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Is he knowing, or merely conjecturing? How may I know the sage, O Sakka, Explain that to me, All-seeing One. He is without hope, and not hoping, He is knowing, and not conjecturing; Thus, Todeyya, know the sage, Having nothing, unattached to sensual existence. For those standing in the midst of the stream, (thus spoke the venerable Kappa) When the great fearful flood has arisen; For those overcome by old age and death, Declare an island, O Master; And tell me of that island, So that this may not happen again. For those standing in the midst of the stream, (Kappa, said the Blessed One) When the great fearful flood has arisen; For those overcome by old age and death, I will declare an island to you, Kappa. Having nothing, grasping nothing, This is the island, none other; I call it Nibbana, The destruction of old age and death. Those who are mindful, having known this, And are cooled in this very life; They are not followers of Mara's sway, They are not Mara's path-goers. Having heard of the hero, free from desires, (thus spoke the venerable Jatukaṇṇi) The one who has crossed the flood, I have come desiring to ask; Declare the state of peace, O Eye of the World, Tell me that truly, O Blessed One. For the Blessed One moves having overcome desires, Like the sun illuminating the earth with its light; To me of little wisdom, O one of vast wisdom, Teach the Dhamma by which I may know; The abandoning of birth and old age here. Subdue greed for sensual pleasures, (Jatukaṇṇi, said the Blessed One) seeing renunciation as safe; What has been grasped or rejected, let nothing of that remain for you. 1105. What was before, dry it up; let nothing be for you afterwards; If you will not grasp in the middle, you will wander pacified. 1106. For one who is utterly free from craving for name-and-form, O brahmin, There are no defilements for him, by which he would come under the sway of death. The Question of the Student Jatukaṇṇī, the eleventh, is ended. 12. The Question of the Student Bhadrāvudha 1107. “The home-abandoner, the craving-cutter, the unagitated, (thus spoke the venerable Bhadrāvudha) The joy-abandoner, the flood-crosser, the liberated; The eon-abandoner, the wise one, I implore, Having heard the Nāga, they will depart from here. 1108. Various people, gathered from various lands, Desiring your word, O hero; To them, you should explain well, For indeed, this Dhamma is known to you.” 1109. “All craving for grasping should be removed, (Bhadrāvudha, said the Blessed One) Above, below, across, and in the middle; For whatever one grasps in the world, By that, Māra follows the being. 1110. Therefore, knowing, one should not grasp, A mindful monk, anything in the whole world; Seeing beings attached to grasping, This populace entangled in the realm of death.” The Question of the Student Bhadrāvudha, the twelfth, is ended. 13. The Question of the Student Udaya 1111. “To the meditator, the stainless one, seated, (thus spoke the venerable Udaya) The task-accomplished, the undefiled; The one who has reached the far shore of all phenomena, I have come with a question; Please declare the liberation by knowledge, The breaking apart of ignorance.” 1112. “The abandoning of sensual desires, (Udaya, said the Blessed One) And both kinds of dejection; And the dispelling of sloth, The warding off of remorse. 1113. Purified by equanimity and mindfulness, Preceded by Dhamma-reasoning; I declare the liberation by knowledge, The breaking apart of ignorance.” 1114. “By what is the world fettered? By what is its wandering? By the abandoning of what, Is Nibbāna said to be?” 1115. “The world is fettered by delight, its wandering is by thinking; By the abandoning of craving, Is Nibbāna said to be.” '' 1116. "How does consciousness cease for one who is mindful and moving? Having come to ask the Blessed One, we wish to hear your word." 1117. "For one who does not delight in feeling, internal or external, thus for one who is mindful and moving, consciousness ceases." The Thirteenth Question of the Student Udaya is finished. 14. The Question of the Student Posāla 1118. "He who declares the past, (thus spoke the venerable Posāla) unshaken, with doubts cut off, the one who has gone to the other shore of all phenomena, I have come with a question. 1119. "For one whose perceptions of form are vanished, who has abandoned all bodies, who sees that there is nothing, internal or external; I ask about the knowledge of such a one, how is such a person to be led?" 1120. "All stations of consciousness, (Posāla, said the Blessed One) the Tathāgata fully understands; He knows such a one as abiding, liberated, with that as his destination. 1121. "Having known the origin of nothingness, and that delight is a fetter; Having thus fully understood this, he then sees clearly there; This is the true knowledge for that brahmin who has lived the holy life." The Fourteenth Question of the Student Posāla is finished. 