Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1Or 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?, yet 1 So below, IV, 3, 28. * Visama-parih4ra-g4 both in the Simhalese and the Pali, [35] ce) 194 THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. IV, 1, 66. 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’, ° 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 [187] independent of Karma that the clod would fall to earth again.’ ‘Well, O king, the Tath4gata 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 Nik4ya in Water, fire, air, and earth (Apo, tego, vayo, pashavi). TV, 1, 66. KARMA. 195
2For it has been said, O king, by the Blessed One, by him who is above all gods, in the glorious collection called the Samyutta Nik4ya in Water, fire, air, and earth (Apo, tego, vayo, pashavi). TV, 1, 66. KARMA. 195 the prose Sutta, called after Moliya Sivaka: “ There are certain pains which arise in the world, Sivaka, 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 Samazas and Brahmans, Sivaka, 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 Samazas 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, Nagasena! It is so; and I accept it as you Say.’ [Here ends the dilemma as to the Buddha’s sinlessness ] x 196 THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. IV, 1, 67. _ [ON THE ADVANTAGES OF MEDITATION?}.] 67. ‘Venerable Nagasena, your people say that everything which a Tathagata has to accomplish that had the Blessed One already carried out when he sat at the foot of the Tree of Wisdom?. 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’. 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. [188] 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. Con- * Pasisallaza (not samadhi), rendered throughout in the Simhalese by wiweka. ‘2 I have not been able to find this statement in any of the Pisaka texts.
3This too is a double-headed dilemma, and you have to solve it!’ 68. ‘Both statements, O king, are true. Con- * Pasisallaza (not samadhi), rendered throughout in the Simhalese by wiweka. ‘2 I have not been able to find this statement in any of the Pisaka texts. ’ Here again our author seems to be referring to a tradition later than the Pifakas. In the Mahfvagga (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 paéisallaza, but of samadhi. The former of these two terms only occurs at the conclusion of the twenty-eight days (Mahavagga 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. IV, 1, 69. MEDITATION. 197 templation has many virtues. All the Tathdgatas 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 Tathagatas devated 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 Tathagatas devote themselves to it. But it is because 198 THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. IV, 1, 70. the Tathagatas, O king, long for the enjoyment of the bliss of attainment, of the joy of the tranquil state of Nirvdza, that they devote themselves to meditation, with their minds fixed on the end they aim at.
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.
1Or 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?, yet 1 So below, IV, 3, 28. * Visama-parih4ra-g4 both in the Simhalese and the Pali, [35] ce) 194 THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. IV, 1, 66. 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’, ° 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 [187] independent of Karma that the clod would fall to earth again.’ ‘Well, O king, the Tath4gata 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 Nik4ya in Water, fire, air, and earth (Apo, tego, vayo, pashavi). TV, 1, 66. KARMA. 195
2For it has been said, O king, by the Blessed One, by him who is above all gods, in the glorious collection called the Samyutta Nik4ya in Water, fire, air, and earth (Apo, tego, vayo, pashavi). TV, 1, 66. KARMA. 195 the prose Sutta, called after Moliya Sivaka: “ There are certain pains which arise in the world, Sivaka, 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 Samazas and Brahmans, Sivaka, 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 Samazas 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, Nagasena! It is so; and I accept it as you Say.’ [Here ends the dilemma as to the Buddha’s sinlessness ] x 196 THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. IV, 1, 67. _ [ON THE ADVANTAGES OF MEDITATION?}.] 67. ‘Venerable Nagasena, your people say that everything which a Tathagata has to accomplish that had the Blessed One already carried out when he sat at the foot of the Tree of Wisdom?. 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’. 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. [188] 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. Con- * Pasisallaza (not samadhi), rendered throughout in the Simhalese by wiweka. ‘2 I have not been able to find this statement in any of the Pisaka texts.
3This too is a double-headed dilemma, and you have to solve it!’ 68. ‘Both statements, O king, are true. Con- * Pasisallaza (not samadhi), rendered throughout in the Simhalese by wiweka. ‘2 I have not been able to find this statement in any of the Pisaka texts. ’ Here again our author seems to be referring to a tradition later than the Pifakas. In the Mahfvagga (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 paéisallaza, but of samadhi. The former of these two terms only occurs at the conclusion of the twenty-eight days (Mahavagga 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. IV, 1, 69. MEDITATION. 197 templation has many virtues. All the Tathdgatas 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 Tathagatas devated 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 Tathagatas devote themselves to it. But it is because 198 THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA. IV, 1, 70. the Tathagatas, O king, long for the enjoyment of the bliss of attainment, of the joy of the tranquil state of Nirvdza, that they devote themselves to meditation, with their minds fixed on the end they aim at.
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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