The Dismissal Chapter19. Dhamma is Best “It was said by the Blessed One, ‘For it is the Dhamma, O Vāsettha, which is the best in the world.’1 Yet you say that the devout layman who has gained Stream
-entry ought to pay respect to a novice even though he has no such spiritual attainment. If the Dhamma is indeed best then that custom is inappropriate.”
“O king, there is a reason for that custom. There are twenty personal qualities2 and two outward signs that entitle a recluse to respect. He rejoices in the excellent Dhamma, he has the highest kind of self-control, he has good conduct, because of his mode of living [on alms], he is abstemious, he restrains his senses, he is patient, he is gentle, he lives alone, he delights in solitude, he delights in meditation, he is
endowed with shame and fear of wrong-doing, he is energetic, he is earnest, he undertakes the precepts, he recites the scriptures, he questions the learned about the meaning, he delights in virtue, being homeless he is free from worldly attachments, he fulfils the precepts, and he has the two outward signs — a shaven head and the yellow robe. In the practice and development of all these things a recluse lives. By undertaking this training and developing the virtues of a recluse he is
progressing towards Arahantship. Thus, because he sees him as in the company of the most worthy ones, the devout layman thinks it right and proper to revere the recluse though he may be just an ordinary person. Moreover, O king, because he sees him as one who is maintaining the monastic traditions, so too does the devout layman pay respect to the recluse. If a layman attains Arahantship, only two destinations await him; either he must enter the Order that very day or else he must attain
parinibbāna. Immovable, O king, is the state of renunciation, glorious and most exalted the condition of being a member of the Order of the Blessed One.” 20. The Compassion of the Buddha “You say that the Tathāgata protects beings from harm and blesses them with goodness,3 yet when the Blessed One was teaching the discourse on the simile of the great mass of fire4 to the monks, hot
blood was ejected from the mouths of sixty monks. By his delivery of that discourse they came to harm and not good so that statement of yours is wrong.”
“What happened to them was of their own doing.” “But, Nāgasena, if the Tathāgata had not delivered that discourse would they have vomited hot blood?”
“No. When they took wrongly what was said the burning was kindled within them.” “Then it must have been that the Tathāgata was the chief cause to destroy them. If a snake were to crawl into an anthill, and a man in want of earth were to break into it and take the earth away, and so the snake was to die for want of air, would not the snake have been killed by that man’s action?”
“Yes, O king. Nevertheless, when the Tathāgata delivered a discourse he never did so with malice but preached totally free from malice. Those who were practising rightly were enlightened, but those were practising wrongly, fell. Just, O king, as when a man shakes a mango tree, those fruits that are strongly fastened to it remain undisturbed but those that have rotten stalks fall to the ground.” “Then did not those monks fall because of the discourse?”
“Could a carpenter by doing nothing to a piece of timber and simply laying it aside, make it straight and fit for use?” “No venerable sir.”
“Just so, O king, the Tathāgata could not, by merely watching over his disciples, have opened the eyes
of those who were ready to see. However, by getting rid of those who took his words wrongly he saved those who were prepared to be saved, and it was because of their own defects that the evil-minded fell.” 21. The Modesty of the Buddha“This too was said by the Blessed One:
“Control of the body is good,
Good is control of speech,
Control of the mind is good,
Good is control in everything.”5
“Yet when the Tathāgata was seated in the midst of the four congregations [monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen] he showed to Brahman Sela what should not be shown in public — the male organ concealed in a sheath.6 If he did so then the first statement is false.”
“The Blessed One did show to Sela the Brahman what should not be shown in public, but it was by means of supernormal power that he created an image of it and only Sela saw that image. To him, in whom doubts had arisen about the Tathāgata, the Master showed the male organ concealed in a sheath by means of supernormal power for the sake of awakening him to the truth. Skilled in means, O
king, was the Tathāgata. For the sake of scorning physical beauty the Master took Venerable Nanda to the celestial realm to see the lovely maidens there7 and by means of a piece of clean white cloth did he awaken Venerable Cūlapanthaka to the impurity of the body.”8 22. The Buddha’s Perfect Speech“Sāriputta the chief disciple said, ‘The Tathāgata is perfect in speech, there is no fault of speech in the
Tathāgata concerning which he should have to take care that no one else should know it.’9 So why did the Buddha use harsh and abusive words to Sudinna the Kalanda and call him a stupid fellow?”10 “That was not out of rudeness, O king, but merely to show him the foolish and contemptible nature of his conduct in a way that would do him no harm. If any man in this birth does not attain to perception
of the Four Noble Truths, his life has been in vain. The Blessed One used words of truth, they were no exaggeration. He admonished others only to destroy the disease of unwholesomeness. His words, even when stern, softened men pride and made them humble. They were full of compassion and aimed at benefit as the words of a father to his children.” 23. The Talking Tree
“The Tathāgata said: “Brahman! Why do you ask an unconscious thing,
which cannot hear you, how it is today?
Active, intelligent and full of life,
how can you speak to this so senseless thing, this wild Palāsa tree?”11
“Yet, on the other hand, the Tathāgata said: “If, Nāgasena, a tree is an unconscious thing then this latter statement must be false.” “When the Blessed One said, ‘aspen tree’ it was just a conventional way of speaking, for though a tree being unconscious cannot speak, the word ‘tree’ was used as a designation for the deity who dwelt in it and this is a well known convention. Just, O king as a wagon laden with corn is called a ‘corn-wagon’
though it is not made of corn, it is made of wood. The Tathāgata, when expounding the Dhamma, did so by means of the common mode of speech.” 24. The Last Meal “It was said by the elders who convened the First Buddhist Council, ‘When he had eaten Cunda the
smith’s food, thus have I heard, the Buddha felt a dire sickness, a sharp pain even unto death.’13 Yet the Blessed One also said, ‘These two offerings of food, Ānanda, are of equal merit and are much more
effective than any others: that, after which the Tathāgata attains to supreme enlightenment; and that, after which the Tathāgata attains to parinibbāna.’14 “If severe pains fell upon him after taking that last meal then the latter statement must be wrong.”
