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nor has King Seniya Bimbisāra of Magadha been invited for tomorrow with his army. However, a great sacrifice is at hand for me. There is the ascetic Gotama, a Sakyan, gone forth from the Sakyan clan, wandering in the Anguttarāpas with a great Sangha of bhikkhus, with twelve hundred and fifty bhikkhus, and he has arrived at Āpaṇa. That indeed, the venerable Gotama… …is a Buddha, a Blessed One. He has been invited by me for tomorrow's meal, together with the Sangha of bhikkhus. A Buddha, sir Keṇiya, do you say? A Buddha, sir Sela, I say. A Buddha, sir Keṇiya, do you say? A Buddha, sir Sela, I say. Then it occurred to Sela the brahmin: This sound, indeed, is rare in the world, that is, "Buddha." And in our mantras, the thirty-two marks of a Great Man have come down, endowed with which a Great Man has only two destinies, no other. If he lives in a house, he becomes a Wheel-turning King, righteous, a king of righteousness, conquering the four quarters, victorious, having attained stability in the country, endowed with the seven jewels. These seven jewels are his: the wheel-jewel, the elephant-jewel, the horse-jewel, the gem-jewel, the woman-jewel, the householder-jewel, and the leader-jewel as the seventh. And he has more than a thousand sons, heroic, of valiant form, crushing enemy armies. He conquers this earth, bounded by the ocean, without rod, without weapon, by righteousness, and lives in it. But if he goes forth from the house into homelessness, he becomes an Arahant, a Fully Self-Awakened One, one whose veil is removed in the world. Where, then, sir Keṇiya, does that venerable Gotama, the Arahant, the Fully Self-Awakened One, reside now? When this was said, Keṇiya the ascetic, raising his right arm, said to Sela the brahmin: Where that blue forest grove is, sir Sela. Then Sela the brahmin, together with three hundred young men, approached the Blessed One. Then Sela the brahmin addressed those young men: Come quietly, sirs, stepping foot by foot. For those Blessed Ones are difficult to approach, like lions, solitary wanderers. And when I, sirs, converse with the ascetic Gotama, do not interrupt my talk; wait until the end of the talk. Sirs, please wait for me. Then indeed the brahmin Sela approached where the Blessed One was. Having approached, he exchanged greetings with the Blessed One. Having concluded the courteous and memorable talk, he sat down to one side. Seated to one side, indeed the brahmin Sela examined the thirty-two marks of a Great Man on the Blessed One's body. Indeed the brahmin Sela saw the thirty-two marks of a Great Man on the Blessed One's body, for the most part, except for two. Concerning two of the Great Man's marks, he was in doubt, he wavered, he was not convinced, he was not confident: namely, the private parts being retracted into a sheath, and the abundant tongue. Then indeed it occurred to the Blessed One: "Indeed this brahmin Sela sees the thirty-two marks of a Great Man on me, for the most part, except for two. Concerning two of the Great Man's marks, he is in doubt, he wavers, he is not convinced, he is not confident: namely, the private parts being retracted into a sheath, and the abundant tongue." Then indeed the Blessed One performed such a psychic feat, that the brahmin Sela saw the Blessed One's private parts retracted into a sheath. Then indeed the Blessed One extended his tongue, and touched and stroked both ear-holes, touched and stroked both nostril-holes, and completely covered his entire forehead with his tongue. Then indeed it occurred to the brahmin Sela: "Indeed the ascetic Gotama is endowed with the thirty-two marks of a Great Man, complete, not incomplete. But I do not know whether he is a Buddha or not. Indeed I have heard this from brahmins, old, aged, teachers and grand-teachers, speaking: 'Those who are Arahants, Perfectly Self-Enlightened Buddhas, they reveal themselves when their own praise is spoken.' What if I were to praise the ascetic Gotama directly with suitable verses?" Then indeed the brahmin Sela praised the Blessed One directly with suitable verses: 553. "With a perfect body, sur- Pure, well-born, lovely to behold; Of golden color are you, Blessed One, with very white teeth, vigorous. 554. Indeed, whatever marks there are of a well-born man; All of them are on your body, the marks of a Great Man. 555. With clear eyes, with a beautiful face, tall, upright, glorious; In the midst of the assembly of recluses, you shine like the sun. 556. Of beautiful appearance, monk, with skin like gold; What is your purpose with monkhood, being of such excellent complexion? 557. You are fit to be a king, a Wheel-turning Monarch, a lord of chariots; Ruler of the four quarters, victorious, lord of the Rose-apple continent. 558. Let Khattiyas, wealthy kings, be your followers; King of kings, lord of men, rule the kingdom, Gotama. 