Part 2 - On the knowledge of Law on hearing

Q. 44. Bhante! Does one derive the knowledge of Law on hearing from an omniscient personality, till the female devotee of one who is self-enlightened?

A. 44. Gautama! It is possible for some, but not so for some others. Repeat in this case all that has been said about knowledge without, except that in the present case, use the expression ‘on hearing’. The rest verbatim as before, till one who has exhausted karma enshrouding the knowledge of the psychology of others, one who has exhausted karma obstructing supreme knowledge, acquires enlightenment regarding the Law, derives pure enlightenment, till has supreme knowledge.

Such a person practising incessant fasts missing eight meals at a time, on account of his inherent humility, and because of his submission to diverse efforts, īhā-apoha-mārgaṇa-gaveṣaṇa, comes to acquire extra-sensory knowledge, by dint of which he can know and see from the smallest fraction of a finger in the minimum, till upto innumerable portions of space each as vast as the universe (loka) in the maximum.

Q. 45. Bhante! In how many tinges may he exist?

A. 45. Gautama! In six, from black, till white.

Q. 46. Bhante! In how many types of knowledge does he exist?

A. 46. Gautama! He exists in three types or four. When three, he exits in perceptual, śruta and extra-sensory knowledge; when four, he exists in perceptual, śruta, extrasensory and psychological.

Q. 47. Bhante! Is he with, or without, activity?

A. 47. Gautama! Regarding activity, experience, structure, shape, height and life-span,—he is similar to one without hearing.

Q. 48. Bhante! What about his sex?

A. 48. Gautama! He may be with, or without, sex.

Q. 49. Bhante! If without sex, is it because of tranquillsation or because of enfeeblement?

A. 49. Gautama! Not tranquilisation, but enfeeblement.

Q. 50. Bhante! If he be with sex, is he a woman, a man, an eunuch, or a man-eunuch?

A. 50. Gautama! He may be a woman, or a man or a man-eunuch.

Q. 51. Bhante! Is he with, or without passions?

A. 51. Gautama! He may with as well as without passions.

Q. 52. Bhante! If he be without passions, is it because his passions are tranquilised or enfeebled?

A. 52. Gautama! They are not tranquilised, but enfeebled.

Q. 53. Bhante! If he be with passions, how many passions does he have?

A. 53. Gautama! He may have four, three, two or even one. When four, they are short-lived anger, pride, attachment and greed; when three, short-lived pride, attachment and greed; when two, short-lived attachment and greed; when one shortlived greed.

Q. 54. Bhante! How many subjective conduct does he have?

A. 54. Gautama! Innumerable, as in the case of one without hearing.

Q. 55. Bhante! Does he enunciate, propound and establish the Law given by the omniscient?

A. 55. Yes, he does enunciate, propound and establish it.

Q. 56. Bhante! Does he initiate and tonsure another?

A. 56. Yes, Gautama, he does initiate and tonsure another.

Q. 57. Bhante! Does his disciple initiate and tonsure another?

A. 57. Yes, he does initiate and tonsure another.

Q. 58. Bhante! Does his disciple in the second generation initiate and tonsure another?

A. 58. Yes, he does initiate and tonsure another.

Q. 59. Bhante! Is he perfected, enlightened, till end all misery?

A. 59. Yes, he does.

Q. 60. Bhante! Is his disciple perfected, till ends all misery?

A. 60. Yes, he is, till ends all misery.

Q. 61. Bhante! Is his disciple in the second generation perfected, till ends all misery?

A. 61. As aforesaid, till ends all misery.

Q. 62. Bhante! Do people like this live in the upper regions?

A. 62. As aforesaid in the case of those without hearing, till a portion of the oceans.

Q. 63. Bhante! How many of them may live in a unit of time (samaya)?

A. 63. Gautama! Minimum one, two or three and maximum one hundred and eight. Hence I say, on hearing, till some may have and some others may not have the supreme knowledge.

—Bhante! So it is. You are right.

Chapter Thirty one ends.