Vol. 3 · pages 236–240
Philosophy of Hinduism; Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Ancient India; Buddha or Karl Marx
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and in the letter. The higher life doth he make known in all its fullness,
and in all its purity. And good is it to pay visists to Arhats like that.’
4. Then Lohikka the Brahman said to Bhesika the barber, ‘Come now,
good Bhesika, go where the Samana Gotama is staying, and on your
arrival, ask in my name as to whether his sickness and indisposition
as abated, as to his health and vigour and condition of ease; and speak
thus: “May the venerable Gotama, and with him the brethren of the
order, accept the tomorrow’s meal from Lohikka the Brahman.”
5. ‘Very well. Sir.’ said Bhesika the barber, acquiescing in the word
of Lohikka the Brahman, and did so even as he had been enjoined. And
the Exalted One consented, by silence, to his request.
6. And when Bhesika the barber perceived that the Exalted One had
consented, he rose from his seat, and passing the Exalted One with
his right hand towards him, went to Lohikka the Brahman, and on his
arrival spake to him thus :
‘We addressed that Exalted One, Sir, in your name, even as you
commanded. And the Exalted One hath consented to come.’
7. Then Lohikka the Brahman, when the night had passed made
ready at his own dwelling place sweet food, both hard and soft, and
said to Bhesika the barber: ‘Come now, good Bhesika, go where the
Samana Gotama is staying, and on your arrival, announce the time to
him, saying: “It is time, O Gotama. and the meal is ready.”
‘Very well. Sir’, said Bhesika the barber in assent to the words of
Lohikka the Brahman; and did so even as he had been enjoined.
And the Exalted One, who had robed himself early in the morning,
went robed, and carrying his bowl with him, with the brethren of the
Order, towards Salavatika,
8. Now, as he went, Bhesika the barber walked step by step, behind
the Exalted One. And he said to him:
‘The following wicked opinion has occured to Lohikka the Brahman;
“Suppose that a Samana or a Brahmana have reached up to some good
state (of mind), then he should tell no one else about it. For what can
one man do for another? To tell others would be like the man who,
having broken through an old bond, should entangle himself in a new
one. Like that, I say, is this (desire to declare to others); it is a form
of lust”, Twere well. Sir, if the Exalted One would disabuse his mind
thereof. For what can one man do for another?’ ‘That may well be,
Bhesika, that may well be.’
9. And the Exalted One went on to the dwelling-place of Lohikka the
Brahman, and sat down on the seat prepared for him. And Lohikka
the Brahman satisfied the Order, with the Buddha at its head.
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with his own hand, with sweet food both hard and soft, until they refused any
more. And when the Exalted One had finished his meal, and had cleansed
the bowl and his hands, Lohikka the Brahman brought a low seat and sat
down beside him. And to him, thus seated the Exalted One spake as follows:
‘Is it true what they say, Lohikka, that the following wicked opinion has
arisen in your mind; (and he set forth the opinion as above set forth)?
‘That is so Gotama.’
10. ‘Now what think you, Lohikka? Are you not etablished at Salavatika?’
‘Yes, that is so, Gotama.’
‘Then suppose, Lohikka, one were to speak thus: “Lohikka the Brahman
has domain at Salavatika. Let him alone enjoy all the revenue, and all the
produce of Salavatika. allowing nothing to anybody else!” Would the utterer
of that speech be danger-maker as touching the men who live in dependance
upon you, or not?’
‘He would be danger-maker, Gotama’
‘And making that danger, would he be a person who sympathised with
their welfare, or not?’
‘He would not be considering their welfare, Gotama.’
‘And not considering their welfare, would his heart stand fast in love
towards them, or in enmity?”
‘In enmity. Gotama.’
‘But when one’s heart stands fast in enmity, is that unsound doctrine,
or sound?’
‘It is unsound doctrine, Gotama.’
‘Now if a man hold unsound doctrine, Lohikka, I declare that one of two
future births will be his lot, either purgatory or rebirth as an animal.’
11. ‘Now what think you Lohikka? Is not King Pasenadi of Kosala in
possession of Kasi and Kosala?’
‘Yes, that is so. Gotama.’
‘Then suppose, Lohikka. one were to speak thus:’ King Pasenadi of Kosala
is in possession of Kasi and Kosala. Let him enjoy all the revenue and all
the produce of Kasi and Kosala, allowing nothing to anybody else.” Would the
utterer of that speech be a danger-maker as touching the men who live in
dependence on King Pasenadi of Kosala—both you yourself and others or not?’
‘He would be danger-maker Gotama.’
‘And making that danger, would he be a person who sympathised with
their welfare, or not?
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‘He would not be considering their welfare, Gotama.’
‘And not considering their welfare, would his heart stand fast in love
toward them, or in enmity?’
‘In enmity, Gotama.’
‘But when one’s heart stands fast in enmity, is that unsound doctrine,
or sound?’
‘It is unsound doctrine, Gotama.’
‘Now if a man hold unsound doctrine, Lohikka, I declare that one of
two future births will be his lot, either purgatory or rebirth as an animal.
12 and 14. ‘So then, Lohikka, you admit that he who should say that
you, being in occupation of Salavatika, should therefore, yourself enjoy
all the revenue and produce thereof, bestowing nothing on any one else;
and he who should say that King Pasenadi of Kosala, being in power
over Kasi and Kosala, should therefore himself enjoy all the revenue and
produce thereof, bestowing nothing on any one else— would be making
danger for those living in dependence upon you; or for those you and
others living in dependence upon the King. And that those who thus
make danger for others, must be wanting in sympathy for them. And
that the man wanting in sympathy has his heart set fast in enmity. And
that to have one’s heart set fast in enmity is unsound doctrine.
