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Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1But there is no such doctrine in the Pali Pisakas, and could not be. The whole discussion breathes the spirit of a later time. TV, 1, 10. GIFTS. 145 be entirely passed away (from life), unattached to the world, escaped from all existence, then honours would not be offered to him. For he who is entirely set free accepts no honour, and any act done to him who accepts it not becomes empty and vain.” This is a dilemma which has two horns. It is not a matter within the scope of those who have no mind}, it is a question fit for the great. Tear asunder this net of heresy, put it on one side. To you has this puzzle been put. Give to the future sons of the Conqueror eyes wherewith to see the riddle to the confusion of their adversaries.’ ‘The Blessed One, O king,’ replied the Elder, ‘is entirely set free. And the Blessed One accepts no gift. Even at the foot of the Tree of Wisdom he abandoned all accepting of gifts, how much more then now when he has passed entirely away by that kind of passing away which leaves no root over (for the formation of a new existence). For this, O king, has been said by S4riputta, the commander of the faith ? ; “Though worshipped, these Unequalled Ones, alike By gods and men, unlike them all they heed Neither a gift nor worship. They accept It not, neither refuse it. Through the ages All Buddhas were so, so wil. ever be?!”’ } Apatta-mandsanam. ‘Of those who have not attained to the insight of the Arahats,’ says the Si halese by way of gloss. ? This verse is not found in our printed texts. The Thera - G&th4 (981-1017) has preserved thirty-seven of the verses attributed to SAriputta, but this is not oné of them. ® Hinasi-kumhuré, who quotes the Pali verses, reads pigayant4, and sadiyanti. (35] L 146 THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. _ IV, 1,11. 11. The king said: ‘Venerable Nagasena, a father may speak in praise of his son, or a son of his father. But that is no ground for putting the adversaries to shame. It is only an expression of their own belief. Come now! Explain this matter to me fully to the establishing of your own doctrine, [96] and to the unravelling of the net of the heretics.’ The Elder replied: ‘The Blessed One, O king, is entirely set free (from life). And the Blessed One accepts no gift. If gods or men put up a building to contain the jewel treasure of the relics of a Tathagata who does not accept their gift, still by that homage paid to the attainment of the supreme good under the form of the jewel treasure of his wisdom do they themselves attain to one or other of the three glorious states‘. Suppose, O king, that though a great and glorious fire had been kindled, it should die out, would it then again accept any supply of dried grass or sticks ?’ ‘Even as it burned, Sir, it could not be said to accept fuel, how much less when it had died away, and ceased to burn, could it, an unconscious thing, accept it ?’ ‘And when that one mighty fire had ceased, and gone out, would the world be bereft of fire ?’
2‘Certainly not. Dry wood is the seat, the basis of fire, and any men who want fire can, by the exertion of their own strength and power, such as resides in individual men, once more, by twirling the firestick, produce fire, and with that fire do any work for which fire is required.’ * Tisso sampattiyo. That is, to another life as a man, or as a god, or to Arahatship here, on earth, in this birth. IV, 1, 12. HONOURS PAID TO THE BUDDHA. 147. ‘Then that saying of the sectarians that “an act done to him who accepts it not is empty and vain” turns out to be false. As that great and glorious fire was set alight, even so, great king, was the Blessed One set alight in the glory of his Buddhahood over the ten thousand world systems. As it went out, so has he passed away into that kind of passing away in which no root remains. As the fire, when gone out, accepted no supply of fuel, just so, and for the good of. the world, has his accepting of gifts ceased and determined. As men, when the fire is out, and has no further means of burning, then by their own strength and effort, such as resides in individual men, twirl the fire-stick and produce fire, and do any work for which fire is required—so do gods and men, though a Tathagata has passed away and no longer accepts their gifts, yet put up a house for the jewel treasure of his relics, and doing homage to the attainment of supreme good under the form of the jewel treasure of his wisdom, they attain to one or other of the three glorious states. [97] Therefore is it, great king, that acts done to the Tath4gata, notwithstanding his having passed away and not accepting them, are nevertheless of value and bear fruit.’ 12. ‘ Now hear, too, another reason for the same thing. Suppose, O king, there were to arise a great and mighty wind, and that then it were to die away. Would that wind acquiesce in being produced again ?’ ‘A wind that has died away can have no thought or idea of being reproduced. And why? Because the element wind is an unconscious thing.’ ‘Or even, O king, would the word “wind” be L 2 148 THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. _IV,1, 12. still applicable to that wind, when it had so died away ?’ ‘Certainly not, Sir. But fans and punkahs are means for the production of wind. Any men who are oppressed by heat, or tormented by fever, can by means of fans and punkahs, and by the exertion of their own strength and power, such as resides in individual men, produce a breeze, and by that wind allay their heat, or assuage their fever.’
