The Questions of King Milinda, Part I — SBE Vol. 35 (trans. Rhys Davids, 1890)
English·1879–1910·trans. T. W. Rhys Davids·277 passages
The text · part 10 of 14
* «By robbers,’ adds Hinasi-kumburé, so there is no question of martyrdom.
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of Iddhi. And he was nevertheless beaten to death by clubs. But that was through his being then possessed by the still greater power of Karma.’
3. ‘But, venerable NAgasena, [189] are not both of these things appurtenant to him who has the power of Iddhi—that is the extent of his power, and the result of his Karma—both alike unthinkable ? And cannot the unthinkable be held back by the unthinkable ? Just, Sir, as those who want the fruits will knock a wood apple? down with a wood apple, or a mango with a mango, so ought not the unthinkable in like manner to be subject to restraint by the unthinkable ?’
‘Even among things beyond the reach of the imagination, great king, still one is in excess above the other, one more powerful than the other. Just, O king, as the monarchs of the world are alike in kind, but among them, so alike in kind, one may overcome the rest, and bring them under his command—just so among things beyond the grasp of the imagination is the productive effect of Karma by far the most powerful. It is precisely the effect of Karma which overcomes all the rest, and has them under its rule; and no other influence is of any avail to the man in whom Karma is working out its inevitable end*. It is as when, O king, any man has committed an offence against the law‘.
' Kamm&dhigahiten4pi, which the Simhalese merely repeats. Compare the use of adhiga#hati at Anguttara Nikaya V, 31 (adhigazhati tam tena, ‘ surpasses him in that’), and see below.
* Kapittham (Feronia Elephantum), which the Simhalese renders Diwul gedi.
® ‘No good action has an opportunity at the time when evil Karma is in possession of a man,’ says Hinasi-kumburé (p. 250).
* Pakarane aparagghati, literally ‘against the book,’ the book
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® ‘No good action has an opportunity at the time when evil Karma is in possession of a man,’ says Hinasi-kumburé (p. 250).
* Pakarane aparagghati, literally ‘against the book,’ the book
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Neither his mother nor his father, neither his sisters nor his brother, neither his friends nor his intimate associates can protect him then. He has fallen therein under the power of the king who will issue his command respecting him. And why is that so? Because of the wrong that he has done. So is it precisely the effect of Karma which overcomes all other influences, and has them under its command, and no other influence can avail the man in whom Karma is working out its inevitable end. It is as when a jungle fire has arisen on the earth, then can not even a thousand pots of water avail to put it out, but the conflagration overpowers all, and brings it under its control. And why is that so? Because of the fierceness of its heat. So is it precisely the effect of Karma which overcomes all other influences, and has them under its command; and no other influence can avail the man in whom Karma is working out its inevitable end. That is why the venerable one, great king, the great Moggallana, when, at a time when he was possessed by Karma, he was being beaten to death with clubs, was yet unable to make use of his power of Iddhi'.’
‘Very good, Nagasena! That is so, and I accept it as you say.’
[Here ends the problem as to the murder of Moggallana.]
of the law being, no doubt, understood. But the Simhalese has ‘against any one.’
* Iddhiya samannahfro n4ho si. See the use of this word, which is not in Childers, at p. 123 of the Sumangala (on Digha I, 3, 24). The Simhalese goes on to much greater length than the P4li, giving the full religious life history of the famous disciple
(pp. 250, 251).
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[ON SECRET DOCTRINE. ]
123 of the Sumangala (on Digha I, 3, 24). The Simhalese goes on to much greater length than the P4li, giving the full religious life history of the famous disciple
(pp. 250, 251).
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[ON SECRET DOCTRINE. ]
4. [190] ‘ Venerable NAgasena, it was said by the Blessed One: “The Dhamma and the Vinaya (Doctrine and Canon Law) proclaimed by the Tathagata shine forth when they are displayed, and not when they are concealed?.” But on the other hand the recitation of the P&timokkha and the whole of the Vinaya Pifaka are closed and kept secret*, So that if, Nagasena, you (members of the Order) carried out what is just, and right, and held of faith in the teaching of the Conqueror then would the Vinaya shine forth as an open thing. And why would that be so? Because all the instruction therein, the discipline, the self-control, the regulations as to moral and virtuous conduct, are in their essence full of truth and righteousness, and redounding to emancipation of heart. But if the Blessed One really said that the Dhamma and Vinaya proclaimed by the Tathagata shine forth when displayed and not when kept secret, then the saying that the recitation of the Patimokkha and the whole of the Vinaya must be kept secret must be wrong. And if that be right, then the saying of the Blessed One must be wrong. This too is a double-edged problem now put to you, and you have to solve it.’
5. ‘It was said, O king, by the Blessed One that the Dhamma and Vinaya proclaimed by the Tath4-
' From the Anguttara Nikaya III, 124 (vol. i, p. 283 of Dr. Morris’s edition for the Pali Text Society).
7 In the Vinaya (Mah4vagga II, 16, 8) it is laid down that the Patimokkha (the rules of the Order) is not to be recited before laymen. I know of no passage in the Pi/akas which says that it, or the Vinaya, is to be kept secret.
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gata shine forth when displayed, and not when kept secret. And on the other hand the recitation of the PAtimokkha and the whole of the Vinaya Pifaka are kept close and secret’. But this last is not the case as regards all men. They are only kept secret up to a certain limit. And the recitation of the Patimokkha is kept secret up to that certain limit on three grounds—firstly because that is the traditional custom? of previous Tathagatas, secondly out of respect for the Truth (Dhamma), and thirdly out of ‘respect for the position of a member of the Order 3,’
And the recitation of the Patimokkha is kept secret up to that certain limit on three grounds—firstly because that is the traditional custom? of previous Tathagatas, secondly out of respect for the Truth (Dhamma), and thirdly out of ‘respect for the position of a member of the Order 3,’
6. ‘And as to the first it was the universal custom, O king, of previous Tath4gatas for the recitation of the Patimokkha to take place in the midst of the members of the Order only, to the exclusion of all others. Just, O king, as the Kshatriya secret formulas (of the nobles) are handed down among the nobles alone, and that this or that is so is common tradition among the nobles‘ of the world and kept secret from all others—[191] so was this the universal custom of previous Tathdgatas, that the recitation of the Patimokkha should take place among the
? This is, so far as I know, the earliest mention of this being the case. There is nothing in the Patimokkha itself (see my translation of this list of offences against the rules of the Order in vol. i of the ‘ Vinaya Texts’ in the S.B.E.) as to its recitation taking place in secret, and nothing in the Vinaya as to its being kept secret. But the regulations in the Vinaya as to the recitation of the Patimokkha forbade the actual presence of any one not a member of the Order, and as a matter of fact any one not such a member is excluded in practice during its recitation now in Ceylon. But it would be no offence in a layman to read the Vinaya, and learned laymen who have left the Order still do so.
