On Asceticism

Thus have I heard.

The Exalted One was once staying near Rājagaha, on the Vulture’s Peak.

Now at that time there was sojourning in Queen Udumbarikā’s Park assigned to the Wanderers, the Wanderer Nigrodha, together with a great company of Wanderers, even three thousand.

Now the householder Sandhāna went forth in the afternoon from Rājagaha, to call on the Exalted One.

Then it occurred to him: “It is not timely to call just now on the Exalted One; he will be in retirement. Nor is it the hour for calling on the brethren who are practising mind-culture; they will be in retirement. What if I were to go to Udumbarikā’s Park and find out Nigrodha, the Wanderer?

And Sandhāna did so.

Now at that time Nigrodha the Wanderer was seated with his large company, all talking with loud voices, with noise and clamour, carrying on childish talk of various kinds, to wit: Tales of kings, robbers, and state officials; tales of armies, panics, and battles; talk about foods and drinks, and clothes, beds, garlands, and perfumes; talk about relatives; talk about carriages, villages, towns, cities, and countries; talk about women, talk of heroes; gossip from street-corners and the places for drawing water; ghost-stories: desultory talk; speculative talk on the world and the sea; on existence and non-existence.

And Nigrodha the Wanderer saw the householder Sandhāna approaching in the distance, and called his own company to order, saying: “Be still, sirs, and make no noise. Here is a disciple of the Samaṇa Gotama coming, the householder Sandhāna. Whatever white-robed lay disciples of Gotama there be dwelling at Rājagaha, this Sandhāna is one of them. Now these good gentlemen delight in quiet; they are trained in quiet; they speak in praise of quiet. How well it were if seeing how quiet the assembly is, he should see fit to join us.

And when he spake thus, the Wanderers kept silence.

Now the householder Sandhāna came on to where Nigrodha the Wanderer was, and exchanged with him the greetings and compliments of civility and courtesy, and sat down beside him.

So seated, Sandhāna said to Nigrodha: “Different is the way in which these reverend Wanderers, holding views of their own, talk when they have met and are come together, from the practice of the Exalted One.

They talk with loud voices, with noise and clamour, carrying on childish talk of various kinds, to wit: Tales of kings, robbers, and state officials; tales of armies, panics, and battles; talk about foods and drinks, and clothes, beds, garlands, and perfumes; talk about relatives; talk about carriages, villages, towns, cities, and countries; talk about women, talk of heroes; gossip from street-corners and the places for drawing water; ghost-stories: desultory talk; speculative talk on the world and the sea; on existence and non-existence.

But the Exalted One haunts the lonely and remote recesses of the forest, where noise, where sound there hardly is, where the breezes from the pastures blow, yet which are hidden from the eyes of men, suitable for self-communing.”

And when Sandhāna had spoken, Nigrodha to him made answer: “Look you now, householder, know you with whom the Samaṇa Gotama talks? With whom he holds conversation? By intercourse with whom does he attain to lucidity in wisdom? The Samaṇa Gotama’s insight is ruined by his habit of seclusion. He is not at home in conducting an assembly. He is not ready in conversation. He is occupied only with the fringes of things. Even as a one-eyed cow that, walking in a circle follows only the outskirts, so is the Samaṇa Gotama. Why forsooth, householder, if the Samaṇa Gotama were to come to this assembly, with a single question only could we settle him; yes, methinks we could roll him over like an empty pot.

Now the Exalted One heard with his clairaudient sense of hearing, pure, and surpassing that of man, this conversation between Sandhāna the householder and Nigrodha the Wanderer.

And descending from the Vulture’s Peak, he came to the Peacocks’ Feeding-ground on the bank of the Sumāgadha and there walked to and fro in the open air.

