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The study of scriptures, commentary - The monk residing in the gurukul, having 'heard' and understood the essence of the substance, knowing for himself the desired purpose - the purpose of liberation, and having correctly known the objects to be abandoned and the objects to be adopted, becomes 'brilliant' with innate brilliance due to his constant residence in the gurukul. Thus, due to his correct knowledge of his own principles, he becomes 'expert' in explaining the true nature of things to the listeners. What is taken by the seeker of liberation is called 'aadana', which is correct knowledge, etc. He considers that as his purpose - goal, and being thus endowed with the benefit of knowledge, etc., he adopts the twelve types of austerities and the restraint that is the form of the restraint of inflow. Having attained these austerities and restraints through the two-fold education of learning and practice, he is free from all negligence, brilliant and expert. He sustains himself with pure, unconditioned food, free from the defects of origin, etc., and attains liberation, which is the characteristic of the destruction of the remaining karmas. 'He does not go to Mara' - this is the reading in some places. Many beings die under the control of their own karmas. That Mara - the cycle of existence - is full of birth, old age, death, disease, and sorrow. The monk who walks on the pure path, who is engaged in restraint, does not go to that cycle of existence. Or, if death - the characteristic of the giving up of life - is called Mara, he does not go to that many times. For, being endowed with non-falling right faith, he dies at most in seven or eight existences, not more. ||17||
Commentary - The monk residing in the gurukul, having heard the virtuous conduct that is useful for liberation through the substance, understands his own desired purpose, and having correctly known the objects to be abandoned and the objects to be adopted, becomes brilliant due to his constant residence in the gurukul. Due to his knowledge of his own principles, he becomes skilled or proficient in explaining the true nature of things to the listeners. What is taken by the seeker of liberation is called 'aadana', which is correct knowledge, etc. Considering that as his purpose - goal, he adopts the twelve types of austerities and the restraint that is the form of the restraint of inflow. Having attained these austerities and restraints through the two-fold education of learning and practice, he sustains himself with pure, unconditioned food, free from the defects of origin, etc., and destroys all karmas, attaining liberation. "He does not go to Mara" - this reading is found in some places. This means that the cycle of existence, in which beings repeatedly die due to the results of their own karmas, is called Mara. The monk who walks on the pure path, who is engaged in restraint, does not go to that cycle of existence. The one who is afflicted with birth, old age, death, disease, and sorrow, or the giving up of life is called Mara. He does not go to that - death - repeatedly, because being endowed with non-falling right faith, he dies at most in seven or eight existences, not more.
They explain the Dharma with numbers, the Buddhas are their destroyers of death. They are the crossers of both, for liberation, they give the answer to the question after investigation. ||18||
Shadow - They explain the Dharma with numbers, the Buddhas are their destroyers of death. They are the crossers of both, for liberation, they give the answer to the question after investigation. ||
Translation - The seeker residing in the gurukul, through his good intellect, makes the Dharma his own and teaches it to others. Such wise Buddhas destroy karmas. They liberate themselves and others from the bondage of karmas and cross the ocean of existence. Such great men give the answer to the question after investigation and deliberation.
Commentary - Thus, the one who resides in the gurukul, who is well-established in Dharma, who is well-versed, brilliant, and expert in meaning, does what he does. To show that, he says - the number-wisdom, by which Dharma is correctly known - understood, by that, knowing Dharma for himself, he explains it to others as it is. 'Dharma' -
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