[102] On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Vesālī, in the Great Wood, in the hall with the peaked roof. Now on that occasion a number of very distinguished Licchavis, seated and assembled in the council hall, were speaking in many ways in praise of the Buddha, in praise of the Dhamma, in praise of the Saṅgha.
Now on that occasion Sīha the general, a disciple of the Nigaṇṭhas, was seated in that assembly. Then it occurred to Sīha the general: "Without doubt that Blessed One must be an Arahant, a Perfectly Enlightened One; for these very distinguished Licchavis, seated and assembled in the council hall, are speaking in many ways in praise of the Buddha, in praise of the Dhamma, in praise of the Saṅgha. Suppose I were to go to see that Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One." Then Sīha the general approached the Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta and said to him: "Venerable sir, I wish to go to see the ascetic Gotama." — "But how is it, Sīha, that you, being a proponent of doing (kiriyavāda), will go to see the ascetic Gotama, a proponent of non-doing (akiriyavāda)? For, Sīha, the ascetic Gotama, being a proponent of non-doing, teaches the Dhamma for the sake of non-doing, and thereby trains his disciples." Then the volitional preparation to go (gamiyābhisaṅkhāra) that had arisen in Sīha the general to see the Blessed One subsided.
A second time a number of very distinguished Licchavis, seated and assembled in the council hall, were speaking in many ways in praise of the Buddha, in praise of the Dhamma, in praise of the Saṅgha. A second time it occurred to Sīha the general: "Without doubt that Blessed One must be an Arahant, a Perfectly Enlightened One; for these very distinguished Licchavis, seated and assembled in the council hall, are speaking in many ways in praise of the Buddha, in praise of the Dhamma, in praise of the Saṅgha. Suppose I were to go to see that Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One." Then Sīha the general approached the Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta and said to him: "Venerable sir, I wish to go to see the ascetic Gotama." — "But how is it, Sīha, that you, being a proponent of doing, will go to see the ascetic Gotama, a proponent of non-doing? For, Sīha, the ascetic Gotama is a proponent of non-doing; he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of non-doing, and thereby trains his disciples." A second time the volitional preparation to go that had arisen in Sīha the general to see the Blessed One subsided.
A third time a number of very distinguished Licchavis, seated and assembled in the council hall, were speaking in many ways in praise of the Buddha, in praise of the Dhamma, in praise of the Saṅgha. A third time it occurred to Sīha the general: "Without doubt that Blessed One must be an Arahant, a Perfectly Enlightened One; for these very distinguished Licchavis, seated and assembled in the council hall, are speaking in many ways in praise of the Buddha, in praise of the Dhamma, in praise of the Saṅgha. What will the Nigaṇṭhas do to me, whether I take leave of them or not? Suppose I were, without taking leave of the Nigaṇṭhas, to go to see that Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One." Then Sīha the general, with about five hundred chariots, set out from Vesālī while it was still day to see the Blessed One. Having gone by carriage as far as the ground allowed for carriages, he alighted from the carriage and entered the park on foot. Then Sīha the general approached the Blessed One; having approached, he paid homage to the Blessed One and sat down to one side. Seated to one side, Sīha the general said to the Blessed One: "Bhante, I have heard this: 'The ascetic Gotama is a proponent of non-doing; he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of non-doing, and thereby trains his disciples.' Those, Bhante, who say: 'The ascetic Gotama is a proponent of non-doing; he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of non-doing, and thereby trains his disciples' — do they, Bhante, speak in accordance with what the Blessed One has said? Do they not misrepresent the Blessed One with what is untrue? Do they explain in accordance with the Dhamma, so that no legitimate consequence of their assertion incurs a ground for criticism? For, Bhante, we do not wish to misrepresent the Blessed One."
"There is, Sīha, a way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is a proponent of non-doing; he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of non-doing, and thereby trains his disciples.' There is, Sīha, a way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is a proponent of doing; he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of doing, and thereby trains his disciples.' There is, Sīha, a way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is a proponent of annihilation (ucchedavāda); he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of annihilation, and thereby trains his disciples.' There is, Sīha, a way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is one who is disgusted (jegucchī); he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of disgust, and thereby trains his disciples.' There is, Sīha, a way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is an abolisher (venayika); he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of abolition, and thereby trains his disciples.' There is, Sīha, a way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is a mortifier (tapassī); he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of mortification, and thereby trains his disciples.' There is, Sīha, a way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is one rid of the womb (appagabbha); he teaches the Dhamma for being rid of the womb, and thereby trains his disciples.' There is, Sīha, a way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is one who is consoled (assattha); he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of consolation, and thereby trains his disciples.'
