Dear Robert,

Robert wrote:

> In the case of the passage in the Patisambhidhimagga it is by
> patience (khanti), as it becomes powerful (khanti-bala) that one
> abandons sense desires (nekkhama) and finally abandons all
> defilements. At least that is how I read the passage.

But the grammar of the passage doesn't seem to support this
reading. Nekkhama is the subject of the sentence (see translation
below). Nekkhama is what does the 'khamati-ing' (however you want
to translate this verb). Its power to do so is khantibala and is
a consequence (not a cause) of the abandoning of kaamacchanda.

> I guess one can read it in other ways - but why, when it is
> already made clear by the ancient commentary?

That the Commentary (as we have it) is in error on this point
cannot reasonably be doubted. However, since the error is a very
clumsy and obvious one I doubt it is from Ven. Mahaanaama
himself. It's more the sort of error that would arise from a
copyist's oversight.

The most common commentarial glosses on the verb 'khamati' are
'assent to' or 'prefer' (roceti), 'be assented to' (rucceti), and
'endure' (adhivaasati). From these we get the nouns 'rocana',
'ruccana' and 'adhivaasana' which are used as glosses for
'khanti'. Leaving aside rocana, the two other glosses represent
entirely separate and mutually exclusive uses of the term. If the
object of the verb is something superior to be preferred over
something inferior, then the commentator will gloss 'khamati' as
'ruccati'. If it is something painful to be endured then he will
use 'adhivaasati'. Likewise with the nouns derived from these
verbs.

In the Balakathaava.n.nanaa, Mahaanaama begins his account of
'khantibala' by glossing the verb 'khamati' as 'ruccati':

'Khamatii' ti tassa yogissa khamati ruccati.

but then a few paragraphs later he inexplicably switches to
'adhivaasana':

Dukkhamaana.m adhivaasana.m 'khantibala.m'.

I suspect this discrepancy is the result of a scribe who had
the 'endurance' definition of 'khanti' fixed in his memory and
wrote it out unthinkingly without carefully checking with the
manuscript he was working from. But whatever the case, one of the
two glosses given above is out of place. To determine which it
is, let's examine the Pa.tisam. passage he is commenting on. I
will take the example of the first jhaana, but leave the verb
'khamati' and the noun 'khanti' untranslated for now:

Niivara.naana.m pahiinattaa pa.thama.m jhaana.m khamatii ti
'khantibala.m'

niivara.naana.m: of the hindrances (gen. pl.)

pahiinattaa: because of the state of having been abandoned
(causal ablative of pahiinattaa, from pahiina, pass. pp. of
pajahati + suffix taa)

pa.thama.m jhaana.m: first jhaana (nom. sg)

khamati: it khamati-s (pr ind 3rd per sg.)

iti: thus (indecl.)

khantibala.m: power that is khanti (nom. sg.)

Translation:

"On account of the hindrances having been abandoned, the first
jhaana khamati-s; such is the 'power of khanti'."

(Note: Nyanamoli seems to have been translating from the
Sinhalese Pali edition in which the list has been greatly
abridged. He errs in supposing each item to be an accusative
object of khamati. In fact they are all nominative, as can be
seen from 'aalokasa––aa' and 'abyaapaado' in the Burmese
and Thai editions.)

So, according to this passage it is the first jhaana that
khamati-s as a result of the abandoning of the hindrances.

If 'khamati' were being used in the sense of 'endure' there would
have to be an object such as heat, wind, mosquitoes, harsh words
or some other unpleasant thing. 'Khamati' in the sense of
'endure' is never used without specifying what it is that one is
enduring (in contrast with satati and adhivaasati, which can be
used as intransitive verbs, simply denoting a capacity to endure).
But there is no accusative noun in the above sentence. It would
therefore seem that we must take 'khamati' as meaning 'ruccati',
not 'adhivaasati', and 'khanti' as 'ruccanam', not 'adhivaasana.m'.

"On account of the hindrances having been abandoned, the first
jhaana is assented to (preferred, chosen); such is the 'power
of assenting'."

Best wishes,

Dhammanando