1. At that time many distinguished Likkhavis were sitting together assembled in the town-hall and spoke in many ways in praise of the Buddha, of the Dhamma, and of the Samgha. At that time Sîha, the general-in-chief (of the Likkhavis), a disciple of the Nigantha sect, was sitting in that assembly. And Sîha, the general, thought: 'Truly
'Why should you, Sîha, who believe in the result of actions 2 (according to their moral merit), go to visit the Samana Gotama, who denies the result of actions? For the Samana Gotama, Sîha, denies the result of actions; he teaches the doctrine of non-action; and in this doctrine he trains his disciples.'
Then the desire to go and to visit the Blessed One, which had arisen in Sîha, the general, abated in him.
3. And a second time many distinguished Likkhavis were sitting together (&c., as in §§ 1, 2, down to the end).
And a third time many distinguished Likkhavis were sitting together, &c. And a third time Sîha, the general, thought: 'Truly he, the Blessed One, must be the Arahat Buddha, since these many distinguished Likkhavis, who are sitting here together assembled in the town-hall, speak in so many ways
5 1. 'There is a way, Sîha, in which one speaking truly could say of me: "The Samana Gotama denies action 2; he teaches the doctrine of non-action; and in this doctrine he trains his disciples."
'And again, Sîha, there is a way in which one speaking truly could say of me: "The Samana Gotama maintains annihilation 2; he teaches the doctrine of annihilation; and in this doctrine he trains his disciples."
'And again, Sîha, there is a way in which one speaking truly could say of me: "The Samana Gotama proclaims contemptibleness 3; he teaches the doctrine of contemptibleness; and in this doctrine he trains his disciples."
'And again, &c.: "The Samana Gotama proclaims Vinaya 4; he teaches the doctrine of Vinaya; and in this doctrine he trains his disciples."
'And again, &c.: "The Samana Gotama proclaims Tapas 5, &c."
'And again, &c.: "The Samana Gotama is apagabbha 6; he teaches the doctrine of apagabbhatâ, &c."
6. 'And in which way is it, Sîha, that one speaking truly could say of me: "The Samana Gotama denies action; he teaches the doctrine of non-action; and in this doctrine he trains his disciples?" I teach, Sîha, the not-doing of such actions as are unrighteous, either by deed, or by word, or by thought; I teach the not bringing about of the manifold conditions (of heart) which are evil and not good. In this way, Sîha, one speaking truly could say of me: "The Samana Gotama, &c."
'And in which way is it, Sîha, that one speaking truly could say of me: "The Samana Gotama maintains action; he teaches the doctrine of action; and in this doctrine he trains his disciples?" I teach, Sîha, the doing of such actions as are righteous, by deed, by word, and by thought; I teach the bringing about of the manifold conditions (of heart) which are good and not evil. In this way, &c."
7. 'And in which way is it, Sîha, that one speaking truly could say of me: "The Samana Gotama maintains annihilation; he teaches the doctrine of annihilation; and in this doctrine he trains his disciples?" I proclaim, Sîha, the annihilation of lust, of ill-will, of delusion; I proclaim the annihilation of the manifold conditions (of heart) which are evil and not good. In this way, &c."
'And in which way is it, Sîha, that one speaking truly could say of me: "The Samana Gotama
8. 'And in which way is it, Sîha, that one speaking truly could say of me: "The Samana Gotama proclaims Vinaya, &c.?" I teach, Sîha, the doing away 1 with lust, with ill-will, with delusion; I teach the doing away with the manifold conditions (of heart) which are evil and not good. In this way, &c. 'And in which way is it, Sîha, that one speaking truly could say of me: "The Samana Gotama proclaims Tapas, &c.?" I teach, Sîha, that all the conditions (of heart) which are evil and not good, unrighteous actions by deed, by word, and by thought must be burnt away 2. He who has freed himself, Sîha, from all conditions (of heart) which are evil and not good, which ought to be burnt away, who has rooted them out, and has done away with them as a palm tree is rooted out 3, so that they are destroyed 4 and cannot grow up again--such a
'And in which way is it, Sîha, that one speaking truly could say of me: "The Samana Gotama is confident, &c.?" I am confident, Sîha, by the highest confidence; and thus I teach the doctrine of confidence and train my disciples in it. In this way, &c.' 10. When he had spoken thus, Sîha, the general, said to the Blessed One: 'Glorious, Lord! glorious, Lord! (&c., as in chap. 26. 9, down to:) may the Blessed One receive me from this day forth while my life lasts as a disciple who has taken his refuge in him.' 'Consider first, Sîha, what you are doing. It is becoming that well-known persons like you should do nothing without due consideration.'
