[Vibhaṅga commentary translation by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli]
In the description of the sixth power, as to āsayaṃ ("habitat"): where beings inhabit (āsayanti), dwell, that dwelling place of theirs is either wrong view or correct knowledge.
Anusayaṃ
("inherent tendency"): defilement which is inherent because unabandoned.
Caritaṃ
("conduct"): the profitable and unprofitable formed by the body and so on.
Adhimuttiṃ
("resolve"): inclination.
As regards apparajakkhe
("with little dust on their eyes")
and so on, "they have little, not much of the dust of greed, hate and
delusion in the eye consisting of understanding" is "with little dust on
their eyes";
owing to the muchness of that same [dust], one is "with much dust on his eyes" (mahārajakkha).
By both of these he shows beings with slight defilement and with much defilement.
Those whose faculties of faith, etc. are keen are "keen facultied" (tikkhindriya);
and those in whom they are dull are "dull facultied" (mudindriya).
Those whose parts consisting of "habitat" and so on are good "have good qualities" (svākāra);
the opposite kind "have bad qualities" (dvākāra).
Those who discern a reason explained and can easily be made to recognize are "of easy recognition" (suviññāpaya);
the opposite kind are "of difficult recognition" (duviññāpaya).
Those who are suitable for the penetration of the Noble Path and have the
potentiality (upanissaya) for it are "able" (bhabba);
the opposite kinds are "unable".
After thus setting forth the schedule of the sixth power, he now
said katamo ca sattänam äsayo?
("which is the habitat
of beings?") and so on, classifying it in order of succession.
Herein, the meaning of sassato loko
("the world is
eternal") and so on has been stated above in the commentary to the
Description Section (Asl 370 f.).
Iti bhavadiṭṭhisannissitā vā ti
("so they are either dependent on the view of existence"): they are either dependent thus on the eternity view;
for it is the eternity view which is here "the view of existence" (bhavadiṭṭhi)
and it is the annihilation view that is called "the view of non-existence" (vibhavadiṭṭhi).
For owing to the fact that all [wrong] views are included by the
eternity and annihilation views [together], all these beings who hold
[wrong] views are dependent on those two kinds of [wrong] view.
This also is said:
'This world, Kaccāyana, mostly depends on two things, on existence and non-existence' (S ii 17);
and here, "existence" (atthitā) is eternity, "non-existence" is annihilation (uccheda).
This firstly is the habitat of beings that are ordinary men dependent on the process.
Now in order to show the habitat of pure beings who are based
on the standstill (vivaṭṭasannissita), ete vā pana ubho anto anupagamma
("but without having recourse to either of these
extremes") is said.
Herein, ete vā pana
("but ... these") = ete yeva.
Ubho anto
("either of [these] extremes"): the two extremes called eternity and annihilation.
Anupagamma
("without having recourse to"): without adhering to.
Idappaccayatā paṭiccasamuppannesu dhammesu
("with specific conditionally and dependency originated states") = idappaccayatāya c'eva paṭiccasamuppannadhammesu ca.
Anulomikā khanti
("acceptance in conformity") is insight knowledge.
Yathābhūtam vā ñāṇaṃ
{"correct knowledge") is path knowledge.
This is what is said: "The insight into dependent origination and
into dependently originated states which is obtained without having
recourse to either of the extremes of eternity or annihilation, and the
path knowledge which is superior to that — this is the habitat of
beings; and this is the habitat, this is the dwelling place of all beings,
both those based on the process and those based on the standstill".
This is the agreed commentary of the teachers.
