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

2 This doctrine of being ' mindful and self-possessed ' is one of the lessons most frequently inculcated in the Pali Pi/akas, and is one of the " Seven Jewels of the Law.' It is fully treated of in each of the Nikayas, forming the subject of the Maha Satippa/Mana Suttanta in the Digha Nikaya, and the Satippa//Mna Suttanta of the Majjhima Nikaya, and the Satippa/Z^ana Sa/«yutta of the Sawyutta Nikaya, as well as of various oassages in the Anguttara Nikaya, and of the Vibhahga. See abo\^, Vol. I, pp. 80, 81 ; and the translation, below, of pp. 290 foil, of the text. The point is there discussed in detail.

Buddhaghosa has no comment here on the subject itself, reserving

p. 102

14. x Now the courtezan Ambapali heard that the Exalted One had arrived at Vesali, and was staying there at her mango grove. And ordering a number of state vehicles to be made ready, she mounted one of them, and went forth with her train from Vesali towards her garden. She went in the carriage as far as the ground was passable for carriages ; there she alighted ; and she proceeded on foot to the place where the Exalted One was, and took her seat respectfully on one side. And when she was thus seated the Exalted One instructed, aroused, incited, and gladdened her with religious discourse.

Then she — instructed, aroused, incited, and gladdened with his words — addressed the Exalted One, and said : —

' May the Exalted One do me the honour of taking his meal, together with the brethren, at my house tomorrow?'

And the Exalted One gave, by silence, his consent. Then when Ambapali the courtezan saw that the Exalted One had consented, she rose from her seat and bowed down before him, and keeping him on her right hand as she passed him, she departed thence.

what he has to say for the comment on the Suttantas devoted entirely to it ; but he observes in passing that the reason why the Exalted One laid stress, at this particular time and place, on the necessity of being ' mindful and thoughtful,' was because of the imminent approach of the beautiful courtezan in whose grove they were staying. The use of the phrase sati upa////apetabba below, Chap. V, 9 (text, p. 141). in reference to the way in which women should be treated, is quite in accordance with this explanation. But see the next note.

1 From this point down to the words ' he rose from his seat,' in II, 24 is, with a few unimportant variations, word for word the same as Vinaya, Vol. I, pp. 231-3. But the passage there follows immediately after the verses translated above, I, 34, so that the events here (in §§ 14-18) localized at Vesali, are there localized at Ko/igama. Our section II, 5 is then inserted between our sections II, 18 and II, 19 ; and our section II, 1 1 does not occur at all, the Exalted One only reaching Ambapali's grove when he goes there (as in our section II, 19) to partake of the meal to which he had been invited. Kuddhaghosa passes over this apparent discrepancy in silence.

p. 103

15. [96] Now the Licchavis of Vesali heard that the Exalted One had arrived at Vesali, and was staying at Ambapali's grove. And ordering a number of state carriages to be made ready, they each mounted one of them and went forth with their train from Vesali. Some of them were dark, dark in colour, and wearing dark clothes and ornaments : some of them were fair, fair in colour, and wearing light clothes and ornaments : some of them were red, ruddy in colour, and wearing red clothes and ornaments : some of them were white, pale in colour, and wearing white clothes and ornaments.

16. And Ambapali drove up against the young Licchavis, axle to axle, wheel to wheel, and yoke to yoke, and the Licchavis said to Ambapali the courtezan : — ' How is it, Ambapali, that thou drivest up against us thus ? '