Digha Nikaya 1
The Brahma-jâla Sutta
The Net of Views
Adapted by Leigh Brasington
Adapter's Introduction
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This sutta was not translated by me. I just edited it. The method was as follows:
This Sutta sets out in sixty-two divisions [2] various speculations or theories, going out always from various forms of the ancient view of a 'soul' -- a sort of subtle manikin inside the body but separate from it, and continuing after it leaves the body as a separate entity -- from which the theorisers attempt to reconstruct the past, or to arrange the future. All such speculation is condemned. And necessarily so, since the Buddhist philosophy is without this ancient idea of 'soul.'
The Buddhist scheme endeavours, in other words, to include all the truth which previous thinkers had grafted on to the old savage theories of a semi-material, subtle, permanent entity inside the body, while rejecting those theories themselves; it endeavours to retain all the philosophic truth which previous thinkers had grafted on to the theosophies-the corollaries of the soul theories-while rejecting those theosophies themselves. The reasons given for this position is that such speculators about ultimate things, either in the past or the future, have insufficient evidence; they see only one side of the shield; [3] secondly, that such speculations do not lead to emancipation, to Arahatship; [4] and thirdly, that such theories are really derived from the hopes, the feelings, and the sensations arising from evanescent phenomena [5] -- they belong, in other words, to the realm of hastily formed, empirical opinion (diññhi), not to that of' the higher wisdom (pañña).
Digha Nikaya 1
The Brahma-jâla Sutta
The Net of Views
1. Thus have I heard. The Blessed One was once traveling along the high road between Rajagaha and Nalanda [10] with a great company of about five hundred monks. And Suppiya the mendicant [11] was also traveling along the high road between Rajagaha and Nalanda with his disciple the youth Brahmadatta. Now just then Suppiya the mendicant was speaking in many ways in disparagement of the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha. But young Brahmadatta, his pupil, spoke in praise of the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha. Thus these two, teacher and pupil, holding opinions in direct contradiction to each other, were following step by step, after the Blessed One and the company of the monks.
2. Now the Blessed One stayed the night at the royal rest-house in the Ambalaññhika. the pleasure park [12], and with him the company of the monks. And so also did Suppiya the mendicant, and with him his young disciple Brahmadatta. And there at the rest-house, these two carried on the same discussion as before.
[2] 3. And in the early dawn a number of the monks, after they woke up, assembled in the pavilion; and this was the trend of their talk as they were seated there: 'How wonderful a thing is it, monks, and how strange that the Blessed One, he who knows and sees, the Arahat, the Buddha Supreme, should so clearly have perceived how various are the inclinations of men! For see how while Suppiya the mendicant speaks in many ways in disparagement of the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha, his own disciple young Brahmadatta, speaks, in as many ways, in praise of them. So do these two, teacher and pupil, follow step by step after the Blessed One and the company of the monks, giving utterance to views in direct contradiction one to the other.'
4. Now the Blessed One, on realising the subject of their conversation, went to the pavilion and took a seat on the mat spread out for him. And when he had sat down he said: 'What is the talk on which you are engaged sitting here, what is the subject of the conversation between you?' And they told him all. And he said:
Minor Details Of Mere Morality
5. 'Monks, if outsiders should speak against me, or against the Dhamma, or against the Sangha, you should not on that account either bear malice, or be upset, or feel ill will. If on that account, you should be angry and hurt, that would stand in the way of your own self-conquest. If, when others speak against us, you feel angry at that or displeased, would you then be able to judge whether that talk of theirs is well said or not?'
'No, Sir.'
'But when outsiders speak in disparagement of me, or of the Dhamma, or of the Sangha, you should unravel what is false and point it out as wrong, saying: "For this or that reason this is not the fact, that is not so, such a thing is not found among us, is not in us."
6. 'But also, monks, if outsiders should speak in praise of me, in praise of the Dhamma, in praise of the Sangha, you should not, on that account, be filled with pleasure or gladness or be lifted up in heart. Were you to be so that also would stand in the way of your self-conquest. When outsiders speak in praise of me, or of the Dhamma, or of the Sangha, you should acknowledge what is factual, saying: "For this or that reason this is true, that is so, such a thing is found among us, is in us."
7. 'It is in respect only of trifling things, of matters of little value, of mere morality, that an unconverted man when praising the Tathagata would speak. And what are such trifling, minor details of mere morality that he would praise?
The Small Section on Moral Discipline [13]
8 - 27. 'And how is a bhikkhu possessed of moral discipline? Abandoning the taking of life, he abstains from the taking of life. He dwells with his rod laid down, his knife laid down, scrupulous, merciful, compassionate for the welfare of all living beings. It is thus that the unconverted man, when speaking in praise of the Tathagata, might speak [14].
'Abandoning the taking of what is not given, he abstains from taking what is not given. He takes only what is given, accepts only what is given, lives not by stealth but in honesty with a pure mind. It is thus that the unconverted man, when speaking in praise of the Tathagata, might speak.
'Abandoning incelibacy, he lives a celibate life, aloof, refraining from the sexual act that is the villager's way. It is thus that the unconverted man, when speaking in praise of the Tathagata, might speak.
'Abandoning false speech, he abstains from false speech. He speaks the truth, holds to the truth, is firm, reliable, no deceiver of the world. It is thus that the unconverted man, when speaking in praise of the Tathagata, might speak.
'Abandoning divisive speech he abstains from divisive speech. What he has heard here he does not tell there to break those people apart from these people here. What he has heard there he does not tell here to break these people apart from those people there. Thus reconciling those who have broken apart or cementing those who are united, he loves concord, delights in concord, enjoys concord, speaks things that create concord. It is thus that the unconverted man, when speaking in praise of the Tathagata, might speak.
'Abandoning abusive speech, he abstains from abusive speech. He speaks words that are soothing to the ear, that are affectionate, that go to the heart, that are polite, appealing and pleasing to people at large. It is thus that the unconverted man, when speaking in praise of the Tathagata, might speak.
'Abandoning idle chatter, he abstains from idle chatter. He speaks in season, speaks what is factual, what is in accordance with the goal, the Dhamma, and the Discipline. He speaks words worth treasuring, seasonable, reasonable, circumscribed, connected with the goal. It is thus that the unconverted man, when speaking in praise of the Tathagata, might speak.
'He abstains from damaging seed and plant life.
'He eats only in one part of the day, refraining from food at night and from eating at improper times.
'He abstains from dancing, singing, instrumental music, and from witnessing unsuitable shows.
'He abstains from wearing garlands and from beautifying himself with scents and cosmetics.
'He abstains from high and luxurious beds and seats.
'He abstains from accepting gold and silver.
'He abstains from accepting uncooked grain... raw meat... women and girls... male and female slaves... goats and sheep... fowl and pigs... elephants, cattle, steeds, and mares... fields and property.
'He abstains from running messages... from buying and selling... from dealing with false scales, false metals, and false measures... from bribery, deception, and fraud.
'He abstains from mutilating, executing, imprisoning, highway robbery, plunder, and violence.
'It is thus that the unconverted man, when speaking in praise of the Tathagata, might speak.
The Intermediate Section on Moral Discipline [13]
'Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, are addicted to damaging seed and plant life such as these -- plants propagated from roots, stems, joints, buddings, and seeds -- he abstains from damaging seed and plant life such as these. It is thus that the unconverted man, when speaking in praise of the Tathagata, might speak.
'Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, are addicted to consuming stored-up goods such as these -- stored-up food, stored-up drinks, stored-up clothing, stored-up vehicles, stored-up bedding, stored-up scents, and stored-up meat -- he abstains from consuming stored-up goods such as these. It is thus that the unconverted man, when speaking in praise of the Tathagata, might speak.
'Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, are addicted to watching shows such as these -- dancing, singing, instrumental music, plays, ballad recitations, hand-clapping, cymbals and drums, magic lantern scenes, acrobatic and conjuring tricks, elephant fights, horse fights, buffalo fights, bull fights, goat fights, ram fights, cock fights, quail fights; fighting with staves, boxing, wrestling, war-games, roll calls, battle arrays, and regimental reviews -- he abstains from watching shows such as these. It is thus that the unconverted man, when speaking in praise of the Tathagata, might speak.
'Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, are addicted to heedless and idle games such as these -- eight-row chess, ten-row chess, chess in the air, hopscotch, spillikins, dice, stick games, hand-pictures, ball-games, blowing through toy pipes, playing with toy plows, turning somersaults, playing with toy windmills, toy measures, toy chariots, toy bows, guessing letters drawn in the air, guessing thoughts, mimicking deformities -- he abstains from heedless and idle games such as these. It is thus that the unconverted man, when speaking in praise of the Tathagata, might speak.
'Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, are addicted to high and luxurious furnishings such as these -- over-sized couches, couches adorned with carved animals, long-haired coverlets, multi-colored patchwork coverlets, white woolen coverlets, woolen coverlets embroidered with flowers or animal figures, stuffed quilts, coverlets with fringe, silk coverlets embroidered with gems; large woolen carpets; elephant, horse, and chariot rugs, antelope-hide rugs, deer-hide rugs; couches with awnings, couches with red cushions for the head and feet -- he abstains from using high and luxurious furnishings such as these. It is thus that the unconverted man, when speaking in praise of the Tathagata, might speak.
'Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, are addicted to scents, cosmetics, and means of beautification such as these -- rubbing powders into the body, massaging with oils, bathing in perfumed water, kneading the limbs, using mirrors, ointments, garlands, scents, creams, face-powders, mascara, bracelets, head-bands, decorated walking sticks, ornamented water-bottles, swords, fancy sunshades, decorated sandals, turbans, gems, yak-tail whisks, long-fringed white robes -- he abstains from using scents, cosmetics, and means of beautification such as these. It is thus that the unconverted man, when speaking in praise of the Tathagata, might speak.
'Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, are addicted to talking about lowly topics such as these -- tales of kings, of robbers, of ministers of state; tales of war, of terrors, of battles; talk about food and drink, about clothes and beds and garlands and perfumes; talk about relatives; talk about carriages, villages, towns, cities, and countries; tales about women and heroes; street- and well-gossip; ghost stories; desultory chatter; legends about the creation of the land and sea; and speculations about existence and non-existence -- he abstains from talking about lowly topics such as these. It is thus that the unconverted man, when speaking in praise of the Tathagata, might speak.
'Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, are addicted to debates such as these -- 'You understand this doctrine and discipline? I'm the one who understands this doctrine and discipline. How could you understand this doctrine and discipline? You're practicing wrongly. I'm practicing rightly. I'm being consistent. You're not. What should be said first you said last. What should be said last you said first. What you took so long to think out has been refuted. Your doctrine has been overthrown. You're defeated. Go and try to salvage your doctrine; extricate yourself if you can!' -- he abstains from debates such as these. It is thus that the unconverted man, when speaking in praise of the Tathagata, might speak.
'Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, are addicted to running messages and errands for people such as these -- kings, ministers of state, noble warriors, priests, householders, or youths [who say], 'Go here, go there, take this there, fetch that here' -- he abstains from running messages and errands for people such as these. It is thus that the unconverted man, when speaking in praise of the Tathagata, might speak.
'Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, engage in scheming, persuading, hinting, belittling, and pursuing gain with gain, he abstains from forms of scheming and persuading [improper ways of trying to gain material support from donors] such as these. It is thus that the unconverted man, when speaking in praise of the Tathagata, might speak.
The Large Section on Moral Discipline [13]
'Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, maintain themselves by wrong livelihood, by such lowly arts as:
'Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, maintain themselves by wrong livelihood, by such lowly arts as: determining lucky and unlucky gems, garments, staffs, swords, spears, arrows, bows, and other weapons; women, boys, girls, male slaves, female slaves; elephants, horses, buffaloes, bulls, cows, goats, rams, fowl, quails, lizards, long-eared rodents, tortoises, and other animals -- he abstains from wrong livelihood, from lowly arts such as these.
'Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, maintain themselves by wrong livelihood, by such lowly arts as forecasting:
'Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, maintain themselves by wrong livelihood, by such lowly arts as forecasting:
'Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, maintain themselves by wrong livelihood, by such lowly arts as forecasting:
'Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, maintain themselves by wrong livelihood, by such lowly arts as:
'Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, maintain themselves by wrong livelihood, by such lowly arts as:
'These, monks, are the trifling matters, the minor details, of mere morality, of which the unconverted man when praising the Tathagata, might speak.'
28. 'There are, monks, other things profound, difficult to realise, hard to understand, tranquillising, sweet, not to be grasped by mere logic, subtle, comprehensible only by the wise. These things the Tathagata, having himself realized them and seen them face to face, has set forth; and it is of them that whoever would rightly praise the Tathagata in accordance with the truth, should speak.
'And what are they?
29. 'There are recluses and Brahmans, monks, who reconstruct the ultimate beginnings of things, whose speculations are concerned with the ultimate past [143], and who on eighteen grounds put forward various assertions regarding it. [13] And about what, with reference to what, do those venerable ones do so?
30. 'There are, monks, some recluses and Brahmans who are Eternalists [144], and who, on four grounds, proclaim that both the soul and the world are eternal. And about what, with reference to what, do those venerable ones do so?
31. 'In the first place, monks, some recluse or Brahman by means of ardour, of exertion, of application, of earnestness, of careful thought, reaches such a state of concentration that, rapt in heart, he calls to mind his past lives (lit. various dwelling-places in times gone by) -- in one birth, or in two, or three, or four, or five, or ten, or twenty, or thirty, or forty, or fifty, or a hundred, or a thousand, or in several hundreds or thousands or hundreds of thousands of births -- to the effect that "There I had such and such a name, was of such and such a lineage [145] and caste [146], lived on such and such food, experienced such and such pains and pleasures, had such and such a span of years. And when I fell from thence I was reborn in such and such a place with such and such a name, in such and such a lineage and caste, living on such and such food, experiencing such and such pains and pleasures, with such and such a span of years. And when I fell from thence I was reborn here." Thus does he recollect, in full detail both conditions and customs, his various past lives. [14] And he says to himself: "The soul is eternal; and the world, giving birth to nothing new, is steadfast as a mountain peak, as a pillar firmly fixed. and though these living creatures transmigrate and pass away, fall from one state of existence and spring up in another, yet they are forever and ever. And why must that be so? Because I, by means of ardour of exertion of application of earnestness of careful thought, can reach such concentration that, rapt in heart, I can call to mind, and in full detail both of condition and of custom, my past lives -- this is how I know that the soul is eternal; and that the world, giving birth to nothing new, is steadfast as a mountain peak, as a pillar firmly fixed; and that though these living creatures transmigrate and pass away, fall from one state of existence and spring up in another, yet they are forever and ever."
'This, monks, is the first state of things on account of which, starting from which, some recluses and Brahmans are Eternalists, and maintain that both the soul and the world are eternal.
32. [The second case put is in all respects the same save that the previous births thus called to mind extend over a still longer period up to ten world aeons [147].]
33. [15] [The third case put is in all respects the same save that the previous births thus called to mind extend over a still longer period up to forty world aeons.]
34. [16] 'And in the fourth place, monks, on what ground is it, starting from what, that those venerable ones are Eternalists, and maintain that the soul and the world are eternal.
'In this case, monks, some recluse or Brahman is addicted to logic and reasoning. He comes to the following conclusion, beaten out by his argumentations and based on his sophistry [148]: "Eternal is the soul; and the world, giving birth to nothing new is steadfast as a mountain peak, as a pillar firmly fixed; and these living creatures, though they transmigrate and pass away, fall from one state of existence and spring up in another, yet they are forever and ever."
'This, monks, is the fourth state of things on the ground of which, starting from which, some recluses and Brahmans are Eternalists, and maintain that the soul and the world are eternal.
35. 'These, monks, are those recluses and Brahmans who are Eternalists, and in four ways maintain that both the soul and the world are eternal. Whatever recluses and Brahmans are such and maintain this, they do so in these four ways, or in one or other of the same, and outside these there is no way in which this opinion is arrived at.
