Vol. 11 · pages 146–150

127 THE CONVERSION OF THE PARIVRAJAKAS II to the mind. Such a permanent turn can be achieved only by Samma Samadhi. 43. “Mere Samadhi is negative inasmuch as it leads to temporary suspension of the hindrances. In it there is no training to the mind. Samma Samadhi is positive. It trains the mind to concentrate and to think of some Kusala Kamma (Good Deeds and Thoughts) during concentration and thereby eliminate the tendency of the mind to be drawn towards Akusala Kamma (Bad Deeds and Bad Thoughts) arising from the hindrances. 44. “Samma Samadhi gives a habit to the mind to think of good and always to think of good. Samma Samadhi gives the mind the necessary motive power to do good.” § 5. The Buddha’s First Sermon—(contd.) The Path of Virtue 1. The Buddha then explained to the Parivrajakas the Path of Virtue. 2. He told them that the path of virtue meant the observance of the virtues called : (1) Sila; (2) Dana; (3) Uppekha; (4) Nekkhama; (5) Virya; (6) Khanti; (7) Succa ; (8) Adhithana ; (9) Karuna ; and (10) Maitri. 3. The Parivrajakas asked the Buddha to tell them what these virtues meant. 4. The Buddha then proceeded to satisfy their desire. 5. “Sila is moral temperament, the disposition not to do evil and the disposition to do good ; to be ashamed of doing wrong. To avoid to do evil for fear of punishment is Sila. Sila means fear of doing wrong. 6. “Nekkhama is renunciation of the pleasures of the world. 7. “Dana means the giving of one’s possessions, blood and limbs and even one’s life, for the good of others without expecting anything in return. 8. “Virya is right endeavour. It is doing with

128 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES II all your might whatever you have undertaken to do with never a thought of turning back, whatever you have undertaken to do. 9. “Khanti is forbearance. Not to meet hatred by hatred is the essence of it. For hatred is not appeased by hatred. It is appeased only by forbearance. 10. “Succa is truth. A person must never tell a lie. His speech must be truth and nothing but truth. 11. “Adhithana is resolute determination to reach the goal. 12. “Karuna is loving kindness to human beings. 13. “Maitri is extending fellow feeling to all beings, not only to one who is a friend but also to one who is a foe : not only to man but to all living beings. 14. “Upekka is detachment as distinguished from indifference. It is a state of mind where there is neither like nor dislike. Remaining unmoved by the result and yet engaged in the pursuit of it. 15. “These virtues one must practice to his utmost capacity. That is why they are called Paramitas (States of Perfection). § 6. The Buddha’s First Sermon—(concld.) 1. Having explained His Dhamma and what it involved, the Buddha then asked the Parivrajakas : 2. “Is not personal purity the foundation of good in the world ?” And they answered, “It is as thou sayest.” 3. And he continued : “Is not personal purity undermined by covetousness, passion, ignorance, the destruction of life, theft, adultery and lying ? Is it not necessary for personal purity to build up sufficient strength of character so that these evils should be kept under control ? How can a man be the instrument of good if he has no personal purity in him ?” And they replied, “It is as thou sayest.” 4. “Again why do men not mind enslaving or dominating others ? Why do men not mind making the lives of others unhappy ? Is it not because men are