Then Nigrodha saw him thus walking, and on seeing him he called his company to order, saying: “Be still, sirs, and make no noise. The Samaṇa Gotama is walking to and fro in the open air at the Peacocks’ Feeding-ground, by the bank of the Sumāgadha. Now this good gentleman delights in quiet, speaks in praise of quiet; how well it were if, seeing how quiet the assembly is, he should see fit to join us. If the Samaṇa Gotama should come to this assembly, we might ask him this question: What, lord, is this religion of the Exalted one wherein he trains his disciples, and which those disciples, so trained by the Exalted One as to win comfort, acknowledge to be their utmost support and the fundamental principle of righteousness?”

When he had said this the Wanderers kept silence.

Then the Exalted One went up to Nigrodha the Wanderer, and Nigrodha spake thus to him: “Let the lord the Exalted One approach. Welcome is the lord the Exalted One! Long has the lord the Exalted One taken ere deciding on this step of coming hither. May it please the lord the Exalted One to take a seat. Here is one ready.”

The Exalted One sat down on the seat made ready, and Nigrodha, taking a low seat, sat beside him.

To him so seated the Exalted One spake thus: “On what talk, Nigrodha, are ye here and now engaged as ye sit together, and what conversation between you have I interrupted?”

Thereupon Nigrodha replied to the Exalted One and said: “Lord, we have just seen the Exalted One walking in the open air at the Peacocks’ Feeding-ground, by the Sumāgadha, and seeing him thus, we said: ‘If the Samaṇa Gotama should come to this assembly, we could ask him this question: What, lord, is this religion of the Exalted one wherein he trains his disciples, and which those disciples, so trained by the Exalted One as to win comfort, acknowledge to be their utmost support and the fundamental principle of righteousness?”

“Difficult is it, Nigrodha, for one of another view, of another persuasion, of another confession, without practice and without teaching, to understand that wherein I train my disciples, and which they, so trained as to win comfort, acknowledge to be their utmost support and the fundamental principle of righteousness.

Come now, Nigrodha, ask me a question about your own doctrine, about austere scrupulousness of life: in what does the fulfilment, in what does the non-fulfilment of these self-mortifications consist?

When he had said this, the Wanderers exclaimed loudly, with noise and clamour: “Wonderful, sir!

Marvellous is it, sir, the great gifts and powers of the Samaṇa Gotama in withholding his own theories and inviting the discussion of those of others!”

Then Nigrodha bade the Wanderers be quiet, and spake thus to the Exalted One: “We, lord, profess self-mortifying austerities; we hold them to be essential; we cleave to them. In what does the fulfilment, in what does the non-fulfilment of them consist?”

“Suppose, Nigrodha, that an ascetic goes naked, is of certain loose habits, licks his hands, respects no ‘Approach, sir’, nor ‘Stop, sir’; accepts nothing expressly brought, nor expressly prepared, nor any invitations.

He accepts nothing taken from mouth of cooking-pot, nor placed within the threshold, nor within a mortar, nor among sticks, nor within a quern; nor anything from two eating together, nor from a pregnant woman, nor from a nursing mother, nor from a woman in intercourse with a man, nor food collected in drought, nor from where a dog is, nor from where flies are swarming, nor will he accept fish or meat, nor drink strong drink, or intoxicants, or gruel.

He is either a one-houser, a one-mouthful man; or a two-houser, a two-mouthful man; or a three-houser, a three-mouthful man; or a four-houser, a four-mouthful man; or a five-houser, a five-mouthful man; or a six-houser, a six-mouthful man; or a seven-houser, a seven-mouthful man.

He maintains himself on one alms, or he maintains himself on two alms, or he maintains himself on three alms, or he maintains himself on four alms, or he maintains himself on five alms, or he maintains himself on six alms, or he maintains himself on seven alms.

He takes food once a day, or he takes food once every two days, or he takes food once every three days, or he takes food once every four days, or he takes food once every five days, or he takes food once every six days, or he takes food once every seven days.

Thus does he dwell addicted to the practice of taking food according to rule, at regular intervals, up to even half a month.

