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with which the Blessed One was endowed, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Awakened One. For that Blessed One, Brahmin, was the producer of the unproduced path, the generator of the ungenerated path, the proclaimer of the unproclaimed path, the knower of the path, the understander of the path, the expert in the path; and now his disciples dwell following the path, endowed with it afterwards.” And this conversation of Venerable Ānanda with the Brahmin Gopaka-Moggallāna was left unfinished. Then the Brahmin Vassakāra, the chief minister of Magadha, while supervising works in Rājagaha, approached where the Brahmin Gopaka-Moggallāna’s work was, where Venerable Ānanda was. Having approached, he exchanged greetings with Venerable Ānanda. Having concluded the courteous and memorable talk, he sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, the Brahmin Vassakāra, the chief minister of Magadha, said to Venerable Ānanda: “What kind of talk, Venerable Ānanda, were you engaged in just now? And what was the conversation that was left unfinished?” “Here, Brahmin, the Brahmin Gopaka-Moggallāna said to me thus: ‘Is there, Venerable Ānanda, a single monk who is endowed with all those qualities, in every respect, in every way, with which the Venerable Gotama was endowed, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Awakened One?’ When this was said, Brahmin, I said to the Brahmin Gopaka-Moggallāna: ‘There is not, Brahmin, a single monk who is endowed with all those qualities, in every respect, in every way, with which the Blessed One was endowed, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Awakened One. For that Blessed One, Brahmin, was the producer of the unproduced path, the generator of the ungenerated path, the proclaimer of the unproclaimed path, the knower of the path, the understander of the path, the expert in the path; and now his disciples dwell following the path, endowed with it afterwards.’ This, Brahmin, was our "O brahmin, a conversation with the brahmin Gopaka-Moggallāna was interrupted. Then you arrived." "Is there indeed, O Venerable Ānanda, even one monk appointed by that Lord Gotama, saying: 'This one will be your refuge after my passing,' whom you would now follow?" "Indeed there is not, O brahmin, even one monk appointed by that Blessed One, the Knower, the Seer, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One, saying: 'This one will be your refuge after my passing,' whom we would now follow." "But is there, O Venerable Ānanda, even one monk approved by the Saṅgha, appointed by many elder monks, saying: 'This one will be our refuge after the Blessed One's passing,' whom you would now follow?" "Indeed there is not, O brahmin, even one monk approved by the Saṅgha, appointed by many elder monks, saying: 'This one will be our refuge after the Blessed One's passing,' whom we would now follow." "And thus being without a refuge, O Venerable Ānanda, what is the cause of your unity?" "Indeed we are not, O brahmin, without a refuge; We are with a refuge, O brahmin; We have the Dhamma as our refuge." "Being asked thus: 'Is there indeed, O Venerable Ānanda, even one monk appointed by that Lord Gotama, saying: "This one will be your refuge after my passing," whom you would now follow?' you say: 'Indeed there is not, O brahmin, even one monk appointed by that Blessed One, the Knower, the Seer, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One, saying: "This one will be your refuge after my passing," whom we would now follow.' Being asked thus: 'But is there, O Venerable Ānanda, even one monk approved by the Saṅgha, appointed by many elder monks, saying: "This one will be our refuge after the Blessed One's passing," whom you would now follow?' you say: 'Indeed there is not, Brahmin, even one monk approved by the Sangha, appointed by many elder monks — 'This will be our refuge after the Blessed One's passing, whom we would now follow' — you say. When asked, 'But if there is no such refuge, Venerable Ānanda, what is the reason for your harmony?' You say, 'Indeed, Brahmin, we are not without refuge; we have a refuge, Brahmin; we have the Dhamma as our refuge.' 'But Venerable Ānanda, how is the meaning of this statement to be understood?' 