Chapter 9

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The Lord Buddha enquired of Subhuti, saying: “What think you? May a Scrotapatti[1] (having entered the stream which bears on to Nirvana) thus moralise within himself, ‘I have obtained the fruits[2] commensurate with the merit of a Scrotapatti’?” Subhuti replied, saying: “No! Honoured of the Worlds! And why? Because, Scrotapatti is simply a descriptive term signifying ‘having entered the stream.’ A disciple who avoids the seductive phenomena of form, sound, odour, taste, touch, and Law,[3] is named a Scrotapatti.”

The Lord Buddha again enquired of Subhuti, saying: “What think you? May a Sakridagami[4] (who is subject only to one more reincarnation) thus muse within himself, ‘I have obtained the fruits consonant with the merit of a Sakridagami’?” Subhuti replied, saying: “No! Honoured of the Worlds! And why? Because, Sakridagami is merely a descriptive title denoting ‘only one more reincarnation’;[5] but in reality there is no such condition as ‘only one more reincarnation,’ hence Sakridagami is merely a descriptive title.”

The Lord Buddha once again enquired of Subhuti, saying: “What think you? May an Anagami[6] (having entire immunity from reincarnation) thus reflect within himself, ‘I have obtained the fruits which accord with the merit of an Anagami?’” Subhuti replied, saying: “No! Honoured of the Worlds! And why? Because, Anagami is merely a designation meaning ‘immunity from reincarnation’; but in reality there is no such condition as ‘immunity from reincarnation,’ hence Anagami is merely a convenient designation.”

The Lord Buddha yet again enquired of Subhuti, saying: “What think you? May an Arhat[7] (having attained to absolute quiescence of mind) thus meditate within himself, ‘I have obtained the condition of an Arhat’?” Subhuti replied, saying: “No! Honoured of the Worlds! And why? Because, there is not in reality a condition synonymous with the term Arhat. Honoured of the Worlds! if an Arhat thus meditates within himself, ‘I have obtained the condition of an Arhat,’ there would be obvious recurrence of such arbitrary concepts as an entity, a being, a living being, and a personality. Honoured of the Worlds! When the Lord Buddha declared that in absolute quiescence[8] of mind, perfect observance of the Law,[9] and true spiritual perception, I was pre-eminent amongst the disciples, I did not cogitate thus within myself, ‘I am an Arhat, freed[10] from desire!’ Had I thus cogitated, ‘I have obtained the condition of an Arhat,’[11] the ‘Honoured of the Worlds’ would not have declared concerning me, ‘Subhuti delights in the austerities practised by the Aranyaka’;[12] but, in reality, Subhuti was perfectly quiescent and oblivious to phenomena;[13] hence the allusion, ‘Subhuti delights in the austerities practised by the Aranyaka.’”

[1] “One who has entered (Apatti) the stream (Srota), the latter being defined as the stream of holy conduct (which bears on to Nirvana).”—_Handbook of Chinese Buddhism_. Eitel.

[2] “Men walking in the path, and standing in the fruits thereof, those who have attained some fruits thereof but are yet learners ... whose hope is directed to the utmost goal.”—_Questions of King Milinda_. T. W. Rhys Davids.

“Enter the path! There spring the healing streams Quenching all thirst! there bloom th’ immortal flowers Carpeting all the way with joy! there throng Swiftest and sweetest hours.”—_The Light of Asia_. Sir Edwin Arnold.

[3] Perhaps in the sense that a Scrotapatti clearly perceives and understands the tentative nature of the Law, his mind being trained to regard it as “a well-constructed raft,” designed to bear him safely across the stream of spiritual consciousness upon which he has entered. It also appears that the Scrotapatti discerns in the _idea_ of the Law, something as unreal and ephemeral as the phenomena of form, sound, odour, taste, or touch. In seeking “Nirvana’s blest abode,” the Scrotapatti endeavours to “rise by daily sojourn with these phantasies—to lovelier verities.”

[4] “The path Sakradagami is so called because he who enters it will receive one more birth. He may enter this path in the world of men, and afterwards be born in a Dewa-Loka (a heavenly mansion—in Chinese _Tien-Kong_); or he may enter it in a Dewa-Loka, and afterwards be born in the world of men.”—_Eastern Monachism_. Spence Hardy.

[5] “Because he is not an individual being (Dharma), who has obtained the state of a Sakridagami.”—_The Vagrakkhedika_. Max Müller.

[6] “Not returning, or not being reborn in the world of desire. The third degree of Buddhistic saintship, the third class of Aryas, embracing all those who are no more liable to be reborn as men, though they are to be born once more as Devas, when they will forthwith become Arhats and enter Nirvana.”—_Handbook of Chinese Buddhism_. Eitel.

