20(10)Bases for [Being]"Ten-less"
"Bhikkhus,there are these seven bases for [being]'ten-less.'
Niddasavatthuni.PED takes niddasa to be a wrong reading for niddesa and explains thecompound to mean"objectof distinction,orpraise."SEDsv nirdasa gives"more than ten days old,happened more than ten days ago."The expression itself,however,has nonecessary connection with days and could also be explained by taking nito be a privative prefix and thus meaning"without ten."Thus as used here it might just as well mean"without ten years."Mp accepts the reading as given and offers an explanation,which I translate just below.It could be that the original meaning of the expression is irretrievably lost and in interpreting it we have nothing to rely on but conjecture.There are no identified Chinese parallels to this sutta or to 7:42-43 below to serve as a check.Here is Mp:"The question ['How is one tenless?']is said to have arisen among the outside sectarians.For they call a Nigantha[a Jain ascetic]niddaso("ten-less")who has died at the time he is ten years of age [dasavassakale;or:"at the time he has ten years’ seniority"(as an ascetic)?].For,it is said,he does not become ten years of age again.And not only doesn't he become ten years of age again,[he doesn't become]nine years of age or even one year of age.In this way,they call a Nigantha who is dead at the age of twenty years,and so on, nibbiso ('twenty-less'), nittimso ('thirty-less'), niccattaliso ('forty-less'),nippainaso ('fifty-less').When Ananda was wandering in the village,he heard this discussion and reported it to the Blessed One.The Blessed One said:"This is not a designation for the sectarians, Ananda, but for the taint-destroyer [arahant] in my teaching.'For if the taint-destroyer attains final nibbāna when he is ten years of age [or:has ten years'seriority?],he does not become one of ten years again.Not only one of ten years,he doesn't become one of nine years..of a single year.Not only one of a single year,he doesn't become one of eleven months...nor even one of a single moment.Why?Because he never again takes rebirth.The same method for one who is 'twenty-less' and so on.Thus the Blessed One begins this teaching to show the causes for becoming one who is'ten-less.'"
What seven?
"Here,(1)a bhikkhu has a keen desire to undertake the training and does not lose his fondness for undertaking the training in the future.(2)He has a strong desire to attend to the Dhamma and does not lose his fondness for attending to the Dhamma in the future.(3)He has a strong desire to remove vain wishes and does not lose his fondness for removing vain wishes in the future.'
Icchavinaye tibbacchando hoti ayatinica icchavinaye avigatapemo.I here render iccha as"vain wishes"and chanda as"desire."Mp glosses iccha with tanha,craving.(4)He has a strong desire for seclusion and does not lose his fondness for seclusion in the future.(5)He has a strong desire to arouse energy and does not lose his fondness for arousing energy in the future.(6)He has a strong desire for mindfulness and alertness and does not lose his fondness for mindfulness and alertness in the future.(7)He has a strong desire to penetrate by view and does not lose his fondness for penetrating by view in the future.
These are the seven bases for [being]'ten-less.'"