Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1This is the third quality of the ocean inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as the ocean is all in blossom :j, as it were, with the innumerable and various and fine flowers of the ripple of its waves, so is Nirva;/a all in blossom, as it were, with the innumerable and 1 See on this belief above, IV, 3, 39 (I, 259). 2 The word used here for free, empty (sunn a), has again given rise to the most odd misconceptions. As Nirvana is hence called Sunyata, 'emptiness/ Christian writers (taking Nirvana as a name for some kind of future life) have very naturally thought, in trying to fasten some meaning upon emptiness in a future life, that it must mean 'annihilation of a soul/ and have labelled Buddhism as Nihilism ! The real meaning is really very simple, and entirely ethical (not metaphysical or animistic) : ' Men may rise on stepping stones Of their dead selves to higher things/ See below, IV, 8, 78, for a metaphor founded on a similar idea. 3 Sa/ftkusumito, only found here. Compare 'garlands, vitvam/ I, i75, if6- 192 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 8, 70. various and fine flowers of purity, of knowledge, and of emancipation. This is the fourth quality of the ocean inherent in Nirvana/ [320] 70. * Venerable Nagasena, those five quali- ties of food which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they ? ' 'As food, O king, is the support of the life of all beings, so is Nirvana, when it has been realised, the support of life, for it puts an end to old age and death. This is the first quality of food inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as food increases the strength of all beings, so does Nirvana, when it has been realised, increase the power of Iddhi of all beings. This is the second quality of food inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as food is the source of the beauty of all beings, so is Nirvana, when it has been realised, the source to all beings of the beauty of holiness. This is the third quality of food inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as food puts a stop to suffering in all beings, so does Nirvana, when it has been realised, put a stop in all beings to the suffering arising from every evil disposition. This is the fourth quality of food inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as food overcomes in all beings the weakness of hunger, so does Nirvana, when it has been realised, overcome in all beings the weakness which arises from hunger and every sort of pain. This is the fifth quality of food inherent in Nirvana/ 71. 'Venerable Nagasena, those ten qualities of space which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they ? ' 'As space, O king, neither is born nor grows old, neither dies nor passes away nor is reborn (has IV, 8, 73- 0F MILINDA THE KING. 1 93
2'Venerable Nagasena, those ten qualities of space which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they ? ' 'As space, O king, neither is born nor grows old, neither dies nor passes away nor is reborn (has IV, 8, 73- 0F MILINDA THE KING. 1 93 a future life to spring up into), as it is incompressible, cannot be carried off by thieves, rests on nothing, is the sphere in which birds fly, is unobstructed, and is infinite; [321] so, O king, Nirvana is not born, neither does it grow old, it dies not, it passes not away, it has no rebirth (no future life to spring up into), it is unconquerable, thieves carry it not off, it is not attached to anything1, it is the sphere in which Arahats move, nothing can obstruct it, and it is infinite. These are the ten qualities of space in- herent in Nirvi^a.' 72. 'Venerable Nagasena, those three qualities of the wish-conferring gem which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they?' 'As the wishing-gem, O king, satisfies every desire, so also does Nirvana. This is the first quality of the wishing-gem inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as the wishing-gem causes delight, so also does Nirvana. This is the second quality of the wishing-gem inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as the wishing-gem is full of lustre, so also is Nirvana. This is the third quality of the wishing- gem inherent in Nirvana/ 73. 'Venerable Nagasena, those three qualities of red sandal wood which you said were inherent in Nirva/za, — which are they ? ' 1 Anissitaw, so below, p. 351 of the Pali, the dhutahga/ra is said to be an is si taw. The translation is difficult. In our passage here Hina/i-kumbur6 (p. 464) renders it, as applied both to space and to Nirvana, by ' having no asrawa.' Below, as applied to the vows (dhutahgas), he renders it (p. 512) by Unconnected with craving' (treshwani^rita). ' Self-dependent' or 'untarnished (by reliance on external things ') would suit the context in all three passages. [36] O 194 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 8, 74. 'As red sandal wood, O king, is hard to get, so is Nirvana hard to attain to. This is the first quality of red sandal wood inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as red sandal wood is unequalled in the beauty of its perfume, so is Nirvana. This is the second quality of red sandal wood inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as red sandal wood is praised by all the good, so is Nirvana praised by all the Noble Ones. This is the third quality of red sandal wood inherent in Nirvana/ 74. [322] ' Venerable Nagasena, those three qualities of the skimmings of ghee l which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they?'
