English
If a gandhabba, coming from anywhere, is born into an egg-born family, he is egg-born there… …into a womb-born family… …into a moisture-born family… …is born into a spontaneously-born family, he is spontaneously-born there. In those respective families, such beings arise. Just as, great king, any animals and birds that approach the Neru mountain in the Himalayas, all of them abandon their own color and become golden-colored. Even so, great king, whatever gandhabba, coming from anywhere, approaches the egg-born origin, abandoning its natural color, becomes egg-born… …womb-born… …moisture-born… …approaches the spontaneously-born origin, abandoning its natural color, becomes spontaneously-born. Thus, by way of family… And beings' descent into the womb happens. "How, by way of entreaty, do beings' descent into the womb happen? Here, great king, there is a family childless, with much wealth, faithful, serene, virtuous, of good conduct, devoted to ascetics. And a deva-son, with abundant roots of merit, is about to pass away. Then Sakka, king of devas, out of compassion for that family, entreats that deva-son: 'Resolve, dear sir, for the queen of such-and-such a family, into her womb.' He, because of that entreaty, resolves for that family. Just as, great king, people desiring merit, a monk pleasing to the mind, having entreated him, bring him to their home, thinking, 'This one, having come, will bring happiness to the whole family.' Even so, great king, Sakka, king of devas, having entreated that deva-son, brings him to that family. Thus, by way of entreaty, do beings' descent into the womb happen. "Prince Sāma, great king, entreated by Sakka, king of devas, entered the womb of the female ascetic Pārikā. Prince Sāma, great king, was one who had done merit; his parents were virtuous, of good conduct; the entreating one was Sakka. By the mental resolve of these three, Prince Sāma was born. Here, great king, if a skillful person were to sow seeds in well-tilled, fertile ground, would there be any obstacle to the growth of that seed, if hindrances were avoided?" "No, venerable sir, an unhindered seed would quickly grow." "Even so, great king, Prince Sāma, free from arising hindrances, by the mental resolve of the three, was born. "Indeed, great king, have you heard before that by the mental defilement of sages, a prosperous, flourishing, great country, with its people, was utterly destroyed?" "Yes, venerable sir, it is heard. The Daṇḍaka forest on earth, the Majjha forest, the Kāliṅga forest, the Mātaṅga forest— all those forests became wilderness. All these countries by the mental defilement of sages went to ruin." "If, great king, by their mental defilement, very prosperous countries are destroyed, would anything be produced by their mental serenity?” “Yes, venerable sir.” “Then, great king, Prince Sāma was produced by the mental serenity of three strong men, born of ascetics, born of devas, born of merit. Thus, great king, remember this. “These three, great king, were devaputtas, born into a family at the request of Sakka, lord of devas. Which three? Prince Sāma, Mahāpanāda, King Kusa—these three were bodhisattas.” “Well-explained, venerable Nāgasena, is the conception, well-told is the reason, darkness has been made light, tangles have been untangled, opposing views have been utterly cleared away, thus do I accept it as such.” The Sixth Question: Conception. 7. The Question of the Disappearance of the True Dhamma 7. “Venerable Nāgasena, this was spoken by the Blessed One: ‘Now, Ānanda, the True Dhamma will last for only five hundred years [some versions say five thousand years].’ And again, at the time of his final passing, when questioned by the wanderer Subhadda, the Blessed One said: ‘If, Subhadda, these bhikkhus were to live rightly, the world would not be empty of Arahants.’ This is a complete statement, an exhaustive statement, an unequivocal statement. If, venerable Nāgasena, the Tathāgata said: ‘Now, Ānanda, the True Dhamma will last for only five hundred years,’ then that statement, ‘the world would not be empty of Arahants,’ is false. If the Tathāgata said: ‘the world would not be empty of Arahants,’ then that statement, ‘Now, Ānanda, the True Dhamma will last for only five hundred years,’ is also false. This is a two-horned question, more profound than the profound, more powerful than the powerful, more knotty than the knotty. It has come to you; show your strength of knowledge in it, like a sea-monster entering the ocean’s depths.” “This was spoken, great king, by the Blessed One: ‘Now, Ānanda, the True Dhamma will last for only five hundred years.’ And at the time of his final passing, Subhadda spoken by the wanderer: 'And if these monks, Subhadda, were to live rightly, the world would not be empty of Arahants.' But that, O great king, the word of the Blessed One, is of different meaning and different expression. 