3Any men who are oppressed by heat, or tormented by fever, can by means of fans and punkahs, and by the exertion of their own strength and power, such as resides in individual men, produce a breeze, and by that wind allay their heat, or assuage their fever.’ ‘Then that saying of the sectarians that “an act done to him who accepts it not is empty and vain” turns out to be false. As the great and mighty wind which blew, even so, great king, has the Blessed One blown over the ten thousand world systems with the wind of his love, so cool, so sweet, so calm, so delicate. As it first blew, and then died away, so has the Blessed One, who once blew with the wind so cool, so sweet, so calm, so delicate, of his love, now passed away with that kind of passing away in which no root remains. As those men were oppressed by heat and tormented with fever, even so are gods and men tormented and oppressed with threefold fire and heat’. As fans and punkahs are means of producing wind, so the relics and the jewel treasure of the wisdom of a Tathagata are means of producing the threefold attainment. [98] And as men oppressed by heat and tormented by fever can by fans and punkahs produce a breeze, and thus allay the heat and assuage the fever, so can gods and men by offering reverence to the relics, and the 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’ (Nirvana). : IV, 1, 136 HONOURS PAID TO THE BUDDHA. I 3 jewel treasure of the wisdom of a Tathagata, though he has died away and accepts it not, cause goodness to arise within them, and by that goodness can assuage and can allay the fever and the torment of the threefold fire. Therefore is it, great king, that acts done to the Tathagata, notwithstanding his having passed away and not accepting them, are nevertheless of value and bear fruit.’ 13. ‘ Nowhear another reason for the same thing. Suppose, O king, a man were to make a drum sound, and then that sound were to die away. Would that sound acquiesce in being produced again ?’ ‘Certainly not, Sir. The'sound has vanished. It can have no thought or idea of being reproduced. The sound of a drum when it has once been produced and died away, is altogether cut off. But, Sir, a drum is a means of producing sound. And any man, as need arises, can by the effort of power residing in himself, beat on that drum, and so produce a sound.’
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1But there is no such doctrine in the Pali Pisakas, and could not be. The whole discussion breathes the spirit of a later time. TV, 1, 10. GIFTS. 145 be entirely passed away (from life), unattached to the world, escaped from all existence, then honours would not be offered to him. For he who is entirely set free accepts no honour, and any act done to him who accepts it not becomes empty and vain.” This is a dilemma which has two horns. It is not a matter within the scope of those who have no mind}, it is a question fit for the great. Tear asunder this net of heresy, put it on one side. To you has this puzzle been put. Give to the future sons of the Conqueror eyes wherewith to see the riddle to the confusion of their adversaries.’ ‘The Blessed One, O king,’ replied the Elder, ‘is entirely set free. And the Blessed One accepts no gift. Even at the foot of the Tree of Wisdom he abandoned all accepting of gifts, how much more then now when he has passed entirely away by that kind of passing away which leaves no root over (for the formation of a new existence). For this, O king, has been said by S4riputta, the commander of the faith ? ; “Though worshipped, these Unequalled Ones, alike By gods and men, unlike them all they heed Neither a gift nor worship. They accept It not, neither refuse it. Through the ages All Buddhas were so, so wil. ever be?!”’ } Apatta-mandsanam. ‘Of those who have not attained to the insight of the Arahats,’ says the Si halese by way of gloss. ? This verse is not found in our printed texts. The Thera - G&th4 (981-1017) has preserved thirty-seven of the verses attributed to SAriputta, but this is not oné of them. ® Hinasi-kumhuré, who quotes the Pali verses, reads pigayant4, and sadiyanti. (35] L 146 THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. _ IV, 1,11. 11. The king said: ‘Venerable Nagasena, a father may speak in praise of his son, or a son of his father. But that is no ground for putting the adversaries to shame. It is only an expression of their own belief. Come now! Explain this matter to me fully to the establishing of your own doctrine, [96] and to the unravelling of the net of the heretics.’ The Elder replied: ‘The Blessed One, O king, is entirely set free (from life). And the Blessed One accepts no gift. If gods or men put up a building to contain the jewel treasure of the relics of a Tathagata who does not accept their gift, still by that homage paid to the attainment of the supreme good under the form of the jewel treasure of his wisdom do they themselves attain to one or other of the three glorious states‘. Suppose, O king, that though a great and glorious fire had been kindled, it should die out, would it then again accept any supply of dried grass or sticks ?’ ‘Even as it burned, Sir, it could not be said to accept fuel, how much less when it had died away, and ceased to burn, could it, an unconscious thing, accept it ?’ ‘And when that one mighty fire had ceased, and gone out, would the world be bereft of fire ?’
