Minor Collection

1. Buddhas

Dilemma the Fifty-Fifth. Asceticism

Khuddaka Nikāya

1. Buddhavagga

Paṭipadādosapañha

Minor Collection

1. Buddhas

Dilemma the Fifty-Fifth. Asceticism

Khuddaka Nikāya

1. Buddhavagga

Paṭipadādosapañha

Dilemma the Fifty-Fifth. Asceticism

Ruta suttaMil 6.1.4Sutta Piṭaka › Khuddaka Nikāya › Milindapañha › 6. Anumānapañha › 1. Buddhavagga › Paṭipadādosapañha

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PTS vp En 60

PTS cs 20 ‘Venerable Nāgasena, when the Bodisat was practising austerity, then there was found no other exertion the like of his, no such power, no such battling against evil, no such putting to rout of the armies of the Evil One, no such abstinence in food, no such austerity of life. But finding no satisfaction in strife like that, he abandoned that idea, saying:

“Not even by this cruel asceticism am I reaching the peculiar faculty, beyond the power of man, arising from insight into the knowledge of that which is fit and noble. May there not be now some other way to wisdom ?”

‘But then, when weary of that path he had by another way attained to omniscience, he, on the other hand, thus again exhorted and instructed his disciple in that path (he had left, saying):

PTS vp Pali 245 “Exert yourselves, be strong, and to the faith
The Buddhas taught devote yourselves with zeal.
As a strong elephant a house of reeds,
Shake down the armies of the Evil One. PTS vp En 61

‘Now what, Nāgasena, is the reason that the Tathāgata exhorted and led his disciples to that path which he had himself abandoned, which he loathed?’

PTS cs 21 ‘Both then also, O king, and now too, that is still the only path. And it is along that path that the Bodisat attained to Buddhahood. Although the Bodisat, O king, exerting himself strenuously, reduced the food he took till he had decreased it to nothing at all, and by that disuse of food he became weak in mind, yet when he returned little by little to the use of solid food, it was by that path that before long he attained to Buddhahood. And that only has been the path along which all the Tathāgatas reached to the attainment of the insight of omniscience. Just as food is the support of all beings, as it is in dependence on food that all beings live at ease, just so is that the path of all the Tathāgatas to the attainment of the insight of omniscience. The fault was not, O king, in the exertion, was not in the power, not in the battle waged against evil, that the Tathāgata did not then, at once, attain to Buddhahood. But the fault was in the disuse of food, and the path itself (of austerity) was always ready for use.

PTS cs 22 ‘Suppose, O king, that a man should follow a path in great haste, and by that haste his sides PTS vp En 62 should give way, or he should fall a cripple on the ground, unable to move, would there then be any fault, O king, in the broad earth that that man’s sides had given way?’

‘Certainly not, Sir! the great earth is always ready. How should it be in fault? the fault was in the man’s own zeal which made him fail.’

‘And just even so, O king, the fault was not in the exertion, not in the power, not in the battle waged against evil, that the Tathāgata did not then, at once, attain to Buddhahood. But the fault was in the disuse of food, and the path itself was always ready—PTS vp Pali 246 just as if a man should wear a robe, and never have it washed, the fault would not be in the water, which would always be ready for use, but in the man himself. That is why the Tathāgata exhorted and led his disciples along that very path. For that path, O king, is always ready, always right.’

‘Very good, Nāgasena! That is so, and I accept it as you say.’

Here ends the dilemma as to the path.

4. Paṭipadādosapañha

“Bhante nāgasena, yadā bodhisatto dukkarakārikaṁ akāsi, netādiso aññatra ārambho ahosi nikkamo kilesayuddhaṁ maccusenaṁ vidhamanaṁ āhārapariggaho dukkarakārikā, evarūpe parakkame kiñci assādaṁ alabhitvā tameva cittaṁ parihāpetvā evamavoca ‘na kho panāhaṁ imāya kaṭukāya dukkarakārikāya adhigacchāmi uttari manussadhammaṁ alamariyañāṇadassanavisesaṁ, siyā nu kho añño maggo bodhāyā’ti, tato nibbinditvā aññena maggena sabbaññutaṁ patto, puna tāya paṭipadāya sāvake anusāsati samādapeti.

‘Ārambhatha nikkhamatha, yuñjatha buddhasāsane; Dhunātha maccuno senaṁ, naḷāgāraṁva kuñjaro’ti.

‘Ārambhatha nikkhamatha,

yuñjatha buddhasāsane;

Dhunātha maccuno senaṁ,

naḷāgāraṁva kuñjaro’ti.

‘Ārambhatha nikkhamatha, yuñjatha buddhasāsane; Dhunātha maccuno senaṁ, naḷāgāraṁva kuñjaro’ti.

Kena nu kho, bhante nāgasena, kāraṇena tathāgato yāya paṭipadāya attanā nibbinno virattarūpo, tattha sāvake anusāsati samādapetī”ti?

“Tadāpi, mahārāja, etarahipi sāyeva paṭipadā, taṁyeva paṭipadaṁ paṭipajjitvā bodhisatto sabbaññutaṁ patto. Api ca, mahārāja, bodhisatto ativīriyaṁ karonto niravasesato āhāraṁ uparundhi. Tassa āhārūparodhena cittadubbalyaṁ uppajji. So tena dubbalyena nāsakkhi sabbaññutaṁ pāpuṇituṁ, so mattamattaṁ kabaḷīkārāhāraṁ sevanto tāyeva paṭipadāya nacirasseva sabbaññutaṁ pāpuṇi. Sāyeva, mahārāja, paṭipadā sabbesaṁ tathāgatānaṁ sabbaññutañāṇappaṭilābhāya.