He feeds either on potherbs, or wild rice, or nivara seeds, or leather parings, or on hata, or on the powder in rice rusks, on rice-scum, on flour of oil-seeds, on grasses, on cowdung, on fruits and roots from the woods, or on windfalls.

He wears coarse hempen cloth, coarse mixture cloth, discarded corpse-cloths, discarded rags, or tirita-bark cloth; or again, he wears antelope-hide, or strips of the same netted, or kusa-fibre, or bark garments, or shale cloth, or a human-hair blanket, or a horse-hair blanket, or an owl’s-feather garment.

He is a hair-and-beard plucker, addicted to the practice of plucking out both; a stander-up; a croucher on heels, addicted to exerting himself (to move forward) when thus squatting; a bed-of-thorns man, putting iron spikes or thorns on his couch; he uses a plank-bed; sleeps on the ground; sleeps only on one side; is a dust-and-dirt wearer and an open-air man; a where-you-will sitter; a filth-eater, addicted to the practice of eating such; a non-drinker, addicted to the practice of never drinking (cold water); an evening-for-third-time-man addicted to the practice of going down into water thrice a day.

What think you, Nigrodha?

If these things be so, is the austerity of self-mortification carried out, or is it not?”

“Truly, lord, if these things be so, the austerity of self-mortification is carried out, and not the contrary.”

“Now I, Nigrodha, affirm that austerity by self-mortification, thus carried out, involves blemish in several ways.”

“In what way, lord, do you affirm that blemish is involved?”

“In case, Nigrodha, when an ascetic undertakes a course of austerity, he, through that course, becomes self-complacent, his aim is satisfied. Now this, Nigrodha, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And then again, Nigrodha, when an ascetic undertakes a course of austerity, he, through that undertaking, exalts himself and despises others. This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, when an ascetic undertakes a course of austerity, he, through that undertaking, becomes inebriated and infatuated, and grows careless. This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, when an ascetic undertakes a course of austerity, it procures for him gifts, attention, and fame. Thereby he becomes complacent and his aim is satisfied. This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, by the winning of gifts, attentions, and fame, the ascetic exalts himself and despises others. This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, by the winning of gifts, attentions, and fame, he becomes inebriated and infatuated, and grows careless. This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, when an ascetic undertakes a course of austerity, he comes to make a distinction in foods, saying: ‘This suits me; this doesn’t suit me.’ The latter kind he deliberately rejects. Over the former he waxes greedy and infatuated, and cleaves to them, seeing not the danger in them, discerning them not as unsafe, and so enjoys them. This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, because of his longing for gifts, attentions and fame, he thinks: ‘Rājas will pay me attentions, and so will their officials; so, too, will nobles, brahmins, householders and founders of schools.’ This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, an ascetic gets grumbling at some recluse or brahmin, saying: ‘That man lives on all sorts of things: things grown from tubers, or shoots, or berries, or joints, or fifthly, from seeds, munching them all up together with that wheel-less thunderbolt of a jawbone—and they call him a holy man!’ This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, an ascetic sees a certain recluse or brahmin receiving attentions; being revered, honoured and presented with offerings by the citizens. And seeing this he thinks: ‘The citizens pay attentions to this fellow who lives in luxury; they revere and honour him, and present him with offerings, while to me who, as ascetic, live a really austere life, they pay no attentions, nor reverence, nor honour, nor offerings!’ And so he cherishes envy and grudging at the citizens. This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, an ascetic becomes one who sits in public. This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic, when on his round for alms among the people, slinks along furtively as if to say: ‘This is part of my austerity; this is part of my austerity.’ This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic affects the mysterious. When asked: ‘Do you approve of this?’ he, not approving, says: ‘I do,’ or approving, says: ‘I do not.’ Thus he consciously tells untruths. This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, when the Tathāgata, or a disciple of the Tathāgata, teaching the Norm, uses a method worthy of appreciation, the ascetic does not appreciate it. This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic is liable to lose his temper and bear enmity. This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic is liable to be hypocritical. This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic is liable to be deceitful. This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic is liable to be envious and grudging. This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic is liable to be cunning and crafty. This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic is liable to be hard-hearted and vain. This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic is liable to entertain evil wishes and becomes captive to them. This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic is liable to entertain false opinions. This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic is liable to be become possessed of metempirical dogma. This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic is liable to misinterpret his experience. This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic is liable to be avaricious and adverse from renunciation. This, too, becomes a blemish in the ascetic.

