Majjhima Nikāya II (Further Dialogues of the Buddha, vol. II: suttas 77-152)

Then the wardens cast him into Great Purgatory, which is — four-square , four doored , a realm quadrangular , walled all around with steel and roofed with steel with incandescent floor of molten steel; a hundred leagues this way and that its range extends. M. iii, 184. HEAVEN’S WARNING MESSENGERS. " 259 In Great Purgatory, Almsmen, the flames that leap up by the eastern wall surge right across to dash against the western wall ; the flames that leap up by the western wall surge across to dash against the eastern wall ; [1S4] the flames that dart up by the northern wall surge across to dash against the southern wall ; the flames that dart up by the southern wall surge across to dash against the northern wall ; the flames that dart up below surge right up against the top ; and the flames that dart from the top surge right down against the bottom. Severe and acute . . . evil-doing. A time comes —long, long after, at the close of a vast period — when Great Purgatory’s eastern door opens ; and towards it nimbly and swiftly he runs, — burning in skin and hide, burning in his flesh, burning in his tendons, with his bones charring within him ; such is his plight. When he is well on his way to escape, the door shuts. Severe and acute . . . evil-doing.

And the like happens when in the fulness of time the western and the northern and the southern doors open in turn and close again. A time comes — long, long after, at the close of a vast period — when once again Great Purgatory’s eastern door opens; and towards it ... . . such is his plight. Forth by that door he goes. Right alongside of Great Purgatory is [185] the great Filth-Purgatory, and into that he plumps. In Filth-Purgatory needle-mouthed creatures successively rip away his skin and hide, his flesh, his tendons, and his bones, till they can devour his marrow. Severe and acute . . . evil-doing. Right alongside of Filth- Purgatory is the great Ember-Purgatory, and into that he plumps. Severe and acute . . . evil-doing. Right alongside of Ember- Purgatory is the great Forest of Silk-cotton Trees towering a league high with prickles half a yard long (on its carpet of fallen leaves), all afire and aflame and ablaze ; and in this forest they make him climb up and down. Severe and acute . . . evil-doing. Right alongside of that forest is the great Swordleaved forest, the leaves of which under stress of the wind cut off his hands and feet and ears and nose and nostrils. Severe and acute . . . evil-doing.

Right alongside of this forest is the great Caustic River, and into that he plumps. Now up, now down the stream he is borne, and now up and down. Severe and acute . . . evil-doing. Landing him with a fish-hook, the wardens of purgatory [186] ask him what he wants ; and he says he is hungry. Prising his mouth open with a red-hot crowbar all afire and aflame and ablaze, the wardens of purgatory thrust into his mouth a red-hot ball of copper all afire and aflame and ablaze, which burns his lips, mouth, throat and chest, and passes out below, carrying with it his bowels and intestines. Severe and acute . . . evil-doing. Again the wardens ask him what he wants ; and he says he is thirsty. Prising his mouth open as before, they pour into his mouth molten copper and bronze all afire and aflame and ablaze, which burns his lips, mouth, throat and chest, and passes out below, carrying with it his bowels and intestines. Severe and acute . . . evil-doing. Then the wardens of purgatory cast him once more into Great Purgatory. Time was Almsmen, when this thought came to King Yama : — They that are reported to do evil in the world are punished in these divers ways. Would that I might become a human being and that there might then arise in the world a Truth-finder, Arahat allenlightened, to whom I might attach myself to hear the Lord preach his Doctrine and myself to understand the Lord’s Doctrine!

What I am telling you, Almsmen, I have heard from no other lips whether of recluse or of brahmin ; I tell you only what I have for and by myself known and seen and discerned. [187] Thus spoke the Lord; and the Blessed One went on to add the following ; — If vainly warn'd by heaven's messengers , young brahmins careless live , long time their sloth * they'll rue , in lowly shapes condemned to live. But they , the good, who warning take betimes and, sloth eschewing , grasp the Doctrine true , — these from Attachment' s perils find Release, in final triumph over birth and death. At peace , and blissful , here and now they find Nirv&na, purged of hatred \ purged of fear , o'er III triumphant.

Thus have I heard. Once when the Lord was staying at S&vatthl in J eta’s grove in Anathapindika’s pleasaunce, he informed the Almsmen that he would instruct them in the exposition and analysis of the True Saint. Their attention gained, the Lord spoke as follows : — Let past be past ; nor future longings house ; * — the past is dead , the morrow not yet born . Whoso with insight scans his heart to-day , let him ensue eternal Changelessness / Toil then to-day. To-morrow death may come , — who knows ? No bargain holds death! s hosts at bay. Whoso , by night and day unceasingly , lives still to struggle onward , he it is is called True Saint; — the Perfect Sage is he. [188] How, Almsmen, does a man hark back to the past? — By finding delight in remembering that in a previous birth in the past such and such was. he like, such and such were his feelings, his perceptions, his plastic forces and his mentality. How does a man not hark back? — By not finding delight in such memories. How does a man have longings for the future ? — By

finding 'delight in the longing that in later births in the future he may be such and such, with such and such feelings and so forth. How does a man not have longings for the future ? — By not finding delight in any such aspirations. How is a man swept away by present states of consciousness ?— Take the case of an uninstructed everyday man who has no vision of the Noble Ones and is unversed and untrained in their Doctrine, who has no vision of the Excellent Ones and is unversed and untrained in their Doctrine ; — such a man either conceives Form as Self, or Self as having Form, or Form in Self, or Self in Form ; — and so on with feelings, perceptions, the plastic forces [189] and the mind. — That is how a man is swept away. How is a man not swept away by present states of consciousness? — Take the case of an instructed disciple of the Noble. Ones, who has vision of the Noble ana is versed and trained in their Doctrine, who has vision of the Excellent and is versed and trained in their Doctrine ; — such a man neither conceives Form as Self, nor Self as having Form, nor Form in Self, nor Self in Form ; nor does he entertain like conceptions about feelings, perceptions, the plastic forces, or the mind. — That is how a man is not swept away by present States of consciousness.

Let past be past ... ... Perfect Sage is he . This is >vhat I meant when I said I would instruct you in the exposition of the True Saint. Thus spoke the Lord. Glad at heart, those Almsmen rejoiced in what the Lord had said. Thus have I heard. Once when the Lord was staying at Savatthi in Jeta’s grove in Anathapindika’s pleasaunce, the reverend Ananda by homily in Hall instructed, informed, enlightened [190] and heartened the Almsmen, teaching them the exposition and analysis of the True Saint. Rising at eventide from his meditations, the Lord came to Hall and there sat down on the seat set for him, asking who had been giving instruction and reciting the exposition and analysis of the True Saint. Being told that it was Ananda, the Lord asked him how exactly he had proceeded. Then Ananda repeated to him word for word [the preceding Suita , begirding and ending with the verses]. [191] Right, quite right, Ananda. Rightly have you by homily instructed, informed, enlightened and heartened the Almsmen, teaching them the exposition and analysis of the True Saint. And word for word the Lord repeated it himself again right through. Thus spoke the Lord. Glad at heart, the reverend Ananda rejoiced in what the Lord had said.

[192] Thus have I heard. Once when the Lord was staying at Rajagaha in the Tapoda (hot springs) pleasaunce the reverend Samiddhi, rising up at daybreak, be took him to the hot springs to bathe his limbs, and, having come out of the water, was standing in a single garment drying himself. To him came a deity 264 CXXXIII. MAHAKACCANA-BH0-SUTTA. M. iii. 193- of surpassing beauty who, as night waned, illumined all the place. Standing to one side, the deity asked Samiddhi whether he knew by heart the exposition and analysis of the True Saint. No, sir, I do not. Do you? No, Almsman. Do you know the verses? No, sir, I do not. Do you ? No, Almsman. Like you, I do not know the verses. Study, learn and master that exposition and analysis of the True Saint, Almsman ; it is fruitful for good and is fundamental for the higher life. With these words the deity vanished from sight. When night had passed away, Samiddhi went to the Lord and after salutations took his seat to one side. Then he related all that passed between him and the deity, [193] ending with the request that the Lord would teach him the exposition and analysis of the True Saint.

Listen then and pay attention, Almsman, and I will speak, said the Lord, who spoke as follows : Let past be past ; nor future longings house ; — the past is dead , the morrow not yet bom . Whoso with insight scans his heart to-day , let him ensue eternal Changelessness ! Toil then to-day. To-morrow death may come, — who knows ? No bargain holds death* s hosts at bay . Whoso , by day and night unceasingly , lives still to struggle onward , he it is is called True Saint ; — the Perfect Sage is he. At this point the Blessed One arose and went to his cell. He had not been gone long when the Almsmen, realizing that the Lord had left them with a terse utterance without expository presentment and without elucidation of import, and wondering who could furnish them with the exposition and the elucidation, [194] bethought them that here was the reverend Maha-Kaccana who was held in great honour and esteem alike by the Master and by his fellows in the higher life, and who could elucidate the meaning of the Lord’s terse utter- ance. So they went to him and after greetings told him how the Lord had left them with that terse utterance and that, after he had so left them, they had decided to turn to the Elder for its elucidation.

Said he : — This proceeding is just like a man in need and quest of choice timber, who, as he hunts around for it, comes on a fine upstanding timber-tree, [195] but passes over both the root and the trunk and imagines lie will find what he wants in the boughs and the twiggage. Although the Master is present among you, yet, disregarding the Lord, you imagine me to be the person to ask for the explanation. The Lord, sirs, knows with all knowing and sees with all seeing ; is die embodiment of vision, of knowledge, of the Doctrine, and of all excellence ; is the propounder, expounder and the unfolder of meanings; is the giver of Nirvana’s ambrosia, is lord of the Doctrine, is the Truth-finder. Clearly, now is the time to ask your questions of the Lord in person, with intent to treasure up what he may reveal. Admitting this, the Almsmen still pressed on the reverend Mahi-KaccSna their request that he would expound and elucidate. Consenting, he spoke as follows : — The Lord’s pregnant utterance was Let past be past ; nor future longings house; is called True Saint ; — the Perfect Sage is he.

I take the detailed meaning of this pregnant utterance to be as follows ; — How, Almsmen, does a man hark back to the past? — At the thought that in the past such and such was his eye, such and such were [196] the visible shapes he saw, his mentality becomes enchained by the incitements of passion, — which makes him delight therein and thereby hark back to the past. And the same is equally true of ear and smell, of taste touch and mind, and of their several objects respectively. How does a man not hark back ?— By keeping his 266 CXXXIII. MAHAKACCANA-BH°-SUTTA. M. iii. 197. mentality un-chained by the incitements of passion due to such memories. How does a man have longings for the future? — At the thought that in the future his eye may be such and such, and that such and such may be the visible shapes he will see, he turns his heart to getting something he has not got, — which makes him delight therein and thereby have longings for the future. And the same is equally true of ear and smell, of taste touch and mind, and of their several objects respectively.

[197] How does a man not have longings for the future ? — By not turning his heart to any such aspirations. How is a man swept away by present states of consciousness ? Eye and visible shape are both of the present, and it is just with this present that his mentality becomes enchained by the incitements of passion, — which makes him delight therein and thereby fail to stand firm in the present. And the same is equally true of ear and smell, of taste touch and mind, and of their several objects respectively. How is a man not swept away by present states of consciousness ? — By keeping his mentality un-chained by the incitements of passion due to such memories. [198] This then, said he in conclusion, is my exposition and elucidation of this terse utterance of the Lord. Should your reverences be in any doubt, you should go to him and ask him, treasuring up in your memories what he may reveal. Accordingly, with grateful thanks to the reverend Maha-Kaccana, those Almsmen betook them to the Lord, to whom they first related [199] how they had sought for an exposition and elucidation of that terse utterance of the Lord from the reverend Maha-Kaccana, and then narrated how he had expounded it.

Learned, Almsmen, is Maha-Kaccana, rich in lore. Had you asked me, I should have said just the same ; for, this is the precise meaning, which you should treasure up in your memories accordingly. Thus spoke the Lord. Glad at heart, those Almsmen rejoiced in what the Lord had said. Thus have I heard. Once when the Lord was staying at Savatthi in Jeta’s grove in Anathapindika’s pleasaunce, the reverend Lomasakangiya was living in the Sakyan country at Kapilavatthu in the Banyan grove. To him came the god Candana in his surpassing beauty who, as night waned, illumined all the grove. Standing to one side, the god Candana asked the venerable Lomasakangiya whether he knew by heart the exposition and analysis of the True Saint. [200] No, sir, I do not. Do you? No, Brother. Do you know the verses ? No, sir, I do not. Do you ? Yes, I know the verses. How do they run ? Once, Almsman, when the Lord was staying with the Thirty-Three gods at the foot of the Coral-tree by the Gem-throne (of Sakkha), he gave the exposition and analysis of the True Saint, repeating the lines — Let past be past . . .

