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is declared supreme. When the great gift of King Vessantara, O great king, was being given, the great earth trembled seven times. "Wonderful, venerable Nāgasena, are the Buddhas! Amazing, venerable Nāgasena, are the Buddhas! That the Tathāgata, being a Bodhisatta, was unequalled in the world, with such patience, such mind, such resolve, such intention! The endeavor of the Bodhisattas, venerable Nāgasena, has been shown. And the perfections of the Conquerors have shone forth even more. Even while practicing the conduct, the Tathāgata's supremacy in the world with its devas has been demonstrated. Excellent, venerable Nāgasena, the Conqueror's teaching has been praised. The Conqueror's perfections have been illuminated. The knot of the sectarians' arguments has been cut. The jar of opposing arguments has been shattered. A deep question has been made clear. The impenetrable has been made penetrable. The liberation of the Conqueror's sons has been rightly attained. Thus, O chief and excellent among groups, we accept this." The Fourth Question on the Earth's Trembling. 5. The Question on King Sivi's Gift of Eyes. "Venerable Nāgasena, you say this: 'King Sivi gave his eyes to a beggar, and though he was blind, divine eyes arose again.' This statement is faulty, censurable, and flawed. For it is said in the Sutta: 'When the cause is removed, in the absence of a cause, in the absence of a basis, there is no arising of a divine eye.' If, venerable Nāgasena, King Sivi gave his eyes to a beggar, then 'again...'" that the divine eye arose, that statement is wrong. If the divine eye arose, then that statement, 'King Sivi gave his eyes to the beggar,' that too is wrong. This two-horned problem, more knotted than a knot, more entangled than an entanglement, more profound than a profundity, has come to you. Therein, generate the will to resolve it, to refute the arguments of others." "They were given, great king, the eyes by King Sivi to the beggar. Do not generate doubt about that. And again, the divine eyes arose. Do not generate doubt about that either." "But, venerable Nāgasena, does the divine eye arise when the cause is uprooted, in a causeless, objectless state?" "No, great king." "What then, venerable sir, is the reason here, by which reason the divine eye arises when the cause is uprooted, in a causeless, objectless state? Please enlighten me with a reason." "But, great king, is there such a thing as truth in the world, by which truth-speakers perform an act of truth?" "Yes, venerable sir, there is such a thing as truth in the world. By truth, venerable Nāgasena, truth-speakers, having performed an act of truth, make the gods rain, extinguish fire, counteract poison, and perform other various tasks." "Then, great king, it is fitting, it is consistent, that by the power of truth of King Sivi, the divine eyes arose. By the power of truth, great king, the divine eye arises in an objectless state. Truth itself becomes the object there for the arising of the divine eye. Just as, great king, whatever beings chant truthfully, 'Let a great cloud rain!' with their truthful chanting, a great cloud rains. But, great king, is there a rain-cause accumulated in the sky, 'by which cause a great cloud rains'?" "No, venerable sir, truth itself becomes the cause there for the raining of a great cloud." "Even so, great king, there is no natural cause for that. Truth itself is there..." the ground exists for the arising of the divine eye. “Or again, great king, when some beings chant the truth, ‘Let the blazing, burning great mass of fire turn back!’ With their chanting of the truth, the blazing, burning great mass of fire turns back in an instant. Now, great king, is there any accumulated cause in that blazing, burning great mass of fire, by which cause the blazing, burning great mass of fire turns back in an instant?” “No, venerable sir, truth itself is the ground there for the instant turning back of that blazing, burning great mass of fire.” “Even so, great king, there is no natural cause for it; truth itself is the ground here for the arising of the divine eye.” “Or again, great king, when some beings chant the truth, ‘Let the deadly poison become an antidote!’ With their chanting of the truth, the deadly poison becomes an antidote in an instant. Now, great king, is there any accumulated cause in that deadly poison, by which cause the deadly poison becomes an antidote in an instant?” “No, venerable sir, truth itself is the cause there for the instant counteraction of the deadly poison.” “Even so, great king, without a natural cause, truth itself is the ground here for the arising of the divine eye.” “For the penetration of the four noble truths, great king, there is no other ground; making truth the ground, they penetrate the four noble truths. There is, great king, a king of China in the land of China. Desiring to sport in the great ocean, he performs an act of truth every four months. Then, with his chariot, he enters the great ocean for a league. In front of his chariot’s front, a great mass of water recedes. When he comes out, it covers it again. Now, great king, can that great ocean be made to recede by the natural bodily strength of the world with its gods and humans?” “No, Even a small pond, venerable sir, its water cannot be made to flow back by the world with its gods and humans, with their natural strength; how much less the water of the great ocean! By this reason too, great king, the power of truth should be known: ‘There is no place that cannot be reached by truth.’ In the city of Pāṭaliputta, great king, King Asoka, the righteous ruler, surrounded by merchants, country folk, ministers, soldiers, and great officials, saw the river Gaṅgā, full of fresh water, with even banks, brimming, five hundred yojanas long, a yojana wide, flowing, and he said to his ministers: ‘Is there anyone, sirs, capable of making this great Gaṅgā flow upstream?’ The ministers said: ‘It is difficult, sire.’ Standing on that very bank of the Gaṅgā, a courtesan named Bandhumatī heard that the king had said: ‘Is it possible to make this great Gaṅgā flow upstream?’ She said: ‘I am a courtesan in the city of Pāṭaliputta, living by my beauty, my last resort for a livelihood. Let the king see my act of truth.’ Then she made an act of truth. Immediately with her act of truth, in an instant, that great Gaṅgā, gurgling, flowed upstream, in the sight of a great multitude of people. Then the king, hearing the tumultuous sound generated by the whirlpools and waves of the Gaṅgā, astonished, filled with wonder and amazement, said to his ministers: ‘Why, sirs, is this great Gaṅgā flowing upstream?’ ‘Bandhumatī, great king, the courtesan, hearing your words, made an act of truth. By her act of truth, the great Gaṅgā is flowing upwards.’ Then the king, his heart stirred, hurriedly went himself and asked that courtesan: ‘Is it true, my dear, that by your act of truth you made this Gaṅgā flow upstream?’ ‘Yes, sire,’ she said. The king said: ‘What power do you have there? Who would heed your words, unless mad? By what power did you make this great Gaṅgā flow upstream?’ She said: ‘By the power of truth, great king, I made this great Gaṅgā flow upstream.’ made it flow against the current.” The king said, “What truth-power do you have, you thief, you rogue, you unchaste woman, you outcast, you wicked one, you broken-moraled, you shameless one, you deceiver of the blind?” “It is true, great king, I am such a one. But even I, great king, have a truth-act, by which, if I wished, I could turn the world with its deities upside down.” The king said, “What then is that truth-act? Come, tell me!” “Whoever gives me money, great king, be it a khattiya or a brahmin, a vessa or a sudda, or anyone else, I serve them equally. There is no distinction of ‘khattiya,’ there is no disdain of ‘sudda.’ Free from affection and aversion, I attend to the owner of the money. This, O king, is my truth-act, by which I made this great Ganges flow against the current.” “Thus, great king, those who stand in truth gain nothing that is not beneficial. And the eyes given by King Sivi to the beggar, great king, and the divine eyes that arose, that was also by a truth-act. As for what is said in the Suttas: ‘When the physical eye is lost, without cause, without basis, there is no arising of the divine eye.’ That was said with reference to the eye developed through meditation. Understand it thus, great king.” “Excellent, Venerable Nāgasena, the problem is well-explained, the refutation is well-demonstrated, the opposing arguments are well-crushed. I accept it just so.” The fifth problem is the Gift of Eyes by King Sivi. 6. The Problem of Conception 6. “Venerable Nāgasena, this was also spoken by the Blessed One: ‘Monks, it is by the conjunction of three things that conception takes place. Here, the mother and father are conjoined, the mother is in season, and the gandhabba is present. Monks, it is by the conjunction of these three things that conception takes place.’ This is an unqualified statement, this is an exhaustive statement, this is an unequivocal statement, a This is a ridiculous statement, spoken amidst gods and humans: "The descent of a foetus is seen from the conjunction of two. By the ascetic Dukūla, when the female ascetic Pārikā was in season, her navel was touched with his right thumb. By that touching of the navel, the young Sāma was born. Also by the sage Mātaṅga, when the brahmin maiden was in season, her navel was touched with his right thumb. By that touching of the navel, the youth named Maṇḍabya was born." "If, Venerable Nāgasena, the Blessed One said: 'Indeed, monks, the descent of a foetus occurs from the conjunction of three,' then the saying that both the young Sāma and the youth Maṇḍabya were born by the touching of the navel, that is false. If, Venerable sir, the Tathāgata said: 'The young Sāma and the youth Maṇḍabya