:: 2. Conversion Not to be by Miracles. ::
1. The Exalted One was once staying among the Mallas, at Anapiya, one of their towns.
2. Now the Exalted One, having robed himself, put on his cloak, and took his bowl, and entered the town for alms.
3. The Blessed One thought: " It is too early for me now to go through Anapiya for alms. I might go to the pleasance where Bhaggava, the wanderer dwells, and call upon him."
4. So the Exalted One went to the pleasance and to the place where Bhaggava, the wanderer was.
5. Then Bhaggava spake thus to the Exalted One: " Let my Lord, the Exalted One come near. Welcome to the Exalted One! It is long since the Exalted One has taken the opportunity to come our way. May it please You, Sir, to be seated; here is a seat made ready."
6. The Exalted One sat down thereon, and Bhaggava taking a certain low stool, sat down beside him. So seated, Bhaggava, the wanderer spake thus to the Exalted One:
7. " Some days ago, Lord, Sunakkhatta of the Licchavis called on me and spake thus: ' I have now given up the Exalted One, Bhaggava. I am remaining no longer under him as my teacher.' Is the fact really so ?"
8. " It is just so, Bhaggava, as Sunakkhatta of the Licchavis said.
9. " Some days ago, Bhaggava, a good many days ago, Sunakkhatta, the Licchavi, came to call on me, and spake thus: ' Sir, I now give up the Exalted One, I will henceforth remain no longer under him as my teacher.' When he told me this, I said to him: 'But, now, Sunakkhatta, have I ever said to you: ' Come Sunakkhatta, live under me as my pupil ?'
10. " 'No, Sir, you have not,' replied Sunakkhatta.
11. " Or have you ever said to me: ' Sir, I would fain dwell under the Exalted One (as my teacher) ? '
12. " ' No, Sir, I have not,' said Sunakkhatta.
13. " ' But if I said not the one, and you said not the other, what are you and what am I that you talk of giving up ? '
14. " ' Well, but. Sir, the Exalted One works me no mystic wonders surpassing the power of ordinary men.'
15. "Why, now, Sunakkhatta, have lever said to you ' Come, take me as your teacher, Sunakkhatta, and I will work for you mystic wonders surpassing the power of ordinary men ? '
16. " ' You have not. Sir.'
17. "Or have you ever said to me: ' Sir, I would fain take the Exalted One as my teacher for he will work for me mystic wonders beyond the powers of ordinary men ? '
18. " ' I have not. Sir.'
19. " ' But if I said not the one, and you said not the other, what are you and what am I, foolish man, that you talk of giving up ? What think you, Sunakkhatta ?'
20. "Whether mystic wonders beyond the power of ordinary men are wrought, or whether they are not, is not the object for which I teach the Dhamma this: that it leads to the thorough destruction of ill for the doer thereof ? '
21. " ' Whether, Sir, they are wrought or not, that is indeed the object for which the Norm is taught by the Exalted One.'
22. "But Bhaggava, Sunakkhatta went on saying to me, ' Sir, the Exalted One does not reveal to me the beginning of things.'
23. " Why now, Sunakkhatta, have I ever said to you: ' Come, Sunakkhatta, be my disciple and I will reveal to you the beginning of things?'
24. " ' Sir, you have not.'
25. "Or have you ever said to me: 'I will become the Exalted One's pupil, for he will reveal to me the beginning of things ? '
26. " 'Sir, I have not.'
27. " 'But if I have not said the one and you have not said the other, what are you and what am I, foolish man, that you talk of giving up on that account? What you, Sunakkhatta ? Whether the beginning of things be revealed, or whether it be not, is the object for which I teach the Dhamma this: that it leads to the thorough destruction of ill for the doer thereof? '
28. "'Whether, Sir, they are revealed or not, that is indeed the object for which the Dhamma is taught by the Exalted One."
29. " ' If then, Sunakkhatta, it matters not to that object whether the beginning of things be revealed, or whether it be not, of what use to you would it be to have the beginning of things revealed ? '
30. "'In many ways have you, Sunakkhatta, spoken my praises among the Vajjins.'
31. "'In many ways have you, Sunakkhatta, spoken the praises of the Dhamma among the Vajjins.'
32. "'In many ways have you, Sunakkhatta, spoken the praises of the Order among the Vajjins.'
33. "I tell you, Sunakkhatta, I make known to you, that there will be those that shall say concerning you thus: 'Sunakkhatta of the Licchavis was not able to live the holy life under Gotama the recluse. And he, not being able to adhere to it, hath renounced the discipline and turned to lower things.'
34. " Thus, Bhaggava, did Sunakkhatta of the Licchayis, addressed by me, depart from this Doctrine and Discipline, as one doomed to disaster."
35. And soon after, leaving the Doctrine and Discipline of the Buddha, Sunakkhatta started telling people that there was nothing superhuman about the Buddha's ennobling gifts of knowledge and insight; that it was his own reasoning which had hammered out a doctrine of his own evolving and of his personal invention, such that whoso hears it preached for his good has only to act up to it to be guided to the utter ending of ill.
36. Although, Sunakkhatta was slandering the Buddha, what he was telling people was true. For, the Buddha never resorted to the superhuman or the miraculous in propagating his Doctrine.