. . . Perfect Sage is he. That is my version of the True Saint verses. Study, learn and master the exposition and analysis of the True Saint ; it is fruitful for good and is fundamental for the higher life. With these words the god Candana vanished from sight. When night had passed away, Lomasakangiya packed up his bedding and set out, duly robed and bowl in hand, on an alms-pilgrimage to Savatthf, [201] and in the pleasaunce there found the Lord to whom, after due salutations, he related all that had passed between him and the god, ending with the request that the Lord would teach him the exposition and analysis of the True Saint. 268 CXXXIV. LOMAS AKANGIYA-BH° -SUTTA. M. iii. 202. Do you know, Almsman, who the god was ? He was the god Candana, who listens to the Doctrine with the closest attention that his heart and mind can give it. Listen then with attention and I will speak. Yes, sir, was the Almsman’s dutiful response ; and the Lord began : — Let past be past . . . . . . Perfect Sage is he. How, Almsman, does a man hark back to the past ? — By finding delight in remembering that (in a previous birth) in the past such and such was he like . . . (etc, as in Suita No. 131, down to and including the verses').

[202] Thus spoke the Lord. Glad at heart, the reverend Lomasakangiya rejoiced in what the Lord had said. Thus have I heard. Once when the Lord was staying at Savatthl in Jeta’s grove in Anathapindika’s pleasaunce, the young brahmin Subha Todeyya-putta came to the Lord and, seating himself to one side after greetings, asked why and wherefore it was that among human beings there are the low and the high. For, said he, we find in mankind those of brief life and those of long life, the hale and the ailing, the good-looking and the ill-looking, the poor and the rich, the low and the high, the ignorant and [203] the well informed. Why and wherefore is it that among human beings there are high and low ? Their deeds are their possessions and heritage, their parent, their kindred and their refuge. It is their deeds which divide people into high and low. I do not follow this terse utterance of yours, Gotama, without the addition of an elucidating exposition, which I should be glad to receive. • Inviting and receiving the young brahmin's attention the Lord spoke as follows : — Take the case of anyone — man or woman — who slays, is cruel, dyes hands in blood, is always killing and wounding, never showing mercy to any living creature. — Such deeds, if persisted in of deliberate choice, either bring that person at the body’s dissolution after death to misery and woe or to purgatory ; or, if his rebirth is again among mankind, then brief life is here his portion in whatever station he is born into. — Such murderous courses tend to brief life here.

Now take the case of anyone — man or woman — who • — putting all killing from him and abstaining from killing anything, laying aside cudgel and sword, lives a life of innocence and mercy, full of pity and compassion for everything that lives. Such deeds, if persisted in of deliberate choice, either bring that person at the body’s dissolution after death to bliss in heaven ; or, if his rebirth is again among mankind, then length of days is his portion in whatever station he is born into. — Such merciful courses tend to length of days here. [204] Take the case of anyone — man or woman — who is given to assaulting others with fist or clod, with cudgel or sword. Such deeds, if persisted in of deliberate choice, either bring that person at the body's dissolution after death to misery and woe or purgatory ; or, if his rebirth is again among mankind, he is always ailing in whatever station he is born into. Such assaults tend to ailments here. — But the person who eschews such assaults on others either passes at death to bliss in heaven ; or, if born a man again, then good health is his portion. — Such harmlessness tends to ensure good health here.

Take the case of anyone — man or woman — who is wrathful and turbulent, who is moved by a trivial word to cursing rage enmity and opposition, who evinces indignation ill-will and resentment. Such deeds, if persisted in of deliberate choice, either bring that 270 CXXXV. C tJ\i A- K AM M A- V I S U TT A. M. iii. 20$, person at the body’s dissolution after death to misery and woe, or purgatory ; or, if his rebirth is again among mankind, his portion is to be ugly in whatever station he is born into. Such angry courses tend to foul looks here. — But the person who is not of that turbulent spirit and remains unmoved to rage even by a torrent of abuse, either passes at death to bliss in heaven ; or, if his rebirth is again among mankind, then good looks are his portion in whatever station he is born into. — Such good-tempered courses tend to good looks here. Take the case of anyone — man or woman — who, being of a jealous nature, is jealous and perverted in the matter of presents and marks of respect and worship shown, who stores up jealousy in his heart. Such deeds, if persisted in of deliberate choice, either bring that person at death to misery and woe or purgatory ; or, if his rebirth is again among mankind, then, whatever station he is reborn into, no notice is taken of him. Such jealous courses tend to no account being taken of a man here. — [205] But the person who is of no such jealous disposition, either passes at death to bliss in heaven ; or if his rebirth is again among mankind, then, great account of him is taken in whatever station he is reborn into. — Such un-jealous courses tend to make a man of great account here.

Take the case of anyone — man or woman — who never gives anything — food, drink, clothes, carriage, garlands, scents, perfumes, bed, dwelling-place, lamp and oil — to recluse or brahmin. Such deeds, if persisted in of deliberate choice, either bring that person at death to misery and woe or purgatory ; or, if his rebirth is again among mankind, then, whatever station he is reborn into, he is a poor man. Such refusals to give,- tend to entail poverty here. But if a person is open-handed to recluses or brahmins, his destiny is either bliss in heaven or wealth among men. — Openhandedness tends to wealth here. Take the case ot anyone — man or woman — who, being hard and arrogant, refuses salutations to one who ought to be saluted, does not rise for one who M. in. 206. OUR HERITAGE FROM OUR PAST. II. 27 1 should be so received, does not give up his seat or the road to one more worthy, shows no respect, deference, honour or worship to those who should be shown it, Such deeds, if persisted in of deliberate choice, either bring that person, at death to misery and woe in purgatory ; or, if his rebirth is again among mankind, then, whatever station he is reborn into, he is of low and unimportant family. Such arrogant courses tend to lowliness here. — But if a person is void of arrogance and shows all due regard to those who deserve it, his destiny is either bliss in heaven or high family among men. Such deference tends to importance of family here.

Take the case of anyone — man or woman — who, when visiting recluse or brahmin, does not question him on what is right, what is wrong, what is faulty, what is faultless, what should be practised and what not, what actions of his will conduce to his lasting well-being and welfare and what to the reverse. Such courses, if persisted in of deliberate choice, either bring that person at death to misery and woe in purgatory ; or, if his rebirth is again among mankind, then, whatever station he is reborn into, he is ignorant. Such failure to seek information tends to ignorance here. — [200] But if a person seeks information by such questionings, his destiny is either to find bliss in heaven after death or to be well-informed here, whatever his station. — An enquiring spirit tends to make a man well-informed here. Thus, young brahmin, it is the courses that respectively tend thereto, which result in brief life or length of days, in health or ill-health, in ugliness or good looks, in being of no account or of great account, in being poor or rich, of low family or high, ignorant or well-informed. — Their deeds are their possessions and heritage, their parent and their kindred and their refuge. It is their deeds which divide people into high and low.

At the close, the young brahmin Subha Todeyyaputta said to the Lord : — Excellent, Gotama, excellent ! 272 * CXXXV. CU£A-KAMMA-VI°-SUTTA. M. in. 207* J ust as a man might set upright again what had been cast down, or reveal what had been hidden away, or tell a man who had gone astray which was his way, qr bring a lamp into darkness so that those with eyes might see the things about them, — even so, in many a figure, has the reverend Gotama made his Doctrine clear. I come to the Lord as my refuge and to his Doctrine and to his Confraternity, May the reverend Gotama accept me as a follower who has found an abiding refuge from this day onward while life lasts. [207] Thus have I heard. Once when the Lord was staying at Rajagaha in the Bamboo grove where the squirrels were fed, there was living in the Forest Hut there the reverend Samiddhi, — to whom in the course of his walks came Potali-putta the Wanderer. Sitting down after greetings, Potali-putta said to Samiddhi : — From the recluse Gotama's own lips I have heard with my own ears his statement that : All you do is vain, and all you say is vain ; what passes in your mind is the only real thing that matters. A stage can be reached in which there is no feeling whatever, '

Do not say this, reverend Potali-putta ; do not say this ; do not misrepresent the Lord ; for the Lord certainly would not say that. How long have you been a Pilgrim, reverend Samiddhi ? Not long, sir ; — three years. Why shall we speak on this matter with Elders, when here is so recent an Almsman ready to defend the Master against criticism ? Tell me, reverend Samiddhi, — what does a man experience who acts with body voice or mind, of set purpose ? He experiences what is unpleasant. M. iii. 208. OUR HERITAGE FROM OUR PAST. II. 273 Hereupon, Potali-putta the Wanderer, neither ex-r pressed satisfaction nor dissent, but simply rose up and went away. Not long after Potali-putta had gone, Samiddhi went to the reverend Ananda [208] and, after greetings, took a seat beside him. Ananda, after hearing the whole of the talk with Potali-putta, said this was a thing to tell the Lord, to whom accordingly he took Samiddhi that they might learn the Lord’s view. When they came to the Lord’s presence and had taken their seats beside him after salutations, Ananda reported the whole of the conversation to the Lord, who rejoined that he disapproved of Potali-putta’s conclusion and still more of such an argument as this. Why, said .he, this foolish Samiddhi has given a simple direct reply to a question by Potali-putta which required careful qualifications in it,','1' the answer!

At this point the reverend (Lola) Udayi said to the Lord : — But how, sir, if the purport of the reverend Samiddhi’s words was that 111 in general was always the outcome of feelings experienced ? Said the Lord to Ananda: — Mark this foolish Udayi’s error .; I knew in advance that this foolish person would | pop up with a blunder. Potali-putta’s question really involved three distinct sets of feelings. If foolish Samiddhi, [209] when confronted with that triple question, had made the following reply: — If his purposeful act with body voice or mind is calculated to produce a pleasant feeling, his experience is pleasant ; if the act is calculated to produce an unpleasant feeling, his experience is unpleasant ; if the act is calculated to produce neither a pleasant nor an unpleasant feeling, then his experience is neither pleasant nor unpleasant ; — had foolish Samiddhi given this answer, he would have been giving the right answer. Yet who, Ananda, ,/ among the blind and foolish Wanderers of other creeds, will comprehend the Truth-finder’s detailed Classification of Acts, if you were to hear it from his lips? $ Now is the time, Lord, now is the time for the Lord

to expound his classification. The Almsmen will V IX. x8 274 CXXXVI. MAHA-KAMMA-VI°-SUTTA. M.iii. 2TO. treasure in their memories what they hear from the Lord’s lips. Well then, Ananda, listen attentively and I will speak. Yes, sir, was the reverend Ananda’s dutiful response ; and the Lord spoke thus —There are four (types of) individuals living and existent in the world. What are the four ? — (i) Take the case of an individual here who slays, gives not, fornicates, lies, traduces others, reviles them, tattles, covets, is malevolent of heart and wrong in his outlook. — He, at the body’s dissolution after death, passes hence to misery and woe or to purgatory. (ii) Or, again, such an individual may pass hence to bliss in heaven. (iii) Take now the case of an individual who never slays, who gives freely, who never fornicates, or lies, or traduces, [210] who never reviles, never tattles or covets or is malevolent of heart, but is right in his ' outlook.' — He, at the body’s dissolution after death, passes hence to bliss in heaven. (iv) Or, again, such an individual may pass hence to misery and woe or_ purgatory. Take the case, Ananda, of a recluse or brahmin who, by reason of ardour, effort, devotion, perseverance and highest intellection, reaches such rapt concentration that, with heart thus stedfast, he sees — by the Eye Celestial that is pure and far surpasses the human eye — our first individual, who was of murderous habits and so forth and who had the wrong outlook, sees him now in a state of misery and woe or in purgatory ;

and the sight convinces him that there are such thfngs as evil deeds, and that wrong courses come to their ripening. For, with his own eyes he has seen an evil-doer installed after death in purgatory ! Accordingly, the only sound conclusion to his mind is that all such evil-doers 001X16fto this doom hereafter, — any other conclusion being wrong. Thus it is with obstinacy tenacity and pertinacity that he insists that what he has known seen and discerned for himself is the sole truth, all else being false.

. A second recluse or brahmin [2X1] similarly comes to M.iii, 2ii. OUR HERITAGE FROM OUR PAST. II. 275 see our second individual, who was of murderous habits and so forth and who had the wrong outlook, now in a state of bliss in heaven ; and the sight convinces him that there are no such things as evil deeds, nor do wrong courses come to their ripening. For, with his own eyes he has seen an evil-doer installed after death in bliss in heaven 1 Accordingly, to his mind the only sound conclusion is that all such evil-doers are similarly rewarded hereafter, — any other conclusion being wrong. Thus it is with obstinacy tenacity and pertinacity that he insists that what he has known seen and discerned for himself is the sole truth, all else being false. A third recluse or brahmin similarly comes to see in the bliss of heaven after death our third individual, who never took life and so forth and had the right outlook. He is thereby convinced that there are such things as good deeds and that right courses come to their ripening. For with his own eyes he has seen a good-liver installed after death in bliss in heaven ! Accordingly, to his mind the only sound conclusion is that all such good-livers are similarly rewarded hereafter, — any other conclusion being wrong. Thus it is with obstinacy tenacity and pertinacity that he insists that what he has known seen and discerned for himself is the sole truth, all else being false.