* Vamsa (rcpeated in the Sinhalese).
5 Bhikkhu-bhfmiy4 (also repeated in the Simhalese, p. 252).
* Khaé‘iyanam (but the Sihalese has Sakyayangé).
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members of the Order only, and be kept secret from all others. And again, just as there are several classes of people, O king, known as distinct in the world—such as wrestlers, tumblers, jugglers, actors, ballet-dancers, and followers of the mystic cult of the sun and moon, of the goddess of fortune and other gods’. And the secrets of each of these sects are handed on in the sect itself, and kept hidden from all others. Just so with the universal custom of all the Tath4gatas that the recitation of the Patimokkha should take place before the members of the Order only, and be kept secret from all others. This is why the recitation of the Patimokkha is, up to that extent, kept secret in accordance with the habit of previous Tathagatas.’
This is why the recitation of the Patimokkha is, up to that extent, kept secret in accordance with the habit of previous Tathagatas.’
7. ‘And how is it that the Patimokkha is kept secret, up to that extent, out of reverence for the Dhamma? The Dhamma, great king, is venerable and weighty. He who has attained to proficiency in it may exhort another in this wise: “ Let not this Dhamma so full of truth, so excellent, fall into the hands of those unversed in it, where it would be despised and contemned, treated shamefully, made a game of, and found fault with. Nor let it fall into the hands of the wicked who would deal with it in all respects as badly as they.” It is thus, O king, that the recitation of the PAatimokkha is, up to that
1 There are twenty classes of these people mentioned in the text, and the meaning of most of the names is obscure. The Simhalese simply repeats them all, adding only the word bhaktiyo, ‘believers in,’ to the names of the various divinities. The classing together of jugglers, ballet-dancers, and followers of the numerous mystic cults, so numerous in India, is thoroughly Buddhistic, and quite in the vein of Gotama himself—as, for instance, in the Mahé Sila (see my ‘ Buddhist Suttas,’ p. 196).
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extent, kept secret out of reverence for the Dhamma. For if not, then it would be like the best, most costly, and most rare red sandal wood of the finest kind, which when brought to Savara (that city of the outcast Kazd4las') is despised and contemned, treated shamefully, made game of, and found fault with.’
8. [192] ‘And how is it that the PAtimokkha is kept secret, up to that extent, out of reverence for the position of a member of the Order? The condition of a Bhikkhu, great king, is in glory beyond the reach of calculation by weight, or measure, or price. None can value it, weigh it, measure it. And the recitation of the Patimokkha is carried on before the Bhikkhus alone, lest any one who has occupied that position should be brought down to a level with the men of the world. Just, O king, as if there be any priceless thing, in vesture or floor covering, in elephants, chargers, or chariots, in gold or silver or jewels or pearls or women, or in unsurpassable strong drink *, all such things are the appanage of kings— just so, O king, whatever is most priceless in the way of training, of the traditions of the Blessed One, of learning, of conduct, and of the virtues of righteousness and self-control—all these are the appanages of the Order of Bhikkhus. This is why the recitation of the PAétimokkha is, to that extent, kept secret ®.’
1 Added from the Simhalese.
* Niggita-kamma-sur4, rendered in the Simhalese (p. 254), gaya-grrhita-krtya-sura-panayen.
* It will be noticed that there is no mention here (in a connection where, if it had then existed, it would almost certainly have been referred to) of any Esoteric Buddhism. So above, at
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254), gaya-grrhita-krtya-sura-panayen.
* It will be noticed that there is no mention here (in a connection where, if it had then existed, it would almost certainly have been referred to) of any Esoteric Buddhism. So above, at
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‘Very good, Nagasena! That is so, and I accept it as you say.’
{Here ends the problem as to the secrecy in which the Vinaya is kept.]
[THE TWO KINDS OF FALSEHOOD.] 9. ‘Venerable Nagasena, it has been said by the Blessed One that a deliberate lie is an offence of the greatest kind (involving exclusion from the Order ').
IV, 1, 8, it is stated that a good Buddhist teacher should keep nothing secret from his pupil. And even in so old a text as the ‘Book of the Great Decease’ (Chap. II, § 32, p. 36 of my translalation in the ‘ Buddhist Suttas’), it is said of the Buddha himself that he had ‘no such thing as the closed fist of a teacher who keeps some things back.’ This passage is itself quoted above ' at IV, 2, 4, as the basis of one of Milinda’s questions; and is entirely accepted by Nagasena, that is, by our author. The fact is that there has never been any such thing as esoteric teaching in Buddhism, and that the modern so called esoteric Buddhism is neither esoteric nor Buddhism. Its tenets, so far as they are Indian at all, are perfectly accessible, are well known to all those who choose to study the books of Indian mysticism, and are Hindu, not Buddhist. They are, indeed, quite contradictory to Buddhism, of which the authors of what they ignorantly call Esoteric Buddhism know but very little—that little being only a portion of those beliefs which have been common ground to all religious teachers in India. If one doctrine—more than any other—is distinctive of Buddhism, it is the ignoring, in ethics, of the time-honoured belief in a soul—that is, in the old sense, in a separate creature inside the body, which flies out of it, like a bird out of a cage, when the body dies. Yet the Theosophists, who believe, I am told, in seven souls inside each human body (which would be worse according to true Buddhism than seven devils), still venture to call themselves Buddhists, and do not see the absurdity of their position !
? Sampag4na-mus4vada p&ragik4. This is curious as according to the Patimokkha it is Pafittiya, not Parégika. Compare Paragika 4 with P4fittiya 1. (‘Vinaya Texts,’ S. B. E,, vol. iii, Pp. 5 and 32.)
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? Sampag4na-mus4vada p&ragik4. This is curious as according to the Patimokkha it is Pafittiya, not Parégika. Compare Paragika 4 with P4fittiya 1. (‘Vinaya Texts,’ S. B. E,, vol. iii, Pp. 5 and 32.)
