English
hidden, covered, concealed, impassable, the Tathāgata, seeing clearly with the eye of wisdom, saw as followed by the former Perfectly Self-Enlightened Ones. For that reason, he said, ‘I saw...’ I, monks, an ancient path, an ancient road, followed by former Fully Awakened Ones. With the disappearance, O great king, of former Tathāgatas, there being no teacher, a path fallen into ruin, overgrown, hidden, covered, concealed, untrodden, which now the Tathāgata has made trodden— for that reason it is said: 'The Tathāgata, monks, the Arahant, the Fully Awakened One, is the producer of the unproduced path.' Here, O great king, with the disappearance of a Wheel-turning Monarch, a jewel-gem lies hidden in a mountain peak. By the right practice of another Wheel-turning Monarch, it comes forth. Is that jewel-gem, O great king, made by him?" "No, venerable sir, that jewel-gem is naturally existing; it is brought forth by him." "Even so, O great king, the naturally existing, trodden by former Tathāgatas, the noble eightfold path, the auspicious path, there being no teacher, fallen into ruin, overgrown, hidden, covered, concealed, untrodden— the Blessed One, seeing it with the eye of wisdom, produced it, made it trodden. For that reason it is said: 'The Tathāgata, monks, the Arahant, the Fully Awakened One, is the producer of the unproduced path.' Or just as, O great king, having given birth to an existing son from the womb, a mother is called 'producer,' even so, O great king, the Tathāgata, an existing path, fallen into ruin, overgrown, hidden, covered, concealed, untrodden— seeing it with the eye of wisdom, produced it, made it trodden. For that reason it is said: 'The Tathāgata, monks, the Arahant, the Fully Awakened One, is the producer of the unproduced path.' Or just as, O great king, some person sees something lost, people say, 'That item was brought forth by him.' Even so, O great king, the Tathāgata, an existing path, fallen into ruin, overgrown, hidden, covered, concealed, untrodden— seeing it with the eye of wisdom, produced it, made it trodden, that For that reason it is said: ‘The Tathāgata, monks, the Arahant, the Fully Self-Awakened One, is the producer of the unarisen path.’ Just as, great king, some man clears a forest and brings forth land, people say, ‘that land is his,’ but that land was not created by him, by reason of that land he is called the owner of the land; even so, great king, the Tathāgata, the existing path, which was overgrown, decayed, hidden, covered, concealed, and not traversed, seeing it clearly with wisdom, he brought it forth, he made it traversable. For that reason it is said: ‘The Tathāgata, monks, the Arahant, the Fully Self-Awakened One, is the producer of the unarisen path.’ “Good, Venerable Nāgasena, I accept this thus.” The question of producing the path is the fourth. 5. The question of the Buddha as non-harmer “Venerable Nāgasena, it has been said by the Blessed One: ‘Formerly, when I was a human being, I was of a non-harming nature towards beings.’ And again it is said: ‘Being an ascetic named Lomasakassapa, he killed hundreds of living beings and performed a great Vājapeyya sacrifice.’ If, Venerable Nāgasena, it was said by the Blessed One: ‘Formerly, when I was a human being, I was of a non-harming nature towards beings,’ then the statement ‘the ascetic Lomasakassapa killed hundreds of living beings and performed a great Vājapeyya sacrifice’ is false. If ‘the ascetic Lomasakassapa killed hundreds of living beings and performed a great Vājapeyya sacrifice,’ then that statement ‘Formerly, when I was a human being, I was of a non-harming nature towards beings’ is also false. This two-horned question has come to you, and it must be resolved by you.” “It has been said, great king, by the Blessed One: ‘Formerly, when I was a human being, I was of a non-harming nature towards beings.’ And ‘the ascetic Lomasakassapa killed hundreds of living beings and performed a great Vājapeyya sacrifice,’ but that was done by one deluded by passion, not by one who was conscious.” “These eight, b Venerable Nāgasena, people kill living beings. Which eight? One who is impassioned kills living beings out of passion. One who is hateful kills living beings out of hatred. One who is deluded kills living beings out of delusion. One who is conceited kills living beings out of conceit. One who is greedy kills living beings out of greed. One who is poor kills living beings for a livelihood. A fool kills living beings out of sport. A king kills living beings for punishment. These, Venerable Nāgasena, are the eight people who kill living beings. This was done naturally, Venerable Nāgasena, by the Bodhisatta. Not so, great king, it was not done naturally by the Bodhisatta. If, great king, the Bodhisatta had naturally intended to perform a great sacrifice, he would not have uttered this verse: “The earth, encircled by the ocean, with the seas as its earrings, I would not desire with blame. Thus, know