Book VI: The Solving of Dilemmas: Chapter 1

'Sir, even the water in a small tank could not be so made to retire, how much less the waters of the great ocean!' 'By this know then the force of Truth. There is no place to which it does not reach.' 47. 'When Asoka the righteous ruler, O king, as he stood one day at the city of Pâtaliputta in the midst of the townsfolk and the country people, of his officers and his servants, and his ministers of state, beheld the Ganges river as it rolled along filled up by freshets from the hills, full to the brim and overflowing--that mighty stream five hundred leagues in length, and a league in breadth--he said to his officers: "Is there any one, my good friends, who is able to make this great Ganges flow backwards and up stream?" '"Nay, Sire, impossible," said they. 'Now a certain courtesan, Bindumatî by name, was in the crowd there at the river side, [122] and she heard people repeat the question that the king had asked. Then she said to herself: "Here am I, a p. 183 harlot, in this city of Pâtaliputta, by the sale of my body do I gain my livelihood, I follow the meanest of vocations. Let the king behold the power of an Act of Truth performed even by such as I." And she performed an Act of Truth 1. And that moment the mighty Ganges, roaring and raging, rolled back, up stream, in the sight of all the people! 'Then when the king heard the din and the noise of the movement of the waves of the whirlpools of the mighty Ganges, amazed, and struck with awe and wonder, he said to his officers: "How is this, that the great Ganges is flowing backwards?"

'Then when the king heard the din and the noise of the movement of the waves of the whirlpools of the mighty Ganges, amazed, and struck with awe and wonder, he said to his officers: "How is this, that the great Ganges is flowing backwards?" 'And they told him what had happened. Then filled with emotion the king went himself in haste and asked the courtesan: "Is it true what they say, that it is by your Act of Truth that this Ganges has been forced to flow backwards?" '"Yes, Sire," said she. 'And the king asked: "How have you such power in the matter? Or who is it who takes your words to heart (and carries them out)? By what authority is it that you, insignificant as you are 2, have been able to make this mighty river flow backwards?" 'And she replied: "It is by the power of Truth, great king." 'But the king said: "How can that power be in you--you, a woman of wicked and loose life, p. 184 devoid of virtue, under no restraint 1, sinful, who have overstepped all limits, and are full of transgression, and live on the plunder of fools? " '"It is true, O king, what you say. That is just the kind of creature I am. But even in such a one as I so great is the power of the Act of Truth that I could turn the whole world of gods and men upside down by it." 'Then the king said: "What is this Act of Truth? Come now, let me hear about it." '"Whosoever, O king, gives me gold--be he a noble or a brahman or a tradesman or a servant--I regard them all alike. When I see he is a noble I make no distinction in his favour. If I know him to be a slave I despise him not. Free alike from fawning and from dislike do I do service to him who has bought me. This, your Majesty, is the basis of the Act of Truth by the force of which I turned the Ganges back."'

48. 'Thus, O king, is it that there is nothing which those who are stedfast to the truth may not enjoy. And so king Sivi gave his eyes away to him who begged them of him, [123] and he received eyes from heaven, and that happened by his Act of Truth. But what is said in the Sutta that when the eye of flesh is destroyed, and the cause of it, the basis of it, is removed, then can no divine eye arise, that is only said of the eye, the insight, that arises out of contemplation. And thus, O king, should you take it.' 'Well said, Nâgasena! You have admirably p. 185 solved the dilemma I put to you; you have rightly explained the point in which I tried to prove you wrong; you have thoroughly overcome the adversary. The thing is so, and I accept it thus 1.' ____________________ [Here ends the dilemma as to king Sivi's Act of Truth.] ____________________ [THE DILEMMA AS TO CONCEPTION. 49. This dilemma goes into details which can be best consulted in the Pâli.] ____________________ [THE DURATION OF THE FAITH.] 55. 'Venerable Nâgasena, it has been said by the Blessed One: "But now the good law, Ânanda, will only stand fast for five hundred years 2." But on the other hand the Blessed One declared, just before p. 186 his death, in response to the question put by Subhadda the recluse: "But if in this system the brethren live the perfect life, then the world would not be bereft of Arahats 1." This last phrase is absolute, inclusive; it cannot be explained away. If the first of these statements be correct, the second is misleading, if the second be right the first must be false. [131] This too is a double-pointed question, more confused than the jungle, more powerful than a strong man, more knotty than a knot. It is now put to you. Show the extent of the power of your knowledge, like a leviathan in the midst of the sea.'

