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wakes up intermittently— this is the middle of sloth and torpor. The going into the life-continuum is the end. One who has reached the middle, O great king, overcome by monkey-sleep, sees a dream. Just as, O great king, someone of disciplined conduct, with a concentrated mind, of stable nature, of unshakeable wisdom, having entered the midst of a forest where the noise of curiosity has ceased, contemplates a subtle meaning, and sloth and torpor does not overcome him there, he, concentrated and one-pointed in mind, penetrates the subtle meaning, even so, O great king, one who is awake is not immersed in sloth and torpor. One who has reached the middle, overcome by monkey-sleep, sees a dream. Just as, O great king, the noise of curiosity, so should the awake state be seen. Just as a secluded forest, so should one overcome by monkey-sleep be seen. Just as he, having abandoned the noise of curiosity and avoided sloth and torpor, is neutral He penetrates a subtle, non-existent meaning. Thus, one who is awake, not fallen into slumber, not overcome by monkey-sleep, sees a dream. Excellent, Bhante Nāgasena, I accept this as it is. The Fifth Question on Dreams. 6. The Question on Untimely Death. 6. Bhante Nāgasena, those beings who die, do all of them die at the proper time, or do they also die untimely? There is, O Great King, death at the proper time, and there is also untimely death. Bhante Nāgasena, who die at the proper time, who die untimely? Have you seen before, O Great King, mango trees or rose-apple trees, or other fruit trees, their fruits falling, both unripe and ripe? Yes, Bhante. Those fruits, O Great King, that fall from the tree, do all of them fall at the proper time, or also untimely? Those fruits, Bhante Nāgasena, that fall fully ripe and detached, all of them fall at the proper time. But as for the remaining fruits, some of them fall pierced by worms, some fall struck by a stick, some fall struck by wind, some fall having become rotten inside; all of them fall untimely. Just so, O Great King, those who die overcome by the force of old age, they alone die at the proper time. The rest, some die obstructed by kamma, some die obstructed by destiny, some die obstructed by action. Bhante Nāgasena, those who die obstructed by kamma, and those who die obstructed by destiny, and those who die obstructed by action, and those who die obstructed by the force of old age, all of them die at the proper time. Even he who dies in his mother's womb, that is his time, he dies at the proper time. Even he who dies in the birth-chamber, that is his time, he too dies at the proper time. Even he who dies at one month old... ...even he who dies at a hundred years old, that is his time, he dies at the proper time. Therefore, "Venerable Nāgasena, there is no such thing as untimely death; whoever dies, all of them die at the right time." "These seven, O King, die untimely, even though they have a longer lifespan remaining. Which seven? One who is hungry, O King, not obtaining food, with his inner being destroyed, dies untimely, even though he has a longer lifespan remaining. One who is thirsty, O King, not obtaining drink, with his heart parched, dies untimely, even though he has a longer lifespan remaining. One bitten by a snake, O King, overcome by the poison's force, not obtaining a physician, dies untimely, even though he has a longer lifespan remaining. One who has consumed poison, O King, with his limbs and minor parts burning, not obtaining an antidote, dies untimely, even though he has a longer lifespan remaining. One who has entered fire, O King, burning, not obtaining extinguishment, dies untimely, even though he has a longer lifespan remaining. One who has entered water, O King, not obtaining a foothold, dies untimely, even though he has a longer lifespan remaining. One struck by a weapon, O King, afflicted, not obtaining a surgeon, dies untimely, even though he has a longer lifespan remaining. These seven, O King, die untimely, even though they have a longer lifespan remaining. And in this regard, O King, I speak definitively. In eight ways, O King, beings pass away: by the arising of wind, by the arising of bile, by the arising of phlegm, by a combination of humors, by seasonal change, by improper care, by external attack, by the ripening of kamma, O King, beings pass away. Among these, O King, that passing away which is by the ripening of kamma, that alone is a timely passing away; the rest are untimely passings away. And it is said: By hunger, by thirst, By snakebite, and by poison; By fire, water, and weapons, There one dies untimely; By wind, bile, and phlegm, By combination, and by seasons; By improper care, external attack, and kamma, There one dies untimely. Some beings, O King, by that or that previously done... They die by the result of wholesome kamma. Here, O great king, whoever in the past killed others by hunger, he, for many hundreds