Kathavatthu - Of Doubt in the Arahant & Of the Arahant being excelled by Others

Points of Controversy
OR
Subjects of Discourse
BEING A TRANSLATION OF THE KATHAVATTHU
FROM THE ABHIDHAMMA-PITAKA
BY
SHWE ZAN AUNG, B.A
AND
MRS. RHYS DAVIDS, M.A

3. Of Doubt in the Arahant.
Controverted Point.—That an Arahant may have doubts.
From the Commentary.—This discourse resembles the foregoing,
•sentence for sentence—substituting 'doubt' (kankha) for lack of
knowledge and 'perplexity' (vicikiccha) for ignorance—but with
the following exceptions : (1) The expressions (from the religious
metaphors of the Suttas) 'flood,' 'bond,' 'latent bias,' are not used in
the case of doubt (see above, §§ 1, 2). (2) The sections (§§ 4, 5) where
it is argued that, if an Arahant lacked knowledge, he might, like
any average man, offend against law and morality, are omitted-
(3) An additional passage is adduced from the Suttas (following the
others as § 20) as follows :
[20] Again, did not the Exalted One say in the Suttanta :
'Whene'er in sooth ardently meditating
The brahmin sees [the truth of] things1 revealed,
All doubts are rolled away, for now he knoioeth
That which befalls and likewise its conditions.
1
'Whene'er in sooth ardently meditating
The brahmin sees [the truth of] things reveaUd,
All doubts are rolled away, for he discerneth
That which doth make befall may be abolished.
'Whene'er in sooth ardent and meditating
The brahmin sees the truth of things revealed,
He standeth victor o'er the hosts of evil,
E'en as the sun that lighteth up the heavens'
2
' All doubts soever as to here or yonder,
Felt by themselves, or doubts that torture others
Thinkers renounce in ardent meditation,
Choosing to follow after holy conduct'
3
1
Dhamma and sa-hetu-dhamman, meaning in the (plural)
form things given, or data, phenomena, mental objects. But the
Burmese translation paraphrases dhamma by either bodhi-
pakkhiya dhamma or saccadhamma . In the context the
Buddha has just evolved the formula of causation as expressing a
universal law.
2
Vin. Texts, i. 18. The tristhubh metre of the text has been
imitated.
3
Udana, v. 7


'They who 'mong soids beset by doubts, past all doubt
Have won, and now unswayed, from bonds enfranchised
Abide, to them a great reward is given.'
1
'How should disciple ever doubt
That by the kind loho here abide
The truth may yet be realized ?
All hail to Buddha ivho hath crossed
The flood and severed every doubt,
Great Conqueror and. Lord of all'?2

4. Of the Arahant being excelled by Others.
Controverted Point.—That the Arahant is excelled by
others.
From the Commentary.—Here again the argument resembles that
in] II. 2, section for section, substituting 'excelled by others' for
'lack knowledge,' and revealing the following exceptions :
(a) [1] Th.—You maintain that he is. Then you must
also admit that the Arahant is led by others, attains
through others, is conditioned by others* exists in de-
pendence upon others, and knows not sees not, being
baffled and without thoughtfulness. If you deny this,
you cannot affirm that he is excelled by others, etc. . . .
(b) The argument in 2, § § 4, 5, is omitted.
•(c) To the five quoted Sutta passages in 2, §§ 17-21, a
sixth is added:
[20] Again, did not the Exalted One say in the Sut-
tanta :
'Nay, Dhotaka, to no one upon earth who doubts
Is't mine to go that I may set him free.
'Tis in the learning of the noble Norm
That thou thyself shalt journey o'er this Flood '?3

1
We have not been able as yet to trace this stanza. The Udanavarga
has the 'enfranchised' phrase in its last stanza of seven imitating
those above. Rockhill's transl., xxxii. 91.
2
Digha-Nik., ii. 275 (Dialogues, ii. 309).
3
Sutta-Nipata, 1064.