Introduction

The Sela-sutta of the Sutta-nipāta, found also in the Majjhima-nikāya, reports how a first meeting with the Buddha inspires the brahmin Sela to such an extent that he decides on the spot to go forth as a Buddhist monk.[n.1] Sn 3.7 at Sn 102,17 to Sn 112,20 (since much of the Sela-sutta is in prose, my references are to page and line of the text, not to its verses; although when possible I supply the verse number in brackets) and MN 92 at MN II 146,22 (Ee does not give the text and refers the reader to the edition of the Sutta-nipāta). The text of the Sela-sutta alternates between prose and verse, which Jayawickrama 1948: 254 reckons as an instance of the genre of "mixed-ballads with dialogue" in the Sutta-nipāta. The verse part of the Sela-sutta recurs on its own in Th 818–841. A reference to the śailagāthā occurs in the Divyāvadāna, Cowell and Neil 1886: 20,23 and 35,1; cf. also Rhys Davids 1896: 94, Law 1930: 175, and Lamotte 1958/1988: 162. This reference is also found in T 1448 at T XXIV 11b6: 世羅尼頌 and D 1 ka 265b2 or Q 1030 khe 249a8, and again D 1 ga 225b1 or Q 1030 nge 214b5: ri gnas kyi tshigs su bcad pa; cf. also Lévi 1915: 418 and Lamotte 1956: 260. Besides the record of this successful conversion in the Pāli canon,[n.2] For a study of conversion stories in the Sutta-nipāta in general cf. Bailey 1991. another version of the same event is extant in the Ekottarika-āgama, translated below.[n.3] EĀ 49.6 at T II 798a25 to 800b26; the text translated below is found at T II 799b15 to 800b26.

In what follows I only translate the second part of the Ekottarika-āgama discourse, which reports the conversion of Sela. The first part introduces the brahmin Keṇiya, who visits the Buddha. After hearing a discourse, he invites the Buddha and his monks for a meal the next day.[n.4] [5] Sn 3.7 at Sn 103,19 only notes that the Buddha gladdened Keṇiya with a talk on the Dharma, whereas EĀ 49.6 at T II 798b8 reports this talk in full, recording that the topic was the claim to class superiority made by ancient Indian brahmins. The translated section sets in at this point, with Keṇiya busying himself with the preparations for this meal.

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Translation

At that time the brahmin Sela,[n.5] [7] Sn 3.7 at Sn 105,1 gives a detailed description of Sela's accomplishment in terms of his mastery of the three Vedas, etc.; it also reports that Keṇiya had faith or confidence in Sela. together with five hundred disciples,[n.6] [8] According to Sn 3.7 at Sn 105,6, Sela was in the company of three hundred brahmin students. came to the house of the brahmin Keṇiya.[n.7] [9] Sn 3.7 at Sn 103,2 introduces Keṇiya as a jaṭila; Ps III 399,5 explains that he came from an eminent brahmin family, and Ap 389.26 at Ap 318,14 qualifies him as a tāpasa. An account of Keṇiya's meeting with the Buddha in the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya, T 1428 at T XXII 873a26, introduces Keṇiya as a brahmin. Another account of this meeting, found in the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, Dutt 1984a: 262,10, presents him as a seer. Tsuchida 1991: 82 comments that "the Keṇiya depicted in the Sela-s[uttas] exhibits several features which do not fit with the image of a hermit" and which would better suit a wealthy brahmin. The same discrepancy is also reflected in the explanation in Ps III 399,6 that he had gone forth in order to protect his wealth; cf. also Horner 1951/1982: 336 note 10. Another variation can be found in the *Karmavibhaṅgopadeśa in Lévi 1932: 155,16 (= Kudo 2009: 77,3) according to which Sela was a tāpasa and it was he who had invited the Buddha for a meal. He saw from afar that in the house fine seats had been prepared.[n.8] [10] Sn 3.7 at Sn 105,9 describes the preparations in more detail. Having seen them, he asked the brahmin Keṇiya: "Do you want to give a man or a woman in marriage,[n.9] [11] Olivelle 1993: 21 comments that the suggestion that Keṇiya might be preparing a wedding reflects the fact that jaṭilas were not necessarily living "celibate lives"; in fact EĀ 49.6 at T II 800b15 reports that Keṇiya had a wife who was pregnant. or do you want to invite King Bimbisāra of the country of Magadha?"