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And again he said: “ By a deliberate lie a Bhikkhu commits a minor offence, one that ought to be the subject of confession made before another (member of the Order)”. Now, venerable N4gasena, what is herein the distinction, what the reason, that by one lie a Bhikkhu is cast out of the Order, and by another he is guilty only of an offence that can be atoned for. If the first decision be right, then the second must be wrong; but if the second be right, then the first must be wrong. This too is a doubleedged problem now put to you, and you have to. solve it.’
10. [198]?‘ Both your quotations, O king, are correct *, But a falsehood is a light or heavy offence according to the subject matter. For what do you think, great king ? Suppose a man were to give another a slap with his hand, what punishment. would you inflict upon him ?’
‘If the other refused to overlook the matter, then neither should we be able to pardon his assailant ¢, but should mulct him in a penny or so °,’
‘But on the other hand, suppose it had been you
1 I cannot trace these identical words in the Pi/aka texts. But the general sense of them is exactly in agreement with the first PA&kittiya rule. , ’ ® Hfnafi-kumburé here inserts a summary of the Introductory Story (in the Sutta Vibhanga) to the 4th Paragika. All this (pp. 254-256) stands in his version for lines 1-3 on p. 193 of the Pali text.
* The P&li repeats them word for word. As I have pointed out above, they are not really correct.
* So HinaA-kumburé, who must have had a different reading, and I think a better one, before him.
5 Akahapana. See the discussion of the value of this coin in my ‘ Ancient Coins and Measures,’ pp. 3, 4.
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yourself that he had given the blow to, what would then be the punishment ?’
‘We should condemn him to have his hands cut off, and his feet cut off, and to be skinned alive ?, and we should confiscate all the goods in his house, and put to death all his family to the seventh generation on both sides.’
‘ But, great king, what is the distinction? Why is it that for one slap of the hand there should be a gentle fine of a penny, while for a slap given to you there should be so fearful a retribution ?’
‘Because of the difference in the person (assaulted).’
‘Well! just so, great king, is a falsehood a light or a heavy offence according to the attendant circumstances,’
‘Very good, Nagasena! That is so, and I accept it as you say.’ ;
[Here ends the problem as to the degree of offence in falsehood.]
[THE BODISAT'S CONSIDERATION. ]
just so, great king, is a falsehood a light or a heavy offence according to the attendant circumstances,’
‘Very good, Nagasena! That is so, and I accept it as you say.’ ;
[Here ends the problem as to the degree of offence in falsehood.]
[THE BODISAT'S CONSIDERATION. ]
11. ‘Venerable Nagasena, it has been said by the Blessed One in the discourse on the essential conditions?: “Long ago have his parents been destined for each Bodisat, and the kind of tree he is to select for his Bo tree, and the
1 Yava sisam kalirakkheggam khedfpeyyama, which the Simhalese merely repeats. It is literally ‘We should have him “ bambfi-sprout-cut ” up to his head.’ What this technical term may mean is not exactly known—possibly having slits the shape of a bambfi sprout cut all over his body.
* Dhammaté-dhamma-pariydye. I don’t know where this is to be found,
’
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Bhikkhus who are to be his two chief disciples, and the lad who is to be his son, and the member of the Order who is to be his special attendant.” But on the other hand he said: “When yet in the condition of a god in the Tusita heaven the Bodisat makes the eight Great Investigations—he investigates the time (whether the right moment had come at which he ought to be re-born as a man), and the continent (in which his birth is to take place), and the country (where he is to be re-born), and the family (to which he is to belong), and the mother (who is to bear him), and the period (during which he was to remain in the womb), and the month (in which his birthday shall come), and his renunciation (when it shall be)*. [194] Now, Nagasena, before knowledge is ripe there is no understanding, but when it has reached its summit there is no longer any need to wait for thinking a matter over’, for there is nothing outside the ken of the omniscient mind. Why then should the Bodisat investigate the time, thinking to himself: “In what moment shall I be born??” And for the same reason why should he investigate the family, thinking to him-
’ These eight Investigations (Vilokandni) have not yet been found in the Pifaka texts. But, when relating the birth of the historical Buddha, the G&taka commentary (vol. i, p. 48, of Professor Fausbéll’s edition) mentions the first six of them (substituting ok4sa for desa), and calls them, oddly enough, the Five Great Investigations. In the corresponding passage in the Lalita Vistara only the first four are mentioned. The last two of the above eight seem very forced.
? Nimesantaram na 4gameti, for which HinaAé-kumburé (p. 256 at the end) has nivesantara. Neither word occurs elsewhere.
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self: “In what family shall I be born?” And if, NAgasena, it is a settled matter who shall be the parents of the Bodisat, then it must be false that he “investigated the family.” But if that be true, then must the other saying be wrong. This too is a double-edged problem now put to you, and you have to solve it.’
This too is a double-edged problem now put to you, and you have to solve it.’
12. ‘It was both a settled matter, O king, who should be the parents of the Bodisat, and he did investigate into the question as to which family he was to be born into. But how did he doso? He thought over the matter as to whether his parents .Should be nobles or Brahmans. With respect to eight things, O king, should the future be investigated before it comes to pass. A merchant, O king, should investigate goods before he buys them—an elephant should try with its trunk a path it has not yet trod—a cartman should try a ford he has not yet crossed over—a pilot should test a shore he has not yet arrived at, and so guide the ship—a physician should find out the period of life which his patient has lasted! before he treats his disease—a traveller should test the stability of a bambd bridge ? before he mounts on to it—a Bhikkhu. should find out how much time has yet to run before. sun turn before he begins to eat his meal—and Bodisats, before they are born, should investigate the question whether it would be right for them to be born in the family of a noble or of a Brahman.
1 Ayum oloketv4, which the Simhalese (p. 257) repeats, This implied meaning is doubtful.
* Uttara-setu, a word which does not occur elsewhere. HinaAikumburé renders it He-dazda, which Clough explains as a footbridge usually made of a single tree. .
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These are the eight occasions on which investigation ought to precede action.’
‘Very good, Nagasena! That is so, and I accept it as you Say.’
[Here ends the problem as to the Bodisat’s consideration. ]
[on sUICIDE.]
13. [195] ‘Venerable Nagasena, it has been said by the Blessed One : “ A brother is not, O Bhikkhus, to commit suicide. Whosoever does so shall be dealt with according to the law.” And on the other hand you (members of the Order) say: “On whatsoever subject the Blessed One was addressing the disciples, he always, and with various similes, preached to them in order to bring about the destruction of birth, of old age, of disease, and of death. And whosoever overcame birth, old age, disease, and death, him did he honour with the highest praise #.” Now if the Blessed One forbade suicide that saying of yours must be wrong, but if not then the prohibition of suicide must be wrong. This too is a double-edged problem now put to you, and you have to solve it.’
