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Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1But inasmuch as the Tathagata, Nagasena, puts himself not in the way of gifts to himself, gives no occasion for such gifts, you see that he then told his aunt to give that wrapper rather to the Order/ ii. ' The quotation you make, O king, is correct, and the Blessed One did so direct his aunt's gifts 2. But that was not because an act of rever- ence paid to himself would bear no fruit, or because he was unworthy to receive gifts, but it was out of kindness and mercy that he, thinking : " Thus will the Order in times to come, when I am gone, be highly thought of;" magnified the excellence which the Order really had, in that he said : " Give it, O Gotami, to the Order. If you present the Order with it, thus will you have paid homage alike to the Order and to me.5' Just as a father, O king, while he is yet alive, exalts in the midst of the assembly of ministers, soldiers, and royal messengers, of 1 The translation of these five technical terms of cloth-making is doubtful. The Sinhalese (p. 335) has pi^^ana, sindina, pothita, ka/ina, wiyana. 2 The Sinhalese (p. 335) here gives at length the story of Pa^-apatt's gift, at the time when Gotama returned, as the Buddha, to Kapilavatthu. IV, 6,13. OF MILTNDA THE KING. 53 sentries, body guards, and courtiers 1 — yea, in the presence of the king himself — the virtues which his son really possesses, thinking: " If established here he will be honoured of the people in times to come;" so was it out of mercy and kindness that the Tatha- gata, thinking : " Thus will the Order, in times to come, when I am gone, be highly thought of;" magnified the excellence which the Order really had, in that he said : " Give it, O Gotami, to the Order. If you present the Order with it, thus will you have paid homage alike to the Order and to me." 12. [241] ' And by the mere gift of a wrapper for the rainy season, the Order, O king, did not become greater than, or superior to, the Tathagata. Just, O king, as when parents anoint their children with perfumes, rub them, bathe them, or shampoo them 2, does the son by that mere service of theirs become greater than, or superior to, his parents ? ' * Certainly not, sir ! Parents deal with their children as they will, whether the children like it or not3. And therefore do they anoint them with perfumes, shampoo, or bathe them/ ' And just so, O king, the Order did not become greater than, or superior to, the Tathagata merely by the fact of that gift ; and although the Tathagata, whether the Order liked it or not, told his aunt to give the wrapper to the Order. 13. 'Or suppose, O king, some man should bring a complimentary present to a king, and the king should present that gift to some one else — to a soldier or a 1 On this list see above, p. 234 of the Pali text (IV, 5, 36). 2 On these words compare Ahguttara Nikaya II, 4, 2. 3 Akamakaraniya. Compare Vimana Vatthu X, 6 and Digha Nikaya II, 46. 54 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 6, 14.
2234 of the Pali text (IV, 5, 36). 2 On these words compare Ahguttara Nikaya II, 4, 2. 3 Akamakaraniya. Compare Vimana Vatthu X, 6 and Digha Nikaya II, 46. 54 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 6, 14. messenger, to a general or a chaplain, — would that man become greater than, or superior to, the king, merely by the fact that it was he who got the present 1 ? ' ' Certainly not, Sir ! That man receives his wage from the king, from the king he gains his livelihood ; it was the king who, having placed him in that office, gave him the present/ 4 And just so, O king, the Order did not become greater than, or superior to, the Tathagata merely by the fact of that gift. The Order is, as it were, the hired servant of the Tathagata, and gains its livelihood through the Tathagata. And it was the Tathagata who, having placed it in that position, caused the gift to be given it. 14. 'And further the Tathagata, O king, thought thus : " The Order is by its very nature worthy of gifts. I will therefore have this thing, my property though it be, presented to it/' and so he had the wrapper given to the Order. For the Tathagata, O king, magnifies not the offering of gifts to himself, but rather to whomsoever in the world is worthy of having gifts presented to him. For this was said, O king, by the Blessed One, the god over all gods, in the most excellent Ma^gv^ima Nikaya, [242] in the religious discourse entitled Dhamma-dayada, when he was exalting the attainment of being con- tent with little : " He would become the first of my Bhikkhus, the most worthy of presents and of praise V 15. * And there is not, O king, in the three worlds 1 The same simile has already occurred, vol. i, p. 220 (IV, 2, 22). 2 Mag^ima Nikaya, vol. i, p. 13 (in Mr. Trenckner's edition for the Pali Text Society). IV, 6, ig. OF MILINDA THE KING. 55 any being whatever more worthy of gifts, greater or more exalted or better, than the Tathagata. It is the Tathagata who was greatest and highest and best. As it was said, O king, by Ma/zava-gamika the god, in the most excellent Sa^yutta Nikaya, as he stood before the Blessed One in the midst of the assembly of gods and men : " Of all the Rafagaha hills Mount Vipula's acknow- ledged chief, Of the Himalayas Mount White, of planetary orbs the sun, The ocean of all waters, of constellations bright the moon 1 — In all the world of gods and men the Buddha's the acknowledged Lord2!" ' And those verses of Ma/zava the god, O king, were well sung, not wrongly sung, well spoken, not wrongly spoken, and approved by the Blessed One 3. And was it not said by Sariputta, the Commander of the faith : " There is but one Confession, one true Faith, One Adoration of clasped hands stretched forth — That paid to Him who routs the Evil One, And helps us cross the ocean of our ills 4 ! "
