Kathavatthu - Of The World As Only A Cinderheap

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

8. Of [the World as only a] Cinderheap.
Controverted Point.—That all conditioned things are
absolutely1 cinderheaps.
From the Commentary.—The opinion of the Gokulikas, from grasping
thoughtlessly the teaching of such Suttas as
'All is on fire, bhikkhus!'
2
'All conditioned things [involve] ill,'3
is that all conditioned things
are without qualification no better than a welter of embers whence the
flames have died out, like an inferno of ashes. To correct this by
indicating various forms of happiness, the Theravadin puts the question.
[1] Th.—You affirm this; but is there not such a thing
as pleasurable feeling, bodily pleasure, mental pleasure,
celestial happiness, human happiness, the pleasures of
gain, of being honoured, of riding-and-driving,
4
of resting,
the pleasures of ruling, of administrating, of domestic-and-
seeular life, of the religious life, pleasures involved in the
intoxicants
5
and pleasures that are not, the happiness [of
Nibbana], both while stuff of life remains and when none
remains,6 worldly and spiritual pleasures, happiness with

1
Anodhikatva , 'not having made a limit, without distinction.
—Comy.
2
Vin. Texts, i. 134.
3
Dialogues, ii. 175.
4
Yana-sukhang , literally, vehicle-pleasure.
5
Asava's : sensuality, desire for rebirth, erroneous opinions;
ignorance was added as a fourth.
6
Upadhisukhang nirupadhisukhang .


zest and without zest, Jhana - happiness, the bliss of
liberty, pleasures of sense-desire, and the happiness of
renunciation, the bliss of solitude, of peace, of enlighten-
ment?
1
Of course. How then can you maintain your
general affirmation ?
[2] G.—My proposition then is wrong ? But was it not
said by the Exalted One: 'All is on fire, O bhikkhus!
How is everything on fire The eye is on fire; visible
objects, visual consciousness, visual contact and the pleasure,
the pain, the neutral feeling therefrom—all is on fire. On
fire wherewithal? I tell you, on fire with the fires of passion,
hate, and ignorance; with the fires of birth, decay, and
death; toith the fires of sorrow, lamentation, ill, grief, and
despair. All the field of sense, all the field of mind, all the
feeling therefrom is on fire with those fires ' ? 2
Surely then
all conditioned things are mere cinderheaps absolutely.
[3] Th.—But was it not also said by the Exalted One:
' There are these five pleasures of sense, bhikkhus—namely,
visible objects seen through the eye as desirable, pleasing, de-
lightful, lovely, adapted to sense-desire, seductive; audible
objects, odorous, sapid, tangible objects, desirable, pleasing,
delightful, lovely, opposite to sense-desire, seductive ' . . . ?
3
[4] G.—But was it not also said by the Exalted One:—
' A gain is yours, O bhikkhus I well have ye toon, for ye have
discerned the hour
4
for living the religious life. Hells have
I seen, bhikkhus, belonging to the six fields of contact. Hereof
whatsoever object is seen by the eye is undesired only, not
desired; whatsoever object is sensed by ear, smell, taste,
touch, mind, is undesired only, not desired ; is unpleasant only,
not pleasant; is unlovely only, not lovely' ?5

1
The invariable generic term in each of the Pali compounds is
sukhang . On its pregnant import see Compendium, 277; cf . JPTS
1914,134.
2
Vin. Texts, i. 134.
3
Majjhima-Nik., i. 85, 92 passim.
4
Literally, moment.
5
Samyutta-Nik, iv. 126. The
'hour ' is the crucial time when a
Buddha is living on earth. Cf . the passage with frequent allusions in
the Psalms of the Early Buddhists, 1.13, 167; II . 162, 213, 280, 347
also Anguttara-Nik., iv. 225 f .


[5] Th.—But was it not also said by the Exalted One:
'A gain is yours, bhikkhus ! well have ye icon, for ye have
discerned the hour for living the religious life. Heavens
have I seen, bhikkhus, belonging to the six fields of contact.
Hereof whatsoever object is seen by the eye, or othenuise
sensed, is desired only, not undesired; is pleasing only, not
unpleasing ; is lovely only, not unlovely' ?1
[6] G.—But was it not said by the Exalted One: 'The
impermanent involves Ill; all conditioned things are im-
permanent' ?2
[7] Th.—But take giving:—does that bring forth fruit
that is undesired, unpleasant, disagreeable, adulterated?
Does it bear, and result in, sorrow ? Or take virtue, the
keeping of feastdays, religious training, and religious life:—
do they bring forth such fruit, etc. ? Do they not rather
have the opposite result ? How then can you affirm your
general proposition ?
[8] Finally, was it not said by the Exalted One :
'Happy his solitude who, glad at heart,
Hath learnt the Norm and doth the vision see !
Happy is that benignity towards
The loorld ivhich on no creature worketh harm.
Happy the freedom from all lust, th'ascent
Past and beyond the needs of sense-desires.
He who doth crush the great " I am conceit :
This, even this, is happiness supreme.
This happiness by happiness is won,
Unending happiness is this alone.
The Threefold Wisdom hath he made his own.
This, even this, is happiness supreme'?3
You admit the Suttanta says this ? How then can you
maintain your proposition ?
1
Samyutta-Nik., iv. 126.
2
Anguttara-Nik., i. 286 ; Dialogues, ii. 232; Samyutta-Nik.,
passim.
3
Udana, II . 1. Line 9 (slightly different) also occurs in Psalms of
the Brethren, ver. 220; cf. ver. 63; and line 11 occurs often in the
Psalms, Parts I. and II. See ibid., II., pp. 29, 57.
T.S. V.