“Tadāpi, mahārāja, etarahipi sāyeva paṭipadā, taṁyeva paṭipadaṁ paṭipajjitvā bodhisatto sabbaññutaṁ patto.

Api ca, mahārāja, bodhisatto ativīriyaṁ karonto niravasesato āhāraṁ uparundhi.

Tassa āhārūparodhena cittadubbalyaṁ uppajji.

So tena dubbalyena nāsakkhi sabbaññutaṁ pāpuṇituṁ, so mattamattaṁ kabaḷīkārāhāraṁ sevanto tāyeva paṭipadāya nacirasseva sabbaññutaṁ pāpuṇi.

Sāyeva, mahārāja, paṭipadā sabbesaṁ tathāgatānaṁ sabbaññutañāṇappaṭilābhāya.

Yathā, mahārāja, sabbesaṁ sattānaṁ āhāro upatthambho, āhārūpanissitā sabbe sattā sukhaṁ anubhavanti; evameva kho, mahārāja, sāyeva paṭipadā sabbesaṁ tathāgatānaṁ sabbaññutañāṇappaṭilābhāya, neso, mahārāja, doso ārambhassa, na nikkamassa, na kilesayuddhassa, yena tathāgato tasmiṁ samaye na pāpuṇi sabbaññutañāṇaṁ, atha kho āhārūparodhasseveso doso, sadā paṭiyattā yevesā paṭipadā.

Yathā, mahārāja, sabbesaṁ sattānaṁ āhāro upatthambho, āhārūpanissitā sabbe sattā sukhaṁ anubhavanti;

evameva kho, mahārāja, sāyeva paṭipadā sabbesaṁ tathāgatānaṁ sabbaññutañāṇappaṭilābhāya, neso, mahārāja, doso ārambhassa, na nikkamassa, na kilesayuddhassa, yena tathāgato tasmiṁ samaye na pāpuṇi sabbaññutañāṇaṁ, atha kho āhārūparodhasseveso doso, sadā paṭiyattā yevesā paṭipadā.

Yathā, mahārāja, puriso addhānaṁ ativegena gaccheyya, tena so pakkhahato vā bhaveyya pīṭhasappī vā asañcaro pathavitale. Api nu kho, mahārāja, mahāpathaviyā doso atthi, yena so puriso pakkhahato ahosī”ti? “Na hi, bhante; sadā paṭiyattā, bhante, mahāpathavī, kuto tassā doso? Vāyāmasseveso doso, yena so puriso pakkhahato ahosī”ti. “Evameva kho, mahārāja, neso doso ārambhassa, na nikkamassa, na kilesayuddhassa, yena tathāgato tasmiṁ samaye na pāpuṇi sabbaññutañāṇaṁ, atha kho āhārūparodhasseveso doso sadā paṭiyattā yevesā paṭipadā.

Yathā, mahārāja, puriso addhānaṁ ativegena gaccheyya, tena so pakkhahato vā bhaveyya pīṭhasappī vā asañcaro pathavitale.

Api nu kho, mahārāja, mahāpathaviyā doso atthi, yena so puriso pakkhahato ahosī”ti?

“Na hi, bhante;

sadā paṭiyattā, bhante, mahāpathavī, kuto tassā doso?

Vāyāmasseveso doso, yena so puriso pakkhahato ahosī”ti.

“Evameva kho, mahārāja, neso doso ārambhassa, na nikkamassa, na kilesayuddhassa, yena tathāgato tasmiṁ samaye na pāpuṇi sabbaññutañāṇaṁ, atha kho āhārūparodhasseveso doso sadā paṭiyattā yevesā paṭipadā.

Yathā vā pana, mahārāja, puriso kiliṭṭhaṁ sāṭakaṁ nivāseyya, na so taṁ dhovāpeyya, neso doso udakassa, sadā paṭiyattaṁ udakaṁ. Purisasseveso doso. Evameva kho, mahārāja, neso doso ārambhassa, na nikkamassa, na kilesayuddhassa, yena tathāgato tasmiṁ samaye na pāpuṇi sabbaññutañāṇaṁ, atha kho āhārūparodhasseveso doso, sadā paṭiyattā yevesā paṭipadā, tasmā tathāgato tāyeva paṭipadāya sāvake anusāsati samādapeti, evaṁ kho, mahārāja, sadā paṭiyattā anavajjā sā paṭipadā”ti. “Sādhu, bhante nāgasena, evametaṁ tathā sampaṭicchāmī”ti.

Yathā vā pana, mahārāja, puriso kiliṭṭhaṁ sāṭakaṁ nivāseyya, na so taṁ dhovāpeyya, neso doso udakassa, sadā paṭiyattaṁ udakaṁ.

Purisasseveso doso.

Evameva kho, mahārāja, neso doso ārambhassa, na nikkamassa, na kilesayuddhassa, yena tathāgato tasmiṁ samaye na pāpuṇi sabbaññutañāṇaṁ, atha kho āhārūparodhasseveso doso, sadā paṭiyattā yevesā paṭipadā, tasmā tathāgato tāyeva paṭipadāya sāvake anusāsati samādapeti, evaṁ kho, mahārāja, sadā paṭiyattā anavajjā sā paṭipadā”ti.

“Sādhu, bhante nāgasena, evametaṁ tathā sampaṭicchāmī”ti.

Paṭipadādosapañho catuttho.