I would say - recommended.David N. Snyder wrote:Thanks for that, Dmytro; that is interesting. So would you say lotus is required based on that Commentary? Or just recommended?
Original Pali, from the Atthakatha to another sutta, clarifies some details:
Pallaṅkanti samantato ūrubaddhāsanaṃ. Ābhujitvāti bandhitvā. Ujuṃ kāyaṃ paṇidhāyāti uparimaṃ sarīraṃ ujukaṃ ṭhapetvā, aṭṭhārasa piṭṭhikaṇṭake koṭiyā koṭiṃ paṭipādetvā. Parimukhaṃ satiṃ upaṭṭhapetvāti kammaṭṭhānābhimukhaṃ satiṃ ṭhapayitvā, mukhasamīpe vā katvāti attho. Teneva vibhaṅge vuttaṃ – ‘‘ayaṃ sati upaṭṭhitā hoti sūpaṭṭhitā nāsikagge vā mukhanimitte vā, tena vuccati parimukhaṃ satiṃ upaṭṭhapetvā’’ti (vibha. 537). Atha vā ‘‘parīti pariggahaṭṭho. Mukhanti niyyānaṭṭho. Satīti upaṭṭhānaṭṭho. Tena vuccati parimukhaṃ satiṃ upaṭṭhapetvā’’ti evaṃ paṭisambhidāyaṃ (paṭi. ma. 1.164) vuttanayenapettha attho daṭṭhabbo. Tatrāyaṃ saṅkhepo – ‘‘pariggahitaniyyānaṃ satiṃ katvā’’ti. Evaṃ nisīdanto ca pana chabbaṇṇā ghanabuddharasmiyo vissajjetvā nisīdi.
It gives a reference to Vibhanga, where 'parimukhaṃ' is explained as 'at the tip of the nose or at the lip'.
As for the other sources, Monier-Williams dictionary gives:
palyaṅka
(H1) paly-aṅka
m. = pary-aṅka ( Pa1n2. 8-2 , 22) a bed , couch , bedstead Sin6ha7s. Pan5cad.
a cloth wound round the loins while sitting on the heels and hams L.
so sitting , squatting (cf. pary-aṅka) L.
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