"And what, Sīha, is the way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is a proponent of non-doing; he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of non-doing, and thereby trains his disciples'? For I, Sīha, assert the non-doing of bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, and mental misconduct; I assert the non-doing of the many kinds of bad, unwholesome qualities. This, Sīha, is the way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is a proponent of non-doing; he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of non-doing, and thereby trains his disciples.'
"And what, Sīha, is the way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is a proponent of doing; he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of doing, and thereby trains his disciples'? For I, Sīha, assert the doing of good bodily conduct, good verbal conduct, and good mental conduct; I assert the doing of the many kinds of wholesome qualities. This, Sīha, is the way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is a proponent of doing; he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of doing, and thereby trains his disciples.'
"And what, Sīha, is the way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is a proponent of annihilation; he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of annihilation, and thereby trains his disciples'? For I, Sīha, assert the annihilation of greed, hatred, and delusion; I assert the annihilation of the many kinds of bad, unwholesome qualities. This, Sīha, is the way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is a proponent of annihilation; he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of annihilation, and thereby trains his disciples.'
"And what, Sīha, is the way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is one who is disgusted; he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of disgust, and thereby trains his disciples'? For I, Sīha, am disgusted by bodily misconduct, by verbal misconduct, by mental misconduct; I am disgusted by the engaging in the many kinds of bad, unwholesome qualities. This, Sīha, is the way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is one who is disgusted; he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of disgust, and thereby trains his disciples.'
"And what, Sīha, is the way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is an abolisher; he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of abolition, and thereby trains his disciples'? For I, Sīha, teach the Dhamma for the abolition of greed, hatred, and delusion; I teach the Dhamma for the abolition of the many kinds of bad, unwholesome qualities. This, Sīha, is the way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is an abolisher; he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of abolition, and thereby trains his disciples.'
"And what, Sīha, is the way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is a mortifier; he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of mortification, and thereby trains his disciples'? For I, Sīha, say that bad, unwholesome qualities — bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, mental misconduct — are to be burned up. One in whom, Sīha, the bad, unwholesome qualities to be burned up have been abandoned, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, so that they are no longer subject to future arising — him I call a mortifier. In the Tathāgata, Sīha, the bad, unwholesome qualities to be burned up have been abandoned, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, so that they are no longer subject to future arising. This, Sīha, is the way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is a mortifier; he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of mortification, and thereby trains his disciples.'
"And what, Sīha, is the way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is one rid of the womb; he teaches the Dhamma for being rid of the womb, and thereby trains his disciples'? One in whom, Sīha, future lying in a womb and rebirth into renewed existence have been abandoned, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, so that they are no longer subject to future arising — him I call one rid of the womb. In the Tathāgata, Sīha, future lying in a womb and rebirth into renewed existence have been abandoned, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, so that they are no longer subject to future arising. This, Sīha, is the way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is one rid of the womb; he teaches the Dhamma for being rid of the womb, and thereby trains his disciples.'
"And what, Sīha, is the way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is one who is consoled; he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of consolation, and thereby trains his disciples'? For I, Sīha, am consoled with the supreme consolation; I teach the Dhamma for the sake of consolation, and thereby I train my disciples. This, Sīha, is the way in which one speaking rightly could say of me: 'The ascetic Gotama is one who is consoled; he teaches the Dhamma for the sake of consolation, and thereby trains his disciples.'"