56. 'The Blessed One, O king, did make both those statements you have quoted. But they are different one from the other both in the spirit and in the letter. The one deals with the limit of the duration of the doctrine 2, the other with the practice of a religious life--two things widely distinct, as far removed one from the other as the zenith is from the surface of the earth, as heaven is from purgatory, as good is from evil, and as pleasure is from pain. But though that be so, yet lest your enquiry should be vain, I will expound the matter further in its essential connection.' 57. 'When the Blessed One said that the good law 3 would only endure for five hundred years, he said so declaring the time of its destruction, limiting the remainder of its existence. For he said: "The good law, Ânanda, would endure for a thousand years if no women had been admitted to the p. 187 [paragraph continues] Order. But now, Ânanda, it will only last five hundred years." But in so saying, O king, did the Blessed One either foretell the disappearance of the good law, or throw blame on the clear understanding thereof?' 'Certainly not, Sir.' 'Just so. It was a declaration of injury done, an announcement of the limit of what remained. As when a man whose income had been diminished might announce publicly, making sure of what remained: "So much property have I lost; so much is still left"--[132] so did the Blessed One make known to gods and men what remained when he announced what had been lost by saying: "The good law will now, Ânanda, endure for five hundred years." In so saying he was fixing a limit to religion. But when in speaking to Subhadda, and by way of proclaiming who were the true Samanas, he said: "But if, in this system, the brethren live the perfect life, then the world would not be bereft of Arahats"--in so saying he was declaring in what religion consisted. You have confounded the limitation of a thing with the statement of what it is. But if you like I will tell you what the real connection between the two is. Listen carefully, and attend trustfully to what I say.'

58. 'Suppose, O king, there were a reservoir quite full of fresh cool water, overflowing at the brim, but limited in size and with an embankment running all round it. Now if, when the water had not abated in that tank, a mighty cloud were to rain down rain continually, and in addition, on to the water already in it, would the amount of water in the tank decrease or come to an end?' p. 188 'Certainly not, Sir.' 'But why not, O king?' 'Because of the Continual downpour of the rain.' 'Just so, O king, is the glorious reservoir of the good law of the teaching of the Conqueror ever full of the clear fresh cool water of the practice of duty and virtue and morality and purity of life, and continues overflowing all limits even to the very highest heaven of heavens. And if the children of the Buddha rain down into it continuously, and in addition, the rainfall of still further practice of duty and virtue and morality and purity of life, then will it endure for long, and the world will not be bereft of Arahats. This was the meaning of the Master's words when he said: "But if, Subhadda, in this system the brethren continue in perfectness of life, then will the world not be bereft of Arahats."' 59. 'Now suppose again, O king, that people were to continually supply a mighty fiery furnace with dried cow-dung, and dry sticks, and dry leaves--would that fire go out?' [133] 'No indeed, Sir. Rather would it blaze more fiercely, and burn more brightly.'

[133] 'No indeed, Sir. Rather would it blaze more fiercely, and burn more brightly.' 'Just so, O king, does the glorious teaching of the Conqueror blaze and shine over the ten thousand world systems by the practice of duty and virtue and morality and purity of life. And if, O king, in addition to that, the children of the Buddha, devoting themselves to the five 1 kinds of spiritual exertion, continue zealous in effort--if cultivating a longing for the threefold discipline, they train themselves therein-- p. 189 if without ceasing they carry out to the full the conduct that is right, and absolutely avoid all that is wrong, and practise righteousness of life--then will this glorious doctrine of the Conqueror stand more and more stedfast as the years roll on, and the world will not be bereft of Arahats. It was in reference to this, O king, that the Master spake when he said: "But if, Subhadda, in this system the brethren continue in perfectness of life, then will the world not be bereft of Arahats."' 60. 'Again, O king, suppose people were to continually polish with fine soft red powder a stainless mirror that was already bright and shining, well polished, smooth, and glossy, would dirt and dust and mud arise on its surface?' 'No indeed,--Sir. Rather would it become to a certainty even more stainless than before.' 'Just so, O king, is the glorious doctrine of the Conqueror stainless by nature, and altogether free from the dust and dirt of evil. And if the children of the Buddha cleanse it by the virtue arising from the shaking off, the eradication of evil, from the practice of duty and virtue and morality and purity of life, then will this glorious doctrine endure for long, and the world will not be bereft of Arahats. It was in reference to this that the Blessed One spake when he said: "But if, Subhadda, in this system the brethren continue in righteousness of life, then will not the world be bereft of Arahats." For the teaching of the Master, O king, has its root in conduct, has conduct as its essence, and stands fast so long as conduct does not decline 1.'

