Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1Sanskrit Buddhist texts will be here the best commentary. 1 Karafl^ava/rc. In Childers, ' a sort of duck/ in the Sinhalese, ' excrement/ 2 Pal ape vahetha. Chaff is so often used in Pali of frivolous talk that it is given in the dictionaries as having that meaning. Hina/i-kumbur6 takes it here in the sense of men of low caste, leprous jSTatfdstlas. 8 Not traced as yet. It is not in the Sutta Nipata. This is the only passage in which our author gives the name of a book as the source from which he takes a passage, when the passage cannot be found in it. See Introduction, I, xliii. 364 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES VII, 7,1. Book VII. Chapter 7. the similes (continued). 6 1. The Waterpot. i. [414] ' Venerable Nagasena, that one quality of the waterpot you say he ought to take, which is it ? ' * Just, O king, as the waterpot when it is full gives forth no sound ; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, even when he has reached the summit of Sama/zaship, and knows all tradition and learning and interpretation, yet should give forth no sound, not pride himself there- on, not show himself puffed up, but putting away pride and self-righteousness, should be straight- forward, not garrulous of himself, neither depre- cating others. This, O king, is the quality of the waterpot he ought to have. For it was said, O king, by the Blessed One, the god over all gods, in the Sutta Nipata : "What is not full, that is the thing that sounds, That which is full is noiseless and at rest ; The fool is like an empty waterpot, The wise man like a deep pool, clear and full V ' 62. Black Iron2. 2. 'Venerable Nagasena, those two qualities of black iron you say he ought to take, which are they ? ' [415] 'Just, O king, as black iron even when 1 Sutta Nipata III, n, 43 (verse 721). 2 Ka/ayasa. I suppose to distinguish it from bronze. VII, 7, 4- 0F MILINDA THE KING. 365 beaten out1 carries weight; just so, O king, should the mind of the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, be able, by his habit of thoughtfulness, to carry heavy burdens. This, O king, is the first quality of black iron he ought to have. 3. ' And again, O king, as black iron does not vomit up the water it has once soaked in 2 ; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, never give up the faith he has once felt in the greatness of the Blessed One, the Supreme Buddha, in the perfection of his Doctrine, in the excellence of the Order — never give up the knowledge he has once acquired of the impermanence of forms, or of sensations, or of ideas, or of qualities, or of modes of consciousness. This, O king, is the second quality of black iron he ought to have. For it was said, O king, by the Blessed One, the god over all gods :
2This, O king, is the second quality of black iron he ought to have. For it was said, O king, by the Blessed One, the god over all gods : " That man who is in insight purified, Trained in the doctrine of the Noble Ones, Grasping distinctions as they really are, What need hath he to tremble ? Not in part Only, but in its full extent, shall he To the clear heights of Arahatship attain 3." ' 63. The Sunshade. 4. ' Venerable Nagasena, those three qualities of the sunshade4 you say he ought to take, which are they ? ' 1 Suthito. 'Like a thin, strong creeper/ says the Sinhalese. 2 There is no explanation in the Sinhalese of this curious phrase. 8 Not traced as yet. Hina/i-kumbure (p. 618) reads visesa- gu«a pavedhati, and mukhabhavam eva so. 4 .Oatta. As used by high officials, a circular sunshade sup- 366 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES VII, 7, 5. * Just, O king, as the sunshade goes along over one's head ; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, be of a character above all evil dispositions. This, O king, is the first quality of the sunshade he ought to have. 5. ' And again, O king, just as the sunshade is held over the head by a handle ; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, have thoughtfulness as his handle. This, O king, is the second quality of the sunshade he ought to have. 6. ' And again, O king, as the sunshade wards off winds and heat and storms of rain ; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, ward off the empty winds of the opinions of the numerous Samaras and Brahmans who hold forth their various and divergent nostrums, ward off the heat of the threefold fire (of lust, malice, and dull- ness), and ward off the rains of evil dispositions. [416] This, O king, is the third quality of the sun- shade he ought to have. For it was said, O king, by Sariputta, the Elder, the Commander of the Faith : " As a broad sunshade spreading far and firm, Without a hole from rim to rim, wards off The burning heat, and the god's mighty rain ; So doth the Buddha's son, all pure within, Bearing the sunshade brave of righteousness, Ward off the rain of evil tendencies, And the dread heat of all the threefold fire V ' ported, not by a short stick fixed underneath its centre, but by a long stick fastened to a point on its circumference; and carried, not by the person it shades, but by an attendant behind him. 1 Not traced as yet. vii, 7, 9- 0f milinda the king. 367 64. The Rice Field. 7. ' Venerable Nagasena, those three qualities of the rice field you say he ought to have, which are they?' 'Just, O king, as the rice field is provided with canals for irrigation ; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, be provided with the lists of the various duties incumbent on the righteous man — the canals that bring the water to the rice fields of the Buddha's doctrine \ This, O king, is the first of the qualities of the rice field he ought to have.
