Part 1 - On the knowledge of the Law without hearing

In the city of Rājagṛha, till made the following submission:

Q. 6. Bhante! Does one (apparently a human being) derive the knowledge of the Law (dharma) enunciated by the omniscient without hearing it from an omniscient personality (kevalin), from his male or female follower (śrāvaka, śrāvikā), from his male or female devotee (upāsaka, upāsikā), from one self-enlightened, from his male or female follower, from his male or female devotee?

A. 6. Gautama! Some derive this benefit while some others do not.

Q. 7. Bhante! What is the reason, till some others do not?

A. 7. Gautama! One who has exhausted or tranquilised karma enshrouding knowledge derives the benefit of the Law enunciated by the omniscient without hearing from anyone of the persons stated; one who has not exhausted or tranquilised karma enshrouding knowledge does not derive the benefit of the Law without hearing from anyone of the persons stated. Such is the reason.

Q. 8. Bhante! Does one derive pure enlightenment (implying faith) without hearing from an omniscient person, till the female devotee of one who is self-enlightened?

A. 8. Gauama! Some do while some others do not.

Q 9. Bhante! What is the reason, till some others do not?

A. 9. Gautama! One who has exhausted or tranquilised karma enshrouding faith (darśaṇa) derives, without hearing, pure enlightenment; one who has not exhausted or tranquilised karma enshrouding faith does not. Such is the reason.

Q. 10. Bhante! Does one without hearing from an omniscient personality, till the female devotee of one who is self-enlightened, be initiated into the life of a homeless monk by simply renouncing his home and tonsuring his head?

A. 10. Gautama! Some may be so initiated while some others may not.

Q. 11. Bhante! What is the reason, till some others may not?

A. 11. Gautama! One who has exhausted or tranquilised karma obstructing the fulfilment of the Law (in short, obstructing conduct) may, without hearing, be initiated into monkhood if he renounces his home and undergoes a ton-sure; but this does not hold in the case of one who has not exhausted or tranquilised tbs aforesaid karma. Such is the reason.

Q. 12. Bhante! Is it possible for one to assume, without tearing from an omniscient personality, till the female devotee of one who is self-enlightened, the pure robe of the celibate?

A. 12. Gautama! It may be possible for some but not for some others.

Q. 13. Bhante! What is the reason, till not for some others?

A. 13. Gautama! One who has exhausted or tranquilised karma enshrouding conduct may, without hearing as aforesaid, assume the robe of the celibate; but for one who has not exhausted or tranquilised karma obstructing conduct, this is not possible. Such is the reason.

Q. 14. Is it possible for one to be restrained, without hearing from an omniscient personality, till the female devotee of one who is self-enlightened, by practising pure restraint?

A. 14. Gautama! It may be possible for some but not for some others.

Q. 15. Bhante! What is the reason, till not for some others?

A. 15. Gautama! One who has exhausted or tranquilised karma enshrouding effort (i.e., cbstructing energy) may, without hearing as aforesaid, be restrained by practising pure restraint; but this does not hold in the case of one who has not exhausted or tranquilised the aforesaid karma. Such is the reason.

Q. 16. Bhante! Is it possible for one to check, without hearing from an omniscient personality, till the female devotee of one who is self-enlightened, the inflow of fresh karma by sincere withdrawal?

A. 16. Gautama! It may be possible for some but not for some others.

Q. 17. Bhante! What is the re son, till not for some others?

A. 17. Gautama! One who has exhausted or tranquilised karma enshrouding cognitive conduct (adhyavasāna—bhāva cāritra) may, without hearing as aforesaid, check the inflow of fresh karma by sincere withdrawal, but not ore who has not So exhausted or tranquilised karma enshrouding cognitive conduct. Such is the reason.

Q. 18. Is it possible for one to acquire knowledge based on pure perception without hearing as aforesaid?

A. 18. Gautama! It may be possible for some but not for some others.

Q. 19. Bhante! What is the reason, till not for some others?

A. 19. Gautama! One who has exhausted or tranquilised karma enshrouding pure perception may, without hearing as aforesaid, acquire it, but not one who has not so exhausted or tranquilised karma enshrouding reception. Such is the reason.