p. 190 61. 'Venerable Nâgasena, when you speak of the disappearance of the good law, what do you mean by its disappearance?' 'There are three modes of the disappearance, O king, of a system of doctrine. And what are the three? The decline of attainment to an intellectual grasp of it, the decline of conduct in accordance with it, and the decline of its outward form 1. [134] When the attainment of it ceases, then even the man who conducts himself aright in it has no clear understanding of it. By the decline of conduct the promulgation of the rules of discipline ceases, only the outward form of the religion remains. When the outward form has ceased, the succession of the tradition is cut off. These are the three forms of the disappearance of a system of doctrine.' 'You have well explained, venerable Nâgasena, this dilemma so profound, and have made it plain. You have loosed the knot; you have destroyed the arguments of the adversary, broken them in pieces, proved them wrong--you, O best of the leaders of schools!' ____________________ [Here ends the dilemma as to the duration of the faith.] ____________________ [THE BUDDHA'S SINLESSNESS.] 62. 'Venerable Nâgasena, had the Blessed One, when he became a Buddha, burnt out all evil in himself, or was there still some evil remaining in him?' p. 191 'He had burnt out all evil. There was none left.' 'But how, Sir? Did not the Tathâgata get hurt in his body?'

'But how, Sir? Did not the Tathâgata get hurt in his body?' 'Yes, O king. At Râgagaha a splinter of rock pierced his foot 1, and once he suffered from dysentery 2, and once when the humours of his body were disturbed a purge was administered to him 3, and once when he was troubled with wind the Elder who waited on him (that is Ânanda) gave him hot water 4.' 'Then, Sir, if the Tathâgata, on his becoming a Buddha, has destroyed all evil in himself--this other statement that his foot was pierced by a splinter, that he had dysentery, and so on, must be false. But if they are true, then he cannot have been free from evil, for there is no pain without Karma. All pain has its root in Karma, it is on account of Karma that suffering arises 5. This double-headed dilemma is put to you, and you have to solve it.' 63. 'No, O king. It is not all suffering that has its root in Karma. There are eight causes by which sufferings arise, by which many beings suffer pain. And what are the eight? Superabundance of wind, [135] and of bile, and of phlegm, the union of these humours, variations in temperature, the avoiding of p. 192 dissimilarities, external agency, and Karma. From each of these there are some sufferings that arise, and these are the eight causes by which many beings suffer pain. And therein whosoever maintains that it is Karma that injures beings, and besides it there is no other reason for pain, his proposition is false.'

dissimilarities, external agency, and Karma. From each of these there are some sufferings that arise, and these are the eight causes by which many beings suffer pain. And therein whosoever maintains that it is Karma that injures beings, and besides it there is no other reason for pain, his proposition is false.' 'But, Sir, all the other seven kinds of pain have each of them also Karma as its origin, for they are all produced by Karma.' 'If, O king, all diseases were really derived from Karma then there would be no characteristic marks by which they could be distinguished one from the other. When the wind is disturbed, it is so in one or other of ten ways--by cold, or by heat, or by hunger, or by thirst, or by over eating, or by standing too long, or by over exertion, or by walking too fast, or by medical treatment, or as the result of Karma. Of these ten, nine do not act in a past life or in a future life, but in one's present existence. Therefore it is not right to say that all pain is due to Karma. When the bile, O king, is deranged it is so in one or other of three ways--by cold, or by heat, or by improper food. When the phlegm is disturbed it is so by cold, or by heat, or by food and drink. When either of these three humours are disturbed or mixed, it brings about its own special, distinctive pain. Then there are the special pains arising from variations in temperature, avoidance of dissimilarities, and external agency 1. And there is the act that has Karma as its fruit, and the pain so brought about arising from the act done. So what

p. 193 arises as the fruit of Karma is much less than that which arises from other causes. And the ignorant go too far [136] when they say that every pain is produced as the fruit of Karma. No one without a Buddha's insight can fix the extent of the action of Karma.' 64. 'Now when the Blessed One's foot was torn by a splinter of rock, the pain that followed was not produced by any other of the eight causes I have mentioned, but only by external agency. For Devadatta, O king, had harboured hatred against the Tathâgata during a succession of hundreds of thousands of births 1. It was in his hatred that he seized hold of a mighty mass of rock, and pushed it over with the hope that it would fall upon his head. But two other rocks came together, and intercepted it before it had reached the Tathâgata; and by the force of their impact a splinter was torn off, and fell upon the Blessed One's foot, and made it bleed. Now this pain must have been produced in the Blessed One either as the result of his own Karma, or of some one else's act. For beyond these two there can be no other kind of pain. It is as when a seed does not germinate--that must be due either to the badness of the soil, or to a defect in the seed. Or it is as when food is not digested--that must be due either to a defect in the stomach, or to the badness of the food.' 65. 'But although the Blessed One never suffered pain which was the result of his own Karma, or brought about the avoidance of dissimilarity 2, yet

