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would travel forty-eight thousand yojanas in a day and night, and would reach the earth in four months. Venerable Nāgasena, you say this: 'Just as a strong man might extend his bent arm, or bend his extended arm, even so, a bhikkhu endowed with psychic power, having mastered the mind, having disappeared from Jambudīpa, would reappear in the Brahma-world.' I do not believe this statement, that he would travel so many hundreds of yojanas so quickly. The Elder said, "But where, great king, is your birthplace?" Venerable Sir, there is an island called Alasanda; I was born there. How far, great king, is Alasanda from here? Two hundred yojanas, Venerable Sir. Do you remember, great king, having done something there? Yes, Venerable Sir, I remember. Indeed, great king, you have quickly gone two hundred yojanas. You are clever, Venerable Nāgasena. The fourth question on the Brahma-world. 5. The Question on the Equal Speed of Two Beings Reborn 5. The king said, "Venerable Nāgasena, if one dies here and is reborn in the Brahma-world, and another dies here and is reborn in Kashmir, who is slower, who is quicker?" They are equal, great king. Give an analogy. But where, great king, is your native village? Venerable Sir, there is a village called Kalasigāma; I was born there. How far, great king, is Kalasigāma from here? Two hundred Venerable sir, a hundred leagues.” “How far, great king, is Kashmir from here?” “Twelve leagues, venerable sir.” “Come now, great king, think of Kalasigāma.” “It is thought of, venerable sir.” “Come now, great king, think of Kashmir.” “It is thought of, venerable sir.” “Which, great king, was thought of slowly, and which more quickly?” “At the same time, venerable sir.” “Even so, great king, he who dies here and is reborn in the Brahma-world, and he who dies here and is reborn in Kashmir, are reborn at the same time.” “Give a further simile.” “What do you think, great king, if two birds were to fly through the sky, and of them one were to alight on a high tree, and one were to alight on a low tree, of these, alighting at the same time, whose shadow would first settle on the earth, and whose shadow would settle on the earth later?” “At the same time, venerable sir.” “Even so, great king, he who dies here and is reborn in the Brahma-world, and he who dies here and is reborn in Kashmir, are reborn at the same time.” “You are clever, venerable Nāgasena.” The fifth question is on the simultaneity of two rebirths. 6. The Question on the Factors of Awakening 6. The king said, “How many, venerable Nāgasena, are the factors of awakening?” “There are seven, great king, factors of awakening.” “By how many, venerable sir, does one awaken?” “One awakens, great king, by one factor of awakening, the investigation of phenomena as a factor of awakening.” “Then why, venerable sir, are they called ‘seven factors of awakening’?” “What do you think, great king, if a sword, placed in its sheath, not grasped by hand, would it be able to cut what is to be cut?” “No, venerable sir.” “Even so, great king, without the investigation of phenomena as a factor of awakening, one does not awaken by the six factors of awakening.” “You are clever, venerable Nāgasena.” The sixth question is on the factors of awakening. 7. The non-increase of evil and merit The Question of Power 7. The king said: "Venerable Nāgasena, which indeed is more, merit or demerit?" "Merit, O great king, is more; demerit is little." "For what reason?" "When one does demerit, O great king, one feels remorse, thinking 'An evil deed has been done by me.' Therefore, the evil does not grow. When one does merit, O great king, one feels no remorse. For one without remorse, joy arises. For one who is joyful, rapture arises. For one with a rapturous mind, the body becomes tranquil. One whose body is tranquil experiences happiness. For one who is happy, the mind becomes concentrated. One who is concentrated understands things as they truly are. For that reason, merit grows. Indeed, O great king, a man with severed hands and feet, having given one lotus flower to the Blessed One, will not go to a state of woe for ninety-one eons. For this reason too, O great king, I say: 'Merit is more, demerit is little.'" "You are clever, Venerable Nāgasena." The seventh question: The power of little and much of demerit and merit. 8. The question of doing evil knowingly and unknowingly. 8. The king said: "Venerable Nāgasena, if one does an evil deed knowingly, and one does an evil deed unknowingly, for whom is there more demerit?" The Elder said: "Indeed, O great king, for one who does an evil deed unknowingly, there is more demerit." "In that case, Venerable Nāgasena, if any of our royal princes or royal ministers does an evil deed unknowingly, we should punish him twofold?" "What do you think, O great king? If a heated iron ball, blazing, glowing, radiant, were taken by one who knows, and by one who does not know, which one would be burned more severely?" "Indeed, Venerable, the one who takes it unknowingly would be burned more severely." "Just so, O great king, for one who does an evil deed unknowingly, there is more demerit." "You are clever, Venerable Nāgasena." The eighth question: on doing evil knowingly and unknowingly. 