Vol. 11 · pages 461–465

442 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES no mystic wonders surpassing the power of ordinary men.’ 15. “Why, now, Sunakkhatta, have I ever said to you ‘Come, take me as your teacher, Sunakkhatta, and I will work for you mystic wonders surpassing the power of ordinary men ?’ 16. “ ‘ You have not, Sir.’ 17. “ Or have you ever said to me: ‘ Sir, I would fain take the Exalted One as my teacher for he will work for me mystic wonders beyond the powers of ordinary men ?’ 18. “ ‘ I have not, Sir.’ 19. “ ‘ But if I said not the one, and you said not the other, what are you and what am I, foolish man, that you talk of giving up ? What think you, Sunakkhatta?’ 20. “ Whether mystic wonders beyond the power of ordinary men are wrought, or whether they are not, is not the object for which I teach the Dhamma this: that it leads to the thorough destruction of ill for the doer thereof ?’ 21. “ ‘Whether, Sir, they are wrought or not, that is indeed the object for which the .Norm is taught by the Exalted One.’ 22. “But Bhaggava, Sunakkhatta went on saying to me, ‘Sir, the Exalted One does not reveal to me the beginning of things.’ 23. “Why now, Sunakkhatta, have I ever said to you: ‘Come, Sunakkhatta, be my disciple and I will reveal to you the beginning of things?’ 24. “ ‘ Sir, you have not.’ 25. “Or have you ever said to me: ‘I will become the Exalted One’s pupil, for he will reveal to me the beginning of things ? ’ 26. “ ‘Sir, I have not.’ 27. “ ‘But if I have not said the one and you have not said the other, what are you and what am I, foolish man, that you talk of giving up on that account? What you, Sunakkhatta ? Whether the beginning of things be revealed, or whether it be not, is the object for which I teach the Dhamma this: that it leads to V

443 THE DUTIES OF THE BHIKKHU the thorough destruction of ill for the doer thereof?’ 28. “ ‘Whether, Sir, they are revealed or not, that is indeed the object for which the Dhamma is taught by the Exalted One.’ 29. “ ‘If then, Sunakkhatta, it matters not to that object whether the beginning of things be revealed, or whether it be not, of what use to you would it be to have the beginning of things revealed ?’ 30. “ ‘In many ways have you, Sunakkhatta, spoken my praises among the Vajjins.’ 31. “ ‘In many ways have you, Sunakkhatta, spoken the praises of the Dhamma among the Vajjins.’ 32. “ ‘In many ways have you, Sunakkhatta, spoken the praises of the Order among the Vajjins.’ 33. “I tell you, Sunakkhatta, I make known to you, that there will be those that shall say concerning you thus: ‘Sunakkhatta of the Licchavis was not able to live the holy life under Gotama the recluse. And he, not being able to adhere to it, hath renounced the discipline and turned to lower things.’ 34. “Thus, Bhaggava, did Sunakkhatta of the Licchavis, addressed by me, depart from this Doctrine and Discipline, as one doomed to disaster.” 35. And soon after, leaving the Doctrine and Discipline of the Buddha, Sunakkhatta started telling people that there was nothing superhuman about the Buddha’s ennobling gifts of knowledge and insight; that it was his own reasoning which had hammered out a doctrine of his own evolving and of his personal invention, such that whoso hears it preached for his good has only to act up to it to be guided to the utter ending of ill. 36. Although, Sunakkhatta was slandering the Buddha, what he was telling people was true. For, the Buddha never resorted to the superhuman or the miraculous in propagating his Doctrine. § 3. Conversion Not to be by Force 1. The Blessed One was once going along the high road between Rajagraha and Nalanda with a great V

