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What fault does the instructor incur in this?” “None, Venerable sir.” “Therefore, great king, the instruction of the Tathāgatas is right instruction.” “Excellent, Venerable Nāgasena, I accept it thus.” The Eleventh Question: Restraining without Harming. 12. The Question of Offering to a Monk. 12. “Venerable Nāgasena, it has been said by the Blessed One: ‘One who is without anger, without 'I am without anger, without defilement,' and again the Tathāgata dismissed the elders Sāriputta and Moggallāna with their retinue. "Now, Venerable Nāgasena, did the Tathāgata dismiss the retinue in anger, or did he dismiss them pleased? First understand this point. If, Venerable Nāgasena, he dismissed the retinue in anger, then the Tathāgata's anger is irresistible. If he dismissed them pleased, then they were dismissed without knowing the reason. This two-horned question has come to you, and you must resolve it." "This was spoken by the Blessed One, O great king: 'I am without anger, without defilement.' And the elders Sāriputta and Moggallāna with their retinue were dismissed, but not out of anger. Here, O great king, if any person stumbles and falls on the root of a great tree, or on a stump, or on a rock, or on a clod of earth, or on uneven ground, does the great earth, O great king, throw him down in anger?" "No, Venerable sir, there is no anger or pleasure in the great earth. The great earth is free from attachment and aversion. He himself, being careless, stumbled and fell." "Just so, O great king, there is no anger or pleasure in Tathāgatas. Tathāgatas, Arahants, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, are free from attachment and aversion. Rather, they were dismissed by their own fault, by what they themselves had done. "And here, O great king, the great ocean does not dwell with a dead corpse. Whatever dead corpse is in the great ocean, it quickly casts it out, it pushes it to the shore. Does the great ocean, O great king, cast out that corpse in anger?" "No, Venerable sir, there is no anger or pleasure in the great ocean. The great ocean is free from attachment and aversion." "Just so, O great king, there is no anger or pleasure in Tathāgatas. Tathāgatas, Arahants, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, are free from attachment and aversion. Rather, they were dismissed by their own fault, by what they themselves had done. "Just as, O great king, one who stumbles on the earth falls, Indeed, in this excellent Dispensation of the Victor, one who has stumbled is made to bow down. Just as, great king, a dead corpse in the ocean is cast out, even so, in this excellent Dispensation of the Victor, one who has stumbled is made to bow down. But those whom the Tathāgata made to bow down, great king, He made them bow down out of desire for their welfare, desire for their benefit, desire for their happiness, desire for their purification, thinking: ‘Thus will they be freed from birth, old age, sickness, and death.’” “Excellent, venerable Nāgasena, I accept it just so.” The Twelfth Question on Making Monks Bow Down. The Third Chapter on Making Bow Down. In this chapter, twelve questions. 4. The Chapter on Omniscience 1. The Question on the Result of Power-Deeds “Venerable Nāgasena, this was spoken by the Blessed One: ‘Among my disciples, monks who are endowed with power, the foremost is Mahāmoggallāna.’ Yet, it is said that he was beaten with clubs, his head broken, his bones, flesh, and sinews crushed and severed, and thus he attained final Nibbāna. If, venerable Nāgasena, the Elder Mahāmoggallāna reached the pinnacle of power, then the statement that he was beaten with clubs and attained final Nibbāna is false. If he was beaten with clubs and attained final Nibbāna, then the statement that he reached the pinnacle of power is also false. Was he not capable by his power of averting his own destruction, and of being a refuge even for the world with its devas? This two-horned question has come to you; it must be resolved by you.” “This was spoken by the Blessed One, great king: ‘Among my disciples, monks who are endowed with power, the foremost is Mahāmoggallāna.’ And Venerable Mahāmoggallāna was struck by clubs and attained final Nibbāna, and that was due to being overcome by kamma.” “But, venerable Nāgasena, the domain of one with power and the result of kamma are two incomprehensibles. One incomprehensible should be averted by another incomprehensible. Just as, venerable sir, some who desire fruit strike a wood apple with a wood apple, strike a mango with a mango, even so, Thus, Venerable Nāgasena, should the unthinkable be struck down and removed by the unthinkable? Among the unthinkables, great king, there is one that is exceedingly more powerful. Just as, great king, among kings on earth, there are those of equal birth, but among these equals, one overcomes all and exercises authority. Even so, great king, among those unthinkables, it is the ripening of kamma