2025-12-17

Snp 1.12 Munisutta

(SC, Comm)

Santhavāto bhayaṁ jātaṁ, / niketā jāyate rajo;

Aniketamasanthavaṁ, / etaṁ ve munidassanaṁ.

(Commentary) Origin story: a mother and son ordained together after losing the father. The mother, obtaining something, would bring it to her son, and the son likewise to his mother, this way they met frequently and became very intimate.

Their minds were overcome with passion, the perception of being renunciants and the perception of mother and son disappeared. They engaged in immoral conduct, and having fallen away from the state of honor, they lived together in a household.

Tattha santhavo taṇhādiṭṭhimittabhedena tividhoti pubbe vutto. Idha taṇhādiṭṭhisanthavo adhippeto.

Jāyate rajo'ti rāgadosamoharajo jāyate.

Therein, 'intimacy' is of three types according to the division into craving, views, and friendship, as was stated before.
Here, intimacy of craving and views is intended.

*'Dust is born/arises*' means: the dust of greed, hatred, and delusion arises.

Yo jātamucchijja na ropayeyya, / Jāyantamassa nānuppavecche;

Tamāhu ekaṁ muninaṁ carantaṁ, / Addakkhi so santipadaṁ mahesi.

Saṅkhāya vatthūni pamāya bījaṁ, / Sinehamassa nānuppavecche;

Sa ve munī jātikhayantadassī, / Takkaṁ pahāya na upeti saṅkhaṁ.

(See also: Sermon 9)

Vatthūnī'ti yesu evamayaṁ loko sajjati, tāni khandh'āyatana'dhātu'bhedāni kilesa'ṭṭhānāni.

'Ground': those foundations of defilement, divided into aggregates, sense-bases, and elements, to which this world clings.

Pamāya bījan'ti yaṁ tesaṁ vatthūnaṁ bījaṁ abhisaṅkhāraviññāṇaṁ, taṁ pamāya hiṁsitvā, bādhitvā, samucchedappahānena pajahitvāti attho.

'Crushing the seed' means: that seed of those foundations - namely, the volitional consciousness - having crushed it, having oppressed it, having abandoned it through abandonment by cutting off.

(AN 3.76) kammaṁ khettaṁ, viññāṇaṁ bījaṁ, taṇhā sneho

Kamma is the field, consciousness the seed, craving is the moisture

(Snp 2.1) Te khīṇabījā avirūḷhichandā, / Nibbanti dhīrā yathāyaṁ padīpo;

They, destroyed the seed, have no desire for growth, the wise go out like this flame.

(SN 22.54) Rūpupayaṁ, bhikkhave, viññāṇaṁ tiṭṭhamānaṁ tiṭṭheyya, rūpārammaṇaṁ rūpappatiṭṭhaṁ nandūpasecanaṁ vuddhiṁ virūḷhiṁ vepullaṁ āpajjeyya.

"Should consciousness, when standing, stand attached to (a physical) form, supported by form (as its object), landing on form, watered with delight, it would exhibit growth, increase, & proliferation.

Sinehamassa nānuppavecche'ti yena taṇhādiṭṭhisinehena sinehitaṁ taṁ bījaṁ āyatiṁ
paṭisandhivasena taṁ yathāvuttaṁ vatthusassaṁ viruheyya...

'He wouldn't nurture them with moisture' means: [lest] that seed, moistened by
the moisture of craving and views, should grow in the future through rebirth...

Takkaṁ pahāya na upeti saṅkhaṁ: "Lets go of logic and comes not within reckoning."

Here the reckoning is to be understood in terms of the four propositions of the tetralemma.
Such reckonings are based on a total misconception of the phenomenon of fire. (Ñāṇananda)

Aññāya sabbāni nivesanāni, / Anikāmayaṁ aññatarampi tesaṁ;

Sa ve munī vītagedho agiddho, / Nāyūhatī pāragato hi hoti.

Nivesanānī'ti kāmabhavādike bhave. nivasanti hi tesu sattā, tasmā "nivesanānī"ti vuccanti.

'Dwellings/abodes' means: in existences such as the sensual realm and the realm of form. For beings dwell in these, therefore they are called 'dwellings'.

(Snp 4.3) Diṭṭhīnivesā na hi svātivattā "Because entrenchments in views aren't easily overcome"

Nāyūhatī'ti tassa tassa nivesanassa nibbattakaṁ kusalaṁ vā akusalaṁ vā na karoti.

'Doesn't struggle' means: he does not perform either wholesome or unwholesome [kamma] that produces this or that dwelling.

... Yo ve ṭhitatto tasaraṁva ujju, / Jigucchati kammehi pāpakehi;

Vīmaṁsamāno visamaṁ samañca, / Taṁ vāpi dhīrā muni vedayanti.

Origin story: a merchant's daughter in Sāvatthī gained insight by contemplating a weaver's shuttle as a symbol of straightness/honesty, "May all beings, be straight in mind like the shuttle!"

tasaraṁva uju, hirottappasampannattā. Straight as a shuttle = who has conscience and concern.
Aj Thanissaro: having a mind unprejudiced by desire, aversion, delusion, or fear.

(AN 4.19) Cattārimāni, bhikkhave, nāgatigamanāni. Katamāni cattāri? Na chandāgatiṁ gacchati,
na dosāgatiṁ gacchati, na mohāgatiṁ gacchati, na bhayāgatiṁ gacchati.

visamaṁ samaṁ: uneven and even, out-of-tune and in-tune (AN 6.55) Ven. Soṇa and the lute strings

... Aññāya lokaṁ paramatthadassiṁ, / Oghaṁ samuddaṁ atitariya tādiṁ;

Taṁ chinnaganthaṁ asitaṁ anāsavaṁ, / Taṁ vāpi dhīrā muni vedayanti.

Origin: The story with Nanda (Ud 3.2), "Do you see, Nanda, these five hundred celestial dove-footed nymphs?"

Dukkhasaccavavatthānakaraṇena khandhādi lokaṁ aññāya jānitvā vavatthapetvā nirodhasaccasacchikiriyāya paramatthadassiṁ

'Aññāya lokaṁ' - having known, having determined the world of aggregates and so forth through establishing the truth of suffering;

'paraṁ atthadassiṁ' - one who has seen the ultimate goal through realizing the truth of cessation;

Samudayappahānena catubbidhampi oghaṁ, pahīnasamudayattā rūpamadādivegasahanena cakkhādiāyatana-samuddañca atitariya atitaritvā atikkamitvā maggabhāvanāya.

Having crossed over, having transcended through abandoning the origin [of suffering] the fourfold flood, and the ocean of the six sense bases such as the eye with its force of intoxication with form and so forth, because the origin has been abandoned;

(SN 45.171) Cattārome, bhikkhave, oghā. Katame cattāro? Kāmogho, bhavogho, diṭṭhogho, avijjogho.
Related: kāmāsava, bhavāsava, diṭṭhāsava, avijjāsa

'Atitariya' - having crossed over through the development of the path

Tādiṁ: Such Unchanging; unaffected by anything, while at the same time undefined.

(Sermon 22) The steadfastness associated with the epithet tādī is reinforced in one Dhammapada verse by bringing in the simile of the firm post at the city gate:

(Dhp 95) Indakhīlūpamo tādi subbato: who is steadfast and well conducted like the pillar at the city gate.