SUTTA 35

[^369]: According to MA, Saccaka was the son of Niganṭha (Jain) parents who were both skilled in philosophical debate. He had learned a thousand doctrines from his parents and many more philosophical systems from others. In the discussion below he is referred to by his clan name, Aggivessana.

[^370]: Ven. Assaji was one of the first five disciples of the Buddha.

[^371]: This summary of the doctrine omits the second of the three characteristics, dukkha or suffering. MA explains that Assaji omitted this in order to avoid giving Saccaka the opportunity to attempt a refutation of the Buddha's doctrine.

[^372]: MA explains that men play this game when preparing hemp cloth. They bind up handfuls of rough hemp, immerse them in the water, and beat them on planks to the left, right, and middle. A royal elephant saw this game, and plunging into the water, he took up water in his trunk and sprayed it on his belly, his body, both sides, and his groin.

[^373]: In asserting the five aggregates to be self he is, of course, directly contradicting the Buddha's teaching of anatta. He ascribes this view to the "great multitude" with the thought that "the majority cannot be wrong."

[^374]: The Buddha is here suggesting that the aggregates are not self because they lack one of the essential characteristics of selfhood - being susceptible to the exercise of mastery. What cannot come under my mastery or perfect control cannot be identified as "my self."

[^375]: MA identifies this spirit (yakkha) as Sakka, ruler of the gods.

[^376]: The text between the asterisks is absent from the PTS ed. but is supplied from the BBS and SBJ eds. The five aggregates are here called suffering because they are impermanent and not susceptible to the exercise of mastery.

[^377]: These are the characteristics of a sekha. The arahant, in contrast, not only possesses the right view of non-self, but has used it to eradicate all clinging, as the Buddha will explain in §25.

[^378]: MA gives several alternative explanations of these three terms. They are mundane and supramundane wisdom, practice, and deliverance. Or they are entirely supramundane: the first is the right view of the path of arahantship, the second the remaining seven path factors, the third the supreme fruit (of arahantship). Or the first is the vision of

Nibbāna, the second the path factors, the third the supreme fruit.

[^379]: Though Saccaka admitted defeat in debate, he must have still considered himself a saint, and thus did not feel impelled to go for refuge to the Triple Gem. Also, because he continued to regard himself as a saint, he must have felt that it was not proper for him to dedicate the merit of the alms offering to himself, and thus he wished to dedicate the merit to the Licchavis. But the Buddha replies that the Licchavis will gain the merit of providing Saccaka with food to offer to the Buddha, while Saccaka himself will gain the merit of offering the food to the Buddha. The merit of giving alms differs in quality according to the purity of the recipient, as explained at MN 142.6.