English
For you, Caṅkī, dwell in Opasāda, a place bustling with people, with grass, wood, and water, with grain, a royal possession, given by King Pasenadi of Kosala, a royal gift, a brahmin-gift. And because you, Caṅkī, dwell in Opasāda, a place bustling with people, with grass, wood, and water, with grain, a royal possession, given by King Pasenadi of Kosala, a royal gift, a brahmin-gift, for this reason, it is not fitting for you, Caṅkī, to go to see the ascetic Gotama. to go. It is the recluse Gotama who is worthy to go to see the venerable Caṅkī.” 425. When this was said, the brahmin Caṅkī said to those brahmins: “Well then, sirs, listen to me too, how it is we ourselves who are worthy to go to see that recluse Gotama; it is not that the venerable Gotama is worthy to come to see us. For, sirs, the recluse Gotama is well-born on both sides, from mother and from father, with pure lineage up to the seventh generation of ancestors, unreproached, unreviled on the score of birth. And because, sirs, the recluse Gotama is well-born on both sides, from mother and from father, with pure lineage up to the seventh generation of ancestors, unreproached, unreviled on the score of birth, for this reason the venerable Gotama is not worthy to come to see us; rather, it is we ourselves who are worthy to go to see that venerable Gotama. [Here in Dī. Ni. 1.304 other qualities are also seen.] For, sirs, the recluse Gotama abandoned abundant gold and silver and went forth, both that on the ground and that in the air… …and so on… For, sirs, the recluse Gotama, while still young, a youth, with jet-black hair, endowed with the blessing of youth, in the prime of life, went forth from home into homelessness… …and so on… For, sirs, the recluse Gotama, against the wishes of his parents, who were weeping, with tearful faces, shaved off his hair and beard, donned saffron robes, and went forth from home into homelessness… …and so on… For, sirs, the recluse Gotama is handsome, good to look at, charming, endowed with supreme beauty of complexion, with the beauty of Brahmā, with the radiance of Brahmā, not of mean appearance… …and so on… For, sirs, the recluse Gotama is virtuous, of noble virtue, of wholesome virtue, endowed with wholesome virtue… …and so on… For, sirs, the recluse Gotama has beautiful speech, beautiful utterance, endowed with refined speech, clear, not stammering, making the meaning understood… …and so on… For, sirs, the recluse Gotama is the teacher and preceptor of many… …and so on… For, sirs, Listen, friends, Gotama, whose sensual passion is destroyed, whose wavering is gone... Indeed, friends, the recluse Gotama teaches kamma, teaches action, whose aim is not evil for the holy life of the people... Indeed, friends, the recluse Gotama went forth from a high family, from an unbroken Khattiya family... Indeed, friends, the recluse Gotama went forth from a rich family, with great wealth, with great possessions... Indeed, friends, to the recluse Gotama from across kingdoms, from across provinces, people come to question him... Indeed, friends, to the recluse Gotama many thousands of deities have gone for refuge with their lives... Indeed, friends, concerning the recluse Gotama such a good report has arisen: 'He is indeed the Blessed One, Arahant, Perfectly Self-Awakened, endowed with knowledge and conduct, the Fortunate One, Knower of the worlds, unsurpassed trainer of persons to be tamed, teacher of gods and humans, the Awakened One, the Blessed One.'... Indeed, friends, the recluse Gotama is endowed with the thirty-two marks of a Great Man... Indeed, friends, to the recluse Gotama King Seniya Bimbisāra of Magadha, with his children and wife, has gone for refuge with their lives... Indeed, friends, to the recluse Gotama King Pasenadi of Kosala, with his children and wife, has gone for refuge with their lives... Indeed, friends, to the recluse Gotama the brahmin Pokkharasāti, with his children and wife, has gone for refuge with their lives... Indeed, friends, the recluse Gotama has arrived at Opāsāda, and dwells at Opāsāda, in the Sal-wood, the divine forest, to the north of Opāsāda. Those recluses or brahmins who come to our village territory, they are our guests. Indeed, guests by us should be honored, respected, esteemed, and revered. Since the recluse Gotama has arrived at Opāsāda, and dwells at Opāsāda, in the Sal-wood, the divine forest, to the north of Opāsāda, the recluse Gotama is our guest. Indeed, a guest by us should be honored, respected, esteemed, and revered. For this reason, that venerable Gotama is not fit to approach us for an audience; rather, it is we ourselves who are fit to approach that venerable Gotama. to approach for a visit. Indeed, sirs, I have learned of so many excellent qualities of that venerable Gotama, but that venerable Gotama is not of merely so many qualities; for that venerable Gotama is of immeasurable qualities. Endowed with even one such quality, that venerable Gotama is not fit to approach us for a visit; rather, it is we who are fit to approach that venerable Gotama for a visit. Therefore, sirs, let all of us go to visit the ascetic Gotama. 