanical meditative sages. The following verses go further to speak of the cessation of consciousness.
[^620]: According to dependent origination, when consciousness ceases, name and form cease, and with it the manifestation of all things desirable and undesirable in the world.
[^621]: This is the only appearance of a place called Sālavatikā ("Abounding in Sal Trees"). A courtesan of Rājagaha named Sālavatī appears in Kd 8:1.3.1; she might perhaps have come from there.
[^622]: A certain brahmin Lohicca also appears in SN 35.132. But since that is set far away in Avantī after the Buddha's passing, and since in both cases he is said to have taken refuge, it seems likely these are different people.
[^623]: A similar view is sometimes unjustly imputed to the Theravādins, that they are only interested in their own liberation.
[^624]: While nhāpita would seem to be identical with nhāpaka ("bathroom attendant"), it is usually translated per Ja 395 where it means "barber".
[^625]: Note the unusual use of kira in this idiom, found in SN 35.133:2.3, MN 85:3.5, MN 127:2.5, and Ud 2.8:6.8. I think this expresses polite deference, and render with "might" rather than "would".
[^626]: It seems the barber was not only a trusted confidant, but an intelligent man with sincere concern for Lohicca's well being.
[^627]: The Buddha is modest as to his chances.
[^628]: Here the Buddha takes the initiative. "Harmful misconception" is pāpakaṁ diṭṭhigataṁ.
[^629]: Kosala is the native realm of Pasenadi. Kāsi had formerly been an independent kingdom, but was taken over by Pasenadi's father Mahākosala. Towards the end of the Buddha's life it was contested between Kosala and Magadha (SN 3.14, SN 3.15). Ultimately it became part of the greater Magadhan empire.
[^630]: It is only through sharing what good things we know that we can support each other.
[^631]: Even though he has characterized Lohicca's view as harmful, the Buddha goes out of his way to show that it is not entirely wrong. There are cases where it is best to avoid teaching.
[^632]: The genders of this passage are made clear through the use of feminine nouns. Making unwelcome advances was seen as an obvious example of something wrong.
[^633]: At DN 29:5.2 the opposite sense is expressed as samādāya taṁ dhammaṁ vattati.
[^634]: The Buddha adopts Lohicca's formulation, but applies it in a specific sense, not as a generalization.
[^635]: Now that the Buddha has established a degree of overlap between their views, Lohicca wants to hear more.
[^636]: Again, the Buddha answers directly and simply.
[^637]: Naraka means "cliff" or "abyss" in early Pali (MN 49:5.9, MN 86:6.15, Snp 3.11:28.4, Thag 16.8:4.2). It does not have the sense "hell" until the late canonical period; the early Pali term for hell is niraya. Notably, naraka is not strongly attested in the sense of "hell" for pre-Buddhist Sanskrit either, although we do find nāraka, apparently in the sense of "hell being", at Atharva Veda 12.4.36c and Śukla Yajur Veda 30.5.
[^638]: Manasākaṭa is mentioned only here.
[^639]: Aciravatī is called Rapti today. It was one of the great rivers that flowed from the Himalayas through Kosala into the Ganges.
[^640]: Similar discussions are found in MN 98 = Snp 3.9 and DN 27. | The compound maggāmagga can be read either as "what is the path and what is not the path" (per commentary, magge ca amagge ca), or as "the variety of paths" (compare phalāphala, "all sorts of fruit"). Here, however, they are concerned to distinguish one path as correct.
[^641]: This must have been earlier than Pokkharasāti's conversion at DN 3:2.22.1. Pokkharasāti was a family man who denied the reality of superhuman meditative attainments (MN 99:10.4) and emphasized ethics and duties over lineage (MN 98:3.7), which agrees with him being cited on ethical matters at Āpastamba Dharmasūtra 1.6.19.7 and 1.10.28. | Brahmasahabyatā does not mean "union with Brahmā" but rather "rebirth as one of the members of Brahma's retinue" (see eg. AN 5.34:9.4). The non-dualist concept that the limited personal self merges with the cosmic divinity is expressed in Pali, rather, with such phrases as so attā so loko ("the self is identical with the cosmos"). | For añjasa ("direct route") see SN 12.65:7.1 and note.
