________________
XII, 1, 9.
ON THE COUNCIL OF VESÂLÎ.
395
put forward ten theses.' And he told him what they were, and added : 'Come now, Lord, let us take in charge this last question before what is not Dhamma is spread abroad, and what is Dhamma is put aside ; before what is not Vinaya is spread abroad, and what is Vinaya is put aside; before those who argue against the Dhamma become powerful, and those who argue in favour of the Dhamma become weak; before those who argue against the Vinaya become powerful, and those who argue in favour of the Vinaya become weak.'
'Even so, Lord,' said the venerable Sambhàta Sånavâsi, in assent to the venerable Yasa Kakandaka-putta.
Then about sixty Bhikkhus from the Western country, all of whom were hermits, all of whom lived only on alms, all of whom dressed only in castoff clothes, and kept only three robes, and all of whom were Arahats, assembled together at the Ahoganga Hill. And about eighty-eight from Avanti and the Southern country, some of whom were hermits, and some of whom lived only on alms, and some of whom dressed only in cast-off clothes, and some of whom kept only three robes, but all of whom were Arahats, met together with them on the Ahoganga Hill.
9. And the Thera Bhikkhus, consulting together, came to this conclusion : ‘This legal question, now, is hard and subtle. How can we obtain such support that we may have the greater power at the decision thereof ??'
In the text the full words of I, I are here repeated. • Compare below, XII, 2, 1.
Digitized by
Digilzed by Google
