The Benefit of Spirital Life as Non-action, Purification, and Anmihilation

Non-action

“Once, I approached Purana Kassapa and asked him that same question. He replied:

‘Great king, one does no evil:

• in acting or getting others to act
• in mutilating or getting others to mutilate
• in torturing or getting others to torture
• in inflicting sorrow or in getting others to inflict sorrow
• in tormenting or getting others to torment
• in intimidating or getting others to intimidate,
• in taking life,
• in taking what is not given
• in breaking into houses
• in plundering wealth
• in committing burglary
• in ambushing highways
• in committing adultery
• in speaking falsehood

If with a razor-edged disk one were to turn all the living beings on this earth to a single heap of flesh, a single pile of flesh, there would be no evil from that cause, no coming of evil.

Even if one were to go along the right bank of the Ganges, killing and getting others to kill, mutilating and getting others to mutilate, torturing and getting others to torture, there would be no evil from that cause, no coming of evil.

Even if one were to go along the left bank of the Ganges, giving and getting others to give, making sacrifices and getting others to make sacrifices, there would be no merit from that cause, no coming of merit.

Through generosity, self-control, restraint, and truthful speech there is no merit from that cause, no coming of merit.’

“Thus, when asked about a fruit of the contemplative life, visible here and now, Purana Kassapa answered with non-action.

Just as if a person, when asked about a mango, were to answer with a breadfruit; or, when asked about a breadfruit, were to answer with a mango: In the same way, when asked about a fruit of the contemplative life, visible here and now, Purana Kassapa answered with non-action.

The thought occurred to me: ‘How can anyone like me think of disparaging a brahman or contemplative living in his realm?’

Yet I neither delighted in Purana Kassapa’s words nor did I protest against them. Neither delighting nor protesting, I was dissatisfied.

Without expressing dissatisfaction, without accepting his teaching, without adopting it, I got up from my seat and left.

Purification through Wandering-on

“Another time I approached Makkhali Gosala and asked him the same question. He replied:

‘Great king, there is no cause, no requisite condition, for the defilement of beings. Beings are defiled without cause, without requisite condition.

There is no cause, no requisite condition, for the purification of beings. Beings are purified without cause, without requisite condition.

There is nothing self-caused, nothing other-caused, nothing human-caused. There is no strength, no effort, no human energy, no human endeavor.

All living beings, all life, all beings, all souls are powerless, devoid of strength, devoid of effort. Subject to the changes of fate, serendipity, and nature, they are sensitive to pleasure and pain in the six great classes of birth.

“‘There are 1,406,600 principle modes of origin.

There are 500 kinds of kamma, five kinds, and three kinds;

full kamma and half kamma. There are 62 pathways, 62 sub-eons, six great classes of birth, eight classes of men, 4,900 modes of livelihood, 4,900 kinds of wanderers, 4,900 Naga-abodes, 2,000 faculties, 3,000 hells, 36 dust-realms, seven spheres of percipient beings, seven spheres of non-percipient beings, seven kinds of jointed plants, seven kinds of devas, seven kinds of human beings, seven kinds of demons, seven great lakes, seven major knots, seven minor knots, 700 major precipices, 700 minor precipices, 700 major dreams, 700 minor dreams, 84,000 great aeons. Having transmigrated and wandered on through these, the wise and the foolish alike will put an end to pain.

“‘Though one might think, “Through this morality, this practice, this austerity, or this holy life I will ripen unripened kamma and eliminate ripened kamma whenever touched by it” — that is impossible.

Pleasure and pain are measured out, the wandering-on is fixed in its limits. There is no shortening or lengthening, no accelerating or decelerating. Just as a ball of string, when thrown, comes to its end simply by unwinding, in the same way, having transmigrated and wandered on, the wise and the foolish alike will put an end to pain.’

“Thus, when asked about a fruit of the contemplative life, visible here and now, Makkhali Gosala answered with purification through wandering-on.

Just as if a person, when asked about a mango, were to answer with a breadfruit; or, when asked about a breadfruit, were to answer with a mango.

In the same way, when asked about a fruit of the contemplative life, visible here and now, Makkhali Gosala answered with purification through wandering-on.

The thought occurred to me: ‘How can anyone like me think of disparaging a brahman or contemplative living in his realm?’

Yet I neither delighted in Makkhali Gosala’s words nor did I protest against them. Neither delighting nor protesting, I was dissatisfied. Without expressing dissatisfaction, without accepting his teaching, without adopting it, I got up from my seat and left.

Annihilation

“Another time, I approached Ajita Kesakambalin and ask him the same question.

He replied:

‘Great king, there is nothing given, nothing offered, nothing sacrificed. There is no fruit or result of good or bad actions.*

There is no this world, no next world, no mother, no father, no spontaneously reborn beings; no brahmans or contemplatives who, faring rightly and practicing rightly, proclaim this world and the next after having directly known and realized it for themselves.

A person is a composite of four primary elements. At death, the earth (in the body) returns to and merges with the (external) earth-substance.

The fire returns to and merges with the external fire-substance. The liquid returns to and merges with the external liquid-substance. The wind returns to and merges with the external wind-substance.

The sense-faculties scatter into space. Four men, with the bier as the fifth, carry the corpse. Its eulogies are sounded only as far as the charnel ground.

The bones turn pigeon-colored. The offerings end in ashes. Generosity is taught by idiots. The words of those who speak of existence after death are false, empty chatter.

With the break-up of the body, the wise and the foolish alike are annihilated, destroyed. They do not exist after death.’

“Thus, when asked about a fruit of the contemplative life, visible here and now, Ajita Kesakambalin answered with annihilation.

Just as if a person, when asked about a mango, were to answer with a breadfruit; or, when asked about a breadfruit, were to answer with a mango.

In the same way, when asked about a fruit of the contemplative life, visible here and now, Ajita Kesakambalin answered with annihilation.

The thought occurred to me: ‘How can anyone like me think of disparaging a brahman or contemplative living in his realm?’

I was not delighted in Ajita Kesakambalin’s words. But I did not protest against them. Neither delighting nor protesting, I was dissatisfied.

Without expressing dissatisfaction, without accepting his teaching I got up from my seat and left.