Majjhima Nikāya
III. Upari-Paṇṇāsa
1. Devadaha Vagga

Sacred Books of the Buddhists
Volume VI
Dialogues of the Buddha
Part V

Further Dialogues of the Buddha
Volume II

Translated from the Pali
by Lord Chalmers, G.C.B.
Sometime Governor of Ceylon

London
Humphrey Milford
Oxford University Press
1927
Public Domain

Sutta 103

Kinti Suttaɱ

Odium Theologigum

 

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[238] [136]

[1][pts][ntbb][upal][olds] THUS have I heard:

Once when the Lord was staying at Kusinārā
in the Sacrificial Wood,
he addressed the listening Almsmen as follows: -

What think ye of me, Brethren?

Is it to get robes or alms,
is it to get lodging
or to secure some future
or other hereafter
that the recluse Gotama preaches his Doctrine?

No, sir;
it is not for such reasons.

If you think it is not for that,
what is it you think of me?

What we think, sir,
is that the Lord is compassionate
and merciful
and that it is out of compassion that -
preaches his Doctrine.

Well then, Almsmen,
you must school yourselves
in the higher lore which I have taught you,
to wit the four Themes (sati-paṭṭhāna),
the four Bases of psychic power (iddhi-pāda),
the fivefold Sphere of sense (in- [137] driya),
the five Forces (bala),
the seven [239] Factors of Enlightenment (bojjhaṅga)
and the Noble Eightfold Path.

In this higher lore
you must school yourselves
in unity and harmony
without strife.

So schooling yourselves,
you may find two Almsmen
maintaining divergent views on the Abhidhamma.

In the first case,
if you find the two differing
both as to the meaning
and as to the letter,
first send for the Almsman of the one faction
whom you deem the more amenable
and tell him what is the rightful view
on the points at issue,
bidding him not to stir up strife.

Next send for that Almsman of the opposing faction
whom you deem the more amenable
and tell him what is the rightful view
on the points at issue,
begging him not to stir up strife.

Thereby what is erroneously held
is to be recognized as erroneous;
and the Doctrine and Rule
are to be duly set forth accordingly.

Proceed likewise
if the divergence is confined
either to the meaning
or [240] to the letter,
or if there be really no divergence at all
but real agreement between both sides
on both aspects.

Thereby what is erroneously held
is to be recognized as erroneous,
where it is erroneous;
and what is correctly held
is to be recognized as being correct,
where it is correct;
[241] and the Doctrine and Rule
are to be duly set forth,
with these recognitions.

Also, as thus you school yourselves
in unity and harmony without strife,
an Almsman may be guilty
of an offence or a transgression.

In such case be in no hurry to reprove; -
the individual must be studied.

In one case you may conclude
that it will neither harass you
nor annoy him, -
inasmuch as he is not a man
of wrath and nasty temper,
nor is he dense,
but easy to convince;
and you see your way
to make him grow out of wrong things
and to establish him in the right;
-if such be your conclusion,
it is proper to speak out.

In another case,
if you conclude that it will not harass you
but will annoy him; -
inasmuch as he is a man
of wrath and nasty temper,
and is dense
and hard to convert;
but you see your way
to make him grow out [138] of wrong things
and to establish him in the right,
then his annoyance is a small matter; -
it is a much greater matter
to convert him from wrong to right.

If such be your conclusion,
it is proper to speak out.

In a third case,
if you conclude that it will harass you
but not annoy him, -
inasmuch as he is not a man
of wrath and nasty temper,
nor is he dense,
but hard to convert;
yet you see your way
to make him grow out of wrong things
and to establish him in the right;
your being harassed is a small matter; -
it is a much greater matter
to convert him from wrong to right.

If such be your conclusion,
it is proper to speak out.

In yet another case,
if you conclude that it will both harass you
and annoy him, -
inasmuch as [242] he is a man
of wrath and bad temper,
both dense
and hard to convert;
yet you see your way
to make him grow out of wrong things
and to establish him in the right;
your being harassed
and his being annoyed
are small matters; -
it is a much greater matter
to convert him from wrong to right.

If such be your conclusion,
it is proper to speak out.

In a final case,
if you conclude that it will both harass you
and annoy him, -
inasmuch as he is a man
of wrath and nasty temper,
dense
and hard to convert;
and you cannot see your way
to convert him from wrong to right; -
with such a man
you must not be careless
of your own poise of mind.

Herein, as you school yourselves
in unity and harmony without strife,
there may arise among you
trends of converse,
aberrations of view,
malevolence,
heartburnings,
and discontent.

In such a case,
first send for that Almsman
from the warring factions
whom you deem the more amenable,
and tell him that,
if the Master knew it,
he would condemn all this that had arisen in a united Confraternity.

If he answered aright,
he would answer that
the Master would condemn it all
and that, if it did not come to an end,
Nirvana could not be realized.

Thereafter the Almsman whom you deem most amenable in the opposite faction,
should have it put to him;
and, if he answered [139] aright,
he too would answer
that the Master would condemn it all
and that, [243] if it did not come to an end,
Nirvana could not be realized.

If now the responsible Almsman
were asked by his fellows
whether in his hands
those Almsmen had grown out of wrong things
and been established in the right,
his best answer would be
that from the Lord he had learned the Doctrine
and taught it to those Almsmen, -
who had subsequently grown out of wrong
and had stablished themselves aright.

By such an answer,
he would neither vaunt himself
nor disparage others;
he sets forth the full Doctrine;
nor is there any operative utterance,
major or minor,
which excites condemnation.

Thus spoke the Lord.

Glad at heart,
those Almsmen rejoiced in what the Lord had said.