3And was it not said by Sariputta, the Commander of the faith : " There is but one Confession, one true Faith, One Adoration of clasped hands stretched forth — That paid to Him who routs the Evil One, And helps us cross the ocean of our ills 4 ! " 1 This must have been composed after the moon god had become established in belief as the husband, or lord, of the Nakshatras, or lunar mansions. For it cannot, of course, be intended that the moon is itself a constellation. 2 Sawyutta Nikaya III, 2, 10 (vol. i, p. 67 of the Pali Text Society's edition). 3 These phrases of approval are commonly used in the Pi/akas of words uttered by any one whose sayings would not, of them- selves, carry weight. So in the Digha III, 1, 28 and in the Maxima I, 385. 4 This verse has not yet been traced in the Pi/akas. In. 56 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 6, 16. ' And it was said by the Blessed One himself, the god over all gods : " There is one being, O brethren, who is born into the world for the good and for the weal of the great multitudes, out of mercy to the world, for the advantage and the good and the weal of gods and men. And what is that being ? A Tathagata, an Arahat Buddha supreme 1" ' ' Very good, Nagasena ! That is so, and I accept it as you say/ [Here ends the dilemma as to the precedence of the Order over the Buddha.] [dilemma the fifty-fourth. is it more advantageous to be a layman, or to enter the order ?] 1 6. 'Venerable Nagasena, it was said by the Blessed One : " I would magnify, O brethren, the Supreme Attainment2 either in a layman or in a recluse. Whether he be a layman, O brethren, or a recluse, the man who has reached the Supreme Attainment the Thera Gatha we have a collection of verses ascribed to Sari- putta, but this is not one of them. The literal translation is : 'There is but one feeling of faith, but one taking of refuge, but one stretching forth of the hands (with joined palms, in adoration — that paid) to the Buddha, who puts to rout the armies of the Evil One, and is able to make (us) cross (the ocean of continual becomings).' The taking of refuge meant is the confession, the repetition of which characterises a man as a Buddhist — ' I take my refuge in the Buddha, &c.' 1 Ahguttara Nikaya I, 13, 1. 2 That is, of insight and of the practice of right conduct. IV, 6, i6. OF MILINDA THE KING. 57 shall overcome all the difficulties inherent therein, shall win his way even to the excellent condition of Arahatship1." [243]
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 inasmuch as the Tathagata, Nagasena, puts himself not in the way of gifts to himself, gives no occasion for such gifts, you see that he then told his aunt to give that wrapper rather to the Order/ ii. ' The quotation you make, O king, is correct, and the Blessed One did so direct his aunt's gifts 2. But that was not because an act of rever- ence paid to himself would bear no fruit, or because he was unworthy to receive gifts, but it was out of kindness and mercy that he, thinking : " Thus will the Order in times to come, when I am gone, be highly thought of;" magnified the excellence which the Order really had, in that he said : " Give it, O Gotami, to the Order. If you present the Order with it, thus will you have paid homage alike to the Order and to me.5' Just as a father, O king, while he is yet alive, exalts in the midst of the assembly of ministers, soldiers, and royal messengers, of 1 The translation of these five technical terms of cloth-making is doubtful. The Sinhalese (p. 335) has pi^^ana, sindina, pothita, ka/ina, wiyana. 2 The Sinhalese (p. 335) here gives at length the story of Pa^-apatt's gift, at the time when Gotama returned, as the Buddha, to Kapilavatthu. IV, 6,13. OF MILTNDA THE KING. 53 sentries, body guards, and courtiers 1 — yea, in the presence of the king himself — the virtues which his son really possesses, thinking: " If established here he will be honoured of the people in times to come;" so was it out of mercy and kindness that the Tatha- gata, thinking : " Thus will the Order, in times to come, when I am gone, be highly thought of;" magnified the excellence which the Order really had, in that he said : " Give it, O Gotami, to the Order. If you present the Order with it, thus will you have paid homage alike to the Order and to me." 12. [241] ' And by the mere gift of a wrapper for the rainy season, the Order, O king, did not become greater than, or superior to, the Tathagata. Just, O king, as when parents anoint their children with perfumes, rub them, bathe them, or shampoo them 2, does the son by that mere service of theirs become greater than, or superior to, his parents ? ' * Certainly not, sir ! Parents deal with their children as they will, whether the children like it or not3. And therefore do they anoint them with perfumes, shampoo, or bathe them/ ' And just so, O king, the Order did not become greater than, or superior to, the Tathagata merely by the fact of that gift ; and although the Tathagata, whether the Order liked it or not, told his aunt to give the wrapper to the Order. 13. 'Or suppose, O king, some man should bring a complimentary present to a king, and the king should present that gift to some one else — to a soldier or a 1 On this list see above, p. 234 of the Pali text (IV, 5, 36). 2 On these words compare Ahguttara Nikaya II, 4, 2. 3 Akamakaraniya. Compare Vimana Vatthu X, 6 and Digha Nikaya II, 46. 54 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 6, 14.
