English
will come to you of their own accord. Your command will prevail with a single voice over the four great continents surrounded by two thousand small islands. And you will have more than a thousand sons, brave, heroic in form, crushing enemy armies. Surrounded by these sons, endowed with the seven treasures, you will rule the four continents.’ Just as a red-hot iron stake, burning everywhere, might enter the ear canal, even so, O great king, that speech entered the Bodhisatta’s ear canal. Thus, he, naturally discontent, by the words of that deity, was even more agitated, disturbed, and filled with urgency. Just as, O great king, a very large mass of fire, blazing, when fueled by other wood, would blaze even more intensely, even so, O great king, the Bodhisatta, naturally discontent, by the words of that deity, was even more agitated, disturbed, and filled with urgency. Or just as, O great king, the great earth, naturally moist, with sprouting green grass, when watered, becomes muddy, and when a great cloud rains again, it becomes even muddier, even so, O great king, the B The Bodhisatta was naturally weary. By the words of that deity, he became even more agitated, disturbed, and filled with emotion. "Venerable Nāgasena, if on the seventh day a divine wheel-treasure were to arise for the Bodhisatta, would the Bodhisatta turn back because of the arising of the divine wheel-treasure?" "No, great king, a divine wheel-treasure would not arise for the Bodhisatta on the seventh day. Moreover, that deity spoke falsely to entice him. Even if, great king, a divine wheel-treasure were to arise on the seventh day, the Bodhisatta would not turn back. For what reason? 'Impermanence,' great king, the Bodhisatta firmly grasped. 'Suffering, non-self,' he firmly grasped. He has reached the destruction of clinging." "Just as, great king, water from Lake Anotatta enters the river Ganges, from the river Ganges enters the great ocean, from the great ocean enters the mouth of the abyss. Now, great king, would that water, having gone to the mouth of the abyss, turn back and enter the great ocean, from the great ocean enter the river Ganges, and from the river Ganges again enter Anotatta?" "No, Venerable sir." "Even so, great king, the Bodhisatta has perfected wholesome deeds for a hundred thousand aeons and four incalculable periods for the sake of this existence. This is his last existence, he has attained ripened Bodhi-knowledge, in six years he will become a Buddha, the Omniscient, the foremost person in the world. Now, great king, would the Bodhisatta turn back for the sake of a wheel-treasure?" "No, Venerable sir." "Moreover, great king, the great earth might turn over with its forests and mountains, but the Bodhisatta would not turn back without attaining perfect enlightenment. Even if, great king, the water of the Ganges were to flow upstream, the Bodhisatta would not turn back without attaining perfect enlightenment. Even if, great king, the great ocean were to dry up..." Even if the great ocean, holding immeasurable waters, were like water in a cow's hoofprint, still the Bodhisatta would not turn back without attaining perfect enlightenment. And even if, O Great King, Mount Sineru, the king of mountains, were to split a hundredfold or a thousandfold, still the Bodhisatta would not turn back without attaining perfect enlightenment. And even if, O Great King, the moon and sun, with their stars, were to fall to the earth like clods of earth, still the Bodhisatta would not turn back without attaining perfect enlightenment. And even if, O Great King, the sky were to roll up like a mat, still the Bodhisatta would not turn back without attaining perfect enlightenment. For what reason? Because all bonds have been shattered. "Venerable Nāgasena, how many bonds are there in the world?" "Indeed, O Great King, there are these ten bonds in the world, by which beings, bound, do not escape, and even having escaped, they turn back. Which are these ten? Mother, O Great King, is a bond in the world. Father, O Great King, is a bond in the world. Wife, O Great King, is a bond in the world. Children, O Great King, are a bond in the world. Relatives, O Great King, are a bond in the world. Friends, O Great King, are a bond in the world. Wealth, O Great King, is a bond in the world. Gain and honor, O Great King, are a bond in the world. Power, O Great King, is a bond in the world. The five sense pleasures, O Great King, are a bond in the world. These, O Great King, are the ten bonds in the world, by which beings, bound, do not escape, and even having escaped, they turn back. These ten bonds have been cut and shattered by the Bodhisatta. Therefore, O Great King, the Bodhisatta does not turn back." "Venerable Nāgasena, if the Bodhisatta, with a mind arisen to discontent, at the word of a deity, with knowledge not yet mature, for enlightenment not yet mature, went forth into renunciation, what was the purpose of his