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Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1Hereafter it throughout renders nippapa#/£o hoti by 'become an Arahat.' 2 Vasita-vasana. See above, vol. i, p. 18. 3 Mahara^-akkha, 'evil done both in this and in former births ' is here to be understood. 94 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 7, 5. whoever possesses the power of Iddhi could take those fruits 1, but whoever had not, he would have first to cut sticks and creepers and construct a ladder, and by its means climb up the tree and so get at the fruit. In the same way those who are by nature pure, and upon whose hearts an impression has been left by good deeds done in a former birth, may attain, in a moment, to Arahatship, like the man getting the fruit by the power of Iddhi. But those, on the other hand, whose minds are darkened by the evil they have done can only become Arahats by such means as these, like the man who only gets the fruit by means of the ladder he has made. 5. [264] ' Or just, O king, as while one man who is clever in business will go alone to his lord and conclude any business he has to do, another man, rich though he may be, must by his riches bring others to his service, and by their help get the business done — and it is for the business' sake that he has to seek after them. In the same way those who are by nature pure, upon whose hearts an im- pression has been left by good deeds done in a former birth, may reach, in a moment, to the attain- ment of the Six Transcendent Qualities 2, like the man who does the business alone by himself. Whereas those brethren whose minds are darkened by the evil they have done can only by such means as these realise the gains of renunciation, like the man who through others' help brings his business to the desired end. 1 By the simple process of going through the air to the top of the tree. 2 Chasu abhi##asu vasibhavaw p&pu/zanti. IV, 7, 6. OF MILINDA THE KING. 95
21 By the simple process of going through the air to the top of the tree. 2 Chasu abhi##asu vasibhavaw p&pu/zanti. IV, 7, 6. OF MILINDA THE KING. 95 6. ' For recitation is of great good, O king, and asking questions, and superintending building work, and seeing to gifts and offerings is of great good — each of them to one or other of the spiritual objects which the brethren seek to obtain. Just, O king, as there might be some one of the ministers or soldiers or messengers or sentries or body-guards or attend- ants who was especially serviceable and useful to the king, but when he had any business given him to do they would all help him — just so are all these things of assistance when those objects have to be attained. When all men, O king, shall have become by nature pure, then will there be nothing left for a teacher l to accomplish. But so long as there is still need of discipleship 2, so long will even such a man, O king, as the Elder Sariputta himself (though he had at- tained to the summit of wisdom by reason of his having been, through countless ages, deeply rooted in merit), yet find it impossible, without discipleship, to attain to Arahatship 3. Therefore is it, O king, that hearing (the Scriptures) is of use, and recitation of them, and asking questions about them. And therefore is it that those also who are addicted to 1 'Who is a Buddha' adds Hina/i-kumbur6 (p. 372). 2 Savanena, literally ' bearing/ 3 Asavakkhayaw, literally 'to the destruction of the Asavas;' that is, of the Great Evils, which are lust, dulness, becoming, and ignorance. Mr. Trenckner marks this passage as corrupt, but Hina/i-kumbure seems to have had the same reading before him as Mr. Trenckner has selected from his MSS., except that he has not had any mark of punctuation after the word hoti. The particular occasion on which Sariputta became finally free from the Asavas is related in the Digha-nakha Suttanta, No. 74 in the Maxima Nikaya (vol. i, p. 50 of Mr. Trenckner' s edition for the Pali Text Society). 96 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 7, 7. these things, becoming free from the obstacles thereto, attain to Arahatship V ' Right well have you made me understand this puzzle, Nagasena. That is so, and I accept it as you say/ [Here ends the dilemma as to the obstacles.] [dilemma the sixty-second, the lay arahat.] 7. ' Venerable Nagasena, your people say : " Whosoever has attained, as a layman, to Arahat- ship, one of two conditions are possible to him, and no other — either that very day he enters the Order, or he dies away, for beyond that day he cannot last2." [265] ' Now if, Nagasena, he could not, on that day, procure a teacher or preceptor, or a bowl and set of robes 3, would he then, being an Arahat, admit himself, or would he live over the day, or would some other Arahat suddenly appear by the power of Iddhi and admit him, or would he die away?' ' He could not, O king, because he is an Arahat, admit himself. For any one admitting himself to