559. I am a king, Sela, (the Blessed One said) a supreme King of Dhamma; By Dhamma I turn the wheel, a wheel that cannot be turned back. 560. You declare yourself a Fully Awakened One, (thus spoke Sela the brahmin) a supreme King of Dhamma; 'By Dhamma I turn the wheel,' thus you speak, Gotama. 561. Who then is your general, a disciple following the Teacher; Who follows you in the Dhamma-wheel you have set in motion? 562. The wheel set in motion by me, (Sela, said the Blessed One) the supreme Dhamma-wheel; Sāriputta follows it, born after the Tathāgata. 563. What is to be known, that has been known, and what is to be developed, that has been developed; What is to be abandoned, that has been abandoned by me, therefore I am the Buddha, brahmin. 564. Dispel your doubt in me, resolve yourself, brahmin; Rare is the sight of Fully Awakened Ones often. 565. Indeed, whose appearance in the world is rare, whose manifestation is frequent; I am that Fully Awakened One, brahmin, the supreme surgeon. 566. Become a Brahma, incomparable, crushing Māra's army; Having subdued all enemies, I rejoice, fearless. 567. Listen, sirs, to this, as the One with Vision speaks; The great hero, the surgeon... o, like a lion, roars in the forest. 568. “Who, seeing the Brahma-become, the incomparable, the crusher of Māra’s army, would not be serene, even if born of a dark lineage? 569. “Whoever wishes me, let him follow; whoever does not wish, let him go. Here I will go forth in the presence of the one with supreme wisdom.” 570. “If this pleases you, sir, in the teaching of the Perfectly Enlightened One; we too will go forth in the presence of the one with supreme wisdom.” 571. “These three hundred brahmins beg with joined palms: ‘We will lead the holy life, Bhagavā, in your presence.’” 572. “Well-proclaimed is the holy life,” (said the Bhagavā to Sela) “visible here and now, timeless; where the going forth is not in vain for one who is diligent and trains.” Then Sela the brahmin, with his retinue, obtained the going forth in the presence of the Bhagavā, and obtained full ordination. Then, when that night had passed, Keṇiya the ascetic had excellent hard and soft food prepared in his hermitage and announced the time to the Bhagavā: “It is time, good Gotama, the meal is ready.” Then the Bhagavā, having dressed in the morning, took his bowl and robe and went to Keṇiya the ascetic’s hermitage; having approached, he sat down on the prepared seat with the community of bhikkhus. Then Keṇiya the ascetic, with his own hands, satisfied and served the community of bhikkhus headed by the Buddha with excellent hard and soft food. Then Keṇiya the ascetic, when the Bhagavā had finished eating and had removed his hand from the bowl, took a low seat and sat down to one side. The Bhagavā gladdened Keṇiya the ascetic, who was sitting to one side, with these verses: 573. “Sacrifices have the fire-offering as their chief, verses have the Sāvitrī as their chief; kings are the chief of humans, the ocean is the chief of rivers. 574. “The moon is the chief of constellations, the sun is the chief of those who shine; the Saṅgha is indeed the chief of those who desire merit and make offerings.” Then the Bhagavā, Keṇiya the ascetic, these Having rejoiced with these verses, he rose from his seat and departed. Then indeed, the venerable Sela, with his company, dwelling alone, secluded, diligent, ardent, resolute, not long after… became one of the Arahants. Then indeed, the venerable Sela, with his company, approached the Blessed One. Having approached, having arranged his outer robe over one shoulder, having saluted the Blessed One with clasped hands, he addressed the Blessed One with verses – 575. To whom we have come for refuge, from here, the eighth, O Seer; In seven nights, O Blessed One, we are tamed in your teaching. 576. You are the Buddha, you are the Teacher, You are the Sage who has overcome Māra; You, having cut off latent tendencies, Have crossed over, and will ferry this folk across. 577. Your attachments are overcome, Your defilements are crushed; You are a lion, without clinging, With fear and terror abandoned. 578. These three hundred monks, Stand with clasped hands; O Hero, extend your feet, Let the great ones worship the Teacher. The Sela Sutta, the seventh, is finished. 8. The Salla Sutta 579. Unmarked and unknown, is the life of mortals here; It is difficult and brief, and it is bound up with suffering. 580. Indeed, there is no device, by which those born will not die; Having reached old age, there is death, such is the nature of living beings. 581. Just as ripe fruits, have the fear of falling early; So for mortals who are born, there is always the fear of death. 582. Just as a potter's, made clay vessels; All end in breaking; so is the life of mortals. 583. Both young and old, both fools and the wise; All go under the sway of death, all are bound for death. 584. For those overcome by death, who are going to the other world; A father does not protect his son, nor relatives their kinsmen. 585.