14. ‘The regulation you quote, O king, was laid down by the Blessed One, and yet is our saying you refer to true. And there is a reason for this, a
1 Literally ‘is not to throw himself down,’ and I think ‘from a precipice’ is to be understood, especially as the nearest approach to the words quoted, that is the passage in the Sutta Vibhanga on the 3rd Paragika (III, 5, 13), has that meaning.
2 Here again the passage referred to is not known.
[35] T
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2 Here again the passage referred to is not known.
[35] Tp. 14 reason for which the Blessed One both prohibited (the destruction of life), and also (in another sense) instigated us to it.’
‘What, Nagasena, may that reason be? >?
‘The good man, O king, perfect in uprightness, is like a medicine to men! in being an antidote to the poison of evil, he is like water to men in laying the dust and the impurities of evil dispositions, he is like a jewel treasure to men in bestowing upon them all attainments in righteousness, he is like a boat to men inasmuch as he conveys them to the further shore of the four flooded streams (of lust, individuality, delusion, and ignorance)*, he is like a caravan owner to men in that he brings them beyond the sandy desert of rebirths, he is like a mighty rain cloud to men in that he fills their hearts with satisfaction, he is like a teacher to men in that he trains them in all good, he is like a good guide to men in that he points out to them the path of peace. It was in order that so good a man as that, one whose good qualities are so many, so various, so immeasurable, [196] in order that so great a treasure mine of good things, so full of benefit to all beings, might not be done away with, that the Blessed One, O king, out of his mercy towards all beings, laid down that injunction, when he said: “A brother is not, O Bhikkhus, to commit suicide. Whosoever does so shall be dealt with according to the law.” This is the reason for which the Blessed One prohibited (self-slaughter). And it was said, O king, used of them objectively, the latter subjectively. ep. 275 by the Elder Kumara Kassapa, the eloquent, when he was describing to Paydsi the Raganya the other world: “So long as Samamas and Brahmans of uprightness of life, and beauty of character, continue to exist—however long that time may be—just so long do they conduct themselves to the advantage and happiness of the great masses of the people, to the good and the gain and the weal of gods and men?!!”’
* Sattanam, in which gods are included. ? The four oghas; also called Asavas. The former term is
15. ‘And what is the reason for which the Blessed One instigated us (to put an end to life)? Birth, O king, is full of pain, and so is old age, and disease, and death, Sarrow is painful, and so is lamentation, and pain, and grief, and despair. Association with the unpleasant is painful, and separation from the pleasant*. The death of a mother is painful, or of a father, or a brother, or a sister, or a son, or a wife, or of any relative. Painful is the ruin of one’s family, and the suffering of disease, and the loss of wealth, and decline in goodness, and the loss of in-
The death of a mother is painful, or of a father, or a brother, or a sister, or a son, or a wife, or of any relative. Painful is the ruin of one’s family, and the suffering of disease, and the loss of wealth, and decline in goodness, and the loss of in-
‘ This Kumara Kassapa is said at Anguttara I, xiv, 3 to have been the most eloquent of the early disciples. Another eloquent little outburst of his is preserved for us in verses 201 and 202 of the Thera G&th4. ‘O for the Buddhas, and their doctrines! O for the achievements of our Master! Thereby may the disciple realise the Truth. Through countless zons of time has Selfness followed on Selfness. But this one is now the last. This aggregation (of mental and material qualities which forms me now again into an individuality) is at last the end, the end of the coming and going of births and deaths. There will be no rebirth for me!’ But where the verses are so full of allusions to the deepest Buddhist psychology, it is impossible to reproduce in English the vigour of the original Pali. Selfness (Sakkaya) is the condition of being a separate individual.
2 All this is from the celebrated discourse, the ‘ Foundation of the Kingdom of Righteousness ’ (in ‘ Buddhist Suttas,’ p. 148).
T2
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sight. Painful is the fear produced by despots, or by robbers, or by enemies, or by famine, or by fire, or by flood, or by the tidal wave, or by earthquake, or by crocodiles or alligators. Painful is the fear of possible blame attaching to oneself, or to others, the fear of punishment, the fear of misfortune. Painful is the fear arising from shyness in the presence of assemblies of one’s fellows, painful is anxiety as to one’s means of livelihood, painful the foreboding of death. [197] Painful are (the punishments inflicted on criminals), such as being flogged with whips, or with sticks, or with split rods, having one’s hands cut off, or one’s feet, or one’s hands and feet, or one’s ears, or one’s nose, or one’s ears and nose. Painful are (the tortures inflicted on traitors)—being subjected to the Gruel Pot (that is, having boiling gruel poured into one’s head from the top of which the skull bone has been removed '!)—or to the Chank Crown? (that is, having the scalp rubbed with gravel till it becomes smooth like a polished shell)—or to the R4hu’s Mouth (that is, having one’s mouth held open by iron pins, and oil put in it, and a wick lighted therein)—or to the Fire Garland‘ or to the Hand Torch® (that is, being made a living torch, the whole body, or the arms only, being wrapped up in oily cloths, and set on fire)—or to the Snake Strips ° (that is, being skinned in strips from the neck to the hips, so that the skin falls in strips round the legs) — or to the Bark Dress? (that is, being skinned alive from the neck downwards, and having each strip of
skin as soon as removed tied to the hair, so that these strips form a veil around one)—or to the Spotted Antelope! (that is, having one’s knees and elbows tied together, and being made to squat on a plate of iron under which a fire is lit)—or to the Flesh-hooks? (that is, being hung up on a row of iron hooks)—or to the Pennies ® (that is, having bits cut out of the flesh, all over the body, of the size of pennies)—or to the Brine Slits * (that is, having cuts made all over one’s body by means of knives or sharp points, and then having salt and caustic liquids poured over the wounds)—or to the Bar Turn® (that is, being transfixed to the ground by a bar of iron passing through the root of the ear, and then being dragged round and round by the leg)—or to the Straw Seat® (that is, being so beaten with clubs that
1 Eneyyakam.
* Balisa-mamsikam (so the Simhalese, Mr. Trenckner reads Balisa).
* Kahapanakam. * Kharapatishhakam.
