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IV, 5, 28.
OF MILINDA THE KING.
31
[DILEMMA THE FORTY-NINTH.
GIFTS TO THE BUDDHA.] [228] 28. 'Venerable Nâgasena, it has been said by the Blessed One: “Gifts chaunted for in sacred hymns
Are gifts I must not take. All those who see into the Truth
Do this their practice make. The Buddhas all refused to chaunt for wage;
This was their conduct still Whene'er the Truth prevailed
Through every age 1." But on the other hand the Blessed One, when preaching the Truth, or talking of it, was in the habit of beginning with the so-called “preliminary discourse,” in which giving has the first place, and goodness only the second? So that when gods and men heard this discourse of the Blessed One, the lord of the whole world, they prepared and gave gifts, and the disciples partook of the alms thus brought about. Now if, Nagasena, it be true what the Blessed One said, that he accepted no gifts earned by the chaunting of sacred words, then it was wrong that the Blessed One put giving thus
1 This stanza occurs no less than five times in those portions of the Pitakas already published. See Sutta Nipâta I, 4, 6 and III, 4, 27, and Samyutta Nikâya VII, 1, 8, VII, 1, 9, and VII, 2, 1. The rhythm of the Pali is strikingly beautiful, and is quite spoilt in the rendering.
* See, for instance, Digha Nikâya V, 28; Mahâvagga I, 7, 5 and 10; V, 1, 9; VI, 26, 8; and Kullavagga VI, 4, 5. is a doubt about the spelling, Fausböll at Gataka I, 8, and I, 30, and our MSS. of the Digha reading ânupubbi-kathâ, whereas Childers and Oldenberg read anupubbi-katha, it is perhaps worth mentioning that the Simhalese has the short a.
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| SR No. | 007682 |
| Book Title | Questions of King Milinda Part 02 |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | T W Rhys Davids |
| Publisher | Oxford |
| Publication Year | 1894 |
| Total Pages | 2240 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 38 MB |