But a disputatious speaker[footnote] said:
{footnote:
Vitaṇḍavādins -- see §§39, 252 and 1563 above. Pali references are collected by Sodo Mori: "The Vitaṇḍavādins (Sophists) as seen in the Pāli Aṭṭhakathās" in Essays on the Pāli and Buddhist Civilization, Society for the Study of Pāli and Buddhist Civilization, Tokyo, 1982 pp. 1-18. In the Dīpavaṃsa (XXII, 43 and 45) the term clearly refers to some form of Mahayāna. In Nyāya terminology the term vitaṇḍā is used to describe a negative critique where the proponent does not put forward any arguments to establish his own position (Nyāya-sūtra I.2.2). Not surprisingly, therefore, the name Vaitaṇḍika is sometimes applied to the Mādhyamikas. See D. S. Ruegg, La Theorie du Tathāgatagarbha et du Gotra, Paris, 1969 p. 338 n. and "Towards a chronology of the Madhyamaka school" in L. A. Hercus et al., Indological and Buddhist Studies, Delhi, 1982 p. 521 nn. 65 and 66. The occurrence of the term in the Pali commentaries suggests rather an earlier usage associated with the kind of issues with which the Kathāvatthu is concerned — pre- or proto- Mahayāna [LSC].}
'The path goes destroying dwelling (vāsa), [but] you say that the path is a dwelling.'
He should be asked: 'Are you a preacher of the Noble Dwellings (ariyavāsa) or not ?'
If he says: 'I am not,' he should be told: 'It is because you are not that
you do not know.'
If he says: 'I am a preacher [of it],' he should be told: 'Quote a sutta.'
If he quotes, it is good.
If he does not quote it, one should quote it oneself:
'Ten, bhikkhus, are these kinds of Noble Dwelling (ariyavāsa) in which the Noble Ones have dwelt or dwell or shall dwell' (A v 29; cf. D iii 269-71).
For this sutta illustrates the state of the path as dwelling,
therefore this is properly stated.
But when the Blessed One knows the habitat of beings, he knows it even at the moment of the non-occurrence of their [wrong] views and of their insight and path knowledge.
For this is said:
"He knows of one who cultivates the sense desires: 'This person gives weight to the sense desires, has sense desires as his habitat, is resolved upon the sense desires.'
He knows of one who cultivates renunciation: 'This person gives weight to renunciation, has renunciation as his habitat, is resolved upon renunciation.'
He knows of one cultivating renunciation ... ill will ... non-ill will ... stiffness and torpor ... he knows of one who cultivates perception of light: 'This person gives weight to stiffness and torpor, has stiffness and torpor as his habitat, is resolved upon stiffness and torpor'"[footnote] (Ps i 123).
{Footnote:
There are several variations to the text of this passage. See Ps Trsl. pp. 125 and 137 n. 42 for one possible emendation with six sentences. However, it may have been intended to cover all twelve possibilities, i.e. one practising sense desires and given to sense desires; one practising sense desires but given to renunciation; one practising renunciation and given to renunciation; one practising renunciation but given to sense desire; etc. [LSC].}
In the description of the inherent tendencies (anusaya), "it is greed for sense desire (kāmarāga) and it is inherent tendency in the sense of being unabandoned", thus it is the inherent tendency of greed for sense desire.
So with the remaining terms.
Yam loke piyarūpaṃ
("what is dear in the world") is what is classed as dear in this world.
Sātarūpaṃ
("agreeable") is what is classed as agreeable. [This signifies] a desirable object as proximate cause of enjoyment.
Ettha sattānaṃ rāgānusayo anuseti
("here inheres the beings' inherent tendency to greed"): in that desirable object, beings' inherent tendency to greed in the sense of its being unabandoned inheres.
Just as there is water below and above and on all sides of one who is immersed in water, so indeed in a desirable object the arising of greed is completely habitual for beings,
and likewise in an undesirable object the arising of annoyance (paṭigha).
Iti imesu dvisu dhammesu
("so in
these two states"): thus in these states which are possessed
[respectively] of greed for sense desire (kāmarāga) and annoyance and
have a desirable and undesirable object.
Avijjānupatitā
("ignorance lurks"): being connected with greed for sense desire and annoyance, ignorance lurks by means of the making an object.
