VIII. KASSAPA-SÎHANÂDA SUTTA.
[THE NAKED ASCETIC.]
[161] 1. Thus have I heard. The Blessed One was once dwelling at Uguññâ, in
the Kannakatthala deer-park{1}. Now Kassapa, a naked ascetic, came to where the
Exalted One was, and exchanged with him the greetings and compliments of
civility and courtesy, and stood respectfully aside. And, so standing, he said
to the Exalted One:
2. 'I have heard it said, O Gotama, thus: "The Samana Gotama disparages all
penance; verily he reviles and finds fault with every ascetic, with every one
who lives a hard life." Now those, O Gotama, who said this, were they therein
repeating Gotama's words, and not reporting him falsely? Are they announcing, as
a minor tenet of his, a matter really following from his Dhamma (his system)? Is
there nothing in this opinion of his, so put forward as wrapt up with his
system, or as a corollary from it, that could meet with objection{2}? For we
would fain bring no false accusation against the venerable Gotama.'
3. 'No, Kassapa. Those who said so were not
{1. Miga-dâye. That is, a place set apart for deer to roam in in safety, a
public park in which no hunting was allowed.
2. It would, perhaps, be more agreeable to the context if one could render this
idiomatic phrase: 'Is there anything in this opinion of theirs as to his system,
or as to this corollary they have drawn from it, which amounts to being a matter
he would object to?' But I do not see how this could be reconciled with the
syntax of the Pâli sentence. And Buddhaghosa takes it as rendered above,
summarising it in the words: 'Is your opinion herein altogether free from
blame?'}
{p. 224}
following my words, On the contrary, they were reporting me falsely. and at
variance with the fact,
[162] 'Herein, O Kassapa, I am wont to be aware, with vision bright and
purified, seeing beyond what men can see, how some men given to asceticism,
living a hard life, are reborn, on the dissolution of the body, after death,
into some unhappy, fallen state of misery and woe; while others, living just so,
are reborn into some happy state, or into a heavenly world--how some men given
to asceticism, but living a life less hard, are equally reborn, on the
dissolution of the body, after death into some unhappy, fallen state of misery
and woe; while others, living just so, are reborn in some happy state, or into a
heavenly world. How then could I, O Kassapa, who am thus aware, as they really
are, of the states whence men have come, and whither they will go, as they pass
away from one form of existence, and take shape in another,--how could I
disparage all penance; or bluntly revile and find fault with every ascetic, with
every one who lives a life that is hard?
4. Now there are, O Kassapa, certain recluses and Brahmans who are clever,
subtle, experiences in controversy, hair splitters, who go about, one would
think, breaking itno pieces by teir wisdom the speculations of their
adversaries. And as between them and me there is, as to some points, agreement,
and as to some points, not. As to some of those things they approve, we also
approve thereof. As to some of those things they disapprove, we also disapprove
thereof. As to some of the things they approve, we disapprove thereof. As to
some of the things they disapprove, we approve thereof. And some things we
approve of, so do they. And some things we disapprove of, so do they [163] And
some things we approve, they do not. And some things we disapprove of, they
approve of.
5. 'And I went to them, and said: "As for those things, my friends, on which
we do not agree, let us leave them alone. As to those things on which we
{p. 225}
agree, let the wise put questions about them, ask for reasons as to them, talk
them over, with or to their teacher, with or to their fellow disciples; saying:
'Those conditions of heart, Sirs, which are evil or accounted as evil among you,
which are blameworthy or accounted as such among you, which are insufficient for
the attainment of Arahatship, or accounted as such among you, depraved or
accounted as such among you--who is it who conducts himself as one who has more
absolutely put them away from him, the Samana Gotama, or the other venerable
ones, the teachers of schools?'"
6. 'Then it may well be, O Kassapa, that the wise, so putting questions one
to the other, asking for reasons, talking the matter over, should say: "The
Samana Gotama conducts himself as one who has absolutely put those conditions
away from him; whereas the venerable ones, the other teachers of schools, have
done so only partially." Thus is it, O Kassapa, that the wise, so putting
questions one to the other, asking for reasons, talking the matter over, would,
for the most part, speak in praise of us therein.
