Questions of King Milinda (Milindapañha)

2 Parinibbutana»2. The words in brackets are Hina/i-kumbure's gloss. ' Of all who have been entirely set free ' is an alternative, and perhaps a better, rendering. IV, 8, 52. OF MILINDA THE KING. I 75 'It is by the stedfast resolve, O king, of three kinds of people, that wonders take place at the A'etiya of some person deceased who has been entirely set free. And who are the three ? In the first place, O king, an Arahat, when still alive, may, out of pity for gods and men, make the resolve : " Let there be such and such wonders at my Aetiya1." Then, by reason of his resolve, wonders happen there. Thus is it that wonders occur by the resolve of an Arahat at the A^etiya of one entirely set free. ' And again, O king, the gods, out of pity for men, show wonders at the Aetiya of one who has been entirely set free, thinking : " By this wonder may the true faith remain always established on the earth, and may mankind, believing, grow in grace!" Thus is it that wonders occur by the resolve of a god at the A"etiya of one entirely set free.

' And again, O king, some woman or some man of believing heart, able, intelligent, wise, endowed with insight, may deliberately take perfumes, or a garland, or a cloth, and place it on the A'etiya, making the resolve : " May such and such a wonder take place ! " Thus is it that wonders occur by the resolve of human beings at the isfetiya of one entirely set free. 52. ' These, O king, are the three kinds of people by whose stedfast resolve wonders take place at the A'etiyas of Arahats deceased. And if there has been no such resolve, O king, by one of these, then 1 Mr. Trenckner prints evara-nama as qualifying A'etiya. The Si7«halese, p. 451, takes it as I have rendered. I 76 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 8, 53. is there no wonder at the A'etiya even of one whose asavas had been destroyed, who had attained to the sixfold insight, who was master of himself. And if there be no such wonder, then, O king, [310] one should call to mind the purity of conduct one has seen 1, and draw in trusting faith the conclusion : " Verily, this child of the Buddhas has been entirely set free ! " '

' Very good, Nagasena ! That is so, and I accept it as you say.' [Here ends the dilemma as to wonders at the grave.] [dilemma the seventy-eighth, conversion and conduct.] 53. ' Venerable Nagasena, those who regulate their lives aright — do they all attain to insight into the Truth, or are there some of them who do not ? ' ' Some do, O king, and some do not.' ' Then which do, Sir, and which do not ? ' ' He who is born as an animal, O kine, even though he regulate his life aright, will not attain to insight into the Truth, nor he who is born in 1 These words are very ambiguous, and unfortunately the Sinhalese (p. 452), though much expanded, is equally so. The kind of wonder referred to throughout the dilemma is also doubtful. The only one of the kind mentioned, so far as I know, in the Pi/akas is that referred to in the ' Book of the Great Decease,' V, 26, where the placing of garlands on a A^etiya produces calm in the heart. But it is difficult to believe that our author had merely a spiritual experience of this kind in his thoughts. The whole discussion points rather to the late date at which he wrote.

IV, 8, 54- °F MILINDA THE KING. I 77 the Preta world, nor he who holds wrong views, nor the deceitful man, nor he who has slain his mother, or his father, or an Arahat, nor he who has raised up a schism in the Order, nor he who has shed a Buddha's blood, nor he who has furtively attached himself to the Order1, nor he who has become a pervert2, nor he who has violated a sister of the Order, nor he who, having been guilty of one or other of the thirteen grievous offences3, has not been rehabilitated, nor a eunuch, nor an hermaphrodite — and whosoever is a human child under seven years of age, even though he regulate his life aright, will not attain to insight into the Truth. To these sixteen individuals there is no attainment of insight, O king, even though they regulate their life aright' 54. ' Venerable Nagasena, there may or may not be a possibility of insight to the fifteen you have first, singled out for opposition 4. But what is the reason why an infant, one under seven years of age, should not, even though he regulate his life aright, attain to insight ? Therein there is still a puzzle left. For is it not admitted that in a child there is not passion, neither malice, nor dullness, nor pride, nor heresy, nor discontent, nor lustful thoughts ? Being undefiled by sin, that which we call an infant is fit and ready (to the attainment

1 Theyya-sawjvasaka. See Mahavagga I, 69, 4. 2 Titthiya-pakkantaka, 'gone over to the Titthiyas.' 3 Garukapatti, which Hina/i-kumbure takes to be equivalent to the Sawghadisesa offences. This is doubtless correct, and the use of the phrase in that sense is a sign of our author's later date. 4 Viruddha, 'placed in a class' (wcedcerum \vu), says the Sinhalese, p. 453. It is literally ' opposed,' and the idiom is curious. 1 78 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 8, 54. even of Arahatship — how much more) l is he worthy to penetrate at a glance into the four truths !' ' The following is the reason, O king, for my saying [311] that an infant, even though he regulate his life aright, cannot attain to insight. If, O king, one under seven years of age could feel passion about things exciting to passion, could go wrong in things leading to iniquity, could be befooled in matters that mislead, could be maddened as to things that infatuate, could understand a heresy, could distinguish between content and discontent, could think out virtue and vice, then might insight be possible to him. But the mind of one under seven years of age, O king, is powerless and weak, mean, small, slight, obscure, and dull, whereas the essential principle of Nirvana is transcendental, important, weighty, wide - reaching, and extensive. Therefore is it, O king, that the infant, with so imperfect a mind, is unable to grasp an idea so great. It is like the case of Sineru, O king, the king of the mountains, heavy and ponderous, wide-reaching and mighty as it is, — could now a man, by his ordinary strength and power and energy, root that mountain up2?'

' Certainly not, Sir.' ' But why not ? ' 1 Because of the weakness of the man, and because of the mightiness of Sineru, the mountain king.' 1 The words in brackets are added from the Sinhalese. 2 Similar metaphors have already been used in the 71st Dilemma (p. 283 of the Pali) and in the 74th Dilemma (p. 295 of the Pali). IV, 8, 56. OF MILINDA THE KING. I jg 'Just so, O king, is the relation of the infant's mind to Nirvana1. 55. ' And again, it is like the broad earth, O king, long and wide, great in expanse and extension, large and mighty — would now a tiny drop of water be able to wet and turn to mud that broad earth 2 ? ' ' Certainly not, Sir.' * But why not, O king ? ' 1 Because of the minuteness of the drop of water, and because of the greatness of the broad earth.' 'Just so, O king, is the relation of the infant's mind to Nirvana. [312] 56. ' Or again, O king, suppose there were weak and powerless, minute, tiny, limited, and dull fire — would it be possible, with so insignificant a fire, to overcome darkness and make light appear over the whole world of gods and men ?'

' Certainly not, Sir.' 4 But why not, O king ? ' ' Because of the dullness of the fire, and because of the greatness of the world.' 'Just so, O king, the mind of one under seven years of age is powerless and weak, limited, insignificant, obscure, and dull ; it is veiled, moreover, with the thick darkness of ignorance. Hard would it be, therefore, for it to shine forth with the light of knowledge. And that is the reason, O king, why to an infant, to one under seven years of age, even though he order his conduct aright, there can be no attainment of insight into the Truth. 1 In the text the whole comparison is repeated. 2 For a similar metaphor see above, IV, 8, 31 (p. 296 of the Pali). l8o THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 8, 57. 57. ' Or again, O king, suppose there were a Salaka1, minute in the measure of its body, and rendered lean by disease, and it on seeing an elephant king, which showed the signs of rut in three places, and was nine cubits in length, and three in breadth, and ten in girth, and seven in height 2, coming to its lair, were to begin to drag the elephant towards it with the view of swallowing it — now would the Salaka, O king, be able to do so3 ? '

' Certainly not, Sir.' ' But why not, O king ? ' 'Because of the minuteness of the Salaka's body, and because of the magnitude of the elephant king.' ' Just so, O king, the mind of one under seven years of age is powerless and weak, limited, insignificant, obscure, and dull. Grand and transcendental is the ambrosial essence of Nirvana4. With that mind so powerless and weak, so limited, insignificant, obscure, and dull, he cannot penetrate into the orand and transcendental essence of Nir- 1 It is unknown what this kimi (insect, vermin, small creature) is, and it is not mentioned elsewhere. Su^ruta mentions a jarikamukha insect, and as in one rare word at least, which the Pali translator did not sufficiently understand to restore to the ordinary Pali form (kalasi for karisi, see above, I, xxiii), we find la stood in our author's dialect for ri, there may be some connection between the two. It would be particularly interesting to be able to determine the species and habitat of this creature, as it might throw some light on the district in which our author flourished. 2 These measurements differ slightly from those given above, IV, 8, 14 (p. 282 of the Pali), for a fine elephant.

3 Compare the tale of the frog who wanted to swallow the bull in ^Esop's fables (not yet traced in the (ratakas). Is the Salaka a kind of frog, much smaller than ours ? 4 So Hina/i-kumbure, p. 455. IV, 8, 58. OF MILINDA THE KING. l8l vaua. And that is the reason, O king, why to an infant, one under seven years of age, even though he order his conduct aright, there can be no attainment to insight of the Truth.' ' Very good, Nagasena ! That is so, and I accept it as you say.' [Here ends the dilemma on conversion and [dilemma the seventy-ninth, the pain of nirvaiva1.] [313] 58. 'Venerable Nagasena, how is it? Is Nirvana all bliss, or is it partly pain2 ? ' 1 The following pages will seem only so much verbiage, and will convey no idea to a European reader, unless he realises that the Nirvawa discussed is of course not a salvation to be enjoyed by a 'soul' after death, and in some other world; but a state of mind to be realised and enjoyed by a man here, on this earth, in this life, and in this life only. Though I had pointed this out already in 1876 the animistic interpretation of Nirvawa is still the prevalent one, and still continues to lead to endless confusion. Why is it then, the reader may ask, that our author does not contradict the Christian interpretation of the Buddhist summum bonum in so many words? Simply because it never occurred to him as possible. It was probably even as inconceivable to him as the Buddhist interpretation of it seems to be to most Western writers.

2 This dilemma and the next have been translated into French in the 'Revue de l'histoire des Religions' for 1885 (vol. xi, pp. 336 and following). The author's name being given as Mr. Lewis da Sylva, of Colombo, the article as it stands is presumably a translation into French, made in Paris, of Mr. da Sylva's version in English from the Sinhalese, which may account for the fact that there is scarcely a sentence which is not misleading. ' Nirvana is all bliss, O king. There is no intermingling of pain in it.' 1 That, Sir, is a saying we cannot believe — that Nirvana is all bliss. On this point, Nagasena, we maintain that Nirvana must be alloyed with pain. And there is a reason for our adopting that view. What is that reason ? Those, Nagasena, who seek after Nirvana are seen to practise exertion and application both of body and of mind, restraint in standing, walking, sitting, lying, and eating, suppression of sleep, subjugation of the organs of sense, renunciation of wealth and corn, of dear relatives and friends. But all those who are joyful and happy in the world take delight in, are devoted to, the five pleasures of sense — they practise and delight their eyes in many kinds of pleasurable forms, such as at any time they like the best — they practise and delight their ears in many kinds of pleasurable sounds of revelry and song, such as at any time they like the best — they practise and delight their sense of smell with many kinds of perfumes of flowers, and fruits, and leaves, and bark, and roots, and sap, such as at any time they like the best — they practise and delight their tongue with many kinds of pleasurable tastes of hard foods and of soft, of syrups, drinks, and beverages, such as at any time they like the best — they practise and delight their sense of touch with many kinds of pleasurable feelings, tender and delicate, exquisite and soft, such as at any time they like the best — they practise and delight their minds with many sorts of conceptions and ideas, pure and impure, good and bad, such as at any time they like the best. You, on the other hand, put a stop to and destroy,

IV, 8, 59- OF MILINDA THE KING. 1 83 maim and mangle, put a drag on and restrain the development of your eye, and ear, and nose, and tongue, and body, and mind. Therefore is your body afflicted and your mind afflicted too, and your body being afflicted you feel bodily discomfort and pain, and your minds being afflicted you feel mental discomfort too and pain. Did not even Magandiya, the ascetic, find fault with the Blessed One, and say1 : [314] " The Sama7/a Gotama is a destroyer of increase2 ?" ' 59. ' Nirvana, O king, has no pain in it. It is bliss unalloyed. When you, O king, maintain that Nirvana is painful, that which you call " painful " is not Nirvana. It is the preliminary stage to the realisation of Nirvana, it is the process of seeking after Nirva/za. Nirvana itself is bliss pure and simple, there is no pain mixed with it. And I will give you an explanation of this. Is there such a thing, O king, as the bliss of sovranty which kings enjoy ? ' ' And is there no pain, O king, mingled with that ' But surely then, O king, why is it that when

their frontier provinces have broken out in revolt, the kings, to the end that they may bring the inhabitants of those provinces into subjection again, leave their homes, attended by their ministers and chiefs, their 1 In the Magandiya Sutta, No. 75 in the Nagg/rima. Nikaya, where the speech will be found at I, 502. 2 BhutahaX'^e. See Mr. Trenckner's valuable note. Hina/ikumbure, p. 456, quotes the Pali, reading Bhutahu, and rendering it 'anabhiwrz'ddhi-karawayek. soldiers and their guards, and marching over ground even and uneven, tormented the while by gnats and mosquitoes and hot winds, engage in fierce fights, and suffer the presentiment of death ? ' ' That, venerable Nagasena, is not what is called the bliss of sovranty. It is only the preliminary stage in the pursuit of that bliss. It is after they have thus, in pain, sought after sovranty, that they enjoy the bliss thereof. And thus that bliss, Nagasena, is itself unmixed with pain, for the bliss of sovranty is one thing, and the pain another.' 'Just so, O king, is Nirvana all bliss, and there is no pain mingled with it. Those who are in quest of Nirvana afflict their minds and bodies it is true, restrain themselves in standing, walking, sitting, lying, and in food, suppress their sleep, keep their senses in subjection, abandon their very body and their life. But it is after they have thus, in pain, sought after Nirvana, that they enjoy the Nirvana which is bliss unalloyed — as kings do the bliss of sovranty after their foes have been put down. Thus is it, O king, that Nirvana is all bliss, and there is no pain mingled with it. For Nirvana is one thing, and the pain another.