65. 'But although the Blessed One never suffered pain which was the result of his own Karma, or brought about the avoidance of dissimilarity 2, yet p. 194 he suffered pain from each of the other six causes. And by the pain he could suffer it was not possible to deprive him of life. There come to this body of ours, O king, compounded of the four elements 1, sensations desirable and the reverse, pleasant and unpleasant. Suppose, O king, a clod of earth were to be thrown into the air, and to fall again on to the ground. Would it be in consequence of any act it had previously done that it would so fall?' 'No, Sir. There is no reason in the broad earth by which it could experience the result of an act either good or evil. It would be by reason of a present cause [137] independent of Karma that the clod would fall to earth again.' 'Well, O king, the Tathâgata should be regarded as the broad earth. And as the clod would fall on it irrespective of any act done by it, so also was it irrespective of any act done by him that that splinter of rock fell upon his foot.' 66. 'Again, O king, men tear up and plough the earth. But is that a result of any act previously done?' 'Certainly not, Sir.' 'Just so with the falling of that splinter. And the dysentery which attacked him was in the same way the result of no previous act, it arose from the union of the three humours. And whatsoever bodily disease fell upon him, that had its origin, not in Karma, but in one or other of the six causes referred to. For it has been said, O king, by the Blessed One, by him who is above all gods, in the glorious collection called the Samyutta Nikâya in

p. 195 the prose Sutta, called after Moliya Sîvaka: "There are certain pains which arise in the world, Sîvaka, from bilious humour. And you ought to know for a certainty which those are, for it is a matter of common knowledge in the world which they are. But those Samanas and Brahmans, Sîvaka, who are of the opinion and proclaim the view that whatsoever pleasure, or pain, or indifferent sensation, any man experiences, is always due to a previous act--they go beyond certainty, they go beyond knowledge, and therein do I say they are wrong. And so also of those pains which arise from the phlegmatic humour, or from the windy humour, or from the union of the three, or from variation in temperature, or from avoidance of dissimilarity, [138] or from external action, or as the result of Karma. In each case you should know for a certainty which those are, for it is a matter of common knowledge which they are. But those Samanas or Brahmans who are of the opinion or the view that whatsoever pleasure, or pain, or indifferent sensation, any man may experience, that is always due to a previous act--they go beyond certainty, they go beyond common knowledge. And therein do I say they are wrong." So, O king, it is not all pain that is the result of Karma. And you should accept as a fact that when the Blessed One became a Buddha he had burnt out all evil from within him.' 'Very good, Nâgasena! It is so; and I accept it as you say.'

'Very good, Nâgasena! It is so; and I accept it as you say.' ____________________ [Here ends the dilemma as to the Buddha's sinlessness.] p. 196 [ON THE ADVANTAGES OF MEDITATION 1.] 67. 'Venerable Nâgasena, your people say that everything which a Tathâgata has to accomplish that had the Blessed One already carried out when he sat at the foot of the Tree of Wisdom 2. There was then nothing that he had yet to do, nothing that he had to add to what he had already done. But then there is also talk of his having immediately afterwards remained plunged for three months in ecstatic contemplation 3. If the first statement be correct, then the second must be false. And if the second be right, then the first must be wrong. There is no need of any contemplation to him who has already accomplished his task. It is the man who still has something left to do, who has to think about it. [139] It is the sick man who has need of medicine, not the healthy; the hungry man who has need of food, not the man whose hunger is quenched. This too is a double-headed dilemma, and you have to solve it!' 68. 'Both statements, O king, are true. Contemplation p. 197 has many virtues. All the Tathâgatas attained, in contemplation, to Buddhahood, and practised it in the recollection of its good qualities. And they did so in the same way as a man who had received high office from a king would, in the recollection of its advantages, of the prosperity he enjoyed by means of it, remain constantly in attendance on that king--in the same way as a man who, having been afflicted and pained with a dire disease, and having recovered his health by the use of medicine, would use the same medicine again and again, calling to mind its virtue.'

69. 'And there are, O king, these twenty and eight good qualities of meditation in the perception of which the Tathâgatas devoted themselves to it. And which are they? Meditation preserves him who meditates, it gives him long life, and endows him with power, it cleanses him from faults, it removes from him any bad reputation giving him a good name, it destroys discontent in him filling him with content, it releases him from all fear endowing him with confidence, it removes sloth far from him filling him with zeal, it takes away lust and ill-will and dullness, it puts an end to pride, it breaks down all doubt, it makes his heart to be at peace, it softens his mind, [140] it makes him glad, it makes him grave, it gains him much advantage, it makes him worthy of reverence, it fills him with joy, it fills him with delight, it shows him the transitory nature of all compounded things, it puts an end to rebirth, it obtains for him all the benefits of renunciation. These, O king, are the twenty and eight virtues of meditation on the perception of which the Tathâgatas devote themselves to it. But it is because p. 198 the Tathâgatas, O king, long for the enjoyment of the bliss of attainment, of the joy of the tranquil state of Nirvâna, that they devote themselves to meditation, with their minds fixed on the end they aim at. 70. 'And there are four, reasons for which the Tathâgatas, O king, devote themselves to meditation. And what are the four? That they may dwell at ease, O king--and on account of the abundance of the advantages of meditation, advantages without drawback--and on account of its being the road to all noble things without exception-and because it has been praised and lauded and exalted and magnified by all the Buddhas. These are the reasons for which the Tathâgatas devote themselves to it. So it is not, great king, because they have anything left to do, or anything to add to what they have already accomplished, but because they have perceived how diversified are the advantages it possesses, that they devote themselves to meditation.'