3This is the third quality of red sandal wood inherent in Nirvana/ 74. [322] ' Venerable Nagasena, those three qualities of the skimmings of ghee l which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they?' 'As ghee is beautiful in colour, O king, so also is Nirvana beautiful in righteousness. This is the first quality of the ghee inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as ghee has a pleasant perfume, so also has Nirvana the pleasant perfume of righteous- ness. This is the second quality of ghee inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as ghee has a pleasant taste, so also has Nirva/za. This is the third quality of ghee inherent in Nirvana/ 75. 'Venerable Nagasena, those five qualities of a mountain peak which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they?' 'As a mountain peak is very lofty, so also is Nirvana very exalted. This is the first quality of a mountain peak inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as a mountain peak is immoveable, so also is Nirvana. This is the second quality of a moun- tain peak inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, 1 This is butter made of buffaloes' milk, and is highly esteemed in India. IV, 8, 76. OF MILINDA THE KING. 195 as a mountain peak is inaccessible, so also is Nirvd^a inaccessible to all evil dispositions. This is the third quality of a mountain peak inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as a mountain peak is a place where no plants can grow, so also is Nirvana a condition in which no evil dispositions can grow. This is the fourth quality of a mountain peak inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as a mountain peak is free alike from desire to please and from resentment, so also is Nirvana. This is the fifth quality of a mountain peak inherent in Nirvana/ [323] ' Very good, Nagasena ! That is so, and I accept it as you say/ [Here ends the problem as to the form of Nirvana.] [dilemma the eighty-first, the time of nirvaiva.] 76. 'Venerable Nagasena, your people say1: " Nirvana is not past, nor future, nor present, nor produced, nor not produced, nor producible 2." ' In that case, Nagasena, does the man who, having ordered his life aright, realises Nirvana, realise something already produced, or does he himself produce it first, and then realise it ? ' ' Neither the one, O king, nor the other. And nevertheless, O king, that principle of Nirvana (nibbana-dhatu) which he, so ordering his life aright, realises — that exists/ 1 Not yet traced in the Pi/akas. 8 'By the action of Karma as a pre-existing cause' is to be understood. O 2 196 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 8, 77. * Do not, venerable Nagasena, clear up this puzzle by making it dark ! Make it open and plain as you elucidate it. With a will, strenuous in en- deavour, pour out upon it all that has been taught you. It is a point on which this people is bewildered, plunged into perplexity, lost in doubt. Dissipate this guilty uncertainty ; it pierces like a dart 1 ! '
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.
1This is the third quality of the ocean inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as the ocean is all in blossom :j, as it were, with the innumerable and various and fine flowers of the ripple of its waves, so is Nirva;/a all in blossom, as it were, with the innumerable and 1 See on this belief above, IV, 3, 39 (I, 259). 2 The word used here for free, empty (sunn a), has again given rise to the most odd misconceptions. As Nirvana is hence called Sunyata, 'emptiness/ Christian writers (taking Nirvana as a name for some kind of future life) have very naturally thought, in trying to fasten some meaning upon emptiness in a future life, that it must mean 'annihilation of a soul/ and have labelled Buddhism as Nihilism ! The real meaning is really very simple, and entirely ethical (not metaphysical or animistic) : ' Men may rise on stepping stones Of their dead selves to higher things/ See below, IV, 8, 78, for a metaphor founded on a similar idea. 3 Sa/ftkusumito, only found here. Compare 'garlands, vitvam/ I, i75, if6- 192 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 8, 70. various and fine flowers of purity, of knowledge, and of emancipation. This is the fourth quality of the ocean inherent in Nirvana/ [320] 70. * Venerable Nagasena, those five quali- ties of food which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they ? ' 'As food, O king, is the support of the life of all beings, so is Nirvana, when it has been realised, the support of life, for it puts an end to old age and death. This is the first quality of food inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as food increases the strength of all beings, so does Nirvana, when it has been realised, increase the power of Iddhi of all beings. This is the second quality of food inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as food is the source of the beauty of all beings, so is Nirvana, when it has been realised, the source to all beings of the beauty of holiness. This is the third quality of food inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as food puts a stop to suffering in all beings, so does Nirvana, when it has been realised, put a stop in all beings to the suffering arising from every evil disposition. This is the fourth quality of food inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as food overcomes in all beings the weakness of hunger, so does Nirvana, when it has been realised, overcome in all beings the weakness which arises from hunger and every sort of pain. This is the fifth quality of food inherent in Nirvana/ 71. 'Venerable Nagasena, those ten qualities of space which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they ? ' 'As space, O king, neither is born nor grows old, neither dies nor passes away nor is reborn (has IV, 8, 73- 0F MILINDA THE KING. 1 93
