Questions Solved by InferenceThe Buddha’s Chapter1. Two Buddhas Cannot Exist Together “The Blessed One said, ‘It is impossible that in one world two Perfectly Enlightened Buddhas could arise at the same time.’1 Yet, Nāgasena, if all the Tathāgatas teach the same teaching why shouldn’t they exist together? If there were two they could teach at ease and the world would be even more illumined.”
“O king, if two Buddhas were to exist simultaneously this great earth could not
bear the weight of their combined goodness, it would tremble and shake and break up.2 Suppose, O king, a man had eaten as much food as he wanted so that he had no room for any more. Then if he were to eat the same amount of
food again would he be at ease?” “Certainly not, venerable sir, if he were to eat again he would die.” “Likewise, O king, this earth could no more bear a second Tathāgata than that man could bear a second meal. Also, if there were two Buddhas, disputes would arise between their disciples and,
moreover, the statement that says the Buddha is supreme and has no equal would become false.” “Well has this paradox been explained. Even an unintelligent man would be satisfied how much more a wise one.3 Well said, Nāgasena, I accept it as you say.”
2. Gifts to the Order“When Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī offered a bathing robe4 to the Buddha he told her, ‘Give it to the Order
Gotamī. If you give it to the Order I will be honoured and the Order too.’ Was it because the Order is more important than the Buddha?” “O king it was not because an offering to him would not bear great fruit, but in order to show the greatness of the Order so that in times to come the Order might be esteemed. As sir, a father praises
his son in the royal court thinking, ‘If he is established here now, he will be honoured by the people after I am gone.’ Or suppose, O king, some man should bring a present to a king and the king presented that gift to someone else — to a soldier or a messenger — would that man therefore become superior to the king?” “Certainly not, venerable sir. That man receives his wages from the king and it was the king who placed
him in that position.” “Just so, O king, the Order did not become superior to the Tathāgata merely by the fact of a gift. There is not, O king, any being more worthy of gifts than the Tathāgata5 for this was said by the
Blessed One himself: “There is one being; monks, who is born into the world
for the good and benefit of many, out of compassion for the world,
for the advantage and benefit of gods and men. Who is that being?
A Tathāgata, an Arahant, Buddha supreme.”6
3. The Advantages of a Recluse’s Life“The Blessed One said, ‘I would praise either a layman or a monk who has practised rightly and attained the right method.’7 If a layman, enjoying the pleasures of the senses, dwelling with wife and children, and using scents and accepting gold and silver can attain Arahantship what is the advantage of being a monk with a shaven head, dependent on alms, fulfilling one hundred and fifty precepts8 and adopting the thirteen ascetic practices? Your austerity is without effect, your renunciation is useless, your observance of the precepts is barren, your taking of the extra vows is vain. What is the use of heaping up hardship for yourselves if bliss can be reached in comfort?” “It is true what you say that the one who is practising rightly is best whether he is a monk or a layman. If a recluse, thinking ‘I am a recluse’ does not practice rightly then he is far from recluseship. How much more then a householder in a layman’s clothes! Nevertheless, the benefit of being a recluse is too great
to measure. Being of few desires he is easily contented, he is aloof from society, strenuous, homeless, he fulfils the precepts, he is austere and skilled in the practice of shaking off defilements. That is why he can quickly accomplish any task that he undertakes; just, O king, as your javelin, because it is smooth and straight, can quickly reach its target.” 4. The Practice of Austerities
“When the Bodhisatta was practising austerity with the utmost exertion he did not reach his goal so he abandoned that practice thinking, ‘Might there not be some other way to liberation?’9 Yet when
instructing his disciples he said: “Bestir yourselves, renounce,
Exert yourselves in my teaching,
And destroy death’s army
As an elephant a house of reeds.”10
“Why then did the Tathāgata instruct his disciples to follow a course that he himself had abandoned?” “Because then, O king, and still now too, that is the only path and it is along that path that the
Bodhisatta attained Buddhahood. Although the Bodhisatta, exerting himself strenuously, reduced the food he was taking to nothing at all, and by that lack of food became weak, yet when he returned to the use of solid food, it was by exertion that he attained Buddhahood. There was no fault in exertion itself, but it was due only to the lack of food that exertion failed to bring its result. If a man, through
too much haste, were to become exhausted and fall down unable to go on, it would not be the fault of the earth that he fell down but due to his excessive exertion. If a man were to wear a robe and never have it washed, the fault would not lie with the water but with the man. That is why the Tathāgata exhorted and led his disciples along that very path; for that path is always ready, and always right.” 5. Reverting to Laylife“Is it right to admit laymen to the Order before they have attained to the path of stream-entry? If such men give up the monk’s life people might think that the religion is fruitless.” “If, O king, there was a pond of pure water and a man in need of a bath went there but turned back
without bathing would the people blame the man or the pond?” “They would blame the man.” “Even so, O king, the Tathāgata has constructed the pond full of the pure Dhamma thinking, ‘Those
who have defilements but are intelligent can remove their defilements here.’ However, if anyone should revert to the household life without having removed his defilements then the people would blame him, there would be no reason to find fault with the teaching. If only Stream-winners were allowed to go forth then going forth would not be for the sake of purification. If a man, having had a bathing pond