7. 'And again, O Kassapa, let the wise put questions one to another, ask for
reasons, talk the matter over, with or to their teacher, with or to their fellow
disciples, saying: "Those conditions of heart, Sirs, which are good or accounted
as such among you, which are blameless or accounted as such among you, which
suffice to lead a man to ArahatShip or are accounted as sufficient among you,
which are pure or accounted as such among you--who is it who conducts himself as
one who has more completely taken them upon him, the Samana Gotama, or the other
venerable ones, the teachers of schools?"
8. 'Then it may wen be, O Kassapa, that the wise, so putting questions one to
the other, asking for reasons, talking the matter over, should say: "The Samana
Gotama conducts himself as one who has completely taken these conditions upon
him, whereas the venerable
{p. 226}
ones, the other teachers of schools, have done so only partially." Thus it is, O
Kassapa, that the wise, so putting questions one to the other, asking for
reasons, talking the matter over, would, for the most part, speak in praise of
us therein.
[164] 9-12. '[And further, also, O Kassapa, the wise would, for the most
part, acknowledge that the body of my disciples were more addicted to that which
is generally acknowledged to be good, refrain themselves more completely from
that which is generally acknowledged to be evil, than the venerable ones, the
disciples of other teachers{1}.]
[165] 13. 'Now there is, O Kassapa, a way, there is a method which if a man
follow he will of himself, both see and know that: "The Samana Gotama is one who
speaks in due season, speaks that which is, that which redounds to advantage,
that which is the Norm (the Dhamma), that which is the law of self-restraint
(the Vinaya)."
'And what, Kassapa, is that way, what that method, which if a man follow, he
will, of himself, know that, and see that. Verily it is this Noble Eightfold
Path, that is to say: Right Views, Right Aspirations, Right Speech, Right
Action, Right Mode of Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right
Rapture.
'This, Kassapa, is that way, this that method, which if a man follow, he will
of himself, both know and see that: "The Samana Gotama is one who speaks in due
season, speaks that which is, that which redounds to profit, that which is the
Norm, that which is the law of self-restraint."'
14. And when he had spoken thus, Kassapa, the naked ascetic, said to the
Exalted One:
'And so also, Gotama, are the following ascetic practices accounted, in the
opinion of some Samanas
{1. The four paragraphs 5, 6, 7 and 8 are here repeated in full in the text with
the change only of reading 'the body of the disciples of the Samana Gotama'
instead of 'the Samana Gotama,' and similarly for the other teachers.}
{p. 227}
and Brâhmanas, as Samana-ship and Brâhmana-ship{1}.--[166].
'He goes naked:--
'He is of loose habits (performing his bodily functions, and eating food, in
a standing posture, not crouching down, or sitting down, as well-bred people
do):--
'He licks his hands clean (after eating, instead of washing them, as others
do){2}:--
'(When on his rounds for alms, if politely requested to step nearer, or to
wait a moment, in order that food may be put into his bowl), he passes stolidly
on (lest he should incur the guilt of following another person's word):--
'He refuses to accept food brought (to him, before he has started on his
daily round for alms):--
'He refuses to accept (food) if told that it has been prepared) especially
for him:--
'He refuses to accept any invitation (to call on his rounds at any particular
house, or to pass along any particular street) or to go to any particular
place):--
'He will not accept (food taken direct) from the mouth of the pot or pans (in
which it is cooked; lest
{1. The following description of the naked ascetic recurs in the Magghima I, 77,
238, 342; II, 161, and in the Puggala Panññatti IV,
2. It consists of a string of enigmatic phrases which are interpreted in my
translation, according to Buddhaghosa here, and the unknown commentator on the
Puggala. These two are very nearly word for word the same. The differences are
just such as would arise when two authors are drawing upon ope uniform
tradition.
It would seem from M. I, 238, if compared with I, 524, that it was the Âgîvakas
(see note above on p. 71) who were more especially known for the practice of
these forms of asceticism: and from M. I, 167 that it was these forms that had
been followed by Gotama himself before his eyes were opened, before he attained
to Nirvâna. (M. I, 167.)
2. Hatthâpalekhano. The tradition was in doubt about this word. Both
commentators give an alternative rendering: 'He scratched himself clean with his
hand after stooling.' And the Puggala Paññatti commentator adds a very curious
piece of old folklore as his reason for this explanation.