A fourth recluse or brahmin comes to see [212] in misery and woe or in purgatory after death our fourth individual, who never took life and so forth and had the right outlook ; and the sight convinces him that there are no such things as good deeds nor do right courses come to their ripening ! For, with his own eyes he has seen a good-liver installed after death in misery and woe or purgatory. Accordingly, to his mind the only sound conclusion is that all such good-livers come to this doom hereafter. Thus it is with obstinacy tenacity and pertinacity that he insists that what he has known seen and discerned for himself is the sole truth, all else being false. Now, Ananda, I agree with that recluse or brahmin who says that there are such things as good deeds and 276 CXXXVI. MAHA-KAMMA-VI -SUTTA. M. iii. 213. right courses coming to their ripening ; I agree too with him when he says he has seen in purgatory a man of murderous habits and so forth who had the wrong out*- look ; 1 disagree with him when he asserts that this is the fate of all such persons ; I disagree with him both when he asserts that his conclusion is the only sound one, — any other conclusion being wrong, — and also when he insists so obstinately that truth resides exclusively in what he has personally known seen and discerned for himself. And why ? Because, Ananda, the conclusion is different in the Truth-finder’s classification of acts.

I am in disagreement with the recluse or brahmin who says there are no such things as evil deeds, nor do wrong causes come to their ripening ; but 1 agree with him when he says he has seen in heaven a man of murderous habits and so forth who had the wrong outlook. I disagree with him both when he asserts . . . [213] classification of acts. I am in agreement with the recluse or brahmin who says that there are such things as good deeds and that right courses come to their ripening ; and I am in agreement with him when he says he has seen a good-liver in heaven. I disagree with him both when he asserts . . . classification of acts. I am in disagreement with the recluse or brahmin who says there are no such things as good deeds nor do right courses come to their ripening ; I agree with him when he says he has seen a good-liver in purgatory ; I disagree with him when he asserts that this is the fate of all such persons. I disagree with him both when he asserts [214] that his conclusion is the only sound one, — any other conclusion being wrong ; and when he insists so obstinately that truth resides exclusively in what he has personally known seen and discerned for himself. And why ? Because, Ananda, the conclusion is different in the Truth-finder’s classification of acts.

Begin, Ananda, with the man of murderous habits here and so forth and with the wrong outlook, who, at M, iii. 215, OUR HERITAGE FROM OUR PAST. II. 277 the body’s dissolution after death, is reborn into a state of misery and woe or in purgatory. This man either aforetime (in a previous birth), or thereafter (in his latest existence here), did evil deeds which result in painful experiences, or else at the time of his death had a wrong outlook in which he persisted of his deliberate choice;-— and that is why, at the body’s dissolution after death, he is reborn into a state of misery and woe or in purgatory. Hia murderous habits and so forth and his wrong outlook are experienced in their ripening either here and now or in his rebirth or in some other manner. If, with murderous habits here and so forth and with the wrong outlook, the man is reborn at death into a state of bliss in heaven, that is because, either aforetime or thereafter, he had done good deeds which result in happy experiences, or else, at the time of his death, he had secured and chosen the right outlook. His murderous habits and so forth and his (previously) wrong outlook are experienced in their ripening either here and now or in his rebirth or in some other manner.

If, with non-murderous habits here and so forth and with the right outlook, the man at death is reborn into a state of bliss in heaven, that is because, either aforetime or thereafter, he had done good deeds which result in happy experiences, or else, at the time of his death, he had secured and chosen the right outlook. His non-murderous past [215] and so forth and his right outlook are experienced in their ripening either here or now or in his rebirth or in some other manner. If, with non-murderous habits here and so forth and with the right outlook, the man is reborn into a state of misery and woe or purgatory, this is because, either aforetime or thereafter, he had done evil deeds which result in painful experiences, or else, at the time of his death, he had secured and chosen the wrong outlook. His non-murderous habits here and so forth and his (previously) right outlook are experienced in their j ripening either here and now or in his rebirth or in 1 some other way. 278 cxxxvi. mahA-kamma-vi°-sutta. M. iiuatfi. Thus, Ananda, there is Karma which is— (i) not only inoperative but also looked like being so ;

(ii) inoperative though it did not look like it ; « (iii) not only operative but also looked like it ; and (iv) operative though it did not look like it Thus spoke the Lord. Glad at heart, the reverend Ananda rejoiced in what the Lord had said. CXXXVI I . S ALAYATANA-VI B HAN GA- ’ SUTTA. Thus have I heard. Once when the Lord was staying at Savatthx in Jeta’s grove in Anathapindika’s pleasaunce, he announced to the Almsmen that he would address them on the classification of senserelations, and proceeded to do so as follows : — [216] There are (i) Six internal senses to be recognized ; (ii) six (sets of) external sense-objects ; (iii) six groups of consciousness; (iv) six groups of contacts; (v) eighteen mental researches ; (vi) thirty-six tracks for creatures, (vii) Therein f banish this by that.’ (viii) There are three bases of mindfulness, which the Noble One cultivates, and in the cultivation of which the Noble One as Master is worthy to teach his following, (ix) He is called the Supreme trainer of the human heart for disciples who are being schooled. — Such is the summary of the classification of sense-relations.

(i) The six inward senses to be recognized are sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and mind. (ii) The six (sets of) external objects of sense are things seen, things heard, odours, savours, things touched, and mental objects. (iii) The six groups of consciousness respectively relate to the (foregoing) things seen, things heard, odours, savours, things touched and mental objects. (iv) The six groups of contacts respectively relate 2VL til. 217, SENSES AND OBJECTS OF SENSE. 279 to the (foregoing) things visible, things heard, odours, savours, things touched and mental objects. • (v) The eighteen mental researches are as follows : — Having seen with the eye a visible thing, a man researches into the visible thing, and this gives rise’ either (a) to what is agreeable, or (6) to what is disagreeable, or (c) to what is neither agreeable nor disagreeable. He researches similarly into the like three types of things heard, of odours, savours, [217] things touched and of mental objects. Thus there are six agreeable researches, six disagreeable researches, and six neutral, making up eighteen researches in all. (vi) Of the thirty-six tracks for creatures, six are agreeable and belong to the world, while six are agreeable and belong to Renunciation ; six are disagreeable and belong to the world, while six are disagreeable and belong to Renunciation ; six are indifferent and belong to the world, while six are indifferent and belong to Renunciation.

The six worldly satisfactions are as follows : A sense of satisfaction arises either (a) from contemplation of the fruition of things seen, of which the sight is conscious,— objects that are pleasant and agreeable, grateful and pleasurable to the mind, but bound up with things material — , or (<£) from contemplationof memories of what is now past and gone, vanished and ended — ; this is called worldly satisfaction. The same applies to things heard, odours, savours, things touched and mental objects, making in all the six worldly satisfactions. Renunciation’s six satisfactions are as follows : — A sense of satisfaction arises when, on discerning the transitory nature of things seen and their mutability instability and annihilation, satisfaction arises from causally understanding and seeing that, alike in the past and in the present, things seen are transitory, fraught With 111 and by nature mutable; — this is called Renunciation’s satisfaction. The same applies to things heard, odours, savours, things touched and [218] mental objects, making in all the six satisfactions of Renunciation. aSo cxxxvn. salAyatana-vi°-sutta. M. Hi. 219. . . The six worldly dissatisfactions are as follows : — A sense of dissatisfaction arises either (a) from contemplation of the absence of seen objects that are pleasant and so forth, or (b) from contemplation of memories of the absence of what is now past and gone, vanished and ended ; — this is called worldly dissatisfaction. The same applies to things heard, odours, savours, things touched and mental objects, making in all the six worldly dissatisfactions.

Renunciation’s six dissatisfactions are as follows;-— A sense of dissatisfaction arises when, — on discerning the transitory nature of things seen and their mutability impotence and annihilation, and after causally understanding and seeing that, alike in the past and in the present, things seen are transitory, fraught with 111 and by nature mutable— he summons up the yearning for the utter Deliverances in the cry When, o when, shall I develop and dwell in the sphere in which the Noble Ones now are ? and, as he so yearns, his yearning brings with it the dissatisfaction which is called Renunciation’s dissatisfaction. The same applies to things heard, odours, savours, things touched and mental objects, [219] making in all Renunciation’s six dissatisfactions. The six worldly indifferences are as follows : — There is the indifference on seeing a thing, which appertains to the ignorant and foolish average man, who has not triumphed to the full,, who has not triumphed over the ripening consequences of his past, who has not realized the perils which beset him but is merely an uninstructed average man *; — such indifference as his fails to transcend the thing seen, and therefore is called worldly indifference. The same applies to things heard, odours, savours, things touched and mental objects, making in all the six worldly indifferences.

Renunciation’s six indifferences are as follows : — A sense of indifference arises when, on discerning the transitory nature of things seen and their mutability instability and annihilation, indifference arises from causally understanding and seeing that, alike in the M* ill 220. SENSES AND OBJECTS OF SENSE. 28 1 past and in the present, things seen are transitory, fraught with 111 and by nature mutable ; — such indifference as this transcends the thing seen, and therefore is called Renunciation’s indifference. The same applies to things heard, odours, savours, things touched and mental objects, making in all Renunciation’s six indifferences. This completes the tale of the six and thirty tracks for creatures. [220] (vii) To ‘banish this by that’ means that by and through Renunciation's six satisfactions you should banish and transcend the six worldly satisfactions ; this is the way to banish and to transcend them. By and through Renunciation’s six dissatisfactions and indifferences you should similarly banish and transcend the six worldly satisfactions and indifferences, respectively. Now, Almsmen, there is one indifference which is manifold and of multiplicity : there is another indifference which is single and of unity. The former is an indifference to (particular) things seen or heard, to odours or savours, to things touched or to mental objects. The latter is a function of Infinite Space, or of Infinite Mind, or of Naught, or of Neither-Perception-nor-Non-Perception, By and through unity you should banish and transcend multiplicity ; this is the way to banish and to transcend the manifold. By and through the entire absence of all cravings you should banish and transcend specific cravings, in the indifference which is of unity ; this is the way to banish and to transcend them.

This then [221] is the meaning of ‘banish this by that.’ (viii) There are three bases of mindfulness, which the Noble One cultivates and in the cultivation of which the Noble One as Master is worthy to teach his following. In a compassionate and loving spirit and out of Compassion a master expounds his Doctrine to his disciples, telling them it will make for their good and welfare. (Three things may happen. In the first case,) his disciples neither pay attention nor give ear nor set themselves to learn but flout their master s teaching, In such case the Truth-finder rejoices not, nor experiences rejoicing, but remains unperturbed* still mindful and alive to everything, — This is the first basis of mindfulness. Secondly, if, on his expounding the Doctrine for their behoof, (only) some of his disciples neither pay attention nor give ear nor set themselves to learn but flout his teaching, the Truth-finder neither rejoices nor does not rejoice, experiences neither rejoicing nor its converse but, quit of both emotions equally, remains indifferent, still mindful and alive to everything. — T his is' the second basis of mindfulness. Thirdly, if, on his expounding his Doctrine for their behoof, all his disciples pay attention, give ear, and set themselves to learn without flouting his teaching, the Truth-finder rejoices and experiences rejoicing but remains unperturbed, still mindful and alive to everything.— This is the third basis of mindfulness.

[222] Such then are the three bases of mindfulness which the Noble One cultivates and in the cultivation of which the Noble One as Master is worthy to teach his following. (ix) He is called the Supreme Trainer of the human heart for disciples who are being schooled. When a young elephant— or colt — or steer — is being driven by its tamer, it runs off in one of four directions, — ahead or back or left or right ; but the human steer, when driven by the Truth-finder, Arahat all-enlightened, runs off in one of eight directions :• — (i) Having form himself, he sees forms. (2) Being inwardly conscious of non-form, he sees forms externally. (3) He devotes himself to happiness alone. (4) By passing entirely beyond all consciousness of material forms and losing all consciousness of sense-reactions, by not heeding consciousness of multiplicity, he comes to think of space as infinite and so develops and dwells in the realm of Infinite Space, and thereafter, successively, in the realms of (5) Infinity of Mind, (6) Naught, (7) NeitherPerception-nor-Non-Perception, and (8) extinction of M. iii. 223. SENSES AND OBJECTS OF SENSE. 283 all feeling and consciousness. — And that is why he is called the Supreme trainer of the human heart.