9. Of Uttarakuru, etc. Question on Going The king said, "Venerable Nāgasena, is there anyone who, with this body, could go to Uttarakuru, or to the Brahma-world, or to another continent?" "There is, great king, one who, with this body made of the four great elements, could go to Uttarakuru, or to the Brahma-world, or to another continent." "How, Venerable Nāgasena, could one, with this body made of the four great elements, go to Uttarakuru, or to the Brahma-world, or to another continent?" "Do you know, great king, how to leap over a span or a cubit of this earth?" "Yes, Venerable sir, I know. 'I, Venerable Nāgasena, can leap eight cubits.'" "How, great king, do you leap eight cubits?" "Indeed, Venerable sir, I generate the thought, 'I will land there,' and with the arising of that thought, my body becomes light." "Just so, great king, a monk endowed with psychic power, having mastered his mind, places his body in his mind, and by the power of his mind, he goes through the air." "You are clever, Venerable Nāgasena." The ninth question, on going to Uttarakuru and so forth. Question on Long Bones The king said, "Venerable Nāgasena, you say this: 'Bones can be a hundred leagues long.' Even a tree is not a hundred leagues long, so how can bones be a hundred leagues long?" "What do you think, great king? Have you heard that 'in the great ocean there are fish five hundred leagues long'?" "Yes, Venerable sir, I have heard." "Indeed, great king, will not the bones of a five-hundred-league fish be a hundred leagues long?" "You are clever, Venerable Nāgasena." The tenth question, on long bones. Question on the Cessation of In-breathing and Out-breathing The king said, "Venerable Nāgasena, you say this: 'It is possible to stop in-breathing and out-breathing'?" "Yes, great king, it is possible to stop in-breathing and out-breathing." "How, Venerable Nāgasena, is it possible to stop in-breathing and out-breathing?" to cease.” “What do you think, great king, have you ever heard anyone hiccuping?” “Yes, venerable sir, I have heard.” “Now, great king, would that sound cease if the body were bent?” “Yes, venerable sir, it would cease.” “If, great king, that sound of one whose body is undeveloped, whose virtue is undeveloped, whose mind is undeveloped, whose wisdom is undeveloped, would cease when the body is bent, then why would not the in-breaths and out-breaths of one whose body is developed, whose virtue is developed, whose mind is developed, whose wisdom is developed, who has attained the fourth jhāna, cease?” “You are clever, venerable Nāgasena.” The eleventh question is on the cessation of in-breaths and out-breaths. 12. The Question on the Ocean 12. The king said, “Venerable Nāgasena, it is said, ‘the ocean, the ocean,’ for what reason is water called ‘the ocean’?” The Elder said, “As much water, great king, so much salt. As much salt, so much water. Therefore it is called ‘the ocean’.” “You are clever, venerable Nāgasena.” The twelfth question is on the ocean. 13. The Question on the Ocean’s Single Taste 13. The king said, “Venerable Nāgasena, for what reason does the ocean have a single taste, the taste of salt?” “Because the water, great king, has remained for a long time, the ocean has a single taste, the taste of salt.” “You are clever, venerable Nāgasena.” The thirteenth question is on the ocean’s single taste. 14. The Question on the Subtle 14. The king said, “Venerable Nāgasena, is it possible to cut all that is subtle?” “Yes, great king, it is possible to cut all that is subtle.” “But what, venerable sir, is all that is subtle?” “The Dhamma, great king, is the most subtle of all. However, great king, not all dhammas are subtle. ‘Subtle’ or ‘coarse’ are designations for dhammas. Whatever needs to be cut, all that is cut by wisdom. There is no second cutting by wisdom.” “You are clever, venerable Nāgasena.” The fourteenth question is on the subtle. 15. The Question on the Different Meanings of Consciousness 15. The king said, “Venerable Nāgasena, ‘vi Is it that 'consciousness' or 'wisdom' or 'a living being in the body' - these phenomena have different meanings and different expressions, or are they one in meaning, with only the expressions being different? "Consciousness, great king, has the characteristic of knowing. Wisdom has the characteristic of understanding. A living being is not found in the body." "If a living being is not found, then who, pray tell, sees forms with the eye, hears sounds with the ear, smells odors with the nose, tastes flavors with the tongue, touches tangibles with the body, knows mental objects with the mind?" The Elder said: "If a living being