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By Root 5823 0

was said, the Nigaṇṭha Nātaputta said: “Householder, you are mad, you are an imbecile. You went saying: ‘Venerable sir, I shall refute the recluse Gotama’s doctrine,’ and you have come back caught by the vast net of his doctrine. Just as if a man went to castrate someone and came back castrated himself, just as if a man went to put out someone’s eyes and came back with his own eyes put out; so you too, householder, went saying: ‘Venerable sir, I shall refute the recluse Gotama’s doctrine,’ and you have come back caught by the vast net of his doctrine. Householder, you have been converted by the recluse Gotama with his converting magic!”

26. “Auspicious is that converting magic, venerable sir, good is that converting magic!590 Venerable sir, if my beloved kinsmen and relatives were to be converted by this conversion, it would lead to the welfare and happiness of my beloved kinsmen and relatives for a long time. If all nobles were to be converted by this conversion, it would lead to the welfare and happiness of the nobles for a long time. [384] If all brahmins…all merchants… all workers were to be converted by this conversion, it would lead to the welfare and happiness of the workers for a long time. If the world with its gods, its Māras, and its Brahmās, this generation with its recluses and brahmins, its princes and its people, were to be converted by this conversion, it would lead to the welfare and happiness of the world for a long time. As to this, venerable sir, I shall give you a simile; for some wise men here understand the meaning of a statement by a simile.

27. “Venerable sir, there was once a brahmin who was old, aged, and burdened with years, and he had as a wife a young brahmin girl who was pregnant and near her confinement. Then she told him: ‘Go, brahmin, buy a young monkey in the market and bring it back to me as a playmate for my child.’ He replied: ‘Wait, madam, till you have borne the child. If you bear a boy, then I will go to the market and buy a young male monkey and bring it back to you as a playmate for your little boy; but if you bear a girl, then I will go to the market and buy a young female monkey and bring it back to you as a playmate for your little girl.’ For the second time she made the same request and received the same answer. For the third time she made the same request. Then, since his mind was bound to her with love, he went to the market, bought a young male monkey, brought it back, and told her: ‘I have bought this young male monkey in the market [385] and brought it back to you as a playmate for your child.’ Then she told him: ‘Go, brahmin, take this young male monkey to Rattapāṇi the dyer’s son and tell him: “Good Rattapāṇi, I want this young male monkey dyed the colour called yellow-unguent, pounded and re-pounded, and smoothened out on both sides.”’ Then, since his mind was bound to her with love, he took the young male monkey to Rattapāṇi the dyer’s son and told him: ‘Good Rattapāṇi, I want this young male monkey dyed the colour called yellow-unguent, pounded and re-pounded, and smoothened out on both sides.’ Rattapāṇi the dyer’s son told him: ‘Venerable sir, this young male monkey will take a dyeing but not a pounding or a smoothening out.’ So too, venerable sir, the doctrine of the foolish Nigaṇṭhas will give delight to fools but not to the wise, and it will not withstand testing or being smoothened out.

“Then, venerable sir, on another occasion that brahmin took a pair of new garments to Rattapāṇi the dyer’s son and told him: ‘Good Rattapāṇi, I want this pair of new garments dyed the colour called yellow-unguent, pounded and re-pounded, and smoothened out on both sides.’ Rattapāṇi the dyer’s son told him: ‘Venerable sir, this pair of new garments will take a dyeing and a pounding and a smoothening out.’ So too, venerable sir, the doctrine of that Blessed One, accomplished and fully enlightened, will give delight to the wise but not to fools, and it will withstand testing and being smoothened out.”

28. “Householder, the assembly and the king know