Part 2 - On monks (nirgrantha)

[Note 6: It has been stated that-one organ beings in general are born in that state innumerable times (infinite times for the flora-bodies). The discussion next turns to the monk whose life is full of lapses and who has not completed his work. The Sūtra states nothing explicitly about the two-organ, three-organ, four-organ beings, five-organ animal forms and five-organ human beings who are not monks. They repeat their glidings back and forth innumerable times in the same existence.—The word maḍāi has its Sanskrit form as, mṛtādi, life-less or dead.]

Q. 13. Bhante! A monk (nirgrantha) who has not restrained his glidings back and forth, who has not restrained the cycles of coming and going, who has not reduced his existence on earth, who has not reduced his worldly vedanīya karma, who has not uprooted his worldly life, who has not uprooted his vedanīya karma associated with the life, who has not attained his objective, and who has not completed his work—does such a monk, on death, acquire again the existence and other conditions of human life?

A. 13. He does. A monk...till acquires again the existence and other conditions of human life.

Q. 14. Bhante! How is he to be called?

A. 14. Gautama! He may be called prāṇa, he may be called bhūta, he may be called jīva, he may (even) be called saita. He may be called vijña, he may be called veda, and he may be called prāṇa, bhūta, jīva, satta, vijña and veda⁷.

Q. 15. Bhante! What is the reason for his being called prāṇa...till veda?

A. 15. Gautama! He may be called prāṇa because of his respirations ia and out, his inhaling and exhaling; bhūta because he did exist, he exists and he will exist; jīva because he lives, acquires the state of existence and experiences life-span; satta because he is tied to righteous and non-righteous deeds; vijña because he distinguishes tastes such as hot, pungent, bitter, sour and sweet; veda because he experiences pleasure and pain. It is for this he is called prāna...till veda.

Q. 16. Bhante! Does a monk who has restrained the cycles of coming and going,...till who has completed his work, acquire again, on death, the existence and other conditions of human life?

A. 16. Gautama! A monk who has restrained the cycles,...till, on death, docs not acquire the existence and other conditions of human life.

Q. 17. Bhante! How is he to be called?

A. 17. Gautama! He may be called siddha, he may be called buddha, he may be called pāragata, he may be called paramparāgata; he may be called siddha, buddha, mukta, nibṛtta, anta-kṛta and sarva-dukkha-prahīṇa⁸.

Bhante! So they are. Glory be to the Lord! So saying, Gautama paid his homage and obeisance and withdrew to his seat.

Notes (based on commentary of Abhayadeva Sūri):

7. Prāṇa—one who has respirations; bhūta—one who was, is and will be; jīva—one who acquires existence and lifespan; satta—one who is tied to pious and impious deeds; vijña—one who knows tastes; veda—one who experiences pleasure and pain. These words have been used in a different sense earlier, (vide note 174 in Book I)

8. Sīddha—perfected; buddha—enlightened; mukta—liberated; pāragata—one who has crossed through worldly life; paramparāgata—one who has outlived the tradition of coming and going; parinirvṛta—one who is liberated from all activities; anta-kṛta—one who has completed or ended his last activities and sarva-duḥkha-prahīṇa—one who has ended all misery.