4. The Veil of Pride and Self-Righteousness. 5. The Veil of Doubt. Buddha then goes on with his questionings:-- "Is Brahma in possession of wives and wealth?" "He is not, Gautama!" answers Vasettha the Brahmin. "Is his mind full of anger, or free from anger?" "Free from anger, Gautama!" "Is his mind full of malice, or free from malice?" "Free from malice, Gautama!" "Is his mind depraved or pure?" "It is pure, Gautama!" "Has he self-mastery, or has he not?" "He has, Gautama." The Brahmins are then questioned about themselves. "Are the Brahmins versed in the three Vedas in possession of wives and wealth, or are they not?" "They are, Gautama!" "Have they anger in their hearts, or have they not?" "They have, Gautama." "Do they bear malice, or do they not?" "They do, Gautama." "Are they pure in heart, or are they not?" "They are not, Gautama." "Have they self-mastery, or have they not?" "They have not, Gautama." These replies provoke, of course, the very obvious retort that no point of union can be found between such dissimilar entities. Brahma is free from malice, sinless, self-contained, so, of course, it is only the sinless that can hope to be in harmony with him. Vasettha then puts this question: "It has been told me, Gautama, that Sramana Gautama knows the way to the state of union with Brahma?" "Brahma I know, Vasettha!" says Buddha in reply, "and the world of Brahma, and the path leading to it!" The humbled Brahmins learned in the three Vedas then ask Buddha to "show them the way to a state of union with Brahma." Buddha replies at considerable length, drawing a sharp contrast between the lower Brahminism and the higher Brahminism, the "householder" and the "houseless one." The householder Brahmins are gross, sensual, avaricious, insincere. They practise for lucre black magic, fortune-telling, cozenage. They gain the ear of kings, breed wars, predict victories, sacrifice life, spoil the poor. As a foil to this, he paints the recluse, who has renounced all worldly things, and is pure, self-possessed, happy. To teach this "higher life," a Buddha "from time to time is born into the world, blessed and worthy, abounding in wisdom, a guide to erring mortals." He sees the universe face to face, the spirit world of Brahma and that of Mâra the tempter. He makes his knowledge known to others. The houseless one, instructed by him, "lets his mind pervade one quarter of the world with thoughts of pity sympathy, and equanimity; and so the second, and so the third, and so the fourth. And thus the whole wide world, above, below, around, and everywhere, does he continue to pervade with heart of pity, sympathy, and equanimity, far-reaching, grown great, and beyond measure."