13 and 15. ‘Then just so, Lohikka, he who should say: “Suppose a
Samana or a Brahamana to have reached up to some good state (of
mind), then should he tell no one else about it. For what can one man
do for another? To tell others would be like the man who, having broken
through an old bond, should entangle himself in a new one. Like that,
I say, is this desire to declare to others, it is a form of lust;”—just so
he, who should say, thus, would be putting obstacles in the way of
those clansmen who, having taken upon themselves the Doctrine and
Discipline set forth by Him-who-has-won-the-Truth, have attained to
great distinction therein—to the fruit of conversion, for instance, or to
the fruit of once returning, or to the fruit of never returning, or even
to Arhatship—he would be putting obstacles in the way of those who
are bringing to fruition the course of conduct that will lead to rebirth
in states of bliss in heaven. But putting obstacles in their way he would
be out of sympathy for their welfare; being out of sympathy for their
welfare his heart would become established in enmity; and when one’s
heart is established in enmity, that is unsound doctrine. Now if a man
hold unsound doctrine, Lohikka, I declare that one of two future births
will be his lot, either purgatory or rebirth as an animal.
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16. ‘There are these three sorts of teachers in the world, Lohikka,
who are worthy of blame; And whosoever should blame such a one, his
rebuke would be justified, in accord with the facts and the truth, not
improper. What are the three?
‘In the first place, Lohikka, there is a sort of teacher who has not
himself attained to that aim of Samanaship for the sake of which he
left his home and adopted the homeless life. Without having himself
attained to it he teaches a doctrine (Dhamma) to his hearers, saying:
“This is good for you, this will make you happy.” Then those hearers of
his neither listen to him, nor give ear to his words, nor become steadfast
in heart through their knowledge thereof; they go their own way, apart
from the teaching of the master. Such a teacher may be rebuked, setting
out these facts, and adding: “You are like one who should make advances
to her who keeps repulsing him, or should embrace her who turns her
face away from him. Like that, do I say, is this lust of yours (to go on
posing as a teacher of men, no one heeding, since, they trust you not).
For what, then, can one man do for another ?”
‘This, Lohikka, is the first sort of teacher in the world worthy of blame.
And whosoever should blame such a one, his rebuke would be justified,
in accord with the facts and the truth, not improper.
17. ‘In the second place, Lohikka, there is a sort of teacher who has not
himself attained to that aim of Samanship for the sake of which he left
his home and adopted the homeless life. Without having himself attained
to it he teaches a doctrine to his hearers, saying: “This is good for you;
that will make you happy.” And to him his disciples listen; they give
ears to his words; they become steadfast in heart by their understanding
what is said; and they go not their own way, apart from the teaching
of the master. Such a teacher may be rebuked, setting out these facts
and adding: “You are like a man who, neglecting his own field, should
take thought to weed out his neighbour’s field. Like that, do I say, is
this lust of yours (to go on teaching others when you have not taught
yourself). For what, then, can one man do for another?”
This, Lohikka. is the second sort of teacher in the world worthy of
blame. And whosoever should blame such a one, his rebuke would be
justified, in accord with the facts and the truth not improper.
18. And again, Lohikka, in the third place, there is a sort of teacher
who has himself attained to that aim of Samanaship for the sake
of which he left his home and adopted the homeless life. Having
himself attained it, he teaches the doctrine to his hearers, saying:
“This is good for you, that will make you happy.” But those hearers of
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his neither listen to him, nor give ear to his words, nor become steadfast in
heart through understanding thereof; they go their own way, apart from the
teaching of the master. Such a teacher may be rebuked, setting out these
facts, and adding; “You are like a man who, having broken through an old
bond, should entangle himself in a new one.” Like that, do I say, is this lust
of yours (to go on teaching when you have not trained yourself to teach).
For what, then, can one man do for another?”
‘This, Lohikka, is the third sort of teacher in the world worthy of blame.
And whosoever should blame such a one, his rebuke would be justified, in
accord with the facts and the truth, not improper. And these, Lohikka, are
the three sorts of teachers of which I spoke.’
19. ‘And when he had thus spoken, Lohikka, the Brahman spake thus to
the Exalted One:
‘But is there, Gotama, any sort of teacher not worthy of blame in the world?’
‘Yes, Lohikka, there is a teacher not worthy, in the world of blame.’
‘And What sort of a teacher, Gotama, is so?’
(The answer is in the words of the exposition set out above in the Samannaphala, as follows:
1. The appearance of a Tathagata (one who won the truth), his preaching,
the conversion of a hearer, his adoption of the homeless state.
2. The minor details of mere morality that he practises.
3. The Confidence of heart he gains from this practice.
4. The paragraph on ‘Guarded is the door of his Senses.’
5. The paragraph on ‘Mindful and Self-possessed.’
6. The paragraph on Simplicity of Life, being content with little.
7. The paragraphs on Emancipation, ill-temper, laziness, worry and
perplexity.
8. The paragraph on the Joy and Peace that, as a result of this
emancipation, fills his whole being.
9. The paragraphs on the Four Raptures (Ghanas).
10. The paragraphs on the Insight arising from Knowledge (the knowledge
of the First Path).
11. The paragraphs on the Realisation of the Four Noble Truths the
destruction of the Intoxications—lust, delusions, be comings, and
ignorance—and the attainment of Arhatship.)
The refrain through and the closing paragraph is:
‘And whosoever the teacher be, Lohikka, under whom the disciple
attains to distinction so excellent as that, that, Lohikka is a teacher