English
And this fame, O great king, for the subtle, discerning, knowing, understanding Bodhisattas, reveals ten qualities. Which ten? Non-greed, non-attachment, relinquishment, abandonment, non-return, subtlety, greatness, incomprehensibility, rarity, incomparability of the Buddha-Dhamma. And this fame, O great king, for the subtle, discerning, knowing, understanding Bodhisattas, reveals these ten qualities." "Venerable Nāgasena, one who gives a gift after causing another suffering, does that gift have a pleasant result, leading to heaven?" "Yes, O great king, what is there to say?" "Pray, Venerable Nāgasena, explain the reason." "Here, O great king, some recluse or brahmin is virtuous, of good conduct. He might be paralyzed or a cripple, or afflicted with some other disease. Him, whoever desires merit, having put him in a vehicle, might convey him to the desired place. Does that person, O great king, from that..." Would any gift produce happiness, leading to heaven, that action? Yes, venerable sir, what is there to say? That man, venerable sir, would obtain elephant vehicles, or horse vehicles, or chariot vehicles, land vehicles on land, water vehicles on water, divine vehicles among devas, human vehicles among humans, suitable and appropriate for him, in existence after existence, they would arise, and suitable and appropriate happinesses would arise for him, from good destination to good destination he would go, and by that very stream of kamma, ascending the vehicle of psychic power, he would reach the desired city of Nibbāna. Therefore, great king, a gift given by causing suffering to others is fruitful in happiness, leading to heaven, in that that man, having caused suffering to oxen, experiences such happiness. Moreover, great king, listen to a further reason, how a gift given by causing suffering to others is fruitful in happiness, leading to heaven. Here, great king, if any king, having collected a lawful tax from the country, were to give a gift by exercising his authority, would that king, great king, experience any happiness from that, would that gift lead to heaven? Yes, venerable sir, what is there to say? From that, venerable sir, that king would obtain a hundred thousand times more. He would be a king over kings, a deva over devas, a Brahmā over Brahmās, an ascetic over ascetics, a brahmin over brahmins, an Arahant over Arahants. Therefore, great king, a gift given by causing suffering to others is fruitful in happiness, leading to heaven, in that that king, having oppressed the people with force, experiences such superior fame and happiness from the gift given. An excessive gift, venerable Nāgasena, was given by King Vessantara, in that he gave his own wife for another's wife, he gave his own legitimate children for a brahmin's servitude, an excessive gift, venerable Nāga Venerable Nāgasena, excessive giving is blamed and censured by the wise in the world. Just as, Venerable Nāgasena, with an excessive load, the axle of a cart breaks; with an excessive load, a boat sinks; with too much food, digestion goes wrong; with too much rain, the harvest is ruined; with too much giving, wealth is depleted; with too much heat, the earth is scorched; with too much passion, one becomes insane; with too much hatred, one becomes punishable; with too much delusion, one falls into ruin; with too much greed, one is caught by thieves; with too much fear, one perishes; with too much water, a river overflows; with too much wind, lightning strikes; with too much fire, the rice boils over; with too much wandering, one does not live long. Even so, Venerable Nāgasena, excessive giving is blamed and censured by the wise in the world. Excessive giving, Venerable Nāgasena, given by King Vessantara, no fruit is to be desired from it. "Excessive giving, great king, is praised, lauded, and commended by the wise in the world. Whatever kind of giving anyone gives, the giver of excessive giving attains fame in the world. Just as, great king, a divine forest root, even if taken, is not shown to others who are within reach, due to its supreme excellence; a medicine, due to its supreme quality, is a destroyer of suffering, an ender of diseases; fire, due to its supreme brightness, burns; water, due to its supreme coolness, extinguishes; a lotus, due to its supreme purity, is not defiled by water and mud; a gem, due to its supreme quality, grants wishes; a diamond, due to its supreme sharpness, pierces gems, pearls, and crystals; the earth, due to its supreme vastness, supports humans, serpents, animals, birds, water, rocks, mountains, and trees; the ocean, due to its supreme vastness, is never full; Sineru, due to its supreme weight, is immovable; space, due to its supreme expanse, is endless; the sun, due to its supreme radiance, destroys darkness; a lion, due to its supreme birth, is fearless; a wrestler, due to his supreme strength, quickly lifts his opponent; a king, due to his supreme merit, is a sovereign; a bhikkhu, due