Mahaparinibbanasuttam (DN 16) - Ancient Buddhist Texts

The Fourth Chapter for Recitation - 147
Sutte osāretabbāni 177 Vinaye sandassetabbāni.
they should be laid alongside the Discourses, they should be compared with the
Discipline. 178
Tāni ce Sutte osāriyamānāni Vinaye sandassiyamānāni,
If, when these are laid alongside the Discourses, compared with the Discipline,
na ceva Sutte osaranti na ca Vinaye sandissanti,
they do not fit in with the Discourses, they do not compare (well) with the Discipline,
niṭṭham-ettha gantabbaṁ: ‘Addhā idaṁ na ceva tassa Bhagavato vacanaṁ,
you may here come to this conclusion: ‘Certainly this is not the Gracious One’s word,
imassa ca bhikkhuno duggahitan’-ti iti hetaṁ bhikkhave chaḍḍeyyātha.
it is not well learned by that monk,’ and, monks, you should abandon it.
Tāni ce Sutte osāriyamānāni Vinaye sandassiyamānāni,
If when these are laid alongside the Discourses, compared with the Discipline,
Sutte ceva osaranti Vinaye ca sandissanti,
they do fit in with the Discourses, they do compare (well) with the Discipline,
niṭṭham-ettha gantabbaṁ: ‘Addhā idaṁ tassa Bhagavato vacanaṁ,
you may come to this conclusion: ‘Certainly this is the Gracious One’s word,
imassa ca bhikkhuno suggahitan’-ti
it is well-learned by that monk.’
Idaṁ bhikkhave paṭhamaṁ Mahāpadesaṁ dhāreyyātha.
This, monks, is the first Great Referral you should bear in mind.
* * *
177 BJT, PTS: otāretabbāni, and similarly throughout. The (ChS) Commentary gives these laconic
definitions: “Sutte osāretabbānī” ti sutte otāretabbāni. “Vinaye sandassetabbānī” ti vinaye
saṁsandetabbāni. This reading rules out taking otāretabbāni in the text. Without taking this
interpretation into account the natural meaning would be admitted into the Discourses, instructed
in the Discipline. As it is hard to make sense of this in the context, I follow the Commentary.
178 The Commentary has a hard time here explaining what is comprehended by Sutta and
Vinaya, because the Abhidhamma is not mentioned explicitly. Eventually it settles on the
following definition: Sutte ti Tepiṭake Buddhavacane otāretabbāni. Vinaye ti etasmiṁ
rāgādivinayakāraṇe saṁsandetabbānī ti; alongside the Discourses, they should be laid alongside
the Buddha’s word in the Three Baskets. With the Discipline, they should be compared with the
means of disciplining passion.