The reflection made at the end of the day on the four requisites that were used during it without reflecting at the time.
- When chanted
- Recited by monastics in the evening, on the requisites used during the day.
A note on this chant. The book prints this chant in Pali only, with no Thai translation. The English here is a working translation prepared for this edition — it is not the book's own, and has not yet been checked by a teacher.
Historical background
อะตีตะ means past, and that is the whole difference between this reflection and the one made at the moment of use. It covers the same four requisites in the same order, but afterwards. The book prints its own reference for it.
It exists because the reflection at the moment of use is very often not made. Rather than treat that as a failure to be corrected, the tradition wrote a second text for it and gave it a place in the evening.
Meaning and purpose
Every section opens with the same admission built into its grammar: อัชชะ มะยา อะปัจจะเวกขิต๎วา — whatever I have used today without reflecting. The text does not ask whether the reflection was made. It assumes it was not, and starts from there.
What follows is word for word the purpose clause of the earlier reflection, moved into the past: that was only for warding off cold, heat, the touch of gadflies, mosquitoes, wind and creeping things; that food was not for amusement or intoxication or adornment but for the endurance of this body. The reflection is applied retrospectively to acts already finished.
Why a tradition would print such a thing is the interesting part. It could have insisted the reflection be made at the time and left the matter there. Instead it wrote a second text for the commoner case and put it at the end of the day, where the day can be gone back over. It is a rule that expects to be forgotten, and makes provision for it rather than pretending otherwise.
The chant
As the book prints it: page 60 →
อัชชะ มะยา อะปัจจะเวกขิต๎วา ยัง จีวะรัง ปะริภุตตัง,
Ajja mayā apaccavekkhitvā yaṃ cīvaraṃ paribhuttaṃ,
Whatever robe I have used today without reflecting,
ตัง ยาวะเทวะ สีตัสสะ ปะฏิฆาตายะ,
Taṃ yāvadeva sītassa paṭighātāya,
that was only for warding off cold,
อุณหัสสะ ปะฏิฆาตายะ,
Uṇhassa paṭighātāya,
for warding off heat,
ฑังสะมะกะสะวาตาตะปะสิริงสะปะสัมผัสสานัง ปะฏิฆาตายะ,
Ḍaṃsamakasavātātapasiriṃsapasamphassānaṃ paṭighātāya,
for warding off the touch of gadflies, mosquitoes, wind, sun and creeping things,
ยาวะเทวะ หิริโกปีนะปะฏิจฉาทะนัตถัง.
Yāvadeva hirikopīnapaṭicchādanatthaṃ.
and only for the sake of covering what modesty conceals.
อัชชะ มะยา อะปัจจะเวกขิต๎วา โย ปิณฑะปาโต ปะริภุตโต,
Ajja mayā apaccavekkhitvā yo piṇḍapāto paribhutto,
Whatever almsfood I have used today without reflecting,
โส เนวะ ท๎วายะ นะ มะทายะ นะ มัณฑะนายะ นะ วิภูสะนายะ,
So neva dvāya na madāya na maṇḍanāya na vibhūsanāya,
that was not for amusement, nor for intoxication, nor for adornment, nor for beautifying,
ยาวะเทวะ อิมัสสะ กายัสสะ ฐิติยา ยาปะนายะ,
Yāvadeva imassa kāyassa ṭhitiyā yāpanāya,
but only for the endurance and continuance of this body,
วิหิงสุปะระติยา พ๎รัห๎มะจะริยานุคคะหายะ,
Vihiṃsuparatiyā brahmacariyānuggahāya,
for the ending of its hurt, and for the support of the holy life,
อิติ ปุราณัญจะ เวทะนัง ปะฏิหังขามิ,
Iti purāṇañca vedanaṃ paṭihaṅkhāmi,
thinking: thus I put an end to the old feeling,
นะวัญจะ เวทะนัง นะ อุปปาเทสสามิ,
Navañca vedanaṃ na uppādessāmi,
and I shall not give rise to a new feeling,
ยาต๎รา จะ เม ภะวิสสะติ อะนะวัชชะตา จะ ผาสุวิหาโร จาติ.
Yātrā ca me bhavissati anavajjatā ca phāsuvihāro cāti.
and I shall have sustenance, blamelessness, and a life of ease.
อัชชะ มะยา อะปัจจะเวกขิต๎วา ยัง เสนาสะนัง ปะริภุตตัง,
Ajja mayā apaccavekkhitvā yaṃ senāsanaṃ paribhuttaṃ,
Whatever lodging I have used today without reflecting,
ตัง ยาวะเทวะ สีตัสสะ ปะฏิฆาตายะ,
Taṃ yāvadeva sītassa paṭighātāya,
that was only for warding off cold,
อุณหัสสะ ปะฏิฆาตายะ,
Uṇhassa paṭighātāya,
for warding off heat,
ฑังสะมะกะสะวาตาตะปะสิริงสะปะสัมผัสสานัง ปะฏิฆาตายะ,
Ḍaṃsamakasavātātapasiriṃsapasamphassānaṃ paṭighātāya,
for warding off the touch of gadflies, mosquitoes, wind, sun and creeping things,
ยาวะเทวะ อุตุปะริสสะยะวิโนทะนัง ปะฏิสัลลานารามัตถัง.
Yāvadeva utuparissayavinodanaṃ paṭisallānārāmatthaṃ.
and only for dispelling the perils of the seasons and for delighting in seclusion.
อัชชะ มะยา อะปัจจะเวกขิต๎วา โย คิลานะปัจจะยะเภสัชชะปะริกขาโร ปะริภุตโต,
Ajja mayā apaccavekkhitvā yo gilānapaccayabhesajjaparikkhāro paribhutto,
Whatever medicine for use in sickness I have used today without reflecting,
โส ยาวะเทวะ อุปปันนานัง เวยยาพาธิกานัง เวทะนานัง ปะฏิฆาตายะ,
So yāvadeva uppannānaṃ veyyābādhikānaṃ vedanānaṃ paṭighātāya,
that was only for warding off painful feelings that had arisen,
อัพ๎ยาปัชฌะปะระมะตายาติ.
Abyāpajjhaparamatāyāti.
and for freedom from affliction as the highest aim.
อะตีตะปัจจะเวกขะณะปาโฐ นิฏฐิโต
Atītapaccavekkhaṇapāṭho niṭṭhito
Here ends the Reflection on the Requisites Already Used.