________________
Bhagavati Sūtra Bk. 1 Ch. 3
39
Q. 133. Bhante! As you say, the living being brings up karma by his own soul, censures them by his own soul, prevents their inflow by his own soul. (In doing so,) does he bring up those that are already mature, or those that are yet immature, or those that are not yet mature but are about to mature, or those that matured long back85 ?
A. 133. Gautama ! (He) does not bring up those that are already mature, nor those that are yet immature, but those that are not yet mature though they are about to mature, and not (surely) those that matured long back86.
Q. 134. Bhante ! As you say, (he) brings up those that are not yet mature but are fit enough to mature, (now,) does he bring up karma which are fit enough to mature by endeavour, by action, by strength, by energy, by self-exertion ? Or, does he do so by non-endeavour, non-action, non-strength, nonenergy, non-exertion ?
A. 134. Gautama ! He does bring up karma not yet mature but fit enough to mature by endeavour, also by action, also by strength, also by energy, and also by self-exertion ; but he does not bring up karma not yet mature but fit enough to mature by non-endeavour, non-action, non-strength, non-energy, non-exertion. Hence existendeavour, action, strength, energy and self-exertion.
Q. 135. Bhante ! Does he, by his own soul, tranquilise (them), censure (them), prevent (their) inficw87 ?
A. 135. Gautama ! Here too as aforesaid, with this difference that such karma as are not yet mature are tranquilised, not the remaining three.
Q. 136. Bhante ! He tranquilises karma which are not yet mature. Does he do so by endeavour ?
A. 136. (Yes, by endeavour, etc.,).., till self-exertion.