15. The Question of the Student Mogharāja 1122. "Twice I asked the Sakyan, (thus spoke the venerable Mogharāja) the Seer did not answer me; But for the third time, O divine one, I have heard that he will answer. 1123. "This world, the other world, the Brahma-world with its deities; Your view, O glorious Gotama, I do not understand. 1124. "Having come with a question to such a far-seeing one; How does one look upon the world so that the King of Death does not see him?" 1125. "Look upon the world as empty, Mogharāja, always mindful; Having removed the view of self, thus you will be one who crosses death; Thus looking upon the world, the King of Death does not see him." The Fifteenth Question of the Student Mogharāja is finished. 16. The Question of the Student Piṅgiya 1126. "I am old, I am weak, my complexion faded, (thus spoke the venerable Piṅgiya) my eyes are not clear, my hearing is not good; Let me not perish, bewildered, in between, tell me the Dhamma by which I may know; the abandoning here of birth and old age." "Seeing people afflicted by forms, (said the Blessed One to Piṅgiya) people heedless are crushed by forms; Therefore, Piṅgiya, being heedful, abandon form for non-recurrence of being." "The four main directions, the four intermediate directions, above, below—these ten directions; there is nothing in the world unseen by you, unheard, unperceived, or unknown; Declare the Dhamma by which I may know, the abandoning here of birth and old age." "Seeing people overcome by craving, (said the Blessed One to Piṅgiya) arisen in torment, enveloped by old age; Therefore, Piṅgiya, being heedful, abandon craving for non-recurrence of being." The sixteenth question of the young man Piṅgiya is finished. Verses of Praise for the Way to the Far Shore This the Blessed One spoke while dwelling in Magadha, at the shrine of Pāsāṇaka, being requested and questioned by the sixteen attendant brahmins, he answered their questions. If one understands the meaning of each question, understands the Dhamma, and practices according to the Dhamma, one will surely go to the far shore of old age and death. "These are the teachings that lead to the far shore," therefore, the name for this discourse on the Dhamma is "The Way to the Far Shore." Ajita, Tissa-Metteyya, Puṇṇaka, and then Mettagū; Dhotaka, and Upasīva, Nanda, and then Hemaka. Todeyya and Kappa, both, and Jatukaṇṇī the wise; Bhadrāvudha, and Udaya, and also Posāla the brahmin; Mogharāja the intelligent, and Piṅgiya the great seer. These approached the Buddha, the seer perfect in conduct; asking subtle questions, they came to the foremost Buddha. To them the Buddha declared, when questioned, the questions as they truly are; By answering the questions, he pleased You are a brahmin sage. They were pleased by the Seer, by the Buddha, kinsman of the sun; They lived the holy life, in the presence of the one with excellent wisdom. For each and every question, as taught by the Buddha; Whoever practices accordingly, would go to the far shore from the near shore. From the near shore to the far shore he would go, developing the supreme path; That path is for going to the far shore, therefore it is called the "Way to the Beyond". Verses on the Way to the Beyond, Sung Afterwards "I will sing of the Way to the Beyond," (thus said venerable Piṅgiya) "As he saw, so he declared, the stainless one, of vast wisdom; The desireless, extinguished, great one, for what reason would he speak falsely?" "Of him who has abandoned defilement and delusion, who has given up conceit and hypocrisy; Now I will proclaim words full of praise." "The dispeller of darkness, the Buddha, the all-seeing, the ender of the world, transcending all existence; The taintless, who has abandoned all suffering, the one called Truth, the Brahma, is served by me." "As a bird, having left a poor thicket, might dwell in a forest full of fruit; So I, having left those of little vision, have reached the great ocean, like a swan." "Those who previously declared, apart from Gotama's teaching: 'It was thus, it will be thus'; All that is mere hearsay, all that is an increase of speculation." "Alone, the dispeller of darkness, he is radiant, the light-maker; Gotama, of vast knowledge, Gotama, of vast wisdom." "He who taught me the Dhamma, immediately visible, timeless; The destruction of craving, free from affliction, of which there is no equal anywhere." "Why do you dwell apart from him, even for a moment, Piṅgiya? From Gotama, of vast knowledge, from Gotama, of vast wisdom." "He who taught you the Dhamma, immediately visible, timeless; The destruction of craving, free from affliction, of which there is no equal anywhere." "I do not dwell apart from him, even for a moment, brahmin; From Gotama, of vast knowledge, from Gotama, of vast wisdom." "He who taught me the Dhamma, immediately visible, timeless; The destruction of craving, free from affliction, of which there is no equal anywhere."