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93.    Thus I shall put a stop to old feelings and shall not arouse new feelings:  [33] thus as a sick man uses medicine, he uses [alms food, thinking] : ‘by use of this alms food I shall not arouse a new feeling by immoderate eating, like one of the [proverbial] brahmans, that is, one who eats till he has to be helped up by hand, or till his clothes will not meet, or till he rolls there [on the ground], or till crows can peck from his mouth, or till he vomits what he has eaten. Or alternatively, there is that which is called “old feelings” because, being conditioned by former kamma, it arises now in dependence on unsuitable immoderate eating—I shall put a stop to that old feeling, forestalling its condition by suitable moderate eating. And there is that which is called “new feeling” because it will arise in the future in dependence on the accumulation of kamma consisting in making improper use [of the requisite of alms food] now—I shall also not arouse that new feeling, avoiding by means of proper use the production of its root’. This is how the meaning should be understood here. What has been shown so far can be understood to include proper use [of requisites], abandoning of devotion to self-mortification, and not giving up lawful bliss (pleasure).

94.    And I shall be healthy : ‘In this body, which exists in dependence on requisites, I shall, by moderate eating, have health called “long endurance” since there will be no danger of severing the life faculty or interrupting the [continuity of the] postures’. [Reflecting] in this way, he makes use [of the] postures’. [Reflecting] in this way, he makes use [of the alms food] as a sufferer from a chronic disease does his medicine. And blameless and live in comfort (lit. and have blamelessness and a comfortable abiding): he makes use of them thinking ‘I shall have blamelessness by avoiding improper search, acceptance and eating, and I shall have a comfortable  abiding by moderate eating.’ Or he does so thinking ‘I shall have blamelessness due to absence of such faults as boredom, sloth, sleepiness, blame by the wise, etc., that have unseemly immoderate eating as their condition; and I shall have a comfortable abiding by reducing bodily strength that has seemly moderate eating as its condition.’ Or he does so thinking ‘I shall have blamelessness by abandoning the pleasure of lying down, lolling and torpor through refraining from eating as much as possible to stuff the belly; and I shall have a comfortable abiding by controlling the four postures through eating four or five mouthfuls less than the maximum.’ For this is said:
          ‘With four or five lumps still to eat
          ‘Let him then end by drinking water;
          ‘For energetic bhikkhus’ needs
          ‘This should suffice to live in comfort’
                                                        (Thag. 983) 29 [34]

95.   Resting place (senasana): this is the bed (sena); whether in a monastery or in a lean-to, etc., that is the bed (sena); wherever one seats oneself (asate), sits (nisidati), that is the seat (asana). Both together are called ‘resting-place (or abode—senasana)’.
  For the purpose of warding off the perils of climate and enjoying retreat: the climate itself in the sense of imperiling (parisahana) is ‘perils of climate (utu-parissay)’. Unsuitable climatic conditions that cause mental distraction due to bodily affliction can be warded off by making use of the resting place; it is for the purpose of warding off these and for the purpose of the pleasure of solitude, is what is meant. Of course, the warding off of the perils, of climate is stated by, [the phrase] ‘protection from cold’, etc., too; but, just as in the case of making use of the robes the concealment of the private parts is stated as an invariable purpose while the others are periodical [purpose], so here also this [last] should be understood as mentioned with reference to the invariable warding off of the perils of climate. Or alternatively, this ‘climate’ of the kind stated is just climate; but ‘perils’ are of two kinds: evident perils and concealed perils (see NdI.12). Herein, evident perils are lions, tigers, etc., while concealed perils are greed,  hate, and so on. When a bhikkhu knows and reflects thus in making use of the kind of resting place where these [perils] do not, owing to unguarded doors and sight of unsuitable visible objects, etc., cause affliction, he can be understood as one who ‘reflecting wisely makes use of the resting place for the purpose of warding off the perils of climate’.

96.   The requisite of medicine as cure for the sick: here ‘cure (paccaya=going against)’ is in the sense of going against (pati-ayana) illness; in the sense of countering, is the meaning. This is a term for any suitable remedy.  It is the medical man’s work (bhisakassa kammam) because it is permitted by him, thus it is medicine (bhesajja). Or the cure for the sick itself as medicine is ‘medicine as cure for the sick’. Any work of a medical man, such as oil, honey, ghee, etc., that is suitable for one who is sick, is what is meant. A ‘requisite (parik-kara)’, however, in such passages as ‘It is well supplied with ‘the requisites of a city’ (A.iv,106) is equipment; in such passages as ‘The chariot has the requisite of virtue, the axle of jhana, the wheel of energy’ (S.v,6) [35] it is an ornament; in such passages as ‘The requisites for the life of ‘one who has gone into homelessness that should be available’ (M.i,104) it is an accessory. But here both equipment and accessory are applicable. For that medicine as a cure for the sick is equipment for maintaining life because it protects by preventing the arising of affliction destructive to life; and it is an accessory too because it is an instrument for prolonging life. That is why it is called ‘requisite’. So it is medicine as cure for the sick and that is requisite, thus it is a ‘requisite of medicine as cure for the sick’. [He makes use of] that requisite of medicine as cure for the sick; any requisite for life consisting of oil, honey, molasses, ghee, etc., that is allowed by a medical man as suitable for the sick, is what is meant.