3. Kalopi; not in Childers. It no doubt means some cooking vessel of a
particular shape, but the exact signification, and the derivation of it are both
unknown. It may possibly be a Kolarian on Dravidian word. Many centuries
afterwards karota and karoti were included in the Vyutpatti, and the Amara Kosa,
as meaning 'vessel.' It is of course out of the question that a word of the
fifth century B. C. can be derived from either of them; but they are evidently
the descendants of allied forms. Childers gives another form khalopî on the
authority of the Abhidhâna Padîpikâ (twelfth century), verse 456, where it
occurs in a list of names of pots. Another--khalopi--is put in his text by
Trenckner at Milinda, p. 107, from one MS., but the other two differ. Both
commentators paraphrase it here by ukkhali pakkhi vaâ.}
{p. 228}
those vessels should be struck or scraped, on his account, with the spoon):--
'(He will) not (accept food placed) within the threshold (lest it should have
been placed there specially for him):--
'(He will) not (accept food placed) among the sticks{1} (lest it should have
been placed there specially for him):--
'(He will) not (accept food place) among the pestles (lest it should have
been placed there specially for him):--
'When two persons are eating together he wil not accept (food, taken from
what they are eating, if offered to him by only one of the two):--
'He will not accept food from a woman with child (lest the child should
suffer want):--
'He will not accept food from a woman giving suck (lest the milk should grow
less):--
'He will not accept food from a woman in intercourse with a man{2} (lest
their intercourse be hindered):--
{1. Na Danda-m-antaram. That is, perhaps, among the firewood; but the expression
is not clear. The Commentaries only give the reason. Dr. Neumann (on Magghima I,
77) has, 'he does not spy beyond the lattice' or perhaps 'beyond the bars of the
grate' (spähte nicht über das Gitter), but this seems putting a great deal of
meaning into the sticks, and not sufficiently reproducing the force of antaram.
And how can patiganhâti mean 'spy'? We have, no doubt, to fill out an elliptical
phrase. But it is just such cases as those in this paragraph where we are more
likely to go right if we follow the ancient tradition.
2. Na purisantara-gatâya. The commentators only give the reason. On the meaning,
of the word compare Gât. I, 290.}
{p. 229}
'He will not accept food collected (by the faithful in time of drought){1}:--
'He will not accept food where a dog is standing by (lest the dog should lose
a meal):--
'He will not accept food where flies are swarming round (lest the flies
should suffer):--
'He will not accept fish, nor meat, nor strong drink, nor intoxicants, nor
gruel{2}:--
'He is a "One-houser" (turning back from his round as soon as he has received
an alms at any one house), a "One-mouthful-man":--
'Or he is a "Two-houser," a "Two-mouthful-man":--
'Or he is a "Seven-houser," a "Seven-mouthful-man":--
'He keeps himself going on only one alms{3}, or only two, or so on up to only
seven:--
'He takes food only once a day, or once every two days, or so on up to once
every seven days. Thus does he dwell addicted to the practice of taking food
according to rule, at regular intervals, up to even half a month.
'And so also, Gotama, are the following ascetic practices accounted, in the
opinion of some Samanas and Brâhmanas, as Samanaship and Brâhmanaship:--
{1. Na samkhittisu. Both meaning and derivation are uncertain. Dr. Neumann has
'not from the dirty.'
2. Thusodaka. It is not fermented. The traditional interpretation here is: 'a
drink called Suvîrakam (after the country Suvîra) made of the constituents,
especially the husk, of all cereals.' The use of salt Sovîraka as a cure for
wind in the stomach is mentioned at Mahâ Vagga VI, 16. 3; and it was allowed, as
a beverage, if mixed with water, to the Buddhist Bhikkhus. In Vimâna Vatthu XIX,
8 it is mentioned in a list of drinks given to them. Childers calls it 'sour
gruel' following Subhûti in the first edition (1865) of the Abhidhâna Padîpikâ
(verse 460), but in the Abh. Pad. Sûkî (published in 1893) Subhûti renders it
'kongey'; something of the same sort as barley water. Buddhaghosa adds:
'Everyone agrees that it is wrong to drink intoxicants. These ascetics see sin
even in this.' The corresponding Sanskrit word, tusodaka, is found only in
Susruta.