81. "Indeed, Brahmin, by that Blessed One, the Knower, the Seer, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Awakened One, a training rule for monks has been laid down, the Pātimokkha has been recited. On that Uposatha day, as many of us as dwell dependent on one village territory, all of us gather together; having gathered, we request that it be recited. If, while it is being recited, a monk has an offense, has a transgression, we deal with him according to the Dhamma, according to the instruction." "Indeed, it is not the venerable ones who deal with us; it is the Dhamma that deals with us." "'Is there, Venerable Ānanda, even one monk whom you now respect, revere, honor, worship; whom you dwell dependent on, having respected and revered?'" "Indeed, Brahmin, there is not even one monk whom we now respect, revere, honor, worship; whom we dwell dependent on, having respected and revered." "'Is there, Venerable Ānanda, even one monk appointed by the Venerable Gotama — 'This will be your refuge after my passing' — whom you would now follow?'" When asked thus, you say, "Indeed, Brahmin, there is not even one monk appointed by that Blessed One, the Knower, the Seer, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Awakened One — 'This will be your refuge after my passing' — whom we would now follow;" "'But is there, Ven... O Ānanda, is there even one bhikkhu approved by the Saṅgha, established by many elder bhikkhus, saying: 'This one will be our refuge after the Blessed One's passing,' whom you would now follow?" Being asked thus, you say: "Indeed, brahmin, there is no single bhikkhu approved by the Saṅgha, established by many elder bhikkhus, saying: 'This one will be our refuge after the Blessed One's passing,' whom we would now follow." "Is there, then, O Ānanda, even one bhikkhu whom you now honor, respect, revere, worship; and having honored and respected, you dwell in dependence upon?" Being asked thus, you say: "Indeed, brahmin, there is no single bhikkhu whom we now honor, respect, revere, worship; and having honored and respected, we dwell in dependence upon." "But of this statement, O Ānanda, how is the meaning to be understood?" 82. "Indeed, brahmin, by that Blessed One, the Knower, the Seer, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Awakened One, ten inspiring qualities have been declared. In whom these qualities are found, him we now honor, respect, revere, worship; and having honored and respected, we dwell in dependence upon. Which are these ten? "Here, brahmin, a bhikkhu is virtuous, he dwells restrained by the Pātimokkha restraint, accomplished in conduct and resort, seeing danger in the slightest faults, he undertakes and trains in the training rules. "He is learned, a retainer of what he has heard, a hoarder of what he has heard. Those teachings that are good in the beginning, good in the middle, good in the end, with meaning, with phrasing, declaring the utterly complete and purified holy life— such teachings are much heard by him, held in mind, familiar through speech, examined by mind, and well penetrated by view. "He is content with robes, almsfood, lodging, and requisites for the sick." with medicinal requisites. He obtains at will, without difficulty, without trouble, the four jhānas, pertaining to the higher mind, a pleasant abiding in this very life. He experiences various kinds of psychic power: Being one, he becomes many; being many, he becomes one. Manifestation and disappearance. He goes unimpeded through walls, through ramparts, through mountains, as if through space. He dives in and out of the earth as if in water. He walks on water without sinking as if on land. He travels through the air, sitting cross-legged, as if a winged bird. He touches and strokes with his hand these sun and moon, so mighty, so powerful. He exercises bodily mastery even up to the Brahma world. With the divine ear element, purified and surpassing human, he hears both kinds of sounds: divine and human, those far and those near. He comprehends with his mind the minds of other beings, other persons. He discerns a mind with lust as ‘a mind with lust’. He discerns a mind without lust as ‘a mind without lust’. He discerns a mind with hate as ‘a mind with hate’. He discerns a mind without hate as ‘a mind without hate’. He discerns a mind with delusion as ‘a mind with delusion’. He discerns a mind without delusion as ‘a mind without delusion’. He discerns a mind contracted as ‘a mind contracted’. He discerns a mind scattered as ‘a mind scattered’. He discerns a mind developed as ‘a mind developed’. He discerns a mind undeveloped as ‘a mind undeveloped’. He discerns a mind surpassable as ‘a mind surpassable’. He discerns a mind unsurpassed as ‘a mind unsurpassed’. He discerns a mind concentrated as ‘a mind concentrated’. He discerns a mind unconcentrated as ‘a mind unconcentrated’. He discerns a mind liberated as ‘a mind liberated’. un or the liberated mind, 'the unliberated mind' he understands. He recollects his manifold past existences, that is to say, one birth, two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, twenty births, thirty births, forty births, fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births, many eons of cosmic contraction, many eons of cosmic expansion, many eons of cosmic contraction and expansion. 'There I was, such-and-such a name, such-and-such a clan, such-and-such a color, such-and-such a food, such-and-such an experience of pleasure and pain, such-and-such a lifespan. Passing away from there, I arose yonder. There too I was, such-and-such a name, such-and-such a clan, such-and-such a color, such-and-such a food, such-and-such an experience of pleasure and pain, such-and-such a lifespan. Passing away from there, I arose here.' Thus, with its details and features,