, Thus spoke the Lord. Glad at heart, those Almsmen rejoiced in what the Lord had said. CXXX V 1 1 1. UDDESA.-VIBHAN G A-S U T T A. [228] Thus have 1 heard. Once when the Lord was staying at Savatthi in J eta’s grove in Anathapindika’s pleasaunce, he announced to the Almsmen that he would expound to them a summary and exposition, and thus began : — An Almsman’s thinking should always be so conducted that, as he thinks, his mind may not either be externally diffused and dissipated or be internally set, and that through non-dependence he may be imperturbed, so that, with his mind thus secure, birth, old-age and death and the arising of all 111 do not happen. Having said this, the Lord rose and withdrew to his cell. He had not been gone long when the Almsmen reflected that the Lord had left them with this terse summary without giving them the detailed exposition. Wondering who would furnish the detailed exposition, they decided [224] to go to the reverend Maha-Kaccana and he . . . (as in Suita No. 133) . . . [225] at last consented, telling them that he took the detailed meaning of the Lord’s pregnant utterance to be as follows :*•—

The mind is said to be externally diffused and dissipated if, when his eye sees a form, an Almsman’s mind pursues the phenomena of form with avid greed and passion for such phenomena. And the same applies to things heard, odours and savours, things touched and mental objects. The mind that escapes being externally diffused and dissipated on any such phenomena as aforesaid is said to be undiffused and undissipated.

[226] When, divested of lusts and of wrong dispositions, the Almsman develops and dwells in the First Ecstasy and all its zest and satisfaction, a state bred gf aloofness but not divorced from observation and reflection, then his mind, pursuing the zest and satisfaction of such aloofness with avid greed and passion, is said to be set internally. When, by shedding observation and reflection, he develops and dwells in the Second Ecstasy with all its zest and satisfaction, — in that inward tranquillity and focussing of heart, beyond observation and reflection, which is bred of rapt concentration,— then his mind, pursuing rapt concentration’s zest and satisfaction with avid greed and passion therefor, is said to be set internally. When, losing all passion for zest, he develops and dwells in the Third Ecstasy in poised indifference, mindful and alive to everything, feeling in his frame that ease which the Noble Ones mean when they say : He that has poise and mindfulness lives at ease, — then his mind, pursuing with avid greed and passion the heart’s ease engendered by poise, is said to be set internally. Lastly, when, by discarding ease and un-ease and by the disappearance of pleasant and unpleasant emotions, the Almsman both develops and dwells in the Fourth Ecstasy in perfect poise and mindfulness, — then his mind, pursuing poised indifference with avid greed and passion, is said to be set internally.

[227] The mind is said to be internally unset, when, in each of the four successive Ecstasies, there is no such pursuit with avid greed and passion. Next, what, sirs, is non-dependent perturbation ? — Take the case of an uninstructed average man — who has no vision of the Noble and is unversed and untrained in their Doctrine, who has no vision of the Excellent and is unversed and untrained in their Doctrine, and consequently regards form as Self, or Self as having form, or form as in Self, or Self as in form. The form alters and changes ; its alteration and change engage his consciousness ; and from his mind being engaged with the alteration and change there M* lit. 228, A SUMMARY EXPANDED. 285 are bred perturbations and growths of states of consciousness which take possession of his heart, so that he becomes frightened and upset, and loth to be cut adrift, and suffers perturbation through losing the old dependence. What applies to form applies equally to feelings — [228] to perception — to the plastic forces -^and to consciousness. — This is how there arises non-dependent perturbation. What is non-dependent non-perturbation? — Take the case of an instructed disciple of the Noble who has vision of the Noble and is versed and trained in their Doctrine, who has vision of the Excellent and is versed and trained in their Doctrine ; — he does not regard form as Self, or Self as having form, or form as in Self, or Self as in form.

The form alters and changes ; its alteration and change do not engage his consciousness ; and no perturbations or growths of (wrong) dispositions to take possession of his heart are bred from his mind being engaged with the alteration and change of the form ; and in consequence he does not become frightened or upset or loth to be cut adrift ; he suffers no perturbations through losing dependence. What applies to form applies equally to feelings— to perception— to the constituents and to consciousness. — This is how non-dependent non-perturbation comes about.

This, sirs, is what I take to be the detailed meaning of the Lord’s pregnant utterance. [229] Should you so desire, however, your reverences can go to the Lord himself and ask him, treasuring up what he reveals. After expressing their delight arid thanks to the venerable Maha-Kaccana, those Almsmen went off to the Lord, to whom they related what had passed since he had left them with his pregnant utterance, and to whom they repeated, word for word and syllable for syllable, the way in which Maha-Kaccana had expounded its meaning. Learned, Almsmen, is Maha-Kaccana ; full of lore is he. Had you asked me myself the meaning, I should have explained it exactly as he has. This is the meaning and you should treasure it up accordingly. Thus spoke the Lord. Glad at heart, those Almsmen rejoiced in what the Lord had said.

[280] Thus have I heard. Once when the Lord was staying at SavatthI in Jeta’s grove, in Anathapindika’s pleasaunce, the Lord announced to the Almsmen that he would expound to them the detailed exposition of Calm, and thus began : — Let a man neither give himself over to pleasures of sense — which are low, pagan, vulgar, ignoble and unprofitable— nor yet let him give himself over to self-mortification, — which is painful, ignoble and unprofitable. To the exclusion of both these extremes, the Truth-finder has discovered a middle course which gives vision and understanding, and conduces to tranquillity, insight, enlightenment and Nirvana. Let him understand both appreciation and depreciation, and, having understood them, let him not appreciate or depreciate but preach the Doctrine. Let him understand the appraisement of ease ; and, having understood it, let him pursue inward ease of heart. Let him not be a tale-teller nor confront anyone with improper remarks. Slowly let him speak, not hurriedly. Let him neither affect provincialisms in speech nor depart from recognized parlance. — This is the summary of the exposition of calm. I said that a man was to avoid both extremes ? Why? — Because, in the one case, the low, pagan, vulgar, ignoble and unprofitable pursuit of pleasures of sense and their delights, being fraught with 111, hurt, tribulation and distress, is the wrong course, — the right course being [231] to eschew the pursuit of pleasure and to escape its consequences; and because, in the second,, case, painful, ignoble and unprofitable self-mortification, being fraught with 111, hurt, tribulation and distress, is

M. Hi. 232. CALM. ' 287 the wrong course, — the right course being to eschew self-mortification and to escape its consequences. I said that, to the exclusion of both these extremes, the Truth-finder had discovered a middle course. How ? — In the Noble Eightfold Path, — namely, right outlook, right aims, right speech, right action, right mode of livelihood, right endeavour, right mindfulness and rifrht rapture of concentration, I said that a man should understand appreciation and depreciation and neither appreciate nor depreciate but preach the Doctrine. How do appreciation and depreciation come about without preaching the Doctrine ? — Well, when a man says that all those persons who are devoted to the low . . . and unprofitable pursuit of pleasures of sense and their delights, are all of them fraught with 111, hurt; tribulation and distress and all on the wrong course, — then he is depreciating a class of individuals ; while he is appreciating another class of individuals when he says that all those persons who eschew the pursuit of such pleasures of sense and their delights, are all of them without 111, hurt tribulation and distress, and are all on the right course. So too when he says that all those persons who are devoted to painful ignoble and unprofitable self-mortification, are all of them, [282] fraught with 111 . . . distress and are all of them on the wrong course, — then he is depreciating a class of individuals ; while he is appreciating another class of individuals when he says that all who eschew self-mortification are all of them without 111, hurt, tribulation and distress, and are all on the right course. So too when he says the same of individuals who either have not, or have, got rid of the bonds that tie them to continued existence, it is a class of individuals that he is either depreciating or appreciating, without teaching the Doctrine.

How, now, without appreciation* or depreciation is the Doctrine preached? — By not making any such statements as the foregoing (about particular classes of individuals), but by teaching the truth in (abstract terms of general principle, such as) : — Devotion to this 2 88 CXXXIX. ARANA-VIBHANGA-SUTTA. M. ili. 233. is fraught with 111, hurt, tribulation and distress, and is a wrong course. Or Non-devotion to this is without 111 . . . and distress, and is a right course ? *■ [233] I said that a man should understand the appraisement of ease but pursue inward ease of heart. How ? — Five strands make up pleasures of sense, — forms, sounds, odours, savours, and things touched, — all of them desirable, agreeable, pleasant and attractive, all of them bound up with lusts and exciting passion. The easefulness which is bred of these five is called the sensual, foul and ignoble ease of the everyday man. I lay it down that there must be no fostering or growth or development of such ease, but a dread of it. Take now the case of an Almsman who, di vested of lusts and wrong dispositions, develops in succession the Four Ecstasies. This it is which is called the heart’s ease of Renunciation, aloofness, tranquillity and Enlightenment, — of which there should be fostering, growth and development, without any dread at all.

[234] I said that a man should not be a tale-teller nor confront anyone with improper remarks. How ? — If he knows that the tale is false and untrue and unprofitable, assuredly he should not tell it; also, he should study not to report what, though true and not false, is yet unprofitable ; but he should — at a seasonable juncture — tell what he knows to be not only true but also profitable. Precisely the same applies also to making improper remarks to anyone. I said that he should speak slowly and not hurriedly. Why? — Because the hurried speaker’s body becomes distressed, his mind becomes wornout, his voice becomes worn out, and his throat suffers, while his speech grows incoherent and unintelligible. But none of these results attend a slow and measured utterance. I said that a man should neither affect provincialisms in speech nor depart from recognized parlance. Why ? — In various provinces the same bowl is styled pdtl, [235] patta, vitthc sardva , dharopa , pona and pisila ; and it is with obstinacy tenacity and pertinacity that each particular province insists that theirs is the only right word, all others being* wrong. The proper thing is frankly to use in each particular province the word they understand.

Now, Almsmen, the pleasure-lovers low, pagan, vulgar, ignoble and unprofitable pursuit of delight, is fraught with 111, hurt, tribulation and distress and is the wrong course ; and that is why it is not attended by calm ; whereas to eschew such pursuit is to escape 111, hurt, tribulation and distress and is the right course; and that is why calm attends it. The same applies to indulgence in self-mortification and to eschewing it. [280] The middle course discovered by the Truth-finder — which gives vision and understanding and conduces to tranquillity, insight, Enlightenment and Nirvana — is void of 111, hurt, tribulation, or distress, and is the right course ; and that is why it gives calm. Appreciation and depreciation, without preaching the Doctrine, are fraught with 111, hurt, tribulation and distress, and are the wrong course; and that is why no calm is present. But, when the Doctrine is preached without either appreciation or depreciation, this is without 111 . . . calm is present. The sensual, foul and ignoble ease of the everyday man is fraught with 111 . . . calm is absent. But the heart’s ease of Renunciation, aloofness and tranquillity is without 111 . . . calm is present. When tale-telling is false, untrue and unprofitable, it is fraught with 111 . . . calm is absent. When the thing told, though true and not false, is yet unprofitable, it is fraught with 111 .

. . calm is absent. But where the thing told is not only true but also profitable, it is without 111 , . . calm is present. To confront anyone with improper remarks that are false and untrue and unprofitable, is fraught with 111 . . . calm is absent ; as it is also if the remarks though true and not false are yet unprofitable ; but if [237] they be both true and profitable, then it is without III . . . calm is present. Hurried speaking is fraught with 111 . . . calm is absent; but a slow and measured utterance is without 111 . . . calm is present. To affect pro-

290 CXXXIX. ARAJ* A-VIBHANQA-SUTTA. M. Hi. 238, vincialisms in speech and to depart from the recognized parlance is fraught with 111 . . . calm is absent. Neither to affect provincialism in speech nor to depart from recognized parlance is without 111 . .’ . calm is present. Therefore, Almsmen, train yourselves to understand calm and turmoil, and, understanding them, to walk where calm dwells. The young man Subhuti walks where calm dwells. Thus spoke the Lord. Glad at heart, those Almsmen rejoiced in what the Lord had said.

