Chapter 23
facts of ‘Impermanence’ and ‘Unsubstantiality’ or Non-self, but nothing was said
about the fact of ‘Suffering’. The reason for the omission of the fact of suffering
has been explained in the Commentary as follows:-
‚Had Venerable Assaji mentioned the fact of suffering as corporeality is suffering,
sensation is suffering, perception is suffering, volitional activities are suffering,
six-fold consciousness is suffering, Saccaka might get a chance for disputation.
This is because, figuratively speaking Path and Fruition are regarded as suffering
(
sa~khÈra-dukkha
). Hence the omission of the fact of suffering. Otherwise,
Saccaka would have asked: ‚O Assaji what is the object of your receiving
ordination?‛ Then Venerable Assaji's reply would be: ‚For the sake of Path and
Fruition.‛ In such a case, he would be exposed to censure: ‚O Assaji..., your
sÈsana
, after all, does not lead to emancipation, in reality, your so called
sÈsana
simply is a place of oppression and destruction; your so called
sÈsana
is a kind of
Ussada
plane of misery! Therefore, your minds are void of desire for joy. Indeed,
you all have been wandering round striving anxiously after suffering.‛ It was for
this reason that Venerable Assaji had purposely avoided the employment of the
figurative term (
pariyÈya
), and adopted the abstract term (
nippriyÈya
) that could
not have another meaning, hence exclusive presentation of 'Impermanence' (
anicca
)
and Unsubstantiality (
anatta
)’.]
Whereupon, Saccaka said: ‚O Assaji what improper things do I hear? We have heard
what Samana Gotama has been preaching. Perhaps we could meet with honourable Gotama
sometime when there might be some discussion. Perhaps we could then rid Him of this evil
view.‛
At that time the five hundred Licchavi princes were assembled at the Assembly Hall to
transact some business. Saccaka thought to himself: ‚I was unable to decry the views of
Samana Gotama in the past for not knowing anything about it. Now, I have learnt about
them from His great disciple Assaji. I know them fully well, I had better go to His place
and reproach Him for His views.‛
He went first to the Assembly Hall where his five hundred Licchavi princes were holding
a meeting. He bid them to come out from the chamber, shouting:
‚Come forth, honourable Licchavis! Come forth honourable Licchavis! Today,
there will be a discussion between Samana Gotama and myself about His view. It is
going to be a grand show! Assaji, one of the five
bhikkhus
and a well-known
disciple of Samana Gotama, has stood firmly on the view of Impermanence and
Unsubstantiality. If Samana Gotama also stood firm on the same view of
anicca
and
anatta
,
(1) Just as a powerful man taking hold of a long fleeced ram by its fleece, might pull,
push and pull it about, even so will I pull and push and pull Samana Gotama about with my
arguments and refutations of His view.
(2) Just as a powerful workman of a liquor shop, taking a big mat from the liquor shop,
might throw it into a deep lake and seizing it by the corner, might pull it, push it, and shake
it, even so, will I pull, push and shake Samana Gotama about with my arguments and
refutations of His view.
(3) Just as a powerful drunkard, taking hold of a liquor strainer by its edge, might shake it
up, shake it down, and toss it about, even so, will I shake up, shake down and toss about
SamaÓa Gotama with arguments and refutations of His view.
(4) Just as an elephant, which gets infirm only when it is sixty, might get down into a deep
pond and play the game of washing hemp, even so, will I play with Samana Gotama as in
the game of washing hemp with my arguments and refutation of His view.
(N.B. When hemp stalks are in the process of being transformed into fibres, they
are made into bundles and dipped in the water for softening. After three days,
when they are soft and pliant, workmen come with provisions, such as drinks and
eatables, for enjoyment when the work is over. They take hold of bunches of hemp