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III, 4, 3.
RENUNCIATION.
1οΙ
The Elder replied: 'Why is it that all vegetables are not alike, but some sour, and some salt, and some pungent, and some acid, and some astringent, and some sweet ?'
'I fancy, Sir, it is because they come from different kinds of seeds.'
And just so, great king, are the differences you have mentioned among men to be explained. For it has been said by the Blessed One: "Beings, O brahmin, have each their own Karma, are inheritors of Karma, belong to the tribe of their Karma, are relatives by Karma, have each their Karma as their protecting overlord. It is Karma that divides them up into low and high and the like divisions ?."'
Very good, Nagasena!'
3. The king said: 'You told me, Nagasena, that your renunciation was to the end that this sorrow might perish away, and no further sorrow might spring up?' [66] Yes, that is so.'
But is that renunciation brought about by previous effort, or to be striven after now, in this present time?'
The Elder replied: 'Effort is now concerned with what still remains to be done, former effort has accomplished what it had to do.'
'Give me an illustration 8.'
1 Mr. Trenckner points out that this quotation is from the Magghima, No. 135. The doctrine is laid down frequently elsewhere also in the Pitakas. See, for instance, Anguttara IV, 197 (pp. 202-203 of Dr. Morris's edition for the Pâli Text Society).
? Above, II, 1, 5, p. 50, and compare I, 38.
* These three illustrations recur (nearly) below, III, 7, 3, pp. 125-126.
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