38. ' And again, O king, just as the rice field is provided with embankments whereby men keep the water in, and so bring the crop to maturity ; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, be provided with the embankments of righteousness of life, and shame at sin, and thereby keep his Sama/zaship intact, and gain the fruits thereof. This, O king, is the second quality of the rice field he ought to have. 9. 'And again, O king, just as the rice field is fruitful, filling the heart of the farmer with joy, so that if the seed be little the crop is great, and if the seed be much the crop is greater still ; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, be fruitful to the bearing of much good fruit, making the hearts of those who support him to rejoice, so that where little is given the result is great, and where much is given the result is greater still. 1 As the pun on the two secondary meanings of matika, 'rule, line/ is untranslateable, I add here Hina/i-kumbure's gloss on the simile. 368 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES VII, 7, 10. This, O king, is the third quality of the rice field he ought to have. For it was said, O king, by Upali, the Elder, he who carried the rules of the Order in his head : " Be fruitful as a rice field, yea, be rich In all good works ! For that is the best field Which yieldeth to the sower the goodliest crop V" 65. Medicine. 10. [417] * Venerable Nagasena, those two quali- ties of medicine you say he ought to take, which are they ? ' * Just, O king, as vermin are not produced in medicine ; just so, O king, should no evil disposi- tions be allowed to arise in the mind of the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort. This, O king, is the first of the qualities of medicine he ought to have. 11. 'And again, O king, just as medicine is an antidote to whatever poison may have been imparted by bites or contact, by eating or by drink- ing in any way; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, counteract in himself the poison of lusts, and malice, and dullness, and pride, and wrong belief. This, O king, is the second of the qualities of medicine he ought to have. For it was said, O king, by the Blessed One, the god over all the gods : " The strenuous recluse who longs to see Into the nature, and the meaning true, Of the constituent elements of things, Must as it were an antidote become, To the destruction of all evil thoughts V ' 1 Not traced as yet. vii, 7, 15- 0f milinda the king. 369 66. Food. 12. ' Venerable Nagasena, those three qualities of food you say he ought to take, which are they ? ' * Just, O king, as food is the support of all beings, just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, be a handle, as it were, by which all beings may open the door of the noble eightfold path. This, O king, is the first of the qualities of food he ought to have.
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.
1Sanskrit Buddhist texts will be here the best commentary. 1 Karafl^ava/rc. In Childers, ' a sort of duck/ in the Sinhalese, ' excrement/ 2 Pal ape vahetha. Chaff is so often used in Pali of frivolous talk that it is given in the dictionaries as having that meaning. Hina/i-kumbur6 takes it here in the sense of men of low caste, leprous jSTatfdstlas. 8 Not traced as yet. It is not in the Sutta Nipata. This is the only passage in which our author gives the name of a book as the source from which he takes a passage, when the passage cannot be found in it. See Introduction, I, xliii. 364 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES VII, 7,1. Book VII. Chapter 7. the similes (continued). 6 1. The Waterpot. i. [414] ' Venerable Nagasena, that one quality of the waterpot you say he ought to take, which is it ? ' * Just, O king, as the waterpot when it is full gives forth no sound ; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, even when he has reached the summit of Sama/zaship, and knows all tradition and learning and interpretation, yet should give forth no sound, not pride himself there- on, not show himself puffed up, but putting away pride and self-righteousness, should be straight- forward, not garrulous of himself, neither depre- cating others. This, O king, is the quality of the waterpot he ought to have. For it was said, O king, by the Blessed One, the god over all gods, in the Sutta Nipata : "What is not full, that is the thing that sounds, That which is full is noiseless and at rest ; The fool is like an empty waterpot, The wise man like a deep pool, clear and full V ' 62. Black Iron2. 2. 'Venerable Nagasena, those two qualities of black iron you say he ought to take, which are they ? ' [415] 'Just, O king, as black iron even when 1 Sutta Nipata III, n, 43 (verse 721). 2 Ka/ayasa. I suppose to distinguish it from bronze. VII, 7, 4- 0F MILINDA THE KING. 365 beaten out1 carries weight; just so, O king, should the mind of the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, be able, by his habit of thoughtfulness, to carry heavy burdens. This, O king, is the first quality of black iron he ought to have. 3. ' And again, O king, as black iron does not vomit up the water it has once soaked in 2 ; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, never give up the faith he has once felt in the greatness of the Blessed One, the Supreme Buddha, in the perfection of his Doctrine, in the excellence of the Order — never give up the knowledge he has once acquired of the impermanence of forms, or of sensations, or of ideas, or of qualities, or of modes of consciousness. This, O king, is the second quality of black iron he ought to have. For it was said, O king, by the Blessed One, the god over all gods :