2'Venerable Nagasena, those ten qualities of space which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they ? ' 'As space, O king, neither is born nor grows old, neither dies nor passes away nor is reborn (has IV, 8, 73- 0F MILINDA THE KING. 1 93 a future life to spring up into), as it is incompressible, cannot be carried off by thieves, rests on nothing, is the sphere in which birds fly, is unobstructed, and is infinite; [321] so, O king, Nirvana is not born, neither does it grow old, it dies not, it passes not away, it has no rebirth (no future life to spring up into), it is unconquerable, thieves carry it not off, it is not attached to anything1, it is the sphere in which Arahats move, nothing can obstruct it, and it is infinite. These are the ten qualities of space in- herent in Nirvi^a.' 72. 'Venerable Nagasena, those three qualities of the wish-conferring gem which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they?' 'As the wishing-gem, O king, satisfies every desire, so also does Nirvana. This is the first quality of the wishing-gem inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as the wishing-gem causes delight, so also does Nirvana. This is the second quality of the wishing-gem inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as the wishing-gem is full of lustre, so also is Nirvana. This is the third quality of the wishing- gem inherent in Nirvana/ 73. 'Venerable Nagasena, those three qualities of red sandal wood which you said were inherent in Nirva/za, — which are they ? ' 1 Anissitaw, so below, p. 351 of the Pali, the dhutahga/ra is said to be an is si taw. The translation is difficult. In our passage here Hina/i-kumbur6 (p. 464) renders it, as applied both to space and to Nirvana, by ' having no asrawa.' Below, as applied to the vows (dhutahgas), he renders it (p. 512) by Unconnected with craving' (treshwani^rita). ' Self-dependent' or 'untarnished (by reliance on external things ') would suit the context in all three passages. [36] O 194 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 8, 74. 'As red sandal wood, O king, is hard to get, so is Nirvana hard to attain to. This is the first quality of red sandal wood inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as red sandal wood is unequalled in the beauty of its perfume, so is Nirvana. This is the second quality of red sandal wood inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as red sandal wood is praised by all the good, so is Nirvana praised by all the Noble Ones. This is the third quality of red sandal wood inherent in Nirvana/ 74. [322] ' Venerable Nagasena, those three qualities of the skimmings of ghee l which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they?'
3This is the third quality of red sandal wood inherent in Nirvana/ 74. [322] ' Venerable Nagasena, those three qualities of the skimmings of ghee l which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they?' 'As ghee is beautiful in colour, O king, so also is Nirvana beautiful in righteousness. This is the first quality of the ghee inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as ghee has a pleasant perfume, so also has Nirvana the pleasant perfume of righteous- ness. This is the second quality of ghee inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as ghee has a pleasant taste, so also has Nirva/za. This is the third quality of ghee inherent in Nirvana/ 75. 'Venerable Nagasena, those five qualities of a mountain peak which you said were inherent in Nirvana, — which are they?' 'As a mountain peak is very lofty, so also is Nirvana very exalted. This is the first quality of a mountain peak inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as a mountain peak is immoveable, so also is Nirvana. This is the second quality of a moun- tain peak inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, 1 This is butter made of buffaloes' milk, and is highly esteemed in India. IV, 8, 76. OF MILINDA THE KING. 195 as a mountain peak is inaccessible, so also is Nirvd^a inaccessible to all evil dispositions. This is the third quality of a mountain peak inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as a mountain peak is a place where no plants can grow, so also is Nirvana a condition in which no evil dispositions can grow. This is the fourth quality of a mountain peak inherent in Nirvana. And again, O king, as a mountain peak is free alike from desire to please and from resentment, so also is Nirvana. This is the fifth quality of a mountain peak inherent in Nirvana/ [323] ' Very good, Nagasena ! That is so, and I accept it as you say/ [Here ends the problem as to the form of Nirvana.] [dilemma the eighty-first, the time of nirvaiva.] 76. 'Venerable Nagasena, your people say1: " Nirvana is not past, nor future, nor present, nor produced, nor not produced, nor producible 2." ' In that case, Nagasena, does the man who, having ordered his life aright, realises Nirvana, realise something already produced, or does he himself produce it first, and then realise it ? ' ' Neither the one, O king, nor the other. And nevertheless, O king, that principle of Nirvana (nibbana-dhatu) which he, so ordering his life aright, realises — that exists/ 1 Not yet traced in the Pi/akas. 8 'By the action of Karma as a pre-existing cause' is to be understood. O 2 196 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES IV, 8, 77. * Do not, venerable Nagasena, clear up this puzzle by making it dark ! Make it open and plain as you elucidate it. With a will, strenuous in en- deavour, pour out upon it all that has been taught you. It is a point on which this people is bewildered, plunged into perplexity, lost in doubt. Dissipate this guilty uncertainty ; it pierces like a dart 1 ! '
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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