The brahmin Keṇiya replied: "I have not invited King Bimbisāra and there is no marriage. I now want to make an offering and set up a greatly meritorious deed." The brahmin Sela asked: "I wish to hear about the import of your wanting to make an offering. What is this meritorious act?"[n.10] [12] Such a question is not found in the Sela-sutta, where Keṇiya on his own continues to describe his intended offering.

At that time, the brahmin Keṇiya replied to the brahmin Sela:[n.11] [13] Adopting a variant that reads 翅寗梵志報施羅梵志曰. "You should know that there is a son of the Sakyan clan,[n.12] [14] On this expression cf. the discussion in Freiberger 2000a: 221–225. who went forth to train in the path. He has accomplished the supreme and become an arahant,[n.13] [15] EĀ 49.6 at T II 799b23: 至真, which in the Ekottarika-āgama stands for an arahant. An example is EĀ 13.5 at T II 574a27: 至真, 等正覺, counterpart to arahaṃ sammāsambuddho in the parallel version MN 7 at MN I 37,17; cf. also Hirakawa 1997: 995 and Nattier 2003b: 214. a fully awakened one.[n.14] [16] In Sn 3.7 at Sn 106,1 Keṇiya uses the whole set of ten epithets to describe the Buddha (although in the text these are abbreviated). I have now invited the Buddha and his community of monks. For this reason, various seats have been prepared."

Then the brahmin Sela said to the brahmin Keṇiya: "Did you say: 'a Buddha'?" He replied, "I just said: 'a Buddha'."[n.15] [17] Sn 3.7 at Sn 106,4 repeats this same exchange, thereby highlighting Sela's surprise at hearing the word "Buddha".

[Sela] asked again: "It is very exceptional, very special, to be hearing right now the word: 'Buddha'; where is the Tathāgata staying? I wish to meet him!"[n.16] [18] In Sn 3.7 at Sn 106,6 Sela reflects to himself that it is very difficult even to hear this word and then ponders that one who has the thirty-two marks will become either a wheel-turning king or a fully awakened one. In the Sela-sutta it is after this reflection that he asks Keṇiya where the Buddha is staying. Keṇiya replied: "He is now staying in the Bamboo Grove outside of Rājagaha,[n.17] [19] The reference to Rājagaha is in keeping with the indication given at the beginning of the discourse, EĀ 49.6 at T II 798a25, that the Buddha was dwelling in the Squirrels' Feeding Ground at Rājagaha. Sn 3.7 at Sn 103,1 begins by reporting that the Buddha was dwelling in Āpaṇa, a town of the Aṅguttarāpans. Such variations in the location of a discourse are a common feature in early Buddhist oral literature, reflecting a lack of concern for precise historical details which, as pointed out by Gombrich 1990: 22, "from the religious point of view … is perfectly understandable: the narrative framework of the sayings is not relevant to salvation"; cf. also above p. 210. together with five hundred disciples who enjoy each other's [company]. If you wish to go and meet them, know that this is the [proper] time for it."[n.18] [20] That Keṇiya encouraged Sela to go and visit the Buddha is not reported in the Sela-sutta, which also differs inasmuch as, according to its description (given at the outset of the discourse, Sn 3.7 at Sn 102,19), the Buddha was in the company of one thousand two hundred and fifty monks.

