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wearing the saffron robe, and having a shaven head. These, O great king, are the twenty qualities that make one a recluse, and the two marks. A bhikkhu who undertakes and practices these qualities, due to the completeness, fullness, perfection, and endowment with these qualities, enters the stage of the Asekha, the stage of the Arahant, enters the supreme stage. Being close to Arahantship, it is fitting for a lay follower, a stream-enterer, to salute and rise up for a common bhikkhu. ‘He has attained recluseship with those whose defilements are destroyed; I have not reached that state.’ Therefore, it is fitting for a lay follower, a stream-enterer, to salute and rise up for a common bhikkhu. ‘He has joined the foremost assembly; I have not reached that position.’ Therefore, it is fitting for a lay follower, a stream-enterer, to salute and rise up for a common bhikkhu. ‘He gets to hear the Patimokkha recitation; I do not get to hear that.’ Therefore, it is fitting for a lay follower, a stream-enterer, to salute and rise up for a common bhikkhu. ‘He ordains others, gives them higher ordination, and promotes the Buddha’s Dispensation; I am not able to do that.’ Therefore, it is fitting for a lay follower, a stream-enterer, to salute and rise up for a common bhikkhu. ‘He is a complete practitioner of the immeasurable training rules; I do not practice those.’ Therefore, it is fitting for a lay follower, a stream-enterer, to salute and rise up for a common bhikkhu. ‘He has taken up the mark of a recluse, he stands in the Buddha’s intention; therefore, by that mark, I am far... because he is far removed, a stream-enterer lay follower is worthy to salute and rise up for a commoner monk. “‘His hair and beard are overgrown, he is unadorned and unanointed, anointed with the fragrance of virtue, but I delight in adornment and beautification’— a stream-enterer lay follower is worthy to salute and rise up for a commoner monk. “Moreover, great king, ‘those twenty qualities that make one a recluse, and the two marks, all these qualities are found in the monk, he himself upholds those qualities, and he teaches others there, I have no such tradition or teaching’— a stream-enterer lay follower is worthy to salute and rise up for a commoner monk. “Just as, great king, a royal prince studies knowledge with a purohita, learns the duties of a warrior, and then later, when anointed, salutes and rises up for his teacher, thinking ‘this is my instructor,’ even so, great king, thinking ‘the monk is an instructor, a preserver of the lineage’— a stream-enterer lay follower is worthy to salute and rise up for a commoner monk. “Moreover, great king, by this reasoning too, know the greatness and the incomparable vastness of the state of a monk. If, great king, a stream-enterer lay follower realizes arahantship, there are only two destinies for him, no other: he would attain final Nibbāna on that very day, or he would enter the state of a monk. For that renunciation, great king, is unshakeable, great and exceedingly high, that is to say, the state of a monk.” “The question, venerable Nāgasena, has been explained with wisdom, well resolved by you, who are mighty and exceedingly wise. No one else is capable of resolving this question thus, except for one as wise as you.” The first question on the highest Dhamma. 2. The question on pervading all beings with welfare. “Venerable Nāgasena, you say that ‘the Tathāgata, removing harm from all beings, establishes their welfare.’ And again you say, when the discourse likened to a mass of fire was being spoken, ‘from the mouths of sixty monks, hot blood came forth.” By the Tathāgata, when teaching the discourse on the simile of the fire-mass, the welfare of sixty monks was removed, and their harm was brought about. If, Venerable Nāgasena, the Tathāgata removes the harm and brings about the welfare of all beings, then the statement that when the discourse on the simile of the fire-mass was being recited, warm blood came forth from the mouths of sixty monks, that is false. If, when the discourse on the simile of the fire-mass was being recited, warm blood came forth from the mouths of sixty monks, then the statement that the Tathāgata removes the harm and brings about the welfare of all beings, that too is false. This two-horned problem has come to you; it must be resolved by you. The Tathāgata, great king, removes the harm and brings about the welfare of all beings. When the discourse on the simile of the fire-mass was being recited, warm blood came forth from the mouths of sixty monks. But that was not due to the Tathāgata's doing, but due to their own doing. If, Venerable Nāgasena, the Tathāgata had not taught the discourse on the simile of the fire-mass, would their warm blood have come forth from their mouths? No, great king. For those who were wrongly practicing, having heard the Blessed One's discourse, a burning fever arose in their