3. Datti. 'A small pot,' says Buddhaghosa, 'in which special titbits are put
aside, and kept.'}
{p. 230}
'He feeds on potherbs, on wild rice{1}, on Nivâra seeds, on leather
parings{2}, on the water-plant called Hata, on the fine powder which adheres to
the grains of rice beneath the husk, on the discarded scum of boiling rice, on
the flour of oil-seeds{3}, on grasses, on cow-dung, on fruits and roots from the
woods, on fruits that have fallen of themselves.
'And so also, Gotama, are the following ascetic practices accounted, in the
opinion of some Samanas and Brâhmanas, as Samanaship and Brâhmanaship:--
'He wears coarse hempen cloth:--
'He wears coarse cloth of interwoven hemp and other materials:--
'He wears cloths taken from corpses and thrown away{4}:--
'He wears clothing made of rags picked up from a dust heap:--
'He wears clothing made of the bark of the Tiritaka tree{6}:--
[167] 'He wears the natural hide of a black antelope:--
'He wears a dress made of a network of strips of a black antelope's
hide{6}:--
'He wears a dress made of Kusa grass fibre:--
'He wears a garment of bark:--
{1. Samaka, not in Childers. See M. I, 156. Gât. II, 365; III, 144.
2. Daddula, not in Childers. See M. I, 78, 156, 188.
3. Piññaka, not in Childers. See Vin. IV, 341. The commentators here merely say:
'This is plain.'
4. Khava-dussâni pi dhâreti. The commentators give an alternative explanation:
'Clothing made of Eraka grass tied together.' Was such clothing then used to
wrap dead bodies in?
5. Tirîtâni pi dhâreti. This custom is referred to at Mahâ Vagga VIII, 29, as
having been there followed by ascetics. The use of such garments is there
forbidden to the Bhikkhus.
6. Aginakkhipam pi dhâreti. Buddhaghosa gives here an explanation different from
that given by him on Vin. III, 34 (quoted 'Vinaya Texts,' II, 247), where the
word also occurs. The Puggala Paññatti gives both explanations as possible.
Khipa at A. I, 33 means some sort of net. Aginakkhipa is referred to at S. I,
117 as the characteristic dress of an old Brahman.}
{p. 231}
'He wears a garment made of small slips or slabs of wood (shingle) pieced
together{1}:--
'He wears, as a garment, a blanket of human hair{2}:--
'He wears, as a garment, a blanket made of horses' tails{3}:--
'He wears, as a garment, a blanket made of the feathers of owls:--
'He is a "plucker-out-of-hair-and-beard," addicted to the practice of
plucking out both hair and beard:--
'He is a "stander-up," rejecting the use of a seat:--
'He is a "croucher-down-on-the-heels," addicted to exerting himself when
crouching down on his heels{4}:--
'He is a "bed-of-thorns-man," putting iron spikes or natural thorns under the
skin on which he sleeps{5}:--
'He uses a plank bed:--
'He sleeps on the bare ground{6}:--
'He sleeps always on one side:--
'He is a "dust-and-dirt-wearer," (smearing his body with oil he stands where
dust clouds blow, and lets the dust adhere to his body):--
'He lives and sleeps in the open air{7}:--
'Whatsoever seat is offered to him, that he accepts
{1. Phalaka-kîram pi dhâreti. See Mahâ Vagga VIII, 28. 2; Kulla Vagga V, 29. 3.
2. So of Agita of the garment of hair, above, p. 73. Both commentators say the
hair is human hair.
3. Vala-kâmbalam pi dhâreti. So the commentators here. The alternative rendering
given by us at 'Vinaya Texts,' II, 247, 'skin of a wild beast,' should be
corrected accordingly. That would be vâla, and all the passages where our word
occurs read vâla. Comp. A. I, 240.
4. Ukkutikappadhâna. Compare Dhp. 141, 2 = Divy. 339. The commentator says he
progressed in this posture by a series of hops. The posture is impossible to
Europeans, who, if they crouch down on their heels, cannot keep their balance
when the heels touch the ground. But natives of India will sit so for hours
without fatigue.