Thus have I heard. Once when the Lord was on an, alms-pilgrimage through Magadha, he arrived at Rajagaha and went to Bhaggava the potter, to whom he said that, if it was not inconvenient, he would stay the night there. Bhaggava answered : Not at all inconvenient, sir; there is a Pilgrim in residence already ; but, if he consents, stay here as long as you like. [238] Now at that time there was a young man named Pukkusati who for faith’s sake had gone forth from home to homelessness as a Pilgrim to follow the Lord ; and he it was who was already in residence in the potter’s dwelling and to whom the Lord came to say that, if it was not inconvenient, he would stay the night there. Pukkusati answered ; The potter’s dwelling is spacious ; stay as long as your reverence likes. Entering the house, the Lord spread a grass-mat and sat down on it cross-legged, with body erect, and with mindfulness as the objective he set before himself. For the great part of the night the Lord remained thus sitting, — as also did the reverend Pukkusati. Wondering whether the young man was agreeable, and

deciding to question him, the Lord ashed Whom do you follow ? Who is your master ? Whose Doctrine nave you embraced ? There is, sir, the recluse Gotama the Sakyan who leit a oakyan family to become a Pilgrim. Of the Lord Ootama is this high repute noised abroad, that he is said to be the Lord, the Arahat all-enlightened, walking by knowledge, blessed, understanding all worlds, the matchless tamer of the human heart, teacher of deities and men, the Lord of Enlightenment. That Lord do I follow m my pilgrimage ; the Lord is my master ; it is that Lords Doctrine which 1 have embraced. Where at the present time, Almsman, is the Lord, the Arahat all-enlightened. In the countries to the North, sir, there is a town named Savatthl, and there at the present time dwells the Lord, Arahat all-enlightened. Have you ever set eyes on the Lord, Almsman? If you saw him, would you recognize him ? [239] No, sir; I have never seen him, nor should I recognize him. . Bethinking him that this young man was a Pilarim in his own train, and resolving to preach the Doctrine to him, the Lord said : — 1 will preach the Doctrine to you, Almsman. Listen and pay attention and I will speak!

Yes, sir, said the reverend Pukkus&ti in assent. t Said the Lord : — In a man there are six Elements, six Contacts, eighteen mental Researches, four Resolves, established in which he has no outflow of imaginings and, having it not, is styled the tranquil Sage, Let him hold fast to understanding ; safeguard truthfulness , foster Renunciation ; and work for naught but tranquillity. This is the synopsis of the exposition of the six elements. I said a man contained six elements ; and these are — earth, water, fire, air, space and consciousness. I said a man had six spheres of contact ; and these are— sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and mental objects. I said there were mental researches ; and these relate to agreeable, to disagreeable and to neutral research into the objects of the six several senses. [240] I said a man had four resolves ; and these ace the resolves to understand, to be truthful, to renounce, and to win tranquillity. I said further that a man should hold fast to understanding, safeguard truthfulness, foster Renunciation, and work for naught but tranquillity. Now, how does he hold fast to understanding ?— (To begin with,) there are the aforesaid six elements, the nature of which is as follows :• — The earth-element may be internal or external. Whatsoever, being internal and personal, is solid and hard or derivative therefrom . . . (etc, as in Sutta JVo.

62) . . . [241 and 242] turns from the space-element in disgust and with loathing of heart. (Over and above these five elements), consciousness will still remain, purified and cleansed, whereby a man knows anything and can distinguish the pleasant and the unpleasant both from one another and from what is neither one nor the other. By pleasurable contact arises a pleasant feeling. While experiencing that pleasant feeling, the man knows precisely that he is experiencing it, as he knows also — when the pleasurable contact passes away — that the pleasant feeling which arose from the particular pleasurable contact is passing away and disappearing. So too with what is unpleasant and with what is neither pleasant nor unpleasant.

Just, Almsman, as, when two sticks are brought in contact and rubbed together, heat and sparks arise, but, when they are separated and parted, the heat passes away and disappears, — just in the same way [248] by pleasurable contact a pleasant feeling arises. While experiencing that . . . nor unpleasant. Poised indifference will still remain, which is purified and cleansed, soft, workable and resplendent. It is just like a skilled goldsmith or his apprentice who sets up his charcoal fire, on which he heats his crucible, placing therein with his tongs a piece of gold. Occasionally he uses his blowpipe, occasionally he sprinkles water on it, and occasionally he looks to see how it is going on, until at the last the gold melts and is thoroughly melted and molten, refined and pure of all dross, so that it is soft, workable and resplendent, fit for any jewellery he wants — be it a trinket or earrings or necklet or wreath of gold — ; and the result is good. — J ust in the same way poised indifference will remain, purified and cleansed, soft, workable and resplendent. His is the clear knowledge that: — If I focus this purified and cleansed indifference on the sphere of Infinite Space— or Mind — or Neither-perception-norNon-perception — and develop my heart in its analogues, in that way this indifference of mine, so resting and so supported, will persist for a very long time indeed ;

— [244] but still it is only a product and a passing effect. Therefore, he neither toils at, nor ponders on, rises and falls of things ; and consequently he is dependent on nothing whatever in the world and, being independent, is harried by no fears, and, being not harried, <jnly passes away, sure that for him rebirth is no more, that he has lived the highest life and accomplished his task, with no more now of what he has been ! If he feels a pleasant feeling — or an unpleasant feeling — or a feeling that is neither pleasant nor unpleasant — , he knows well that such feelings are transitory, are not to be swallowed whole, and are not to be made into a joy ; he always maintains detachment from any such feelings. When he has a feeling of his bodily end, he knows it as such ; he knows — as such — a feeling [245] of his life’s ending ; he knows that, at the body’s dissolution after life’s close, all feelings and joys will there and then merge in calm.

It is just like an oil-lamp which draws its light from oil and wick, but, when oil and wick give out, if it be not fed afresh but goes unfed, then it goes out. Just the same is it with him who has this understanding of feelings of his bodily end and of his life’s end and of the merging in calm thereafter of all feelings and joys. Therefore it is that an . Almsman so endowed is endowed with the highest resolve to understand. F or the highest noble understanding is to know the ending of all 111. Assured is the Deliverance which rests on Truth. For, falsehood is what is false in itself ; Truth is Nirvana where no falsehood dwells. Therefore it is that an Almsman so endowed is endowed with the highest Resolve for truth. For, the highest noble truth is Nirvana where no falsehood dwells. In the days before his eyes were opened, his ties to existence were strong and cherished ; now they are gone,— grubbed up by the roots, leaving only a bare cleared site, a thing that once has been and now can be no more ; and therefore it is that an Almsman so endowed is endowed with the highest Resolve for renunciation. For, the highest noble renunciation is to be quit of all ties to existence. In the days before his eyes were opened, he was a prey to covetise lusts and passion ;

now these are all gone, — grubbed up by the roots, leaving only a bare cleared site, a thing that once has been and now can be no more ; gone too for ever are spite, hatred, and malice, with ignorance and error, — [246] grubbed up by the roots, leaving only a bare cleared site, a thing that once has been and now can be no more. Therefore it is that an Almsman so endowed is endowed with the highest Resolve for tranquillity. For the highest noble tranquillity is to tranquillize lust hate and folly.

I said further that, so established, a man has no outflow of imaginings and, having it not, is styled the tranquil Sage. This is what that means : — There are the imaginings that I am, that I am this person, May I be reborn, May I not be reborn, May I be reborn with form — without form — with perception — without perception— neither with nor without perception. These are the imaginings of disease, — abscesses and pangs. It is by passing beyond all imaginings that a man is called the tranquil Sage. The tranquil Sage knows neither rebirth nor decay, neither hopes nor fears. There is nothing to entail his rebirth and so how should he decay ? or die ? or fear ? or hope l M. Hi. 247* . THE SIX ELEMENTS. 295 This synopsis of the exposition of the six elements, Almsman, you should treasure up in your memory. , Realizing that the Master himself was there, the Blessed One, the All-enlightened, the reverend Pukkusati rose from his seat, bared one shoulder respectfully, bowed down his head at the Lord’s feet, saying:— I have transgressed in my folly and error and wrongfulness, in that I presumed to address the Lord as * your reverence/ I ask the Lord to accept my confession, for my avoidance of transgression in future.

[247] The Lord duly accepted the confession tendered, concluding with the words : It marks growth in the Rule of the Noble when, recognizing his transgression as such, a man makes amends and keeps watch and ward against future lapses. I ask to receive Confirmation at the Lord’s hands. Are you equipped, Almsman, with bowl and robes ? T ruth-finders, Almsman, do not confirm one who is unequipped with bowl and robes. Rejoicing in what the Lord had said, the reverend Pukkusati expressed his gratitude. Then, rising up, with deep reverence he departed to get howl and robes. But on his way a mad cow took his life. Thereon, a number of Almsmen came to the Lord with the news that the young man Pukkusati to whom he had given that concise instruction was dead. What, they asked, is he re-born to, and what is his destiny ? Instructed was the young man Pukkusati; he embraced the Doctrine and its corollaries ; he gave me no trouble doctrinally. By destroying the five Bonds of this lower sphere, the young man Pukkusati has been translated hence to realms above, never to return thence to earth. Thus spoke the Lord. Glad at heart, those Almsmen rejoiced in what the Lord had saicj.

[248] Thus have I heard. Once when the Lord was staying at Benares in the Isipatana deerpark, he addressed the Almsmen as follows : — It was here in this very deerpark at Benares that the Truth-finder, Arahat all-enlightened, set a-rolling the supreme Wheel of the Doctrine — which shall not be turned back from its onward course by recluse or brahmin, god or Mara or Brahma or by anyone in the universe, — -the announcement of the Four Noble Truths, the teaching, declaration and establishment of those Four Truths, with their unfolding, exposition and manifestation. What are these four? — The announcement, teaching . . . and manifestation of the Noble Truth of 111 — of the origin of 111 — of the cessation of 111 — of the path that leads to the cessation of 111. Follow, Almsmen, Sariputta and Moggallana and be guided by them ; they are wise helpers unto their fellow's in the higher life. Like a mother is Sariputta ; like a child’s wet-nurse is Moggallana. Sariputta trains in the fruits of conversion ; Moggallana trains in the highest good. Sariputta is able to announce, teach . . . and manifest the Four Noble Truths in all their details.

Having thus spoken, the Blessed One arose and went into his own cell. [249] The Lord had not been gone long when the reverend Sariputta proceeded to the exposition of the Truth-finder’s Four Noble Truths, as follows : — What, reverend sirs, is the Noble Truth of 111? — Birth is an 111 ; decay is an 111 ; death is an 111 ; grief and lamentation, pain, misery and tribulation are Ills ; it is an 111 not to get what is desired ; — in brief all the factors of the fivefold grip on existence are Ills. Birth is, for living creatures of each several class, the being born or produced, the issue, the arising or the re-arising, the appearance of the plastic forces, the growth of faculties. t Decay, for living creatures of each several class, is the decay and decaying, loss of teeth, grey hair, « wrinkles, a dwindling term of life, sere faculties. Death, for living creatures of each several class, is the passage and passing hence, the dissolution, disappearance, dying, death, decease, the dissolution of the plastic forces, the discarding of the dead body. Grief is the grief, grieving and grievousness, the inwhrd grief and inward anguish of anyone who suffers under some misfortune or is in the grip of some type of 111.

Lamentation is the lament and lamentation [250] the wailing and the lamenting of anyone who suffers under some misfortune or is in the grip of some type of 111. Pain is any bodily 111 or bodily evil, any 111 bred of bodily contact, any evil feeling. Misery is mental 111 and evil, any evil feeling of the mind. Tribulation is the tribulation of heart and mind, the state to which tribulation brings them, in anyone who suffers under some misfortune or is in the grip of some type of 111. There remains not to get what is desired. In creatures subject to birth — -or decay — or death— or grief and lamentation, pain, misery and tribulation — the desire arises not to be subject thereto but to escape them. But escape is not to be won merely by desiring it ; and failure to win it is another 111. What are in brief all the factors of the fivefold grip on existence which are Ills ? — They are : The factors of form, feeling, perception, plastic forces, and consciousness. The foregoing, sirs, constitutes the Noble Truth of 111. What now is the Noble Truth of the Origin of 111 ? It is any craving that makes for re- birth and is tied up with passion s delights and culls satisfaction now here now there ; — such as the craving for sensual pleasure, the craving for continuing existence, [251] and the craving for annihilation.

Next, what is the Noble Truth, of the Cessation of 111? — It is the utter and passionless cessation of this same craving, — the abandonment and rejection of craving, Deliverance from craving, and aversion from craving. Lastly, what is the Noble Truth of the Path that leads to the Cessation of 111? — It is just the Noble Eightfold Path, consisting of — right ‘ outlook, right resolves, right speech, right acts, right livelihood, right endeavour, right mindfulness and right rapture of concentration. Right outlook is to know 111, the origin of 111, the cessation of 111, and the path that leads to the cessation of 111. Right resolves are the resolve to renounce the world and to do no hurt or harm. Right speech is to abstain from lies and slander, from reviling, and from tattle. Right acts are to abstain from taking life, from stealing and from lechery. Right livelihood is that by which the disciple of the Noble One supports himself, to the exclusion of wrong modes of livelihood. Right endeavour is when an Almsman brings his will to bear, puts forth endeavour and energy, struggles and strives with all his heart, to stop bad and wrong qualities which have not yet arisen from ever arising, to renounce those which have already arisen, to foster good qualities which have not yet arisen, [252], and, finally, to establish, clarify, multiply, enlarge, develop, and perfect those good qualities which are there already. .