11. 'For a long time, Sîha, drink has been offered to the Niganthas in your house 1. You should therefore deem it right (also in the future) to give them food when they come (to you on their alms-pilgrimage).' 'By this, Lord, my joy and my faith in the Blessed One has still increased, in that the Blessed One says to me: "For a long time, &c." I have been told, Lord: "The Samana Gotama says: 'To me alone gifts should be given; to nobody else gifts should be given. To my pupils alone gifts should be given; to no one else's pupils gifts should be given. Only what is given to me has great reward; what is given to others has not great reward. Only what is given to my pupils has great reward; what is given to the pupils of others has not great reward.'" But the Blessed One exhorts me to give also to the Niganthas. Well, Lord, we will see what will be seasonable.
13. At that time a great number of Niganthas (running) through Vesâlî, from road to road and from cross-way to cross-way 2, with outstretched arms, cried: 'To-day Sîha, the general, has killed a great ox and has made a meal for the Samana Gotama; the Samana Gotama knowingly eats this meat of an animal killed for this very purpose, and has thus become virtually the author of that deed (of killing the animal)!' Then a certain man went to the place where Sîha,
109:1 The founder of the Nigantha sect, who is, according to the important discovery of Professors Bühler and Jacobi, identical with the Mahâvira of the Gain legends. See Jacobi's Preface to the Kalpasûtra, pp. 1 seq. 109:2 Kiriyavâda. 110:1 A part of the following discourse is the same as Suttavibhaṅga, Pârâg. I, 1, 3. 110:2 'The doctrine of non-action,' and 'the doctrine of action,' 111:2 Ukkhedavâda ( the doctrine of annihilation') is the doctrine that death is the annihilation of existence ('ukkhedavâda sato sattassa ukkhedam vinâsam vibhavam paññâpenti.' Brahmagâlasutta). But in this discourse the word is taken in a peculiar sense; comp. § 7. 111:3 Gegukkhitâ. See § 7. 111:4 'Right conduct.' But in this discourse it is also taken in the sense of 'putting away' (scil. evil); see § 8. 111:5 'Self-mortification,' literally, 'burning,' in which sense the word is taken in § 8. 111:6 Apagabbha (apragalbha) and apagabbhatâ ordinarily mean 113:1 Vinayâya. 113:2 Tapanîya, connected with tapas. 113:3 Tâlâ vatthukatâ. See Buddhaghosa's explanation of this phrase in Vinaya Pitaka, vol. iii, p. 267. 113:4 Anabhâvam gatâ (see the correction, Vinaya Pitaka, vol. ii, p. 363), literally, 'They are gone to non-existence.' Buddhaghosa takes great pains in explaining anabhâva; and he quotes also a various reading anubhâva; see Vinaya Pitaka, vol. iii, p. 267. But anabhâva is correct, and must be understood as a synonym of abhâva. As to ana-, equal to a-, compare S. Goldschmidt, Zeitschr. der Deutschen Morg. Ges. vol. xxxii, pp, 100 seq.; Weber, Hâla, p. 16; Pischel's note on Hemakandra II, 190; Curtius, Griechische 114:2 Into a 'gabbha.' 'Apagabbha' is taken here as 'not subject to returning to a gabbha.' 115:1 Literally,' your house has been an opâna to the Niganthas: Opâna may be either avapâna or, as Buddhaghosa seems to understand it, udapâna (compare oka = udaka). 116:1 About pavattamamsa, see the note at chap. 23. 2. 116:2 See X, 1, 9.