[315] 60. 'And hear another explanation, O king, of the same thing. Is there such a thing, O king, as the bliss of knowledge which those teachers have who have passed through their course?' ' Yes, Sir, there is.' ' Well, is that bliss of knowledge alloyed with pain ? ' ' What then, O king, is the good of their afflicting themselves by bowing clown before and standing up in the presence of their teachers; by drawing water, and sweeping out the cell, and placing tooth-sticks and washing-water ready; by living upon scraps left over ; by doing service in shampooing, and bathing, and washing of the feet ; by suppressing their own will, and acting according to the will of others ; by sleeping in discomfort, and feeding on distasteful food ? ' ' That, Nagasena, is not the bliss of knowledge, it is a preliminary stage in the pursuit thereof. It is after the teachers have, in pain, sought after knowledge, that they enjoy its bliss. Thus is it, Nagasena, that the bliss of knowledge is unalloyed with pain. For that bliss of knowledge is one thing, and the pain another.' ' Just so, O king, is Nirvana all bliss, and there is no pain mingled with it. Those who are in quest of Nirva7^a afflict their minds and bodies it is true, restrain themselves in standings walking, sittinglying, and in food, suppress their sleep, keep their senses in subjection, abandon their very body and their life. But it is after they have thus, in pain, sought after Nirvana, that they enjoy the Nirvana which is bliss unalloyed — as teachers do the bliss of knowledge. Thus is it, O king, that Nirvana is all bliss, and there is no pain mingled with it. For Nirvana is one thing, and the pain another.'

' Very good, Nagasena ! That is so, and I accept it as you say.' [Here ends the dilemma as to the pain of 1 86 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 8, 61. 61. 'Venerable Nagasena, this Nirvana that you are always talking of — can you make clear by metaphor, or explanation, or reason, or argument, the form, or figure, or duration *, or measure of it ? ' [316] ' Nirvana, O king, has nothing similar to it. By no metaphor, or explanation, or reason, or argument can its form, or figure, or duration, or measure be made clear.' 'That I cannot believe, Nagasena, — that of Nirvana, which really after all is a condition that exists 2, it should be so impossible in any way to make us understand either the form, or figure, or duration, or measure! Give me some explanation of this.' 62. 'Very well, O king, I will do so. Is there such a thing, O king, as the great ocean ? ' ' Yes, the ocean exists.' ' Well, suppose some one were to ask you, saying : " How much water is there, your majesty, in the sea, and how many are the creatures that dwell therein ?" When that question had been put, how would you answer him ? '

' I should reply thus to such a question : " My good fellow ! this is an unaskable thing that you ask me. No one ought to ask such a question. It 1 So the Pali (vayaw). But the Sinhalese has wasaya, ' dwelling-place,' throughout §§ 56 and 57. 2 Atthi-dhammassa nibbanassa. The Sinhalese, p. 459, translates 'the form, &c., of the quality (dharma) of Nirvawa' — as if the Pali were nibbana-dhammassa. But see next page, note 2. JV, 8, 64. OF MILINDA THE KING. I 87 is a point that should be left alone. The physicists l have never examined into the ocean in that way. And no one can measure the water there, or count the creatures who dwell therein." Thus, Sir, should I make reply.' 63. ' But why, O king, would you make such a reply about the ocean which, after all, is really an existing condition of things 2. Ought you not rather to count and tell him, saying : " So and so much is the water in the sea, and so and so many are the creatures that dwell therein?" ' ' That would be impossible, Sir. The question is beyond one's power.'

' As impossible as it is, O king, to tell the measure of the water in the sea, or the number of the creatures dwelling therein, though after all the sea exists, so impossible is it in any of the ways you suggest to tell the form, or figure, or duration, or measure of Nirvana, though after all it is a condition that does exist. [317] And even, O king, if one of magical powers, master over mind, were to be able to count the water and the creatures in the sea, even he could not tell the form or the figure, the duration or the measure of Nirvana. 64. ' And hear another explanation of the same thing, O king. Are there, O king, among the gods certain of them called " The Formless Ones3?" 1 Lokakkhayika, ' those who have in former days enquired into and described the world,' says the Sinhalese. 2 Atthidhammassa again, which Hina/i-kumbure now renders ceti swabhawawu. 'Pourquoi re"ponds-tu ainsi au sujet de l'e*tat naturel du grand ocean,' says the French. (Compare above, p. 270 of the Pali.) 3 Arupakayika. It is very odd that Hina/i-kumbure takes the word here, and in the answer, as a feminine singular, and still

1 88 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 8, 65. 4 Yes, Sir. I have heard there are such,' ' Well, O king, can you make clear by metaphor, or explanation, or reason, or argument the form, or figure, or duration1, or size of these gods, the "Formless Ones ? " ' ' No, I cannot' ' Then, O king, there are none.' ' The Formless Ones, Sir, do exist ; and yet it is impossible in any of the ways you suggest to explain either their form or figure, either their duration or their size.' ' As impossible as it is, O king, to tell the form or figure, the duration or the size of the gods called " Formless Ones," though they after all are beings that exist 2, so impossible is it in any of the ways you suggest to explain the form or the figure, the duration or the measure of Nirvana, though after all it is a condition that does exist.' 65. ' Venerable Nagasena, I will grant you that Nirvana is bliss unalloyed, and yet that is impossible to make clear, either by simile or explanation, by reason or by argument, either its form or its figure, either its duration or its size. But is there no quality of Nirva/za which is inherent also in other

more so that the French translation takes it throughout as a masculine singular. But the Sinhalese throughout the sequel treats it properly as a plural nominative ; and there can be little doubt that the inhabitants, or some of the inhabitants, of the ' Formless Realm/ the Arupava/fcara or Arupa-brahma-loka, are referred to. But this name is different from those given to any of these gods in Childers, and I cannot trace it in the Pi/akas as applied to any of them. 1 I follow the Pali, which still has vayaw. The Sinhalese has here and below wina^aya. 2 Atthisattana;;/ yeva, which the Sinhalese, p. 460, represents merely by cettawu. IV, 8, 66. OF MILINDA THE KING. I 89 things \ and is such that it can be made evident by metaphor2 ?' ' Though there is nothing as to its form which can be so explained, there is something, O king, as to its qualities which can.' [318] ' O happy word, Nagasena ! Speak then, quickly, that I may have an explanation of even one point in the characteristics of Nirva/za. Appease the fever of my heart. Allay it by the cool sweet breezes of your words ! '

' There is one quality of the lotus, O king, inherent in Nirvana, and two qualities of water, and three of medicine, and four of the ocean, and five of food, and ten of space, and three of the wish-conferring gem, and three of red sandal wood, and three of the froth of ghee, and five of a mountain peak.' 66. ' Venerable Nagasena, that one quality of the lotus which you said was inherent in Nirvana, — which is that ?' ' As the lotus, O king, is untarnished by the water 3, so is Nirva/za untarnished by any evil dispositions. This is the one quality of the lotus inherent in Nirvana.' 1 Anuehi anupavi/Mawz ; 'not previously explained by others,' says Hina/i-kumbure. Neither rendering is altogether satisfactory. Perhaps ' of which you have been convinced by others,' in agreement with the use of the word above, p. 270 of the Pali. 2 In the French of Mr. da Sylva this sentence runs (p. 342): ' Mais ve'ne'rable, n'y a-t-il pas une vertu du Nirvana dont on puisse percevoir quelque ressemblance.' 3 That is, no drop of water adheres to the lotus, though it is surrounded by water and water may fall on it. For instances of the frequent similes drawn from this fact see below, V, 1 4 ; and Dhammapada 401 ; Sutta Nipata II, 14, 17 ; III, 9, 32 ; IV, 6, 9. The French translation is : ' de meme que le lotus dleve fierement sa tete au-dessus de l'eau ' (!).

1 90 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 8, 67. 67. ' Venerable Nagasena, those two qualities of water which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they?' ' As water, O king, is cool and assuages heat, so also is Nirvana cool, and assuages the fever arising from all evil dispositions. This is the first quality of water inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as water allays the thirst of men and beasts when they are exhausted and anxious, craving for drink, and tormented by thirst, so does Nirvana allay the thirst of the craving after lusts, the craving after future life, and the craving after worldly prosperity l. This is the second quality of water inherent in Nirvana.' 68. ' Venerable Nagasena, those three qualities of medicine, which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they ? ' [319] 'As medicine, O king, is the refuge of beings tormented by poison, so is Nirvana the refuge of beings tormented with the poison of evil dispositions. This is the first quality of medicine inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as medicine puts an end to diseases, so does Nirvana put an end to griefs. This is the second quality of medicine inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as medicine is ambrosia2, so also is Nirvana ambrosia. This is the third quality of medicine inherent in Nirvana.'

1 On these fundamental conceptions see my notes in ' Buddhist Suttas,' pp. 148, 149, where it is shown that the three 'cravings' which end in Nirvawa are pretty much the same as the lust of the flesh, theism, and materialism. 2 Amata, the translation of which word by 'immortality ' has given rise to so much confusion. So the French here says ' la me'decine a le pouvoir de combattre la mort,' which is nearly as bad. See the Appendix. IV, 8, 69. OF MILINDA THE KING. I 9 I 69. ' Venerable Nagasena, those four qualities of the ocean which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they ? ' 'As the ocean, O king, is free from (empty of) corpses l, so also is Nirvana free from (empty of) the dead bodies of all evil dispositions 2. This, O king, is the first quality of the ocean inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as the ocean is mighty and boundless, and fills not with all the rivers that flow in to it ; so is Nirvana mighty and boundless, and fills not with all beings (who enter in to it). This is the second quality of the ocean inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as the ocean is the abode of mighty creatures, so is Nirvana the abode of great men — Arahats, in whom the Great Evils and all stains have been destroyed, endowed with power, masters of themselves. This is the third quality of the ocean inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as the ocean is all in blossom :\ as it were, with the innumerable and various and fine flowers of the ripple of its waves, so is Nirvana all in blossom, as it were, with the innumerable and

1 See on this belief above, IV, 3, 39 (I, 259). a The word used here for free, empty (su«#a), has again given rise to the most odd misconceptions. As Nirvawa is hence called Sunyata, 'emptiness/ Christian writers (taking Nirva«a as a name for some kind of future life) have very naturally thought, in trying to fasten some meaning upon emptiness in a future life, that it must mean 'annihilation of a soul/ and have labelled Buddhism as Nihilism ! The real meaning is really very simple, and entirely ethical (not metaphysical or animistic) : ' Men may rise on stepping stones Of their dead selves to higher things.' See below, IV, 8, 78, for a metaphor founded on a similar idea. 3 Sawkusumito, only found here. Compare 'garlands, vitvam,' I, 175, *76- various and fine flowers of purity, of knowledge, and of emancipation. This is the fourth quality of the ocean inherent in Nirvana.' [320] 70. ' Venerable Nagasena, those five qualities of food which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they? ' 'As food, O king, is the support of the life of all beings, so is Nirva/za, when it has been realised, the support of life, for it puts an end to old age and death. This is the first quality of food inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as food increases the strength of all beings, so does Nirvana, when it has been realised, increase the power of Iddhi of all beings. This is the second quality of food inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as food is the source of the beauty of all beings, so is Nirvana, when it has been realised, the source to all beings of the beauty of holiness. This is the third quality of food inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as food puts a stop to suffering in all beings, so does Nirvana, when it has been realised, put a stop in all beings to the suffering arising from every evil disposition. This is the fourth quality of food inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as food overcomes in all beings the weakness of hunger, so does Nirvana, when it has been realised, overcome in all beings the weakness which arises from hunger and every sort of pain. This is the fifth quality of food inherent in Nirvana.'

71. 'Venerable Nagasena, those ten qualities of space which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they ? ' 'As space, O king, neither is born nor grows old, neither dies nor passes away nor is reborn (has a future life to spring up into), as it is incompressible, cannot be carried off by thieves, rests on nothing, is the sphere in which birds fly, is unobstructed, and is infinite ; [321] so, O king, Nirvana is not born, neither does it grow old, it dies not, it passes not away, it has no rebirth (no future life to spring up into), it is unconquerable, thieves carry it not off, it is not attached to anything1, it is the sphere in which Arahats move, nothing can obstruct it, and it is infinite. These are the ten qualities of space inherent in Nirvana.' 72. ' Venerable Nagasena, those three qualities of the wish-conferring gem which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they?' 'As the wishing-gem, O king, satisfies every desire, so also does Nirvana. This is the first quality of the wishin^-aem inherent in Nirvana. And a^ain, O king, as the wishing-gem causes delight, so also does Nirvana. This is the second quality of the wishing-gem inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as the wishing-gem is full of lustre, so also is Nirvana. This is the third quality of the wishinggem inherent in Nirvana.'

j 3. • Venerable Nagasena, those three qualities of red sandal wood which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they ? ' 1 Anissitazw, so below, p. 351 of the Pali, the dhutahgazrc is said to be anissitara. The translation is difficult. In our passage here Hina/i-kumbure (p. 464) renders it, as applied both to space and to Nirvawa, by 'having no ajrawa.' Below, as applied to the vows (dhutahgas), he renders it (p. 512) by 'unconnected with craving' (tr£sh?*ani.yrita). ' Self-dependent' or 'untarnished (by reliance on external things ') would suit the context in all three passages. 'As red sandal wood, O king, is hard to get, so is Nirvana hard to attain to. This is the first quality of red sandal wood inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as red sandal wood is unequalled in the beauty of its perfume, so is Nirvana. This is the second quality of red sandal wood inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as red sandal wood is praised by all the good, so is Nirvana praised by all the Noble Ones. This is the third quality of red sandal wood inherent in Nirvana.' 74. [322] ' Venerable Nagasena, those three qualities of the skimmings of ghee * which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they?'

'As ghee is beautiful in colour, O king, so also is Nirvana beautiful in righteousness. This is the first quality of the ghee inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as ghee has a pleasant perfume, so also has Nirvana the pleasant perfume of righteousness. This is the second quality of ghee inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as ghee has a pleasant taste, so also has Nirvana. This is the third quality of ghee inherent in Nirvana/ 75. 'Venerable Nagasena, those five qualities of a mountain peak which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they?' 'As a mountain peak is very lofty, so also is Nirvana very exalted. This is the first quality of a mountain peak inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as a mountain peak is immoveable, so also is Nirvana. This is the second quality of a mountain peak inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, 1 This is butter made of buffaloes' milk, and is highly esteemed in India. IV, 8, 76. OF MILINDA THE KING. 1 95 as a mountain peak is inaccessible, so also is Nirvana inaccessible to all evil dispositions. This is the third quality of a mountain peak inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as a mountain peak is a place where no plants can grow, so also is Nirvana a condition in which no evil dispositions can grow. This is the fourth quality of a mountain peak inherent in Nirva/za. And again, O king, as a mountain peak is free alike from desire to please and from resentment, so also is Nirvana. This is the fifth quality of a mountain peak inherent in Nirvana.'