[^642]: In Pali we never meet Tārukkha and he is only mentioned in his absence. He evidently advocated that lineage rather than conduct made one a brahmin (MN 98:3.4). There is a Tārukṣya whose view was that union (with Brahmā) arose with the conjunction of speech and breath; this was discussed alongside the views of many other brahmins (Aitareya Āraṇyaka 3.1.6.1; Śāṅkhāyana Āraṇyaka 7.19). In Rig Veda 8.46.32 a certain Balbūtha Tarukṣa the Dāsa makes an offering to a sage. Sāyaṇa, the Vedic commentator, says that Balbūtha Tarukṣa was a guardian of cows, evidently alluding to the Aitareya Āraṇyaka, which describes Tārukṣya as a guardian of his teacher's cows, thus locating Tārukṣya in the lineage of Tarukṣa. Hiraṇyakeśīgṛhyasūtra 2.8.19 also mentions him as a teacher, there spelled Tarukṣa.
[^643]: Identified by Wijesekera (A Pali Reference to Brāhmaṇa-Caraṇas, Adyar Library Bulletin, vol 20, 1956; reprinted in Buddhist and Vedic Studies) and Jayatilleke (Early Buddhist Theory of Knowledge, p. 480). I use the familiar Sanskrit forms, as the Pali has several dubious spellings and variants. Their texts and corresponding Vedas are respectively: Adhvaryu = Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa (incl. Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad; White Yajur Veda); Taittirīya = Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa (Black Yajur Veda); Chāndogya = Chāndogya Brāhmaṇa (Sāman Veda); Cāndrāyaṇa (omitted from MS edition) = Kauṣītaki Brāhmaṇa (Rig Veda; spelling established by Wijesekera; see below at DN 13:16.2); Bahvṛca = Bahvṛca Brāhmaṇa (Rig Veda; incorporated in Aitareya and Kauśītaki.) This is the only time the Pali canon mentions these schools, but in some cases we can identify them with brahmins in the canon. Examples include the murmuring Chāndogya brahmin (Ud 1.4); or the Buddha's former teachers, who evidently hailed from the Addhariya tradition of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa (MN 26:15.1ff.). | Jayatilleke notes that the Śatapatha describes its own adherents as Adhvaryu (addhariyā), those priests of the Yajur Veda responsible for the physical acts at the ritual.
[^644]: Earlier they were arguing over which one of the paths was correct, whereas now they have shifted to a more universalist "many roads up the same mountain" position. When speaking with each other they saw each others' views as contradictory, but when speaking with an outsider they adopted a more conciliatory position.
[^645]: The ten names in Pali include the seven authors of the so-called "family books" of the Rig Veda (Maṇḍalas 2--8). As founders of poetic lineages, we often find works by their descendants, which are not always confined to their dedicated family book. Poems by the other three authors are mostly outside the family books. Thus the sages listed here cover most of the Rig Veda, although the Vedic tradition records many other authors as well. | Aṭṭhaka = Atri Bhauma (Maṇḍala 5, rather than Aṣṭaka Vaiśvāmitra of 10.104); Vāmaka = Vamra(ka) Vaikhānasa (10.99; see 9.66); Vāmadeva = Vāmadeva Gautama (Maṇḍala 4); Vessāmitta = Viśvāmitra Gāthina (Maṇḍala 3); Yamadaggi = Jamadagni Bhārgava, a descendant of Bhṛgu (several hymns mostly in Maṇḍalas 9 and 10); Aṅgīrasa = Aṅgirasa, identified with Agni as the founder of a lineage of poet-singers (Maṇḍala 8); Bhāradvāja = Bharadvāja Bārhaspatya (Maṇḍala 6); Vāseṭṭha = Vasiṣṭha Maitrāvaruṇi (Maṇḍala 7); Kassapa = Kaśyapa Mārīca (several hymns mostly in Maṇḍalas 9 and 10); Bhagu = Bhṛgu, the bringer of fire from heaven whose adoptive descendant was Gṛtsamada Bhārgava Śaunaka (Maṇḍala 2).
[^646]: Unlike the Buddhist monk at DN 11:80.1.
[^647]: "No demonstrable basis" is appāṭihīrakataṁ.
[^648]: The "blind following the blind" is also at MN 95:13.24 and MN 99:9.25. Maitrī Upaniṣad 7.8--9 turns it around, saying that the blind teach false doctrines aimed at destroying the Vedas, "the doctrine of not-self" (nairātmyavāda), an obvious reference to Buddhists. We also find it at Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.5, Mahābhārata 2.38.3, and the Jain Sūyagaḍa 1.1.2.19.