129 THE CONVERSION OF THE PARIVRAJAKAS II not righteous in their conduct towards one another?” And they answered in the affirmative. 5. “Will not the practice of the Ashtanga Marga, the path of right views, right aims, right speech, right livelihood, right means, right mindfulness, right perseverance, and right contemplation, in short, the Path of Righteousness, if followed by every one, remove all injustice and inhumanity that man does to man ?” And they said, “Yes.” 6. Turning to the path of virtue, he asked, “Is not Dana necessary to remove the suffering of the needy and the poor and to promote general good ? Is not Karuna necessary to be drawn to the relief of poverty and suffering wherever it exists ? Is not Nekkamma necessary to selfless work? Is not Uppekka necessary for sustained endeavour even though there is no personal gain? 7. “Is not love for man necessary ?” And they said “Yes.” 8. “I go further and say, “Love is not enough ; what is required is Maitri.” It is wider than love. It means fellowship not merely with human beings but with all living beings. It is not confined to human beings. Is not such Maitri necessary? What else can give to all living beings the same happiness which one seeks for one’s own self, to keep the mind impartial, open to all, with affection for every one and hatred for none ?” 9. They all said “Yes.” 10. “The practice of these virtues must, however, be accompanied by Prajna, i.e., intelligence. 11. “Is not Prajna necessary?” The Parivrajakas gave no answer. To force them to answer his question the Buddha went on to say that the qualities of a good man are : “do no evil, think nothing that is evil, get his livelihood in no evil way and say nothing that is evil or is likely to hurt anyone.” And they said, “Yes, so it is.” 12. “But is doing good deeds blindly to be welcomed ?” asked the Buddha “I say, ‘no.’ This is not enough,” said the Buddha to the Pariv-

130 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES II rajakas. “If it was enough,” said the Buddha to the Parivrajakas, “then a tiny babe could be proclaimed to be always doing good. For as yet, the babe does not know what a body means, much less will it do evil with its body beyond kicking about : it does not know What speech is, much less will it say anything evil beyond crying ; it does not know what thought is, beyond crying with delight ; it does not know what livelihood is, much less will it get its living in an evil way, beyond sucking its mother. 13. “The Path of Virtue must, therefore, be subject to test of Prajna which is another name for understanding and intelligence. 14. “There is also another reason why Prajnaparamita is so important and so necessary. There must be Dana. But without Prajna, Dana may have a demoralizing effect. There must be Karuna. But without Prajna, Karuna may end in supporting evil. Every act of Paramita must be tested by Prajna Paramita which is another name for wisdom. 15. “I premise that there must be knowledge and consciousness of what wrong conduct is, how it arises ; similarly, there must also be knowledge and consciousness of what is right conduct and wrong conduct. Without such knowledge there cannot be real goodness though the act may be good. That is why I say Prajna is a necessary virtue.” 16. The Buddha then concluded his sermon by addressing the following admonition to the Parivrajakas. 17. “You are likely to call my Dhamma pessimistic because it calls the attention of mankind to the existence of suffering. I tell you such a view of my Dhamma would be wrong. 18. “No doubt my Dhamma recognizes the existence of suffering but forget not that it also lays equal stress on the removal of suffering. 19. “My Dhamma has in it both hope and purpose. 20. “Its purpose is to remove Avijja, by which I mean ignorance of the existence of suffering.

131 THE CONVERSION OF THE PARIVRAJAKAS II 21. “There is hope in it because it shows the way to put an end to human suffering. 22. “Do you agree with this or not ? “And the Parivrajakas said, “Yes, we do.” § 7. The Response of the Parivrajakas 1. The five Parivrajakas at once realized that this was really a new Dhamma. They were so struck by this new approach to the problems of life that they were unanimous in saying : “Never in the history of the world has any founder of religion taught that the recognition of human suffering was the real basis of religion. 2. “Never in the history of the world has any founder of religion taught that the removal of this misery is the real purpose of it ! 3. “Never in the history of the world had a scheme of salvation been put forth, so simple in its nature, so free from supernatural and superhuman agency, so independent of, even so antagonistic to, the belief in a soul, to the belief in God and to the belief in life after death ! 4. “Never in the history of the world had a scheme of religion been put forth which had nothing to do with revelation and whose commands are born of the examination of the social needs of man and which are not the orders of a God ! 5. “Never in the history of the world has salvation been conceived as the blessing of happiness to be attained by man in this life and on this earth by righteousness born out of his own efforts !” 6. These were the sentiments which the Parivrajakas uttered after they had heard the Buddha’s Sermon on his new Dhamma. 7. They felt that in him they had found a reformer, full of the most earnest moral purpose and trained in all the intellectual culture of his time, who had the originality and the courage to put forth deliberately and with a knowledge of opposing views, the doctrine of a salvation to be found here, in this life,