this, O best of men.” Speaking thus, great king, the Bodhisatta, upon seeing Princess Candavatī, became senseless, his mind distraught, impassioned, confused, agitated, and in a great hurry. With that distracted, confused, and agitated mind, he performed the great Vājapeyya sacrifice, a great slaughter of animals, a collection of throat-blood. Just as, great king, a madman, with a distraught mind, steps on a blazing fire, grasps a furious snake, approaches a mad elephant, plunges into the shoreless ocean, crushes a latrine and a cesspool, climbs onto a thorn-heap, falls into a precipice, eats filth, walks naked in the street, and performs many other kinds of improper acts. Even so, great king, the Bodhisatta, upon seeing Princess Candavatī, became senseless, his mind distraught, impassioned, confused, agitated, and in a great hurry. With that distracted, confused, and agitated mind, he performed the great Vājapeyya sacrifice, a great slaughter of animals, a collection of throat-blood. An evil deed done by a distraught mind, great king, is not greatly blameworthy in this life, nor in the next life in its result. Not so for us. Here, great king, if someone insane were to commit a crime worthy of death, what punishment would you inflict upon him? "What punishment, venerable sir, would there be for an insane person? We would have him beaten and expelled. That would be his punishment." "Thus, great king, for the offense of an insane person, there is no punishment. Therefore, even if an insane person acts, there is no fault, it is treatable. Just so, great king, the sage Lomasakassapa, upon seeing Princess Candavatī, became unconscious, his mind disturbed, infatuated, bewildered, his senses scattered, utterly confused, and greatly agitated. With that distracted, confused, and agitated mind, he performed the great Vajapeyya sacrifice, with a vast collection of slaughtered animals and their throat blood. But when he regained his normal mind and recovered his memory, then he re-ordained, developed the five supernormal powers, and went to the Brahma-world." "Good, venerable Nāgasena, I accept this as it is." The fifth question concerning not harming the Buddha. 6. The question concerning Chaddanta and Jotipal. 6. "Venerable Nāgasena, it was also said by the Blessed One concerning Chaddanta, the king of nāgas – "'Thinking "I will kill him," he saw the saffron robe, the banner of sages. Struck with pain, the thought arose: "The banner of Arahants is not to be harmed by the good." "And it was also said: 'Jotipal the brahmin youth, reviled and abused Kassapa, the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Fully Self-Awakened One, with the word "bald-pate," with the word "shaveling," and with impolite, harsh words.' If, venerable Nāgasena, the Bodhisatta, being an animal, revered the saffron robe, then the statement 'Jotipal the brahmin youth reviled and abused Kassapa, the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Fully Self-Awakened One, with the word "bald-pate," with the word "shaveling," and with impolite, harsh words' is false. If Jotipal the brahmin youth reviled and abused Kassapa, the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Fully Self-Awakened One, with the word "bald-pate," with the word "shaveling," and with impolite, harsh words, then 'Chaddanta...'" "by the untamed Naga king, the saffron robe was honored" – that statement is false. If by a Bodhisatta in animal form, experiencing harsh, rough, bitter pain, the saffron robe worn by a hunter was honored, why, being a human, with ripened wisdom, for ripened enlightenment, seeing Kassapa the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One, the Ten-Powered, the World-Leader, resplendent, shining with brilliant radiance, supreme and excellent, draped in a splendid, beautiful Kasi saffron robe, did he not honor it? This two-edged question has come to you; it must be resolved by you. "This too was spoken, O great king, by the Blessed One, concerning the Chaddanta Naga king: 'They will kill me...' (etc.) 'He is inviolable.'" And by the youth Jotipāla, Kassapa the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One, was reviled and abused with terms like "bald-pate" and "shaveling," with impolite and harsh words. And this was due to his birth, due to his family. Jotipāla, O great king, was reborn into a family that was faithless and unbelieving. His parents, sisters, brothers, servants, slave-girls, attendants, and surrounding people were devoted to Brahma, revering Brahma. They held that "Brahmins alone are supreme and excellent," and they reviled and despised all other renunciants. Hearing their words, when Jotipāla the youth was invited by Ghaṭikāra the potter to see the Teacher, he said this: "What is there to see in that bald-pate, that shaveling?" Just as, O great king, nectar, when it encounters poison, becomes bitter; and just as cold water, when it encounters fire, becomes hot; even so, O great king, Jotipāla the youth,