The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha - Bhikkhu Nanamoli [644]
1230 Here begins the expounding of the knowledge of the great exposition of action.
1231 MA: The person who was seen with the divine eye killing living beings, etc., is reborn in hell because of another evil deed he had done earlier than the deed of killing, etc., or because of an evil deed he did afterwards, or because of a wrong view he accepted at the time of death. Although the Pali seems to be saying that he was necessarily reborn in hell on account of some action other than the one he was seen performing, this should not be understood as an apodictic pronouncement but only as a statement of possibility. That is, while it may be true that he was reborn in hell because of the evil action he was seen performing, it is also possible that he was reborn there because of some other evil action he did earlier or later or because of wrong view.
1232 This statement shows that even if his evil kamma does not generate the mode of rebirth, it will still mature for him in some other way either in this life, in the next life, or in some more distant future life.
1233 In this case the heavenly rebirth must be due to some action other than the one he was seen performing, since an evil action cannot produce a fortunate mode of rebirth.
1234 MA explains abhabba, incapable, as the unwholesome (akusala), called “incapable” because it is devoid of the capacity for growth; and bhabba, capable, as the wholesome, called “capable” because it has the capacity for growth. This explanation sounds suspect; bhabba (Skt bhavya) may simply mean “potent, capable of producing results,” without implying any particular moral valuation. MA gives two explanations of the tetrad. The first devolves on taking the suffix -ābhāsa to mean “outshine” or “overcome,” and thus the four terms exemplify the way a kamma of one quality can “outshine” another in generating its result. The second explanation, which seems more cogent, takes - ābhāsa to mean “appears,” which I follow in the translation. On this explanation, the first type is illustrated by the person who kills living beings and is reborn in hell: his action is incapable (of good result) because it is unwholesome, and it appears incapable because, since he is reborn in hell, it seems to be the cause for his rebirth there. The second is illustrated by the person who kills living beings and is reborn in heaven: his action is incapable (of good result) because it is unwholesome, yet it appears capable because he is reborn in heaven; thus to the outside recluses and brahmins it seems to be the cause for his rebirth in heaven. The remaining two terms should be understood along the same lines, with appropriate changes.
SUTTA 137
1235 MA: Mental exploration (manopavic̄ra) is applied thought and sustained thought. One explores (or examines, upavicarati) the object by the occurrence of sustained thought (vicāra), and applied thought is associated with the latter.
1236 MA: Having seen a form with eye-consciousness, one explores a form which, as an object, is a cause of joy (grief, equanimity).
1237 MA: These are positions (pada) for beings who are intent on the round of existence and for those intent on the cessation of the round.
1238 MA: “Based on the household life” means connected with the cords of sensual pleasure; “based on renunciation” means connected with insight.
1239 MA: This is the joy that arises when one has set up insight and is sitting watching the breakup of formations with a current of sharp and bright insight knowledge focused on formations.
1240 MA explains “the supreme liberations” and “that base” as arahantship. See MN 44.28.
1241 MA: This is the equanimity of unknowing that arises in one who has not conquered the limitations imposed by the defilements or the future results (of action). It “does not transcend the form” because it is stuck, fastened to the object like flies to a ball of sugar.
1242 MA: This is the equanimity associated with insight knowledge. It does not become lustful towards desirable