5 Paligha-parivattikam.
® Paldla-pithakam. I follow throughout Hina/i-kumburé’s interpretation (pp. 260, 261) of these pretty names, which could be well matched in the West. That some Indian kings were cruel in the extreme is no doubt true. But it must not be supposed that this list gives the names of well-known punishments. Itis merely a string of technical terms which is repeated by rote whenever tortures have to be specified. And the meaning of its terms was most likely unknown to the very people who so used them. For the whole list (which is taken by our author from the Pali Pi/akas) is explained by Buddhaghosa in his commentary, te Manoratha Pfrani, on Anhguttara II, 1, 1, as edited by Dr. Morris at pp. 113, 114 of the first edition of his Anguttara for the Pali Text Society, 1884. But Buddhaghosa’s explanations differ from Hinasi-kumburé’s in several details; and to nearly half the names he gives alternative meanings, quite contradictory to those that he gives first. So the list had its origin some centuries (say 400-500) B.c., and was certainly
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So the list had its origin some centuries (say 400-500) B.c., and was certainlyp. 15 the bones are broken, and the body becomes like a heap of straw)—or to be anointed with boiling oil, or to be eaten by dogs, or to be impaled alive, or to be beheaded. Such and such, O king, are the manifold and various pains which a being caught in the whirlpool of births and rebirths has to endure. Just, O king, as the water rained down upon the Himalaya mountain flows, in its course along the Ganges, through and over rocks and pebbles and gravel, whirlpools and eddies and rapids', and the stumps and branches of trees which obstruct and oppose its passage,—just so has each being caught in the succession of births and rebirths to endure such and such manifold and various pains. Full of pain, then, is the continual succession of rebirths, a joy is it when that succession ends. And it was in pointing out the advantage of that end, the disaster involved in that succession, that the Blessed One, great king, instigated us to get beyond birth, and old age, and disease, and death by the realisation of the final end of that succession of rebirths. This is the sense, O king, which led the Blessed One to instigate us (to put an end to life).’
‘Very good, Nagasena! Well solved is the puzzle (I put), well set forth are the reasons (you alleged). That is so, and I accept it as you say.’
[Here ends the problem as to suicide. ]
not understood in the fifth century a. p.; and was probably therefore unintelligible also, at least in part, to our author.
1 Umika-vanka-kadika. I don’t pretend to understand this last word. Dr. Morris, at p. 92 of the ‘ Pali Text Society’s Journal ’ for 1884, suggests velika. Perhaps it was simply adika after all, with or without m euphonic.
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[A LOVING DISPOSITION. ]
16, [198] ‘ Venerable NAgasena, it has been said by the Blessed One: “Eleven advantages, O brethren, may be anticipated from practising, making a habit of, enlarging within one, using as a means of advancement, and as a basis of conduct, pursuing after, accumulating, and rising well up to the very heights of the emancipation of heart, arising from a feeling of love (towards all beings) And what are these eleven? Hewho does so sleeps in peace, and in peace does he awake. He dreams no sinful dreams. He becomes dear to men, and to the beings who are not men*. The gods watch over him. Neither fire, nor poison, nor sword works any harm to him. Quickly and easily does he become tranquillised. The aspect of his countenance is calm. Undismayed does he meet death, and should he not press through to the Supreme Condition (of Arahatship), then is he sure of rebirth in the Brahma world’.” But on the other hand you (members of
Quickly and easily does he become tranquillised. The aspect of his countenance is calm. Undismayed does he meet death, and should he not press through to the Supreme Condition (of Arahatship), then is he sure of rebirth in the Brahma world’.” But on the other hand you (members of
‘ This same string of words, except the first, is used of the Iddhi-padas in the Book of the Great Decease, III, 3 (p. 40 of vol. xi of the S.B.E.). The words ‘towards all beings’ are not in the text. But this is the meaning of the phrase used, and not love to men only, as would be understood if they were not inserted in the translation.
* Amanussa. This means, not the gods, but the various spirits on the earth, nayads, dryads, fairies, &c. &c. As here, so again below, IV, 4, 41, the amanuss4 are opposed to the devat4, mentioned in the next clause here. In older texts the devata include the amanussé4.
? From the Anguttara Nikaya, Ekaédasa Nipdta; quoted in full, with the context, in the Introductory Story to the 169th Gataka (vol. ii, pp. 60, 61 of Professor Fausbéll’s edition).
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the Order) say that “SA&ma the Prince, while dwelling in the cultivation of a loving disposition toward all beings, and when he was (in consequence thereof) wandering in the forest followed by a herd of deer, was hit by a poisoned arrow shot by Piliyakkha the king, and there, on the spot, fainted and fell *.” Now, venerable NAgasena, if the passage I have quoted from the words of the Blessed One be right, then this statement of yours must be wrong. But if the story of Prince Sama be right, then it cannot be true that neither fire, nor poison, nor sword can work harm to him who cultivates the habit of love to all beings. This too is a double-edged problem, so subtle, so abstruse, so delicate, and so profound, that the thought of having to solve it might well bring out sweat over the body even of the most subtle-minded of mortals. This problem is now put to you. Unravel this mighty knot? Throw light upon this matter® to the accomplishment of the desire of those sons of the Conqueror who shall arise hereafter 4.’
‘The Blessed One spake, O king, as you have quoted. And Prince Sama dwelling in the cultivation of love, and thus followed by a herd of deer when he was wandering in the forest, was hit by the poisoned arrow shot by king Piliyakkha, and then and there fainted and fell. But there is a reason for that. [199] And what is the reason? Simply that those virtues (said in the passage you quoted
* Mr. Trenckner points out that this story is given in the 540th Gataka.
2 See p. 105 of the text.
* Kakkhum dehi. So also p. gg of the text.
* Nibbahana; not in Childers, but see p.119 of the text.
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Simply that those virtues (said in the passage you quoted
* Mr. Trenckner points out that this story is given in the 540th Gataka.
2 See p. 105 of the text.
* Kakkhum dehi. So also p. gg of the text.
* Nibbahana; not in Childers, but see p.119 of the text.
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to be in the habit of love) are virtues not attached to the personality of the one who loves, but to the actual presence of the love that he has called up in his heart?. And when Prince Sama was upsetting the water-pot, that moment he lapsed from the actual feeling of love. At the moment, O king, in which an individual has realised the sense of love, that moment neither fire, nor poison, nor sword can do him harm. If any men bent on doing him an injury come up, they will not see him, neither will they have a chance of hurting him. But these virtues, O king, are not inherent in the individual, they are in the actual felt presence of the love that he is calling up in his heart.’