426. Then the brahmin Caṅkī, together with a large company of brahmins, approached the Blessed One; having approached, he exchanged greetings with the Blessed One. Having concluded the courteous and memorable talk, he sat down to one side. Now at that time the Blessed One was seated, engaging in various memorable talks with elderly brahmins. Now at that time, a young man named Kāpaṭika, with hair recently cut, sixteen years old by birth, a master of the three Vedas with their vocabularies and rituals, their phonology and etymology, and as the fifth, the histories, a master of words, a grammarian, and proficient in the lore of world-systems and the marks of a great man, was seated in that assembly. He interrupted the talk of the elderly brahmins who were conversing with the Blessed One. Then the Blessed One rebuked the young man Kāpaṭika: "Venerable Bhāradvāja, do not interrupt the talk of the elderly brahmins who are conversing. Venerable Bhāradvāja, wait until the talk is concluded." When this was said, the brahmin Caṅkī said to the Blessed One: "Venerable Gotama, do not rebuke the young man Kāpaṭika. The young man Kāpaṭika is of good family, the young man Kāpaṭika is learned, the young man Kāpaṭika is wise, the young man Kāpaṭika is an eloquent speaker, and the young man Kāpaṭika is capable... "Let this venerable one discuss this matter with Gotama." Then it occurred to the Blessed One: "Surely, the young man Kāpaṭika will have a discussion on the three Vedas. For the brahmins are putting him forward." Then it occurred to the young man Kāpaṭika: "When the ascetic Gotama turns his gaze upon me, then I will ask the ascetic Gotama a question." Then the Blessed One, knowing the thought in the mind of the young man Kāpaṭika with his own mind, turned his gaze towards the young man Kāpaṭika. 427. Then it occurred to the young man Kāpaṭika: "The ascetic Gotama is paying attention to me. What if I were to ask the ascetic Gotama a question?" Then the young man Kāpaṭika said to the Blessed One: "Concerning this, good Gotama, the ancient mantra-path of the brahmins, handed down through generations, by tradition, by the collection of texts, in which the brahmins come to a definite conclusion: 'This alone is true, anything else is vain.' What does the venerable Gotama say about this?" "But, Bhāradvāja, is there any one brahmin among the brahmins who says: 'I know this, I see this. This alone is true, anything else is vain'?" "No, good Gotama." "But, Bhāradvāja, is there any one teacher among the brahmins, or a teacher of a teacher, up to the seventh generation of teachers, who says: 'I know this, I see this. This alone is true, anything else is vain'?" "No, good Gotama." "But, Bhāradvāja, those ancient sages of the brahmins who were the makers of the mantras, the propagators of the mantras, whose ancient mantra-path is now sung, spoken, compiled by the brahmins, and they follow it, they repeat it, they repeat what has been spoken, they recite what has been recited, such as Aṭṭhaka, Vāmaka, Vāmadeva, Vessāmitta, Y Yamataggi, Aṅgīrasa, Bhāradvāja, Vāseṭṭha, Kassapa, Bhagu, did they also say this: ‘We know this, we see this. This alone is true, anything else is vain’? “No, indeed, good Gotama.” “So then, Bhāradvāja, there is not a single brahmin among the brahmins who says this: ‘I know this, I see this. This alone is true, anything else is vain’; there is not a single teacher among the brahmins, not a single teacher of teachers, up to the seventh generation of teachers, who says this: ‘I know this, I see this. This alone is true, anything else is vain’; and those ancient sages of the brahmins, the makers of the mantras, the propagators of the mantras, whose ancient mantra-path is now sung, spoken, collected by the brahmins, and they chant after it, they speak after it, they speak after what was spoken, they recite after what was recited, namely: Aṭṭhaka, Vāmaka, Vāmadeva, Vessāmitta, Yamataggi, Aṅgīrasa, Bhāradvāja, Vāseṭṭha, Kassapa, Bhagu, they also did not say this: ‘We know this, we see this. This alone is true, anything else is vain.’ 428. “Just as, Bhāradvāja, a line of blind men, linked one to another, the first one does not see, the middle one does not see, the last one does not see; even so, Bhāradvāja, the brahmins’ saying, I think, turns out to be like a line of blind men— the first one does not see, the middle one does not see, the last one does not see. What do you think, Bhāradvāja? In that case, does not the brahmins’ faith turn out to be baseless?” “It is not, good Gotama, that the brahmins rely only on faith; they also rely on tradition here.” “First, Bhāradvāja, you spoke of faith, now you speak of tradition. There are these five things, Bhāradvāja, whose outcome in this very life is twofold. Which five?