“The last offering of food is of great advantage because of the Tathāgata’s attainment of parinibbāna. It was not because of the food that the sickness fell upon the Blessed One but because of the extreme weakness of his body and the proximity of his death. These two offerings of food were of great and
incomparable merit because of the attainment of the nine successive absorptions in forward and reverse order, which the Tathāgata gained after partaking of that food.” 25. Adoration of Relics“The Blessed One said, ‘Do not hinder yourselves, Ānanda, with honouring the remains of the Tathāgata15 Yet on the other hand he said, ‘Honour the relics of him who is worthy of honour, acting in that way you will go from this world to heaven.’16 Which of these statements is right?” “It was not to all men, O king, but to the sons of the conqueror17 that the first advice was given.
Paying reverence to relics is not their work, but rather grasping the true nature of all formations, wise attention [paying attention to impermanence etc.], insight meditation, getting hold of the essence of the meditation object, fighting the defilements, devotion to their own spiritual welfare, that is the work of the monks. Paying homage to relics should be done by others. Just, O king, as it is the business of
princes to learn the arts of warfare and the laws of property while husbandry, trading and care of cattle are the business of householders.” 26. The Buddha’s Foot is Injured“You say that when the Blessed One walked along, the great earth, unconscious though it is, filled up
the hollows and levelled the ground before his feet.18 Yet you say that a splinter of rock grazed his foot.19 Why then didn’t that splinter of rock turn away from his foot?”
“O king, the splinter of rock did not fall by itself, but a rock was thrown down by Devadatta. Two rocks came together and intercepted it but a splinter of rock broke off and grazed the Blessed One’s foot. A thing intercepted can easily slip through just as water taken up in the hands can easily slip through the fingers.” 27. The True Recluse“The Blessed One said, ‘A man becomes a recluse by the destruction of the floods [sensuality, desire for rebirth, personality belief, and ignorance].’20 Yet he also said, ‘He is known in the world as a recluse who has these four qualities: patience, moderation in food, relinquishment and being without possessions.’21 Now these four qualities are also found in those who are still imperfect, in whom the
defilements have not yet been totally rooted out. This too is a paradox.” “Both these statements, O king, were made by the Blessed One but the first is an inclusive statement whereas the second was said of the characteristics of recluses in general.” 28. The Boasting of the Buddha
“The Blessed One said, ‘If anyone should speak in praise of me, my teaching or the Order you should not on account of that be elated.’22 Yet he was so delighted when Sela the Brahman praised him that
he magnified his own virtue and said, ‘A king, Sela, am I, the king supreme of righteousness. The royal chariot wheel of righteousness do I set rolling on — the wheel that no one can ever turn back.’23 This too is a paradox.” “Both statements, O king, are correct but the first was made to set forth truthfully and exactly the real nature of the teaching. The second passage was not spoken for gain, fame, nor in a biased way, nor for the sake of winning over followers but was spoken with compassion and the knowledge that thereby three hundred brahmins would attain to knowledge of the truth.” 29. Who Deserves Punishment? “The Blessed One said, ‘Doing no injury to anyone, dwell full of love and kindness in the world.’24 Yet he also said, ‘Restrain him who deserves restraint and encourage him who deserves encouragement.’25 Now, restraint means the cutting off of hands and feet, imprisonment and so forth. If the first
statement is correct then the second cannot be right.” “O king, to do no injury is a doctrine approved of by all the Buddhas; the second injunction however was used figuratively. It means restrain the agitated mind, encourage the slothful mind; restrain the unwholesome mind, encourage the wholesome mind; restrain unwise attention, encourage wise
attention; restrain wrong practice, encourage right practice; the ignoble should be restrained, the noble encouraged; the thief [the evil-minded monk who desires gain, praise and fame] should be restrained and the honest man [the sincere monk who desires only to destroy defilements] should be encouraged.” “Now you have come round to the sense in my question. For how, venerable Nāgasena, is a robber to
be subdued?”
“Thus, great king: if deserving rebuke let him be rebuked, if deserving a fine let him be fined, if deserving banishment let him be banished, if deserving death let him be put to death.” “Is then, Nāgasena, the execution of robbers part of the doctrine laid down by the Tathāgata?”
“Certainly not, O king. Whosoever may be put to death, he does not suffer execution by reason of the opinion put forward by the Tathāgata. He suffers by reason of what he himself has done.”26 30. Dismissal of the Order “It was said by the Blessed One, ‘I harbour not anger nor sulkiness.’27 Yet he dismissed Sāriputta and
Moggallāna with their disciples.28 Was it then not in anger that he did this?” “The Tathāgata did dismiss the monks but not in anger. It was due to what they themselves had done
that they were dismissed. As the great earth does not feel anger if a man stumbles and falls. It is the man’s own fault that he stumbles. So too the Blessed One does not feel ill-will of any kind. He sent them away knowing, ‘It will be for their good, happiness, purification and deliverance from suffering.’” In this chapter are ten questions |
