44.(2)Migasalā
Then,in the morning,the Venerable Ananda dressed,took his bowl and robe,and went to the house of the female lay follower Migasalā,
where he sat down on the seat prepared for him.
Then the female lay disciple Migasalā approached the Venerable Ananda,
paid homage to him,sat down to one side,
and said:
"Bhante Ananda,just how should this teaching of the Blessed
One be understood,where one who is celibate and one who is not celibate both have exactly the same destination in their future life?[348]
My father Purāna was celibate,living apart,abstaining from sexual intercourse,the common person's practice.
When he died,the Blessed One declared:"He attained to the state of a once-returner
I take the correct reading here to be Be sakadagāmipatto(found,too,in Burmese manuscripts),as contrasted with Ce and Ee sakadagamī satto.Confusion of s and pis not unusual in Sinhala-script manuscripts.However,the gloss in Mp,sakadagamipuggalohutva,suggests that the commentator used a text with the reading sakadagaini satto.It is not impossible that the corruption (if it is one)dates back before the age of the commentaries.and has been reborn in the Tusita group[of devas].'
My paternal uncle
Ce and Be petteyyopi;Ee petteyyo piyo.The only meaning PED assigns petteyya is "showing filial piety toward one's father," which does not fit here.We should probably read here pettapiyo, which PED defines as"father's brother,paternal uncle."In the version at 10:75,Ce has pettā pi yo and Ee pettā piyo,which,by closing the spaces,would both give the desired reading.In MN 89.18,II123,27-124,11,Purāna and Isidatta are said to have been in the employment of King Pasenadi of Kosala but to have shown greater respect toward the Buddha than toward the king.Their love for the Buddha is expressed in SN 55:6,V348-52. Isidatta was not celibate but lived a contented married life.When he died,the Blessed One also declared:'He attained to the state of a once-returnerand has been reborn in the Tusita group [of devas].'
Bhante Ananda,just how should this teaching of the Blessed One be understood,where one who is celibate and one who is not celibate both have exactly the same destination in their future life?"
"It was just in this way,sister,that the Blessed One declared it."
Mp:"Ananda said this because he did not know the reason." Brahmali writes:"I understand Ananda to simply be saying that it should be understood just as the Buddha explained it," and he suggests rendering the sentence:"Just so,sister,as this was declared by the Blessed One."However,at this point the Buddha's pronouncements on their destiny have not yet been explained.The explanation comes only at the end of the sutta,when the Buddha extols the respective strong points of the two deceased lay disciples.Then,when the Venerable Ananda had received almsfood at Migasāla's house,he rose from his seat and departed.
After his meal,on returning from his alms round,he went to the Blessed
One,
paid homage to him,sat down to one side,
and said:
"Here,Bhante,in the morning,I dressed,took my bowl and robe,and went to the house of the female lay follower Migasalā...[349][all as above,down to]...
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When she asked me this,I replied:
'It was just in this way,sister,that the Blessed One declared it:'
"[The Blessed One said:]"Who,indeed,is the female lay follower Migasālā,a foolish,incompetent woman with a woman's intellect? Ce ambakapaniria;Be here has ammakasarnā,"a woman's'perception"or"a woman's idea,"but the Be text of 10:75 reads ammakapaina.Ee has anbakasanna.here but ambakapanna in the concluding paragraph.Apparently Ee's former reading is a typographical error for the latter,since on the first occurrences annia is cited as a variant in the notes.Again,the common s/p confusion must lie behind the variants.Ainbaka in Ce and Ee(or Be ammaka)is derived from amina,"mother,"but with the more general meaning of women.Mp-t explains:"Anmaka(orambaka)means women(lit.,the class of mothers).This is a metaphorical term.That is,mothers,the class of mothers,maternal parents,are found among women"(Ammakāti matugamo.Upacāravacananh'etam.Itthisu yadidam amimakā matugāmo janarijanika).SED sv amba has"a mother,good woman (as a title of respect)."And under ambikā:"mother,good woman (as a term of respect)."The Chinese parallel at TI258c8-9,does not include the derogatory generalization about women,but states the matter with reference to Migasala as an individual:"The lay follower Migasalā is foolish and has little wisdom"(鹿住優婆夷愚癡少智)
And who are those [who have]the knowledge of other persons as superior and inferior? The juxtaposition of nominative ke with locative-ñāṇe is puzzling.I take the sense to be that those referred to by ke are established in this knowledge.Perhaps,though,-ñāṇe is a residual eastern form,a nominativeplural in agreement with ke.Mp doesnot attempt to resolve this problem,but when commenting on"in the knowledge of other persons as superior and inferior"(purisapuggalaparopariyaiane),it explains this knowledge as"theknowledge of other persons'superior and inferior faculties by way of their sharpness or dullness"(pzrisapuggalanam tikkha-muduvasena indriyaparopariyaianam).
"There are,Ananda,these six types of persons found existing in the world.
What six?
(1)"Here,Ananda,there is one person who is mild,a pleasant companion,with whom his fellow monks gladly dwell.
But he has not listened [to the teachings],become learned [in them],and penetrated [them]by view,and he does not attain temporary liberation.