5. Both commentators add: 'or stands, or walks up and down.'
6. Thandila-seyyam pi kappeti. The Burmese MSS. and Buddhaghosa, but not the
Siamese edition, read tandila. So does my MS. at Dhp. 141. The Puggala omits the
word. S. IV, 118, and Mil. 351 have the th.
7. Abbhokâsiko ka hoti. There is no comment on this. But compare Gât. IV, 8;
Mil. 342.}
{p. 232}
(without being offended at its being not dignified enough):--
'He is a "filth-eater," addicted to the practice of feeding on the four kinds
of filth (cow-dung, cow's urine, ashes, and clay){1}:--
'He is a "non-drinker," addicted to the practice of never drinking cold water
(lest he should injure the souls in it){2}:--
'He is an "evening-third-man," addicted to the practice of going down into
water thrice a day (to wash away his sins).
15. 'If a man, O Kassapa, should go naked, and be of loose habits, and lick
his hands clean with his tongue, and do and be all those other things you gave
in detail, down to his being addicted to the practice of taking food, according
to rule, at regular intervals up to even half a month--if he does all this, and
the state of blissful attainment in conduct, in heart, in intellect, have not
been practised by him, realised by him, then is he far from Samanaship, far from
Brâhmanaship. But from the time, O Kassapa, when a Bhikkhu has cultivated the
heart of love that knows no anger, that knows no illwill--from the time when, by
the destruction of the deadly intoxications (the lusts of the flesh, the lust
after future life, and the defilements of delusion and ignorance), he dwells in
that emancipation of heart, that emancipation of mind, that is free from those
intoxications, and that he, while yet in this visible world, has come to realise
and know-from that time, O Kassapa, is it that the Bhikkhu is called a Samana,
is called a Brâhmana!'
{1. Vekatiko. So of an Âgîvaka at Gât. I, 390, and compare 'Vinaya Texts,' II,
59. My rendering of the word at Mil. 259 ought, I think, to be corrected
accordingly. But why was not this entered among the foods above, where one of
them was already mentioned? It looks like an afterthought, or a gloss.
2. Apânako. Compare my Milinda II, 85 foll. on this curious belief.
3. That is, of course, a true recluse, an actual Arahat. Throughout these
sections Gotama is purposely at cross purposes with his questioner. Kassapa uses
the word Brâhmana in his own sense; that is, not in the ordinary sense, but of
the ideal religieux. Gotama, in his answer, keeps the word; but he means.
something quite different, he means an Arahat. On the persistent way in which
the Pitaka texts try to put this new meaning into the word, see above, in the
Introduction to the Kûtadanta.}
{p. 233}
'And if a man, O Kassapa, feed on potherbs, on wild rice, on Nivâra seeds, or
on any of those other things you gave in detail down to fruits that have fallen
of themselves, and the state of blissful attainment in conduct, in heart, in
intellect, have not been practised by him, realised by him, then is he far from
Samanaship, far from Brâhmanaship. But from the time, O Kassapa, when a Bhikkhu
has cultivated the heart of love that knows no anger, that knows no
illwill--from the time when, by the destruction of the deadly intoxications (the
lusts of the flesh, the lust after future life, and the defilements of delusion
and ignorance), he dwells in that emancipation of heart, that emancipation of
mind, that is free from those intoxications, and that he, while yet in this
visible world, has come to realise and know--from that time, O Kassapa, is it
that the Bhikkhu is called a Samana, is called a Brâhmana!
[168] 'And if a man, O Kassapa, wear coarse hempen cloth, or carry out all or
any of those other practices you gave in detail down to bathing in water three
times a day, and the state of blissful attainment in conduct, in heart, in
intellect, have not been practised by him, realised by him, then is he far from
Samanaship, far from Brâhmanaship. But from the time, O Kassapa, when a Bhikkhu
has cultivated the heart of love that knows no anger, that knows no
illwill--from the time when, by the destruction of the deadly intoxications (the
lusts of the flesh, the lust after future life, and the defilements of delusion
and ignorance), he dwells in that emancipation of heart, that emancipation of
mind, that is free from those intoxications, and that he, while yet in this
visible world, has come to realise and know--from that time, O Kassapa, is it
that the Bhikkhu is called a Samana, is called a Brâhmana!'