36. 'Now of these, monks, the Tathagata knows that these speculations thus arrived at, thus insisted on, will have such and such a result, such and such an effect on the future condition of those who trust in them. [17] He knows this, and he also knows other things far beyond (far better than those speculations); and having that knowledge he is not puffed up, and thus untarnished he has, in his own heart [150], realized the way of escape from them [151], has understood, as they really are, the rising and passing away of sensations. their sweet taste, their danger, how they cannot be relied on; and not grasping after any (of those things men are eager for) the Tathagata is quite set free [152].
37. 'These [153], monks, are those other things, profound, difficult to realise, hard to understand, tranquillising, sweet, not to be grasped by mere logic, subtle, comprehensible only by the wise, which the Tathagata, having himself realized and seen face to face, has set forth; and it is concerning these that they who would rightly praise the Tathagata in accordance with the truth, should speak.'
Here ends the First Recitation Section.
Chapter II
The Eternalists
1. 'There are, monks, some recluses and Brahmans who are Eternalists with regard to some things, and in regard to others Non-Eternalists; who on four grounds maintain that the soul and the world are partly eternal and partly not.
'And what is it that these venerable ones depend upon, what is it that they start from, in arriving at this conclusion?
2. 'Now there comes a time, monks, when, sooner or later, after the lapse of a long period, this world-system passes away. And when this happens beings have mostly been reborn in the World-of-Radiance, and there they dwell made of mind, feeding on joy, radiating light from themselves, traversing the air, continuing in glory; and they remain there for a long period of time.
3. Now there comes also a time, monks, when, sooner or later, this world-system begins to re-evolve. When this happens an empty Palace of Brahma appears. And some being or other, either because his span of years has passed or his merit is exhausted, falls from that World-of-Radiance, and comes to life in the Palace of Brahma. And there also he lives made of mind, feeding on joy, radiating light from himself, traversing the air, continuing in glory; and thus does he remain for a long period of time.
4. 'Then there arises in him, from his dwelling there so long alone, a dissatisfaction and a longing: "O! if only other beings might come to join me in this place!" And just then, either because their span of years had passed or their merit was exhausted, other beings fall from the World-of-Radiance, and appear in the Palace of Brahma as companions to him, and in all respects are like him. [18]
5. 'On this, monks, the one who was first reborn thinks thus to himself: "I am Brahma, the Great Brahma, the Supreme One, the Mighty, the All-seeing, the Ruler, the Lord of all, the Maker, the Creator, the Chief of all, appointing to each his place, the Ancient of days the Father of all that is and is to be [154]. 'These other beings are of my creation. And why is that so? A while ago I thought, 'If only they might come!' And upon my mental aspiration, behold these beings came."
'And those beings themselves, too, think thus: "This must be Brahma,, the Great Brahma, the Supreme, the Mighty, the All-seeing, the Ruler, the Lord of all, the Maker, the Creator, the Chief of all, appointing to each his place, the Ancient of days, the Father of all that is and is to be. And we must have been created by him. And why? Because we see that he who was here first and we came afterwards."
6. 'Because of this, monks, the one who first came into existence there is of longer life, and more glorious, and more powerful than those who appeared after him. And it might well be, monks, that some being on his falling from that state, should come to this world. And having come to this world he might go forth from the household life into the homeless state. And having thus become a recluse he, by reason of ardour of exertion of application of earnestness of careful thought, reaches such a state of concentration that, rapt in heart, he calls to mind his last dwelling-place, but not the previous ones. He says to himself: "That illustrious Brahma, the Great Brahma, the Supreme One, the Mighty, the All-seeing, the Ruler, the Lord of all, the Maker, the Creator, the Chief of all, appointing to each his place, the Ancient of days, the Father of all that is and is to be, he by whom we were created, he is steadfast immutable eternal, of a nature that knows no change, and he will remain so forever and ever. But we who were created by him have come to this world as being impermanent, mutable, limited in duration of life.
[19] 'This, monks, is the first state of things on account of which, starting out from which, some recluses and Brahmans, being Eternalists as to some things, and Non-eternalists as to others, maintain that the soul and the world are partly eternal and partly not.
7. 'And what is the second?
'There are, monks, certain gods called the "Debauched by Pleasure" [155]. 'For ages they pass their time in the pursuit of the laughter and sport of sensual lusts. As a consequence their self-possession is corrupted, and through the loss of their self-control they fall from that state [156].
8. 'Now it might well be, monks, that some being, on his falling from that state, should come to this world. And having come to this world he should, as in the last case, become a recluse, and acquire the power of recollecting his last birth, but only his last one.
9. 'And he would say to himself: "Those gods who are not debauched by pleasure are steadfast, immutable, eternal, of a nature that knows no change, and they will remain so forever and ever. [20] But we, who fell from that state having lost our self-control through being debauched by pleasure, we have come to this world as being impermanent, mutable, limited in duration of life."
10. 'And what is the third?
'There are, monks, certain gods called the "Debauched in Mind" [157]. They burn continually with envy [158] one against another, and being thus irritated, their hearts become ill-disposed towards each other, and being thus debauched, their bodies become feeble, and their minds imbecile. And those gods fall from that state.
11. 'Now it might well be, monks, that some being, on his falling from that state, should come to this world; and having become a recluse should, as in the other cases, acquire the power of recollecting his last birth, but only his last one.
12. 'And he would say to himself: "Those gods who are not debauched in mind do not continually burn with envy against each other, so their hearts do not become evil disposed one towards another, nor their bodies feeble and their minds imbecile. Therefore they do not fall from that state; they are steadfast, immutable, eternal, of a nature that knows no change, and they will remain so forever and ever. [21] But we were corrupted in mind, being constantly excited by envy against one another. And being thus envious and corrupt our bodies became feeble, and our minds imbecile, and we fell from that state, and have come to this world as being impermanent, mutable, limited in duration of life."
'This, monks, is the third case.
13. 'And what is the fourth?
In this case, monks, some recluse or Brahman is addicted to logic and reasoning. He comes to the following conclusion, beaten out by his argumentations and based on his sophistry: "This which is called eye and ear and nose and tongue and body is a self which is impermanent, unstable, not eternal, subject to change. But this which is called heart, or mind, or consciousness is a self which is permanent, steadfast, eternal, and knows no change, and it will remain forever and ever [159].
This, monks, is the fourth state of things, on the ground of which, starting from which, some recluses and Brahmans are Semi-eternalists, and in four ways maintain that the soul and the world are in some respects eternal, and in some not.
14. 'These, monks, are those recluses and Brahmans who are Semi-eternalists, and in four ways maintain that the soul and the world are eternal in some cases and not in others. Whatever recluses and Brahmans are such and maintain this, they do so in these four ways or in one or other of the same; and outside these there is no way in which this opinion is arrived at.
[22] 15. 'Now of these, monks, the Tathagata knows that these speculations, thus arrived at, thus insisted on, will have such and such a result, such and such an effect on the future condition of those who trust in them. He knows this, and he also knows other things far beyond (far better than those speculations); and having that knowledge, he is not puffed up, and thus untarnished he has, in his own heart, realized the way of escape from them, has understood, as they really are, the rising and passing away of sensations, their sweet taste, their danger, how they cannot be relied on, and not grasping after any (of those things men are eager for) the Tathagata is quite set free.
'These, monks, are those other things, profound, difficult to realise, hard to understand, tranquillising, sweet, not to be grasped by mere logic, subtle, comprehensible only by the wise, which the Tathagata, having himself realized and seen face to face, has set forth; and it is concerning these that they who would rightly praise the Tathagata in accordance with the truth, should speak.'
The Extensionists
16. 'There are, monks, certain recluses and Brahmans who are Extensionists [160], and who in four ways set forth the infinity or finiteness of the world. And on what ground, starting out from what, do these venerable ones maintain this?
17. 'In the first case, monks, some recluse or Brahman, by means of ardour of exertion of application of earnestness of careful thought, reaches such a state of concentration that, rapt in heart, he lives in the world imagining it finite. And he says thus to himself: "The world is finite, so that a path could be traced round it [161]. And why is this so? Since I, by means of ardour of exertion of application of earnestness of careful thought, can reach such concentration that, rapt in heart, I live in the world perceiving it to be finite-by that I know this."
