6.
The Chapter on Mindfulness
1.
The Question on Cherishing the Body
1. The king said: "Venerable Nāgasena, is the body dear to those gone forth?" "Indeed not, great king, the body is not dear to those gone forth." "Then why, venerable sir, do you cherish it and treat it as your own?" "But have you, great king, ever at some time gone to battle and received an arrow wound?" "Yes, venerable sir, I have." "Is that wound, great king, anointed with ointment and smeared with oil and wrapped with a fine cloth bandage?" "Yes, venerable sir, it is anointed with ointment and smeared with oil and wrapped with a fine cloth bandage." "Is that wound dear to you, great king, that it is anointed with ointment and smeared with oil and wrapped with a fine cloth bandage?" "The wound is not dear to me, venerable sir, but it is anointed with ointment and smeared with oil and wrapped with a fine cloth bandage for the purpose of the flesh healing." "Just so indeed, great king, the body is not dear to those gone forth, yet those gone forth, without clinging, care for the body for the support of the holy life. And yet, great king, the body was said by the Blessed One to be like a wound; therefore those gone forth care for the body like a wound, without clinging. This too was spoken, great king, by the Blessed One -
It oozes all around, impure and foul-smelling.'
"You are clever, Venerable Nāgasena."
The question on cherishing the body is the first.
2.
The Question on the State of Omniscience
2. The king said: "Venerable Nāgasena, is the Buddha omniscient, all-seeing?" "Yes, great king, the Blessed One is omniscient, all-seeing." "Then why, Venerable Nāgasena, did he lay down the training rules for disciples gradually?" "But is there, great king, any physician who knows all medicines on this earth?" "Yes, venerable sir, there is." "Now, great king, does that physician give medicine to a sick person when the time has arrived, or when the time has not arrived?" "When the time has arrived, venerable sir, he gives medicine to a sick person, not when the time has not arrived." "Just so indeed, great king, the Blessed One, omniscient, all-seeing, does not lay down a training rule for disciples when the time has not arrived; when the time has arrived, he lays down a training rule for disciples, not to be transgressed for life."
"You are clever, Venerable Nāgasena."
The question on the state of omniscience is the second.
3.
The Question on the Marks of a Great Man
3. The king said: "Venerable Nāgasena, is the Buddha endowed with the thirty-two characteristics of a great man and adorned with the eighty minor features, gold-coloured, with skin resembling gold, with a fathom-wide radiance?" "Yes, great king, the Blessed One is endowed with the thirty-two characteristics of a great man and adorned with the eighty minor features, gold-coloured, with skin resembling gold, with a fathom-wide radiance."
"But, venerable sir, were his mother and father also endowed with the thirty-two characteristics of a great man and adorned with the eighty minor features, gold-coloured, with skin resembling gold, with a fathom-wide radiance?" "No, great king, his mother and father were not endowed with the thirty-two characteristics of a great man and adorned with the eighty minor features, gold-coloured, with skin resembling gold, with a fathom-wide radiance."
"This being so, Venerable Nāgasena, a Buddha endowed with the thirty-two characteristics of a great man and adorned with the eighty minor features, gold-coloured, with skin resembling gold, with a fathom-wide radiance does not arise; but a son is either similar to his mother or takes after his mother's side, or a son is similar to his father or takes after his father's side." The elder said: "But is there, great king, any lotus, a hundred-petalled one?" "Yes, venerable sir, there is." "But where is its origin?" "It is born in mud and grows in water." "Is the lotus, great king, similar to the mud in colour or in odour or in flavour?" "No indeed, venerable sir." "Then is it similar to the water in odour or in flavour?" "No indeed, venerable sir." "Just so indeed, great king, the Blessed One is endowed with the thirty-two characteristics of a great man and adorned with the eighty minor features, gold-coloured, with skin resembling gold, with a fathom-wide radiance, yet his mother and father were not endowed with the thirty-two characteristics of a great man and adorned with the eighty minor features, gold-coloured, with skin resembling gold, with a fathom-wide radiance."
"You are clever, Venerable Nāgasena."
The question on the marks of a great man is the third.
4.
The Question on the Blessed One's Holy Life
4. The king said: "Venerable Nāgasena, is the Buddha a practitioner of the holy life?" "Yes, great king, the Blessed One is a practitioner of the holy life." "If so, Venerable Nāgasena, the Buddha is a pupil of Brahmā?" "But do you, great king, have a chief elephant?" "There is, venerable sir." "Does that elephant, great king, ever at some time trumpet the cry of a heron?" "Yes, venerable sir, it trumpets." "If so, great king, that elephant is a pupil of the heron bird?" "No indeed, venerable sir." "But then, great king, is Brahmā with a Buddha or without a Buddha?" "With a Buddha, venerable sir." "If so, great king, Brahmā is a pupil of the Blessed One."
