English
having perfected omniscience over four incalculable eons and a hundred thousand eons in between, having attained omniscience for the deliverance of a great multitude of people, withdrew from teaching the Dhamma." "Or just as, Venerable Nāgasena, a wrestler or a wrestler's apprentice, having practiced wrestling for many days, might withdraw when a wrestling match arrives, even so, Venerable Nāgasena, the Tathāgata, having perfected omniscience over four incalculable eons and a hundred thousand eons in between, having attained omniscience for the deliverance of a great multitude of people, withdrew from teaching the Dhamma." "Now, Venerable Nāgasena, did the Tathāgata withdraw out of fear? Or did he withdraw due to obscurity? Or did he withdraw due to weakness? Or did he withdraw due to not being omniscient? What was the reason for that? Please tell me the reason to resolve my doubt. If, Venerable Nāgasena, the Tathāgata, over four incalculable eons and a hundred thousand eons, in between, omniscience was perfected for the deliverance of a great multitude of people. Therefore, the saying: ‘Having attained omniscience, his mind inclined to disinclination, not to teaching the Dhamma,’ that is false. If, having attained omniscience, his mind inclined to disinclination, not to teaching the Dhamma, then the saying: ‘By the Tathāgata, for four incalculable eons and a hundred thousand eons, in between, omniscience was perfected for the deliverance of a great multitude of people,’ that too is false. This two-sided problem, profound and difficult to untangle, has come to you. It must be resolved by you.” “And perfected, O great king, by the Tathāgata, for four incalculable eons and a hundred thousand eons, in between, was omniscience, for the deliverance of a great multitude of people. And for him who attained omniscience, his mind inclined to disinclination, not to teaching the Dhamma. But seeing the Dhamma’s profundity, subtlety, difficulty to see, difficulty to comprehend, minuteness, difficulty to penetrate, and the beings’ attachment to pleasure, and their firm grasp of personality view, he thought, ‘What indeed? How indeed?’ Thus his mind inclined to disinclination, not to teaching the Dhamma. This was merely a thought about the beings’ penetration (of the Dhamma). “Just as, O great king, a physician, a surgeon, approaching a person afflicted with many diseases, thinks thus: ‘By what method indeed, or by what medicine, might this disease subside?’ Even so, O great king, the Tathāgata, seeing people afflicted with all defilement-diseases, and the Dhamma’s profundity, subtlety, difficulty to see, difficulty to comprehend, minuteness, difficulty to penetrate, thought, ‘What indeed? How indeed?’ Thus his mind inclined to disinclination, not to teaching the Dhamma. This was merely a thought about the beings’ penetration (of the Dhamma). “Just as, O great king, for a king, a consecrated warrior, among his doorkeepers, army officers, councilors, townsmen, soldiers, ministers, princes, and those who live by the king, if such a thought should arise in him: ‘How, by what means, shall I gather these?’ Just so, great king, seeing the profound, subtle, hard to see, hard to understand, minute, hard to penetrate nature of the Dhamma of the Tathāgata, and the delight of beings in attachment, and their firm grasp of personality view, the mind of the Tathāgata inclined to disinterest, thinking ‘how, by what means?’, not to the teaching of the Dhamma. This was merely the thought of the penetration of beings. Moreover, great king, it is the nature of all Tathāgatas that they teach the Dhamma when requested by Brahmā. What is the reason for this? Those humans, ascetics, wanderers, recluses, and brahmins at that time, all of them are Brahmā-deities, reverent towards Brahmā, having Brahmā as their ultimate goal. Therefore, by the bowing down of that powerful, glorious, known, renowned, supreme, most exalted one, the world with its deities will bow down, will accept, will be convinced. For this reason, great king, the Tathāgatas teach the Dhamma when requested by Brahmā. Just as, great king, when some king or royal minister, to whom he bows down and shows respect, by the bowing down of that more powerful one, the rest of the people bow down and show respect; just so, great king, when Brahmā bows down, the world with its deities will bow down to the Tathāgatas. The world, great king, honors those who are honored. Therefore, that Brahmā requests all Tathāgatas for the teaching of the Dhamma. And for that reason, the Tathāgatas teach the Dhamma when requested by Brahmā.” “Excellent, venerable Nāgasena, the question is well resolved, the explanation is most excellent. I accept it just so.” The Tenth Question: On Disinterest in Teaching the Dhamma. 11. The Question of Teachers and Non-Teachers 11. “Venerable Nāgasena, this was spoken by the Blessed One: ‘I have no teacher, one like me is not found; In the world with its deities, there is no opponent for me.’ And again it was said: ‘Thus, monks, Āḷāra Kālāma, being my teacher, at the end…” me, his pupil, as equal to himself, and honored me with great honor.’ If, Venerable Nāgasena, the Tathāgata said: ‘I have no teacher, none is my equal. In the world with its devas, there is no one comparable to me,’ then the statement: ‘Indeed, monks, Āḷāra Kālāma, being my teacher, placed me, his pupil, as equal to himself,’ that is false. If the Tathāgata said: ‘Indeed, monks, Āḷāra Kālāma, being my teacher, placed me, his pupil, as equal to himself,’ then that statement too is false: ‘I have no teacher, none is my equal. In the world with its devas, there is no one comparable to me.’ This two-edged problem has come to you; it must be resolved by you.” “Both statements, great king, were spoken by the Tathāgata: ‘I have no teacher, none is my equal. In the world with its devas, there is no one comparable to me,’ and it was said: ‘Indeed, monks, Āḷāra Kālāma, being my teacher, placed me, his pupil, as equal to himself, and honored me with great honor.’ But that statement was spoken with reference to the state of being a teacher for the Bodhisatta, who was not yet fully enlightened, before his full enlightenment. There are, great king, five teachers for the Bodhisatta, who was not yet fully enlightened, before his full enlightenment, by whom the Bodhisatta was instructed, and spent his days here and there. Who are these five? Those eight brahmins, great king, who, as soon as the Bodhisatta was born, examined his marks, namely: Rāma, Dhaja, Lakkhaṇa, Mantī, Yañña, Suyāma, Subhoja, Sudatta. They announced his welfare and performed protective rites for him; they were the first teachers. Furthermore, great king, King Suddhodana, the Bodhisatta’s father, at that time, a well-born, high-caste, expert in marks, a grammarian, skilled in the six branches, named Sabbāmitta, Having brought the brahmin, and poured water with a golden pitcher, he gave him the boy, saying, 'Teach this boy.' This was the second teacher. Again, moreover, great king, that deity who stirred the Bodhisatta, whose words he heard, and being stirred and agitated, at that very moment went forth into renunciation and became a monk. This was the third teacher. Again, moreover, great king, Āḷāra Kālāma taught the preparatory work for the sphere of nothingness. This was the fourth teacher. Again, moreover, great king, Uddaka Rāmaputta taught the preparatory work for the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception. This was the fifth teacher. These, great king, were the five teachers of the Bodhisatta, who was mindful but not yet fully enlightened, before his full enlightenment. And those teachers taught worldly doctrines. But in this, great king, supramundane doctrine, for the penetration of omniscience, there is no supreme instructor for the Tathāgata. The Tathāgata, great king, is self-born, without a teacher. For that reason, it was said by the Tathāgata: 'I have no teacher, no one is my equal. In the world with its deities, there is no one comparable to me.' "It is good, venerable Nāgasena, I accept it thus, just so." The eleventh question is on Teachers and No Teacher. The fifth chapter is on Familiarity. In this chapter there are eleven questions. The Question of Meṇḍaka is finished.