2‘Certainly not. Dry wood is the seat, the basis of fire, and any men who want fire can, by the exertion of their own strength and power, such as resides in individual men, once more, by twirling the firestick, produce fire, and with that fire do any work for which fire is required.’ * Tisso sampattiyo. That is, to another life as a man, or as a god, or to Arahatship here, on earth, in this birth. IV, 1, 12. HONOURS PAID TO THE BUDDHA. 147. ‘Then that saying of the sectarians that “an act done to him who accepts it not is empty and vain” turns out to be false. As that great and glorious fire was set alight, even so, great king, was the Blessed One set alight in the glory of his Buddhahood over the ten thousand world systems. As it went out, so has he passed away into that kind of passing away in which no root remains. As the fire, when gone out, accepted no supply of fuel, just so, and for the good of. the world, has his accepting of gifts ceased and determined. As men, when the fire is out, and has no further means of burning, then by their own strength and effort, such as resides in individual men, twirl the fire-stick and produce fire, and do any work for which fire is required—so do gods and men, though a Tathagata has passed away and no longer accepts their gifts, yet put up a house for the jewel treasure of his relics, and doing homage to the attainment of supreme good under the form of the jewel treasure of his wisdom, they attain to one or other of the three glorious states. [97] Therefore is it, great king, that acts done to the Tath4gata, notwithstanding his having passed away and not accepting them, are nevertheless of value and bear fruit.’ 12. ‘ Now hear, too, another reason for the same thing. Suppose, O king, there were to arise a great and mighty wind, and that then it were to die away. Would that wind acquiesce in being produced again ?’ ‘A wind that has died away can have no thought or idea of being reproduced. And why? Because the element wind is an unconscious thing.’ ‘Or even, O king, would the word “wind” be L 2 148 THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. _IV,1, 12. still applicable to that wind, when it had so died away ?’ ‘Certainly not, Sir. But fans and punkahs are means for the production of wind. Any men who are oppressed by heat, or tormented by fever, can by means of fans and punkahs, and by the exertion of their own strength and power, such as resides in individual men, produce a breeze, and by that wind allay their heat, or assuage their fever.’
3Any men who are oppressed by heat, or tormented by fever, can by means of fans and punkahs, and by the exertion of their own strength and power, such as resides in individual men, produce a breeze, and by that wind allay their heat, or assuage their fever.’ ‘Then that saying of the sectarians that “an act done to him who accepts it not is empty and vain” turns out to be false. As the great and mighty wind which blew, even so, great king, has the Blessed One blown over the ten thousand world systems with the wind of his love, so cool, so sweet, so calm, so delicate. As it first blew, and then died away, so has the Blessed One, who once blew with the wind so cool, so sweet, so calm, so delicate, of his love, now passed away with that kind of passing away in which no root remains. As those men were oppressed by heat and tormented with fever, even so are gods and men tormented and oppressed with threefold fire and heat’. As fans and punkahs are means of producing wind, so the relics and the jewel treasure of the wisdom of a Tathagata are means of producing the threefold attainment. [98] And as men oppressed by heat and tormented by fever can by fans and punkahs produce a breeze, and thus allay the heat and assuage the fever, so can gods and men by offering reverence to the relics, and the 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’ (Nirvana). : IV, 1, 136 HONOURS PAID TO THE BUDDHA. I 3 jewel treasure of the wisdom of a Tathagata, though he has died away and accepts it not, cause goodness to arise within them, and by that goodness can assuage and can allay the fever and the torment of the threefold fire. Therefore is it, great king, that acts done to the Tathagata, notwithstanding his having passed away and not accepting them, are nevertheless of value and bear fruit.’ 13. ‘ Nowhear another reason for the same thing. Suppose, O king, a man were to make a drum sound, and then that sound were to die away. Would that sound acquiesce in being produced again ?’ ‘Certainly not, Sir. The'sound has vanished. It can have no thought or idea of being reproduced. The sound of a drum when it has once been produced and died away, is altogether cut off. But, Sir, a drum is a means of producing sound. And any man, as need arises, can by the effort of power residing in himself, beat on that drum, and so produce a sound.’
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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