bodies. Due to that fever, their warm blood came forth from their mouths. Then, Venerable Nāgasena, it was due to the Tathāgata's doing that their warm blood came forth from their mouths. The Tathāgata was indeed responsible for their destruction. Just as, Venerable Nāgasena, a snake might enter an anthill. Then another person, desiring earth, might break open the anthill and take the earth. By his taking the earth, the hole of the anthill would be blocked. Then, unable to breathe there, the snake would die. Surely, Venerable, that snake's death was due to that person's doing? Yes, great king. Even so, Venerable Nāgasena, the Tathāgata, and there is authority for their destruction." "The Tathāgata, great king, when teaching the Dhamma, does not act with favor or aversion. Free from favor and aversion, he teaches the Dhamma. When the Dhamma is thus taught, those who practice rightly, they awaken. But those who practice wrongly, they fall. Just as, great king, when a man shakes a mango, or a rose-apple, or a madhuka tree, the fruits there that are sound, firmly attached, they remain there, unshaken. But the fruits there that have rotten stalks, weak attachments, they fall. Even so, great king, the Tathāgata, when teaching the Dhamma, does not act with favor or aversion. Free from favor and aversion, he teaches the Dhamma. When the Dhamma is thus taught, those who practice rightly, they awaken. But those who practice wrongly, they fall. "Or just as, great king, a farmer, wishing to plant grain, plows the field. As he plows, hundreds of thousands of weeds die. Even so, great king, the Tathāgata, awakening beings whose minds are ripe, teaches the Dhamma, free from favor and aversion. When the Dhamma is thus taught, those who practice rightly, they awaken. But those who practice wrongly, they die like weeds. "Or just as, great king, people, for the sake of juice, crush sugarcane with a press. As they crush the sugarcane, the insects that are caught in the mouth of the press, they are crushed. Even so, great king, the Tathāgata, awakening beings whose minds are ripe, operates the Dhamma-press. Those who practice wrongly there, they die like insects." "But, venerable Nāgasena, did those monks not fall because of that Dhamma teaching?" "Well then, great king, does a carpenter, when he planes a log, make it straight and clean?" "Indeed, venerable sir, having removed what is faulty, a carpenter makes a log straight." cleanses the assembly?” “Just so, great king, the Tathāgata, protecting the assembly, cannot awaken those beings who are unawakened. But having removed those beings who are wrongly practicing, he awakens those beings who are to be awakened. However, great king, those who are wrongly practicing fall by their own doing. “Just as, great king, the plantain, the bamboo, the mule, are destroyed by their own offspring, just so, great king, those who are wrongly practicing are destroyed and fall by their own doing. “Just as, great king, thieves, by their own doing, meet with eye-gouging, impaling on a stake, beheading, just so, great king, those who are wrongly practicing are destroyed and fall by their own doing. That hot blood, great king, which gushed from the mouths of sixty bhikkhus, that was not by the doing of the Blessed One, nor by the doing of others, but indeed by their own doing. “Just as, great king, a man might give nectar to all people, and they, having partaken of that nectar, become healthy, long-lived, and are freed from all suffering, but then another man, through improper use, partakes of it and meets with death, would that man, great king, the giver of nectar, incur any demerit on that account?” “No, venerable sir.” “Just so, great king, the Tathāgata gives the deathless gift of Dhamma to devas and humans in the ten-thousandfold world system. Those beings who are capable, they awaken by the deathless Dhamma. But those beings who are incapable, they are destroyed and fall by the deathless Dhamma. Food, great king, sustains the life of all beings, but some, having eaten it, die of cholera. Would that man, great king, the giver of food, incur any demerit on that account?” “No, venerable sir.” “Just so, great king, the Tathāgata gives the deathless gift of Dhamma to devas and humans in the ten-thousandfold world system. Those beings who are capable…” Oh, they awaken by the deathless Dhamma. But those beings who are incapable, they are struck down and fall by the deathless Dhamma." "Good, Venerable Nāgasena, I accept this as such." The second question on pervading the welfare of all beings. 3. The question on showing the hidden private part. "Venerable Nāgasena, this was also spoken by the Tathāgata – "'Restraint of body is good, good is restraint of speech; Restraint of mind is good, good is restraint everywhere.' "And again, the Tathāgata, sitting in the midst of the four assemblies, in front of devas and humans, showed the hidden private part of the brahmin Sela, which was enclosed in a sheath.