'This is a limitation of the teaching,' 'this is an exposition of practice' – those two are far apart from each other. Just as, O great king, the sky is far apart from the earth, hell is far apart from heaven, skill is far apart from unskill, happiness is far apart from suffering. Even so, O great king, those two are far apart from each other. Moreover, O great king, let your question not be in vain. I will explain it to you by analogy: What the Blessed One said, 'Now, Ānanda, the True Dhamma will last for five hundred years,' he declared the decay and limited the remainder. 'Ānanda, the True Dhamma would have lasted for a thousand years, if women had not gone forth. Now, Ānanda, the True Dhamma will last for five hundred years.' But, O great king, did the Blessed One, in saying this, speak of the disappearance of the True Dhamma, or deny its realization? "No, venerable sir." "He declared what was lost, O great king, and limited what remained." Just as, O great king, a man who has lost something, taking all that remains, might declare to the people: 'So much of my goods is lost, this is what remains.' Even so, O great king, the Blessed One, declaring what was lost, spoke to gods and humans about what remained, saying: 'Now, Ānanda, the True Dhamma will last for five hundred years.' But what was said by the Blessed One, O great king, 'Now, Ānanda, the True Dhamma will last for five hundred years,' that is a limitation of the teaching. But what he said to the wanderer Subhadda at the time of his final passing, extolling the recluses: 'And if these monks, Subhadda, were to live rightly, the world would not be empty of Arahants,' that is an exposition of practice. This is not it, but you make that analysis and explanation uniform. But if you wish, I will speak, making it uniform. Listen well, pay attention, with an unscattered mind. "Here, great king, there might be a pond, full of fresh water, overflowing at the front, well-defined, made circular. While the water in that pond is not yet exhausted, a great cloud would continuously and repeatedly rain down upon it. Would the water in that pond, great king, ever run out and be exhausted?" "No, venerable sir." "For what reason, great king?" "Because of the continuous nature of the rain cloud, venerable sir." "Just so, great king, the excellent pond of the True Dhamma of the Conqueror's Dispensation is full of the pure fresh water of conduct, virtue, qualities, observances, and practice, overflowing and standing, having overcome the peak of existence. If there, the Buddha's sons would cause the rain-cloud of conduct, virtue, qualities, observances, and practice to continuously and repeatedly rain down. Thus, this excellent pond of the True Dhamma of the Conqueror's Dispensation would endure for a long, long time. The world would not be empty of Arahants. It was with this meaning in mind that the Blessed One said: 'And if these monks, Subhadda, would live rightly, the world would not be empty of Arahants.'" "Here again, great king, when a great mass of fire is burning, if one were to continuously and repeatedly bring dry grass, wood, and cow dung to it, would that mass of fire, great king, ever be extinguished?" "No, venerable sir, that mass of fire would burn more and more, it would shine more and more." "Just so, great king, in the ten-thousandfold world system, the excellent Dispensation of the Conqueror burns and shines with conduct, virtue, qualities, observances, and practice. But if, great king, furthermore, the Buddha's sons, endowed with the five factors of exertion, would strive constantly and diligently, would train with desire in the three trainings, and the conduct..." and they would fully complete their virtue, thus this excellent teaching of the Conqueror would stand for a very long time, the world would not be empty of Arahants. It was with this meaning in mind that the Blessed One spoke: ‘And if these monks, Subhadda, would dwell rightly, the world would not be empty of Arahants.’ “Here, great king, if they were to repeatedly polish a smooth, even, well-polished, lustrous, pure mirror with fine, subtle red ochre powder, would dirt, mud, dust, and grime arise in that mirror?” “No, venerable sir, on the contrary, it would become even purer.” “Even so, great king, the excellent teaching of the Conqueror is naturally pure, free from the dirt, dust, and grime of defilements. If the Buddha's sons were to polish this excellent teaching of the Conqueror with the ascetic practices of conduct, virtue, qualities, observances, and renunciations, thus this excellent teaching of the Conqueror would stand for a very long time, and the world would not be empty of Arahants. It was with this meaning in mind that the Blessed One spoke: ‘And if these monks, Subhadda, would dwell rightly, the world would not be empty of Arahants.’ The Teacher’s teaching, great king, is rooted in practice; it is due to practice; it stands as long as practice is not absent.” “Venerable Nāgasena, what is this ‘disappearance of the True Dhamma’