dug, said, ‘Let only those who have already bathed make use of it’ would that be of any use? Moreover, those who revert to the household life thereby show up five special qualities of the conqueror’s teaching. They show how glorious it is, how pure it is, how free from association with evil, how difficult it is to penetrate the Dhamma and how many are the restraints of the holy life. “How do they show its glory? Just, O king, as a man of low birth, poor and unintelligent, who comes into
possession of a mighty kingdom, will soon be overthrown and deprived of his glory. So too, those who are without wisdom and have little merit, when they renounce the world, are unable to carry out the teaching of the Conqueror and revert to the lower state. “How do they show its purity? Just, O king, as water, when it falls onto a lotus, slips off and cannot
adhere to it; so too, those who are impure by nature, crafty and holders of wrong views; when they have been admitted to the religion of the Conqueror, it is not long before they disperse from that pure and faultless religion, unable to adhere to it. “How do they show its freedom from association with evil? Just as the ocean does not tolerate the
presence of a corpse but quickly brings it ashore and casts it on dry land; so too, O king, those who are evil-minded and lazy are unable to remain in the Order in association with the Arahants who are free from stains. “How do they show how hard the Dhamma is to penetrate? Just, O king, as those archers who are
clumsy and unskilled are unable to perform feats of archery like hair-splitting but miss the target; so too, those who are dull and stupid and renounce the world are unable to grasp the Four Noble Truths of the Conquerors, which are extremely subtle, and missing them, turn back to the lower state. “How do they show the manifold restraints of the holy life? Just, O king, as a coward when he has gone
to a battle and is surrounded by the forces of the enemy on all sides will turn back and take flight for fear of his life; so too, whoever are unrestrained, shameless, impatient and fickle, when they renounce the world they are unable to carry out the manifold precepts and revert to the lower state.” 6. The Mastery of the Arahants“You say that the Arahant feels only one kind of feeling; physical feeling but not mental feeling.11 How can this be so? The Arahant keeps going by means of his body. Has he then no power over his body?
Even a bird is the ruler over the nest in which it dwells.” “O king, there are ten conditions inherent in the body over which the Arahant has no control: cold, heat, hunger, thirst, excrement, urine, fatigue, old age, disease and death. Just as all beings living on the great earth depend on it but have no control over it, so the Arahant depends on his body but has no control over it.”
“Why, Nāgasena, does the ordinary man feel both bodily and mental feeling?” “Because of the untrained state of his mind. Like a hungry ox tied up by a weak grass rope would easily break free, so an ordinary man’s mind becomes agitated by pain so he feels mental pain too. However,
the Arahant’s mind is well trained, so when his body is affected by pain he fixes his mind firmly on the idea of impermanence. His mind is not agitated and he feels no mental pain, just as the trunk of a great tree is unmoved by the wind although its branches may sway.” 7. Heinous Crimes“If a layman had committed a heinous crime12 before he entered the Order but was unaware of it would he be able to attain the path of a Stream-winner?” “No, he would not, because the basis for understanding the Dhamma has been destroyed in him.” “But you say that to him who is aware of an offence there comes remorse, which causes an obstruction in the mind, and so he cannot comprehend the truth.13 Yet in him who is unaware of his offence there is no remorse and he remains with peace of mind.” “If, O king, a man had eaten poison, but was not aware of it, would he still die?” “Yes, venerable sir.”
“Just so, O king, even though a man was not aware of his offence he would not be able to comprehend the truth.” “Surely, Nāgasena, this must be the word of the Conqueror and to look for any fault in it is vain. It must be as you say; and I accept it thus.” 8. The Unvirtuous“What is the difference between a layman who has done wrong and a monk who has done wrong?” “There are ten qualities that distinguish a monk of poor moral habit from a layman of poor moral habit:
he is full of reverence for the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha; he recites the scriptures and asks about the meaning, he has heard much, he enters an assembly with dignity because he fears reproach, he guards himself in body and speech, he sets his mind on exertion, he is in company with the monks, and if he does any wrong he is discreet. Furthermore, in ten ways he purifies gifts of faith. By wearing the
robe of the Buddhas, by his shaven head he bears the mark of sages, by being in company with other monks, by his having taken refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, by his dwelling in a lonely place suitable for exertion, by his quest for the wealth of the Dhamma, by preaching the excellent Dhamma, because he takes the Dhamma as his guiding light, because he regards the Buddha as supreme, and by his observance of the Uposatha.14 For all these reasons he is worthy of offerings even though he has fallen from virtue. Just as hot water extinguishes a fire, a monk of poor moral habit purifies the gift of benefactors, for this was said by the Tathāgata in the Majjhima Nikāya: “Whoever is virtuous and gives to the unvirtuous,
A gift rightfully acquired, The mind well pleased,
Firmly believing in the rich fruit of kamma,
This is an offering purified by the giver.”15
“Wonderful, Nāgasena, though I asked you an ordinary question you have given me an extraordinary answer, as a skilled cook would take an ordinary piece of meat and make with it a meal fit for a king.” 9. Is Water Alive?“There are some followers of other sects who say that you harm life by making use of cold water.16 When water is heated in a vessel it makes various sounds; is this because it has a soul and is alive?” “No great king, it is not alive. Water that is lying in shallow pools gets dried up by the heat of the sun and wind, but it does not make any sound. Drums make a sound but they do not contain any life or living principle.” In this chapter there are nine questions |