'This, monks, is the first case.
18. 'The second case is similar, only that the conclusion is: [23] 'The world is infinite without a limit. Those recluses and Brahmans who say it is finite, so that a path could be traced round it, are wrong."
19. 'The third case is similar, only that the conclusion is that he imagines the world limited in the upward and downward directions, but infinite across; he declares both the former conclusions to be wrong.
20. 'In the fourth case, monks, some recluse or Brahman is addicted to logic and reasoning. He comes to the following conclusion, beaten out by his argumentations and based on his sophistry: "This world is neither finite nor infinite. Those recluses and Brahmans who maintain either the first, or the second, or the third conclusion, are wrong. [24] The world is neither finite nor is it infinite."
'This, monks, is the fourth case.
21. 'These, monks, are those recluses and Brahmans who are Extensionists, and in four ways maintain that the world is finite or infinite. Whatever recluses and Brahmans are such, and maintain this, they do so in these four ways or in one or other of the same; and outside these there is no way in which this opinion is arrived at.
22. 'Now of these, monks, the Tathagata knows that these speculations thus arrived at, thus insisted on, will have such and such a result, such and such an effect on the future condition of those who trust in them. He knows this, and he also knows other things far beyond (far better than those speculations); and having that knowledge he is not puffed up, and thus untarnished he has, in his own heart, realized the way of escape from them, has understood, as they really are, the rising and passing away of sensations, their sweet taste, their danger, how they cannot be relied on, and not grasping after any (of those things men are eager for) the Tathagata is quite set free.
'These, monks, are those other things, profound, difficult to realise, hard to understand, tranquillising, sweet, not to be grasped by mere logic, subtle, comprehensible only by the wise, which the Tathagata, having himself realized and seen face to face, has set forth; and it is concerning these that they who would rightly praise the Tathagata in accordance with the truth, should speak.'
The Eel-Wrigglers
23. 'There are, monks, some recluses and Brahmans who wriggle like eels; and when a question is put to them on this or that they resort to equivocation, to eel-wriggling, and this in four ways.
'Now on what ground starting out from what, do those venerable ones do so?
24. 'In the first place, monks, some recluse or Brahman does not understand the nature of good and evil. He thinks: "I neither know the good, as it really is, nor the evil. [25] That being so, were I to pronounce this to be good or that to be evil, I might be influenced by my feelings or desires, by ill will or resentment. And under these circumstances I might be wrong; and my having been wrong might cause me the pain of remorse; and the sense of remorse might become a hindrance to me." Thus fearing and abhorring the being wrong in an expressed opinion, he will neither declare anything to be good, nor to be bad; but on a question being put to him on this or that, he resorts to eel-wriggling. to equivocation, and says: "I don't take it this way. I don't take it the other way. But I advance no different opinion. And I don't deny your position. And I don't say it is neither the one, nor the other." [164].
'This is the first case.
'And what is the second?
25. [The same, reading] "Under these circumstances I might fall into that grasping condition of heart which causes rebirth; and my so falling might cause me the pain of remorse; and the sense of remorse might become a hindrance to me." [26] Thus fearing and abhorring the falling into that state [165], he will neither declare (etc., as in Section 24).
'This is the second case.
'And what is the third?
26. [The same, reading] 'And he thinks: "I neither know the good, as it really is, nor the evil. Now there are recluses and Brahmans who are clever, subtle, experienced in controversy, hair-splitters, who go about shattering with their wisdom the speculations of others. Were I to pronounce this to be good, or that to be evil, these men might have issue with me, call upon me for my reasons, point out my errors. And on their doing so, I might be unable to explain [166]. And that might cause me the pain of remorse; and the sense of remorse might become a hindrance to me." Thus fearing and abhorring the joinder of issue, he will neither declare (etc., as in Section 24).
'This is the third case. [27]
'And what is the fourth?
27. 'In this case, monks, some recluse or Brahman is dull, stupid. And by reason of his dullness, his stupidity, when a question on this or that is put to him, he resorts to equivocation, to wriggling like an eel: "If you ask me whether there is another world, -- well, if I thought there were, I would say so. But I don't say so. And I don't think it is this way or that. And I don't think it is otherwise. And I don't deny it. And I don't say there neither is, nor is not, another world." Thus he equivocates, and in like manner about any proposition such as the following [167]:
a.
(2) There is not another world.
(3) There both is, and is not, another world.
(4) There neither is, nor is not, another world.
b.
(1) There are Chance Beings (so called because they spring into existence, either here or in another world, without the intervention of parents, and seem therefore to come without a cause).
(2) There are no such beings.
(3) There both are, and are not, such beings.
(4) There neither are, nor are not, such beings.
c
(1) There is fruit, result, of good and bad actions.
(2) There is not.
(3) There both is, and is not.
(4) There neither is, nor is not.
d.
(1) A man who has penetrated to the truth [168] continues to exist after death.
(2) He does not.
(3) He both does, and does not.
(4) He neither does, nor does not.
'This, monks, is the fourth case.
[28] 28. 'These, monks, are those recluses and Brahmans who wriggle like eels; and who, when a question is put to them on this or that, resort to equivocation, to eel-wriggling; and that in four ways. For whoever does so, they do so in these four ways, or in one or other of the same; there is no other way in which they do so.
29. 'Now of these, monks, the Tathagata knows that these speculations thus arrived at, thus insisted on, will have such and such a result, such and such an effect on the future condition of those who trust in them. He knows this, and he also knows other things far beyond (far better than those speculations); and having that knowledge he is not puffed up, and thus untarnished he has, in his own heart, realized the way of escape from them, has understood, as they really are, the rising and passing away of sensations, their sweet taste, their danger, how they cannot be relied on, and not grasping after any (of those things men are eager for) the Tathagata is quite set free.
'These monks, are those other things, profound, difficult to realise, hard to understand, tranquillising, sweet, not to be grasped by mere logic, subtle, comprehensible only by the wise, which the Tathagata, having himself realized and seen face to face, has set forth; and it is concerning these that they who would rightly praise the Tathagata in accordance with the truth, should speak.'
The Fortuitous-Originists
30. 'There are, monks, some recluses and Brahmans who are Fortuitous-Originists [170], and who in two ways maintain that the soul and the world arise without a cause. And on what ground, starting out from what, do they do so?
31. 'There are, monks, certain gods called Unconscious Beings [171]. As soon as an idea occurs to them they fall from that state. Now it may well be, monks, that a being, on falling from that state, should come to this world; and having come to this world he might go forth from the household life into the homeless state. And having thus become a recluse he, by reason of ardour and so on (as in the other cases) reaches such a state of concentration that, rapt in heart, he calls to mind how that idea occurred to him, but not more than that. He says to himself: "Fortuitous in origin are the soul and the world. And why so? Because formerly I was not, but now am. Having not been, I have come to be." [29]
'This, monks, is the first state of things on account of which, starting out from which some recluses and Brahmans become Fortuitous-Originists, and maintain that the soul and the world arise without a cause.
32,33 'And what is the second?
In this case, monks, some recluse or Brahman is addicted to logic and reasoning. He comes to the following conclusion, beaten out by his argumentations, and based on his sophistry: "The soul and the world arose without a cause."
'This, monks, is the second case.
34. 'Now of these, monks, the Tathagata knows that these speculations thus arrived at, thus insisted on, will have such and such a result, such and such an effect on the future condition of those who trust in them. He knows this, and he also knows other things far beyond (far better than those speculations); and having that knowledge he is not puffed up, and thus untarnished he has, in his own heart, realized the way of escape from them, has understood, as they really are, the rising and passing away of sensations, their sweet taste, their danger, how they cannot be relied on, and not grasping after any (of those things men are eager for) the Tathagata is quite set free.
'These, monks, are those other things, profound, difficult to realise, hard to understand, tranquillising, sweet, not to be grasped by mere logic, subtle, comprehensible only by the wise, which the Tathagata, having himself realized and seen face to face, has set forth; and it is concerning these that they who would rightly praise the Tathagata in accordance with the truth, should speak.'