Together with his five hundred disciples the brahmin approached the Buddha.[n.19] [21] Sn 3.7 at Sn 107,3 additionally reports that Sela instructed his company of brahmin students to keep quiet, telling them that they should walk quietly, as those like the Buddha are difficult to approach, and that they should not interrupt him once he was speaking with the Buddha. Having arrived, they exchanged greetings and sat to one side. At that time, the brahmin Sela gave rise to this thought: "The recluse Gotama is handsome, his body has the colour of gold.[n.20] [22] This description of the Buddha's golden appearance occurs later in the Sela-sutta, Sn 3.7 at Sn 108,16 (Sn 548), as part of a set of verses spoken by Sela. In our scriptures it is said: 'Truly, it is [nearly] impossible to encounter the time when a Tathāgata emerges in the world, which is just like the occasional blossoming of the udumbara flower.[n.21] [23] Although the Sela-sutta refers to the rareness of the Buddha's appearance in Sn 3.7 at Sn 109,23 (Sn 559) and Sn 110,1 (Sn 560), it does not have a comparison between this rareness and the flowering of the udumbara fig tree. The motif of the udumbara flower recurs in the Uraga-sutta, Sn 1.1 at Sn 1,16 (Sn 5), which seems to reflect awareness of the fact that the udumbara flower is a myth. The relevant line illustrates the absence of any essence in existence with the inability of finding a flower on udumbara trees. Thus the point of this verse is that the udumbara tree cannot flower, not that such blossoming is rare. For a study of references to the myth of the flowering of the udumbara tree cf. Norman 1991/1993. The udumbara tree is also related to a Buddha in DN 14 at DN II 4,12 and its parallel DĀ 1 at T I 2b2, according to which the former Buddha Konāgamana (Skt. Kanakamuni) attained awakening under an udumbara tree. This association is also reflected in Bhārhut sculpture; cf., e.g., Coomaraswamy 1956: 65 (pl. 22 fig. 57) or Lüders 1963: 85 (no. 722). In this context, however, the rareness or inability of the blossoming of the udumbara tree is not at issue. If he has accomplished the thirty-two marks and the eighty sublime kind [of secondary characteristics],[n.22] [24] A reference to eighty secondary characteristics is not found in the Sela-sutta or elsewhere in the Pāli discourses. As noted by Endo 1997/2002: 142, "the concept of the eighty minor marks of a Buddha is a later development." On these secondary characteristics cf., e.g., Edgerton 1953/1998: 34 s.v. anuvyañjana. he will have [either of] these two destinies: If he stays at home, he will become a wheel-turning king endowed with the seven treasures; if he goes forth to train in the path, he will certainly accomplish the supreme path and become a Fortunate One in the three realms.'[n.23] [25] A counterpart to this reflection occurs earlier in Sn 3.7 at Sn 106,7, when Sela is still in the company of Keṇiya. I now want to examine the Buddha for the thirty-two marks."

At that time, the brahmin saw only thirty marks. He did not discern two of the marks, which aroused his doubt and hesitation. He did not see that the tongue was broad and long and that [what should be] concealed was [like] the hidden [parts] of a horse. Then the brahmin Sela spoke this poetic question:[n.24] [26] Sn 3.7 at Sn 107,17 does not report an enquiry after the two marks by Sela, as in its account the Buddha realizes on his own that Sela has doubts about them.

"I have heard of the thirty-two Sublime marks of a Great Man, Now I do not see two marks,
Where are they, after all?
Chaste and pure, it is concealed [like] the hidden [parts] of a horse,
That mark is very difficult to come to know.
Do you have a broad and long tongue,
With which it is possible to lick the ears and cover the face?
I wish you would stretch out your large and long tongue,
Let me be without doubt!
Let me see it,
I will forever be without the bond of doubt and disappointment."[n.25] [27] Adopting the variant 惘 instead of 網.
Then the Blessed One stretched out his tongue, licked his left and right ears, and then withdrew it again.[n.26] [28] Sn 3.7 at Sn 108,3 adds that he covered his whole face with the tongue, an ability also referred to in Sela's stanza in EĀ 49.6 at T II 799c14: "Do you have a broad and long tongue, with which it is possible to lick the ears and cover the face?" Then the Blessed One entered into concentration,[n.27] [29] Sn 3.7 at Sn 107,23 explains that he performed a feat of supernormal power, iddhābhisaṃkhāraṃ abhisaṃkhāsi (Se: abhisaṅkhāresi). [performing a feat] to allow the brahmin to see that what is concealed is [like] the hidden [parts] of a horse.[n.28] [30] The Sela-sutta adopts the opposite sequence, with the display of the tongue coming in second place in Sn 3.7 at Sn 108,1. When the brahmin saw that the Buddha had the thirty-two marks and the eighty secondary characteristics, he was delighted and thrilled, unable to contain himself.[n.29] [31] Sn 3.7 at Sn 108,6 proceeds differently. After ascertaining that the Buddha is endowed with the thirty-two marks, Sela still wonders whether the person in front of him is a Buddha. He then reflects that those who are fully awakened will reveal their accomplishment if they are praised. So he breaks out in a series of stanzas that extol the Buddha to his face; cf. also the discussion below.