'Very good, Nâgasena! That is so, and I accept it as you say.' ____________________ [Here ends the dilemma as to meditation.] ____________________ [THE LIMIT OF THREE MONTHS.] 71. 'Venerable Nâgasena, it has been said by the Blessed One: "The Tathâgata, Ânanda, has thought out and thoroughly practised, developed, accumulated, and ascended to the very height of the four paths to saintship 1, and so mastered them as to be able to use them as a means of mental advancement, and as a basis for edification--and he therefore, Ânanda, p. 199 should he desire it, might remain alive for a Kalpa, or for that portion of a Kalpa which has yet to run 1." And again he said: "At the end of three months from this time the Tathâgata will die 2." If the first of these statements were true, then the limit of three months must have been false. If the second were true, [141] then the first must have been false. For the Tathâgatas boast not without an occasion, the Blessed Buddhas speak no misleading words, but they utter truth, and speak sincerely. This too is a double-headed dilemma, profound, subtle, hard to expound. It is now put to you. Tear in sunder this net of heresy, put it on one side, break in pieces the arguments of the adversary!' 72. 'Both these statements, O king, were made by the Blessed One. But Kalpa in that connection means the duration of a man's life. And the Blessed One, O king, was not exalting his own power when he said so, but he was exalting the power of Saintship. It was as if a king were possessed of a horse most swift of foot, who could run like the wind. And in order to exalt the power of his speed the king were to say in the presence of all his court-townsfolk and country folk, hired servants and men of war, brahmins, nobles, and officers: "If he wished it this noble steed of mine could cross the earth to its ocean boundary, and be back here again, in a moment 3!"

p. 200 [paragraph continues] Now though he did not try to test the horse's speed in the presence of the court, yet it had that speed, and was, really able to go along over the earth to its ocean boundary in a moment. Just so, O king, the Blessed One spake as he did in praise of the power of saintship, and so spake seated in the midst of gods and men, and of the men of the threefold wisdom and the sixfold insight--the Arahats pure and free from stain--when he said: "The Tathâgata, Ânanda, has thought out and practised, developed, accumulated, and ascended to the very height of the four powers of saintship, and so mastered them as to be able to use them as a means of mental advancement, as a basis for edification. And he therefore, Ânanda, should he desire it, might remain alive for a Kalpa, or the part of a Kalpa that has yet to run." And there was that power, O king, in the Tathâgata, he could have remained alive for that time: and yet he did not show that power in the midst [142] of that assembly. The Blessed One, O king, is free from desire as respects all conditions of future life, and has condemned them all. For it has been said, O king, by the Blessed One: "Just, O Bhikkhus, as a very small quantity of excrement is of evil smell, so do I find no beauty in the very smallest degree of future life, not even in such for the time of the snapping of the fingers 1." Now would the Blessed One, O king, who thus looked upon all sorts and conditions of future life

p. 201 as dung have nevertheless, simply because of his power of Iddhi, harboured a craving desire for future life?' 'Certainly not, Sir.' 'Then it must have been to exalt the power of Iddhi that he gave utterance to such a boast.' 'Very good, Nâgasena! It is so, and I accept it as you say. ____________________ [Here ends the dilemma as to the three months.] ____________________ Here ends the First Chapter. 137:1 Vasanto tassa khâyâya, literally 'abiding under his shadow.' Compare Gâtaka I, 91. 138:1 Patisîsakam. See Gâtaka II, 197. 140:1 It is not known where the verses here (or the others quoted in these two pages) are taken from. 141:1 Pabhiggati in the text appears not to be an old error. The Simhalese repeats it, but leaves it untranslated. 142:1 Viseso. It does not say in what, and the Simhalese simply repeats the word. 142:2 Sallâpo na kâtabbo. The Simhalese merely repeats the word, which is often used without any bad connotation. See, for instance, Gâtaka I, 112. 142:3 So that, in the author's opinion, there is no 'Esoteric Doctrine' in true Buddhism. See the note, below, on 1V, 4, 8. 143:1 So also in the Vinaya (Mahâvagga I, 2 5, 6). 143:2 In the well-known passage in the Vinaya in which the mutual duties of pupils and teachers are set out in full (Mahâvagga I, 25, 26, translated in the 'Vinaya Texts,' vol. i, pp. 154 and foll.) there is a similar injunction (25, 22 = 26, 10) which throws light on the meaning of dhammena here.