Sāmayikanpi vimuttim na labhati.Mp says that he does not occasionally gain rapture and joy derived from listening to the Dhamma.Patis IⅡ 40,16-17,however,defines the near-synonymsamayuvimokkho as the four jhānas and four formless attainments(cattāri ca jhānāni,catasso ca arupasamapattiyo,ayam samayavimok-kho,which it distinguishes from permanent emancipation,identified with the four noble paths,the four fruits of the spiritual life,and nibbāna(cattāro ca ariyamagga,cattāri ca sāmannaphalani,nibbananca,ayam asamayavimokkho):
With the breakup of the body,after death,he heads for deterioration,not for distinction;he is one going to deterioration,not to distinction.
(2)"Then,Ananda,there is one person who is mild,a pleasant companion,with whom his fellow monks gladly dwell.
And he has listened [to the teachings],become learned [in them],and penetrated [them]by view,and he attains temporary liberation.
With the breakup of the body,after death,he heads for distinction,not for deterioration;he is one going to distinction,not to deterioration.
"Ananda,those who are judgmental will pass such judgment on them:
'This one has the same qualities as the other.Why should one be inferior and the other superior?'
That [judgment]of theirs
Text reads merely taṃ hi tesam, without specifying what tam refers to.Mp explains that it is the making of the judgment (tampamānakaranam). will indeed lead to their harm and suffering for a long time.
"Between them,Ananda,the person who is mild,a pleasant companion,one with whom his fellow monks gladly dwell,who has listened [to the teachings],become learned [in them],and penetrated [them]by view,and who attains temporary liberation,
[350]surpasses and excels the other person.
For what reason?
Because the Dhamma-stream carries him along.
Imaṃ puggalam dhammasota! nibbahati.Mp:"The knowledge of insight,occurring strongly,carries him along;it conducts him to the plane of the noble ones.". But who can know this difference except the Tathāgata?
"Therefore,Ananda,do not be judgmental regarding people.
Do not pass judgment on people.
Those who pass judgment on people harm themselves.
I alone,or one like me,may pass judgment on people.
(3)"Then,Ananda,in one person anger and conceit are found,and from time to time states of greed
Text has lobhadhamma,"states of greed,"which Mp glosses as"simply greed"(lobho yeva). arise in him.
And he has not listened [to the teachings],become learned [inthem],and penetrated [them]by view,and he does not attain temporary liberation.
With the breakup of the body,after death,he heads for deterioration,not for distinction;he is one going to deterioration,not to distinction.
(4)"Then,Ananda,in one person anger and conceit are found,and from time to time states of greed arise in him.
Buthe has listened [to the teachings],become learned [in them],and penetrated [them]by view,and he attains temporary liberation.With the breakup of the body,after death,he heads for distinction,not for deterioration;he is one going to distinction,not to deterioration.
"Ananda,those who are judgmental will pass such judgment on them....I alone,or one like me,may pass judgmen ton people.
I follow here the text of the printed Ce,with its elisions.The electronic Ce fills in the elisions incorrectly.
(5)"Then,Ananda,in one person anger and conceit are found,and from time to time he engages in exchanges of words.
Here and inS6,I read with Ce vacisamsarā,which is also the reading in Mp(Ce).Be and Ee have vacisarikhara.Mp glosses:“Just utterances in addressing and conversing"(alapasallapavasenavacanan'eva).Vacisamsaro is at 2:63,where it refers to arguments between factions of monks.
And he has not listened [to the teachings],become learned [in them],and penetrated [them]by view,and he does not attain tempo-rary liberation.
With the breakup of the body,after death,he heads for deterioration,not for distinction;he is one going to deterioration,not to distinction.
(6)"Then,Ananda,in one person anger and conceit are found,and from time to time he engages in exchanges of words.
But he has listened [to the teachings],become learned [in them],and penetrated [them]by view,and he attains temporary liberation.
With the breakup of the body,after death,[351]he heads for distinction,not for deterioration;he is one going to distinction,not to deterioration.
"Ananda,those who are judgmental will pass such judgment on them:
'This one has the same qualities as the other.
Why should one be inferior and the other superior?'
That [judgment]of theirs will indeed lead to their harm and suffering for a long time.
"Between them,Ananda,the person in whom anger and conceit are found,and who from time to time engages in exchanges of words,but who has listened [to the teachings],become learned[in them],and penetrated [them]by view,and who attains temporary liberation,
surpasses and excels the other person.
For what reason?
Because the Dhamma-stream carries him along.
But who can know this difference except the Tathāgata?
"Therefore,Ananda,do not be judgmental regarding people.
Do not pass judgment on people.
Those who pass judgment on people harm themselves.
I alone,or one like me,may pass judgment on people.
"Who,indeed,is the female lay follower Migasāla,a foolish,incompetent woman with a woman's intellect?And who are those [who have]the knowledge of other persons as superiorand inferior?
"These are the six types of persons found existing in the world.
"Ananda,if Isidatta had possessed the same kind of virtuous behavior that Purāna had,
Purāna could not have even known his destination.
And if Purāna had possessed the same kind of wisdom that Isidatta had,
Isidatta could not have even known his destination.
Mp:"Purana excelled in virtuous behavior,Isidatta in wisdom.Purāna's virtuous behavior matched Isidatta's superior wisdom;Isidatta's wisdom matched Purāna's superior virtuous behavior."
In this way,Ananda,these two persons were each deficient in one respect."