Vol. 11 · pages 286–290

267 WHAT IS NOT—DHAMMA III starting on the great sacrifice or whilst he is offering the great sacrifice, or when the great sacrifice has been offered, feel any such regret as : ‘Great alas, has been the portion of my wealth used up herein,’ let not the king harbour such regret. 27. “And further, O Brahmin, the chaplain, before the sacrifice had begun, in order to prevent any compunction that might afterwards arise as regards those who had taken part therein, said: ‘Now there will come to your sacrifice, sire, men who destroy the life of living things, and men who refrain therefrom— men who take what has not been given, and men who refrain therefrom, men who act evilly in respect of lusts, and men who refrain therefrom, men who speak lies, and men who do not, men who slander, and men who do not, men who speak rudely, and men who do not, men who chatter vain things and men who refrain therefrom, men who covet, and men who covet not, men who harbour ill will and men who harbour it not, men whose views are Wrong, and men whose views are right. Of each of these let them, who do evil, alone with their evil. For them who do well let Your Majesty offer, for them, sire, arrange the rites, them let the king gratify, in them shall your heart within find peace.’ 28. “And further, O Brahmin, at that sacrifice neither were any oxen slain, neither goats, nor fowls, nor fatted pigs, nor were any kinds of living creatures put to death. No trees were cut down to be used as posts, no Dabbha grasses mown to strew around the sacrificial spot. And the slaves and messengers and workmen there employed were driven neither by rods nor fear, nor carried on their work weeping with tears upon their faces. Whoso chose to help, he worked whoso chose not to help, worked not. What each chose to do, he did; what they chose not to do, that was left undone. With ghee, and oil and butter, and milk and honey, and sugar only was that sacrifice accomplished. 29. “Let your sacrifice be such as that of King Vigeta if you at all wish to perform any sacrifice.

268 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES III Sacrifices are a waste. Animal sacrifices are cruelties. Sacrifices cannot be part of religion. It is a worst form of religion which says you can go to heaven by killing an animal.” 30. I was inclined to ask “Is there, O Gautama, any other sacrifice with more fruit and more advantage than killing animals ?” 31. “Yes, O Brahmin, there is.” 32. “And what, O Gautama, may that be ? ” 33. “When a man with trusting heart takes upon himself the precepts—abstinence from destroying life; abstinence from taking what has not been given; abstinence from evil conduct in respect of lusts; abstinence from lying words; abstinence from strong, intoxicating, maddening drinks, the root of carelessness that is a sacrifice better than open largesse, better than perpetual alms, better than the gift of dwelling places, better than accepting guidance.” 34. And when he had thus spoken, Kutadanta the Brahmin said to the Blessed One: “Most excellent, O Gautama, are the words of thy mouth, most excellent.” (ii) 1. Now the Brahmin Ujjaya said this to the Exalted One : 2. “Pray does the worthy Gautama praise sacrifice ? ” 3. “No Brahmin, I do not praise every sacrifice. Yet I would not withhold praise from every sacrifice. In whatever sacrifice, Brahmin, cows are slaughtered, goats and sheep are slaughtered, poultry and pigs are slaughtered and divers living creatures come to destruction—such sacrifice, Brahmin, which involves butchery, I do not praise.” “Why so ?” 4. “To such a sacrifice, Brahmin, involving butchery, neither the worthy ones nor those who have entered on the worthy way draw near. 5. “But in whatever sacrifice, Brahmin, cows are not slaughtered—and living creatures come not to destruction, such sacrifice not involving butchery,