Right mindfulness is when realizing what the body is, — what feelings are — what the heart is — and what the mental states are, — an Almsman dwells ardent, alert and mindful, in freedom from the wants and discontents attendant on any of these things. Right rapture of concentration is when, divested of lusts and divested of wrong dispositions, an Almsman develops, and dwells in, the First Ecstasy with all its zest and satisfaction, a state bred of aloofness and not M. Hi. 253, THE SYNOPSIS OF TRUTH. 299 divorced from observation and reflection. By laying to rest observation and reflection, he develops and dwells .in inward serenity, in focussing of heart, in the zest and satisfaction of the Second Ecstasy, which is divorced from observation and reflection and is bred of concentration,— passing thence to the Third and Fourth Ecstasies. This, sirs, constitutes the Noble Truth of the Path that leads to the Cessation of 111. Such, reverend sirs, is the announcement . . . and manifestation of the Four Noble Truths, — the supreme Wheel of the Doctrine set a-rolling in the deerpark at Benares by the Truth-finder, Arahat all-enlightened, that Wheel which shall not be turned back from its onward course by recluse or brahmin, god, Mara or Brahma, or by anyone in the whole universe.

Thus spoke the reverend Sariputta. Glad at heart, those Almsmen rejoiced in what the reverend S&riputta had said. [253] Thus have I heard. Once when the Lord was living in the Sakyan country at Kapilavatthu in the Banyan grove there, Mah&-pajrtpati the Gotamid came to the Lord with two new lengths of cloth which she begged the Lord to be so good as to accept from her, as being the work of her own hands at the loom expressly for him. To her the Lord made answer : — Give it to the Confraternity, Gotami, and thereby show honour both to me and also to the Confraternity. A second, and a third time, she repeated her request, only to receive the same answer. Then said the reverend Ananda to the Lord : — Pray accept, sir, the cloth from Maha-pajapatl the Gotamid ! She was of great service to the Lord as nurse and foster-mother, suckling her nephew when his own mother died. Of great service to her too has the Lord been ; — all through the Lord, 300 CXLII. . DAKKHINA-VIBHANGA-SUTTA. M. Hi. 254- she has found refuge with the Buddha and with his Doctrine and his Confraternity ; all through the Lord, she keeps herself from taking life, from taking what is, not given her, from lechery, from lying and from all manner of strong drink ; all through the Lord, she has absolute faith in the Buddha and his Doctrine and his Confraternity, and [254] is an embodiment of all noble and lovely virtue ; and, all through the Lord, she has an unclouded belief in the Four Truths of III, the origin of 111, the cessation of 111, and the path that leads to the cessation of 111. Yes, the Lord has been of great service to her too.

Quite so, Ananda ; quite so. For, if a man has been led by a teacher to find refuge in the Buddha and his Doctrine and his Confraternity, the service rendered him cannot be requited by salutations or civilities or by presents of robes and other requisites ; nor again are such things a recompense for being led either to abstain from taking life, stealing, lechery, lying and strong drink, or to have absolute faith in the Buddha and his Doctrine and his Confraternity, or to have become an embodiment of all noble and lovely virtue, or to have an unclouded belief in the Four Truths. Donations to individuals are ranked in fourteen grades. First ranks giving to a Truth-finder, Arahat All-Enlightened ; second comes giving to a Pacceka-* Buddha; the third is giving to a Truth-finder’s Arahat disciples ; the fourth is giving to one who is on the way to become a perfected Arahat ; the fifth is giving to one who will never be reborn on earth ; [255] the sixth is giving to one who is on the way never to be reborn on earth ; the seventh is giving to one who will return to earth only once more ; the eighth is giving to one who is on the way to return to earth but once again ; the ninth is giving to one who has entered the Paths ; the tenth is giving to one who is on the way to enter the Paths ; the eleventh is giving to one who, though outside our pale, is superior to sensual pleasure ; the .twelfth is giving to an ordinary but virtuous man; the thirteenth is giving to an ordinary but non- virtuous

man ; and the fourteenth is giving to those who have been reborn as animals. » Herein, Ananda, the yield to be looked for from a donation to an animal is a hundred-fold, to an ordinary non-virtuous man a thousand-fold, to an ordinary but . virtuous man a hundred-thousand-fold, to him who, though outside the pale, is superior to sensual pleasure a miilion-million-fold, to the man who is on his way to enter the Paths incalculable and beyond all measure. What words can express it for the higher stages ? What words can express it for a Truth-finder, Arahat all -enlightened ? Donations to the Confraternity are seven. First among these ranks the donation to both Almsmen and Almswomen with the Buddha at their head; second comes a donation to both Almsmen and Almswomen when the Buddha is no more ; third is giving to the whole body of Almsmen ; fourth to the whole body of Almswomen ; fifth [256] is to a fixed number of selected Almsmen and Almswomen ; sixth to a fixed number of selected Almsmen and the seventh Confraternity donation is giving to a fixed number of selected Almswomen. In days to come there will be yellow-garbed members of this spiritual clan without virtue and of bad dispositions, to whom for the Confraternity’s sake gifts will be given. Even then, say 1, a donation to the Confraternity is of incalculable and measureless worth ; but never, say I, is a donation to an individual more fruitful than a donation to the Confraternity as a whole.

There are four degrees of purity in donations, — there may be purity (i) of donor but not of recipient, (ii) of recipient but not of donor, (iii) of neither, and (iv) of both. The first of the four is when the donor is a virtuous man of good dispositions, while the recipients are without virtue and of bad dispositions. The second is when the donor is without virtue and of bad dispositions, while the recipients are virtuous men of good dispositions.

The third is when both are without virtue and of bad dispositions. And the fourth is when both donor and recipients,, are virtuous men of good dispositions. [257] Thus spoke the Lord; and the Blessed One, as Master, added the following ; — When to tJi unworthy pious virtue gives, with grounded faith , what1 $ rightly its to give, then from the action fruit abundant grows. — The gift is hallow'd here by him who gives. When from th 1 unworthy pious virtue takes what ne'er was theirs to give , nor have they faith , ■still from the action fruit abundant grows. — The gift is hallow'd here by him who takes. When from, unworthy hands th' unworthy take what ne'er was theirs to give , nor have they faith , still from the action fruit abundant grows. — The gift is hallow' d here by neither side. When pious virtue unto virtue gives, with grounded faith what's rightly its to give , then from the action fruit abundant grows , — That gift, say 1 , bears overflowing fruits. When pious Saint on Saint bestows as gifts, with grounded faith, what's rightly his to give , then from the action fruit abundant grows.

— The things thus given make a mighty gift. [258] Thus have I heard. Once when the Lord was staying at SavatthI in J eta’s grove in Anathapindika’s pleasaunce, the householder Anathapindika, being ill and in pain and in grave danger, sent a man to go in his name to the Lord and, bowing his head at the Lord’s feet, to say how ill he was and how he .bowed his head at the feet of the Lord ; and further to carry the same message to the reverend Sariputta, with the added request to the latter to be so good as to come to the house. The two messages having been duly delivered, Sariputta —with JLnanda in attendance —-came to Anathapindika's house and, [259] seating himself on the seat set for him, asked the householder whether he was getting better and able to hold on, whether his pains were leaving him and not coming on, and whether he found himself progressing and not losing ground with his pain. Not at all, Sariputta ; I am not getting better but worse; . . . {etc. as in Sutta No. 97) ... I am losing ground ; my pains grow on me.

You must, therefore, train yourself not to be the creature of sight nor ever to let your consciousness hang on sight, — or hearing — or smell — or taste — or touch— -or mind, or upon form and the other objects of these six senses. You must train yourself not to be the creature of consciousness nor of any particular mode of consciousness, whether ocular, or auditory, or olfactory, or gustatory, or tactile or mental. You must train yourself not to be the creature of ocular Contact or of the other five Contacts, [260] or of feelings bred of such Contacts. You must train yourself not to be the creature of the earth element or of the waterelement or of the fire-element or of the wind-element or of the space-element or of the consciousnesselement. You must train yourself not to be the creature of form or any consciousness of form, — or of feeling — or of perception — or of the plastic forces — or of consciousness. You must train yourself not to be the creature of the Realm of Infinite Space — or of the Realm of Naught— [261] or of the Realm of Neitherperception - nor- Non -perception. You must train yourself not to be the creature of this world or of any other world. You must train yourself not to be the creature of, or to let your consciousness hang on, any-

304 CXLIII. ANATHAPI^DIK-OVADA-SUTTA. M. iii. 262. thing seen, heard, thought, cognized, sought or explored by the mind. As Sariputta ended, the householder Anathapindika cried aloud and shed tears. To him the reverend Ananda said ; — Are you in the toils, householder ? Are you sinking ? Not at all, Ananda. Though I have long been round the Master and Almsmen of great intellect, never yet heard I such a homily. Such homilies, householder, are not vouchsafed to the white-robed laity, but reserved for Pilgrims. But let them be vouchsafed to the laity, reverend Sariputta ; — young men there are whose vision is but little dimmed, who are perishing because they do not hear the Doctrine, and these will understand it. The exhortation over, Sariputta and Ananda rose tip and departed ; nor had they been gone long when the -householder Anathapindika [262], at his body’s dissolution after death, passed to the Tusita heavens. As night waned, the deified Anathapindika in surpassing beauty came to the Lord, illumining the whole of Jeta’s grove. Seating himself after salutations, the deity addressed the Lord in the following verses : Dear grove of feta, haunt of sages, home of Truth's sole monarch ! Bliss to thee I owe . Here toil wins knowledge and Truth's mysteries ; here virtue still inspires the highest life and hallows mortals not by rank or wealth *

Alive to their true welfare , let the wise still search the Doctrine till they hallowed are. Oh, Sarifutta! s wisdom , virtue , peace ! — No Sainted Almsman can yet higher go. Thus spoke the deified Anathapindika, and the Master approved. Marking the approval of the Master, the deity saluted the Lord with deep reverence and vanished away. When night was passed the Lord narrated to the Almsmen how he had been visited by a deity and detailed all that, had passed. [268] Thereupon the reverend Ananda said to the Lord that this deity must have been Anathapindika, the householder, who had such perfect trust in the reverend Sariputta. Quite right, Ananda. All that inference can bestow, is yours. The deity was indeed no other than Anathapindika. Thus spoke the Lord. Glad at heart, the reverend Ananda rejoiced in what the Lord had said,

Thus have I heard. Once when the Lord was staying at Rajagaha in the Bamboo grove where the squirrels were fed, the reverend Sariputta, the reverend Maha-Cunda and the reverend Channa were living on the heights of V ulture’s Peak. Channa fell sick and was in pain and dangerously ill. At eventide, on rising up from his meditations, Sariputta went to Maha-Cunda to suggest they should go and ask after Channa’s condition. So together the two went to the sick man and after greetings asked him [264] whether he was getting better and able to hold on, whether his pains were leaving him and not coming on, and whether he found himself progressing and not losing ground with his pain. Not at all, Sariputta; I am not getting better but worse ; . . . {etc. as in Sutta No, 97) . , . I ani losing ground ; my pains grow on me. I shall use a knife on myself; I have no wish to live. Don t think of killing yourself, Channa. Bear up, as we wish you to bear up. If you lack food that will do you good, I will get it for you ; if you lack medicines that will do you good, I will get them for you ; if you lack a suitable personal attendant, I myself will attend on you. ^ But don't think of killing yourself ; bear up as we wish you to bear up.

No, Sariputta; I have no lack of suitable food or drugs ; nor do I lack a suitable attendant. Yes, and I CXLIV. CHANN-OVADA-SUTTX. M, iii. 265. have long been a votary of the Lord with unbroken satisfaction to myself, as beseems a disciple. But take it from me, Sariputta, that I shall use a knife on myself and that without blame attaching to me. I should like, Channa, if you will allow me, to put one small point to you. Do so, Sariputta ; and when I have heard it, I will answer. In sight and in ocular perception and in the objects of ocular perception, do you hold that this is mine, I am this or [265] this is my Self? Do you hold this of hearing or the four other Senses ? No, Sariputta I hold the precise opposite. What is it that you see and discern in each and every one of these that leads you to intend what you do ? [266] You must think too, Channa, of the Lord’s eternal teaching that agitation marks the enthralled ; that the un-enthralled know no agitation ; that, if there be no agitation, there is serenity ; that with serenity there is no craving ; that without craving there is no round of rebirths ; that without the round of rebirths there is no passing hence, no arising elsewhere ; that without any passing hence or arising elsewhere there is no further term in this world or elsewhere or both ; and that thus alone is 111 ended for ever.

With these exhortations to Channa, Sariputta and Maha-Cunda rose up and departed. They had not been gone long when Channa used the knife on himself; and they brought the news to the Lord, asking what future awaited Channa and what his destiny would be. Did not the Almsman Channa insist on his blamelessness to you, Sariputta ? Irt his Vajjian village of Pubbajira Channa’s familiars and associates are all blameworthy. No doubt, Sariputta ; but it is not in that sense that I use the term blameworthy. That term I apply to a man who divests himself of this body because he wants M. Hi. 267. CIIANNa's SUICIDE. Z°7 another. This was not the case with Channa, who was blameless in using the knife upon himself. • Thus spoke the Lord. Glad at heart, the reverend Sariputta rejoiced in what the Lord had said.