143:2 In the well-known passage in the Vinaya in which the mutual duties of pupils and teachers are set out in full (Mahâvagga I, 25, 26, translated in the 'Vinaya Texts,' vol. i, pp. 154 and foll.) there is a similar injunction (25, 22 = 26, 10) which throws light on the meaning of dhammena here. 143:3 Apagata-kotûhala-mangaliko. 'Laying aside the erroneous views and discipline called kotûhala and mangaliko,' says the Simhalese. 144:1 'Because honours should be paid, in the way of worship, to those who have so passed away, and to them only,' is the implied suggestion, as if it were common ground to the Buddhists and their opponents. But there is no such doctrine in the Pâli Pitakas, and could not be. The whole discussion breathes the spirit of a later time. 145:1 Apatta-mânâsanam. 'Of those who have not attained to the insight of the Arahats,' says the Simhalese by way of gloss. 145:2 This verse is not found in our printed texts. The Thera Gâthâ (981-1017) has preserved thirty-seven of the verses attributed to Sâriputta, but this is not one of them. 145:3 Hînati-kumburê, who quotes the Pâli verses, reads pûgayantâ, and sâdîyanti. 146:1 Tisso sampattiyo. That is, to another life as a man, or as a god, or to Arahatship here, on earth, in this birth. 148:1 That is, the three fires of lust, ill-will, and delusion, the going out of which is the state called, par excellence, 'the going out' (Nirvâna).

148:1 That is, the three fires of lust, ill-will, and delusion, the going out of which is the state called, par excellence, 'the going out' (Nirvâna). 150:1 Book of the Great Decease, VI, 1, translated in 'Buddhist Suttas,' p. 112. 154:1 This title and the subsequent ones to the various questions are added from the Simhalese. They are probably the same titles as those referred to by Mr. Trenckner in his preface as being in his Burmese MS. 154:2 So again below, § 27. 154:3 An ammana is about four bushels. 154:4 Mr. Trenckner has marked this passage as corrupt, and I do not pretend to understand it either. The Simhalese is also very p. 155 involved and confused. I have added the words in brackets from the Simhalese, and translated the rest according to the general sense of the Simhalese and the figures of the Pâli. Hardy gives his 'version' at p. 386 of the 'Manual of Buddhism.' It says, 'In one load of rice there are 63,660,000 grains. Each of these grains can be separately considered by Buddha in a moment of time. In that moment the seven-times gifted mind exercises this power.' The last sentence is a misunderstanding of the opening words of our next section (IV, i, 20). 155:1 That is, of the Excellent Way. They are the three Fetters--Delusion of self, Doubt, and Dependence on rites and ceremonies and outward morality--which the Sotâpanno has conquered, broken. 156:1 Disciples who will return only once to this world, there attain Arahatship, and therefore pass away.

156:1 Disciples who will return only once to this world, there attain Arahatship, and therefore pass away. 157:1 Who will not return even once to this world, but attain Arahatship in heaven. 157:2 This is noteworthy, for their mind is not yet quite clear as regards the higher five stages. But it is on all fours with the last section. 157:3 Lust, becoming, delusion, and ignorance. 157:4 Kilesâ. 157:5 Parikkîna-bhava-samyoganâ. 157:6 Patta-patisambhidâ. 159:1 That is as distinguished from the last--not only themselves enlightened, but able to teach, leaders of men. 160:1 There is surely something wrong here; either in the Pâli, or in my interpretation of it, which follows the Simhalese (p. 130). 160:2 Here the opening argument of § 17 is again taken up. 162:1 At III, 6, 2 there is another problem raised as to the omniscience of the Buddha. 162:2 He is the Judas of the Buddhist story, who tried to have the Buddha killed, and to seduce his disciples from him. 163:1 Hînati-kumburê takes kulâ as an ablative. 163:2 These are all termini technici in Buddhist canon law. The meaning is that other divisions in the Order do not amount technically to schism. See the Kullavagga VII, 1, 27, &c. 165:1 Kâruññabalopatthaddha. Compare Gâtaka, vol. i, verse 267, and Sutta Vibhanga I, 10, 7. 166:1 Gaddûhanam pi. It is the Sanskrit dadrûghna. 166:2 Âdeyya-vakano. See my note, Kullavagga VI, 4, 8, and also Puggala Paññatti III, 12, and Pañka Gati Dîpana, 98.