444 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES company of the brethren,—with about five hundred brethren. And Suppiya the mendicant, too, was going along the high road between Rajagraha and Nalanda with his disciple, the youth Brahmadatta. 2. Now, just then, Suppiya the mendicant was speaking in many ways in dispraise of the Buddha, in dispraise of the Doctrine, in dispraise of the Order. But young Brahmadatta, his pupil, gave utterance, in many ways, to praise of the Buddha, to praise of the Doctrine, to praise of the Order. 3. Thus they two, teacher and pupil, holding opinions in direct contradiction one to the other, were following, step by step, after the Blessed One and the company of the brethren. 4. Now the Blessed One put up at the royal rest-house in the Ambalatthika pleasance to pass the night, and with him the company of the brethren. And so also did Suppiya the mendicant, and with him his young disciple Brahmadatta. And there, at the rest-house, these two carried on the same discussion as before. 5. And in the early dawn a number of the brethren, assembled, as they rose up, in the pavilion; and the subject of the talk that sprang up among them was the conversation between Suppiya and Bramhadatta. 6. Now the Blessed One, on realising what was the drift of their talk, went to the pavilion, and took his seat on the mat spread out for him. And when he had sat down he said: “What is the talk on which you are engaged sitting here, and what is the subject of the conversation between you ?” And they told him all. And he said: 7. “Brethren, if outsiders should speak against me or against the Doctrine, or against the Order, you should not on that account either bear malice, or suffer heartburning, or feel ill-will. 8. “If you, on that account, should be angry and hurt, that would stand in the way of your own selfconquest. If, when others speak against us, you feel angry at that, and displeased, would you then be able V

445 THE DUTIES OF THE BHIKKHU to judge how far that speech of their’s is well said or ill ?” 9. “That would not be so, Sir.” 10. “But when outsiders speak in dispraise of me, or of the Doctrine, or of the Order, you should unravel what is false and point it out as wrong, saying: ‘ For this or that reason this is not the fact, that is not so, such a thing is not found among us, is not in us.’ 11. “But also, brethren, outsiders may speak in praise of me, in praise of the Doctrine, in praise of the Order. What are the things when they would say praising me you would say ? 12. “He may say ‘Putting away the killing of living things, Gotama the recluse holds aloof from the destruction of life. He has laid the cudgel and the sword aside, and ashamed of roughness, and full of mercy, he dwells compassionate and kind to all creatures that have life.’ It is thus that the unconverted man, when speaking in praise of the Tathagata, might speak. 13. “Or he might say: ‘ Putting away the taking of what has not been given, Gotama the recluse lived aloof from grasping what is not his own. He takes only what is given, and expecting that gifts will come. He passes his life in honesty and purity of heart.’ 14. “Or he might say: ‘Putting away unchastity, Gotama the recluse is chaste. He holds himself aloof, far off, from the vulgar practice, from the sexual act.’ 15. “Or he might say: ‘Putting away lying words, Gotama the recluse holds himself aloof from falsehood. He speaks truth, from the truth he never swerves; faithful and trustworthy, he breaks not his word to the world.” 16. “Or he might say: ‘Putting away slander, Gotama the recluse holds himself aloof from calumny. What he hears here he repeats not elsewhere to raise a quarrel against the people here; what he hears elsewhere he repeats not here to raise a quarrel against the people there. Thus does he live as a binder together of those who are divided, an encourager of those who are V

446 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES friends, a peacemaker, a lover of peace, impassioned for peace, a speaker of words that make for peace.’ 17. “Or he might say: ‘Putting away rudeness of speech, Gotama the recluse holds himself aloof from harsh language. Whatsover word is blameless, pleasant to the ear, lovely, reaching to the heart, urbane, pleasing to the people, beloved of the people— such are words he speaks.’ 18. “Or he might say : ‘ Putting away frivolous talk, Gotama the recluse holds himself aloof from vain conversation. In season he speaks, in accordance with the facts, words full of meaning, on religion, on the discipline of the Order. He speaks, and at the right time, words worthy to be laid up in one’s heart, fitly illustrated, clearly divided, to the point.’ 19. “Or he might say: ‘Gotama the recluse holds himself aloof from causing injury to seeds or plants. ‘He takes but one meal a day, no eating at night, refraining from food after hours (after midday). ‘He refrains from being a spectator at shows, at fairs, with nautch dances, singing, and music. ‘He abstains from wearing, adorning or ornamenting himself, with garlands, scents, and unguents. He abstains from the use of large and lofty beds. ‘He abstains from accepting silver or gold. ‘He abstains from accepting uncooked grain. ‘He abstains from accepting women or girls. ‘He abstains from accepting bond-men or bondwomen. ‘He abstains from accepting sheep or goats. ‘He abstains from accepting fowls or swine. ‘He abstains from accepting elephants, cattle, horses and mares. ‘He abstains from accepting cultivated fields or waste. ‘He abstains from acting as a go-between or messenger. ‘He abstains from buying and selling. V