97.    From arisen: from born, become produced. Hurtful: here ‘hurt (affliction)’ is a disturbance of elements, and it is the leprosy, tumors, boils, etc., originated by that disturbance. Hurtful (veyyabadhika) because arisen in the form of hurt (byabadha). Feelings: painful feelings, feelings resulting from unprofitable kamma—from those hurtful feelings. For complete immunity from affliction: for complete freedom from pain; so that all that is painful is abandoned, is the meaning.
  This is how this virtue concerning requisites should be understood. In brief its characteristic is the use of requisites after wise reflection. The word-meaning here is this: because breathing things go (ayanti), move, proceed, using [what they use] in dependence on these robes, etc., these robes, etc., are therefore called requisites (paccaya=ger. of pate+ayati); ‘concerning requisites’ is concerning those requisites.

98.    (a) So, in this fourfold virtue, Patimokkha restraint has to be undertaken by means of faith. For that is accomplished by faith, since the announcing of training precepts is outside the disciples’ province; and the evidence here is the refusal of the request to [allow disciples to] announce training precepts (See Vin. iii, 9-10O. Having therefore undertaken through faith the training precepts without exception as announced, one should completely perfect them without regard for life. For this is said: [36]
           ‘As a hen guards her eggs,
           ‘Or as a yak her tail,                                                                        ‘Or like a darling child,                                                            ‘Or like an only eye-                                                                             ‘So you who are engaged                                                                                 ‘Your virtue to protect,                                                                        ‘Be prudent at all times                                                            ‘And ever scrupulous’   (         ).
Also it is said further ‘So too, Sire, when a training precept for disciples is announced by me, my disciples do not transgress it even for the sake of life’   (A.iv,201)

99.    And the story of the Elders bound by robbers in the forest should be understood in this sense.
  It seems that robbers in the Mahavattani Forest bound an Elder with black creepers and made him lie down. While he lay there for seven days he augmented his insight, and after reaching the fruition of Non-return, he died there and was reborn in the Brahma World.
  Also they bound another Elder in Tambapanni Island (Ceylon) with string creepers and made men lie down. When a forest fire came and the creepers were not cut, he established insight and attained nibbana simultaneously with his death. When the Elder Abhaya, a preacher of the Digha Nikaya, passed by with five hundred bhikkhus, he saw [what had happened] and he had the Elder’s body cremated and a shrine built. Therefore let other clansmen also
               Maintain the Rules of Conduct pure,                                                Renouncing life if there be need,                                                Rather than break virtue’s restraint                                                By the World’s Savior decreed.

100.      (b)  And as Patimokkha restraint is undertaken out of faith, so restraint of the sense faculties should be undertaken with mindfulness. For that is accomplished by mindfulness, because when the sense faculties’ functions are founded on mindfulness, there is no liability to invasion by covetousness and the rest. So, recollecting the Fire Discourse, which begins thus, ‘Better, bhikkhus, the extirpation of the eye ‘faculty by a red-hot burning blazing glowing iron spike than the apprehension of signs in the particulars of visible objects cognizable by the eye’ (S.iv, 168), this [restraint] should be properly undertaken by preventing with unremitting mindfulness any apprehension, in the objective fields consisting of visible data, etc., of any signs, etc., likely to encourage covetousness, etc., to invade consciousness occurring in connection with the eye door, and so on.