“Men devoid of passion, and of malice, and of dulness, men in whom the great evils (lust, becoming, delusion, and ignorance) are not, men who have neither craving thirst, nor grasping desires.”—_Questions of King Milinda_. T. W. Rhys Davids.

[7] “Explained by _Fuh-Ko_—the Fruit of Buddha (Buddhaphalam). The original meaning of Arhat (deserving, worthy) is overlooked by most Chinese commentators, who explained the term as if it were written _Ari-Hat_—Destroyer of the Enemy. The following two explanations are given, _Shah-Tseh_—Destroying the Enemy, and _Puh-Seng_—not to be reborn, _i.e._, except from transmigration. There is, however, a third explanation which is based on the original meaning of Arhat, namely _Ying-Kong_—deserving worship. The Arhat is the perfected Arya (one who has mastered the four spiritual truths—_Sz-Ti_—and thereby entered the path to Nirvana called Arya-Marga), and the state of Arhat can accordingly be attained only by passing through the different degrees of saintship. Arhatship implies possession of supernatural powers, and is to be succeeded either by Buddhaship or by immediate entrance into Nirvana.”—_Handbook of Chinese Buddhism_. Eitel.

“Those who have entered the stream, and those who, free from stains, will only be reborn once more on earth, those who will never again return, and Arhats—these are they who dwell in the ‘city of Righteousness.’”—_Questions of King Milinda_. T. W. Rhys Davids.

In the moral philosophy of Mencius there is inculcated a principle of having few desires (_Kwa-Yuh_), and Chinese Buddhists frequently institute comparisons between those “few desires” and “no desires” of the Arhats.

[8] A Chinese annotator suggests it is almost self-evident that “absolute quiescence” is the condition of mind in which knowledge is acquired by intuition.

[9] “More is the treasure of the Law than gems; Sweeter than comb its sweetness; its delights Delightful past compare.”—_The Light of Asia_. Sir Edwin Arnold.

[10] “The man for whom there is nothing upon which he depends, who is independent, having understood the _Dhamma_ (Law), for whom there is no desire for coming into existence or having existence—him I call calm.... He has overcome desire.”—_Dhammapada_. Max Müller.

“This devotion should be practised with that determination by which thought becomes indifferent (to every worldly object). He who has abandoned all desires which spring from imagination, and has, by means of his heart, kept back the whole collection of the senses from every direction (in which they would go), should gradually become passive by his mind’s acquiring firmness, and, by having caused his heart to remain within himself, should not place his thoughts on anything at all.”—_Bhagavad-Gita_.—J. Cockburn Thomson.

[11] “There are some persons who obtain the Rahatship instantaneously, while others can only obtain it by a slow process; they must give aims, make offerings, study the _Bana_ (Law), and exercise the necessary discipline.”—_Eastern Monachism_. Spence Hardy.

[12] “Explained by ‘living in retirement,’ ‘a hermit,’ ‘a recluse.’ The term signifies ascetics who live in strict seclusion. There are three classes to be distinguished. The first is called _Dharma Aranyaka_—‘Hermits of the Law,’ their favourite tenet being the doctrine that the principles (_Dharma_) constituting human nature are originally calm, still, and passive. Their favourite tree is the Bodhi tree (tree of intelligence). The second class is called _Matanga Aranyaka_. Its members reside constantly in cemeteries, and are prohibited to approach a village within hearing distance of the lowing of a cow. They are probably called after the Hindoo caste _Matanga_. The third class, or the _Danataka Aranyaka_, is formed by hermits living on the sea beach or on half-tide rocks.”—_Handbook of Chinese Buddhism_. Eitel.

“Men whose home is the forest, men who have taken on themselves the extra vows, men full of joy, men who are wearing rough garments, men rejoicing in solitude.”—_Questions of King Milinda_. T. W. Rhys Davids.

[13] “The _Sramana_ (Buddhist monk) who sets himself to overcome the evils of existence, retires from all intercourse with the world, and either practises meditation, simply, or joins with it the practice of Kasina (an ascetic exercise to free the mind from all agitation), by which he is enabled to attain to _Nimitta_ (inward illumination), which is represented as being a mental illumination that brings with it, in various degrees of perfection, the state of mind called _Samadhi_ (absolute self-abstraction). This result of profound meditation includes undisturbed tranquillity, and equanimity the most entire, and in its superior degree it produces unconsciousness.”—_Eastern Monachism_. Spence Hardy.

“The world-honoured one would not then have said: ‘Subhuti, what is this but the name of the one who delights in the mortification of an _Aranyaka_ (forest devotee),’ regarding ‘Subhuti’ as in truth not acting at all, but as a mere name, then (in such forgetfulness of self) ‘he is one who delights in self-mortification.’”—_Kin-Kong-King_. Beal.

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