‘Suppose, O king, a man were to take into his hand a Vanishing Root of supernatural power ; and that, so long as it was actually in his hand, no other ordinary person would be able to see him. The virtue, then, would not be in the man. It would be in the root that such virtue would reside that an object in the very line of sight of ordinary mortals could, nevertheless, not be seen. Just so, O king, is it with the virtue inherent in the felt presence of love that a man has called up in his heart.’
‘Or itis like the case of a man (200]who has entered into a well-formed mighty cave. No storm of rain, - however mightily it might pour down, would be able to wet him. But that would be by no virtue inherent
? Bhanana is really more than ‘cultivation.’ It is the actual, present, felt sense of the particular moral state that is being cultivated (in this case, of love). I have elsewhere rendered it ‘meditation’: but as the ethical doctrine, and practice, are alike unknown to us, we have no word that exactly reproduces the connotation of the Pali phrase.
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in the man. It would be a virtue inherent in the cave that so mighty a downpour of rain could not wet the man. And just so, O king, is it with the virtue inherent in the felt presence of love that a man has called up in his heart?.’
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in the man. It would be a virtue inherent in the cave that so mighty a downpour of rain could not wet the man. And just so, O king, is it with the virtue inherent in the felt presence of love that a man has called up in his heart?.’
1 This is no quibble. The early Buddhists did believe in the power of a subjective love over external circumstances. It is true that the best known instances in which this power is represented as having been actually exercised, are instances of the power of love over the hearts of other beings, and hence, indirectly, over their actions. Thus when Devadatta had had the fierce, manslaying elephant Nlagiri let loose against the Buddha (Xullavagga VII, 3, 11, 12), Gotama is said to have permeated him with his love, and the elephant then went up to him only to salute him, and allowed himself to be stroked, and did no harm. And when the five disciples had intended, when he went to Benares, to show him no respect, the Buddha, in like manner, is said to have ‘ concentrated that feeling of his love which was able to pervade generally all beings in earth and heaven,’ and to have ‘directed it specially towards them.’ Then ‘the sense of his love diffused itself through their hearts. And as he came nearer and nearer, unable any longer to adhere to their resolve, they rose from their seats, and bowed down before him, and welcomed him with every mark of reverence and of respect’ (‘ Buddhist Birth Stories,’ vol. i, p. 112).
And when he wished to convert Roga the Mallian, the Buddha is said, in like manner, to have ‘suffused him with the feeling of his love.’ And then Roga, ‘ overcome by the Blessed One by the sense of his love—just as a young calf follows the kine, so did he go from apartment to apartment’ seeking the Blessed One (Mahavagga VI, 36, 4).
And again, when the Bhikkhus told the Buddha of a brother having been killed by a snake-bite, he is represented (in the Kullavagga V, 6) to have said: ‘Now surely that brother had not let his love flow out over the four royal kinds of serpents. Had he done so, he would not have died of the bite of a snake.’ And then he is said to have enjoined the use of a poem of love to snakes (set out in the text quoted) as a safeguard against snake-bite. This goes really much further than the other instances, but no case is given of that safeguard having been actually used successfully. And I know of no case in the Pali Pisakas of the felt presence
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‘Most wonderful is it, Nagasena, and most strange how the felt presence of love has the power of warding off all evil states of mind.’
‘Yes! The practice of love is productive of all virtuous conditions of mind both in good (beings) and in evil ones. To all beings whatsoever, who are in the bonds of conscious existence 2, is this practice of love of great advantage, and therefore ought it to be sedulously cultivated.’
[Here ends the problem as to the power of love.]
To all beings whatsoever, who are in the bonds of conscious existence 2, is this practice of love of great advantage, and therefore ought it to be sedulously cultivated.’
[Here ends the problem as to the power of love.]
[DEVADATTA. ]
17. ‘Venerable Nagasena, is the consequence the same to him who does good and to him who does evil, or is there any difference in the two cases ?’
‘There is a difference, O king, between good and evil. Good works have a happy result, and lead to Sagga §, and evil works have an unhappy result, and lead to Niraya *,’
of the feeling of love being said to have actually counteracted either fire, or poison, or sword.
It is noteworthy that the Simhalese inserts here six pages (265-271) of matter not found in the P4li. But as it gives at length the story of Prince Sama, it is taken, I presume, from the GAtaka book.
? This is something quite different from what was said before.
* Ye vid#ana-baddha, sabbesam, which the Simhalese takes as a gloss on ‘good and evil ones,’ and renders vi##ana prati wida. But I prefer Mr. Trenckner’s punctuation.
® That is to a temporary life in heaven.
* That is to life in a temporary hell (or purgatory).
p. 18
‘But, venerable Nagasena, your people say that Devadatta was altogether wicked, full of wicked dispositions, and that the Bodisat! was altogether pure, full of pure dispositions? And yet Devadatta, through successive existences *, was not only quite equal to the Bodisat, but even sometimes superior to him, both in reputation and in the number of his adherents.
18. ‘Thus, Nagasena, when Devadatta became the Purohita (family Brahman, royal chaplain) of Brahmadatta, the king, in the city of Benares, then the Bodisat was a wretched KazdAla (outcast)* who knew by heart a magic spell. And by repeating his spell he produced mango fruits out of season®. This
* Bodhi-satto (Wisdom-Child). The individual who (through virtue practised in successive lives) was becoming the Buddha.
* ‘Wicked’ and ‘pure’ are in the Pali kamhe and sukka, literally, ‘dark’ and ‘light.’ The only other passage I recollect where these names of colours are used in an ethical sense is the 87th verse of the Dhammapada. Professor Max Miller there renders: ‘ A wise man should leave the dark state (of ordinary life), and follow the bright state (of the Bhikshu),’ (S. B. E., vol. x, p. 26.) ' But the words should certainly be translated: ‘A wise man should put away wicked dispositions, and cultivate purity of heart.’ Bh4vetha could never refer to adopting or following any outward profession. It is exclusively used of the practice, cultivation, of inward feelings. And the commentary, which is quoted by Professor Fausbdll, takes the passage in the Dhammapada in that sense, just as Hinafi-kumburé (p. 271) does here.
* Bhave bhave, which would be more accurately rendered ‘in the course of his gradual becoming.’
And the commentary, which is quoted by Professor Fausbdll, takes the passage in the Dhammapada in that sense, just as Hinafi-kumburé (p. 271) does here.