[323] ' Very good, Nagasena ! That is so, and I accept it as you say.' [Here ends the problem as to the form of Nirvana.] [dilemma the eighty-first, the time of nirvaiva.] 76. 'Venerable Nagasena, your people say1: " Nirvana is not past, nor future, nor present, nor produced, nor not produced, nor producible2." 'In that case, Nagasena, does the man who, having ordered his life aright, realises Nirvana, realise something already produced, or does he himself produce it first, and then realise it ? ' ' Neither the one, O king, nor the other. And nevertheless, O king, that principle of Nirvana (nibbana-dhatu) which he, so ordering his life aright, realises — that exists.' 1 Not yet traced in the Pi/akas. 2 'By the action of Karma as a pre-existing cause' is to be understood. ' Do not, venerable Nagasena, clear up this puzzle by making it dark ! Make it open and plain as you elucidate it. With a will, strenuous in endeavour, pour out upon it all that has been taught you. It is a point on which this people is bewildered, plunged into perplexity, lost in doubt. Dissipate this guilty uncertainty; it pierces like a dart1 ! '

77. ■ That principle of Nirvana, O king, so peaceful, so blissful, so delicate, exists. And it is that which he who orders his life aright, grasping the idea of all things (of the Confections, Sa^kharas) according to the teachings of the Conquerors, realises by his wisdom — even as a pupil, by his knowledge, makes himself, according to the instruction of his teacher, master of an art. 'And if you ask : "How is Nirvana to be known2?" it is by freedom from distress and danger, by confidence, by peace, by calm, by bliss, by happiness, by delicacy, by purity, by freshness 3. 78. 'Just, O king, as a man being burnt in a blazing fiery furnace heaped up with many faggots of dry sticks, when he has freed himself from it by 1 Bhind' eta?« anto-dosa-sallan ; 'break and take away the dart of the guilt (dosa) of that doubt which has arisen in my inmost being (sat an a)/ says Hina/i-kumbure. It is literally ' break this dart of guilt within.' The meaning is clear enough (except as to whether the guilt is the speaker's or ' this people's '). To break a dart in a wound would be no kindness, and that cannot have been the author's idea. To bring out the meaning one must amplify a little, and I should have followed the Sinhalese had it not seemed preferable to leave the personality of the guilty one as ambiguous in the translation as in the text.

2 Hina/i-kumbure, p. 467, does actually put these words into Nagasena' s mouth. 3 Sitalato, literally ' by cold.' See the note above on III, 6, 6(1, 119). IV, 8, 8o. OF MILINDA THE KING. 197 a violent effort, and escaped into a cool place, [324] would experience supreme bliss — just so whosoever orders his life aright, he by his careful thinking will realise the supreme bliss of Nirvana, in which the burning heat of the threefold fire (of lust, malice, and delusion) 1 has all gone out. As the furnace, O king, so should you regard this threefold fire, as the man fallen into the fire the man who is ordering his life aright, as the cool place Nirvana. 79. ' Or again, O king, as a man fallen into a pit full of the dead bodies of snakes and dogs and men, of ordure, and of refuse, when, finding himself in the midst of it entangled in the hair of the corpses, he had by a violent effort escaped into a place where no dead bodies were, would experience supreme bliss — just so whosoever orders his life aright, he by his careful thinking will realise the supreme bliss of Nirvana, from which the corpses of all evil dispositions have been removed2. As a corpse, O king, so should you regard the four pleasures of sense, as the man fallen among corpses the man who is ordering his life aright, as the place free from corpses Nirva/za.

80. ' Or again, O king, as a man (fallen among enemies with drawn swords in their hands)3, quaking with fear and terror, agitated and upset in mind, when with a violent effort he has freed himself from them, and escaped into a strong refuge, a firm place of security, experiences supreme bliss — just so whosoever orders his life aright, he by his careful thinking will realise the supreme bliss of Nirvana, 1 Raga, dosa, moha. 2 Compare above, IV, 8, 69, and the note there. The words in brackets are added from the Sinhalese, p. 467. in which fear and terror have been put away. As the terror, O king, so should you regard the anxiety which arises again and again on account of birth, old age, disease, and death, as the terrified man the man who is ordering his life aright, as the place of refuge Nirvana. 81. ' Or again, O king, as a man fallen on a spot filthy with dirt, and slime, and mud, when with a violent effort he has got rid of the mud, and escaped to a clean and spotless place, would experience supreme bliss — just so whosoever orders his life aright, he by his careful thinking will realise the supreme bliss of Nirvana, from which the stains and mud of evil dispositions have been removed. As the mud, O king, [325] so should you regard income, and honour, and praise *, as the man fallen into the mud the man who is ordering his life aright, as the clean and spotless place Nirvana.

82. 'And if again you should ask: "How does he who orders his life aright realise that Nirvana ? " (I should reply), He, O king, who orders his life aright grasps the truth as to the development of all things 2, and when he is doing so he perceives therein birth, he perceives old age, he perceives disease, he perceives death. But he perceives not therein either happiness or bliss, he perceives not therein, whether in the beginning, or the middle, or the end, anything worthy of being laid hold of (as lasting satisfaction) 3. As a man, O king, if a mass of iron 1 So also at Gataka IV, 222 (verse 48). 2 Sawkharanara paratta/w sammasati. Compare Dharmapada, verse 374. 3 Gayhupagam; so the Sinhalese. IV, 8, 84. OF MILINDA THE KING. 1 99 had been heated the livelong day \ and were all glowing, scorching, and red hot, would find no spot on it, whether at one end or in the middle or at the other end, fit to be taken hold of — just so, O king, he who orders his life aright grasps the truth of the development of things, and in doing so he perceives therein birth, he perceives old age, he perceives disease, he perceives death. But he perceives not therein either happiness or bliss, he perceives not therein, whether in the beginning, or in the middle, or in the end, anything fit to be taken hold of (as a lasting satisfaction).

83. 'And discontent arises in his mind when he thus finds nothing fit to be relied on as a lasting satisfaction, and a fever takes possession of his body 2, and without a refuge or protection, hopeless, he becomes weary of repeated lives 3. As if a man had fallen into a burning and blazing mighty fiery furnace, and saw no refuge from it, no way of escape, he would, hopeless, be weary of the fire — just so, O king, discontent arises in his mind when he thus finds nothing fit to be relied on as a lasting satisfaction, and a fever takes possession of his body, and without a refuge or protection, hopeless, he becomes weary of repeated births. 84. ' And in the mind of him who thus perceives 1 Divasa-santatta. So Hina/i-kumbure, and compare Magg-^ima Nikaya I, 453, and Gataka IV, 118 (where the reading is diva-santatta). See also above, p. 46 of the Pali. 2 For da.ho okkamati, Hina/i-kumbure may have had a different reading. He renders </ahadiya selawenneya, 'sweat shapes ' (sic for ' forms '). 3 Bhavesu; literally 'of becomings' ('in any of the three worlds/ adds the Sinhalese). the insecurity of transitory life, (of starting afresh in innumerable births)1 the thought arises : " All on fire is this endless becoming, burning, and blazing ! Full of pain is it, of despair! If only one could reach a state in which there were no becoming, there would there be calm, that would be sweet — the cessation of all these conditions 2, the getting rid of all these defects 3 (of lusts, of evil, and of Karma), the end of cravings, the absence of passion, peace, Nirvana ! ' And therewith does his mind leap forward into that state in which there is no becoming, and then has he found peace, [326] then does he exult and rejoice 4 at the thought : " A refuge have I gained at last!" Just, O king, as a man who, venturing into a strange land, has lost his way, on becoming aware of a path, free from jungle, that will lead him home, bounds forward along it, contented in mind, exulting and rejoicing at the thought : " I have found the way at last ! " — just so in him who thus perceives the insecurity of transitory births there arises the thought : " All on fire is this endless becoming, burning, and blazing! Full of pain is it, and despair ! If only one could reach a state in which there were no becoming, there would there be calm, that would be sweet — the cessation of all these conditions, the getting rid of all these defects, the end of cravings, the absence of passion, peace, Nirvana ! ' And therewith does his mind leap forward into that state in which there is no becoming,

1 Pavatte. I have included Hina/i-kumbure's explanation of this word, for which there is no equivalent in English. 2 Sa;«khara, sawzkhara-dharmayange says the Sinhalese. 3 Upadhi; the Sinhalese (p. 470) has simply klcrayan. 4 Pahawsiyati kuhuyati, both words only found here. and then has he found peace, then does he exult and rejoice at the thought : " A refuge have I found at last ! " And he strives with might and main along that path, searches it out, accustoms himself thoroughly to it, to that end does he make firm his self-possession, to that end does he hold fast in effort, to that end does he remain stedfast in love (toward all beings in all the worlds), and still to that does he direct his mind again and again, until gone far beyond the transitory, he gains the Real, the highest fruit (of Arahatship) \ And when he has gained that, O king, the man who has ordered his life aright has realised, (seen face to face,) Nirvana 2 ! ' 4 Very good, Nagasena ! That is so, and I accept it as you say.' [Here ends the problem as to the time of Nirvana 3.] 1 Appavattam okkamati, Aprawr/ttiya yayi kiyana lada Arhat-phalaya/a pcemiwenneya, says Hina/i-kumbure.

2 This paragraph is an excellent example of the difficulty of doing anything like justice in translations to the most instructive and valuable passages in our Buddhist texts. It is in the Pali full of eloquence, and even in the Sinhalese, though there too much expanded, it is powerful and striking. To a Buddhist it must have been inspiring and touching to the last degree, carefully led up to, as it is, with masterly skill, by our author. But it is so full of terms untranslateable into English, and with difficulty even comprehensible to minds saturated with Western ideas, that every translation must be inadequate, and any attempt to reproduce the real beauty of its style must be a failure. 3 How almost impossible it is for a reader with pre-conceived delusions to grasp the plain sense of such passages may be seen from the strange note which the French translator has added at the end of this clear and eloquent description. He says, ' La conclusion de ce Jataka (sic !) parait etre que le de\ot bouddhiste peut [dilemma THE EIGHTY-SECOND. THE PLACE OF NIRVAiVA.] 85. 'Venerable Nagasena, does there exist the spot — either in the direction of the East, or of the South, or of the West, or of the North, either above, or below, or on the horizon — where Nirvana is stored up * ? '

' There is no spot, O king, — either in the East, or the South, or in the West, or the North, either above, or below, or on the horizon — where Nirvana is.' ' But if so, Nagasena, then neither can Nirvana exist, and those who realise it, their realisation is vain. And I will give you an explanation of this. Just, Sir, as there are on the earth fields in which crops can be grown, flowers from which perfumes come, bushes on which flowers can grow, trees on which fruits can ripen, mines from which gems can be dug, so that whosoever desires any of these things can go there and get it — just so, Nagasena, if [327] Nirvana exists one must expect there to be some place, where it is produced 2. But since there is not, therefore I declare that there can be no Nirvana, and those who realise it, their realisation is vain.' 86. ' There is no spot, O king, where Nirvana is atteindre Nirvana dans cette vie meme. II est facheux que l'auteur ne se soit pas explique" plus catdgoriquement sur cette question inteVessante '(!). 1 Sannihitara perhaps 'is situate.' Hina/i-kumbure has pihi- /iye, 'can be got.'

2 I/^/^^itabbo. See above, p. 269 of the Pali. situate, and yet Nirvana is, and he who orders his life right will, by careful attention, realise Nirvana. Just as fire exists, and yet there is no place where fire (by itself) is stored up. But if a man rubs two sticks together the fire comes ; — just so, O king, Nirva7^a exists, though there is no spot where it is stored up. And he who orders his life aright will, by careful attention, realise Nirvana. 8y. 'Or again, O king, just as there are the seven treasures of the king of kings — the treasure of the wheel, and the treasure of the elephant, and the treasure of the horse, and the treasure of the gem, and the treasure of the woman, and the treasure of the finance minister, and the treasure of the adviser. But there is no spot where these treasures are laid up. When a sovran conducts himself aright they appear to him of their own accord * — just so, O king, Nirvana exists, though there is no place where it is stored up. And he who orders his life aright will, by careful attention, realise Nirvana.'

88. 'Venerable Nagasena, let it be granted that there is no place where Nirvana is stored up. But is there any place on which a man may stand and, ordering his life aright, realise Nirvana ? ' ■ Yes, O king, there is such a place.' 1 Which then, Nagasena, is that place ? ' ' Virtue, O king, is the place. For if grounded in virtue, and careful in attention — whether in the land of the Scythians 2 or the Greeks, whether in China or 1 This is stated in regard to each of the seven in the standard passage on these seven treasures, translated in my ' Buddhist Suttas/ pp. 251-259. 2 Saka. Hina/i-kumbure has sadly blundered over this, to him, strange word. He actually translates it ' one's own.' Tartary 1, whether in Alexandria2 or in Nikumba, whether in Benares or in Kosala, whether in Kashmir or in Gandhara 3, whether on a mountain top 4 or in the highest heavens5 — wheresoever he may be, the man who orders his life aright will realise Nirvana. [328] Just, O king, as the man who has eyes wherever he may be — in the land of the Scythians or the Greeks, in China or in Tartary, in Alexandria, Nikumba, Benares, or Kosala, in Kashmir or in Gandhara, on a mountain top or in the highest heavens — will be able to behold the expanse of heaven and to see the horizon facing him — just so, O king, will he who orders his conduct aright and is careful in attention — whether in the land of the Scythians or the Greeks, whether in China or Tartary, whether in Alexandria, or Benares, or Kosala, or Nikumba, whether in Kashmir or in Gandhara, whether on a mountain top or in the highest heavens — wheresoever he may be, attain to the realisation of Nirvana.'

' Very good, Nagasena ! You have preached to me of Nirvana, and of the realisation thereof, you have set forth the advantages of virtue, you have explained the supreme attainment, you have raised aloft the standard of the Truth, you have established the eye of Truth, you have shown how right means adopted by those of high aims will be neither 1 Vilata, the Sinhalese has Milata. 2 That is Alexandria on the Indus. See the Introduction to the first part, p. xxiii. 3 All these names are discussed, ibid. pp. xliii, xliv. 4 Naga-muddham. Hina/i-kumbure understands this as the top of Mount Meru, Sakka's heaven. barren nor unfruitful. That is so, and I accept it as you say1.' [Here ends the problem of the place of Nirvana.] [Here ends the Eighth Chapter2.] 1 In the Sinhalese, pp. 472, 473, this last paragraph is much expanded. 2 The Sinhalese has Sakala-^-ana-mano-nandaniyawu me Sri-saddharmadasayehi a/aweni wargaya nimiyeya. 206 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES V, i.