Q. 20. Bhante! Is it possible for one to acquire pure śruta knowledge without hearing as aforesaid?

A. 20. Gautama! What has been stated about pure perception also holds about pure śruta knowledge, pure extra-sensory knowledge and pure psychological knowledge, exhaustion or tranquilisation being relevant of karma affecting that particular perceptual, śruta, extra-seṇsory or psychological knowledge, as the case may be.

Q. 21. Bhante! Is it possible for one to acquire supreme-knowledge without hearing as aforesaid?

A. 21. Gautama! Repeat all that is already stated, except that exhaustion or tranquilisation here is relevant of karma obstructing supreme knowledge.

Q. 22. Bhante! Is it possible for cne to derive without hearing from an omniscient personality, till the female devotee of one self-enlightened, the benefit of having heard the Law propounded by ṭhe omniscient, to acquire pure enlightenment, to court the life of a homeless monk by simply giving up his home and undergoing a tonsure, to assume the pure robe of the celibate, to be restrained by practising pure restraint, to check the inflow of fresh karma by sincere withdrawal, to have knowledge based on pure perception, till pure psychological knowledge, till supreme knowledge?

A. 22. Gautama! Without hearing from an omniscient personality, till the female devotee of one self-enlightened, some may derive the benefit of having heard the Law propounded by the omniscient, while some others may not; some may acquire pure enlightenment, while some others may not; some may court the life of a homeless monk by simply giving up his home and undergoing a tonsure, while some others may not; some may assume the pure robe of the celibate, while some others may not; some may be restrained by practising pure restraint, while Some others may not; some may check the inflow of fresh karma, while some others may not; some may have knowledge based on pure perception while some others may not, till likewise with psychological knowledge; some may have supreme knowledge, while some others may not.

Q. 23. Bhante! What is the reason, till some others may not?

A. 23. Gautama! One who has not exhausted or tranquilised karma enshrouding knowledge, karma enshrouding faith, karma obstructing Law, karma enshrouding conduct, karma enshrouding effort, karma obstructing subjective conduct, karma enshrouding pure perception, till pure knowledge about psychology, karma enshrouding supreme knowledge, such one does not, without hearing from an omniscient personality, till the female devotee of one self-enlightened, derive the knowledge of the Law, does not acquire pure enlightenment, till does not supreme knowledge. One who has exhausted or tranquilised karma enshrouding knowledge, karma enshrouding faith, karma obstructing Law, till karma preventing the acquisition of supreme knowledge, such one does, even without hearing as aforesaid, derive the benefit of having heard the Law, does acquire pure enlightenment, till supreme knowledge.

One who incessantly undergoes fast missing six meals at a time, who exposes himself with his arms raised to the blaze of the burning sun, from an elevated ground, who is polite and gentle by nature, whose passions, viz., anger, pride, attachment and greed, are very much subdued, who is humble and delicate in his disposition, who has no desire or attachment for pleasure, comes to acquire some day, due to his inherent delicacy and humility, auspicious effort, good luck, pure tinge, and on account of the exhaustion or tranquilisation of karma imparting such tinges as may be unwholesome, in the process of passing through diverse efforts to acquire knowledge, īhā, apoha, mārgaṇa, gaveṣaṇa, the non-knowledge called vibhaṅga. By dint of this nonknowledge, he is able to know and see from the smallest fraction of a finger in the minimum, till upto a distance of innumerable thousand miles in the maximum. With this non-knowledge derived, he knows the encased soul, as he also knows matter; he knows the sinner, the worldly-wise, the grabber, the sufferer, as he also knows the pure encased souls. Then this man with vibhaṅga knowledge first acquires equanimity, and thereafter derives taste for the religion of the Śramaṇas, which induces him to court the latter’s conduct. Thereafter he assumes the robe of a monk. Then false outlook gradually Joses hold of him, and its place is gradually filled up by right faith, till at last his vibhaṅga knowledge comes in touch with equanimity and changes soon into true extrasensory (avadhi) knowledge.