166:2 Âdeyya-vakano. See my note, Kullavagga VI, 4, 8, and also Puggala Paññatti III, 12, and Pañka Gati Dîpana, 98. 167:1 Literally, 'is the best of these eight'--the eight being those walking in the Excellent Way, the four magga-samangino and the four phala-samangino. See Puggala Paññatti VIII, 1. 167:2 The Simhalese inserts a paragraph here not found in Mr. Trenckner's text. 167:3 See above, p. 158. 168:1 The interpretation of some of the medical terms in this paragraph is very uncertain. See pp. 134, 252, 304 of the text. 170:1 From the Book of the Great Decease, III, 13, translated at p. 45 of my 'Buddhist Suttas,' vol. xi in this series. 170:2 See the Vessantara Gâtaka, and compare Gâtaka I, p. 74. 174:1 From the Kariyâ Pitaka I, ix, 52. See Dr. Morris's edition for the Pâli Text Society, p. 81. 175:1 On this sentiment Mr. Trenckner calls attention to the analogous phrases at Dhammapada, verse 223. 175:2 Sînapattâ: which the Simhalese renders polo talehi kal gewî patra wœtîmata pœminiyâwu wrikshayo. 175:3 Fabulous beings supposed to occupy these fabulous waters. 176:1 This conception of the earth resting on water and the water on air is Indian, and forms no part of distinctively Buddhist teaching. 176:2 Mahati-mahâ-pariyogo; not in Childers nor in the Sanskrit Petersburg Dictionary. Hînati-kumburê renders it itâ mahat wu mahâ bhâganayak. 177:1 Ummâ-puppha; rendered diya-mendiri-pushpa in the Simhalese. Clough gives diyameneri as a plant 'commelina cucullata.'

177:1 Ummâ-puppha; rendered diya-mendiri-pushpa in the Simhalese. Clough gives diyameneri as a plant 'commelina cucullata.' 177:2 2 Sirîsa-puppha; rendered mârâ-pushpa in the Simhalese, mârâ being the seed of the 'adenanthera pavonia.' 177:3 Suriya-kanto, which the Simhalese merely repeats. 177:4 Kanda-kanta; and so also in the Simhalese. These are mythic gems, supposed to be formed out of the rays of the sun and moon respectively, and visible only when they shine. 177:5 The Simhalese has kaggopakramaya, which is not in Clough. 177:6 Masâra-galla, which the Simhalese renders by masâra-galya, which Böhtlingk-Roth think is sapphire or smaragd, and Clough renders 'emerald,' and the commentary on the Abhidhâna Padîpikâ, quoted by Childers, says is a stone produced in the hill of Masâra (otherwise unknown). On similar lists of gems elsewhere see the Kullavagga IX, 1, 3, and my note at pp. 249, 250 of the 'Buddhist Suttas' (vol. xi of the 'Sacred Books of the East'). 177:7 So also in the Mahâ-Sudassana Sutta I, 32, translated in the 'Buddhist Suttas,' p. 256. Compare above, p. 35 of the text. 178:1 There is here a long paragraph in the Simhalese omitted in the Pâli. 178:2 Nibbâhana; rendered abhiwarddhiya in the Simhalese. 179:1 The story is given at length in the Sivi Gâtaka, No. 499 (vol. iv) pp. 401-412 of Professor Fausböll's edition). 179:2 There is nothing in the text of the Gâtaka (p. 410) of the new eyes being 'divine' or 'from heaven.' There new, ordinary eyes arose to him as the result of his virtue.

179:2 There is nothing in the text of the Gâtaka (p. 410) of the new eyes being 'divine' or 'from heaven.' There new, ordinary eyes arose to him as the result of his virtue. 179:3 Sa-kasatam. 'Kasata cannot mean simply 'insipid' as Dr. Edward Müller suggests at p. 43 of his 'Pâli Grammar,' for it is opposed to dullness, insipidity (manda) at Anguttara II, 5, 5. It must mean there 'wrong, not only by omission, but by commission.' Compare its use in the Dhammapada Commentary, p. 275; Gâtaka I, 108, II, 97; and in the commentary on the Puggala IV, 24. Mr. Trenckner points out in his note that it is often written sakata, and is no doubt the same as the Sanskrit word so spelt, and given by Wilson. (It is not in Böhtlingk-Roth.) 179:4 I don't know which Sutta is referred to. 180:1 This paragraph is very different in the Simhalese, and much longer than the Pâli. 180:2 See the beautiful story of the Holy Quail (translated in my 'Buddhist Birth Stories,' p. 302), where even so weak a creature as a baby quail is able, by such a mystic Act of Truth, to drive back the great and powerful Agni, the god of fire, whom the Brahmans so much feared and worshipped. 181:1 'One who knows a powerful charm (or perhaps Vedic verse, mantra),' says Hînati-kumburê. 181:2 Sakka, literally truth. (Satya-gâyanâ in the Simhalese.) 183:1 That is to say, in the words of the Quail story (loc. cit. p. 305), she 'called to mind the attributes of the Buddhas who had passed away, and made a solemn asseveration of the faith' that she had in the truth they had taught.