{p. 234}
[169] 16. And when he had thus spoken, Kassapa, the naked ascetic, said to
the Blessed One: 'How hard then, Gotama, must Samanaship be to gain, how hard
must Brâhmanaship be!'
'That, Kassapa, is a common saying in the world that the life of a Samana and
of a Brâhmana is hard to lead. But if the hardness, the very great hardness, of
that life depended merely on this ascetism, on the carrying out of any or all of
those practices you have detailed, then it would not be fitting to say that the
life of the Samana, of the Brâhmana, was hard to lead. It would be quite
possible for a householder, or for the son of a householder, or for any one,
down to the slave girl who carries the water-jar, to say: "Let me now go naked,
let me become of low habits," and so on through all the items of those three
lists of yours. But since, Kassapa, quite apart from these matters, quite apart
from all kinds of penance, the life is hard, very hard to lead; therefore is it
that it is fitting to say: "How hard must Samanaship be to gain, how hard must
Brâhmanaship be!" For from the time, O Kassapa, when a Bhikkhu has cultivated
the heart of love that knows no anger, that knows no illwill--from the time
when, by the destruction of the deadly intoxications (the lusts of the flesh,
the lust after future life, and the defilements of delusion and ignorance), he
dwells in that emancipation of heart, in that emancipation of mind, that is free
from those intoxications, and that he, while yet in this visible world, has come
to realise and know--from that time, O Kassapa, is it that the Bhikkhu is called
a Samana, is called a Brâhmana{1}!'
[170] 17. And when he had thus spoken, Kassapa, the naked ascetic, said to
the Blessed One: 'Hard is it, Gotama, to know when a man is a Samana, hard to
know when a man is a Brâhmana!'
'That, Kassapa, is a common saying in the world
{1. This paragraph, like the last and like the next, is, in the Pâli, broken up
into three sections, one for each of the three lists or penances.}
{p. 235}
that it is hard to know a Samana, hard to know a Brâhmana. But if being a
Samana, if being a Brâhmana, depended merely on this asceticism, on the carrying
out of any or each of those practices you have detailed, then it would not be
fitting to say that a Samana is hard to recognise, a Brâhmana is hard to
recognise. It would be quite possible for a householder, or for the son of a
householder, or for any one down to the slave girl who carries the water-jar, to
know: "This man goes naked, or is of loose habits, or licks his fingers with his
tongue," and so on through all the items of those three lists of yours. But
since, Kassapa, quite apart from these matters, quite apart from all kinds of
penance, it is hard to recognise a Samana, hard to recognise a Brâhmana,
therefore is it fitting to say: "Hard is it to know when a man is a Samana, to
know when a man is a Brâhmana!" For from the time, O Kassapa, when a Bhikkhu has
cultivated the heart of love that knows no anger, that knows no illwill--from
the time when, by the destruction of the deadly intoxications (the lusts of the
flesh, the lust after future life, and the defilements of delusion and
ignorance), he dwells in that emancipation of heart, in that emancipation of
mind, that is free from those intoxications, and that he, while yet in this
visible world, has come to realise and know--from that time, O Kassapa, is it
that the Bhikkhu is called a Samana, is called a Brâhmana!'
[171] 18. And when he had thus spoken, Kassapa, the naked ascetic, said to
the Blessed One: 'What then, Gotama, is that blissful attainment in conduct, in
heart, and in mind?'
[The answer [171-173] is all the paragraphs in the Sâmanna-phala translated
above, and here divided as follows:--
Under Conduct (Sila).
1. The paragraphs on the appearance of a Buddha, the conversion of a layman,
his entry into the Order (§§ 40-42 above, pp. 78-79).
{p. 236}
2. The Sîlas, as in the Brahma-gâla, §§ 8-27. See above, pp. 57, 58.
3. The paragraph on Confidence (§ 63 above, p. 79).
Under the heart (Kitta).
4. The paragraph on 'Guarded is the door of his senses' (§ 64 above, pp. 79,
80).
5. The paragraph on 'Mindful and Self-possessed' (§ 65 above, pp. 80, 81).
6. The paragraph on Simplicity of Life, being content with little (§ 66
above, p. 81).
7. The paragraphs on Emancipation from the Five Hindrances--covetousness,
ill-temper, laziness, worry, and perplexity (§§ 67-74 above, pp. 82-84).