Q. 24. Bhante ! (Coming to such a man who has acquired avadhi knowledge), in how many tinges may he exist ?

A. 24. Gautama! In three pure tinges may he exist, viz., red, pink and white.

Q. 25. Bhante! In how many types of knowledge may he exist?

A. 25. Gautama! He may exist in three types, viz., perceptual, śruta and extra-sensory.

Q. 26. Bhante! Is he with or without activity?

A. 26. Gautama! He is with, not without, activity.

Q. 27. Bhante! If he be with activity, then is it the activity of the mind, speech or body?

A. 27. Gautama! He is with the activity of the mind as well as speech as well as body.

Q. 28. Bhante! Has he the equipment of knowledge or of faith.

A. 28. Gautama! He has the equipment of knowledge as well as of faith.

Q. 29. Bhante! What sort of body structure does he have?

A. 29. Gautama! He is said to have what is called vajra-ṛṣabha-nārāca (which is considered to be the best among body structures).

Q. 30. Bhante! How about his shape?

A. 30. Gautama! Anyone of the six shapes.

Q. 31. Bhante! How tall is he?

A. 31. Gautama! Minimum seven cubits and maximum 500 dhanuṣ.

Q. 32. Bhante! How long is his life-span?

A. 32. Gautama! Slightly more than eight years and maximum a pūrva-koṭi.

Q. 33. Bhante! Is he with or without sex?

A. 33. Gautama! He is with, not without, sex.

Q. 34. Bhante! If he be with sex, is he a woman, a man, a man-eunuch (not a full eunuch), or an eunuch?

A. 34. Gautama! Not a woman, but a man; not an eunuch, but a man-eunuch.

Q. 35. Bhante! Is he with, or without, passions?

A. 35. Gautama! He is with, not without, passions.

Q. 36. Bhante! If with passions, with how many passions, pray?

A. 36. Gautama! He has all the four, burning (short-lived) anger, pride, attachment and greed.

Q. 37. Bhante! How many types of subjective conduct has he?

A. 37. Gautama! He has innumerable types.

Q. 38. Bhante! Are they wholesome, or unwholesome?

A. 38. Gautama! They are wholesome, not unwholesome.

With the widening of his wholesome conduct, this man (with avadhi knowledge) liberates himself with the help of his ever-widening wholesome conduct, from an infinite number of births in the hells, in the world of animals, in the world of men and in the heavens, exhausts his infinitely binding anger, pride, attachment and greed inherent in the nature of these four existences and even other natures, exhausts unrenounced anger, pride, attachment and greed, then exhausts anger, pride, attachment and greed obstructing renunciation, and thereafter exhausts the burning (shortlived) anger, pride, attachment and greed. Then he exhausts five types of karma enshrouding knowledge, nine enshrouding faith, five causing obstruction and turning karma causing delusion into what looks like a headless palm, whereon shines his supreme knowledge and faith which is infinite, unprecedented, unobstructed, uncovered, full and complete, which was so long lost in the welter of karma dust.

Q. 39. Bhante! Does he enunciate, assert and establish the Law, which is usually due from the omniscient?

A. 39. Gautama! He cannot. Beyond citing one illustration and giving reply to one question, he does not enunciate the Law.

Q. 40. Bhante! Does he initiate another, tonsure another into monkhood?

A. 40. Gautama! He cannot. He simply directs him (to some more competent person who may initiate him into monkhood).

Q. 41. Bhante! Is he perfected, till does he end all misery?

A. 41. Gautama! Yes, he is perfected, till he ends all misery.

Q. 42. Bhante! Do people like this live in the upper regions, or in the lower regions or in the regions inhabited by animals?

A. 42. Gautama! They live in the upper regions, also in the lower regions, also in the regions inhabited by animals. When in the upper regions, they live on the Vaitāḍhya type of mountains, viz., Sabdāpātī, Vikaṭāpātī, Gandhāpātī and Mālyavanta, or even in Saumanasa or Pāṇḍuka forest. When in the lower regions, they live in cravices and caves, or even in the shelfs (pāṭāla [pātāla?]) and cells (bhavana) of the lower regions. While in the animal world, they live in fifteen lands of spiritual activity, or even in two islands and a half and in a portion of the oceans.

Q. 43. Bhante! How many of them may live in a unit of time (samaya)?

A. 43. Gautama! Minimum one, two or three, and maximum ten. Hence I say, without hearing from an omniscient personality, till the female devotee of one self-enlightened, someone may have the benefit of having heard the Law, and someone may not have it, till someone may have supreme knowledge, and someone may not have it.=