101.       [37] When not undertaken thus, virtue of Patimokkha restraint is unenduring: it does not last, like a crop not fenced in with branches. And it is raided by the robber defilements as a village with open gates is by thieves. And lust, leaks into his mind as rain does into a badly-roofed house. For this is said,
           ‘Among the visible objects, sounds, and smells,
           ‘And tastes, and tangibles, guard the faculties;                        ‘For when these doors are open and unguarded,                        ‘Then thieves will come and raid as ‘twere a village’
                                                                      (             ).                                                                                                            ‘And just as with an ill-roofed house                                                ‘The rain comes leaking in, so too                                                ‘Will lust come leaking in for sure                                                ‘upon an undeveloped mind’ (Dh.13)                       

102.            When it is undertaken thus, virtue of Patimokkha  restraint is enduring: it lasts, like a crop well fenced in with branches. And it is not raided by the robber defilements, as a village with well-guarded gates is not by thieves. And lust does not leak into his mind, as rain does not into a well-roofed house. For this is said:
            ‘Among the visible objects, sounds and smells,                        ‘And tastes and tangibles, guard the faculties;                        ‘For when these doors are closed and truly guarded,                        ‘Thieves will not come and raid as ‘twere a village’                                                                                (            ).                                                                                                                                    ‘And just as with a well-roofed house                                    ‘No rain comes leaking in, so too                                                ‘No lust comes leaking in for sure                                                ‘Upon a well-developed mind’   (Dh. 14),

103.            This, however, is the teaching at its very highest.
  This mind is called ‘quickly transformed’ (A.I,10), so restraint of the faculties should be undertaken by removing arisen lust with the contemplation of foulness, as was done by the Elder Vangisa soon after he had gone forth.    [38]
  As the Elder was wandering for alms, it seems, soon after going forth, lust arose in him on seeing a woman. Thereupon he said to the venerable Ananda:
            ‘I am afire with sensual lust.                                                            ‘And burning flames consume my mind;                                    ‘In pity tell me, Gotama,                                                            ‘How to extinguish it for good’   (S.i,188)           
The elder said:
             ‘You do perceive mistakenly,                                                ‘That burning flames consume your mind.                                    ‘Look for no sign of beauty there,                                                ‘For that it is which leads to lust.                                                ‘See foulness there and keep your mind                                    ‘Harmoniously concentrated;                                                            ‘Formations see as alien,                                                            ‘As ill, not self, so this great lust                                                ‘May be extinguished, and no more                                                ‘Take fire thus ever and again’  (S.i,188).
The Elder expelled his lust and then went on with his alms round.           

104.            Moreover a bhikkhu who is fulfilling restraint of the faculties should be like the elder Cittagutta resident in the Great Cave at Kurandaka, and like the Elder Maha-Mitta resident at the Great Monastery of Coraka.

105.            In the Great Cave of Kurandaka, it seems, there was a lovely painting of the Renunciation of the Seven Buddhas. A number of Bhikkhus wandering about among the dwellings saw the painting and said ‘What a lovely painting, venerable sir!’ The Elder said ‘For more than sixty years, friends, I have lived in the cave, and I did not know whether there was any painting there or not. Now, today, I know it through those who have eyes’. The elder, it seems, though he had lived there for so long, had never raised his eyes and looked up at the cave. And at the door of his cave there was a great ironwood tree. And the Elder had never looked up at that either. He knew it was in flower when he saw its petals on the ground each year.

106.            The king heard of the Elder’s great virtues, and he sent for him three times, desiring to pay homage to him. When the Elder did not go, he had the breasts of all the women with infants in the town bond and sealed off, [saying] ‘As long as the Elder does not come let the children go without milk’. [39] Out of compassion for the children the Elder went to Mahagama. When the king heard [that he had come, he said] ‘Go and bring the Elder in. I shall take the Precepts’. Having had him brought up into the inner palace, he paid homage to him and provided him with a meal. Then, saying ‘Today, venerable sir, there is no opportunity. I shall take the Precepts tomorrow’, he took the Elder’s bowl. After following him for a little, he paid homage with the queen and turned back. As seven days went by thus, whether it was the king who paid homage or whether it was the queen, the Elder said ‘May the king be happy’.           

107.            Bhikkhus asked ‘Why is it, venerable sir, that whether it is the king who pays the homage or the queen you say “May the king be happy?” The Elder replied ‘Friends, I do not notice whether it is the king or the queen’. At the end of seven days [when it was found that] the Elder was not happy living there, he was dismissed by the king. He went back to the Great Cave at Karnadaka. When it was night he went out onto his walk. A deity who dwelt in the ironwood tree stood by with a torch of sticks. Then his meditation subject became quite clear and plain. The Elder, [thinking] ‘How clear my meditation subject is today!’, was glad, and immediately after the middle watch he reached Arahantship, making the whole rock resound.30

108.            So when another clansman seeks his own good,
            Let him not be hungry-eyed,
            Like a monkey in the groves,                                                            Like a wild deer in the woods,                                                Like a nervous little child.                                                            Let him go with eyes downcast                                                Seeing a plough yoke’s length before,                                    That he fall not in the power                                                            Of the forest-monkey mind.