The Gâtakamâlâ; Or, Garland of Birth-StoriesAryasura
Religion
The Gâtakamâlâ; Or, Garland of Birth-Stories
Aryasura
Gautama Buddha -- Pre-existence
26. 'Further, if the arrangement, colour &c. of the stalks, petals &c.
of lotuses were not the effect of some cause, would they not be found
always and everywhere? But this is not so, they are produced from seeds
being in water &c.; where this condition is found, they appear, not
where it is not found.
'This, too, I would propound to Your Worship, to consider it well.
27. 'He who denies the agency of cause by means of reasoning with
arguments, does not such a one desert his own tenets[167]? On the other
hand, if he is averse to the use of argument, say, what will he do with
his sole tenet (not supported by argument)?
[167] As far as using argument by means of reasoning implies
adherence to causality. Moreover, the word hetu the Bodhisattva
employs here means both 'cause' and 'reason.'
28. 'And he who, not perceiving the cause in some particular case,
proclaims for this very reason, that there does not exist causality at
all, will not such a one, when he learns the manifest power of causality
in that case, grow angry at it and oppose it with invectives?
29. 'And if somewhere the cause is latent, why do you say with
assurance, it does not exist? Though it is, it is not perceived for some
other cause, as for instance the white colour of the sun's disc is not
seen at sunset.
'Moreover, sir,
30. 'For the sake of happiness you pursue the objects you desire, and
will not follow such things as are opposed to it. And it is for the same
purpose that you attend on the king. And notwithstanding this, you dare
deny causality!
31. 'And, if nevertheless you should persist in your doctrine of
non-causality, then it follows that the death of the monkey is not to be
ascribed to any cause. Why do you blame me?'
So with clear arguments the High-minded One confounded that advocate of
the doctrine of non-causality. Then addressing himself to the believer
in a Supreme Being, he said: 'You, too, never ought to blame me, noble
sir. According to your doctrine, the Lord is the cause of everything.
Look here.
32, 33. 'If the Lord does everything, He alone is the killer of that
ape, is He not? How can you bear such unfriendliness in your heart as to
throw blame on me on account of the fault of another? If, however, you
do not ascribe the murder of that valiant monkey to Him because of His
compassionateness, how is it that you loudly proclaim, the Lord is the
cause of this Universe?
'Moreover, friend, believing, as you do, that everything is done by the
Lord[168],
[168] The Bodhisattva is much helped here by the double sense
implied by the words sarvam î_s_varak_ri_tam, meaning 'all is
created by the Lord' as well as 'everything is done by the Lord.'
34. 'What hope have you of propitiating the Lord by praise,
supplication, and the like? For the Self-born Being works those actions
of yours himself.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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