2234 of the Pali text (IV, 5, 36). 2 On these words compare Ahguttara Nikaya II, 4, 2. 3 Akamakaraniya. Compare Vimana Vatthu X, 6 and Digha Nikaya II, 46. 54 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 6, 14. messenger, to a general or a chaplain, — would that man become greater than, or superior to, the king, merely by the fact that it was he who got the present 1 ? ' ' Certainly not, Sir ! That man receives his wage from the king, from the king he gains his livelihood ; it was the king who, having placed him in that office, gave him the present/ 4 And just so, O king, the Order did not become greater than, or superior to, the Tathagata merely by the fact of that gift. The Order is, as it were, the hired servant of the Tathagata, and gains its livelihood through the Tathagata. And it was the Tathagata who, having placed it in that position, caused the gift to be given it. 14. 'And further the Tathagata, O king, thought thus : " The Order is by its very nature worthy of gifts. I will therefore have this thing, my property though it be, presented to it/' and so he had the wrapper given to the Order. For the Tathagata, O king, magnifies not the offering of gifts to himself, but rather to whomsoever in the world is worthy of having gifts presented to him. For this was said, O king, by the Blessed One, the god over all gods, in the most excellent Ma^gv^ima Nikaya, [242] in the religious discourse entitled Dhamma-dayada, when he was exalting the attainment of being con- tent with little : " He would become the first of my Bhikkhus, the most worthy of presents and of praise V 15. * And there is not, O king, in the three worlds 1 The same simile has already occurred, vol. i, p. 220 (IV, 2, 22). 2 Mag^ima Nikaya, vol. i, p. 13 (in Mr. Trenckner's edition for the Pali Text Society). IV, 6, ig. OF MILINDA THE KING. 55 any being whatever more worthy of gifts, greater or more exalted or better, than the Tathagata. It is the Tathagata who was greatest and highest and best. As it was said, O king, by Ma/zava-gamika the god, in the most excellent Sa^yutta Nikaya, as he stood before the Blessed One in the midst of the assembly of gods and men : " Of all the Rafagaha hills Mount Vipula's acknow- ledged chief, Of the Himalayas Mount White, of planetary orbs the sun, The ocean of all waters, of constellations bright the moon 1 — In all the world of gods and men the Buddha's the acknowledged Lord2!" ' And those verses of Ma/zava the god, O king, were well sung, not wrongly sung, well spoken, not wrongly spoken, and approved by the Blessed One 3. And was it not said by Sariputta, the Commander of the faith : " There is but one Confession, one true Faith, One Adoration of clasped hands stretched forth — That paid to Him who routs the Evil One, And helps us cross the ocean of our ills 4 ! "
3And was it not said by Sariputta, the Commander of the faith : " There is but one Confession, one true Faith, One Adoration of clasped hands stretched forth — That paid to Him who routs the Evil One, And helps us cross the ocean of our ills 4 ! " 1 This must have been composed after the moon god had become established in belief as the husband, or lord, of the Nakshatras, or lunar mansions. For it cannot, of course, be intended that the moon is itself a constellation. 2 Sawyutta Nikaya III, 2, 10 (vol. i, p. 67 of the Pali Text Society's edition). 3 These phrases of approval are commonly used in the Pi/akas of words uttered by any one whose sayings would not, of them- selves, carry weight. So in the Digha III, 1, 28 and in the Maxima I, 385. 4 This verse has not yet been traced in the Pi/akas. In. 56 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 6, 16. ' And it was said by the Blessed One himself, the god over all gods : " There is one being, O brethren, who is born into the world for the good and for the weal of the great multitudes, out of mercy to the world, for the advantage and the good and the weal of gods and men. And what is that being ? A Tathagata, an Arahat Buddha supreme 1" ' ' Very good, Nagasena ! That is so, and I accept it as you say/ [Here ends the dilemma as to the precedence of the Order over the Buddha.] [dilemma the fifty-fourth. is it more advantageous to be a layman, or to enter the order ?] 1 6. 'Venerable Nagasena, it was said by the Blessed One : " I would magnify, O brethren, the Supreme Attainment2 either in a layman or in a recluse. Whether he be a layman, O brethren, or a recluse, the man who has reached the Supreme Attainment the Thera Gatha we have a collection of verses ascribed to Sari- putta, but this is not one of them. The literal translation is : 'There is but one feeling of faith, but one taking of refuge, but one stretching forth of the hands (with joined palms, in adoration — that paid) to the Buddha, who puts to rout the armies of the Evil One, and is able to make (us) cross (the ocean of continual becomings).' The taking of refuge meant is the confession, the repetition of which characterises a man as a Buddhist — ' I take my refuge in the Buddha, &c.' 1 Ahguttara Nikaya I, 13, 1. 2 That is, of insight and of the practice of right conduct. IV, 6, i6. OF MILINDA THE KING. 57 shall overcome all the difficulties inherent therein, shall win his way even to the excellent condition of Arahatship1." [243]
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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