8. The paragraph on the Joy and Peace, that, as a result of this
emancipation, fills his whole being (§ 75 above, p. 84).
9. The paragraphs on the Four Ecstasies (Ghânas,--§§ 75-82 above, pp. 84-86).
Under Intelligence (Paññâ).
10. The paragraphs on the Insight arising from Knowledge (Ñâna-dassana,--§§
83, 84 above, pp. 86, 87.)
11. The paragraphs on the power of projecting mental images (§§ 85, 86 above,
p. 87).
12. The paragraphs on the five modes of special intuition (abhiññâ):--
a.The practice of Iddhi.
b.Hearing heavenly sounds.
c.Knowledge of other people's thoughts.
d.Knowledge of one's own previous births.
e.Knowledge of other people's previous births.
13. The realisation of the Four Noble Truths, the destruction of the
Intoxications, and the attainment of Arahatship.]
'And there is no other state of blissful attainment
{p. 237}
in conduct and heart and mind which is, Kassapa, higher and sweeter than
this{1}.
[174] 21. 'Now there are some recluses and Brahmans, Kassapa, who lay
emphasis on conduct. They speak, in various ways, in praise of morality. But so
far as regards the really noble, the highest conduct, I am aware of no one who
is equal to myself, much less superior. And it is I who have gone the furthest
therein; that is, in the highest conduct (of the Path).
'There are some recluses and Brahmans, Kassapa, who lay emphasis on
self-mortification, and scrupulous care of others. They speak in various ways in
praise of self-torture and of austere scrupulousness. But so far as regards the
really noblest, the highest sort of self-mortification and scrupulous regard for
others, I am aware of no one else who is equal to myself, much less superior.
And it is I who have gone the furthest therein; that is, in the highest sort of
scrupulous regard for others{2}.
'There are some recluses and Brahmans, Kassapa, who lay emphasis on
intelligence. They speak, in various ways, in praise of intelligence. But so far
as regards the really noblest, the highest intelligence, I am aware of no one
else who is equal to myself, much less superior. And it is I who have gone the
furthest therein; that is, in the highest Wisdom{3} (of the Path).
{1. 'And by this,' says Buddhaghosa, 'he means Arahatship. For the doctrine of
the Exalted One has Arahatship as its end.'
2. At Anguttara II, 200 (compare M. I, 240-242) it is said that those addicted
to tapo-gigukkhâ are incapable of Arahatship. Gotama must either, therefore, be
here referring to his years of penance before he attained Nirvâna under the Tree
of Wisdom; or he must be putting a new meaning into the expression, and taking
'the higher scrupulousness' in the sense of the self-control of the Path.
Probably both are implied.
Gigukkhâ. is translated by Childers as 'disgust, loathing,' following the
Sanskrit dictionaries. The example of it given at M. I, 78 is 'being so mindful,
in going out or coming in, that pity is stirred up in one even towards a drop of
water, to the effect that: "may I not bring injury on the minute creatures
therein."' It comes therefore to very nearly the same thing as ahimsâ.
3. Adhipaññâ. From Anguttara II, 93 it is clear that this is the wisdom of the
higher stages only of the Path, not of Arahatship. For the man who has adhipaññâ
has then to strive on till he attains to Arahatship. Puggala paññatti IV, 26 is
not really inconsistent with this.}
{p. 239}
'There are some recluses and Brahmans, Kassapa, who lay emphasis on
emancipation. They speak, in various ways, in praise of emancipation. But so far
as regards the really noblest, the highest emancipation, I am aware of no one
else who is equal to myself, much less superior. And it is I who have gone the
furthest therein; that is, in the most complete emancipation (of the Path).
[175] 22. 'Now it may well be, Kassapa, that the recluses of adverse schools
may say: "The Samana Gotama utters forth a lion's roar; but it is in solitude
that he roars, not where men are assembled." Then should they be answered: "Say
not so. The Samana Gotama utters his lion's roar, and that too in the assemblies
where men congregate."