Tadekattho
("along with that"): along with (ekaṭṭha) through being
along with that [ignorance],
Māno ca diṭṭhi ca vicikicchā ca
("pride and [wrong] view and uncertainty"): the nine kinds of pride (see Vbh 389), the 62 kinds of [wrong] view and the eight-based uncertainty (see Vbh 364).
But here the inherent tendency to greed for existence is
included by the inherent tendency to greed for sense desire, it should be
understood.
In the description of carita
("conduct"), the thirteen volitions are the puññābhisaṅkhāro
("formation of merit"), the twelve are the apuññābhisaṅkhāro
("formation of demerit"), the four are the āneñjābhisaṅkhāro
("formation of the imperturbable") (see above, §§645 ff.)
Herein, that of the sense sphere is parittabhūmako
("has a limited plane"); the others are mahābhūmako
("have a large plane")
Or alternatively it should be understood that, among the three, any that has little result has a limited plane; and any that has much result has a large plane.
The description of adhimutti
("resolve") has been made clear above (§§2274 ff.).
But why is this "resolve" included again although it has already been stated above ?
It was included above as showing a power separately. Here it is for the purpose of showing the keenness and dullness of beings' faculties.
In the description of mahārajakkha
("with much dust in their eyes"), ussadagatāni
("become prominent") [means] become abundant.
The description is given out of its order [in the schedule] according to the order of abandoning.
Anussadagatāni
("not become prominent"): not become abundant.
In the description of tikkhindriya
("keen facultied") and mudindriya
("dull facultied") it is the faculties as decisive support that are expounded.
But the reason why these are given here in the description out of order should be understood as aforesaid.
Likewise in the description of dvākārā
("have bad qualities") and so on. Pāpāsayā
("have evil habitats"): have unprofitable habitats.
Pāpacaritā
("have evil conduct"): fulfillers of the formation of demerit.
Pāpādhimuttikā
("have evil resolves"): delighters in personality (sakkāya) and with inclination towards the process [of existence].
In the description of svākārā
("have good qualities"), because there is no inherent tendency called "good", therefore "of good inherent tendency" (kalyānānusaya) is not said.
The rest should be understood in the opposite way to that already stated.
In the description of bhabba
("able") and abhabba
("unable"), kammāvaraṇena
("with the obstruction of kamma") means with the five kinds of kamma with immediate effect.
Kilesāvaraṇena
("with the obstruction of defilement"): with assured wrong view.
Vipākāvaraṇena
("with the obstruction of [kamma-] result"): with root-causeless rebirth-linking.
But because there is no penetration of the Noble Path for those with a two-rooted rebirth-linking, therefore those with two-rooted rebirth-linking should also be understood as "with the obstruction of [kamma-] result".
Asaddha
("without faith"): devoid of faith in the Buddha and so on.
Acchandikā
("without zeal"): devoid of profitable zeal as desire-to-act.
The people of Uttarakuru have entered into a place without zeal.
Duppaññā
("without understanding"): devoid of life-continuum understanding.
But even when life-continuum understanding is complete (paripuṇṇa), if [that] life continuum [of a person] is not the basis for the supramundane, such a person too is called "without understanding".
Abhabbā niyāmaṃ okkamituṃ kusalesu dhammesu sammattaṃ
("unable to enter upon the certainty in profitable states which is rightness"): unable to enter upon the path called the certainty of rightness in profitable things.
Na kammāvaraṇena
("without the obstruction of kamma") and so on, should be understood in the opposite sense
This is the classification of two kinds of knowledge, namely, knowledge of the disposition of faculties (indriyaparopariyattañāṇa) and of knowledge of habitat and inherent tendency (āsayānusayañāṇa).
For here the knowledge of the disposition of faculties is classified by means of the knowledge of habitat and inherent tendency.
So the two kinds of knowledge together become one kind of power knowledge.