[207] Thus have I heard. Once when the Lord was staying at SavatthT in Jeta’s grove in Anfithapiridika’s pleasaunce, the reverend Punna, rising at eventide from his meditations, came to the Lord and, when seated after due salutations, asked the Lord to teach him concisely how, having listened to the Lord’s Doctrine, he should live alone and aloof, strenuous, ardent and purged of self. Listen then, Punna, and pay attention ; and I will speak. Then to the attentive Punna the Lord began : — There are forms of which sight is conscious, sounds of which the hearing is conscious, odours of which smell is conscious, savours of which taste is conscious, impressions of which touch is conscious, and mental objects of which the mind is conscious, — all of them desirable, agreeable, pleasant and attractive, all of them bound up with lusts and exciting to passion. If an Almsman hails and welcomes any of these and cleaves to them, delight will thus arise in him ; and from the beginning of delight, say I, comes the beginning of 111. But if he does not hail and welcome and cleave to them, delight will thus cease in him ; and from the cessation of delight, say I, comes the cessation of 111.

[268] With this concise teaching from me, Punna, in what country will you take up your abode. They are a fierce and violent race, Punna, in Sunaparanta. If they were to abuse and revile you there, what would you think ? I should think. Lord, that the good folk of Sunaparanta were really nice people, very nice people indeed, in that they forbore to strike me. But if they did strike you ? I should think, Lord, . . . forbore to pelt me with clods, . , . But if they did pelt you with clods , I should think, Lord, . . . forbore to cudgel me, f 2691 But if they did cudgel you ? I should think, Lord, . . . forbore to knife me. But if they did knife you ? I should think, Lord, . . . forbore to take my life. But if they did take your life. If they did, Lord, I should think that there are disciples of the Lord who, in their tribulation and despair, are on the look-out for someone with a knife, and that I have found him without having to hunt about. That is what I should think, Lord ; that would be my thought, Blessed One.

Good indeed, Purina. With such a command o yourself, you will be able to live with the folk of Sunaparanta. , , , With grateful thanks to the Lord for what he had said, the reverend Punna rose, took his leave of the Lord with deep reverence, and, after putting his bedding away properly, departed, bowl in hand and duly robed, to beg his way to the Sunaparanta country, to which in due course he came and there dwelt. Before the close of his very first rainy season, Punna had gathered round him five hundred disciples of each sex, and had realized the Three Knowledges. Time came when the reverend Punna passed away, and the Almsmen came to the Lord Yo ask [270] what future awaited him and what his destiny would be. Instructed, Almsmen, was the young man Purina; he readily embraced the Doctrine and its corollaries ; he gave me no trouble doctrinally. He has passed to Nirvana. Thus spoke the Lord. Glad at heart, those Almsmen rejoiced in what the Lord had said. M» HI* 271* NAN D AKA’S HOMILY TO ALMSWOMEN. 309

Thus have I heard. Once when the Lord was staying at SSvatthi in Jeta’s grove in Anathapindika’s pleasaunce, Mahapajapati the Gotamid brought five hundred Almswomen with her to the Lord with the request that he would exhort and instruct them. Now at that time senior Almsmen used to take turns in preaching to Almswomen ; but the reverend Nandaka did not want to take his turn. When therefore the Lord asked Ananda whose turn it was to preach to Almswomen, he was told it was Nandaka’s but he did not want to take it. Then the Lord ordered him to preach and Nandaka said he would. [271] So in the morning early, duly robed and bowl in hand, the reverend Nandaka went into SavatthT for alms and on his way back after his meal came, with a companion, to the pleasaunce which King Pasenadi gave. Espying him coming some way off, the Almswomen set a seat for him and got water for his feet. Seating himself on the seat set for him, Nandaka washed his feet, after which, with proper salutations, the Almswomen also seated themselves to one side. Said Nandaka to them : — 1 am going to catechize you, Almswomen. Those that understand will say so, as also will those who do not understand ; anyone who has doubts or perplexities will question me as to how this or that is, and what the meaning is.

We are pleased and delighted, sir, with just what your reverence suggests to us. What think you, ladies? — Is sight permanent or impermanent ? Does the impermanent give pleasure or pain ? Is it proper that what is impermanent and fraught with pain and change should be regarded as mine, or I am it, or it is my Self? And does the same apply to hearing and the other [272] It does, sir. And why ? — Because already, we knew and saw, clearly and aright, that these six internal senses had no permanence. Quite so, ladies, quite so. This is the conclusion reached by a disciple of the Noble, who knows and sees clearly and aright. Do you think forms are permanent or impermanent ? Does the impermanent. . . . And why ? — Because already we knew and saw, clearly and aright, that these external objects of the six senses had no permanence. Quite so, ladies, quite so. This is the conclusion reached by a disciple of the Noble, who knows and sees clearly and aright. Do you think ocular perception is permanent or impermanent ? Does the impermanent. . . . [273] And why ? —

Because already we knew and saw, clearly and aright, that these six groups of perceptions had no permanence. Quite so, ladies, quite so. This is the conclusion reached by a disciple of the Noble, who knows and sees clearly and aright. It is just like a lighted lamp, where oil, wick, shine and sheen are each and all impermanent and subject to change. Would it be correct to say that,, while oil, wick and shine were impermanent and subject to change, yet its sheen was permanently stable, eternal and subject to no change ? Noj sir. — Because, if there was impermanence in oil, wick and shine, much more would the sheen be impermanent. Just in the same way, would anyone be correct who affirmed that, his six internal senses being impermanent, and his feelings — pleasant painful or neutral — being felt through those six senses, his feelings were M. it}. 274. NANDAKA’s HOMILY TO ALMSWOMEN. 3 I r permanent and stable, eternal and subject to no change ? * No, sir. — Because it is always from specific conditions that specific feelings arise ; [274] and these specific feelings disappear with the disappearance of the specific conditions. Quite so, ladies ; quite so. This is the conclusion reached by a disciple of the Noble, who knows and sees clearly and aright.

It is just like a fine upstanding timber-tree, of which roots trunk branches and shadow are impermanent and subject to change. Would anyone be correct who affirmed that, while root trunk and branches were all impermanent and subject to change, the tree’s shadow was permanent, stable, eternal and subject to no change? No, sir. — -Because, if all else be impermanent, much more would the shadow be impermanent. J ust in the same way, would anyone be correct in affirming that, the sense-objects of his six external senses being impermanent, and his several feelings being felt through those sense-objects, his feelings were permanent and stable, eternal and subject to no change ? No, sir. — Because it is always from specific conditions that specific feelings arise ; and these disappear with the disappearance of the specific conditions. Quite so, ladies; quite so. This is the conclusion reached by a disciple of the Noble, who knows and sees clearly and aright. It is just like an expert butcher or butcher’s man who, having killed a cow, should with a sharp knife dissect out the carcase, so as not to spoil the flesh within or the hide without, by cutting out severing and dissevering all the inward tendons and sinews and fastenings, and then should [275] clothe the cow in its hide once more and declare thg>t under the hide she was connected together just the same as before. Would he be correct in so declaring ?

No, sir, the cow would be disconnected beneath the hide. This illustration has been adduced to make my meaning clear, — which is this : — the flesh within is another expression for the six internal senses, as the* hide is for the external objects of the six senses ; the tendons and sinews and fastenings within represent passion’s delight ; the sharp knife means Noble understanding which severs, dissevers, and cuts out inner vices and bonds and ties. There are seven factors of Enlightenment, ladies, by the growth and increase of which within himself an Almsman, by the destruction of the Cankers, comes, here and now, to dwell in the Deliverance of heart and mind that knows no Cankers, which, of and by himself, he has discerned realized and developed. What are these seven factors? — Take the case of an Almsman who cultivates the several factors — each dependent on aloofness, passionlessness, and cessation, each maturing by Renunciation — of mindfulness, study of the Doctrine, zeal, bliss, tranquillity and rapt concentration. These are the seven factors of Enlightenment. [276] His exhortation ended, the reverend Nandaka told the ladies it was now time for them to be going. With grateful thanks for his discourse, those Almswomen rose up and, with salutations and with deep reverence, departed to the Lord, whom they saluted, remaining standing respectfully to one side. As they stood there, the Lord told the Almswomen it was time for them to be going. So with salutations and with deep reverence they withdrew. They had not been gone long when the Lord addressed the Almsmen, saying: — Just as on the mid-month Sabbath there is no doubt or perplexity in the minds of the people whether there is no moon or full-moon, for there is then no moon at all, — even so in the same way those Almswomen are glad to have heard Nandaka’s exposition but their thought has not yet waxed to the full.

Turning then to Nandaka, the Lord directed him to repeat the same exposition over again to those same Almswomen. Obediently, the reverend Nandaka did so, in the M. iii. 277. NANDAKA’S HOMILY TO ALMSWOMEN. 3 1 3 selfsame words, on the morrow. [277] With grateful thanks once more for his discourse, those Almswomen ^rose up and, with salutations and deep reverence, departed to the Lord, whom they saluted, remaining standing to one side. As they stood there, the Lord told them it was time for them to be going. So with salutations and with deep reverence they withdrew. They had not been gone long when the Lord addressed the Almsmen, saying : — It is just like the Sabbath of the full-moon, when there is no doubt or perplexity in the minds of the people whether there is no moon or full-moon, for it is full-moon. Just in the same way those Almswomen are glad to have heard Nandaka’s discourse and now their thoughts have waxed to the full. Of all those five hundred Almswomen even the most backward is of the conversion, immune from future states of suffering, safe and sure, destined to win entire Enlightenment. Thus spoke the Lord. Glad at heart, those Almsmen rejoiced in what the Lord had said.

CXLV 1 1. C 0 L A-RA H U L-0 V AD A-S U XT A. Thus have I heard. Once when the Lord was staying at Savatthl in J eta’s grove in Anathapindika’s pleasaunce, he was alone with his meditations when the thought came to him that, as Rahula was now ripe in the qualities which mature unto Deliverance, he might school him in the eradication of the Cankers. So when next morning, duly robed and bowl in hand, he had been into Savatthl for alms and was back again after his meal, th,e Lord told Rahula to bring a mat to sit on and they would go together to pass the heat of the day in Andha-vana. [278] Obedient to the Lord’s commands, the reverend Rahula took a mat and followed behind in the Lord’s footsteps. Now at that time some thousands of deities followed after the Lord, because the Lord would that day school Rahula in the eradication of the Cankers. Plunging into Andha-vana’s glades, the Lord took* his seat at the foot of a tree on the mat set for him ; and Rahula too, with salutations, seated himself hard by. As Rahula sat there, the Lord put this question to Rahula : — Is sight permanent or impermanent ?

Is the impermanent fraught with Weal or 111. Is it proper, when a thing is fraught with 111 and change, to regard it as — Mine, or this is I, or this is my Self? Is form permanent or impermanent? Is the impermanent fraught . . . this is my Self? Is visual Contact permanent or impermanent ? Is the impermanent fraught . . . this is my Self? Are feelings, or perception or factors or the consciousness which arises under the conditions of visual contact, — permanent or impermanent ? Is the impermanent fraught . . . this is my Self ? And is all this equally true of hearing, smelling, tasting, touching and the mind and of their respective sense-objects ? When he sees all this, Rahula, the disciple of the Noble becomes sick and weary of sight, form, visual contact and of the feelings and so forth thence arising; sick and weary of hearing, sounds, auditory contact, -and the feelings and so forth thence arising ; sick and weary of smell, odours, olfactory contact, and the feelings and so forth thence arising; sick and weary of taste, savours, gustatory contact, and the feelings and so forth thence arising ; sick and weary too of mind, mental objects, mental contact, and the feelings and so * forth thence arising ; — [280] sick and weary of it all ; and so is Delivered and to him, being Delivered, comes the knowledge of his Deliverance in the conviction that this is his last birth, that he has lived the highest life, that his task is done and that now for him there is now no more of what he has been.

Thus spoke the Lord. The reverend Rahula rejoiced in what the Lord had said. While this exposition was being spoken, the reverend Rahula’ s heart was delivered from the Cankers by leaving nothing to support them. There arose, too, in all those thousands of deities the passionless and stainless Eye of Truth, whereby they saw how everything that originates must also cease to be.