that is exceedingly more powerful. It is the ripening of kamma that overcomes all and exercises authority. When seized by kamma, other actions find no opportunity. Here, great king, if a certain person commits an offense in some matter, neither his mother nor father, nor sister nor brothers, nor friends nor companions protect him. Rather, the king himself overcomes there and exercises authority. What is the reason there? The state of having offended. Even so, great king, among those unthinkables, it is the ripening of kamma that is exceedingly more powerful. It is the ripening of kamma that overcomes all and exercises authority. When seized by kamma, other actions find no opportunity. Or again, great king, when a forest fire arises on earth, even a thousand pots of water cannot extinguish it. Rather, the fire itself overcomes there and exercises authority. What is the reason there? The power of its heat. Even so, great king, among those unthinkables, it is the ripening of kamma that is exceedingly more powerful. It is the ripening of kamma that overcomes all and exercises authority. When seized by kamma, other actions find no opportunity. Therefore, great king, when the venerable Mahāmoggallāna was seized by kamma and being struck with clubs, his psychic power did not come to his aid. Excellent, Venerable Nāgasena, I accept it thus, just so. The First Question on Psychic Power and Kamma-Ripening. 2. The Question on What is Concealed and Unconcealed in Dhamma-Vinaya. 2. Venerable Nāgasena, this was also spoken by the Blessed One: "The Tathāgata's "The Dhamma and Vinaya proclaimed by the Tathāgata, monks, shines forth openly, not concealed." Yet, the recitation of the Pātimokkha and the entire Vinaya Piṭaka are hidden, concealed. If, Venerable Nāgasena, you could find a suitable or appropriate time in the teaching of the Victorious One, the Vinaya ordinances would shine forth openly. For what reason? Because there alone are the training, the restraint, the discipline, the precepts of virtue, the rules of conduct, the essence of benefit, the essence of Dhamma, the essence of liberation. If, Venerable Nāgasena, the Blessed One said: "The Dhamma and Vinaya proclaimed by the Tathāgata, monks, shines forth openly, not concealed," then the statement "the recitation of the Pātimokkha and the entire Vinaya Piṭaka are hidden, concealed" is false. If the recitation of the Pātimokkha and the entire Vinaya Piṭaka are hidden, concealed, then that statement too: "The Dhamma and Vinaya proclaimed by the Tathāgata, monks, shines forth openly, not concealed" is false. This two-horned question has come to you; it must be resolved by you." "That too was spoken, great king, by the Blessed One: "The Dhamma and Vinaya proclaimed by the Tathāgata, monks, shines forth openly, not concealed." Yet, the recitation of the Pātimokkha and the entire Vinaya Piṭaka are hidden, concealed. But that is not for everyone; it is concealed by setting a boundary. "In three ways, great king, the Blessed One concealed the recitation of the Pātimokkha by setting a boundary: It is concealed by setting a boundary according to the tradition of former Tathāgatas. It is concealed out of reverence for the Dhamma. It is concealed out of reverence for the state of a bhikkhu. "How is the recitation of the Pātimokkha concealed by setting a boundary according to the tradition of former Tathāgatas? This tradition, great king, is of all former Tathāgatas: that the recitation of the Pātimokkha is among the bhikkhus, and concealed from others. Just as, great king, the royal magic of kings operates only among kings; thus this royal tradition is for the world, concealed from others. Just so, great king, this tradition is of all Of all former Tathāgatas, this, the recitation of the Pātimokkha among bhikkhus, is closed to others. Just as, great king, groups exist on earth, namely, wrestlers, acrobats, mountain-dwellers, Dhammagiri-dwellers, Brahmagiri-dwellers, actors, dancers, jumpers, demons, Maṇibhadda-worshippers, Puṇṇabaddha-worshippers, moon-sun-worshippers, Siridevatā-worshippers, Kālidevatā-worshippers, Śiva-worshippers, Vasudeva-worshippers, Ghanika-worshippers, Asipāsa-worshippers, Bhaddiputta-worshippers, their secrets circulate only within those groups, closed to others. Even so, great king, this lineage of all former Tathāgatas, that is, the recitation of the Pātimokkha among bhikkhus, is closed to others. Thus, by way of the lineage of former Tathāgatas, the recitation of the Pātimokkha is made a boundary and closed. How is the recitation of the Pātimokkha made a boundary and closed due to the reverence for the Dhamma? The Dhamma, great king, is weighty and heavy. One who acts properly in it attains something else. One attains it there by acting properly in succession, one does not attain it there by not acting properly in succession. May this essential Dhamma, this excellent Dhamma, not become despised, disrespected, scorned, ridiculed, condemned, when it falls into the hands