183:1 That is to say, in the words of the Quail story (loc. cit. p. 305), she 'called to mind the attributes of the Buddhas who had passed away, and made a solemn asseveration of the faith' that she had in the truth they had taught. 183:2 Anummatto, which the Simhalese translates as a feminine. 184:1 Khinnikâya. Compare Gâtaka II, 114, and the Sutta Vibhanga on Pâkittiya 26. 185:1 This idea of the power of an Act of Truth which Nâgasena here relies on is most interesting and curious. The exact time at which it was introduced into Buddhism is as yet unknown. It has not been found in the Pitakas themselves, and is probably an incorporation of an older, pre-Buddhistic, belief. The person carrying it out is supposed to have some goodness, to call that virtue (and perhaps, as in the case of the quail, the goodness of the Buddhas also) to mind, and then to wish something, and that thing, however difficult, and provided there is nothing cruel in it, then comes to pass. It is analogous to the mystic power supposed to reside in names. Childers very properly points out that we have a very remarkable instance of an Act of Truth (though a very un-Buddhistic one) in the Hebrew book of the Kings II. i. 10. 'And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty: "If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty!" And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.' A great point, both in this legend and in the story of the quail, is that the power of nature to be overcome is one looked upon by the Brahmans as divine.

185:2 Kullavagga X, 1, 6, translated in 'Vinaya Texts,' vol. iii, p. 325. 186:1 Book of the Great Decease, V, 62, translated in 'Buddhist Suttas,' p. 108. 186:2 Sâsana. 186:3 Saddhammo. 188:1 Pañka-padhânangani. This is curious. In the Pitakas there are four kinds only. 189:1 There is a paragraph here in the Simhalese not found in the Pâli. 190:1 Linga, possibly 'uniform.' Either the Order or the yellow robe, for instance, if the system were Buddhism. See below, IV, (?--JBH) 191:1 See Kullavagga VII, 3, 9. 191:2 See Mahâparinibbâna Sutta IV, 21. 191:3 Mahâvagga VIII, 1, 30-33. 191:4 This is, no doubt, the occurrence recounted in the Mahâvagga VI, 17, 1-4. Childers translates vâtâbâdha by 'rheumatism,' but I adhere here to the translation adopted there. It is said in the Mahâvagga that Ânanda gave him, not hot water, but gruel. But the two are very similar, and in the Theri Gâthâ 185, referring to the same event, it is hot water that is mentioned. 191:5 That is, there can be no suffering without sin. Compare the discussion in St. John's Gospel, ch. ix. 192:1 As was pointed out above, IV, 1, 33, many of these medical terms are very doubtful. 193:1 So below, IV, 3, 28. 193:2 Visama-parihâra-gâ both in the Simhalese and the Pâli. 194:1 Water, fire, air, and earth (âpo, tego, vayo, pathavî). 196:1 Patisallâna (not samâdhi), rendered throughout in the Simhalese by wiweka. 196:2 I have not been able to find this statement in any of the Pitaka texts.

196:3 Here again our author seems to be referring to a tradition later than the Pitakas. In the Mahâvagga (see our version in the 'Vinaya Texts,' vol. i, pp. 74-81) there is mention only of four periods of seven days, and even during these not of patisallâna, but of samâdhi. The former of these two terms only occurs at the conclusion of the twenty-eight days (Mahâvagga I, 5, 2). Even in the later orthodox literature the period of meditation is still not three months, but only seven times seven days. See the passages quoted in Professor Oldenberg's note at p. 75 of the 'Vinaya Texts,' vol. i. 198:1 Kattâro iddhi-pâdâ. 199:1 Mahâparinibbâna Sutta III, 60, translated in my 'Buddhist Suttas,' pp. 57, 58. 199:2 Ibid. III, 63, translated loc. cit. p. 59. 199:3 So it is said of the 'Horse-treasure' of the Great King of Glory in the Mahâsudassana Sutta I, 29 (translated in my 'Buddhist Suttas,' p. 256), that 'it passed over along the broad earth to its very ocean boundary, and then returned again, in time for the p. 200 morning meal, to the royal city of Kusâvatî.' It is, of course, the sun horse which is meant. 200:1 I have not traced this quotation in the Pitakas, but it is probably there.