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146
THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA.
IV, 1, 11.
11. The king said: 'Venerable Nâgasena, a father may speak in praise of his son, or a son of his father. But that is no ground for putting the adversaries to shame. It is only an expression of their own belief. Come now! Explain this matter to me fully to the establishing of your own doctrine, [96] and to the unravelling of the net of the heretics.'
The Elder replied: "The Blessed One, O king, is entirely set free (from life). And the Blessed One accepts no gift. If gods or men put up a building to contain the jewel treasure of the relics of a Tathâgata who does not accept their gift, still by that homage paid to the attainment of the supreme good under the form of the jewel treasure of his wisdom do they themselves attain to one or other of the three glorious states? Suppose, o king, that though a great and glorious fire had been kindled, it should die out, would it then again accept any supply of dried grass or sticks ?'
'Even as it burned, Sir, it could not be said to accept fuel, how much less when it had died away, and ceased to burn, could it, an unconscious thing, accept it?'
And when that one mighty fire had ceased, and gone out, would the world be bereft of fire ?'
Certainly not. Dry wood is the seat, the basis of fire, and any men who want fire can, by the exertion of their own strength and power, such as resides in individual men, once more, by twirling the firestick, produce fire, and with that fire do any work for which fire is required.'
Tisso sampattiyo. That is, to another life as a man, or as a god, or to Arahatship here, on earth, in this birth.
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