[329] I. Now Milinda the king went up to the place where Nagasena was, and bowed down before him, and took his seat on one side. And when so seated he, longing to know, to hear, and to remember, and longing to make the light of knowledge arise and to break in pieces his ignorance, roused up in himself courage and zeal, and, full of self-possession and thoughtfulness, spake thus to Nagasena : 2. 'Venerable Nagasena, tell me, have you ever seen the Buddha * ? ' ' No, O king.' ' Then have your teachers ever seen the Buddha?' ' So you say, venerable Nagasena, that you have never seen the Buddha, and that your teachers have never seen the Buddha. Therefore, Nag-asena, the Buddha did not exist. There is no clear evidence, in that case, of a Buddha.' ' But did those Kshatriyas of old exist, who were the founders of the line of kings from which you come ? ' ' Certainly, Sir. How can there be any doubt about that ? ' ' Well, O king. Have you ever seen them ? ' 1 A similar question has been already asked above, III, 5. i (I, 109).

'And those who instructed you — the family chaplains, and officers of the staff, and those who lay down the law, and ministers of state — have they ever seen those Kshatriyas of old ? ' ' If then neither have you seen them, nor your teachers, where are they? There is no clear evidence, in that case, of those Kshatriyas of old ! ' 3. ' But, Nagasena, the royal insignia they used are still to be seen — [330] the white sunshade of state, and the crown, and the slippers, and the fan with the yak's tail, and the sword of state, and the priceless throne — and by these can we know and believe that the Kshatriyas of old lived once.' 'Just so, O king, can we know that Blessed One and believe in him. For there is a reason for our knowledge and belief that the Blessed One was. And what is that reason ? — The royal insignia used by that Blessed One, by him of knowledge and insight, the Arahat, the Buddha Supreme, are still to be seen — the four Means of keeping oneself ready and mindful, and the fourfold Great Struggle, and the four steps to Iddhi, and the five Organs of the moral sense, and the five moral Powers, and the seven forms of the wisdom of the Arahats, and the Noble Eightfold Path l — and by these can the whole

1 These are the famous thirty- five constituent qualities that make up Arahatship (that is, that state of mind which, from another point of view and by another of its numerous names, is also called Nirva«a). They formed the subject of the last discourse delivered by Gotama before his death to his disciples ('Book of the Great Decease/ III, 61), and on my translation of that passage ('Buddhist Suttas/ pp. 60-63) I have added a note giving all the details. It is perhaps worthy of remark that both here and twice else- world of gods and men know and believe that that Blessed One existed once. By this reason, on this ground, by this argument, through this inference, can it be known that the Blessed One lived. "He who, himself set free in that bless'd state In which the Upadhis have ceased to be, — Lusts, sin, and Karma, — has brought safe ashore, Saved from the sea of woe, great multitudes — Only by inference can it be known That he, the best of men, existed once1." 4. ' Venerable Nagasena, give me an illustration.' ' Just, O king, as the architect of a city 2, when he wants to build one, would first search out a pleasant spot of ground, with which no fault can be found, even, with no hills or gullies in it, free from rough ground and rocks, not open to the danger of attack. And then, when he has made plain any rough places there may still be on it, he would clear it thoroughly of all stumps and stakes, and would proceed to build there a city fine and regular, measured out into suitable quarters 3, with trenches and ramparts thrown up around it 4, with stronggateways, watch-towers, and battlements, with wide squares and open places and junctions (where two roads meet) and cross -ways (where four

where, at pp. 37, 335 (of the Pali), our author reverses the order of Nos. 4 and 5 — the five moral Powers and the five Organs (of the higher sense) — which are really only the same mental qualities looked at from two different points of view. 1 These verses have not been traced as yet in the Pi/akas. 2 There is another parable of the architect above, p. 34 of the Pali (I, 53 of the translation). 3 Bhagaso mitazrc, an expression constantly recurring. 4 Ukki«7/a. See Gataka IV, 106. roads meet)1, with cleanly and even high roads2, with regular lines of open shops (bazaars), well provided with parks, and gardens, and lakes, and lotus-ponds, and wells, adorned with many kinds of temples to the gods, free from every fault. And then when the city stood there in all its glory, he would go away to some other land. And in course of time that city might become mighty and prosperous, filled with stores of food, [331] peaceful, glorious, happy, free from distress and calamity, the meetingplace of all sorts and conditions of men. Then nobles and brahmans, merchants and work-people ; soldiers mounted on elephants, and on horses, and on chariots ; infantry, and bowmen, and swordsmen ; standard-bearers, officers, and camp-followers3; highborn warriors whose delight is in war, fiohtinochampions, men mighty as elephants, heroes, men who fight in buckskin 4, devoted fighting-men born of slaves in great houses or of the privates in the royal army 5 ; troops of professional wrestlers 6 ;

1 According to the dictionaries each of those four words (ka^ara, ^atukka, sandhi, and singhataka) means either a square, or a place where four roads meet. The Sinhalese has apana-£atushka-sandhi ceti, omitting the last and certainly inexact in its rendering of the first word. Sandhi I have only met with here in this sense. 2 Ra^a-maggam; literally ' the king's highways,' which also only occurs here. 3 For pi«</a-davika Hina/i-kumbure (who at p. 475 gives the Pali of all this) reads pi/z</a-dayaka. 4 Vammino yodhino. But both Hina/i-kumbure here, and the parallel passage in the Sama;7/7a Phala Sutta (D. II, 14), read A'a mm a- yodhino. 5 For Bha//i-putta Hina/i-kumbure reads Bha/a-putta. 6 These two (Bha/i-putta and Malla-ga«a) are omitted in the Digha. cooks and curry makers, barbers and bathing attendants, smiths and florists, workers in gold and silver and lead and tin and copper and brass x and iron, and jewellers ; messengers ; potters, salt gatherers 2, tanners, carriage builders, carvers in ivory3, rope makers, comb makers, cotton-thread spinners, basket makers, bow manufacturers, bowstring makers, arrow fletchers, painters, dye manufacturers, dyers, weavers, tailors, assayers of gold 4, cloth merchants 5, dealers in perfumes, grass cutters, hewers of wood, hired servants 6, people who live by gathering- flowers and fruits and roots in the woods, hawkers of boiled rice, sellers of cakes, fishmongers, butchers, dealers in strong drinks, play actors, dancers, acrobats 7, conjurors, professional bards 8, wrestlers

1 Va//akara. See the note above on IV, 7, n (p. 267 of the Pali). 2 Lowakara, 'salt makers.' But Hina/i-kumbure reads Iohakara and translates lokuruwo, 'workers in metal/ 3 Dantakara, which in the Sinhalese is simply repeated. There is no such word in Clough. 4 Herawwika. Childers says 'royal treasurer,' and Hina/ikumbure 'coiners of silver masakas ' (ran masu tanannoya), but Subhuti (in his Sinhalese gloss on Abhidhana Padipika, verse 343) renders it 'judgers of gold' (ran balanna) ; and that this is right is shown by the context in the passage of the Sumahgala Vilasini (p. 315), where the probably identical word hera?7#aka is used. 5 Dussika. Hina/i-kumbure renders this word here by pili welendo, 'cloth-sellers/ but above (p. 262 of the Pali) by sayam karako, 'dice manufacturers.' 6 It is instructive that men working for hire are put here among the lowest sort of work-people, while the slave born in the house stands in the best company. 7 Lahghaka. Pinu/w karayo, 'turners of summersets' in the Sinhalese. See Cra'aka I, 431, and above, pp. 31, 191 of the Pali. 8 Vetalika. Vetaliyehi mahgalash/aka kiyannawu in V, 5- OF MILINDA THE KING. 2 I I (boxers), corpse burners, casters out of rotten flowers1, savages2, wild men of the woods3, prostitutes, swingers and jumpers4, and the slave girls of bullies — people of many countries, people from Scythia, Bactria, China, and Vilata ; people of U^eni, of Bharuka^/7^a, of Benares, of Kosala, and of the border lands ; people from Magadha, and Saketa, and Sura///£a, and the West ; from Ko^umbara and Madhura, from Alexandria, Kashmir, and Gandhara 5, — all these coming to take up their residence there, and finding the new city to be regular, faultless, perfect, and pleasant, would know : "Able indeed must that architect have been by whom this city was built ! "

5. 'Just so, O king, that Blessed One, peerless, unequalled, unapproached, incomparable, admirable beyond all measure by weight or calculation, of infinite virtue, full of virtue and perfection, boundless in wisdom and glory and zeal and power, who, when he had attained to the summit of all the perfections the Sinhalese (\Vandi-bha//ayo according to Subhuti on Abhidhana Padipika 369). 1 Puppha^i^adaka. A well-known low caste whose duty it was to remove flowers offered on the shrines of the gods after they had faded. At Thera Gatha, verse 620, this is called one of the meanest of occupations. 2 Vena. Hina/i-kumbure has 'lute makers,' but this must be wrong. 3 The Sinhalese says simply Weddahs (Weed das), the wellknown interesting wild men of Ceylon. 4 Lasika, 'those,' says the Sinhalese, 'who as if intoxicated with joy jump about and leap and dance.' But I think it is connected with the ancient usages to which the lascivious swinging of the »Saivites and VallabhaHryas owes its origin. 5 On all these names see the Introduction to part I, pp. xliii, xliv. Aparantaka and Patheyyaka might there have been added, as well as puratthimo ^anapado (from p. 42). 2 I 2 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES V, 6.

of the Buddhas, [332] overthrew Mara and all his hosts, — he, bursting asunder the net of heresy, and casting aside ignorance, and causing wisdom to arise, and bearing aloft the torch of Truth, reached forward to Buddhahood itself, and so, unconquered and unconquerable in the fight, built this city of Righteousness. And the Blessed One's City of Righteousness, O king, has righteousness for its rampart, and fear of sin for its moat, and knowledge for the battlement over its city gate, and zeal for the watch-tower above that, and faith for the pillars at its base, and mindfulness for the watchman at the gate, and wisdom for the terrace above, and the Suttantas for its market-place, and the Abhidhamma for its cross-ways, and the Vinaya (the Canon Law) for its judgment hall, and constant self-possession for its chief street. And in that street, O king, these bazaars are open — a flower bazaar, and a fruit bazaar, and an antidote bazaar, and a medicine bazaar, and an ambrosia bazaar, and a bazaar for precious stones, and a bazaar for all manner of merchandise.' 6. ' But what, venerable Nagasena, is the flower bazaar of the Blessed One, the Buddha ? '

'There are certain subjects for meditation, O king, that have been made known by the Blessed One, by him of knowledge and insight, by the Arahat, the Buddha Supreme. And they are these. The idea of the impermanence (of every thing and of every being), the idea of the absence of any abidingprinciple (any soul in any thing or any being), the idea of the impurity and the idea of the danger connected with the body, the idea of getting rid of evil dispositions, the idea of freedom from passion, the idea of peace, the idea of dissatisfaction with the things of the world, the idea of the transitorynature of all conditions, the idea of ecstatic trance, the ideas of a corpse in the various stages of decay, the ideas of a place of execution in all its various horrors, the idea of love to all beings, the idea of pity for all beings, the idea of sympathy with all beings, the idea of equanimity in all the changing circumstances of life, the idea of death, and the idea of the body \ These, O king, are the subjects for meditation prescribed by the Blessed One. And of these, whoever, longing to be delivered from old age and death, takes any one as the subject of his meditation, by that meditation does he become set free from passion, set free from malice, set free from dullness, set free from pride, set free from wrong views, by that does he cross the ocean of Sa/;zsara, and stem the torrent of cravings, and cleanse himself of the threefold stain 2, and destroy within himself all evil ; and so, entering that glorious city, spotless and stainless, pure and white, [333] ageless and deathless, where all is security and calm and bliss — the city of Nirvana — he emancipates his mind in Arahatship ! And this, O king, is what is called " The Blessed One's bazaar of flowers."

" Take with you Karma as the price, And go ye up to that bazaar, Buy there an object for your thought, Emancipate yourselves. Be free 3! " 1 Hina/i-kumbure devotes a paragraph to each of these subjects for meditation. 2 Of raga. dosa, and moha. 3 This stanza has not yet been found in the Pi/akas. In the first line it does not seem quite clear at first sight why Karma, of all things, should be the price. That Indian word being too 7. 'And what, venerable Nagasena, is the perfume bazaar of the Blessed One, the Buddha ? ' ' There are certain categories of virtue, O king, that have been made known by the Blessed One, and anointed by the perfume of that righteousness the children of the Blessed One fill with the fumes of the fragrant incense of the perfume of goodness the whole world of gods and men, in every direction, and to windward and to leeward, continuing to pervade it again and yet again. And which are those categories ? The virtue of taking refuge \ full of meaning to be translateable, is necessarily retained, and hence the phrase ' taking Karma as the price ' may convey no meaning at all. If so, in trying to escape Scylla the unhappy translator has fallen into Charybdis. But it must mean one of two things, either something to be abandoned, given up ; or something good which the buyer possesses, and may exchange for the good he wants to buy. If our author means the first it must be Karma (as one of the Upadhis), as a basis for continued individuality, and be much the same as egoism. If he means the other, then Karma, though standing alone, must be here used in the sense of kusala-kamma, good Karma, that is, the effect of good deeds done in a former life. Now our author never elsewhere uses kamma, without any qualifying adjective, in the sense of good Karma. On pp. 7, 20, 67, 108 foil., 134, 151, 189, 302 of the Pali the unqualified word means throughout bad Karma, the effect of bad deeds done in a former birth. In a few passages it is used of former deeds in a way that apparently includes both good and bad. See especially pp. 3, 10, 146, 268. Now a buyer, in the case put, could not give up either the bad or the good deeds he had already done in a former life — that would be beyond his power. He could only offer, in exchange for the good he wanted to buy, good Karma (that is, in the sense of good deeds) either in the present, or in the immediate future. Below, V, 21 (p. 341 of the Pali), will be found instances given by our author himself. It is forced, no doubt, to call this ' a price,' but it is probably the sense intended, and so Hina/i-kumbure takes it.

