The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha - Bhikkhu Nanamoli [368]
“‘But, sirs, do you know if the father who begot you went only with a brahmin woman and never with a non-brahmin woman?’—‘No, sir.’
“‘But, sirs, do you know if your father’s fathers back to the seventh generation went only with brahmin women and never with non-brahmin women?’—‘No, sir.’
“‘But, sirs, do you know how the descent of an embryo comes about?’
“‘Sir, we know how the descent of an embryo comes about. [157] Here, there is the union of the mother and father, and the mother is in season, and the gandhabba is present. Thus the descent of an embryo comes about through the union of these three things.’875
“‘Then, sirs, do you know for sure whether that gandhabba is a noble, or a brahmin, or a merchant, or a worker?’
“‘Sir, we do not know for sure whether that gandhabba is a noble, or a brahmin, or a merchant, or a worker.’
“‘That being so, sirs, then what are you?’
“‘That being so, sir, we do not know what we are.’
“Now, Assalāyana, even those seven brahmin seers, on being pressed and questioned and cross-questioned by the seer Devala the Dark on their own assertion about birth, were unable to support it. But how shall you, on being pressed and questioned and cross-questioned by me now on your assertion about birth, be able to support it? You, who rely on the teachers’ doctrines, are not [even fit to be] their spoon-holder Puṇṇa.”876
19. When this was said, the brahmin student Assalāyana said to the Blessed One: “Magnificent, Master Gotama! Magnificent, Master Gotama!...(as Sutta 91, §37)...From today let Master Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone to him for refuge for life.”
Ghoṭamukha Sutta
To Ghoṭamukha
1. THUS HAVE I HEARD. On one occasion the venerable Udena was living at Benares in the Khemiya Mango Grove.
2. Now on that occasion the brahmin Ghọamukha had arrived in Benares for some business or other. As he was [158] walking and wandering for exercise, he came to the Khemiya Mango Grove. At the time the venerable Udena was walking up and down in the open. Then the brahmin Ghoṭamukha went up to the venerable Udena and exchanged greetings with him. When this courteous and amiable talk was finished, still walking up and down with the venerable Udena, he said this: “Worthy recluse, there is no wanderers’ life that accords with the Dhamma: so it seems to me here, and that may be because I have not seen such venerable ones as yourself or [because I have not seen] the Dhamma here.”
3. When this was said, the venerable Udena stepped down from the walk and went into his dwelling, where he sat down on a seat made ready.877 And Ghoṭamukha too stepped down from the walk and went into the dwelling, where he stood at one side. Then the venerable Udena said to him: “There are seats, brahmin, sit down if you wish.”
“We did not sit down because we were waiting for Master Udena [to speak]. For how could one like myself presume to sit down on a seat without first being invited to do so?”
4. Then the brahmin Ghoṭamukha took a low seat, sat down at one side, and said to the venerable Udena: “Worthy recluse, there is no wanderers’ life that accords with the Dhamma: so it seems to me here, and that may be because I have not seen such venerable ones as yourself or [because I have not seen] the Dhamma here.”
“Brahmin, if you think any statement of mine is to be agreed with, then agree with it; if you think any statement of mine is to be argued against, then argue against it; and if you do not understand the meaning of any statement of mine, ask me to clarify it thus: ‘How is this, Master Udena? What is the meaning of this?’ In this way we can discuss this matter.”
“Master Udena, if I think any statement of Master Udena’s is to be agreed with, I shall agree with it; if I think any statement of his is to be argued against, I shall argue against it; and if I [159] do not understand the meaning of any statement of Master Udena’s, then I shall ask Master Udena to clarify it thus: