English
And this, great king, was spoken by the Blessed One: "Develop concentration, monks; a concentrated monk, monks, knows things as they truly are." "You are skillful, Venerable Nāgasena." The fourteenth question on Concentration. 15. The Question on the Characteristic of Wisdom. 15. The king said, "Venerable Nāgasena, what is the characteristic of wisdom?" "Indeed, great king, it was said by me before that 'wisdom has the characteristic of cutting,' but also, wisdom has the characteristic of illuminating." "How, Venerable, does wisdom have the characteristic of illuminating?" "Wisdom, great king, when it arises, dispels the darkness of ignorance, generates the light of knowledge, reveals the lamp of insight, makes the Noble Truths manifest. Then the meditator sees with right wisdom, 'impermanent' or 'suffering' or 'not-self'." "Give an analogy." "Just as, great king, a man might bring a lamp into a dark house, the lamp, having entered, dispels the darkness, generates light, reveals illumination, makes forms manifest. Just so, great king, wisdom, when it arises, dispels the darkness of ignorance, generates the light of knowledge, reveals the lamp of insight, makes the Noble Truths manifest. Then the meditator sees with right wisdom, 'impermanent' or 'suffering' or 'not-self'. Thus, great king, wisdom has the characteristic of illuminating." "You are skillful, Venerable Nāgasena." The fifteenth question on the Characteristic of Wisdom. 16. The Question on Various States Accomplishing a Single Function. 16. The king said, "Venerable Nāgasena, these t Do these diverse states, being separate, accomplish one purpose? "Yes, great king, these diverse states, being separate, accomplish one purpose, they destroy defilements." "How, venerable sir, do these diverse states, being separate, accomplish one purpose, destroy defilements? Give an analogy." "Just as, great king, an army, being diverse— elephants and horses, chariots and foot soldiers— accomplishes one purpose, it conquers the enemy army in battle. Even so, great king, these diverse states, being separate, accomplish one purpose, they destroy defilements." "You are clever, venerable Nāgasena." The sixteenth question: The accomplishment of one task by diverse states. The Great Chapter, the first. In this chapter, sixteen questions. 2. The Chapter on Continuity 1. The Question on the Continuity of States 1. The king said: "Venerable Nāgasena, that which arises, is it the same, or is it another?" The elder said: "Neither the same, nor another." "Give an analogy." "What do you think, great king, when you were young, tender, helpless, lying on your back, are you the same one who is now great?" "No, venerable sir, another was that young, tender, helpless one, lying on his back; another am I who is now great." "If that is so, great king, then there would be no mother, no father, no teacher, no skilled person, no virtuous person, no wise person. Is it then, great king, that another is the mother of the embryo, another the mother of the bud, another the mother of the lump, another the mother of the compact mass, another the mother of the small one, another the mother of the great one? Does one person learn a skill, and another become skilled? Does one person commit an evil deed, and another have their hands and feet cut off?" "No, venerable sir. But you, venerable sir, what would you say when this is stated?" The elder said: "It is I myself, great king, who was young, tender, helpless, lying on my back; it is I myself who is now great, this... all of them are gathered by relying on this body.” “Give a further simile.” “Just as, great king, if a certain man were to light a lamp, would it burn all night?” “Yes, venerable sir, it would burn all night.” “Now, great king, is the flame of the first watch the same as the flame of the middle watch?” “No, venerable sir.” “Is the flame of the middle watch the same as the flame of the last watch?” “No, venerable sir.” “Now, great king, was it a different lamp in the first watch, a different lamp in the middle watch, and a different lamp in the last watch?” “No, venerable sir, it burned all night by relying on that very one.” “Just so, great king, the continuity of phenomena flows on; one arises, another ceases; it flows on as if without prior or later. Therefore, it is neither the same nor another; the later consciousness is gathered from the former consciousness.” “Give a further simile.” “Just as, great king, if milk being drawn were to turn into curds after a time, and from curds into fresh butter, and from fresh butter into ghee, if, great king, someone were to say, ‘The very milk is the very curds, the very curds is the very fresh butter, the very fresh butter is the very ghee,’ would he, great king, be speaking rightly?” “No, venerable sir, it came into being by relying on that very one.” “Just so, great king, the continuity of phenomena flows on; one arises, another ceases; it flows on as if without prior or later. Therefore, it is neither the same nor another; the later consciousness is gathered from the former consciousness.” “You are skillful, venerable Nāgasena.” The First Question on the Continuity of Phenomena. 