1 Taking the threefold refuge in the Buddha, the Doctrine (Dharma), and the Order. V, 8. OF MILINDA TFIE KING. 2 I 5 the virtue that is fivefold and eightfold and tenfold1, and the virtue of self-restraint tabulated in the five recitations that compose the Patimokkha2. And this, O king, is what is called " The Blessed One's bazaar of perfumes." For it has been said, O king, by the Blessed One, the god over all gods : " No flower's scent can go against the wind, Not sandal wood's, nor musk's, nor jasmine flower's : But the sweet perfume of the good doth go Against the wind, and the good man pervades, On every side, the sweetness of his life 3." " Red sandal wood, musk, and the lotus, and jasmine — The perfume of goodness surpassed! them all. Abundant the sweet scent of musk and of sandal wood — Still stronger, the scent of the good mounts to heaven 4 ! " 8. 'And what, venerable Nagasena, is the fruit bazaar of the Blessed One, the Buddha ? ' ' Certain fruits have been made known, O king, by the Blessed One. And they are these : — The fruit of the first stage of the Excellent Way (con-

1 These are respectively the first five, the first eight, and the whole ten, of the Precepts set out in my 'Buddhism,' p. 160. 2 The whole of this text is translated in vol. xiii of the ' Sacred Books of the East.' The si las here enumerated are only the lower morality. The higher ethics come below in § 12. 3 From Ahguttara Nikaya III, 79. The verse is quoted in the Dhammapada, verse 54, and also in the Gataka Book, III, 291. 4 It is not known where these lines originally stood. But they are quoted in the Dhammapada, verses 55, 56, and also in the (^ataka Book loc. cit., and in the Sumahgala Vilasini, p. 56. 2l6 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES V, 9. version), and of the second stage, and of the third stage, and of the fourth (Arahatship) 1, — the fruit of the attainment of emptiness 2, — the fruit of the attainment of the absence of the three signs (of an unconverted life, lust, malice, and dullness) — and the truth of the attainment of that state in which no low aspirations survive. [334] And whosoever desires any one of these, he gives his Karma as the price, and buys the fruit he longs for — either conversion or any other.

9. ' Just, O king, as any man who has a mangotree bearing fruit all the year round, he does not knock down the fruits until buyers come. But when a buyer has come, and the fruit-grower has taken the price, then he says : " Come, my good man, this tree is always in bearing (it has therefore fruits in all stages of growth), take from it the kind of fruit you prefer, whether unripe, or decayed3, or hairy 4, or sour, or ripe 5." And the buyer, for the price paid, takes the kind he likes the best — if that be unripe fruit then he takes that, if it be decayed fruit then that, if it be hairy fruit then that, if it be sour fruit then that, if it be ripe fruit then he takes a ripe one. Just so, O king, whosoever desires any one of those other fruits, he gives his Karma as the price, and buys the fruit he longs for — 1 The details of these 'fruits' will be found in 'Buddhism,' pp. 108-110. 2 As to in respect of what, see the note above on IV, 8, 69 (p. 219 of the Pali).

3 Dovilawz, nilata says the Sinhalese, p. 484. 4 Kesika. Hina/i-kumbure merely repeats this word. 5 The mango is used in all stages — when ripe for eating, and for pickles, curries, &c, in other stages. V, io. OF MILINDA THE KING. 21 7 either conversion or any other. And this, O king, is what is called " The Blessed One's bazaar of fruits." " Men give their Karma as the price, And buy the fruit ambrosia ; And happiness is theirs, and peace, Who've bought the fruit ambrosia V io. 'And what, venerable Nagasena, is the antidote bazaar of the Blessed One, the Buddha ? ' ' Certain drugs, O king, have been made known by the Blessed One ; drugs by which the Blessed One delivers the whole world of gods and men from the poison of evil dispositions. And what are these drugs ? The four Noble Truths made known by the Blessed One, that is to say, the truth as to sorrow, and the truth as to the origin of sorrow, and the truth as to the cessation of sorrow, and the truth as to that path which leads to the cessation of sorrow 2. And whosoever, longing for the highest insight (the insight of Arahatship) 3, hear this doctrine of the four truths, they are set quite free from rebirth, [335] they are set quite free from old age, they are set quite free from death, they are set quite free from grief, lamentation, pain, sorrow, and despair. And this, O king, is what is called " The Blessed One's bazaar of antidotes."

1 These lines have not been traced as yet in the Pi/akas, and are probably not meant as a quotation. ' Ambrosia ' is of course the ambrosia of Arahatship. 2 For the full text of these ' Truths ' see ' Buddhist Suttas,' pp. 148-150. 3 Anni. The Sinhalese, p. 486, has awabodhaya. The word is rare, but it occurs at Gataka I, 140; II, 333; and at Dhammapada, verses 57, 96, always in this sense. 2l8 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES Y, ir. " Of all the drugs, in all the world, The antidotes of poison dire, Not one equals that Doctrine sweet. Drink that, O brethren. Drink and live M " ii. 'And what, venerable Nagasena, is the medicine bazaar of the Blessed One, the Buddha ? ' ' Certain medicines, O king, have been made known by the Blessed One, medicines by which he cures the whole world of gods and men. And they are these : — " The four Means of keeping oneself ready and mindful, and the fourfold Great Struggle, and the four Steps to Iddhi, and the five Organs of the moral sense, and the five moral Powers, and the seven Forms of the Wisdom of the Arahats, and the Noble Eightfold Path2." By these medicines the Blessed One purges men of wrong views, purges them of low aspirations, purges them of evil speaking, purges them of evil deeds, purges them of evil modes of livelihood, purges them of wrong endeavours, purges them of evil thoughts, purges them of erroneous meditation ; and he gives emetics to the vomiting up of lusts, and of malice, and of dullness, and of doubt, and of self-righteousness, and of sloth of body and inertness of mind, and of shamelessness and hardness of heart, and of all evil. And this, O king, is what is called " The Blessed One's bazaar of medicine." " Of all the medicines found in all the world, Many in number, various in their powers, Not one equals this medicine of the Truth. Drink that, O brethren. Drink, and drinking, live !

Not traced as yet. See the note above on V, 3 (p. 330 of the Pali). V, 12. OF MILINDA THE KING. 2 I a. For having drunk that medicine of the Truth, Ye shall have past beyond old age and death, And — evil, lusts, and Karma rooted out — Thoughtful and seeing, ye shall be at rest 1 ! " 1 2. ' And what, venerable Nagasena, is the ambrosia bazaar of the Blessed One, the Buddha ? ' ' An ambrosia, O king, has been made known by the Blessed One, that ambrosia with which he besprinkles the whole world of gods and men — as men anoint a king on his coronation day— [336] and men and gods, when sprinkled with that ambrosia, are set free from rebirths, old age, disease, and death, from grief, and lamentation, and pain, and sorrow, and despair. And what is that ambrosia ? That meditation which consists in active attention to, and leads to a true grasp of, the real conditions of corporeal things 2. For it has been said, O king, by the Blessed One, the god over all gods : " They, O brethren, feed on ambrosia who feed on active attention directed to corporeal things V This, O king, is what is called " The Blessed One's ambrosia bazaar.''

1 Nibbuta, with allusion to the freedom and calm of Nirvawa. The verses have not been traced as yet in the Pi/akas. 2 Kaya-gata-sati-bhavana, where each term really requires a long commentary. 3 It will be noticed that Nagasena is here really going an inch beyond his text. In that text (which has not been traced) amata, ambrosia, means no doubt as elsewhere, the ambrosia of Nirvawa. And the text does not say that the active attention and the ambrosia are the same, but only that they who feed on the one feed also on the other. Even if we translate ' are feeding ' instead of ' feed ' (which is grammatically possible) a similar argument would hold good. But though it is impossible to say for certain, without knowing the context of the passage, the rendering above is more in accord with Pali usage, and more likely therefore to be right. " He saw mankind afflicted with disease, He opened freely his ambrosia shop ; Go, then, O brethren, give your Karma for it, And buy, and feed on, that ambrosial food1." 13. 'And what, venerable Nagasena, is the jewel bazaar of the Blessed One, the Buddha ? '

' Certain jewels, O king, have been made known by the Blessed One, and adorned with those jewels the children of the Blessed One shine forth in splendour, illuminating the whole world of gods and men, brightening it in its heights, in its depths, from horizon to horizon, with a brilliant glory. And those jewels are these — the jewel of right conduct, and the jewel of meditation, and the jewel of knowledge, and the jewel of emancipation, and the jewel of the insight which arises from the assurance of emancipation, and the jewel of discrimination, and the jewel of the sevenfold wisdom of the Arahats2. 14. 'And what, O king, is the Blessed One's jewel of right conduct3? The right conduct which follows on self-restraint according to the rules of the Patimokkha, the right conduct which follows on 1 Not traced as yet. All these stanzas seem to belong together, and will doubtless be found in the same Sutta or poem. 2 These seven jewels (or treasures, ratanani) of the Buddha are intended of course to correspond to the seven treasures (also ratanani) of the king of kings (the /£akkavatti). They are different from the seven 'Treasures of the Noble Ones' (Ariyadhanani) which are ethical qualities, whereas these jewels are means to the attainment of Arahatship.

3 Sila, a most difficult word to translate, as it includes so much that in English would be expressed by the varying phrases : goodness, virtue, righteousness, uprightness, morality, &c. restraint of the bodily organs and the mind 1, the right conduct which results from a pure means of livelihood, the right conduct in relation to the four requisites of a recluse 2, the right conduct presented in the Short, and Middle, and Long Summonses 3, the right conduct of those who are walking in the Path, and the right conduct of those who have attained each of the various fruits thereof (beginning at conversion and ending at Arahatship)4. And all the beings in the world, O king, gods 5 and men, and the Maras too (the spirits of evil), and the Brahmas (the very highest of the gods), and Samaras and Brahmans are filled with longing and desire for a man who wears, as his ornament, this jewel of right conduct. And the Bhikkhu, O king, who puts it on shines forth in glory all around, upwards and downwards, and from side to side, surpassing in lustre all the jewels to be found from the Waveless Deep6 below to the highest heavens above, excelling them all, overwhelming them all. Such, O king, are the jewels of right conduct set out for sale in the Blessed One's bazaar of gems. And this is what is called "The Blessed One's jewel of righteousness."

1 Indriya; no doubt here the six organs, that is the usual five, and bhavahgo or mano as the sixth. 2 Clothing, food, lodging, and medicine for the sick. 3 Translated in 'Buddhist Suttas,' pp. 189-200. 4 What we have here are the two higher stages of the three into which Buddhist ethics naturally falls. The morality of laymen has been included above, V, 7, where it already passes over into that of the ordinary, unconverted member of the Order. Here we begin with that, starting with the last item of the previous list, and go on, through the silas, to the highest ethics of Arahatship. 5 The devas, those gods dwelling in Sakka's heaven, and, I think, the devatas also (fairies, nyads, dryads, &c). 6 Avi£i, the lowest of the purgatories. " Such are the virtues sold in that bazaar, The shop of the Enlightened One, the Blest ; Pay Karma as the price, O ye ill-clad ! Buy, and put on, these lustrous Buddha-gems!" [337] 15. 'And what, O king, is the Blessed One's jewel of meditation ? The meditation that consists of specific conceptions, and of investigation regarding them 1 ; — the meditation that consists of reflection only, specific conceptions being lost sight of2; — the meditation that continues after specific conceptions and reflection on them have both ceased 3 ; — the meditation that is void (of lusts, evil dispositions, and Karma); — the meditation from which three signs (of an unconverted life — lust, malice, and dullness) are absent ; — the meditation in which no low aspirations remain 4. And when a Bhikkhu, O king, has put on this jewel of meditation (Samadhi), then ideas of lust, and ideas of anger, and ideas of cruelty, and all the various bad thoughts that have their basis in the evil dispositions of pride, self-righteousness, adhesion to wrong views, and doubt — all these, since they come into contact with meditation, flow off" from him, disperse, and are dispelled, they stay not with him, adhere not to him. Just, O king, as when water has fallen on a lotus leaf it flows off from it, is dispersed and scattered

1 I think the first G7/ana (see 'Buddhist Suttas,' p. 272) is meant. 2 Apparently the passage over from the first to the second GMna. 3 But insight, and the resulting bliss, remain. Compare above, II, 2, 3 (I, 67). 4 Compare above, V, 8, on the last three. V, i6. OF MILINDA THE KING. 223 away, stays not on it, adheres not to it1 — so when a Bhikkhu has put on this jewel of meditation, then ideas of lust, and ideas of anger, and ideas of cruelty, and all the various bad thoughts that have their basis in the evil dispositions of pride, selfrighteousness, obstinacy in wrong views, and doubt — these all, as soon as they come in contact with meditation, flow off, disperse, and are dispelled, stay not with him, adhere not to him. And why not ? Because of the exceeding purity of the habit of meditation. This, O king, is what is called 'The Blessed One's jewel of meditation," and such are the jewels of meditation set out for sale in the Blessed One's bazaar of gems. " Bad thoughts can ne'er arise beneath the brow Encircled by this coronet of gems. It charms away perplexed and wandering thought. Make it your own, buy it, put on the crown I"

16. 'And what, O king, is the Blessed One's jewel of knowledge ? That knowledge by which the disciple of the noble ones knows thoroughly what is virtue, and what is not ; what is blameworthy, and what is not ; what should be made a habit of, and what should not ; what is mean, and wThat is exalted ; [338] what is dark, and what is light, and what is both dark and light; — the knowledge by which he truly knows what sorrow is, and what the origin of sorrow is, and what the cessation of sorrow is, and what is the path that leads thereto. This, O king, is what is called " The Blessed One's jewel of knowledge." 1 See the note upon IV, 8, 65. "He who has knowledge as his jewelled wreath, Will not continue long in outward form l. Soon will he reach Nirvana, in rebirth In any world 2 no longer take delight ! " 1 7. ' And what, O king, is the Blessed One's jewel of emancipation ? Arahatship is called the jewel of emancipation, and the Bhikkhu who has reached Arahatship is said to have decked himself with the jewel of emancipation. And just as a man, O king, who is decorated with ornaments made of strings of pearls, of diamonds and gold and corals ; whose limbs are anointed with akalu3, and with frankincense i, and with Talis 5, and with red sandal wood ; who is adorned with a garland of Ironwood blossoms, and Rottleria flowers, and flowers from the Sal tree, and the Sala/a6, and the champak, and yellow jasmines 7, and Atimuttaka flowers 8, and

1 Bhavo here equal to pa;z^a skandha, according to Hina/ikumbure, p. 491. 2 Bhave, here tri-widha-bhawa in the Sinhalese. 3 Akalu; only found here. The Sinhalese has agaru kalu, and agaru according to Clough is Dalbergia. 4 Tagara. Agil tuwarala, ' logwood frankincense.' 5 Talisaka. Clough says the Talis tree is Flacourtia cataphracta. 6 Not in the Pali dictionaries. But it is mentioned in Buddhavawzsa II, 51 (there spelt sa/ala). This verse is quoted at Gataka I, 13, verse 51, and the word is there spelt sala/a. The Sinhalese has salala, and the Sanskrit lexicons have sarala. Clough identifies it, no doubt wrongly, with the last, the Anglo-Indian Hal tree, which the botanists call the Shorea robust a. 7 Yuthika; sinidda, says Hma/i-kumbure, p. 492, and Clough thinks this is oleander. But Bohtlingk-Roth say a sort of jasmine, Jasminum auriculatum. 8 Yohombu in the Sinhalese. Clough says this is a creeper called Borago Zeylanica. But does that grow in the NorthWest of India ? According to Bohtlingk-Roth, Atimuttaka is the V, i8. OF MILINDA THE KING. 225 trumpet flowers, and lotuses, and white and Arabian jasmines 1 — just as, with all this finery of garlands and perfumes and jewelry, he would outshine all other men, overwhelming them with brilliant glory and splendour — just so, O king, does he who has attained to Arahatship, he in whom the Great Evils (lusts, and becoming, delusion, and ignorance) are rooted out, he who has put on the diadem of emancipation of heart, just so does he outshine all other Bhikkhus from the lowest in attainment up to those even who are themselves emancipated 2, overwhelming them in brilliant glory and splendour. And why is that so ? Because, O king, there is one diadem that is the chief of all, and that is this diadem of emancipation of heart ! And this, O king, is what is called " The Blessed One's jewel of emancipation."