of thousands of years, afflicted by hunger, starved, exhausted, with a dry, withered heart, famished, parched, burning, internally consumed, dies by hunger itself, whether young, middle-aged, or old. This too is his timely death. Whoever in the past killed others by thirst, he, for many hundreds of thousands of years, having become a hungry ghost, being consumed by craving, rough, emaciated, with a parched heart, dies by thirst itself, whether young, middle-aged, or old. This too is his timely death. Whoever in the past caused others to be killed by snakebite, he, for many hundreds of thousands of years, turning from the mouth of a python to the mouth of a python, from the mouth of a black snake to the mouth of a black snake, eaten and re-eaten by them, bitten by snakes themselves, dies, whether young, middle-aged, or old. This too is his timely death. Whoever in the past killed others by giving poison, he, for many hundreds of thousands of years, with burning limbs and organs, with a body breaking apart, emitting the smell of a corpse, dies by poison itself, whether young, middle-aged, or old. This too is his timely death. Whoever in the past killed others by fire, he, for many hundreds of thousands of years, turning from a mountain of coals to a mountain of coals, from the realm of Yama to the realm of Yama, with a body burned and scorched, dies by fire itself, whether young, middle-aged, or old. This too is his timely death. Whoever in the past killed others by water, he, for many hundreds of thousands of years, with a body battered, dishevelled, broken, weak, with a disturbed mind, dies by water itself, whether young, middle-aged, or old. This too is his timely death. Whoever in the past killed others with a spear, he, for many hundreds of thousands of years, cut, broken, crushed, shattered, by the impact of spears... Therefore by the spear itself he dies, whether young, middle-aged, or old. This too is his timely death.'' ''Venerable Nāgasena, what you say about untimely death existing, please explain the reason for that to me.'' ''Just as, great king, a very great mass of fire, having consumed grass, wood, branches, and leaves, its fuel exhausted, is extinguished due to the cessation of its sustenance— that fire is called 'extinguished at the proper time, without trouble or disturbance.' Even so, great king, whoever lives for many thousands of days, worn out by old age, with life exhausted, dies without trouble or disturbance— he is called 'one who has met death at the proper time.' ''Or again, great king, suppose there was a very great mass of fire, having consumed grass, wood, branches, and leaves. And while that grass, wood, branches, and leaves were not yet exhausted, a very great cloud were to rain down and extinguish it. Would that very great mass of fire, great king, be called 'extinguished at the proper time'?'' ''No, venerable sir.'' ''Why then, great king, was that latter mass of fire not of the same nature as the former mass of fire?'' ''Because, venerable sir, that mass of fire, oppressed by an incoming cloud, was extinguished untimely.'' Even so, great king, whoever dies untimely, he is oppressed by an incoming disease, whether arising from wind, or arising from bile, or arising from phlegm, or from a combination of humors, or born of seasonal change, or from improper care, or from an external attack, or from hunger, or from thirst, or from a snakebite, or from eating unsuitable food, or from fire, or from water, or oppressed by the force of a spear, dies untimely. This, great king, is the reason here, by which reason untimely death exists. ''Or again, great king, just as a very great cloud, having arisen in the sky, rains down, filling both lowlands and highlands— that cloud is called 'raining without trouble or disturbance.' Even so, great king, whoever lives for a long time, worn out by old age, with life exhausted, dies without trouble or disturbance, he... is called 'one who has died at the right time'. Or just as, great king, a huge great cloud having arisen in the sky, should be swept away by a great wind in between, would that great cloud, great king, be called 'gone at the right time'? No, venerable sir. But why, great king, was that later cloud not gone at the same time as the former cloud? Venerable sir, that cloud, oppressed by an incoming wind, departed before its time. Just so, great king, whoever dies before their time, is oppressed by an incoming disease, or by a wind-borne illness... or oppressed by the force of a weapon, dies before their time. This, great king, is the reason here, by which reason there is death before its time. Or just as, great king, a powerful venomous snake, enraged, might bite some person, and that venom without trouble, without hindrance, would bring about death; that venom is called 'without trouble, without hindrance, having reached its peak'. Just so, great king, whoever, having lived long, worn out by old age, by the exhaustion of life,