2. The Question on Re-linking 2. The king said, “Venerable Nāgasena, does one who does not re-link know, ‘I will not re-link’?” “Yes, great king, one who does not re-link knows, ‘I will not re-link’.” “How, venerable sir, does he know?” “The cause, the condition, O great king, for rebirth, by the cessation of that cause, by the cessation of that condition, he knows: ‘I shall not be reborn.’” “Give an analogy.” “Just as, O great king, a farmer, a householder, having ploughed and sown, might fill his granary. Then, at a later time, he would neither plough nor sow, and would consume or dispose of the gathered grain, or use it as needed. Would that farmer, that householder, know, O great king, ‘My granary will not be filled’?” “Yes, venerable sir, he would know.” “How would he know?” “The cause, the condition, for the filling of the granary, by the cessation of that cause, by the cessation of that condition, he knows: ‘My granary will not be filled.’” “Even so, O great king, the cause, the condition, for rebirth, by the cessation of that cause, by the cessation of that condition, he knows: ‘I shall not be reborn.’” “You are clever, venerable Nāgasena.” The second question on rebirth. 3. The question on knowledge and wisdom 3. The king said: “Venerable Nāgasena, for whom knowledge has arisen, for him wisdom has arisen?” “Yes, O great king, for whom knowledge has arisen, for him wisdom has arisen.” “Venerable sir, is that which is knowledge, that also wisdom?” “Yes, O great king, that which is knowledge, that also is wisdom.” “But for whom, venerable sir, that very knowledge, that very wisdom has arisen, would he be deluded, or would he not be deluded?” “In some places, O great king, he might be deluded, in some places he would not be deluded.” “Where, venerable sir, would he be deluded?” “In skills not previously known, O great king, or in a direction not previously travelled, or in a name-designation not previously heard, he might be deluded.” “Where would he not be deluded?” “That which, O great king, has been done by that wisdom as ‘impermanent’ or ‘suffering’ or ‘non-self’, there he would not be deluded.” “But where, venerable sir, does his delusion go?” “His delusion Indeed, O king, as soon as knowledge arises, it ceases right there. "Give an illustration." "Just as, O king, some man might light a lamp in a dark house, then the darkness would vanish, and light would appear. Even so, O king, as soon as knowledge arises, delusion ceases right there." "But where does wisdom go, venerable sir?" "Wisdom too, O king, having done its work, ceases right there. But that which was done by that wisdom— 'impermanent' or 'suffering' or 'not-self'— that does not cease." "Venerable Nāgasena, regarding what you say: 'Wisdom, having done its work, ceases right there, but that which was done by that wisdom— "impermanent" or "suffering" or "not-self"— that does not cease,' give an illustration for that." "Just as, O king, some man, wishing to send a letter at night, might call a scribe, light a lamp, and have the letter written. But once the letter is written, he might extinguish the lamp. Even though the lamp is extinguished, the letter would not be destroyed. Even so, O king, wisdom, having done its work, ceases right there. But that which was done by that wisdom— 'impermanent' or 'suffering' or 'not-self'— that does not cease." "Give another illustration." "Just as, O king, in the eastern countries, people keep five water pots in every house to extinguish a fire. When a house catches fire, they throw those five water pots onto the house, and then the fire is extinguished. Now, O king, do those people think, 'We will do pot-work again with these pots'?" "No, venerable sir, those pots are useless. What use are those pots?" "Just as, O king, the five water pots, so are the five faculties to be understood: the faculty of faith, the faculty of energy, the faculty of mindfulness, the faculty of concentration, the faculty of wisdom. Just as those people, so is the practitioner..." should be seen. Just as fire, so defilements should be seen. Just as with five pitchers of water fire is extinguished, so with the five faculties defilements are extinguished, and defilements, though extinguished, do not arise again. Even so, O great king, wisdom, having done its work, ceases right there, but what was done by that wisdom – 'impermanent' or 'suffering' or 'not-self' – that does not cease. "Give another simile." "Just as, O great king, a physician, taking five root-medicines, approaches a sick person, grinds those five root-medicines, and gives them to the sick person to drink, and by them the humors are expelled, does it occur to that physician, O great king, 'I will again perform a medicinal act