Thus have I heard. Once when the Lord was staying at S&vatthI in J eta's grove in Anathapindika’s pleasaunce, he there addressed the listening Almsmen : — I will teach you the Doctrine — so lovely in its beginning, so lovely in the middle and so lovely in its close — with its meaning and text, the complete and pure higher life, — namely, the Six Sixes. Listen and pay attention and I will speak. Then to the attentive Brethren the Lord began : — There are six internal senses, six external senseobjects, six groups of perceptions, six groups of Contacts, six groups of feelings, and six groups of cravings. I have said that there are six internal senses to be recognized ; and these are the senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch and mind. — These form the first Six. [281] I have said that sense-objects are six in number ; and they are forms, sounds, odours, savours, touch and mental objects. — These form the second Six. I have said there are six groups of perceptions ; 3 1 6 CXLVIII. CHA-CHAKKA-SUTTA. M. iiu 282. they are the classes of perceptions which severally arise from (a) sight and forms, (6) hearing and sounds, (c) smell and odours, (d) taste and savours, (e) touch, and tangible things, and (f) mind and mental objects. — These form the third Six.

I have said there are six groups of Contacts ; — they are as follows : — from sight and forms results ocular perception and the meeting of these three is Contact. The like happens with each of the other five senses and their sense-objects and perception combined.— This is the fourth Six. I have said that there are six groups of feelings ; they are the classes of feelings which severally arise as follows : — from sight and forms results ocular perception, and the meeting of all three is contact, from which contact come feelings. The like happens with each of the other five senses and their sense-objects and perception combined so as to result in feelings. [282] — This is the fifth Six. I have said there are six groups of cravings ; — they are the kinds of craving which severally arise as follows : — from sight and forms results ocular perception, and the meeting of all three is contact, from which come feelings and out of feelings come cravings. The like happens with each of the other five senses and their sense-objects and perception combined so to result in contact, from which contact come feelings from which come cravings. — This is the sixth Six.

If it be said the eye is Self, that does not hold. (For,) the arising and the passing of the eye is manifest. But when anything manifestly has its arising and its passing, we are brought to this, that Self arises and then passes away again ; and therefore to say the eye is Self does not hold, as the eye is thus non-Self. The same argument applies to forms, so that the eye and forms are non-Self. It applies also to ocular perception, so that the eye, its sense-objects and ocular perception are all three non-Self. It applies also to ocular contact, so that the eye, its sense-objects, ocular perception and ocular contact are all four non-Selfi It applies also to feelings, [283] so that the eye, its sense-objects, ocular perception and feelings are all -.five non-Self. It applies, lastly, to cravings, so that the eye, its sense-objects, ocular perception, feelings and cravings are all six non-Self. And what applies to the sense of sight applies equally to the other five senses, — each with its sense-objects, its perceptions, its feelings, and its cravings ; they are non-Self all of them. [284] The way that leads to the origination of the individuality view is to regard as Mine — or this is I — or this is my Self — either the eye, or forms, or ocular perception, or ocular contact, or feelings or cravings ; or similarly to regard hearing and the four other senses with their adjuncts.

The way that leads to the cessation of the individuality view is not to regard as mine, and so forth, either eye or hearing or any of the four other senses or their adjuncts. [285] From sight and forms arises ocular perception and the meeting of all three is Contact, from which contact come feelings, pleasant or unpleasant or neither. When experiencing a pleasant feeling, a man rejoices in it, hails it, and clings tight to it ; and a trend to passion ensues. When experiencing an unpleasant feeling, the man sorrows, is miserable, wails, beats his breast and goes distraught ; and a trend to repugnance ensues. When experiencing a feeling that is neither pleasant nor unpleasant, he has no true and causal comprehension of that feeling’s origin, disappearance, agreeableness, perils and outcome ; and a trend to ignorance ensues. It can never possibly result that — without first discarding the pleasant feeling’s trend to passion, without first dispelling the unpleasant feeling’s trend to repugnance, without getting rid of the neutral feeling’s trend to ignorance, without discarding ignorance and stopping it from arising — he will put an end, here and now, to 111. And what is true of sight is equally true of each of the other five senses.

[286] From sight and forms arises ocular percep- 318 CXLVIII, CHA-CHAKKA-SUTTA. M.iii. 287. tion and the meeting of all three is Contact, from which Contact come feelings, pleasant or unpleasant or neither. If, when experiencing a pleasant feeling, a. man does not rejoice in it, does not hail it, does not cling tight to it;-— so no trend to passion ensues. If, when experiencing an unpleasant feeling, he does not sorrow, become miserable, wail, beat his breast or go distraught ; — so no trend to repugnance ensues. If, when experiencing a feeling that is neither pleasant nor unpleasant, he has a true and causal comprehension of that feeling's origin, disappearance, agreeableness, perils and outcome ; — so no trend to ignorance ensues. Inasmuch as he has already discarded the pleasant feeling’s trend to passion, has already dispelled the unpleasant feeling’s trend to repugnance, has already got rid of the neutral feeling’s trend to ignorance, has already discarded ignorance and fostered understanding,— the result is that he will put an end, here and now, to 111. And what is true of sight is equally true of each of the other five senses. With vision such as this, the instructed disciple of the Noble is sick and weary of sight and the other senses, is sick and weary of their sense- objects, is sick and weary of perceptions and contacts and feelings and cravings, — sick and weary of it all [287] and so is Delivered ; and to him, being Delivered, comes the knowledge of his Deliverance in the conviction that this is his last birth, that he has lived the highest life, that his task is done and that now for him there is now no more of what he has been.

Thus spoke the Lord. Glad at heart, those Almsmen rejoiced in what the Lord had said. While this discourse was being spoken, the hearts of sixty Almsmen were delivered from the Cankers by leaving nothing to support them. Thus have I heard. Once when the Lord was staying at Savatthi in Jeta’s grove in Anathapindika's pleasaunce, he intimated to the Almsmen that he would instruct them in the import of the Six Great Domains of Sense, and thus began : — If a man lacks ken and vision of the sense of sight — and of Forms— and of ocular perception— -and of ocular Contact— and of the feelings, pleasant unpleasant or neither, which arise because of ocular contact, — then he grows enamoured of all these things. As he lives thus enamoured and immersed and infatuated with them and with the satisfaction they bring, the five factors of love of existence grow up ; and there is a sturdy growth of cravings for a future life with a passionate delight and revelling in the thought of it. There is a growth both of bodily [288] and of mental distress, of bodily and mental inflammation and of bodily and mental fever; the man experiences ills of mind and ills of body.

And precisely the same happens with each of the other five senses. If, however, a man has ken and vision of the sense of sight and its objects, and of ocular perception, Contact and the feelings, pleasant unpleasant or neither, which arise because of ocular contact, — then he never grows enamoured of these things. As he lives thus unenamoured, un-immersed and un-infatuated either with them or with the satisfaction they bring, the five factors of love of existence wane ; and there is a decay of cravings for a future life and no passionate delight and revelling in the thought of it. There is a decay both of bodily and of mental distress, of bodily and mental inflammation and of bodily and [289] mental fever ; the man experiences weal in mind and weal in body. The outlook of the man with heart set aright and at ease, — this right outlook is his ; and his too is the right 320 CXLIX. mahA-salAyatanika-sutta. M. iii. 290. aspiration, the right endeavour, the right mindfulness and the right rapture of concentration which mark the man whose heart is set right and at ease. Ere this, he* has already attained to purity of act and word and of mode of livelihood. Thus, the (whole) Noble Eightfold Path proceeds to its perfected development j and with the Path’s development the fourfold mustering of mindfulness similarly proceeds to its perfected development, as too do the four efforts, the four psychic powers, the five faculties, the five forces and the seven factors of enlightenment, while the twin yoke-fellows, calm and intuition, are at their work.

By transcendent knowledge {a) he comprehends what transcendent knowledge should comprehend, ($) discards what transcendent knowledge should discard, (^) fosters what transcendent knowledge should foster, and ( d ) realizes what transcendent knowledge should realize. (а) That which transcendent knowledge should comprehend, implies the five supporting factors of forms, feelings, perception, the factors and consciousness. . (б) That which transcendent knowledge should discard, is ignorance and craving for continuing existence. (c) That which transcendent knowledge should foster, is calm and intuition. (d) [290] That which transcendent knowledge should realize, is Understanding and Deliverance. ^ And all that has been said of the sense of sight applies equally to the other five senses. Thus spoke the Lord. Glad at heart, those Almsmen rejoiced in what the Lord had said. Thus have I heard. Once when the Lord was on an alms-pilgrimage among the Kosalans, he came with a great company of Almsmen to the brahmin village of N agara-Vinda. Tidings reached the brahmin heads of houses in Nagara-Vinda that, in the course of his alms-pilgrimage through Kosala, the recluse *Gotama of the Sakyan clan, who had gone forth from a Sakyan family as a Pilgrim, had arrived with a large train of Almsmen [291] in Nagara-Vinda. Such, according to report, was the high repute . . . {etc. as in Sutta No. 82) . . . Arahats like him. So the brahmins of Nagara-Vinda went to the Lord and, after exchanging with him the friendly greetings of courtesy and civility, took their seats to one side, — some after salutations, some after greetings, some with palms conjoined in salutation, some with mention of their name and surnames, and others again in silence. To them so seated, the Lord spoke as follows : —

If, sirs, Wanderers of other schools were to ask you what types of recluses and brahmins ought not to receive honour, reverence, devotion and worship, you should make answer to them that : Honour, reverence, devotion and worship ought not to be shown to recluses and brahmins who, in connection with visible forms and the sense-objects of the other five senses, have not shed all lust, all hate and all folly, and, having hearts not yet tranquil, walk sometimes righteously but sometimes unrighteously in body, speech and mind. And why ? — Because, you will say, we ourselves too behave just the same, and fail to see a higher righteousness in these men ; and therefore we ought not to show such recluses and brahmins honour, reverence, devotion and worship, — [292] This should be your answer to this enquiry from Wanderers of other schools. But if Wanderers of other schools ask you what types of recluses and brahmins ought to receive honour, reverence, devotion and worship, you should make answer to them that : Honour, reverence, devotion and worship ought to be shown to those recluses and brahmins who, in connection with visible forms and the sense objects of the other five senses, have shed all lust, all hate and all folly, and, with tranquil hearts, walk always righteously in body, speech and XL 21

mind. And why ?— Because, you will say, we ourselves have not shed all this lust, hate and folly but, having hearts not yet tranquil, walk sometimes^ righteously and sometimes unrighteously in body, speech and mind; but we see a higher righteousness in these recluses and brahmins ; and therefore we ought to show them honour, reverence, devotion and worship.— This should be your answer to this enquiry from Wanderers of other schools. If Wanderers of other schools ask you what attributes and results in such recluses and brahmins lead you to say that they are [293] either void of passion and triumphant over passion, or void of hate and triumphant over hate, or void of folly and triumphant over folly, then you should make answer to these Wanderers ot other schools that : These reverend men lodge in remote solitudes where there are no forms to be seen to excite their admiration by familiar occurrence ; nor sounds, nor odours, nor savours, nor things to touch. Such are the attributes and results in their reverences which lead us to say they are void of passion or hate or folly or triumphant over them.— This should be your answer to this enquiry from Wanderers of other

At the close, the brahmins of Nagara-Vinda said to the Lord: — Excellent, Gotama, excellent! Just as a man might set upright again what had been cast down, or reveal what had been hidden away , or tell a^ man who had gone astray which was his way, or bring a lamp into darkness so that those with eyes to see might see the things about them,— even so, in many a figure, has the reverend Gotama made his Doctrine clear. We come to the Lord as our refuge and to his Doctrine and to his Confraternity. May the reverend Gotama accept us as followers who have found an abiding refuge from this day onward while life lasts. M, iii. 294- PERILS OF THE DAILY ROUND. 323 Thus have I heard. Once when the Lord was staying at Rajagaha in the Bamboo grove where the squirrels were fed, the reverend Sariputta, rising from his meditations at eventide, came to the Lord and after salutations took his seat to one side. As he sat there, the Lord said to him : — Your faculties, Sariputta, are acute; [294] and your complexion is clear and unsullied. What manner of life do you mostly live nowadays ?

Mostly aloof nowadays, sir. Quite right, Sariputta, quite right. Yours is indeed the Superman’s life, for his is a life aloof. If an Almsman desires to live mostly aloof, he should ask himself whether, on the way he took to the village for alms or in the district he frequented for alms or on the way he came back from his round for alms, he there found that the sense-objects of sight — or of hearing or of the other senses — had aroused longings or lust or hate or folly or repugnance of heart. If, on the one hand, he finds that they had aroused such emotions, then he must strive to get rid of those bad and wrong dispositions. But if he finds that nothing of the sort had been aroused, then he should dwell on in this selfsame joy and bliss, day and night immersed in studious aspiration for right dispositions. [295] If, on questioning himself similarly about the five pleasures of the senses, he finds they are not got rid of from his heart, he must strive to get rid of them. But if he finds that he is rid of them, he should dwell on in this self-same joy and bliss, day and night immersed in studious aspiration for right dispositions.