← KN

Mil 3.6.2

2. All-knowing Nature Question

2. Sabbaññūbhāvapañha

from: Mindfulness Chapter

2. All-knowing Nature Question

The king asked: “Venerable Nāgasena, is the Buddha all-knowing and all-seeing?” “Yes, your majesty, the Buddha is all-knowing and all-seeing.” “Then why, Venerable Nāgasena, did he proclaim the training steps for his disciples gradually?” “But, your majesty, is there some doctor who knows all the medicines on this earth?” “Yes, venerable sir, there is.” “And would that doctor, your majesty, administer medicine to a sick person at the time of being ill or when not ill?” “He would administer medicine to a sick person, venerable sir, at the time of being ill and not when not ill.” “In the same way, your majesty, the Blessed One who is all-knowing and all-seeing did not proclaim a training rule to his disciples at the wrong time, but when the time was right he proclaimed a training rule to his disciples, which is not to be transgressed all life long.”

“You are clever, Venerable Nāgasena!”

All-knowing Nature Question second

Translation: English (John Kelly). Source: SuttaCentral / Bilara (public domain, CC0).

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