"All the people that dwell in a house look up To their Lord when he wears his crown of gems — The wide world of the gods and of men looks up To the wearer of Freedom's diadem ! " 18. 'And what, O king, is the Blessed One's jewel of the insight that follows on the assurance of emancipation ? The knowledge arising out of looking back over the course 3 — that knowledge by name of three plants, one of which is the Gaertnera Racemosa, much cultivated for the beauty and perfume of its flowers. 1 The last four are the Pa/ali, Uppala, Vassika, and Mallika, all of which are well known. Our author's flora and fauna are so numerous that one ought, if one had the necessary knowledge, to be able to draw conclusions as to his own ' habitat.' 2 On the use of upaday' upadaya see above, p. 182, and below, p. 341 of the Pali. 3 Pa/£/£avekkhana-77a«a;//. That is, in looking back over the which the disciple who is walking along the Excellent Way passes, from time to time, both the Way itself and the Fruits thereof up to Nirvana in review, and is aware what evil dispositions he has got rid of, and what evil dispositions remain to be conquered — that is what [339] is called "The jewel of the assurance that follows on the knowledge of emancipation,"

" The knowledge by which the Noble Ones know The stages they've passed, and the road yet untrod j-— Strive, O ye sons of the Conqueror, strive That jewel — 'Assurance' — yourselves to obtain!" 19. 'And what, O king, is the Blessed One's jewel of discrimination ? The discrimination of the sense of, and the discrimination of the deeper truths underlying the sense of the sacred writ, and the discrimination of philological peculiarities, and the discrimination of correct and ready exposition *. And the Bhikkhu, O king, who is adorned with these four jewels of discrimination, whatsoever company he enters into, whether of nobles, or brahmans, or merchants, or workpeople, enters it in confidence, neither put out nor shy; undaunted and undismayed, he enters the assembly without excitement or fear. Just, O king, as a warrior, a hero in the fight, when accoutred in all his harness course he has followed along the Excellent Way, he becomes conscious of having got beyond each of the obstacles (the Sawzyo^anas) that can beset him. It is the doctrine of 'final assurance' from the Buddhist point 0/ view. Compare ?1a«adassana at Digha II, 83. 1 Pa/isambhida. Hina/i-kumbure merely repeats the ambiguous technical terms of the Pali. Childers, sub voce, gives the various interpretations of other authorities. Compare above, I, 29, 34, 36. The third and fourth seem to me to be doubtful.

of war1, goes down undismayed to the battle, in the confident thought: "If the enemy should remain afar off I can knock them down with my arrows, should they come thence towards me I can hit them with my javelins, should they come yet nearer I can reach them with my spear, should they come right up I can cleave them in two with my sabre 2, should they come to close quarters I can pierce them through and through with my dagger3" — just so, O king, does the Bhikkhu, when he wears the fourfold jewel of discernment, enter any assembly undismayed, in the confident thought : " Should any one put to me a puzzle turning on the discrimination of the sense, I shall be able to explain it, comparing sense with sense, explanation with explanation, reason with reason, argument with argument 4, — and thus shall I resolve his doubts, 1 Pa«/£avudho ; literally 'with the five weapons on.' The expression is not infrequent; compare pawHvudha-sannaddha, used of a hunter, at Gataka III, 467; IV, 283, 437; and sannaddha-pawX'avudha, used of sailors fighting, at Gataka IV, 160. But it is quite possible that weapons different from those here described are there meant, as they are not suited, for instance, to the hunter.

2 Hina/i-kumbure translates this weapon (maw^/alagga) simply by ka</uwa, sword ; but ' bent blade ' must mean a sabre. 3 A'^urika. Childers has only 'knife.' The Siz/malese, p. 493, has kirisaya, which is not in Clough, but is doubtless the Malay kreese. These five weapons are not mentioned elsewhere, and as three of the five words are rare, are probably those in special use in the country where our author lived. In this respect it is noteworthy that the Sanskrit kshurika is only mentioned, according to Bohtlingk-Roth, in the Raga. Tarangini of Kashmir, and in the title of a late Upanishad. We shall therefore scarcely go far wrong if we understand by our author's /fc^urika the famous Afghan knife. 4 Arthayen arthaya ga/apa, &c, says the Si?«halese. He dispel his perplexity, and delight him by my exposition of the problem raised. Should any one put to me a puzzle turning on discrimination of the deeper truths, I shall be able to explain it by comparing truth with truth, and the various aspects and phases of Arahatship each with each \ [340] — and thus his doubts too shall I be able to resolve, and, dispelling his perplexity, to delight him with my exposition of the problem raised. Should any one put to me a puzzle turning on the discrimination of philological peculiarities, I shall be able to explain it by comparing derivation with derivation2, and word with word, and particle with particle, and letter with letter, and one modification of a letter by contact (sand hi) with another, and consonant with consonant, and vowel with vowel, and accent (intonation) with accent, and quantity with quantity, and rule with rule, and idiom with idiom ; — and thus his doubts too shall I be able to resolve, and, dispelling his perplexity, to delight him with my exposition of the problem raised. Should any one put to me a puzzle turning on the discrimination of expositions, I shall be able to explain it by comparing metaphor with metaphor, and characteristic with characteristic3, and sentiment with sentiment — and thus his doubts too shall I be able to resolve, and, dispelling his perplexity, to delight him with my exposition of the

will reply by adducing parallel passages, much in the style of modern scholarship. 1 He gives the principal ones, as set out in his previous arguments. 2 Nirutti. Hina/i-kumbuie unfortunately simply repeats all these technical terms. 3 Lakkhawa. As for instance above, I, 51-62. V, 2r. OF MILINDA THE KING. 229 problem raised. And this, O king, is what is called " The Blessed One's jewel of discrimination." " First buy the jewel of discrimination, Then cut : it with your knowledge and your skill ; So, free from all anxiety and fear, Shall you illuminate both earth and heaven ! " 20. 'And what, O king, is the Blessed One's jewel of the sevenfold wisdom of the Arahats ? It is self-possession, and investigation of the system of doctrine, and zeal, and joy, and tranquillity, and contemplation, and equanimity2. And the Bhikkhu, O king, who is adorned with this sevenfold jewel of the divisions of the higher wisdom3 shines forth over the whole world of gods and men, brightens it, illuminates it, and dispersing the darkness makes the light arise. This, O king, is what is called " The Blessed One's jewel of the sevenfold wisdom." " The gods and men in reverence stand up

To him who wears this wisdom-diadem. Show your good actions then, — that is the price, — And buy, and wear, this wisdom-diadem ! " [341] 21. 'And what, venerable Nagasena, is the bazaar for all manner of merchandise set up by the Blessed One, the Buddha ? ' ' The Blessed One's bazaar for all manner of 1 Phaseyya ; literally 'he who having bought pa/isambhida shall touch it with his «a«a.' The Sinhalese, p. 494, has spar^ako/a, which does not help us. 2 The Sinhalese again only repeats these seven technical terms, except the second Dhamma-vihya, which it renders by pra^wa. 3 Bod hi. Childers says, ' the supreme knowledge of a Buddha/ But this is wrong, as is evident even from the context here. The whole exposition is of Arahatship, not Buddhahood. merchandise, O king, is the ninefold word of the Buddha ; and the relics remaining of his body, and of the things he used ; and the sacred mounds (A'etiyani, Dagabas) erected over them1; and the jewel of his Order. And in that bazaar there are set out by the Blessed One the attainment (in a future birth) of high lineage, and of wealth, and of long life, and of good health, and of beauty, and of wisdom, and of worldly glory, and of heavenly glory, and of Nirvana. And of these all they who desire either the one or the other, give Karma as the price, and so buy whichever glory they desire. And some buy with it a vow of right conduct, and some by observance of the Uposatha day, and so on down to the smallest Karma-price they buy the various glories from the greatest to the least. Just, O king, as in a trader's shop, oil, seed, and peas and beans can be either taken in barter for a small quantity of rice or peas or beans, or bought for a small price decreasing in order according to requirement— just so, O king, in the Blessed One's bazaar for all manner of merchandise advantages are to be bought for Karma according to requirement. And this, O king, is what is called "The Blessed One's bazaar of all manner of merchandise." " Long life, good health, beauty, rebirth in heaven, High birth, Nirvana — all are found for sale — There to be bought for Karma, great or small — In the great Conqueror's world-famed bazaar. Come ; show your faith, O brethren, as the price, Buy and enjoy such goods as you prefer 2 ! "

1 Hina/i-kumbure, characteristically enough for a Ceylon man, adds, ' and the Footprint and the Bo-tree.' 2 The first line only of these verses is in the Sawyutta III, 2, 7. 22. 'And the inhabitants that dwell in the Blessed One's City of Righteousness, O king, are such as these : Masters in the Suttantas, and masters in the Vinaya, and masters in the Abhidhamma ; preachers of the faith ; repeaters of the C7atakas, and repeaters of the Digha, and repeaters of the Maggvfcima, [342] and repeaters of the Sawyutta, and repeaters of the Ariguttara, and repeaters of the Khuddaka Nikaya ; — men endowed with right conduct, men accomplished in meditation, men full of knowledge, men taking delight in contemplation of the sevenfold wisdom of the Arahats, men of insight ] ; — men who frequent the woods for meditation, or sit at the roots of trees, or dwell in the open air, or sleep on heaps of strawr, or live near cemeteries, or lie not down to sleep, — men who have entered the Excellent Way2, men who have attained one or more of the four fruits thereof, men who are still learners (have not yet reached Arahatship, but are close upon it), men enjoying the Fruits, that is, either Sotapannas, or Sakadagamins, or Anagamins, or Arahats ; — men of the threefold wisdom3, men of the sixfold transcendental wisdom4, men of the power of Iddhi, men who have reached perfection in knowledge, men

1 Vipassaka, not necessarily the insight of the Arahats, as Childers says. We have seen Vipassana ascribed above, p. 16 (of the Pali), to a Sotapanno. 2 Pa/ipannaka; so the Sinhalese, p. 496 (but see otherwise below, V, 21, p. 344 of the Pali). 3 Tevi^a, having the pubbe-nivasanussatw7a«a, the /£etopariya-«a«a, and the asavana?// khaya-?7a«a. See Digha Nikava II, 91-94 and 97. 4 These are the last three, and besides them the so-called Divine Eye, and Divine Ear, and also the power of Iddhi. See Digha Nikaya II, 87-90, 95-96. skilled in the maintenance of constant self-possession, in the Great Struggle, in the Steps to Iddhi, in the Organs of their moral sense, in the sevenfold wisdom, in the Excellent Way, in 67/ana, in Vimokkha, and in the attainment of the exalted and tranquil bliss that is independent of form or the absence of form — yea ! like a forest full of bamboos, full of reeds, that City of Righteousness has been ever crowded and frequented by such Arahats as these ! For it is said x : (1) " Men devoid of passion, and of malice, and of dullness, men in whom the Great Evils (lust, becoming, delusion, and ignorance) are not, men who have neither craving thirst, nor grasping desires, — these are they who dwell in the City of Righteousness.

(2) " Men whose home is the forest, men who have taken on themselves the extra vows, men full of joy, men who are wearing rough garments, men rejoicing in solitude, heroes — these are they who dwell in the City of Righteousness. (3) " Men who sleep sitting, or on any sleeping- place that comes, or spend their time standing or walking up and down in meditation, men who clad themselves in cast-off raiment — all these dwell in the City of Righteousness. (4) " Men wearing the full set of three robes, tranquil, with a skin for the fourth, who rejoice in taking but one meal each day, the wise — these are they who dwell in the City of Righteousness. (5) " The earnest and prudent, heroes who feed on little and know no greed, content whether they receive an alms or receive it not — these are they who dwell in the City of Righteousness. ' It is not known in what text. (6) " The meditative, delighting in Gv^ana, heroes of tranquil minds, and stedfast, looking forward to Nirvana — these are they who dwell in the City of Righteousness. (7) " Men walking in the path, and standing in the fruits thereof, those who have attained some fruits thereof but are yet learners as to the last, whose hope is directed to the utmost goal — these are they who dwell in the City of Righteousness.

(8) " Those who have entered the stream, and those who, free from stains, will only be reborn once more on earth, those who will never return again, and Arahats — these are they who dwell in the City of Righteousness. (9) " Those skilled in the means of attaining undisturbed self-possession, and rejoicing in contemplation on the sevenfold wisdom, those who are full of insight, and bear the words of the Dharma in their hearts — these are they who dwell in the City of Righteousness. [343] (10) "Those skilled in the Steps to Iddhi, and rejoicing in the meditations of Samadhi, those who are devoted to the Great Struggle — these are they who dwell in the City of Righteousness. (11) "Those perfect in the sixfold wisdom of the Abhluuas, delighting in the sphere that is theirs by rightful inheritance1, those having the power of flying through the air — these are they who dwell in the City of Righteousness. (12) " Those of downcast eyes, and measured speech, the doors of whose senses are guarded, who 1 Petti ke go^are rata. That is in the four Sati-pa/Manas. See the passage quoted below at VII, 1, 7, p. 368 of the Pali.

are self-restrained, who are well trained according to the supreme Dhamma — these are they who dwell in the City of Righteousness. (13) " Those of the threefold wisdom, and of the sixfold wisdom, those who have become perfect in Iddhi and perfect in knowledge — these are they who dwell in the City of Righteousness." 23. 'And furthermore, O king, those of the Bhikkhus who carry in their hearts the words of the excellent knowledge that is immeasurable, who are free from bonds, whose goodness and fame and power and glory no man can weigh, who (in imitation of their Master) x keep the royal chariot-wheel of the kingdom of righteousness rolling on, who have reached perfection in knowledge — such Bhikkhus are called, O king, " The Commanders of the Faith in the Blessed One's City of Righteousness." ' And furthermore, O king, those of the Bhikkhus, who have the power of Iddhi, who have learned the discriminations 2, who are full of confidence, who travel through the air, who are hard to oppose, hard to overcome, who can move without support, who can shake the broad earth and the waters on which it rests, who can touch the sun and the moon, who are skilful in transforming" themselves and in making stedfast resolutions and high aspirations, who are perfect in Iddhi — such Bhikkhus are called, O king, " The royal chaplains in the Blessed One's City of Righteousness."