What think you of this, Nigrodha? Are these things blemishes in the austerities of self-mortification, or are they not?”

“Verily, lord, these things are blemishes in the austerities of self-mortification. It is possible, lord, that an ascetic may be possessed even of all these blemishes, much more by one or other of them.”

“Now take the opposite case, Nigrodha: an ascetic undertakes a course of austerity. Through that course he does not become self-complacent, nor are his aims fulfilled. This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And then again, Nigrodha, when an ascetic undertakes a course of austerity, he, through that undertaking, does not exalt himself and despises others. This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, when an ascetic undertakes a course of austerity, he, through that undertaking, does not become inebriated and infatuated, and grow careless. This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, when an ascetic undertakes a course of austerity, it procures for him gifts, attention, and fame. He thereby does not becomes complacent and his aim is not satisfied. This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, by the winning of gifts, attentions, and fame, the ascetic does not exalt himself and despise others. This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, by the winning of gifts, attentions, and fame, he does not become inebriated and infatuated, and grow careless. This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, when an ascetic undertakes a course of austerity, he does not come to make a distinction in foods, saying: ‘This suits me; this doesn’t suit me.’ He does not deliberately reject the latter. Over the former he does not wax greedy and infatuated, and cleave to them, seeing not the danger in them, discerning them not as unsafe, and so enjoying them. This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, he does not think, out of his longing for gifts, attentions and fame: ‘Rājas will pay me attentions, and so will their officials; so, too, will nobles, brahmins, householders and founders of schools.’ This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, an ascetic does not grumble at some recluse or brahmin, saying: ‘That man lives on all sorts of things: things grown from tubers, or shoots, or berries, or joints, or fifthly, from seeds, munching them all up together with that wheel-less thunderbolt of a jawbone—and they call him a holy man!’ This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, an ascetic sees a certain recluse or brahmin receiving attentions; being revered, honoured and presented with offerings by the citizens. And seeing this he does not think: ‘The citizens pay attentions to this fellow who lives in luxury; they revere and honour him, and present him with offerings, while to me who, as ascetic, live a really austere life, they pay no attentions, nor reverence, nor honour, nor offerings!’ And thus he does not cherish envy and grudging at the citizens. This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, an ascetic does not become one who sits in public. This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic, when on his round for alms among the people, does not slink along furtively as if to say: ‘This is part of my austerity; this is part of my austerity.’ This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic does not affect the mysterious. When asked: ‘Do you approve of this?’ he, not approving, says: ‘I do not,’ or approving, says: ‘I do.’ Herein he avoids telling deliberate untruths. This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, when the Tathāgata, or a disciple of the Tathāgata, teaching the Norm, uses a method worthy of appreciation, the ascetic appreciates it. This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic is not liable to lose his temper and bear enmity. This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic is not liable to be hypocritical. This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic is not liable to be deceitful. This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic is not liable to be envious and grudging. This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic is not liable to be cunning and crafty. This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic is not liable to be hard-hearted and vain. This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic is not liable to entertain evil wishes or become captive to them. This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic is not liable to entertain false opinions. This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic is not liable to be become possessed of metempirical dogma. This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic is not liable to pervert experience. This being so, he is to that degree purified.

And again, Nigrodha, the ascetic is not avaricious and adverse from renunciation. This being so, he is to that degree purified.

What think you, Nigrodha? That being so, does the austerity by these things become genuinely pure, or not?”

