Dialogues of the Buddha, Part II — trans. T. W. and C. A. F. Rhys Davids (1910)

1 Sankhata, con-fected, composite, the resultant of conditions. The soul, according to the then current animism, was considered to be unique, not a product, not causally modifiable through temporal or spatial conditions. The commentary explains sankhata as 'that which, having through such and such causes (lit. doings) come together, is made.'

■ All the MSS. agree in putting this answer in the mouth of Ananda, instead of in that of the soul-theorist. And it would be quite like him to rush in, in this way, with his opinion. And so also below.

p. 65

' Wherefore, Ananda, it follows that this aspect : — " Nay, my soul is not feeling, nor is it non-sentient ; my soul has feelings, it has the property of sentience," — does not commend itself.

32. [68] ' Now when a brother, Ananda, does not regard soul under these aspects, — either as feeling, or as non-sentient, or as having feeling, — then he, thus refraining from such views, grasps at nothing whatever in the world ; and not grasping he trembles not ; and trembling not, he by himself attains to perfect peace.1 And he knows that birth is at an end, that the higher life has been fulfilled, that what had to be done had been accomplished, and that after this present world there is no beyond !

' And of such a brother, Ananda, whose heart is thus set free, if any one should say : — " His creed is that an Arahant 2 croes on after death " — that were absurd. Or : " His creed is that an Arahant does not go on . . . does, and yet does not, go on . . . neither ooes on nor cr0es not on after death " — all that were absurd. Why is that ? Because, Ananda, whatever verbal expression there is and whatever system of verbal expression, whatever explanation there may be, and whatever system of explanation, whatever communication is possible and whatever system of communication, whatever knowledge there is and whatever sphere of knowledge, whatever round of life and how far the round is traversed, — by mastery over all this that brother is set free. But to say, of a brother who has been so set free

1 Parinibbayati. Usually rendered 'he attains complete Nirvana' or 'attains Parinirvana,' or even 'enters Nirvana.' The term is applied to the death of an Arahant, but it is also used to express perfected tranquillity, as in the case of a horse (M. I, 446), or of a man (M. I, 251 ; S. Ill, 54). Tradition, as represented by the Cy., did not associate the hour of death with the term, for it says, ' Having thus completely parinibbana-ed (by extinguishing all evil) he goes on to reflect, " Birth is at an end," ' &c.

2 Tathagata; perhaps it merely means 'mortal.' See M. I, 542.

III. Fp. 66 by insight : — " He knows not, he sees not " — that were absurd ! l '

33. ' There are seven resting-places for Cognition 2,
Ananda, and two Spheres 3. Which are the seven ?

[69] ' There are beings differing in body and differing in intelligence 4, for instance, human beings and certain of the gods and some of those in purgatory. This is the first resting-place for Cognition.

' There are beings differing in body but of uniform intelligence, for instance, the gods of the Brahmaheaven who are there reborn by means of the First [Jhana]5. This is the second resting-place for Cognition.

' There are beings uniform in body and differing in intelligence, for instance, the Luminous Gods 6. This is the third resting-place for Cognition.

1 The argument in this paragraph seems to have appealed in a special degree to the early Buddhists, for it has been made the basis of a whole Suttanta, the Jaliya (which is itself repeated, occurring first as part of the Mahali, and then again separately). The main point there emphasized is that the converted man will have gone so far beyond them that all such questions will have ceased to interest him. The two other Suttantas have been translated in full in Vol. I; but see especially pp. 200-5.

2 The Sangiti Suttanta (' Dialogues,' III) and A. IV, 39, 40 also name seven. S. Ill, 54 gives only four.