[^649]: Kuṣītaka worshiped the rising and setting sun and moon, turning himself to follow their course (Kauṣītaki Upaniṣad 2.7--9). He founded the Kauṣītaki lineage, referred to above as "those who follow the course of the moon" (cāndrāyaṇa).
[^650]: Indra taught Bhāradvāja a new threefold knowledge by which he might become immortal and realize companionship (sāyujya) with the sun (Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa 3.10.11.15).
[^651]: The bulk of the Vedic texts consist of prayers and invocations to various gods.
[^652]: Soma is the ritual drug of exhilaration, identified with the moon. | Vedic Varuṇa was the god of command, the king of tough rule. | Īsāna (Sanskrit Īśāna) was created by Pajāpati as "ruler", said to be the sun (Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 6.1.3). He was later identified with Rudra and Śiva. | Pajāpati ("progenitor") was the lonely god of creation; the heat of his fervent exertions (tapas) created the world and all things in it (Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 6). | Brahmā, like Pajāpati, is also a creator god, but is the divine power immanent within creation, rather than the forgotten instigator of the past. | The Mahāsaṅgīti reading Mahiddhi ("great power") does not seem to correspond with any particular Vedic deity. Accept the BJT reading Mahinda (Sanskrit Mahendra), the "Great Indra", said to be a title of Indra bestowed after slaying the dragon Vṛtra (Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 2.5.4.9). | Yama ("twin", with his incestuous sister Yamī) was born immortal but chose mortality, becoming the god of the dead.
[^653]: I wonder if this is a satire on the idea of upaniṣad ("sitting near"); even as they affirm their commitment to their texts, they drift apart (visāra) into separate schools and ideologies.
[^654]: The close -ti has apparently confused some editors; Vāseṭṭha is quoting what he has heard.
[^655]: Here the four brahmavihāras ("meditations of Brahmā") stand in place of the four jhānas. Brahmavihāras are simply one of the means by which jhānas may be attained, chosen here to fit the stated goal of teaching the path to Brahmā. The suttas treat them as pre-Buddhist, but they have not been traced as a group in pre-Buddhist texts. However, they are shared with later non-Buddhist texts such as Yogasūtra 1.33 and the Jain Tattvārthasūtra 7.11. | "Love" (mettā) is a universal positive regard and well-wishing free of personal desires or attachments. It ultimately derives from the Vedic in the sense of "union"; Mitra was the god of alliances (Rig Veda 3.59).
[^656]: The mind in jhāna is so powerful that it effectively overrides any limited kamma, including ordinary good or bad deeds. Unless they have committed serious crimes with a fixed kammic result such as matricide, etc., the meditator will be reborn in a Brahmā realm.
[^657]: "Compassion" (karuṇā) is the quality of empathy with the suffering of another or oneself and the wish to remove it.
[^658]: "Rejoicing" (muditā) is joyful celebration in the success of others or oneself, free of jealousy or cynicism.
[^659]: Equanimity (upekkhā) is literally "close watching", not interfering but standing ready when needed. It is not indifference, which is why it emerges only at the end, after the positive emotions are developed.
[^660]: A brahmin student who for their whole life practices harmlessness for all beings---except at holy places---attains the world of Brahmā (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 8.15.1). The exception for holy places is, of course, to allow for the sacrifice.
[^661]: Here the entire concluding section of the Gradual Training dealing with wisdom is omitted, as the aim is limited to teaching rebirth with Brahmā to Brahmanical laypeople, rather than teaching liberation. Vāseṭṭha and Bhāradvāja later applied to ordain, in which time the Buddha taught the full path to Nibbana (DN 27:7.8).
[^662]: They also went for refuge in similar circumstances at MN 98:14.4 = Snp 3.9:69.3. According to the commentary, that was the first time they went for refuge, while this was the second time. This makes sense in terms of the progress of the teachings, for there they discuss what makes a brahmin, whereas here they ask the more subtle question how to achieve rebirth with Brahmā. The discussion, too, is on a more detailed level, with a more explicit criticism of the brahmins. Nonetheless, it is difficult to square the details of the narratives, for the opening of this sutta depicts Vāseṭṭha and Bhāradvāja speaking about the Buddha by reputation rather than as devotees who have previously met him and gone for refuge.