3For any one admitting himself to 1 Literally ' therefore is it that recitation, &c, is a condition free from the obstacles, and unmade ' (the Unmade being also one of the many epithets of Arahatship). 3 This passage has not yet been traced in the Pi/akas. 3 All these are necessary to one who is a candidate for admission to the Order — the teacher and preceptor being, as it were, his proposer and seconder; and no one being admitted who is not already provided with a bowl and a set of robes. IV, 7, 8. OF MILINDA THE KING. 97 the Order is guilty of theft1. And he could not last beyond that day. Whether another Arahat should happen, or not, to arrive, on that very day would he die away/ ' Then, Nagasena, by whatever means attained, the holy condition of Arahatship is thereby also lost, for destruction of life is involved in it/ 8. ' It is the condition of laymanship which is at fault, O king. In that faulty condition, and by reason of the weakness of the condition itself, the layman who, as such, has attained to Arahatship must either, that very day, enter the Order or die away. That is not the fault of Arahatship, O king. It is laymanship that is at fault, through not being strong enough. 'Just, O king, as food, that guards the growth and protects the life of all beings, will, through indigestion, take away the life of one whose stomach is unequal to it, whose internal fire is low and weak — just so if a layman attains Arahatship when in that condition unequal to it, then by reason of the weakness of the condition he must, that very day, either enter the Order or die away. ' Or just, O king, as a tiny blade of grass when a heavy rock is placed upon it will, through its weak- ness, break off and give way — just so when a layman attains Arahatship, then, unable to support Arahat- ship in that condition, he must, that very day, either enter the Order or die away. 'Or just, O king, as a poor weak fellow of low birth and little ability, if he came into possession of 1 ' Inasmuch as he would be taking a dress to which he was not entitled ' is Hfna/i-kumbure's gloss. [36] H 98 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 7, 9. a great and mighty kingdom, would be unable to support the dignity of it 1 — just so if a layman attains to Arahatship, then is he unable, in that condition, to support it. [266] And that is the reason why he must, on that very day, either enter the Order or die away/ * Very good, Nagasena ! That is so, and I accept it as you say/ [Here ends the dilemma as to the lay Arahat.] [dilemma the sixty-third, the faults of the arahat.] 9. 'Venerable Nagasena, can an Arahat be thoughtless 2 ? ' ' The Arahats, O king, have put thoughtlessness far from them. They are never inadvertent/ ' But can an Arahat be guilty of an offence ?' ' Yes, O king/ * In what respect ?' 'In the construction of his cell3, or in his inter- course (with the other sex)4, or in imagining the wrong time (for the midday meal) to be the right
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.
1Hereafter it throughout renders nippapa#/£o hoti by 'become an Arahat.' 2 Vasita-vasana. See above, vol. i, p. 18. 3 Mahara^-akkha, 'evil done both in this and in former births ' is here to be understood. 94 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 7, 5. whoever possesses the power of Iddhi could take those fruits 1, but whoever had not, he would have first to cut sticks and creepers and construct a ladder, and by its means climb up the tree and so get at the fruit. In the same way those who are by nature pure, and upon whose hearts an impression has been left by good deeds done in a former birth, may attain, in a moment, to Arahatship, like the man getting the fruit by the power of Iddhi. But those, on the other hand, whose minds are darkened by the evil they have done can only become Arahats by such means as these, like the man who only gets the fruit by means of the ladder he has made. 5. [264] ' Or just, O king, as while one man who is clever in business will go alone to his lord and conclude any business he has to do, another man, rich though he may be, must by his riches bring others to his service, and by their help get the business done — and it is for the business' sake that he has to seek after them. In the same way those who are by nature pure, upon whose hearts an im- pression has been left by good deeds done in a former birth, may reach, in a moment, to the attain- ment of the Six Transcendent Qualities 2, like the man who does the business alone by himself. Whereas those brethren whose minds are darkened by the evil they have done can only by such means as these realise the gains of renunciation, like the man who through others' help brings his business to the desired end. 1 By the simple process of going through the air to the top of the tree. 2 Chasu abhi##asu vasibhavaw p&pu/zanti. IV, 7, 6. OF MILINDA THE KING. 95