' And furthermore, O king, those of the Bhikkhus who have taken upon themselves the extra vows, 1 Anuppavattaka. See below, p. 363 of the Pali. 2 See above, V, 19. who desire little and are content, who would loathe any breach of the regulations as to the manner of seeking an alms1, and beg straight on from hut to hut, as a bee smells flower after flower 2, and then go away into the loneliness of the woods, those who are indifferent as to their body and as to life, those who have attained to Arahatship, those who place the highest value on the virtues of the practice of the extra vows — such Bhikkhus are called, O king, " The judges in the Blessed One's City of Righteousness." ' And furthermore, O king, those of the Bhikkhus who are pure and stainless, in whom no evil dispositions are left, who, skilful in the knowledge of the fall and rise of beings3, have perfected themselves in the Divine Eye — such Bhikkhus are called, O king, " The givers of light 4 in the Blessed One's City of Righteousness." ' And furthermore, O king, those of the Bhikkhus [344] who are learned in the traditions, who hand on what has been handed down, the repeaters of the Discourses, and of the Canon Law, and of the tables of contents, those who are skilled in the exact determination of letters into surds and sonants, into

1 Importunity, or even attracting attention in any way. See above, p. 229 of the Pali. 2 Compare Sigalovada Sutta, p. 365, and Dhammapada, verse 49: 'As a bee, injuring not the flower or its colour or its scent, flies away, taking the nectar, so let a sage go through the village.' s That is the fall of beings from one state of existence — their death in that state in other words — and their rise, their rebirth, in another. 4 Gotaka, as a city official, is something akin to torchbearer, lamplighter. longs and short, as to lightness and heaviness \ those who know by heart the ninefold word — such Bhikkhus are called, O king, " The peace officers 2 in the Blessed One's City of Righteousness." ' And furthermore, O king, those of the Bhikkhus who are learned in the Vinaya (Rules of the Order, Canon Law), wise in the Vinaya, skilled in detecting the source of offences 3, skilled in deciding whether any act is an offence or not, whether an offence is grievous or slight, whether it can be atoned for or not, skilled in deciding questions as to the rise, the acknowledgment, the absolution, or the confession of an offence4 ; as to the suspension, or the restoration, or the defence of an offender 5, who are perfect masters in the Vinaya — such Bhikkhus are called, O king, "The Rupa-dakshas ° in the Blessed One's City of Righteousness."

' And furthermore, O king, those of the Bhikkhus who wear on their brows the lotus garland of that noble Emancipation, who have attained to that 1 These are six out of the ten divisions of Vyaw^ana-vuddhi, mentioned in the verse at Sumahgala Vilasini I, 177. Hina/ikumbure, p. 501, merely repeats the words. 2 Dhamma-rakkha, 'dharmikawu araksha-grahawayehi niyuktawu' in the Sinhalese. 3 Nidana-paMana-kusala; 'Apatti ge;/a hoera dcekwimehi dakshawu,' says the Sinhalese. 4 One word, vu//Hna, is here doubtful. 5 See Mahavagga IX, 4, 9. 10, &c. 6 Literally ' skilled in form, shape, beauty.' The Sinhalese repeats this ambiguous expression, adding the qualification amatyayo, 'ministers, officials.' One would think that these would have been the judges, but our author has already made the Arahats the judges in his Dhamma-nagara. This only leaves him some minor official post to give away to those learned in Canon Law, and he has chosen one as unintelligible in Ceylon as it is to me. highest and best and most exceeding excellent of all conditions, who are loved and longed for by the great multitudes — such Bhikkhus are called, O king, " Flower-sellers in the Blessed One's City of Righteousness." ' And furthermore, O king, those of the Bhikkhus who have penetrated to the comprehension of the four Truths, and have seen them with their eyes, who are wise in the teaching, who have passed beyond doubt as to the four fruits of Sama^aship, who having attained to the bliss thereof, share those fruits with others who have entered the paths ! — such Bhikkhus are called, O king, " Fruit-dealers in the Blessed One's City of Righteousness."

' And furthermore, O king, those of the Bhikkhus who, being anointed with that most excellent perfume of right conduct, are gifted with many and various virtues, and are able to dispel the bad odour of sin and evil dispositions — such Bhikkhus are called, O king, " Perfume dealers in the Blessed One's City of Righteousness." ' And furthermore, O king, those of the Bhikkhus whose delight is in the Dhamma, and whose converse is pleasant, who find exceeding joy in the higher subtleties of the Dharma and the Vinaya 2, who either in the forest, or at the foot of trees, or in empty 1 P a t'\ p a n n a, which Hina/i-kumbure takes here to mean Arahats, but see the note above, V, 20 (p. 341 of the Pali). 2 Abhidhammeabhivinaye. A phrase very instructive as to the correct rendering of the much misunderstood word abhidhamma. As I pointed out already in the ' Hibbert Lectures' for 1 88 1, it is a blunder to translate it, as is usually clone, by ' metaphysics.' The whole context is taken from the Sangiti Sutta. places, drink the sweet sap of the Dharma, who plunging themselves, as it were, in body, speech, and mind into the sweet juice l of the Dharma, excel in expounding it, in seeking and in detecting the deeper truths in the various doctrines, who — wheresoever and whensoever the discourse is of wishing for little, of contentment, of solitude, of retirement, of the exertion in zeal, of right conduct, of meditation, of knowledge, of emancipation, of the insight arising from the assurance of emancipation — [345] thither do they repair, and drink in the sweet savour of that discourse — such Bhikkhus are called, O king, " Thirsty and drunkards in the Blessed One's City of Righteousness."

' And furthermore, O king, those of the Bhikkhus who are addicted to the habit of wakefulness from the first watch of the night to the last, who spend day and night in sitting, standing, or walking up and down in meditation, who, addicted to the habit of contemplation, are devoted to their own advancement by the suppressing of evil dispositions — such Bhikkhus are called, O king, " Watchmen in the Blessed One's City of Righteousness." ' And furthermore, O king, those of the Bhikkhus who in the spirit and in the letter, in its arguments and explanations, in its reasons and examples, teach and repeat, utter forth and recapitulate the ninefold word of the Buddha — such Bhikkhus are called, O king, "Lawyers (dealers in Dharma-) in the Blessed One's City of Righteousness." 1 ' The ambrosia of the Saddharma,' says Hina/i-kumbure, p. 502. 2 Dhammapawika. The Sinhalese has Dharmikapawikayo. ' And furthermore, O king, those of the Bhikkhus who are wealthy and rich in the wealth of the treasures of the Doctrine, in the wealth of the traditions, and the text, and the learning thereof, who comprehend the signs, and vowels, and consonants thereof, in all their details, pervading all directions with their knowledge — such Bhikkhus are called, O king, " Bankers of the Dhamma * in the Blessed One's City of Righteousness."

'And furthermore, O king, those of the Bhikkhus who have penetrated to the sublimer teaching, who understand exposition and the divisions of objects of meditation to be practised, who are perfect in all the subtler points of training2 — such Bhikkhus are called, O king, " Distinguished masters of law in the Blessed One's City of Righteousness." 24. ' Thus well planned out, O king, is the Blessed One's City of Righteousness, thus well built, thus well appointed, thus well provisioned, thus well established, thus well guarded, thus well protected, thus impregnable by enemies or foes. And by this explanation, O king, by this argument, by this reason, you may by inference know that the Blessed One did once exist. (1) "As when they see a pleasant city, well planned out, Men know, by inference, how great the founder was ; So when they see our Lord's ' City of Righteousness ' They know, by inference, that he did once exist. 1 Dhamma-se////ino, which the Sinhalese repeats. 2 Adhisila, adhiX'itta, and adhipawwa, says Hina/i-kurnbure. [346] (2) "As men, seeing its waves, can judge, by inference, The great extent and power of the world-embracing sea ; So may they judge the Buddha when they see

the waves That he set rolling through the world of gods and men — He who, unconquered in the fight, allays all griefs, Who rooted out, in his own heart, Craving's dread power, And set his followers free, from the whirlpool of rebirths — ' Far as the waves of the Good-Law extend and roll, So great, so mighty, must our Lord, the Buddha, be.' (3) "As men, seeing its mighty peaks that tower aloft, Cari judge, by inference, Himalaya's wondrous height ; So when they see the Buddha's Mount-of- Righteousness— Stedfast, unshaken by fierce passion's stormy blasts, Towering aloft in wondrous heights of calm and peace, Where lusts, evil, and Karma cannot breathe or live, — They draw the inference : ' Great as this mountain high That mighty Hero's power upon whose word (4) " As men, seeing the footprint of an elephant king, Can judge, by inference : ' How great his size must be ! ' So when they see the footprint of the elephant of men, Buddha, the wise, upon the path that men have trod, They know, by inference : ' How glorious Buddha was l ! ' (5) " As when they see all living things crouching in

fear, Men know : ' 'Tis the roar of the king of the beasts that frightens them.' So, seeing other teachers break and fly in fear, They know : ' 'Tis a king of the truth hath uttered words sublime ! ' (6) " Seeing the earth smiling, well watered, green with grass, Men say: 'A great and pleasant rain hath fallen fast.' So when they see this multitude rejoicing, peaceful, blest, Men may infer : ' How sweet the rain that stilled their hearts ! ' (7) " Seeing the wide earth soaked, boggy, a marsh of mud, Men say : ' Mighty the mass of waters broken loose.' 1 It is perhaps such poetical figures as this that have afforded foundation for the legend of Buddha's footprint. So, when they see this mighty host, that once were dazed With the mud of sin, swept down in Dhamma's stream, and left In the wide sea of the Good-Law, some here, some there, All, gods and men alike, plunged in ambrosial waves, They may infer, and say : ' How great that Dhamma is ! ' (8) [347] " As when men, travelling, feel a glorious perfume sweet Pervading all the country side, and gladdening them, infer at once,

'Surely, 'tis giant forest trees are flowering now ! ' So, conscious of this perfume sweet of righteousness That now pervades the earth and heavens, they may infer : ' A Buddha, infinitely great, must once have lived ! ' 25. 'And it would be possible, O king, to show forth the Buddha's greatness, by a hundred or a thousand such examples, such reasons, such arguments, such metaphors. Just, O king, as a clever garland maker will, from one heap of all kinds of flowers, both following the instruction of his teacher, and also using his own individuality as a man, make many variegated and beautiful bouquets, — just so, O king, that Blessed One is, as it were, an infinite, immeasurable, heap of variegated flowers of virtue. And I now, a garland maker, as it were in the church of the Conqueror, stringing those flowers together, — both following the path of our teachers of old, and also using such power of wisdom as in me is, — could show forth by inference the power of the Buddha in innumerable similes. But you, on the other hand, must show a desire to hear them V ' Hard would it be, Nagasena, for any other men thus to have shown by inference, drawn from such examples, the power of the Buddha. I am filled with satisfaction, venerable Nagasena, at your so perfectly varied exposition of this problem.'

Here ends the problem of Inference 1 The Sinhalese is here much expanded. 2 Mr. Trenckner reads 'Anumana pa«haw,' the Si/«halese has 'Maha Anumana Prasnayayi.' 244 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES VI, i.

[348] J. The king saw Bhikkhus in the forest, lone And far away from men, keeping hard vows. And then he saw too householders, at home, Eating the sweet fruits of the Noble Path l. Considering both of these, deep doubts he felt. ' If laymen also realise the Truth Then surely vowing vows must be in vain. Come ! let me ask that best of teachers, wise In the threefold basket of the Buddha's words, Skilled to o'erthrow the arguments of the foe. He will be able to resolve my doubts ! ' 2. Now Milinda the king went up to the place where Nagasena was, and bowed down before him, and took his seat on one side. And when so seated, he said to Nagasena : ' Venerable Nagasena, is there any layman living at home, enjoying the pleasures of sense, occupying a dwelling encumbered with wife and children, enjoying the use of sandal wood from Benares, and of garlands, perfumes, and ointments, accepting gold and silver, with an embroidered head-dress on, set with diamonds and pearls and gold — is there any such who has seen face to face the calm, the supreme good, Nirvana ?' ' Not one hundred only, O king, nor two nor

1 'Standing in the Fruit of the Anagamins.' So they had already reached the third stage in the Excellent Way. three nor five nor six hundred, not a thousand only, nor a hundred thousand, nor ten millions, nor ten thousand millions, not even only a billion laymen (have seen Nirvana) — not to speak of twenty or thirty or a hundred or a thousand who have attained to clear understanding (of the four Truths) \ By 1 I take this to mean, ' Not to speak of comparatively small numbers who have experienced Abhisamaya, an innumerable host of laymen have reached Nirvana — that is, have reached, and during their lives remained in, the third stage of the Path, and attained Arahatship just before they died. Abhisamaya is used either absolutely or in composition. Manabhisamaya (A. IVj 38, 5 = M. I, 12) certainly, and perhaps Atthabhisamaya, is used of Arahats, but they do not occur in our author. He uses occasionally Dhammabhisamaya (see pp. 255, 350, &c, of the Pali) and A'atu-sa^^abhisamaya (see pp. 171, 334, &c), but more frequently Abhisamaya absolutely. Dhammabhisamaya, ' penetration into, clear understanding of, the Dhammas or Dhamma,' may refer to the four Dhammas of Ahguttara IV, 1 (= M. P. S., IV, 2, 3), or to the comprehension of the qualities (Dhammas) of things, or (what is very much the same) to the comprehension of the principal doctrine (Dhamma) of the impermanence of all things. In the last case it would be the same thing, looked at from a slightly different point of view, as the Dhamma-^akkhu, the Eye for the Truths (see Sumahgala Vilasini I, 237), or as that insight (Vipassana) which is the entrance to the Path. But the four Truths (as to sorrow, &c.) are also important Dhammas, and as the expression A'atu-sa/^abhisamaya clearly refers to them and them only, this may also be the meaning of dhammabhisamaya, or at any rate of abhisamaya standing above. So at least I take the latter here. We know that the ' Eye for the Dhamma,' the perception of the first only of the ti«i lakkhawani (impermanence), implies and involves the entrance into the Path. Oddly enough there is as yet no evidence to show whether the perception of the cardinal doctrine of the four Truths necessarily does so too; or can do so alone, without the Dhamma- ^akkhu. If the latter, then there are two gates to the Path. And this is not only quite possible, but is the inference one might fairly draw from the constant phrase ' After the exposition of the Truths had concluded so and so attained to' one or other of the phalani.

what kind of exposition shall I lay before you evidence showing that I know this 1 ? ' ' Do you yourself tell me V 3. ' Then, O king, I will explain it. All those passages in the ninefold word of the Buddha that deal with holiness of life, [349] and attainment of the path, and the divisions of the excellent habit of living under vows, shall be brought to bear in this connection3. Just, O king, as water which has rained down upon a country district, with both lowlying and high places, level land and undulations, dry ground and wet, will — all of it — flow off thence and meet together in the ocean of great waters ; so will all those passages meet together, and be brought into connection, here. And a manifestation of reasons out of my experience and knowledge shall be also brought to bear. Thus will this matter be thoroughly analysed, its beauty will be brought out 4, it will be exhausted 5, brought home 1 Literally ' shall I give you anuyoga,' which the Sinhalese renders 'opportunity for speech ' (!). Above, at p. 10 of the Pali, the rendering is quite different, ' pa.da.rn di samugewa.' The only translation that fits the context in both of these places (the only ones in which the idiom has, so far, been found) is ' lay before you (proofs of my) mastery (over the subject),' or something of that sort. It is a disappointing satisfaction to find that the phrase was as unintelligible in Ceylon as it is to us. In my version above I should now prefer to write instead of ' repeated his lesson to his teacher for the last time,' ' gave his teacher proofs that he had understood what he had taught him.'