[30] 35. 'These, monks, are the recluses and Brahmans who reconstruct the ultimate beginnings of things, whose speculations are concerned with the ultimate past, and who on eighteen grounds put forward various assertions regarding the past [172]. And those who do so, all of them, do so in one or other of these eighteen ways. There is none beside.
36. 'Now of these, monks, the Tathagata knows that these speculations thus arrived at, thus insisted on, will have such and such a result, such and such an effect on the future condition of those who trust in them. He knows this, and he also knows other things far beyond (far better than those speculations); and having that knowledge he is not puffed up, and thus untarnished he has, in his own heart, realized the way of escape from them, has understood, as they really are, the rising and passing away of sensations, their sweet taste, their danger, how they cannot be relied on, and not grasping after any (of those things men are eager for) the Tathagata is quite set free.
'These, monks, are those other things, profound, difficult to realise, hard to understand, tranquillising, sweet, not to be grasped by mere logic, subtle, comprehensible only by the wise, which the Tathagata, having himself realized and seen face to face, has set forth; and it is concerning these that they who would rightly praise the Tathagata in accordance with the truth, should speak.'
The Believers in Future Life
37. 'There are, monks, recluses and Brahmans who arrange the future, whose speculations are concerned with the future, and who on forty-four grounds put forward various assertions regarding the future. And on account of what, starting out from what, do they do so?
38. 'There are, monks, recluses and Brahmans who [31] hold the doctrine of a conscious existence after death [173], and who maintain in sixteen ways that the soul after death is conscious. And how do they do so?
'They say of the soul: "The soul after death, not subject to decay, and conscious,
(1) has form [174],
(2) is formless [175],
(3) both has, and has not, form,
(4) neither has, nor has not, form,
(5) is finite,
(6) is infinite,
(7) is both,
(8) is neither,
(9) has one mode of consciousness,
(10) has various modes of consciousness,
(11) has limited consciousness,
(12) has infinite consciousness.
(13) is altogether happy,
(14) is altogether miserable,
(15) is both,
(16) is neither."
39. 'These, monks, are those recluses and Brahmans who hold the doctrine of a conscious existence after death, and who maintain in sixteen ways that the soul after death is conscious. And those who do so, all of them, do so in one or other of these sixteen ways. There is none beside.
40. 'Now of these, monks, the Tathagata knows that these speculations thus arrived at, thus insisted on, will have such and such a result, such and such an effect on the future condition of those who trust in them. He knows this, and he also knows other things far beyond (far better than those speculations) and having that knowledge he is not puffed up, and thus untarnished he has, in his own heart, realized the way of escape from them, has understood, as they really are, the rising and passing away of sensations, their sweet taste, their danger, how they cannot be relied on, and not grasping after any (of those things men are eager for) the Tathagata is quite set free.
'These, monks, are those other things, profound, difficult to realise, hard to understand, tranquillising, sweet, not to be grasped by mere logic, subtle, comprehensible. only by the wise, which the Tathagata, having himself realized and seen face to face, has set forth; and it is concerning these that they who would rightly raise the Tathagata in accordance with the truth, should speak.'
Here ends the Second Recitation Section. [32]
Chapter III
1. 'There are, monks, recluses and Brahmans who hold the doctrine of an unconscious existence after death, and who maintain in eight ways that the soul after death is unconscious. And how do they do so?
2. 'They say of the soul: "The soul after death, not subject to decay, and unconscious,
(1) has form,
(2) is formless,
(3) both has, and has not, form,
(4) neither has, nor has not form
(5) is finite,
(6) is infinite,
(7) is both,
(8) is neither.
3. 'These, monks, are those recluses and Brahmans who hold the doctrine of an unconscious existence after death, and who maintain in eight ways that the soul after death is unconscious. And those who do so, all of them, do so in one or other of those eight ways. There is none beside.
4. 'Now of these, monks, the Tathagata knows that these speculations thus arrived at, thus insisted on, will have such and such a result, such and such an effect on the future condition of those who trust in them. He knows this, and he also knows other things far beyond (far better than those speculations); and having that knowledge he is not puffed up, and thus untarnished he has, in his own heart, realized the way of escape from them, has understood, as they really are, the rising up and passing, away of sensations, their sweet taste, their dancer, how they cannot be relied on, and not grasping after any (of those things men are eager for) the Tathagata is quite set free.
'These, monks, are those other things, profound, difficult to realise, hard to understand, tranquillising, sweet, not to be grasped by mere logic, subtle, comprehensible only by the wise, which the Tathagata, having himself realized and seen face to face, has set forth and it is concerning these that they who would rightly praise the Tathagata in, accordance with the truth, should speak.
5-8. [33] [Similar sections for those who maintain in eight ways that the soul after death is neither conscious nor unconscious.]
The Annihilationists
[176] 9. [34] 'There are, monks, recluses and Brahmans who are Annihilationists, who in seven ways maintain the cutting off, the destruction, the annihilation of a living being [177]. And on account of what, starting out from what, do they do so?
10. 'In the first place, monks, some recluse or Brahman puts forth the following opinion, the following view: "Since, Sir, this soul has form, is built up of the four elements, and is the offspring of father and mother, it is cut off, destroyed, on the dissolution of the body; and does not continue after death; and then, Sir, the soul is completely annihilated." Thus is it that some maintain the cutting off, the destruction, the annihilation of a living, being,
11. 'To him another says: 'There is, Sir, such a soul as you describe. That I do not deny. But the whole soul, Sir, is not then completely annihilated. For there is a further soul - divine, having form, belonging to the sensuous plane, feeding on solid food. That you neither know of nor perceive. But I know and have experienced it. And since this soul, on the dissolution of the body, is cut off and destroyed, does not continue after death, then is it, Sir, that the soul is completely annihilated." Thus is it that some maintain the cutting off, the destruction, the annihilation of a living being.
12. 'To him another says: "There is, Sir, such a soul as you describe. That I do not deny. But the whole soul, Sir, is not then completely annihilated. For there is a further soul-divine, having form, made of mind, with all its major and minor parts complete, not deficient in any organ. This you neither know of nor perceive. But I know and have experienced it. And since this soul, on the dissolution of the body, is cut off and destroyed, does not continue after death, then is it, Sir, that the soul is completely annihilated." Thus is it that some maintain the cutting off, the destruction, the annihilation of a living being.
13. 'To him another says: "There is, Sir, such a soul as you describe. That I do not deny. But the whole soul, Sir, is not then completely annihilated. For there is a further soul, which by passing beyond ideas of form, by the dying out of ideas of resistance, by paying no heed to ideas of difference, conscious that space is infinite, reaches up to the plane of the infinity of space [178]. This you neither know of nor perceive. [35] But I know and have experienced it. And since this soul, on the dissolution of the body, is cut off and destroyed, does not continue after death, then is it, Sir, that the soul is completely annihilated." Thus is it that some maintain the cutting off, the destruction, the annihilation of a living being.
14. 'To him another says: "There is, Sir, such ,a soul as you describe. That I do not deny. But the whole soul, Sir, is not then completely annihilated. For there is a further soul, which having passed beyond the plane of the infinity of space, knowing that consciousness is infinite, reaches up to the plane of the infinity of consciousness [179]. This you neither know of nor perceive. But I know and have experienced it. And since this soul, on the dissolution of the body, is cut off and destroyed, does not continue after death, then is it, Sir, that the soul is completely annihilated." Thus is it that some maintain the cutting off, the destruction, the annihilation of a living being.
15. 'To him another says: "There is, Sir, such a soul as you describe. That I do not deny. But the whole soul, Sir, is not then completely annihilated. For there is a further soul, which by passing quite beyond the plane of the infinity of consciousness, knowing that there is nothing, reaches up to the plane of no-thingness [180]. This you neither know of nor perceive. But I know and have experienced it. And since this soul, on the dissolution of the body, is cut off and destroyed, does not continue after death, then is it, Sir, that the soul is completely annihilated." Thus is it that some maintain the cutting off, the destruction, the annihilation of a living, being.
16. 'To him another says: "There is, Sir, such a soul as you describe. That I do not deny. But the whole soul, Sir, is not then completely annihilated. For there is a further soul, which by passing quite beyond the plane of no-thingness, realises 'This is good, this is excellent,' and reaches up to the plane of neither perception nor non-perception [181] This you neither know of, nor perceive. But I know and have experienced it. And since this soul, on the dissolution of the body, is cut off, destroyed, does not continue after death, then is it, Sir, that the soul is completely annihilated." Thus is it that some maintain the cutting off, the destruction, !the annihilation of a living being.
17. 'These, monks, are the recluses and Brahmans who are Annihilationists and in seven ways maintain the cutting off, the destruction, the annihilation of a living being. [36] And whosoever do so they, all of them, do so in one or other of these seven ways. There is none beside.
18. 'Now of these, monks, the Tathāgata knows that these speculations thus arrived at, thus insisted on, will have such and such a result, such and such an effect on the future condition of those who trust in them. He knows this, and he also knows other things far beyond (far better than those speculations) and having that knowledge he is not puffed up, and thus untarnished he has, in his own heart, realized the way of escape from them, has understood, as they really are, the rising and passing away of sensations, their sweet taste, their danger, how they cannot be relied on, and not grasping after any (of those things men are eager for) he, the Tathāgata, is quite set free.
'These, monks, are those other things, profound, difficult to realise, hard to understand, tranquillising, sweet, not to be grasped by mere logic, subtle, comprehensible. only by the wise, which the Tathāgata, having himself realized and seen face to face, has set forth; and it is concerning these that they who would rightly raise the Tathāgata in accordance with the truth, should speak.'
19. 'There are, monks, recluses and Brahmans who hold the doctrine of Nibbana in this life, who in five ways maintain the complete salvation, in this visible world, of a living being. And relying on what, starting out from what, do they do so?
20. 'Hereon, monks, some recluse or Brahman may have the following opinion, the following view: "Whensoever the soul, in full enjoyment and possession of the five pleasures of sense, indulges all its functions, then, Sir, the soul has attained, in this visible world, to the highest Nibbana." Thus do some maintain the complete happiness, in the visible world, of a living being.
21. 'To him another says: "There is, Sir, such a soul as you describe. That I do not deny. But the soul does not by that alone attain to the highest Nibbana. And why not? Sensuous delights, Sir, are transitory, they involve pain, their very nature is to fluctuate. And grief, lamentation, pain, sorrow, and loathing arise out of their inconstancy and change. [37] But whensoever the soul, quite secluded from sense desires, secluded from unwholesome states of mind, he enters and remains in the first Jhana which is filled with rapture and happiness born of seclusion and is accompanied by applied and sustained thinking, then, Sir, has the soul attained, in this visible world, to the highest Nibbana." Thus do some maintain the complete happiness, in the visible world, of a living being.
22. 'To him another says: "There is, Sir, such a soul as you describe. That I do not deny. But the soul does not by that alone attain to the highest Nibbana. And why not? Because inasmuch as that state involves applied and sustained thinking it is stamped as being gross. But whensoever, Sir, the soul, with the stilling of applied and sustained thinking, by gaining inner tranquility and oneness of mind, he enters and remains in the second Jhana which is without applied and sustained thinking, born of concentration, and is filled with rapture and happiness, then, Sir, has the soul attained, in this visible world, to the highest Nibbana." Thus do some maintain the complete happiness, in the visible world, of a living being.
23. 'To him another says: "There is, Sir, such a soul as you describe. That I do not deny. But the soul does not by that alone attain to the highest Nibbana. And why not? Because inasmuch as that state involves the sense of rapture, of exhilaration of heart, it is stamped as being gross. But whensoever, Sir, the soul, with the fading away of rapture, remaining imperturbable, mindful, and clearly aware, enters and remains in the third Jhana, and of which the Noble Ones declare, "Equanimous and mindful, he has a pleasurable abiding" - then, Sir, has the soul attained, in this visible world, to the highest Nibbana." Thus do some maintain the complete happiness, in the visible world, of a living being.
24. 'To him another says: "There is. Sir, such a soul as you describe. That I do not deny. But the soul does not by that alone attain to the highest Nibbana. And why not? Because inasmuch as that state involves a constant dwelling of the mind on joy, it is stamped as gross. [38] But whensoever, Sir, the soul, with the the abandoning of pleasure and pain -- as with the earlier disappearance of joy and sorrow -- enters and remains in the fourth Jhana: [183] which is beyond pleasure and pain and is purified by equanimity and mindfulness, Sir, then has the soul attained, in this visible world, to the highest Nibbana." Thus do some maintain the complete happiness, in the visible world, of a living, being.
25. 'These, monks, are the recluses and Brahmans who hold the doctrine of Nibbana in this life, who in five ways maintain the complete salvation, in this visible world, of a living being. And those who do so, all of them, do so in one or other of these five ways. There is none beside.
26. 'Now of these, monks, the Tathāgata knows that these speculations thus arrived at, thus insisted on, will have such and such a result, such and such an effect on the future condition of those who trust in them. He knows this, and he also knows other things far beyond (far better than those speculations) and having that knowledge he is not puffed up, and thus untarnished he has, in his own heart, realized the way of escape from them, has understood, as they really are, the rising and passing away of sensations, their sweet taste, their danger, how they cannot be relied on, and not grasping after any (of those things men are eager for) he, the Tathāgata, is quite set free.
'These, monks, are those other things, profound, difficult to realise, hard to understand, tranquillising, sweet, not to be grasped by mere logic, subtle, comprehensible. only by the wise, which the Tathāgata, having himself realized and seen face to face, has set forth; and it is concerning these that they who would rightly raise the Tathāgata in accordance with the truth, should speak.'
27. 'These, monks, are the recluses and Brahmans who arrange the future, whose speculations are concerned with the future, and who on forty-four grounds put forward various assertions regarding the future. And those who do so, all of them, do so in one or other of these .forty-four ways. There is none beside.
28. 'Now of these, monks, the Tathāgata knows that these speculations thus arrived at, thus insisted on, will have such and such a result, such and such an effect on the future condition of those who trust in them. He knows this, and he also knows other things far beyond (far better than those speculations) and having that knowledge he is not puffed up, and thus untarnished he has, in his own heart, realized the way of escape from them, has understood, as they really are, the rising and passing away of sensations, their sweet taste, their danger, how they cannot be relied on, and not grasping after any (of those things men are eager for) he, the Tathāgata, is quite set free.
'These, monks, are those other things, profound, difficult to realise, hard to understand, tranquillising, sweet, not to be grasped by mere logic, subtle, comprehensible. only by the wise, which the Tathāgata, having himself realized and seen face to face, has set forth; and it is concerning these that they who would rightly raise the Tathāgata in accordance with the truth, should speak.'
[39] 29. 'These, monks, are the recluses and Brahmans who reconstruct the past, and arrange the future, or who do both, whose speculations are concerned with both, and who in sixty-two ways put forward propositions with regard to the past and to the future, and those who do so, all of them, do so in one or other of these sixty-two ways. There is none beside.
30. 'Now of these, monks, the Tathāgata knows that these speculations thus arrived at, thus insisted on, will have such and such a result, such and such an effect on the future condition of those who trust in them. He knows this, and he also knows other things far beyond (far better than those speculations) and having that knowledge he is not puffed up, and thus untarnished he has, in his own heart, realized the way of escape from them, has understood, as they really are, the rising and passing away of sensations, their sweet taste, their danger, how they cannot be relied on, and not grasping after any (of those things men are eager for) he, the Tathāgata, is quite set free.
'These, monks, are those other things, profound, difficult to realise, hard to understand, tranquillising, sweet, not to be grasped by mere logic, subtle, comprehensible. only by the wise, which the Tathāgata, having himself realized and seen face to face, has set forth; and it is concerning these that they who would rightly raise the Tathāgata in accordance with the truth, should speak.'
[40] 32. 'Of these, monks, those recluses and Brahmans
(1) who are Eternalists, who in four ways maintain that the soul and the world are eternal;
(2) those who are Semi-eternalists, who in four ways maintain that the soul and the world are partly eternal and partly not;
(3) those who are Extensionists, who in four ways maintain the infinity or the finiteness of the world;
(4) those who are Eel-wrigglers, who when a question is put to them on this or that resort, in four ways, to equivocation, to wriggling like eels;
(5) those who are Fortuitous-Originists, who in two ways maintain that the soul and the world arose without, a cause;
(6) those who in any of these eighteen ways reconstruct the past;
(7) those who hold the doctrine of a conscious existence after death, who maintain in sixteen ways that the soul after death is conscious;
(8) those who hold the doctrine of an unconscious existence after death, who maintain in eight ways that the soul after death is unconscious;
(9) those who maintain in eight ways that the soul after death is neither conscious nor unconscious;
(10) those who are Annihilationists, who maintain ill seven ways the cutting off, the destruction, the annihilation of a living being;
(11) those who hold the doctrine of Nibbana in this life, who in five ways maintain the complete salvation, in this visible world, of a living being
that opinion of theirs is based only on the personal sensations, on the worry and writhing consequent thereon [184], of those venerable recluses and Brahmans, who know not, neither perceive, and are subject to all kinds of craving:
45 foll. [41,42] 'Those opinions of theirs are therefore based upon contact (through the senses).
58 foll. [43] That they should experience those sensations without such contact, such a condition of things could not be.
71. [44] 'They all of them, receive those sensations through continual contact in the spheres of the senses. To them on account of those sensations arises craving, on account of the craving arises clinging, from the clinging results becoming, from the tendency to become arises birth, and from birth comes death, and grief, lamentation, pain, sorrow, and despair. It is, monks, when a monk understands, as they really are, the origin and the end, the attraction, the danger, and the way of escape from the six realms of contact, that he gets to know what is above, beyond, them all [185].
72. [45] 'For whosoever, monks, whether recluses or Brahmans, are thus reconstructors of the past or arrangers of the future, or who are both, whose speculations are concerned with both, who put forward various propositions with regard to the past and to the future, they, all of them, are entrapped in the net of these sixty-two modes; this way and that they plunge about, but they are in it; this way and that they may flounder, but they are included in it, caught in it.
'Just, monks, as when a skilful fisherman or fisherlad should drag a tiny pool of water with a fine-meshed net he might fairly think: "Whatever fish of size may be in this pond, every one will be in this net; flounder about as they may, they will be included in it, and caught" - just so is it with these speculators about the past and the future, in this net, flounder, as they may, they are included and caught. [46]
73. 'The outward form, monks, of him who has won the truth [186], stands before you, but that which binds it to rebirth is cut. So long as his body shall last, so long do gods and men behold him. On the dissolution of the body, beyond the end of his life, neither gods nor men shall see him.
'Just, monks, as when the stalk of a bunch of mangoes has been cut, all the mangoes that were hanging on that stalk go with it; just so, monks, though the outward form of him who has won the truth stands before you, that which binds it to rebirth has been cut. So long as his body shall last, so long do gods and men behold him. On the dissolution of the body, beyond the end of his life, neither gods nor men shall see him.'
74. When he had thus spoken, the venerable Ananda said to the Blessed One: 'Strange, Lord, is this, and wonderful! And what name has this exposition of the truth?'
'Ananda, you may remember this exposition as the Net of Advantage, and as the Net of Truth, and as the Supreme Net, and as the Net of Theories; remember it even as the Glorious Victory in the day of battle!'
Thus spoke the Blessed One, and glad at heart the monks exalted his word. And on the delivery of this discourse the thousandfold world-system shook.
Here ends the Brahma-Jala Sutta.
[2] Summed up below, pp. 52, 53; and set out more fully in the list in the 'American Lectures on Buddhism.' London, 1896, pp. 31-33.
[3] See the fable quoted below, pp. 187, 188.
[4] See below, pp. 44, 188.
[5] See for instance below, pp. 53, 54.
[10] Nalanda, afterwards the seat of the famous Buddhist university, was about seven miles north of Rajagaha, the capital of Magadha, the modern Raj-gir (Sum. p. 35).
[11] Suppiya was a follower of the celebrated teacher Sañjaya, whose views are set out and controverted in the next Sutta.
[12] Ambalaññhika, 'the mango sapling.' It was, says Buddhaghosa (pp. 41, 42), a well-watered and shady park so called from a mango sapling by the gateway. It was surrounded with a rampart, and had in it a rest-house adorned with paintings for the king's amusement.
There was another garden so named at Anuradhapura in Ceylon, to the east of the Brazen Palace (Sum. 1, 13 1). This was so named, no doubt, after the other which was famous as the scene of the 'Exhortation to Rahula starting with falsehood,' mentioned in Asoka's Bhabra Edict (see my 'Buddhism,' pp. 224, 225).
[13] These titles occur, in the MSS., at the end of the sections of the tract that now follows. It forms a part of each of the Suttas in the first division, the first third, of this collection of Suttas. The division is called therefore the Sila Vagga or Section containing the Silas. The tract itself must almost certainly have existed as a separate work before the time when the discourses, in each of which it recurs, were first put together.
Certain paragraphs from this tract occur also elsewhere. So in Majjhima I, 179 we have the whole of the short paragraphs; in Majjhima, Nos. 76 and 77, and in Mahavagga V, 8, 3, we have Section 17; in Majjhima II, 3 we have most of Section 18; and so on. The whole of this tract has been translated into English by Gogerly (in Grimblot, see page 1, note), into French by Burnouf (also in Grimblot, pp. 212 foll.), and into German by Dr. Neumann (in his Buddhistische Anthologie, pp. 67 foll.).
[14] This refrain is repeated at the end of each clause.
[143] These phrases recur S. III, 45. On anuddiññhi see also Gogerly in the, Ceylon Friend, 1875, p. 133, and Morris in the J. P. T. S., 1886, p. 113; and compare , attanuddiññhi at Mil. 146, 160, 352 S. N. 1119. As in our colloquial expression a 'viewy man,' diññhi almost always, and anudiññhi in all the seven passages where it occurs, have a connotation of contempt-a mere view, an offhand ill-considered opinion, a delusion. The Greek greak.Øæøa has had a similar history, and dogma or speculation is a better rendering than view or belief.
[144] Sassata-vada.
[145] Gotra, literally 'cow-stall.' The history of this word has yet to be written. It probably meant at the time this Sutta was written a family or lineage traced through the father. On the meaning of gotraja (the gentiles of Roman Law) in the later law-books see West and Bhler, 'Hindu Law of Inheritance,' p.17 I.
[146] Vanna, literally colour.' Gogerly renders it 'appearance,' and Neumann 'Beruf.' I have chosen caste (though it is not caste in its strictest sense) because it no doubt refers to the cattaro vanna mentioned so often in the Suttas. it is true that these-Khattiyas, Brahmans, Vessas, and Suddas-were not castes, but four divisions of the people, each consisting of many subdivisions (by customs as to connubium and commensality) which afterwards hardened into castes. ,,See J. R. A. S., 1897, PP. SO-,90.
[147] Saüvañña - vivaññaü (rolling up and evolution, from vaññ, to turn). It is the period of the gradual disintegration and conformation of a world. Needless to add that the length of this period cannot be expressed in figures.
Neither the idea nor the word occurs in books known to be before the Buddha. But both are Indian rather than Buddhist. Saüvarta is found in the Maha Bharata and the Ramayana; and the later Saïkhya notion of pralaya is closely allied.
[148] This phrase recurs below, chap. iii SectionSection 14, 20.
[150] Paccattaü. See the common phrases A. II, 198=S. I, 9, 10, 117; M. I, 188=422; M. I, 251, 252 = S. III, 54, etc.; and S. N. 611,906; Mil. 96, 347; Sum. 182. 'Without depending on anyone else, himself by himself,' says Buddhaghosa.
[151] Nirvana, says Buddhaghosa.
[152] Gogerly (PP. 77, 78 in Grimblot) has made a sad mess of this paragraph misunderstanding the grammatical construction of the first clause, and misinterpreting- paramasati in the second, and nissaranaü in the third.
[153] Not of course the four speculations, but the higher knowledge which has led him to reject them.