1. The Exalted One was once staying among the Mallas, at Anapiya, one of their towns.
2. Now the Exalted One, having robed himself, put on his cloak, and took his bowl, and entered the town for alms.
3. The Blessed One thought: " It is too early for me now to go through Anapiya for alms. I might go to the pleasance where Bhaggava, the wanderer dwells, and call upon him."
4. So the Exalted One went to the pleasance and to the place where Bhaggava, the wanderer was.
5. Then Bhaggava spake thus to the Exalted One: " Let my Lord, the Exalted One come near. Welcome to the Exalted One! It is long since the Exalted One has taken the opportunity to come our way. May it please You, Sir, to be seated; here is a seat made ready."
6. The Exalted One sat down thereon, and Bhaggava taking a certain low stool, sat down beside him. So seated, Bhaggava, the wanderer spake thus to the Exalted One:
7. " Some days ago, Lord, Sunakkhatta of the Licchavis called on me and spake thus: ' I have now given up the Exalted One, Bhaggava. I am remaining no longer under him as my teacher.' Is the fact really so ?"
8. " It is just so, Bhaggava, as Sunakkhatta of the Licchavis said.
9. " Some days ago, Bhaggava, a good many days ago, Sunakkhatta, the Licchavi, came to call on me, and spake thus: ' Sir, I now give up the Exalted One, I will henceforth remain no longer under him as my teacher.' When he told me this, I said to him: 'But, now, Sunakkhatta, have I ever said to you: ' Come Sunakkhatta, live under me as my pupil ?'
10. " 'No, Sir, you have not,' replied Sunakkhatta.
11. " Or have you ever said to me: ' Sir, I would fain dwell under the Exalted One (as my teacher) ? '
12. " ' No, Sir, I have not,' said Sunakkhatta.
13. " ' But if I said not the one, and you said not the other, what are you and what am I that you talk of giving up ? '
14. " ' Well, but. Sir, the Exalted One works me no mystic wonders surpassing the power of ordinary men.'
15. "Why, now, Sunakkhatta, have lever said to you ' Come, take me as your teacher, Sunakkhatta, and I will work for you mystic wonders surpassing the power of ordinary men ? '
16. " ' You have not. Sir.'
17. "Or have you ever said to me: ' Sir, I would fain take the Exalted One as my teacher for he will work for me mystic wonders beyond the powers of ordinary men ? '
18. " ' I have not. Sir.'
19. " ' But if I said not the one, and you said not the other, what are you and what am I, foolish man, that you talk of giving up ? What think you, Sunakkhatta ?'
20. "Whether mystic wonders beyond the power of ordinary men are wrought, or whether they are not, is not the object for which I teach the Dhamma this: that it leads to the thorough destruction of ill for the doer thereof ? '
21. " ' Whether, Sir, they are wrought or not, that is indeed the object for which the Norm is taught by the Exalted One.'
22. "But Bhaggava, Sunakkhatta went on saying to me, ' Sir, the Exalted One does not reveal to me the beginning of things.'
23. " Why now, Sunakkhatta, have I ever said to you: ' Come, Sunakkhatta, be my disciple and I will reveal to you the beginning of things?'
24. " ' Sir, you have not.'
25. "Or have you ever said to me: 'I will become the Exalted One's pupil, for he will reveal to me the beginning of things ? '
26. " 'Sir, I have not.'
27. " 'But if I have not said the one and you have not said the other, what are you and what am I, foolish man, that you talk of giving up on that account? What you, Sunakkhatta ? Whether the beginning of things be revealed, or whether it be not, is the object for which I teach the Dhamma this: that it leads to the thorough destruction of ill for the doer thereof? '
28. "'Whether, Sir, they are revealed or not, that is indeed the object for which the Dhamma is taught by the Exalted One."
29. " ' If then, Sunakkhatta, it matters not to that object whether the beginning of things be revealed, or whether it be not, of what use to you would it be to have the beginning of things revealed ? '
30. "'In many ways have you, Sunakkhatta, spoken my praises among the Vajjins.'
31. "'In many ways have you, Sunakkhatta, spoken the praises of the Dhamma among the Vajjins.'
32. "'In many ways have you, Sunakkhatta, spoken the praises of the Order among the Vajjins.'
33. "I tell you, Sunakkhatta, I make known to you, that there will be those that shall say concerning you thus: 'Sunakkhatta of the Licchavis was not able to live the holy life under Gotama the recluse. And he, not being able to adhere to it, hath renounced the discipline and turned to lower things.'
34. " Thus, Bhaggava, did Sunakkhatta of the Licchayis, addressed by me, depart from this Doctrine and Discipline, as one doomed to disaster."
35. And soon after, leaving the Doctrine and Discipline of the Buddha, Sunakkhatta started telling people that there was nothing superhuman about the Buddha's ennobling gifts of knowledge and insight; that it was his own reasoning which had hammered out a doctrine of his own evolving and of his personal invention, such that whoso hears it preached for his good has only to act up to it to be guided to the utter ending of ill.
36. Although, Sunakkhatta was slandering the Buddha, what he was telling people was true. For, the Buddha never resorted to the superhuman or the miraculous in propagating his Doctrine.
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