to his supreme virtue, is revered by nāgas, yakkhas, humans, and devas; the Buddha, due to his supreme He is incomparable. Just so, O great king, extreme giving is praised, extolled, and commended in the world by the wise. Whatever kind of gift anyone gives, the giver of extreme gifts attains fame in the world. By extreme giving, King Vessantara was praised, extolled, commended, honored, and famed throughout the ten-thousand-world system. And by that same extreme giving, King Vessantara today became a Buddha, supreme in the world with its deities. "Is there, O great king, a gift in the world that should be set aside, which should not be given when a worthy recipient arrives?" "Indeed, venerable Nāgasena, there are these ten gifts which are considered non-gifts in the world; whoever gives these gifts goes to the lower realms. Which ten? The gift of intoxicants, venerable Nāgasena, is considered a non-gift in the world; whoever gives that gift goes to the lower realms. The gift of entertainment... and so on... the gift of women... and so on... the gift of bulls... and so on... the gift of paintings... and so on... the gift of weapons... and so on... the gift of poison... and so on... the gift of chains... and so on... the gift of chickens and pigs... and so on... the gift of false weights and measures, venerable Nāgasena, is considered a non-gift in the world; whoever gives that gift goes to the lower realms. Indeed, venerable Nāgasena, these ten gifts are considered non-gifts in the world; whoever gives these gifts goes to the lower realms." "O great king, I am not asking about what is considered a non-gift. This, O great king, is what I am asking you: 'Is there, O great king, a gift in the world that should be set aside, which should not be given when a worthy recipient arrives?'" "There is not, venerable Nāgasena, a gift in the world that should be set aside, which should not be given when a worthy recipient arrives. When faith arises, some give food to worthy recipients, some give clothing, some give bedding, some give lodging, some give rugs and coverings, some give male and female slaves, some give fields and land, some give two-footed and four-footed creatures, some give a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand, some give a great kingdom, some even give life." "If, O great king, some even give life, for what reason did Vessantara..." Did he make the generous donor Vessantara fall too hard, with his sons and wife Sudinnā? “But, great king, is there a custom of the world, a practice of the world, that a father, being in debt or in need of a livelihood, may pawn or sell his son?” “Yes, venerable sir, a father, being in debt or in need of a livelihood, may pawn or sell his son.” “If, great king, a father, being in debt or in need of a livelihood, may pawn or sell his son, then King Vessantara, great king, not obtaining the knowledge of omniscience, distressed and suffering, for the attainment of that treasure of Dhamma, pawned and sold his sons and wife. Thus, great king, what was given by King Vessantara to others was indeed given, what was done was indeed done. Why then, great king, do you so strongly disparage the generous donor Vessantara for that gift?” “I do not, venerable Nāgasena, blame the gift of the generous donor Vessantara, but rather, when sons and wife were begged, he should have given himself.” “That, great king, is an improper thing, that when sons and wife are begged, one should give oneself. Whatever is begged, that very thing should be given; this is the action of good people. Just as, great king, if some man were to ask for water, and someone were to give him food, would that man, great king, be doing his duty for him?” “No, venerable sir, only by giving him what he asked for would he be doing his duty for him.” “Even so, great king, King Vessantara, when the brahmin begged for his sons and wife, gave his sons and wife. If, great king, the brahmin had begged for Vessantara’s body, he would not, great king, have protected himself, nor trembled, nor clung; his body would have been given and sacrificed. If, great king, someone were to approach the generous donor Vessantara and beg, ‘Come into my servitude,’ his body would have been given and sacrificed; he would not, having given, O great king, the body of King Vessantara is common to many. Just as, O great king, a cooked piece of meat is common to many; even so, indeed, O great king, the body of King Vessantara is common to many. Or just as, O great king, a fruit-bearing tree is common to many kinds of birds; even so, indeed, O great king, the body of King Vessantara is common to many. For what reason? "By acting thus, I shall attain Perfect Enlightenment." Just as, O great king, a poor man, desirous of wealth, seeking wealth, goes on goat-paths, spike-paths, bamboo-paths, engages in trade by water and land, acquires wealth by body, speech, and mind, strives for the acquisition of wealth; even so, indeed, O great king,