“Verily, lord, the austerity of these things becomes genuinely pure, and not impure; it wins topmost rank, it reaches the pith.”

“Nay, Nigrodha, not yet does the austerity become of topmost rank, nor reach the pith; for that matter it has but reached the outside splinters.”

“In what way, lord, does an austerity win top-most rank, and reach the pith?

Good were it if the Exalted One caused my austerity to win topmost rank and reach the pith!”

“Take the case, Nigrodha, of an ascetic self-restrained by the Restraint of the Fourfold Watch.

What is the Restraint of the Fourfold Watch?

It is when an ascetic inflicts injury on no living thing, nor causes injury to be inflicted on any living thing, nor approves thereof.

He takes not what is not given, nor approves thereof.

He utters no lies, nor causes lies to be uttered, nor approves thereof.

He craves not for the pleasures of sense, nor leads others to crave for them, nor approves thereof.

Now it is thus, Nigrodha, that the ascetic becomes self-restrained by the Restraint of the Fourfold-Watch.

Now in that he is thus self-restrained, and his austerity is made to consist in this, he advances upwards and turns not back to lower things.

He chooses some lonely spot for his seat—in the forest, at the foot of a tree, on the hillside, in mountain glen, or rocky cave, in the charnel place, or on a heap of straw in the open fields. And returning thither after his round for alms, he seats himself when his meal is done, cross-legged, keeping his body erect, and his intelligence alert, intent.

Putting away the hankering after the World, he abides with unhankering heart, and purifies his mind of covetousness.

Putting away the canker of ill-will, he abides with heart free from enmity, benevolent and compassionate towards every living thing, and purifies his mind of malevolence.

Putting away sloth and torpor, he abides clear of both; conscious of light, mindful and self-possessed, he purifies his mind of sloth and torpor.

Putting away flurry and worry, he abides free from excitement; with heart serene within, he purifies his mind of flurry and worry.

Putting away doubt, he abides as one who has passed beyond perplexity; no longer in suspense as to what is good, he purifies his mind of doubt.

He, having put away these Five Hindrances, and to weaken by insight the strength of the things that defile the heart, abides letting his mind, fraught with love, pervade one quarter of the world, and so too, the second quarter, and so the third, and so the fourth.

And thus the whole wide world, above, below, around and everywhere, and altogether does he continue to pervade with love-burdened thought, abounding, sublime, and beyond measure, free from hatred and ill-will.

And he lets his mind, fraught with pity pervade one quarter of the world, and so too, the second quarter, and so the third, and so the fourth.

And thus the whole wide world, above, below, around and everywhere, and altogether does he continue to pervade with pity-burdened thought, abounding, sublime, and beyond measure, free from hatred and ill-will.

And he lets his mind, fraught with sympathy with joy pervade one quarter of the world, and so too, the second quarter, and so the third, and so the fourth.

And thus the whole wide world, above, below, around and everywhere, and altogether does he continue to pervade with sympathy with joy-burdened thought, abounding, sublime, and beyond measure, free from hatred and ill-will.

And he lets his mind, fraught with equanimity, pervade one quarter of the world, and so too, the second quarter, and so the third, and so the fourth.

And thus the whole wide world, above, below, around and everywhere, and altogether does he continue to pervade with equanimity-burdened thought, abounding, sublime, and beyond measure, free from hatred and ill-will.

What think you of this, Nigrodha? Does austerity by these things become genuinely pure or not?”

“Verily, lord, austerity by these things becomes genuinely pure and not impure, wins topmost rank and reaches the pith.”

“Nay, Nigrodha, not yet does the austerity win top-most rank, or reality; for that matter it does but reach into the bark.”

“In what way, lord, does an austerity win top rank and reach the pith? How good it were if the Exalted One could make my austerities win top rank and reach the pith!”

“Take the case, Nigrodha, of an ascetic who is self-restrained by the Restraint of the Fourfold Watch.

