39b: Sakka’s Questions – 1440 

 

quest, demeritoriousness increases and meritoriousness decreases, you should 
not take up such a quest. 

Of those two kinds of quests, if you understand that in taking up a certain quest, 
demeritoriousness decreases and meritoriousness increases, you should take up 
such a quest. 

Sakka, the Lord of the Devas, that is the reason why I said: ‘Sakka, the Lord of 
the Devas, there are two kinds of quests: That which should be taken up, and 
that which should not be taken up.’ 

Sakka, the Lord of the Devas, a monastic who practises thus is one who practises 
the morality of restraint according to the Monastic Rules (

Pātimokkha-saṁvara-

sīla

).” 

When the Buddha answered thus, Sakka was delighted and said, expressing 
approval: “Venerable sir, that indeed is so. O Fortunate One, that indeed is so. 
Having learnt the Fortunate One’s answer, I am free of all doubts about this 
question, all uncertainties have left me.” 

In question six, seven, and eight, Sakka asked about the practice that leads 
to Nibbāna through the cessation of proliferating perceptions, and the 
Buddha replied with a discourse on the three kinds of sensation that are 
the fundamentals of the practice leading to Nibbāna. He distinguished 
between sensation that should be resorted to and sensation that should not 
be resorted to. Of those two types of sensation, the sensation that should 
not be resorted to is not the practice leading to Nibbāna; only the sensation 
that should be resorted to is the practice that leads to Nibbāna. 

Yet why does the Buddha discuss about the sensation that does not lead to 
Nibbāna? This is a likely question to be asked by one who does not see the 
Buddha’s purpose. However, the Buddha knows the disposition of Sakka 
such that if Sakka understands the need for abandoning the sensation that 
should not be resorted to, recognising it as a defiling factor, then he would 
be prepared to cultivate the sensation that should be resorted to, 
recognizing it as a cleansing factor. Thus, the discussing of both 

[973]

 

types of sensation is conducive to Sakka’s understanding. The Buddha’s 
method helped Sakka to adopt the proper practice. 

In the present question on the morality of restraint according to the Rules, 
the mode of bodily conduct that should not be adopted, the mode of verbal 
conduct that should not be adopted, and the kind of quest that should not 
be taken up, do not in themselves constitute the morality of restraint