Mahaparinibbanasuttam (DN 16) - Ancient Buddhist Texts

The Fourth Chapter for Recitation - 143
Tatra kho Bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:
There the Gracious One said this to the monks:
“Catunnaṁ, bhikkhave, dhammānaṁ ananubodhā appaṭivedhā
“Because of a lack of understanding and a lack of penetration, monks, of four things
evam-idaṁ dīgham-addhānaṁ sandhāvitaṁ saṁsaritaṁ mamañ-ceva tumhākañ-ca.
both you and I have been wandering and running along (in Saṁsāra) for a long time. 169
Katamesaṁ catunnaṁ?
Which four?
Ariyassa, bhikkhave, Sīlassa ananubodhā appaṭivedhā
Because of a lack of understanding and a lack of penetration of Noble Virtue 170
evam-idaṁ dīgham-addhānaṁ sandhāvitaṁ saṁsaritaṁ mamañ-ceva tumhākañ-ca.
both you and I have been wandering and running along (in Saṁsāra) 171 for a long time.
Ariyassa, bhikkhave, Samādhissa ananubodhā appaṭivedhā
Because of a lack of understanding and a lack of penetration of Noble Concentrated
(Development) 172
evam-idaṁ dīgham-addhānaṁ sandhāvitaṁ saṁsaritaṁ mamañ-ceva tumhākañ-ca.
both you and I have been wandering and running along (in Saṁsāra) for a long time.
Ariyāya, bhikkhave, Paññāya ananubodhā appaṭivedhā
Because of a lack of understanding and a lack of penetration of Noble Wisdom
evam-idaṁ dīgham-addhānaṁ sandhāvitaṁ saṁsaritaṁ mamañ-ceva tumhākañ-ca.
both you and I have been wandering and running along (in Saṁsāra) for a long time.
169 Compare this with section 13 above, which is almost identical, but the four things there are
the Four Noble Truths. Compare also with the summary of the teaching given at the end of most
sections.
170 The Commentary doesn’t comment on this section and this and the next 3 terms do not seem
to have been defined elsewhere either. Perhaps Ariyasīla would mean the Virtue section of the
Eightfold Noble Path (Right Speech, Action and Livelihood); Ariyasamādhi the Concentrated
(Development) section (Right Endeavour, Mindfulness and Concentration), Ariyapaññā the
Wisdom section (Right View and Thought). Then Ariyavimutti would refer to Right Freedom
(Sammāvimutti) and Right knowledge and Insight into Freedom (Sammāvimuttiñāṇadassana) in
the extended Tenfold formula.
171 Saṁsarita and Saṁsāra are both derived from the verb saṁsarati, to run on, run along.
Saṁsāra implies running on from birth to birth.
172 If the note above is correct then Ariyasamādhi refers to Right Endeavour, Mindfulness and
Concentration, which means that Samādhi here must mean something more than simply
concentration, being a concentrated development of the mind in various spheres.