'And it may well be, Kassapa, that the recluses of adverse schools should
thus, in succession, raise each of the following objections:--
"But it is not in full confidence that he roars:--
"But men put no questions to him:--
"But even when questioned, he cannot answer:--
"But even when he answers, he gives no satisfaction by his exposition of the
problem put:--
"But men do not hold his opinion worthy to be listened to:--
"But even when men listen to his word, they experience no conviction
therefrom:--
"But even when convinced, men give no outward sign of their faith:--
"But even when they give such outward sign, they arrive not at the truth:--
"But even when they arrive at the truth they cannot carry it out:"--
'Then in each such case, Kassapa, they should be answered as before, until
the answer runs:--"Say not so. For the Samana Gotama both utters forth his
{p. 239}
lion's roar, and that too in assemblies where men congregate, and in full
confidence in the justice of his claim, and men put their questions to him on
that, and on being questioned he expounds the problem put, and by his exposition
thereof satisfaction arises in their hearts, and they hold it worthy to listen
to his word, and in listening to it they experience conviction, and being
convinced they give outward signs thereof, and they penetrate even to the truth,
and having grasped it they are able also to carry the truth out!
23. 'I was staying once, Kassapa, at Râgagaha, on the hill called the
Vulture's Peak. And there a follower of the same mode of life as yours, by name
[176] Nigrodha, asked me a question about the higher forms of austere
scrupulousness of life. And having been thus questioned I expounded the problem
put. And when I had thus answered what he asked, he was well pleased, as if with
a great joy{1}:
'And who, Sir, on hearing the doctrine of the Exalted One, would not be well
pleased, as if with a great joy. I also, who have now heard the doctrine of the
Exalted One, am thus well pleased, even as if with a great joy. Most excellent,
Lord, are the words of thy mouth, most excellent, just as if a man were to set
up what has been thrown down, or were to reveal that which has been hidden away,
or were to point out the right road to him who has gone astray, or were to bring
a lamp into the darkness, so that those who have eyes could see external
forms--just even so, Lord, has the truth been made known to me, in many a
figure, by the Exalted One. And I, even I, betake myself as my guide to the
Exalted One, and to the Doctrine, and to the Brotherhood. I would fain, Lord,
renounce the world under the Exalted One; I would fain be admitted to his
Order.'
24. 'Whosoever, Kassapa, having formerly been a member of another school,
wishes to renounce the world and receive initiation in this doctrine and
{1. The whole conversation will be translated below. It forms the subject of the
Udumbarika Sîhanâda Suttanta, No. 25 in the Dîgha.}
{p. 240}
discipline, he temains in probation for four months{1}. And at the end of the
four months the brethren, exalted in spirit, give him initiation, and receive
him into the Order, raising him up into the state of a Bhikkhu. But nevertheless
I recognise, in such cases, the distinction there may be between individuals.'
'Since, Lord, the four months' probation is the regular custom, I too, then,
will remain on probation for that time. Then let the brethren, exalted in
spirit, give me initiation and raise me up into the state of a Bhikkhu.' [177]
So Kassapa, the naked ascetic, received initiation, and was admitted to
membership of the Order under the Exalted One. And from immediately after his
initiation the venerable Kassapa remained alone and separate, earnest, zealous,
and master of himself. And e'er long he attained to that supreme goal{2} for the
sake of which clansmen go forth from the household life into the homeless state:
yea, that supreme goal did he, by himself, and while yet in this visible world,
bring himself to the knowledge of, and continue to realise, and to see face to
face. And he became sure that rebirth was at an end for him, that the higher
life had been fulfilled, that everything that should be done had been
accomplished, and that after this present life there would be no beyond!
And so the venerable Kassapa became yet another among the Arahats.
Here ends the Kassapa-Sihanada Suttanta{3}.
{1. According to the rule laid down in Vinaya I, 69.
2. That is, Arahatship, Nirvâna.
3. The Burmese MSS. call it the Mahâ Sihanâda Sutta, which is also the name
given in the MSS. to the Twelfth Sutta in the Magghima-called there in the text
(p. 83), and in the Milinda (p. 396), the Lomahamsana Pariyâya. We have had an
instance above (p. 55) or several different names being given, in the text
itself, to the same Sutta. And I had already, in 1880, called attention in my
'Buddhist Birth Stories' (pp. lx, lxi) to the numerous instances in the Jâtaka
Book of the same Jâtaka being known, in the collection itself, by different
names. It is evident that the titles were considered a very secondary matter.}
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