Part 1 - A dialogue between senior monks and heretics

In that period, at that time, there was a city named Rājagṛha. Description, Outside the city, there was a park named Guṇaśilaka. Description. In that park, there was a slab of (black) stone. Near the said park, neither very near nor far from it, there lived many monks belonging to the order of heretics. In that period at that time, Śramaṇa Bhagavān Mahāvīra who had reorganised the spiritual order (tīrtha) arrived there. People flocked to hear his sermons, and having done so, they went back. In that period, at that time, Śramaṇa Bhagavān Mahāvīra had many disciples who were born in high maternal and paternal lines, who had no attachment for life and who had overcome the fear of death. They were seated neither very near nor very far from Bhagavān Mahāvīra, with their knees up and heads bent low, meditating and firmly rooted in restraint and penance.

The said heretical monks came to Bhagavān Mahāvīra and his monks and said unto them in part as follows:—

“Aryas! By three modes and three means, we think, you are unrestrained, unresisted, unrestricted and unrenounced (state everything as stated in S. 7. U. 2.), till you are out and out fools.”

On hearing these words, the senior monks in the order of Bhagavān Mahāvīra said unto the heretics as follows:

“Aryas! For what reason do you say that by three modes, till we are fools?”

Heretics—“Aryas! You accept things which have not been bestowed, you eat things which have not been bestowed, you permit the acceptance of things which have not been bestowed. In thus accepting, eating and permitting the acceptance of things not duly bestowed, you become, by three modes, etc., till out and out fools.”

Senior monks—“Aryas! How do you think that we accept things not duly bestowed, etc., till we are out and out fools?”

Heretics—“Aryas! According to you, things in the process of being given ‘have not been given’, things in the process of being taken ‘have not been taken’, things in the process of being offered in the bowl ‘have not been so offered’. In consequence, according to you, till a thing offered to you, if it has not reached your bowl, but has been stolen away in the process of being offered, then, this is a loss to the householder, and not a loss to you. This supports our above contention, till you are out and out fools.”

Senior monks—“Aryas! We accept not things not bestowed, take not things not bestowed, nor permit the acceptance of things not bestowed. We accept things only when duly bestowed, take things only when duly bestowed, permit the aeceptance of things only when duly bestowed. Hence in accepting things duly bestowed, in taking things duly bestowed and in permitting the acceptance of things duly bestowed, we are, by three modes and three means, duly restrained, till we are wholly prudent.”

Heretics—“Aryas! How do you accept things duly bestowed, till permit the acceptance of things duly bestowed, till call yourselves wholly prudent?”

Senior monks—“Aryas! In our view, a thing in the process of being given ‘has been given’, in the process of being accepted ‘has been accepted’ and in the process of being put into the begging bowl ‘has been so put’. Hence if a thing which is in the process of being put into the bowl, but which has not yet reached the bowl, be stolen, then we consider that our thing has been stolen, and not the thing belonging to the householder. Hence, you see, we take a thing which has been duly offered, till by three modes and three means, till we are restrained, till wholly prudent. But we think, what you have said about us as being unrestrained by three modes and three means applies very much to you.”

Heretics—“Aryas! How do you say that by three modes and three means, we are unrestrained, till fools?”

Senior monks—“Aryas! You accept things not duly bestowed, you take things not duly bestowed, you permit the acceptance of things not duly bestowed. Hence in accepting things not duly bestowed, till you are fools.”

Heretics—“Aryas! How do you say that we accept things not duly bestowed, till we are fools?”

Senior monks—“Aryas! In your view, a thing which is in the process of being given ‘has not been given’, till when stolen, it is not your thing, but the householder’s thing which has been stolen. Hence you aceept things not duly bestowed, till you are fools.”

Heroics—“Aryas! By three modes and three means, you are unrestrained, till you are fools.”

Senior monks—“Aryas! How do you say that by three modes and three means, we are unrestrained, till we are fools?”

Heretics—“Aryas! While walking, you put weight on the earth-bodies, hurt them, kick at them, rub them against the ground, gather them, disturb them, cause them pain, even death. Hence we say that you are unrestrained, till you are fools.”

Senior monks—“Aryas! While walking, we do not put weight on the earth bodies, till kill them not. In discharging our routine, including the depositing of our excreta, for helping the diseased and for the protection of life in earth, water, etc., we move from place to place, from region to region, but, in doing so, we press not, crush not, till kill not the earth bodies, and in this manner, we practise restraint. But, Aryas, in our view, you, who are, by three modes and three means, unrestrained, are out and out fools.”

Heretics—“Aryas! What for do you say that we are unrestrained, till out and out fools?

Senior monks—“Aryas! While walking, you press beneath your feet the earth bodies, till kill them. Hence you are unrestrained, till out and out fools.”

Heretics—“Aryas! According to you, while going, one has not gone; while covering a space, one has not covered it; while desiring to reach Rājagṛha, one has not reached Rājagṛha.”

Senior monks—“Aryas! It is not correct that in our view, while going, one has not gone; while covering a space, one has not covered it: while desiring to reach Rājagṛha, one has not reached there. Rather, our view is, while going, one has gone; while covering, one has covered; while desiring to reach Rājagṛha, one has arrived there. Hence we would say, if it be the reverse, then, that is your stand.”

In this manner, the senior monks of the order (of Mahāvīra) silenced the heretics and gave them a complete discourse on the flow of movement.

Notes (based on commentary of Abhayadeva Sūri):

(There is no commentary available for this section).