Then the brahmin Sela said to the Buddha: "Now I am a brahmin, you are a recluse from the warrior class. Progress for all recluses and brahmins is along a single path, they seek a single liberation. I only wish that you,[n.30] [32] Adopting a variant that adds 願. [great] recluse, would acknowledge this. Are we able to progress along a single path?"

The Buddha said to the brahmin: "So you have this view." The brahmin replied: "I do have such a view."

The Buddha told the brahmin: "Then you should rouse your mind for progressing to this single liberation. This is reckoned to be right view." The brahmin said to the Buddha: "Is right view the single liberation? Is there still more to liberation?"

The Blessed One said: "Brahmin, there is still more to liberation, to attaining the element of Nirvāṇa. For that objective there are eight [requirements], namely right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. Brahmin, this is reckoned to be the eightfold path to reach Nirvāṇa."

Then the brahmin said to the Buddha: "Are there living beings who know this eightfold path?" The Blessed One said: "Brahmin, you should know that there are not [just] one hundred thousand, but innumerable hundreds of thousands of living beings who know this eightfold path."

The brahmin said to the Buddha: "Are there living beings who do not understand this eightfold path?" The Blessed One said: "There are living beings who do not understand it, not [just] one."

The brahmin said to the Buddha: "Are there also living beings who do not attain this Dharma?" The Buddha said: "There are living beings who do not attain the path. There are eleven types of people like this. What are these eleven? They are reckoned to be those who cheat, who speak evil words, who are difficult to admonish, who do not reciprocate what is good, who are of a hateful nature, who are cruel to their parents, who kill an arahant, who have cut off their wholesome roots and wholesome conditions, who keep coming back to what is evil, who speculate about the existence of a self, and who arouse evil thoughts towards the Tathāgata. Brahmin, these are reckoned to be the eleven types of people who are not able to attain this eightfold path."

As the eightfold path was being explained, the brahmin attained the dustless and pure eye of the Dharma. Then the brahmin Sela said to his five hundred disciples: "Let each of you do as he likes and [continue to] practise recitation on your own. I wish to cultivate well the holy life under the Tathāgata."[n.31] [33] Sn 3.7 at Sn 110,10 (Sn 564) also reports that Sela decided to go forth under the Buddha, without, however, preceding this with his attainment of streamentry. The Sela-sutta also differs in that Sela does not suggest to his company of brahmin students that they could keep on practising recitation on their own (presumably of the hymns that he had so far been teaching them). The disciples replied: "We also wish to go forth and train in the path."

Then the brahmin and each of his five hundred disciples knelt down and said to the Blessed One: "We only wish that the Blessed One would permit us to go forth and train in the path." The Buddha said to the brahmins: "Come monks, cultivate the holy life well under the Tathāgata for gradually eradicating the origin of dukkha."[n.32] [34] The request to go forth and the Buddha's acceptance are also found in Sn 3.7 at Sn 110,14, although in verse form (Sn 566 and Sn 567). When the Tathāgata had said this, the five hundred brahmins became recluses.[n.33] [35] Sn 3.7 at Sn 110,21 reports that they received the going forth (pabbajjā) and the higher ordination (upasampadā), a description that would reflect an early stage in the development of the Buddhist monastic order during which these two levels of acceptance into the Saṅgha were apparently conferred together; cf. Vin I 12,25 and e.g. Dutt 1924/1996: 147, Bhagvat 1939: 131, De 1955: 41, Upasak 1975: 138, Dhirasekera 1982/2007: 222, Gombrich 1984: 42, Kieffer-Pülz 2000: 371, and Anālayo 2013h: 117 note 25.

Then the Blessed One progressively gave sublime teachings to the five hundred,[n.34] [36] No such teaching is recorded in the Sela-sutta, which instead continues at this point with the meal offering by Keṇiya. namely teachings on giving, teachings on morality, teachings on rebirth in heaven, and teachings about the perception of the impurity of sensual pleasures and about the happiness of release. He taught them the Dharma as it is always taught by all Buddhas and Blessed Ones: dukkha, its arising, its cessation, and the path. When the Blessed One had widely spoken [about this] to all of them, then the five hundred men reached the perpetual extinction of the influxes and attained the state of superior men.[n.35] [37] According to Sn 3.7 at Sn 112,9 (Sn 570), it took Sela and his company of newly ordained monks a whole week of practice in seclusion to become arahants. This appears to be a more plausible account; in fact the gradual teaching given in the present context leads elsewhere in the discourses only to stream-entry.