* Bhave bhave, which would be more accurately rendered ‘in the course of his gradual becoming.’
‘ Kavaka-kandila. The Kandalas are a well-known caste still existing in India—if indeed that can rightly be called a caste which is beneath all others. A’fZavaka is not in Childers, but is applied below (p. 256 of our text) to Mara, the Buddhist Satan. See also the next note.
® This is not a summary of the 309th Gataka, for it differs from that story as published by Professor Fausbéll (vol. iii, pp.
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is one case in which the Bodisat was inferior to Devadatta in birth, [201] inferior to him in reputation.’
19. ‘And again, when Devadatta became a king, a mighty monarch of the earth’, living in the enjoyment of all the pleasures of sense, then the Bodisat was an elephant, decked with all manner of ornaments that the king might make use of them. And the king, being put out of temper at the sight of his graceful and pleasant style of pace and motion, said to the elephant trainer with the hope of bringing about the death of the elephant : “ Trainer, this elephant has not been properly trained, make him perform the trick called ‘Sky walking.” In that case too the Bodisat was inferior to Devadatta,— was a mere foolish animal 2.’
20. ‘And again, when Devadatta became a man who gained his living by winnowing grain’, then
217-30), and also from the older and shorter version contained in the Old Commentary on the Patimokkha (on the 69th Sakhiya, Vinaya IV, pp. 203, 204). [The name of that story in Professor Fausbdll’s edition is Khavaka-Gataka, but throughout the story itself the word Kandala is used in the passages corresponding to those in which Professor Fausbéll has Khapaka (sic),—a coincidence which throws light on our author, Khavaka-handAla.] The story here referred to is the Amba Gataka (No. 474) in which the word Ahavaka does not occur.
» “Of Magadha,’ says Hina/i-kumburé (p. 272).
* This is the 122nd GAtaka, there called the Dummedha GAtaka. The king has the elephant taken to the top of the Vepulla mountain outside Ragagaha. Then having made him stand first on three feet, then on two, then on one, he demands of the trainer to make him stand in the air. Then the elephant flies away to Benares !
> Pavane naéfhayiko. But as HinaA-kumburé renders all this: ‘a farmer in Benares who gained his living by husbandry,’ I would suggest pavanena /¢hayiko as the right reading.
p. 21
the Bodisat was a monkey called “ the broad earth.” Here again we have the difference between an animal and a man, and the Bodisat was inferior in birth to Devadatta *.’
p. 21
the Bodisat was a monkey called “ the broad earth.” Here again we have the difference between an animal and a man, and the Bodisat was inferior in birth to Devadatta *.’
21. ‘And again, when Devadatta became a man, by name Soxuttara, a Nesdda (one of an outcast tribe of aborigines, who lived by hunting), and was of great strength and bodily power, like an elephant, then the Bodisat was the king of elephants under the name of the “ Six-tusked.” And in that birth, the hunter slew the elephant. In that case too Devadatta was the superior *.’
22. ‘And again, when Devadatta became a man, a wanderer in the woods, without a home, then the Bodisat was a bird, a partridge who knew the Vedic hymns. And in that birth too the woodman killed the bird. So in that case also Devadatta was the superior by birth 8.’
23. ‘And again, when Devadatta became the king of Benares, by name Kalabu, then the Bodisat was an ascetic who preached kindness to animals. And the king (who was fond of sport), enraged with the ascetic, had his hands and feet cut off like so many bambd sprouts‘. In that birth, too, Deva-
1 I cannot unfortunately trace this story among the Gatakas.,
2 T do not know which Gataka is here referred to.
5 This must be the 438th Gataka, there called the Tittira GAataka. In the summary Devadatta is identified with the hypocritical ascetic who killed and ate the wise partridge.
* This is the 313th Gataka, there called the Khanti-vadi Gataka. The royal sportsman has first the skin, and then the hands and feet of the sage cut off, to alter his opinions. But the sage simply says that his love to animals is not in his skin, or in his limbs, but in his heart. Then the earth swallows up the cruel monarch, and the citizens bury the body of the sage with all honour. In the summary Kalabu, the king, is identified with Devadatta.
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datta was the superior, both in birth and in reputation among men,’
24. ‘And again, when Devadatta became a man, a woodman, then the Bodisat was Nandiya the monkey king. And in that birth too the man killed the monkey, and his mother besides, and his younger brother. So in that case also it was Devadatta who was the superior in birth 1.’
25. ‘And again, when Devadatta became a man, a naked ascetic, by name Kédrambhiya, then the Bodisat was a snake king called “the Yellow one.” So in that case too it was Devadatta [202] who was the superior in birth 2.’
26. ‘And again, when Devadatta became a man, a crafty ascetic with long matted hair, then the Bodisat was a famous pig, by name “ the Carpenter.” So in that case too it was Devadatta who was the superior in birth %,’
27. ‘And again, when Devadatta became a king among the Ketas, by name Sura Parifara *, who had the power of travelling through the air at a level above men’s heads 5, then the Bodisat was a Brah-
* This is the 222nd G&taka, there called the Kfla Nandiya GAtaka.
‘And again, when Devadatta became a king among the Ketas, by name Sura Parifara *, who had the power of travelling through the air at a level above men’s heads 5, then the Bodisat was a Brah-
* This is the 222nd G&taka, there called the Kfla Nandiya GAtaka.
* This is probably the 518th Gataka. See Mr. Trenckner’s note.
5 This must be the 492nd GAtaka, the Takkha-sikara Gataka, in which the hero is a learned pig who helps the carpenter in his work, and the villain of the story is a hypocrite ascetic with matted hair. But it should be added that though in the summary (Fausbdll, vol. iv, p. 350) Devadatta is identified with the ascetic, the Bodisat is identified, not with the learned pig, but with the dryad.
‘ He is called Upagara both in the 422nd Gataka (of which this is a summary) and in the Sumangala (p. 258). The GAtaka (III, 454) also gives a third variation, Apadara.
® Purisamatto gagane vehfsangamo. The GAtaka says simply uparifaro, which must mean about the same.
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man named Kapila. So in that case too it was Devadatta who was the superior in birth and in reputation.’
28. ‘And again, when Devadatta became a man, by name S4ma, then the Bodisat was a king among the deer, by name Ruru. So in that case too it was Devadatta who was the superior in birth!’