21 By the simple process of going through the air to the top of the tree. 2 Chasu abhi##asu vasibhavaw p&pu/zanti. IV, 7, 6. OF MILINDA THE KING. 95 6. ' For recitation is of great good, O king, and asking questions, and superintending building work, and seeing to gifts and offerings is of great good — each of them to one or other of the spiritual objects which the brethren seek to obtain. Just, O king, as there might be some one of the ministers or soldiers or messengers or sentries or body-guards or attend- ants who was especially serviceable and useful to the king, but when he had any business given him to do they would all help him — just so are all these things of assistance when those objects have to be attained. When all men, O king, shall have become by nature pure, then will there be nothing left for a teacher l to accomplish. But so long as there is still need of discipleship 2, so long will even such a man, O king, as the Elder Sariputta himself (though he had at- tained to the summit of wisdom by reason of his having been, through countless ages, deeply rooted in merit), yet find it impossible, without discipleship, to attain to Arahatship 3. Therefore is it, O king, that hearing (the Scriptures) is of use, and recitation of them, and asking questions about them. And therefore is it that those also who are addicted to 1 'Who is a Buddha' adds Hina/i-kumbur6 (p. 372). 2 Savanena, literally ' bearing/ 3 Asavakkhayaw, literally 'to the destruction of the Asavas;' that is, of the Great Evils, which are lust, dulness, becoming, and ignorance. Mr. Trenckner marks this passage as corrupt, but Hina/i-kumbure seems to have had the same reading before him as Mr. Trenckner has selected from his MSS., except that he has not had any mark of punctuation after the word hoti. The particular occasion on which Sariputta became finally free from the Asavas is related in the Digha-nakha Suttanta, No. 74 in the Maxima Nikaya (vol. i, p. 50 of Mr. Trenckner' s edition for the Pali Text Society). 96 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 7, 7. these things, becoming free from the obstacles thereto, attain to Arahatship V ' Right well have you made me understand this puzzle, Nagasena. That is so, and I accept it as you say/ [Here ends the dilemma as to the obstacles.] [dilemma the sixty-second, the lay arahat.] 7. ' Venerable Nagasena, your people say : " Whosoever has attained, as a layman, to Arahat- ship, one of two conditions are possible to him, and no other — either that very day he enters the Order, or he dies away, for beyond that day he cannot last2." [265] ' Now if, Nagasena, he could not, on that day, procure a teacher or preceptor, or a bowl and set of robes 3, would he then, being an Arahat, admit himself, or would he live over the day, or would some other Arahat suddenly appear by the power of Iddhi and admit him, or would he die away?' ' He could not, O king, because he is an Arahat, admit himself. For any one admitting himself to
3For any one admitting himself to 1 Literally ' therefore is it that recitation, &c, is a condition free from the obstacles, and unmade ' (the Unmade being also one of the many epithets of Arahatship). 3 This passage has not yet been traced in the Pi/akas. 3 All these are necessary to one who is a candidate for admission to the Order — the teacher and preceptor being, as it were, his proposer and seconder; and no one being admitted who is not already provided with a bowl and a set of robes. IV, 7, 8. OF MILINDA THE KING. 97 the Order is guilty of theft1. And he could not last beyond that day. Whether another Arahat should happen, or not, to arrive, on that very day would he die away/ ' Then, Nagasena, by whatever means attained, the holy condition of Arahatship is thereby also lost, for destruction of life is involved in it/ 8. ' It is the condition of laymanship which is at fault, O king. In that faulty condition, and by reason of the weakness of the condition itself, the layman who, as such, has attained to Arahatship must either, that very day, enter the Order or die away. That is not the fault of Arahatship, O king. It is laymanship that is at fault, through not being strong enough. 'Just, O king, as food, that guards the growth and protects the life of all beings, will, through indigestion, take away the life of one whose stomach is unequal to it, whose internal fire is low and weak — just so if a layman attains Arahatship when in that condition unequal to it, then by reason of the weakness of the condition he must, that very day, either enter the Order or die away. ' Or just, O king, as a tiny blade of grass when a heavy rock is placed upon it will, through its weak- ness, break off and give way — just so when a layman attains Arahatship, then, unable to support Arahat- ship in that condition, he must, that very day, either enter the Order or die away. 'Or just, O king, as a poor weak fellow of low birth and little ability, if he came into possession of 1 ' Inasmuch as he would be taking a dress to which he was not entitled ' is Hfna/i-kumbure's gloss. [36] H 98 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 7, 9. a great and mighty kingdom, would be unable to support the dignity of it 1 — just so if a layman attains to Arahatship, then is he unable, in that condition, to support it. [266] And that is the reason why he must, on that very day, either enter the Order or die away/ * Very good, Nagasena ! That is so, and I accept it as you say/ [Here ends the dilemma as to the lay Arahat.] [dilemma the sixty-third, the faults of the arahat.] 9. 'Venerable Nagasena, can an Arahat be thoughtless 2 ? ' ' The Arahats, O king, have put thoughtlessness far from them. They are never inadvertent/ ' But can an Arahat be guilty of an offence ?' ' Yes, O king/ * In what respect ?' 'In the construction of his cell3, or in his inter- course (with the other sex)4, or in imagining the wrong time (for the midday meal) to be the right
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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