performing severe austerities? Should he not have eaten all kinds of food, awaiting the ripening of knowledge?" "Indeed, O Great King, these ten types of persons in the world are despised, disregarded, scorned, rejected, blamed, and disdained they are disrespected. Which ten? A woman, great king, a widow in the world, is scorned, disregarded, derided, reviled, blamed, despised, disrespected. A weak person, great king, ... A person without friendly relatives, great king, ... A glutton, great king, ... One who lives without respect for teachers, great king, ... One with bad friends, great king, ... One without wealth, great king, ... One without good conduct, great king, ... One without good deeds, great king, ... One without effort, great king, in the world is scorned, disregarded, derided, reviled, blamed, despised, disrespected. These, great king, are the ten persons in the world who are scorned, disregarded, derided, reviled, blamed, despised, disrespected. Contemplating these ten situations, great king, this thought arose in the Bodhisatta: 'May I not be one without good deeds, one without effort, blamed by gods and humans. What if I were to be a master of deeds, reverent of deeds, supreme in deeds, habitual in deeds, a burden-bearer of deeds, one whose dwelling is deeds, and dwell heedfully?' Thus, great king, the Bodhisatta, perfecting wisdom, performed severe austerities. "Venerable Nāgasena, the Bodhisatta, while performing severe austerities, said this: 'Indeed, I do not attain a superhuman state, a truly noble knowledge and vision, by these painful severe austerities. Perhaps there is another path to awakening.' Was there at that time a confusion of mindfulness in the Bodhisatta regarding the path?" "There are these twenty-five, great king, states that weaken the mind, by which a weakened mind does not become rightly concentrated for the destruction of defilements. Which twenty-five? Anger, great king, is a state that weakens the mind, by which a weakened mind does not become rightly concentrated for the destruction of defilements. Resentment... ... Hypocrisy... ... Envy... ... Stinginess... ... Deceit... ... Fraud... ... Obstinacy... ... Arrogance... ... Conceit... ... Excessive pride... ... Intoxication... ...negligence... ...sloth and torpor... ...languor... ...laziness... ...evil companionship... ...forms... ...sounds... ...odors... ...tastes... ...tangibles... ...hunger and thirst... ...discontent, O great king, are states that weaken the mind, and with a weakened mind, one cannot rightly concentrate for the destruction of the defilements. These, O great king, are twenty-five states that weaken the mind, and with them the mind weakened, one cannot rightly concentrate for the destruction of the defilements. Indeed, O great king, hunger and thirst overwhelmed the Bodhisatta's body; with the body overwhelmed, the mind could not rightly concentrate for the destruction of the defilements. For a hundred thousand eons, O great king, and four incalculable eons, the Bodhisatta sought the direct realization of the Four Noble Truths in those various births. How then could there be a lapse of mindfulness regarding the path in his final birth for the realization of knowledge? Moreover, O great king, a mere thought arose in the Bodhisatta: 'Might there be another path to awakening?' Previously, O great king, when the Bodhisatta was one month old, while his father Suddhodana was working, he sat cross-legged on a royal couch under the cool rose-apple tree, and having secluded himself from sensual pleasures, secluded himself from unwholesome states, he entered upon and abided in the first jhana, which is accompanied by thought and examination, born of seclusion, full of rapture and joy... ...he entered upon and abided in the fourth jhana." "Excellent, venerable Nagasena, I accept it as such, the Bodhisatta, perfecting knowledge, performed the difficult ascetic practices." The Second Question on Difficult Ascetic Practices. 3. The Question on the Relative Strength of Wholesome and Unwholesome 3. "Venerable Nagasena, which is exceedingly stronger, wholesome or unwholesome?" "Wholesome, O great king, is exceedingly stronger, not so unwholesome." "I do not accept that statement, venerable Nagasena, 'Wholesome is exceedingly stronger, not so unwholesome,' for we see, Venerable Nāgasena, here are those who take life, who take what is not given, who engage in sexual misconduct, who speak falsely, who are village destroyers, who are highway robbers, who are deceivers, who are swindlers. All of them, because of that evil, receive the cutting off of hands, the cutting off of feet, the cutting off of hands and feet, the cutting off of ears, the cutting off of nose, the cutting off of ears and nose, the bilaṅgathālika punishment, the saṅkhamuṇḍika punishment, the rāhumukha punishment, the jotimālika punishment, the hatthapajjotika punishment, the erakavattika punishment, the cīrakavāsika punishment,