2This, O king, is the second quality of black iron he ought to have. For it was said, O king, by the Blessed One, the god over all gods : " That man who is in insight purified, Trained in the doctrine of the Noble Ones, Grasping distinctions as they really are, What need hath he to tremble ? Not in part Only, but in its full extent, shall he To the clear heights of Arahatship attain 3." ' 63. The Sunshade. 4. ' Venerable Nagasena, those three qualities of the sunshade4 you say he ought to take, which are they ? ' 1 Suthito. 'Like a thin, strong creeper/ says the Sinhalese. 2 There is no explanation in the Sinhalese of this curious phrase. 8 Not traced as yet. Hina/i-kumbure (p. 618) reads visesa- gu«a pavedhati, and mukhabhavam eva so. 4 .Oatta. As used by high officials, a circular sunshade sup- 366 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES VII, 7, 5. * Just, O king, as the sunshade goes along over one's head ; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, be of a character above all evil dispositions. This, O king, is the first quality of the sunshade he ought to have. 5. ' And again, O king, just as the sunshade is held over the head by a handle ; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, have thoughtfulness as his handle. This, O king, is the second quality of the sunshade he ought to have. 6. ' And again, O king, as the sunshade wards off winds and heat and storms of rain ; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, ward off the empty winds of the opinions of the numerous Samaras and Brahmans who hold forth their various and divergent nostrums, ward off the heat of the threefold fire (of lust, malice, and dull- ness), and ward off the rains of evil dispositions. [416] This, O king, is the third quality of the sun- shade he ought to have. For it was said, O king, by Sariputta, the Elder, the Commander of the Faith : " As a broad sunshade spreading far and firm, Without a hole from rim to rim, wards off The burning heat, and the god's mighty rain ; So doth the Buddha's son, all pure within, Bearing the sunshade brave of righteousness, Ward off the rain of evil tendencies, And the dread heat of all the threefold fire V ' ported, not by a short stick fixed underneath its centre, but by a long stick fastened to a point on its circumference; and carried, not by the person it shades, but by an attendant behind him. 1 Not traced as yet. vii, 7, 9- 0f milinda the king. 367 64. The Rice Field. 7. ' Venerable Nagasena, those three qualities of the rice field you say he ought to have, which are they?' 'Just, O king, as the rice field is provided with canals for irrigation ; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, be provided with the lists of the various duties incumbent on the righteous man — the canals that bring the water to the rice fields of the Buddha's doctrine \ This, O king, is the first of the qualities of the rice field he ought to have.
38. ' And again, O king, just as the rice field is provided with embankments whereby men keep the water in, and so bring the crop to maturity ; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, be provided with the embankments of righteousness of life, and shame at sin, and thereby keep his Sama/zaship intact, and gain the fruits thereof. This, O king, is the second quality of the rice field he ought to have. 9. 'And again, O king, just as the rice field is fruitful, filling the heart of the farmer with joy, so that if the seed be little the crop is great, and if the seed be much the crop is greater still ; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, be fruitful to the bearing of much good fruit, making the hearts of those who support him to rejoice, so that where little is given the result is great, and where much is given the result is greater still. 1 As the pun on the two secondary meanings of matika, 'rule, line/ is untranslateable, I add here Hina/i-kumbure's gloss on the simile. 368 THE QUESTIONS AND PUZZLES VII, 7, 10. This, O king, is the third quality of the rice field he ought to have. For it was said, O king, by Upali, the Elder, he who carried the rules of the Order in his head : " Be fruitful as a rice field, yea, be rich In all good works ! For that is the best field Which yieldeth to the sower the goodliest crop V" 65. Medicine. 10. [417] * Venerable Nagasena, those two quali- ties of medicine you say he ought to take, which are they ? ' * Just, O king, as vermin are not produced in medicine ; just so, O king, should no evil disposi- tions be allowed to arise in the mind of the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort. This, O king, is the first of the qualities of medicine he ought to have. 11. 'And again, O king, just as medicine is an antidote to whatever poison may have been imparted by bites or contact, by eating or by drink- ing in any way; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, counteract in himself the poison of lusts, and malice, and dullness, and pride, and wrong belief. This, O king, is the second of the qualities of medicine he ought to have. For it was said, O king, by the Blessed One, the god over all the gods : " The strenuous recluse who longs to see Into the nature, and the meaning true, Of the constituent elements of things, Must as it were an antidote become, To the destruction of all evil thoughts V ' 1 Not traced as yet. vii, 7, 15- 0f milinda the king. 369 66. Food. 12. ' Venerable Nagasena, those three qualities of food you say he ought to take, which are they ? ' * Just, O king, as food is the support of all beings, just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, be a handle, as it were, by which all beings may open the door of the noble eightfold path. This, O king, is the first of the qualities of food he ought to have.
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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