What is the Restraint of the Fourfold Watch?

It is when an ascetic inflicts injury on no living thing, nor causes injury to be inflicted on any living thing, nor approves thereof.

He takes not what is not given, nor approves thereof.

He utters no lies, nor causes lies to be uttered, nor approves thereof.

He craves not for the pleasures of sense, nor leads others to crave for them, nor approves thereof.

Now it is thus, Nigrodha, that the ascetic becomes self-restrained by the Restraint of the Fourfold-Watch.

In that he is thus self-restrained, and his austerity is made to consist in this, he advances upward and turns not back to lower things.

He chooses some lonely spot for his seat—in the forest, at the foot of a tree, on the hillside, in mountain glen, or rocky cave, in the charnel place, or on a heap of straw in the open fields.

And returning thither after his round for alms, he seats himself when his meal is done, cross-legged, keeping his body erect, and his intelligence alert, intent.

Putting away the hankering after the World, he abides with unhankering heart, and purifies his mind of covetousness.

Putting away the canker of ill-will, he abides with heart free from enmity, benevolent and compassionate towards every living thing, and purifies his mind of malevolence.

Putting away sloth and torpor, he abides clear of both; conscious of light, mindful and self-possessed, he purifies his mind of sloth and torpor.

Putting away flurry and worry, he abides free from excitement; with heart serene within, he purifies his mind of flurry and worry.

Putting away doubt, he abides as one who has passed beyond perplexity; no longer in suspense as to what is good, he purifies his mind of doubt.

Having put away those Five Hindrances, and to weaken by insight the strength of the things that defile the heart, abides letting his mind, fraught with love, pervade one quarter of the world, and so too, the second quarter, and so the third, and so the fourth.

And thus the whole wide world, above, below, around and everywhere, and altogether does he continue to pervade with love-burdened thought, abounding, sublime, and beyond measure, free from hatred and ill-will.

And he lets his mind, fraught with pity pervade one quarter of the world, and so too, the second quarter, and so the third, and so the fourth.

And thus the whole wide world, above, below, around and everywhere, and altogether does he continue to pervade with pity-burdened thought, abounding, sublime, and beyond measure, free from hatred and ill-will.

And he lets his mind, fraught with sympathy with joy pervade one quarter of the world, and so too, the second quarter, and so the third, and so the fourth.

And thus the whole wide world, above, below, around and everywhere, and altogether does he continue to pervade with sympathy with joy-burdened thought, abounding, sublime, and beyond measure, free from hatred and ill-will.

And he lets his mind, fraught with equanimity, pervade one quarter of the world, and so too, the second quarter, and so the third, and so the fourth.

And thus the whole wide world, above, below, around and everywhere, and altogether does he continue to pervade with equanimity-burdened thought, abounding, sublime, and beyond measure, free from hatred and ill-will.

He recalls to mind his various temporary states in days gone by—one birth, or two or three or four or five births, or ten or twenty or thirty or forty or fifty or a hundred or a thousand or a hundred thousand births, through many an aeon of dissolution, many an aeon of evolution, many an aeon of both dissolution and evolution. “In such a place such was my name, such my family, such my caste, such my food, such my experience of discomfort or of ease, and such the limits of my life. When I passed away from that state, I took form again in such a place. There I had such and such a name and family and caste and food and experience of discomfort or of ease, such was the limit of my life. When I passed away from that state I took form again here.”—thus does he call to mind his temporary states in days gone by in all their details, and in all their modes.

What think you of that, Nigrodha? Does the austerity by these things become genuinely pure or not?”

“Verily, lord, the austerity by these things becomes genuinely pure and not impure, wins topmost rank and reaches the pith.”

Nay, Nigrodha, not yet does the austerity win to topmost rank and reach the pith, although it does reach the underlying fibre.”

“But in what Way, lord, does an austerity reach to the top and to the pith? How well it were if the Exalted One could make my austerities attain to the top and to the pith!”