When this was said, Sīha the general said to the Blessed One: "Excellent, Bhante! Excellent, Bhante! … May the Blessed One remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge from this day forth for as long as life lasts." — "Make a thorough investigation, Sīha. Thorough investigation is good for well-known people such as you." — "By this too, Bhante, I am satisfied and pleased with the Blessed One all the more, in that the Blessed One says to me: 'Make a thorough investigation, Sīha. Thorough investigation is good for well-known people such as you.' For, Bhante, if the followers of other sects had gained me as a disciple, they would have carried a banner all around the whole of Vesālī: 'Sīha the general has become our disciple!' And yet the Blessed One says to me: 'Make a thorough investigation, Sīha. Thorough investigation is good for well-known people such as you.' So for a second time, Bhante, I go for refuge to the Blessed One, and to the Dhamma, and to the Saṅgha of bhikkhus. May the Blessed One remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge from this day forth for as long as life lasts." — "For a long time, Sīha, your family has been like a wellspring for the Nigaṇṭhas; therefore you should consider that almsfood is to be given to them when they approach." — "By this too, Bhante, I am satisfied and pleased with the Blessed One all the more, in that the Blessed One says to me: 'For a long time, Sīha, your family has been like a wellspring for the Nigaṇṭhas; therefore you should consider that almsfood is to be given to them when they approach.' Bhante, I have heard this: 'The ascetic Gotama says: "Gifts should be given only to me, not to others; gifts should be given only to my disciples, not to the disciples of others. Only what is given to me is of great fruit, not what is given to others; only what is given to my disciples is of great fruit, not what is given to the disciples of others."' And yet the Blessed One encourages me to give even to the Nigaṇṭhas. Moreover, Bhante, we shall know the proper time for that. So for a third time, Bhante, I go for refuge to the Blessed One, and to the Dhamma, and to the Saṅgha of bhikkhus. May the Blessed One remember me, Bhante, as a lay follower who has gone for refuge from this day forth for as long as life lasts."
Then the Blessed One gave Sīha the general a progressive talk (anupubbikathā), that is: talk on giving, talk on virtue, talk on the heavens; he made known the danger, the degradation, and the defilement of sensual pleasures, and the benefit of renunciation. When the Blessed One knew that Sīha the general's mind (citta) was ready, malleable, free of the hindrances (nīvaraṇa), uplifted, and confident, he then made known that Dhamma teaching which the Buddhas themselves have discovered and extol: suffering (dukkha), its origin, its cessation, and the path. Just as a clean cloth from which the dark spots have been removed would take the dye evenly, even so, in Sīha the general, right there in that very seat, there arose the dust-free, stainless Dhamma-eye: "Whatever is subject to origination is all subject to cessation."
Then Sīha the general — having seen the Dhamma, attained the Dhamma, understood the Dhamma, fathomed the Dhamma, having crossed beyond doubt, rid of uncertainty, having attained self-confidence, independent of others in the Teacher's dispensation — said to the Blessed One: "Bhante, may the Blessed One together with the Saṅgha of bhikkhus consent to accept tomorrow's meal from me." The Blessed One consented by silence. Then Sīha the general, knowing that the Blessed One had consented, rose from his seat, paid homage to the Blessed One, circumambulated him keeping his right side toward him, and departed. Then Sīha the general addressed a certain man: "Go, good man; find out about meat that is already available (pavattamaṃsa)." Then, when that night had passed, Sīha the general, having had fine foods, both hard and soft, prepared in his own residence, had the time announced to the Blessed One: "It is time, Bhante; the meal in the residence of Sīha the general is ready."
Then the Blessed One, having dressed in the morning, taking bowl and robe, went to the residence of Sīha the general; having arrived, he sat down on the appointed seat together with the Saṅgha of bhikkhus. Now on that occasion many Nigaṇṭhas, going from street to street and from crossroads to crossroads in Vesālī, waving their arms, were wailing: "Today Sīha the general has slain a plump beast and made a meal for the ascetic Gotama! The ascetic Gotama knowingly eats meat prepared specifically for him — a deed done on his account!" Then a certain man approached Sīha the general and whispered in his ear: "Please know, sir: these many Nigaṇṭhas, going from street to street and from crossroads to crossroads in Vesālī, waving their arms, are wailing: 'Today Sīha the general has slain a plump beast and made a meal for the ascetic Gotama! The ascetic Gotama knowingly eats meat prepared specifically for him — a deed done on his account!'" — "Enough, sirs. For a long time those venerable ones have wished to disparage the Buddha, wished to disparage the Dhamma, wished to disparage the Saṅgha; and those venerable ones never tire of misrepresenting the Blessed One with what is baseless, hollow, false, and untrue. And we would not intentionally deprive a living being of life even for the sake of our own life." Then Sīha the general, with his own hand, served and satisfied the Saṅgha of bhikkhus headed by the Buddha with fine foods, both hard and soft. Then, when the Blessed One had finished eating and had withdrawn his hand from the bowl, Sīha the general sat down to one side. And as Sīha the general sat to one side, the Blessed One, having instructed, encouraged, roused, and gladdened him with a talk on the Dhamma, rose from his seat and departed.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.