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Gautama. Please permit me to go and hold a discussion with Gautama".
Digha Tapassi dissented but Nātaputta apprehended - no mishap a nd he permitted Upali to go and hold a discussion with Gautama. Starting from there, Upāli came to the camp of Buddha. Being asked by him, Buddha reproduced the whole discussion he had with Digha Tapasst upon which Upali said,
- "Tapassi, Sir, was right, quite right. His answer was that of a well-informed disciple who understands his Master's teachings.......".
Said Gautama Buddha, "If, Gșhapati, you were to speak as one grounded in the Truth, we might have a talk about it.
Upāli agreed. Said Buddha, "Grhapati, take the case of a Nigantha who, being sick and ill, very ill indeed, refuses cold water, and will only take warm water, so that he dies in the act of refusing to touch cold water. Where, according to Nigantha Nätaputta, will he be reborn next"?
- "There is a heaven, Sir, called Manaḥ-Sattva and he will be reborn there, because he does in devotion to an idea".
- "Grhapati ! Think carefully. Your present observation contradicts the previous one and your previous obser: vation contradicts the present one. And yet you represented you could speak as one grounded in the Truth and able to discuss it".
Buddha raised the question of unintended slaughter by a Nigantha rooted in the four vows while on movement, to which Upali replied that it was not criminal if there was no intention behind the crime, but it was a great crime if it was intentional. Asked Gautama Buddha,
- "Where does Nātaputta classify intention"? - "In danda of mind".
The discussion continued in similar line, in each case the danda of the mind taking precedence over the other two. A convinced Upáli said,