"You are clever, Venerable Nāgasena."
The question on the Blessed One's holy life is the fourth.
5.
The Question on the Blessed One's Full Ordination
5. The king said: "Venerable Nāgasena, is full ordination beautiful?" "Yes, great king, full ordination is beautiful." "But, venerable sir, is there full ordination for the Buddha, or is there not?" "The Blessed One, great king, was fully ordained at the foot of the Bodhi tree together with the knowledge of omniscience; there is no full ordination given to the Blessed One by others. Just as, great king, the Blessed One lays down a training rule for disciples not to be transgressed for life."
"You are clever, Venerable Nāgasena."
The question on the Blessed One's full ordination is the fifth.
6.
The Question on Tears Being Medicine and Non-medicine
6. The king said: "Venerable Nāgasena, one who weeps when his mother has died, and one who weeps out of love for the teaching - of these two who are weeping, whose tears are medicine, whose are not medicine?" "For one, great king, the tears are impure and hot due to lust, hate and delusion; for one they are pure and cool due to joy and pleasure. That which is cool, great king, that is medicine; that which is hot, that is not medicine."
"You are clever, Venerable Nāgasena."
The question on tears being medicine and non-medicine is the sixth.
7.
The Question on the Difference between One with Lust and One without Lust
7. The king said: "Venerable Nāgasena, what is the difference between one with lust and one without lust?" "One, great king, is attached, one is unattached." "What is this, venerable sir, called attached and unattached?" "One, great king, is desirous, one is not desirous." "I see, venerable sir, such a thing: both one with lust and one without lust, all of them wish only for beautiful solid food or soft food; no one wishes for evil." "One not free from lust, great king, eats food experiencing the flavour and experiencing lust for the flavour; but one without lust eats food experiencing the flavour, but not experiencing lust for the flavour."
"You are clever, Venerable Nāgasena."
The question on the difference between one with lust and one without lust is the seventh.
8.
The Question on the Support of Wisdom
8. The king said: "Venerable Nāgasena, where does wisdom dwell?" "Nowhere, great king." "If so, Venerable Nāgasena, there is no wisdom." "Where does the wind dwell, great king?" "Nowhere, venerable sir." "If so, great king, there is no wind."
"You are clever, Venerable Nāgasena."
The question on the support of wisdom is the eighth.
9.
The Question on the Round of Rebirths
9. The king said: "Venerable Nāgasena, as for this that you say 'wandering in the round of rebirths', which is that wandering in the round of rebirths?" "Here, great king, one born here dies right here, having died here arises elsewhere, having been born there dies right there, having died there arises elsewhere; thus, great king, is the wandering in the round of rebirths." "Give a simile." "Just as, great king, some man, having eaten a ripe mango, might plant the seed, from that a great mango tree having arisen would give fruits, then that man, having eaten a ripe mango from that too, might plant the seed, from that too a great mango tree having arisen would give fruits; thus the end of these trees is not discerned. Just so indeed, great king, one born here dies right here, having died here arises elsewhere, having been born there dies right there, having died there arises elsewhere; thus, great king, is the wandering in the round of rebirths."
"You are clever, Venerable Nāgasena."
The question on the round of rebirths is the ninth.
10.
The Question on Refuge Made Long Ago
10. The king said: "Venerable Nāgasena, by what does one remember what was done long ago in the past?" "By mindfulness, great king." "Is it not so, Venerable Nāgasena, that one remembers by consciousness, not by mindfulness?" "Do you recall, great king, having done some task and then forgotten it?" "Yes, venerable sir." "Were you then, great king, without consciousness at that time?" "No indeed, venerable sir, mindfulness was not present at that time." "Then why, great king, do you say thus: 'One remembers by consciousness, not by mindfulness'?"
"You are clever, Venerable Nāgasena."
The question on refuge made long ago is the tenth.
11.
The Question on Mindfulness of One Who Directly Knows
11. The king said: "Venerable Nāgasena, does all mindfulness arise as directly knowing, or is there also mindfulness that is produced?" "Both directly knowing, great king, and also produced mindfulness." "If indeed, Venerable Nāgasena, all mindfulness is directly knowing, there is no produced mindfulness?" "If there is not, great king, produced mindfulness, there is nothing to be done by craftsmen through work-fields or craft-fields or fields of knowledge, teachers would be useless. But because, great king, there is produced mindfulness, therefore there is something to be done through work-fields or craft-fields or fields of knowledge, and there is use for teachers."
"You are clever, Venerable Nāgasena."
The question on mindfulness of one who directly knows is the eleventh.
The Chapter on Mindfulness is the sixth.
In this chapter there are eleven questions.