269 WHAT IS NOT—DHAMMA III I do praise; such as, for instance, a long-established charity, an oblation for the welfare of the family.” 6. “Why so?” “Because, Brahmin, the worthy ones, those who have entered on the worthy way, do draw near to such- a sacrifice which involves not butchery.” (iii) 1. The Brahmin Udayin asked the same question to the Exalted One as was asked by the Brahmin Ujjaya: 2. “Pray, does the worthy Gautama praise sacrifice ?” The Buddha gave the same answer which he gave to Ujjaya. 3. He said : “Fit sacrifice performed in season due And free from cruelty, to such draw near Those well trained in the God-life, even those Who have the veil rolled back while (yet on earth), Who have transcended time and going. Such do the enlightened praise; those skilled in merit. “Whether in sacrifice or act of faith, Oblation fitly made with heart devout To that good field of Merit, —those who live The Good —life, sacrificed, conferred, —so given Lavish the offering; devas therewith are pleased. Thus offering, the thoughtful, thereby becoming wise, Wins the blissful world from suffering free” § 6. Belief Based on Speculation is Not— Dhamma (i) 1. It was usual to ask such questions as (1) Was I in ages past ? (2) Was I not in ages past ? (3) What was I then ? (4) From what did I pass to what? (5) Shall I be in ages to come? (6) Shall I not

270 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES III be in ages to come? (7) What shall I then be? (8) How shall I then be ? (9) From what shall I pass to what? Or, again, it is Self today about which he is in doubt, asking himself—(1) Am I? (2) Am I not? (3) What am I ? (4) How am I ? (5) Whence came my being ? (6) Whither will it pass ? ” 2. As regards the Universe various questions were raised. Some of them were as follows :— 3. “How was the Universe created ? Is it everlasting ?” 4. In answer to the first question some said everything was created by Brahma—others said it was created by Prajapati. 5. In answer to the second question some said it was everlasting. Others said it was not. Some said it was finite. Others said it was infinite. 6. These questions the Buddha refused to entertain. He said that they could only be asked and entertained by wrong-headed people. 7. To answer these questions required omniscience which nobody had. 8. He said that he was not omniscient enough to answer these questions. No one could claim to know all that is to be known nor what we wish to know at any time is known at the time. There is always something that is unknown. 9. It is for these reasons that the Buddha excluded such doctrines from his religion. 10. He regarded a religion which made such doctrines a part of it as a religion not worth having. (ii) 1. The doctrines with which the contemporaries of the Buddha had made the basis of their religion were concerned with (1) Self ; and (2) the origin of the Universe. 2. They raised certain questions about the self. They asked : “(1) Was I in ages past? (2) Was I not in ages past ? (3) What was I then ? (4) From what did I pass to what? (5) Shall I be in ages to come ? (6) Shall I not be in ages to come ? (7) What

271 WHAT IS NOT—DHAMMA III shall I then be ? (8) How shall I then be ? (9) From what shall I pass to what ? Or, again, it is Self today about which he is in doubt, asking himself—(1) Am I ? (2) Am I not ? (3) What am I, (4) How am I, (5) Whence came my being ? (6) Whither will it pass ? ” 3. Others raised the question regarding the origin of the Universe. 4. Some said it was created by Brahma. 5. Others said it was created by Prajapati sacrificing himself. 6. Other teachers had other questions to raise : “The world is everlasting,—the world is not everlasting— the world is finite,—the world is infinite, the body is the life (jiva),—the body is the one thing and the life another,—truth-finder exists after death,—a truth-finder does not exist after death,—he both exists and does not exist after death,—he neither exists nor does not exist after death.” 7. These were questions which the Buddha said could be asked by wrong-headed persons. 8. There were three reasons why the Buddha condemned these religious theories. 9. In the first place, there was no reason to make them, part of religion. 10. In the second place, to answer these questions required omniscience which nobody had. He emphasised this in his addresses. 11. He said that at one and the same time, no one can know and see everything. Knowledge is never final. There is always something more to be known. 12. The third argument against these theories was that they were merely speculative. They are not verified nor are they verifiable. 13. They were the result of imagination let loose. There was no reality behind them. 14. Besides of what good were these speculative theories to man in his relation to men ? None whatever. 15. The Buddha did not believe that the world was created. He believed that the world had evolved.