29. ‘And again, when Devadatta became a man, a hunter wandering in the woods, then the Bodisat was a male elephant, and that hunter seven times broke off and took away the teeth of the elephant. So in that case too it was Devadatta who was the superior in respect of the class of beings into which he was born 2,’
30. ‘And again, when Devadatta became a jackal who wanted to conquer the world’, and brought the kings of all the countries in India under his control, then the Bodisat was a wise man, by name Vidhura. So in that case too it was Devadatta who was the superior in glory.’
31. ‘And again, when Devadatta became the
' This must be the 482nd Gataka. It is true that the man is there called Maha Dhanaka (Fausbdll, vol. iii, p. 255), and the Bodisat is not specially named Ruru, nor is he a king of the herd, but is only a stag of the kind of deer called Ruru, who lives alone. But a comparison of the poetical version of the same story in the Kariya Pisaka II, 6 (p. 87 of Dr. Morris’s edition for the Pali Text Society) shows that the same story is here referred to.
* This is the 72nd Gataka, the Silava Naga Gataka. (Fausbdll, vol. i, p. 319.)
’ Khattiya-dhammo; literally, ‘who had the nature of a Kshatriya. This expression is not found in the Gataka referred to, No. 241 (vol. ii, p. 242 and foll. in Professor Fausbdll’s edition), and the Bodisat is there called purdhita not pandita, and his name is not given as Vidhura. The jackal also came to grief in his attempt to conquer Benares, But there is no doubt as to that story, the Sabba Da/sa GAtaka being the one here quoted.
p. 289
The jackal also came to grief in his attempt to conquer Benares, But there is no doubt as to that story, the Sabba Da/sa GAtaka being the one here quoted.
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elephant who destroyed the young of the Chinese partridge, then the Bodisat was also an elephant, the leader of his herd. So in that case they were both on a par?,’
32. ‘And again, when Devadatta became a yakkha, by name Unrighteous, then the Bodisat too was a yakkha, by name Righteous. So in that case too they were both on a par*’
33. ‘And again, when Devadatta became a sailor, the chief of five hundred families, then the Bodisat too was a sailor, the chief of five hundred families. So in that case too they were both on a par®,’
34. ‘And again, when Devadatta became a caravan leader, the lord of five hundred waggons, then the Bodisat too was a caravan leader, the lord of five hundred waggons. So in that case too they were both on a par ‘.’
35- [208] ‘And again, when Devadatta became a king of deer, by name Sakha, then the Bodisat was a king of deer, by name Nigrodha. So in that case too they were both on a par®,’
36. ‘And again, when Devadatta became a commander-in-chief, by name SAkha, then the Bodisat
1 This is the 357th GAtaka (Fausbill, vol. iii, pp. 174) and which is one of those illustrated on the Bharhut Tope (Cunningham, Plate 109).
* In the Gataka text (No. 457, Fausbdll, vol. iv, pp. 100 and foll.), there are both devaputt4, ‘gods,’ not yakkh4. This is by no means the only instance of the term yakkha being used of gods.
* I cannot trace this story in the printed text of the Gatakas.
* This is the Apannaka GAtaka (No. 1, vol. i, pp. 98 and foll. in Professor Fausbdll’s edition), translated in the ‘ Buddhist Birth Stories,’ vol. i, pp. 138-145.
5 The Nigrodha Miga GAtaka (No. 12, vol. i, pp. 145 and foll. in Fausbdll), translated in ‘ Buddhist Birth Stories,’ vol. i, pp. 198 and following.
(35) Up. 290 was a king, by name Nigrodha. So in that case too they were both on a par?’
37. ‘And again, when Devadatta became a brahman, by name KhamzdahAla, then the Bodisat was a prince, by name Kanda. So in that case that Khamzdahala was the superior *.’
38. ‘And again, when Devadatta became a king, by name Brahmadatta, then the Bodisat was his son, the prince called Mah& Paduma. In that case the king had his son cast down seven times, from the precipice from which robbers were thrown down. . And inasmuch as fathers are superior to and above their sons, in that case too it was Devadatta was the superior °,’
39. ‘And again, when Devadatta became a king, by name Mah4 Patdpa, then the Bodisat was his son, Prince Dhamma-pala; and that king had the hands and feet and head of his son cut off. - So in that case too Devadatta was the superior +.’
‘And again, when Devadatta became a king, by name Mah4 Patdpa, then the Bodisat was his son, Prince Dhamma-pala; and that king had the hands and feet and head of his son cut off. - So in that case too Devadatta was the superior +.’
40. ‘And now again, in this life, they were in the S&kya clan, and the Bodisat became a Buddha, all wise, the leader.of the world, and Devadatta having left the world to join the Order founded by Him who is above the god of gods, and having attained to the powers of Iddhi, was filled with lust to become himself the Buddha. Come now, most venerable Nagasena! Is not all that I have said true, and just, and accurate ?’
? The Nigrodha Gataka (No. 445, Fausbdll, vol. iv, pp. 37 and foll.).
* I cannot trace this story among the published Gtakas.
* This is the Maha Paduma Gataka (No. 472, Fausbdll, vol. iv, pp. 187-195). It was a case of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife.
‘ This tragical story is No. 358 in the GAtaka collection (Fausbdll, vol. iii, pp. 177-182).
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41. ‘All the many things which you, great king, have now propounded, are so, and not otherwise.’
‘Then, Nagasena, unless black and white are the same in kind, it follows that good and evil bear equal fruit.’
‘Nay, not so, great king! Good and evil have not the same result. Devadatta was opposed by everybody. No one was hostile to the Bodisat. And the hostility which Devadatta felt towards the Bodisat, that came to maturity and bore fruit in each successive birth. And so also as Devadatta, when he was established in lordship over the world, [204] was a protection to the poor, put up bridges and courts of justice and rest-houses for the people, and gave gifts according to his bent to Samazas and Brahmans, to the poor and needy and the wayfarers, it was by the result of that conduct that, from existence to existence, he came into the enjoyment of so much prosperity. For of whom, O king, can it be said that without generosity and selfrestraint, without self-control and the observance of the Upasatha’, he can reach prosperity ?
‘And when, O king, you say that Devadatta and the Bodisat accompanied one another in the passage from birth to birth, that meeting together of theirs took place not only at the end of a hundred, or a thousand, or a hundred thousand births, but was in fact constantly and frequently taking place through an immeasurable period of time*. For you should regard that matter in the light of the comparison drawn by the Blessed One between the case of the
1 The Buddhist Sabbath, on which see my ‘ Manual of Buddhism,’
Pp. 139-141. 2 So also above, IV, 2, 64, and IV, 3, 28.