Introduction
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassa
Introduction to 3.5.2 Cārittaṃ Vārittaṃ Sikkhāpada
Cāritta and Vāritta Sīla (The Training of Performing and Avoiding)
Dhammo have rakkhati dhammacāriṃ,
dhammo suciṇṇo sukhamāvahati;
Esānisaṃso dhamme suciṇṇe,1
na duggatiṃ gacchati dhammacārī.
Nahi dhammo adhammo ca, ubho samavipākino;2
Adhammo nirayaṃ neti, dhammo pāpeti3 suggatiṃ.
Tasmā hi dhammesu kareyya chandaṃ,
iti modamāno sugatena tādinā;
Dhamme ṭhitā sugatavarassa sāvakā,
nīyanti dhīrā saraṇavaraggagāmino.4,5
Truly, Dhamma protects those who foster the Dhamma,
Dhamma well nurtured results in happy dwelling,
The reward of Dhamma, if well-practiced,
For someone abiding within the Dhamma will not arrive in the lower fields.
Because unrighteousness and righteousness can’t have the same result,
Unrighteousness leads to hell, righteousness leads to the higher sphere.
Therefor one should aspire to act in accordance to Dhamma,
Thus rejoicing through the (teaching of the) Sugata,
Firmly established in Dhamma, the disciples of the outstanding Sugata are safely guided, on that excellent path
towards the highest goal of such a true refuge.
Leading a life in Dhamma requires ta foundation of proper moral conduct. As the previous Introduction pointed out, for a householder five fundamental precepts need to be applied and maintained. This is a serious, lifelong undertaking that demands not only effort and determination but also correct understanding. The commitment to avoid harmful activities should eventually lead to a life of wholesomeness, support, and help for others. When these first steps are achieved, the resulting emotional peace and mental well-being naturally strengthen one's resolve, making the practice of these precepts instinctive.
An explanation provided by the commentary may help to approach the formula: ‘veramaṇī-sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi’ from a more comprehensive perspective. It expounds:
Tattha byañjanato6 tāva veraṃ7 maṇatīti8 veramaṇī, veraṃ pajahati, vinodeti, byantīkaroti, anabhāvaṃ gametīti attho.9
The characteristic of veramaṇīis that it does away with malice, therefore it is abstinence, it abandons malice, eliminates it, makes an end of it and annihilates it, that is the meaning of it.
Sikkhitabbāti sikkhā, pajjate10 anenāti11 padaṃ.
(The thought:) It should be trained - thus it is training; one proceeds by that – thus it is the foundation.
Sammā ādiyāmi samādiyāmi, avītikkamanādhippāyena12 akhaṇḍakāritāya13 acchiddakāritāya14 asabalakāritāya ca ādiyāmīti vuttaṃ hoti.
I undertake: I completely take upon myself! - thus it is said I undertake it with the intention of not transgressing, nor breaking it while performing but acting without any fault.
For a householder seeking a healthy and wholesome life, the first five precepts of the dasasikkhāpada15 are a serious, lifelong endeavour. Avoiding harmful actions must become the foundation for performing wholesome ones. To live a life in sammāvācā, sammākammanto and sammā-ājīvo, one has to understand properly: ‘Fulfilling the training precepts (sikkhāpada) as pointed out by the Buddha’, as explained in this lesson.
1. suciṇṇe: su + ciṇṇa (pp. of carati): well + practised, accomplished.
2. samavipākino: sama + vipāki + no: same + having a result.
3. pāpeti:pāpuṇāti (caus.): make attain, let go to, cause.
4. saraṇavaraggagāmino: saraṇa + vara + agga + gāmino: refuge + best + top + going.
5. Dhammikattheragāthā,Theragatha, Khuddakanikāye.
6. byañjanato/ vyañjanato: word, characteristic, distinctive mark.
7. vera: malice, hatred.
8. maṇatīti: crush.
9. This quote and the following: Sikkhāpadavaṇṇanā, Khuddakanikāye, Khuddakapāṭha-aṭṭhakathā.
10. pajjate (med): go on, proceed.
11. anenāti: ena (instr.) + (i)ti: through, by this.
12. avītikkamanādhippāyena: a + vītikkamana + adhippāyena: not + transgressing + intention.
13. akhaṇḍakāritāya: a + khaṇḍa + kāritāya: not + break, split, gap + performing.
14. acchiddakāritāya: a + c + chidda + kāritāya: not + fault + performing.
15. The following ten dasasikkhāpada are described for a novice: Pāṇātipātā veramaṇī-sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi, adinnādānā …pe… abrahmacariyā …pe…musāvādā …pe… surāmerayamajjapamādaṭṭhānā …pe… vikālabhojanā …pe… nacca-gīta-vādita-visūkadassanā …pe… mālā-gandha-vilepana-dhāraṇa-maṇḍana-vibhūsanaṭṭhānā …pe… uccāsayana-mahāsayanā …pe… jātarūpa-rajatapaṭiggahaṇā veramaṇī-sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi. (Dasasikkhāpadaṃ, Khuddakapāṭhapāḷi, Khuddakanikāye) A meditator who joins a serious meditation course is expected to follow the first eight of the precepts as to avoid all sensual enjoyments (here the seventh’s and eighths are combined): to abstain from eating at the wrong time, abstain from dancing, singing, music, and worldly entertainments; [wearing] garlands, perfumes, cosmetics; jewellery and other bodily adornments, abstain from using high or luxurious beds. The last two refer to a novice who cannot accept any gift of gold or silver.
A fully ordained monk needs to get perfected through the diyaḍḍhasikkhāpadasata, the 150 precepts of old, which expanded finally up to 227 precepts as the saṅgha grew - as described in the Pāṭimokkha. The Buddha prescribed these regulations in response to specific occurrences to assure that the saṅgha’s harmony and good rapport was maintained. The gradual expansion up to 227 developed partly as a result of misbehaviour but also from expanding and changing circumstances.