2 Hina/i-kumbure, p. 508, puts these words into the mouth of Nagasena. 3 Literally 'will come into connection here.' 4 Vi^itto, which the Sinhalese only repeats. 6 Paripuwwo; literally 'filled' (paripura wanneya). to rest1. It will be, O king, as when an able writing-master, on exhibiting, by request, his skill in writing, will supplement the written signs by an explanation of reasons out of his experience and knowledge, and thus that writing of his becomes finished, perfect, without defect. So will I also bring to bear a manifestation of reasons out of my experience and knowledge ; and thus shall this matter be thoroughly analysed, its beauty shall be brought out, it shall be exhausted, set at rest2. 4. 'In the city of Savatthi, O king, about fifty millions of the disciples of the Blessed One, devout men and devout women, were walking in the paths, and out of those three hundred and fifty-seven thousand 3 were established in the fruit of the third path. And all of them were laity, not members of the Order. And there too, at the foot of the Ga;^/amba tree, when the double miracle took place 4, two hundred millions of living beings r° penetrated to an understanding (of the four Truths). And again on the delivery of the Rahulovada6 discourse, and of the Maha Mangala7 discourse, and of the Sama/'itta8 exposition, and of the

1 Samanito, 'treated with respectful affection,' says Hina/ikumbure. 2 I cannot hope to have solved all the difficulties with which the last two paragraphs bristle. But I think the general sense is clear, and the way smoothed for future translators. 3 This curious number (like others below) must have a history and a meaning. 4 See Sumahgala Vilasini, p. 57 ; Gataka I, 77, 78 ; IV, 263-266. 5 Mostly gods of one sort or another. 6 See the note above on I, 32 (p. 20 of the Pali). 7 In the Sutta Nipala II, 4. 8 See the note above, loc. cit. Parabhava1 discourse, and of the Purabheda2 discourse, and of the Kalaha-vivada discourse, and of the A'ul a-vy u ha 1 discourse, and of the M a h a-vy u h a ' discourse, and of the Tuwa/aka1 discourse, and of the Sariputta1 discourse, an innumerable number of celestial beings penetrated to knowledge (of the four Truths). In the city of Ra^agaha three hundred and fifty thousand devout laymen and devout laywomen, disciples of the Blessed One, were walking in the Paths. And there again at the taming of Dhanapala the great elephant 3 nine hundred million livingbeings, and again at the meeting at the Pasa^ika A'etiya on the occasion of the Parayana discourse4 one hundred and forty million living beings, and again at the Indasala cave eight hundred millions of gods, and again at Benares [350] in the deer park Isipatana at the first preaching of the Dhamma5 one hundred and eighty million Brahma gods and innumerable others, and again in the heaven of the Thirty-Three at the preaching of the Abhidhamma on the Pa^u Kambala Rock6 eight hundred millions of the gods, and on the descent from the world of the gods at the gate of the city of Sahkassa6, at the miracle of the manifestation to the world 7,

1 In the A/Makavagga of the Sutta Nipata. 2 Sutta Nipata I, 6. 3 See the note above on IV, 4, 44 (p. 207 of the Pali), also below, p. 410 of the Pali. 4 Sutta Nipata, pp. 185, 205 (of Professor Fausboll's edition for the Pali Test Society). 5 See 'Buddhist Suttas,' p. 154, and the note above on I, 38. 6 Gataka IV, 265. 7 Loka-vivara//a-pa/ihariye, referred to at Da7/?ava#/sa II, 1 20. The exact meaning of the second word, literally ' uncovering,' three hundred millions of believing men and deities penetrated to a knowledge (of the four Truths). And again at Kapila-vatthu among the Sakyas, at the preaching of the Buddhavawzsa * in the Nigrodha Arama, and again at the preaching of the Maha Samaya Suttanta2, gods in numbers that cannot be counted penetrated to a knowledge of the Dhamma. And aeain at the assemblies on the occasions of Sumana the garland maker3, and of Garahadinna, and of Ananda the rich man, and of Gambuka the naked ascetic 4, and of Manuka the god, and of Ma//a-ku#dali the god, and of Sulasa the courtesan 5, and of Sirima the courtesan, and of the weaver's daughter, and of Subhadda, and of the spectacle of the cremation of the Brahman of Saketa, and of the Sunaparantas, and of the problem put by Sakka 6, and of the TirokuflWa Sutta7, and of the Ratana Sutta8 — at each of these eighty-four thousand penetrated to a knowledge of the Dhamma. So long, O king, as the Blessed One remained in the world, so long wheresoever in the three great divisions

is doubtful. Ahvis, in another connection, renders it ' prosperity.' See his quotation from Buddhaghosa's Papaya Sudani quoted by Childers sub voce. The Sinhalese has rupa-kaya-sampat dakwa. dakwa, 'continually manifesting (to all the world) the glory of his outward form.' 1 See the commentary on that work quoted by Dr. Morris in his edition for the Pali Text Society, pp. viii-x. 2 See the opening words of that discourse, No. 20 in the Digha, in Grimblot. 3 See above, pp. 115, 291 of the Pali. 4 Compare Thera Gatha. 283-286. 5 Her whole story is given, Gataka III, 435 foil. 6 The account of which is in the Digha, No. 21. 7 In the Khuddaka PaMa. 8 In the Sutta Nipata and Khuddaka Pa//u. (of India) 1 or in the sixteen principal countries (in them) 2 he stayed, there, as a usual thing, two, three, four, or five hundred, or a thousand, or a hundred thousand, both gods and men, saw face to face the calm, the supreme good, Nirvana. And all of those who were gods, O king, were laymen. They had not entered the Order. So these and many other billions of gods, O king, — even while they were yet laymen, living at home, enjoying the pleasures of sense, — saw face to face (realised in themselves) the condition of Peace, the Supreme Good, Nirva?2a3.'

5. ' If so, venerable Nagasena, — if laymen, living at home and enjoying the pleasures of sense, can see Nirvana, — what purpose then do these extra vows serve ? That being so, rather must [351] the vows be workers of mischief. For, Nagasena, if diseases would abate without medicine, what would be the advantage of weakening the body by emetics, by purges, and other like remedies ? — if one's enemies could be subdued with one's fists only, where would be the need of swords and spears, of javelins and bows and cross-bows, of maces and of clubs ? — if trees could be climbed by clambering up them with the aid of the knots and of the crooked and hollow places in them, of the thorny excrescences and creepers and branches growing on them, what would be the need of going in quest of ladders long and strong ? — if sleeping on the bare ground gave 1 That is, Pa/C-ina, Avanti, and Dakkhiwapatha (say the East, the Upper Ganges Valley, and the Dekkan). 2 The full list is given in the note at ' Vinaya Texts,' II, 146. 3 This Buddhist way of looking on the gods as laymen has been already referred to above in the note on p. 20 of the Pali, I, 32 of the translation.

ease to the limbs *, wh)r should one seek after fine large beds, soft to the touch ? — if one could cross the desert alone, inaccessible though it be, and full of danger and fear, why need one wait for a grand caravan, well armed and well equipped ? — if a man were able by his own arms to cross a flowing river, what need he care for firm dykes or boats ? — if he could provide board and lodging for himself out of his own property, why should he trouble to do service to others, to flatter with sweet words, to run to and fro ? — when he can get water from a natural pool, why should he dig wells and tanks and artificial ponds ? And just so, venerable Nagasena, if laymen, living at home and enjoying the pleasures of sense, can realise in themselves the condition of Peace, the Supreme Good, Nirvana, what is the need of taking upon oneself these vows ?' 6. ' There are, O king, these twenty-eight good qualities in the vows, virtues really inherent in them ; and on account of these all the Buddhas alike have longed for them and held them dear. And what are the twenty-eight ? The keeping of the vows, O king, implies a mode of livelihood without evil, it has a blissful calm as its fruit, it avoids blame, it works no harm to others, it is free from danger, it brings no trouble on' others, it is certain to bring with it growth in goodness, it wastes not away, it deludes not, it is in itself a protection 2, it works the satisfaction of desires and the taming of all beings, it is good for self-

1 Dhatu-samata, for which Hina/i-kumbure (p. 511) has Dhatu-samanaya. 2 Hina/i-kumbure, p. 512, takes arakkha-patthitadadaw as one compound. control, it is appropriate \ (he who keeps the vows) is self-dependent 2, is emancipated 3, the keeping of them is the destruction of lust, and of malice, and of dullness ; it is the pulling away of pride, the cutting off of evil thoughts, the removal of doubts, the suppression of sloth, the putting away of discontent ; it is long-suffering, its merit is beyond weight, and its virtue beyond measure, and it is the path that leads to the end of every grief. These, O king, are the twenty-eight good qualities in the vows ; [352] and it is on account of these that all the Buddhas alike have longed for them and held them dear. 7. 'And whosoever, O king, thoroughly carry out the vows, they become completely endowed with eighteen good qualities. What are these eighteen ? Their walk is pure, their path is accomplished, well guarded are they in deed and word, altogether pure are they in manners and in mind, their zeal flags not, all their fears are allayed, all delusions (as to the permanence and as to the degree) of their individuality have been put away, anger has died away while love (to all beings) 4 has arisen in their hearts, in taking nourishment they eat it with the three right views regarding food 5, they are honoured of

1 Pa/irupam, probably 'to the life of a recluse,' but the Sinhalese takes it to mean 'to the doctrine' (s as ana). 2 Anissitan. See the note above on the translation of p. 321 of the Pali. 'Independent of craving' (tr/shwa), says the Sinhalese. 3 Vippamuttan. Of trz'sh n a, says the Sinhalese again. 4 Metta, which always has the connotation. Hina/i-kumbure accordingly renders it sakala-satwayan kerehi maitreya. 5 Aharo pari«/7ato. The three right views are, 1 as to its nature, 2 as to its impurity, 3 as to the lust of taste. all men, they are temperate in eating, they are full of watchfulness, they need no home, wheresoever is a pleasant spot there do they dwell, they loathe to do ill, they take delight in solitude, they are in earnest always. These, O king, are the good qualities with which they who carry out the vows are completely endowed. 8. ' And these ten, O king, are the individuals worthy of those advantages inherent in the vows — the man full of faith, ashamed to do wrong, full of courage, void of hypocrisy, master of himself, not unstable1, desirous to learn, glad to undertake the task that is hard, not easy to take offence, of a loving heart. These, O king, are the ten individuals worthy of those advantages inherent in the vows.

9. ' And all they, O king, who as laymen, living at home and in the enjoyment of the pleasures of sense, realise in themselves the condition of Peace, the Supreme Good, Nirvana, — all they had in former births accomplished their training, laid the foundation, in the practice of the thirteen vows, had purified their walk and conduct by means of them ; and so now, even as laymen, living at home and in the enjoyment of the pleasures of sense, do they realise in themselves the condition of Peace, the Supreme Good, Nirvana. Just, O king, as a clever archer first in regular succession teaches his pupils at the training ground the different kinds of bows, the manner of holding the bow up, and of keeping it in a firm grasp, and of bending the fingers, and of planting the feet, and of taking up the arrow, and of placing it on 1 Alolo, 'not greedy after the four requisites of a recluse,' says the Sinhalese, p. 514. the string, and of drawing it back, and of restraining it, and of aiming at the mark, and thus of hitting1 a man of straw, or targets made of the AV/a^aka plant2, or of grass, or of straw, or of masses of clay, or of shields 3 — and after that, introducing them to the service of the king, he gains the reward of high-bred chargers and chariots and elephants and horses and money and corn and red gold and slave girls and slaves and wives and lands. [353] Just so, O king, all they who as laymen, living at home in the enjoyment of the pleasures of sense, realise in themselves the condition of Peace, the Supreme Good, Nirvana, — all they had in former births accomplished their training, laid the foundation, in the practice of the thirteen vows, had purified their walk and conduct by means of them ; and so now, even as laymen, and living at home in the enjoyment of the pleasures of sense, do they realise in themselves the condition of Peace, the Supreme Good, Nirvana.

10. ' And there is no realisation of Arahatship, O king, in one single life, without a previous keeping of the vows. Only on the utmost zeal and the most devoted practice of righteousness, and with the aid of a suitable teacher, is the realisation of Arahatship attained. Just, O king, as a doctor or surgeon first procures for himself a teacher, either by the payment of a fee or by the performance of service, and then 1 Vedhe. I follow Mr. Trenckner, but the Sinhalese translation is based on the reading Vede. 2 The Sinhalese takes this word in composition with the following tina. and spells it Ganakaya. Compare A"a«aka, 'a chick pea/ • 3 Phalaka. But Hina/i-kumbure, p. 514, takes it in the technical sense of a kind of rough roller, made of the wood apple tree (dimbul poru), and used for levelling rice-fields. YT, r2. OF MILINDA THE KING. 255 thoroughly trains himself in holding the lancet, in cutting, marking, or piercing with it, in extracting darts, in cleansing wounds, in causing them to dryup, in the application of ointments, in the administration of emetics and purges and oily enemas, and only when he has thus gone through training, served his apprenticeship, made himself skilful, does he visit the sick to heal them. Just so, O king, all they who as laymen, living at home in the enjoyment of the pleasures of sense, realise in themselves the condition of Peace, the Supreme Good, Nirvana, — all they had in former births accomplished their training, laid the foundation, in the practice of the thirteen vows, had purified their walk and conduct by means of them ; and so now, even as laymen, and living at home in the enjoyment of the pleasures of sense, do they realise in themselves the condition of Peace, the Supreme Good, Nirvana.