English
That very fire Burns on dry land, By what reason Does it not burn in water? There is no, venerable sir, A cause for fire to burn in water, Without a cause, It does not burn. Just so, O great king, By that fault of his, The cause for realization is cut off, With the uprooting of the cause, Without a cause, Dhamma-realization does not occur. Venerable Nagasena, Please consider this matter again, My mind does not grasp it there, For one who does not know, Without remorse, There is an obstruction, Please make me understand with a reason. But does, O great king, Halahala poison, Eaten unknowingly, Take away life? Yes, venerable sir. Just so, O great king, Evil done even unknowingly Becomes an obstruction to realization. But does, O great king, Fire burn one Who steps on it unknowingly? Yes, venerable sir. Just so, O great king, That which is done Even unknowingly Evil, when understood, becomes an obstacle. "Now, great king, does a viper, unknowingly, bite and take life?" "Yes, venerable sir." "Even so, great king, evil done unknowingly, when understood, becomes an obstacle. "Did not, great king, King Kāliṅga, the ascetic-like one, surrounded by seven jewels, riding an elephant-jewel, going to see his family, even unknowingly, fail to pass over the Bodhi-maṇḍa? This, great king, is the reason why evil done unknowingly, when understood, becomes an obstacle." "The reason spoken by the Victor, venerable Nāgasena, cannot be denied. I accept its meaning as such." The seventh question: Obstacle to Understanding. 8. The Question of the Immoral 8. "Venerable Nāgasena, what is the difference between an immoral layperson and an immoral recluse? What is the distinction? Do both have the same destination? Is the result the same for both? Or is there some distinction?" "These ten qualities, great king, are extra for an immoral recluse, distinguishing him from an immoral layperson. And by ten reasons, he purifies his offering more. "What are these ten qualities that are extra for an immoral recluse, distinguishing him from an immoral layperson? Here, great king, an immoral recluse is respectful to the Buddha, is respectful to the Dhamma, is respectful to the Saṅgha, is respectful to his fellow celibates, strives in recitation and questioning, is much given to listening. Even though his virtue is broken, great king, the immoral one, when in an assembly, maintains his deportment. Out of fear of blame, he guards his bodily and verbal actions. And his mind is directed towards effort. He has entered into the state of a bhikkhu. Even when doing evil, great king, the immoral recluse acts secretly. Just as, great king, a married woman hides and acts secretly in private; even so, great king, even when doing evil, the immoral recluse acts secretly. These, great king, are the ten qualities of an immoral recluse." is superior, more excellent than a lay person of bad conduct. “By which ten reasons does it further purify the offering? By wearing the armor of blamelessness, it purifies the offering. By wearing the mark of the recluse, it purifies the offering. By having entered the assembly of the Sangha, it purifies the offering. By having gone for refuge to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, it purifies the offering. By dwelling in a secluded place for exertion, it purifies the offering. By seeking the treasure of the Victor’s Dispensation, it purifies the offering. By teaching the excellent Dhamma, it purifies the offering. By having the Dhamma-lamp as one’s ultimate refuge, it purifies the offering. By having the perfectly straight view, ‘The Buddha is supreme,’ it purifies the offering. By undertaking the Uposatha vows, it purifies the offering. By these ten reasons, O great king, it further purifies the offering. “Even a monk of bad conduct, O great king, who has fallen away, purifies the offering for the donors. Just as, O great king, water removes even much mud, dirt, dust, and grime; even so, O great king, even a monk of bad conduct, who has fallen away, purifies the offering for the donors. Or just as, O great king, hot water, even if much boiled, extinguishes a great blazing mass of fire; even so, O great king, even a monk of bad conduct, who has fallen away, purifies the offering for the donors. Or just as, O great king, food, even if tasteless, removes the weakness of hunger; even so, O great king, even a monk of bad conduct, who has fallen away, purifies the offering for the donors. And this was spoken, O great king, by the Tathāgata, the God of gods, in the Dakkhiṇāvibhaṅga Sutta, the excellent mark of the Majjhima Nikāya, in the exposition: ‘Whoever, being virtuous, gives a gift to the unvirtuous, obtained by Dhamma, with a mind full of faith, firmly believing in the great fruit of kamma— that offering is purified on the part of the donor.’ “Wonderful, Venerable Nāgasena, amazing, Venerable Nāgasena, we asked so many questions, and you, explaining them with similes and reasons, made them sweet as nectar, fit for hearing. Just as, venerable sir, a cook or a cook's apprentice, having obtained so much meat, prepares it with various ingredients and makes it fit for the king's enjoyment; even so, venerable Nāgasena, we asked so many questions, and you, explaining them with similes and reasons, made them sweet as nectar, fit for hearing. The Question on Immorality, the eighth. 9. The Question on Water and Living Beings 9. "Venerable Nāgasena, this water, when heated on fire, hisses and crackles and makes many kinds of sounds. Does water live, venerable Nāgasena? Does it make sounds while playing? Or does it make sounds when afflicted by something else?" "No, great king, water does not live. There is no life or being in water. But, great king, due to the great force of the heat of the fire, the water hisses and crackles and makes many kinds of sounds." "Venerable Nāgasena, some sectarians here, believing water to be alive, reject cold water, heat water, and consume it in various altered forms. They criticize and despise you, saying: 'The Sakyan recluses harm a one-sense living being.' Remove, dispel, and eliminate this criticism and contempt of theirs." "No, great king, water does not live. There is no life or being in water, great king. But, great king, due to the great force of the heat of the fire, the water hisses and crackles and makes many kinds of sounds. "Just as, great king, water that has gone into a pit, lake, river, pond, cave, chasm, well, or ditch, due to the great force of wind and sun, is consumed and perishes, does the water there hiss and crackle and make many kinds of sounds?" "No, venerable sir." "If, great king, water were alive, the water would make sounds there too. By this too, great king, By this reason know: ‘There is no life or being in water, due to the great force of the heat of fire the water hisses, crackles, makes various sounds.’ “And further, O great king, listen to another reason: ‘There is no life or being in water, due to the great force of the heat of fire the water makes sounds.’ But when, O great king, water mixed with rice is in a pot, covered, and placed on the hearth, does the water there make sounds?” “No, venerable sir, it is still and quiet.” “But that very water, O great king, in the pot, when fire is kindled and it is placed on the hearth, is the water there still and quiet?” “No, venerable sir, it moves, it stirs, it churns, it becomes turbid, it forms waves, it goes up and down, in all directions, it rises, it spreads, it becomes frothy.” “Why then, O great king, does natural water not move and remain quiet, but water placed on fire moves, stirs, churns, becomes turbid, forms waves, goes up and down, in all directions, rises, spreads, and becomes frothy?” “Natural water, venerable sir, does not move, but water placed on fire, due to the great force of the heat of fire, hisses, crackles, and makes various sounds.” “By this reason too, O great king, know: ‘There is no life or being in water, due to the great force of the heat of fire the water makes sounds.’ “And further, O great king, listen to another reason: There is no life or being in water, due to the great force of the heat of fire the water makes sounds. Is that water, O great king, in every house, in a water jar, covered?” “Yes, venerable sir.” “Does that water, O great king, move, stir, churn, become turbid, form waves, go up and down, in all directions, rise, spread, and become frothy?” “No, venerable sir, it is still, that natural water in the water jar…” water in a water-jar. "Have you heard, O great king, that in the great ocean water moves, stirs, churns, becomes turbid, has waves, goes up and down, in directions and intermediate directions, floats, flows, becomes a string of foam, rises and falls, strikes the shore, makes various sounds?" "Yes, venerable sir, I have heard this, and I have seen it, that in the great ocean water rises a hundred cubits, even two hundred cubits into the sky." "Why, O great king, does water in a water-jar not move, not make a sound? But why does water in the great ocean move, make a sound?" "Because of the great force of the wind, venerable sir, water in the great ocean moves and makes a sound. Water in a water-jar, not being struck by anything, does not move, does not make a sound." "Just as, O great king, because of the great force of the wind, water in the great ocean moves and makes a sound, even so, because of the great force of heat from fire, water makes a sound." "Is it not, O great king, that a drum's body, being dry, is covered with dry cowhide?" "Yes, venerable sir." "Is there, O great king, a life or a being in the drum?" "No, venerable sir." "Why then, O great king, does the drum make a sound?" "Because of the appropriate effort of a woman or a man, venerable sir." "Just as, O great king, because of the appropriate effort of a woman or a man, the drum makes a sound, even so, because of the great force of heat from fire, water makes a sound.