[154] This string of epithets recurs at M. I, 327 in the course of the story of the Brahma, named Baka, who is represented as coming to the very conclusion set out in our section. The story was a favourite one, and three recessions of it have been preserved (M. I, 326-331; S. I, 142-144, and Jat. No. 405). Mr. Crow evidently considered himself the Maha Brahma of the period.
The omission in the Dialogue of all reference to the Kesava Birth Story may be a sign of greater age or it may be due simply to the fact that it is not required for the argument there.
[155] Khióóa-padosika. They are not mentioned elsewhere except in the list of gods in the Maha Samaya (p. 287).
[156] Buddhaghosa on this has a curious note. The gods, though of great glory, are delicate in body. A man, having gone without food for seven days even, may restore his strength by the use of clear broth and so on. But the gods can't play tricks with themselves; and if they lose their heads and forget their meal-times, they die-pass away from that state. The poor gods! Whether this be really implied in the text or not, it is at least in harmony with the irony of the Buddha's talk.
[157] Mano-padosika. Only found here and in the list in the Samaya Sutta. Even there it is almost certainly merely taken from this passage, so that it looks very much as if both these classes or titles of gods were simply invented, in irony, for the sake of the argument. Buddhaghosa identifies this class with the retinue of the four Great Kings-that is the regents of the four quarters.
[158] Upanijjhayanti, from jhayati, to burn. Elsewhere found only at Vin. 1, 193; II, 269; 111, 118, in all which passages it has the connotation of 'covet, lust after.' Buddhaghosa takes it here in the sense of envy, and tells a tale, too long to quote, to show the quarrelsome nature of these gods. In the sense of 'consider' (from jhayati, to think) the word has only been found at S. N., p. 143. There may have been confusion between the two homonyms, so that ours got to mean to consider in such a way as to be excited, to burn.'
[159] Buddhaghosa explains that these speculators perceive how the organs of sense break up (and sense impressions pass away); but they fail to see that the same thing holds even more strongly in the case of thoughts, since no sooner has each mental impression given rise to the succeeding one than it passes away. Not perceiving that, and depending on the analogy of birds, who fly away from one tree only to alight on another, they conclude that the mind, when this individuality is broken up, goes (as a unity) elsewhere.
[160] Antanantika.
[161] Parivañumo. Only found here. Buddhaghosa says nothing.
[164] Buddhaghosa gives examples of these five equivocations.
[165] Buddhaghosa explains that if, in his ignorance, he should, by chance, declare the good to be good, he will be puffed up by the approval of the wise. But if he should blunder, he will be filled with vexation and ill will when his error is pointed out. Either of these states of mind will be the fuel to keep the fire burning, the state technically called Upadana, 'grasping.'
[166] Sampayati. See the note at 'Vinaya Texts,' III, 317, and compare M. I, 85, 96, 472.
[167] Such questions are called elsewhere the common basis of discussions among Brahmans.
[168] The word here used is Tathagata, 'he who has gone, or perhaps come, to the truth.' See Chalmers in the J. R. A. S.' Jan., 1898, and compare S. III, 111, 116-118; M. I, I40, 171, 486; S. N. 467. The use of sammaggato (D. I, 55, etc.) and of gatatto (D. I, 57, etc.) shows that gata was used elliptically in the sense of gone to the furthest point aimed at' among the followers of the other sects that arose at the same time as Buddhism. The exact derivation and history of the word Tathagata may be doubtful, but its meaning is, on the whole, clear enough.
[170] Adhicca-samuppannika. This adhicca (which must be distinguished from the other adhicca, derived from adhiyati, occurring at Jat. III, 218 = IV, 301) recurs at M. 1, 443, where it is opposed in the sense of 'occasional' to abhinha at M. I, 442 in the sense of 'habitual.' Udana VI, 5 throws light on its use here. It is there associated with words meaning neither self-originated, nor created by others.' It is explained by Buddhaghosa on our passage (Sum. I, 118) as 'springing up without a cause.' The derivation is doubtful.
[171] Asañña-satta. They spring into being in this wise. Some one of the Brahman ascetics having practised continual meditation and arrived at the Fourth Jhana, sees the disadvantage attached to thinking, and says to himself: 'It is by dwelling on it in thought that physical pain and all sorts of mental terrors arise. Have done with this thinking. An existence without it were better.' And dying in this belief he is reborn among the Unconscious Ones, who have form only, and neither sensations nor ideas nor predispositions nor consciousness. So long as the power of the Jhana lasts, so long do they last. Then an idea occurs to them-the idea of rebirth in this world-and they straightway die.
[172] See 1, 1, 29 (p. 12 of the text).
[173] Literally 'who are After-deathers, Conscious-maintainers.' These summary epithets are meant to be contemptuous, and the word chosen for death adds to the force of the phrase. It is not the usual word, but aghatana (so read in the text), meaning literally 'shambles, place of execution.' The ordinary phrase would have been parammaranika.
[174] So the Ajivakas, says Buddhaghosa.
[175] So the Niganñhas, says Buddhaghosa.
[176] SectionSection 9-18 are discussed by James D'Alwis in 'Buddhist Nirvana,' p. 47. Comp. Jacobi, 'Jaina Såtras,' II, 236, 339.
[177] Sato sattassa. Insert the word sato in the text (as in SectionSection 17,19, 41, 42). The Kañha Upanishad I, 20 alludes to such belief.
[178] Compare the 4th Vimokha. See Rh. D. 'Buddhist Suttas,' pp. 5 2, 213. The idea of resistance, pañigha, is here not ethical, but refers to the senses. Having no sense of reaction to touch, of opposition to muscular effort. it appears from M. I, 164 that this was pretty much the view put forth by Gotama's first teacher âlara Kalama.
[179] Compare the 5th Vimokha. This seems from M. I 165 to have been much the same as the view held by Rama, whose son and pupil, Uddaka, was Gotama's second teacher.
[180] Compare the 6th Vimokha.
[181] Though it is not explicitly so stated, this last of these seven theorisers is no doubt to be considered as believing in all the sorts of soul held by the others, so that he believes in seven. One may compare the five souls each more subtle than the last, made respectively of anna, prana, manas, vijñana, and ananda (food. breadth mind, consciousness, and joy), described in the Taittiriya Upanishad II, 1-5. The Buddhist modification of these 'theories omits the souls, and treats instead of various states of mind (produced by stages of meditation), the attainment of which, during this life, leads to rebirth in corresponding worlds, or planes of existence, named after those stages. of meditations. But the oldest Piñaka texts say very little about it, and the history of Buddhist speculation on the matter has yet to be formulated.
Centuries afterwards we find a somewhat analogous conception in the gradually ascending series of seven, each more subtle than the last (Sthåla-sarira, änga-sarira, indriya, manas, ahaïkara, buddhi, and atman), set out in the Saïkhya texts, and the later Vedanta has a similar series. There is sufficient truth in the idea of the series of seven set out in our text to explain the persistence of the general idea in all the Indian systems, but the details and the application are strikingly different.
The text shows that the four Aråpa Vimokhas of the Buddhist theory were regarded by the early Buddhists as derived from closely allied speculations, older than Buddhism, and expressed in almost identical phraseology.
[183] The text shows that the four Jhanas were regarded by the early Buddhists as older than Buddhism. The very words used are identical; the only modification introduced in Buddhism being the omission of the 'souls.' These four, Together. with the four Aråpa Vimokhas (see note on Section 19), make up the Eight Attainments (Samapattiyo), often mentioned in the Jataka commentary as practised by pre Buddhistic recluses.
[184] On paritasita compare M. 1, 36 na asati paritassati, 'is not worried at what is not ': paritasita, 'fidgetiness 'or 'worry,' at M. 1, 136; S. III, 15-19; and Mil. 253, 400. On vipphandita, M. I, 8, 486; Dh. S. 381 (Asl. 253); Jat. IV, 495.
[185] In the text the first three of these four propositions are repeated of each of the eleven classes of theorisers. The fourth is put in the form which, to avoid repetition, I have adopted for all the four.
[186] Tathagata, that is the speaker himself, the Buddha.
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