At that time the brahmin Keṇiya [sent a message] saying:

"The time has come, I only wish you would condescend [to come]." Then the Blessed One said to Sela and the five hundred monks: "Each of you put on [your] robes and take [your] bowls."[n.36] [38] Such an instruction is not reported in the Sela-sutta. Surrounded by a thousand monks,[n.37] [39] According to the introductory narration of EĀ 49.6 at T II 798a26, the Buddha had been in a company of five hundred monks which, together with the five hundred new converts, accounts for the thousand monks that now accompany him to Keṇiya's food offering. he went to the brahmin's place in the town and sat on a seat.

At that time, the brahmin Keṇiya saw that the five hundred brahmins had all become recluses.[n.38] [40] Keṇiya's reaction, on seeing Sela and his students turn up at his place as Buddhist monks, is not mentioned in the Sela-sutta. The Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, Dutt 1984a: 265,10, also reports that Keṇiya was pleased to see Sela in robes, in fact according to its account Keṇiya told Sela that, as soon as the meal offering was over, he would also go forth, a plan he then carried out. He said: "Excellent, for persons who are keen on a path that reaches the essence, none in turn surpasses this one."[n.39] [41] Adopting the variant 過是. Then the monk Sela spoke this poem to Keṇiya:

"Outside of this there is no other teaching in turn,
Able to surpass this essential one.
Like this, being compared to it,
None surpasses this in excellence."
At that time, the brahmin Keṇiya said to the Blessed One: "I only wish the Blessed One would wait a little. I shall right away bring more beverages and food."[n.40] [42] Like the above exchange between Keṇiya and Sela, the present episode is not found in the Sela-sutta. The Blessed One replied: "Just distribute at this time the beverages and food that have been brought, do not worry that it will not be enough." Then the brahmin Keṇiya was delighted beyond measure, he brought the food himself and offered it to the Buddha and the community of monks.

At that time, when the Blessed One had completed his meal and the eating utensils had been removed,[n.41] [43] EĀ 49.6 at T II 800b13: 除去食器. The Pāli commentarial tradition, Pj II 456,13, understands the expression onītapattapāṇi in Sn 3.7 at Sn 111,8 to refer to having removed the hands from the bowl, pattato anītapāṇiṃ, apanītahatthan ti vuttaṃ hoti, which presumably functions as a sign of having finished eating. An alternative interpretation of onītapattapāṇi has been suggested by Norman 1992: 257f (cf. also Norman 1979/1991: 123f), according to which this expression refers to having washed the hands and bowl. [Keṇiya] scattered various types of flowers over the Buddha and the community of monks and said to the Buddha: "Blessed One I only wish that all men and women [here], young and old, would request to become lay disciples." At that time, the brahmin's wife was pregnant. The wife said to the Buddha: "I am pregnant, yet I do not know, is it a boy or is it a girl? As for myself, I also take refuge in the Tathāgata, may I be accepted as a female lay disciple."[n.42] [44] The Sela-sutta does not record Keṇiya or his wife taking refuge.

Then the Tathāgata taught the sublime Dharma to the great assembly and, while still on his seat, spoke this poem:[n.43] [45] According to Sn 3.7 at Sn 111,12, at the conclusion of the meal the Buddha spoke a different set of verses. For a detailed study of various versions of these verses cf. Skilling 2003a.

"Enjoyable, indeed, is the reward of such merit,
The results that one wishes for will certainly be attained.
[In this way] one gradually reaches the place of peace,
That is forever without worry or distress,
[Or else] at death one attains rebirth in heaven.
Suppose [one] was disturbed by the host of Māra,
They will no longer be able to disturb,
Making the maker of merits fall into evil ways.
One will also seek the means,
And the noble wisdom,
That will eradicate the root of dukkha,
And always be far removed from the eight disasters."
When the Blessed One had spoken these verses, he in turn rose from his seat and left. Then the brahmin Keṇiya, having heard what the Buddha said, delighted in it and received it respectfully.

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Study

In line with other conversions of eminent brahmins, the Sela-sutta and its Ekottarika-āgama parallel report that for Sela to have faith or confidence in the Buddha requires first of all ascertaining if the Buddha possesses the thirty-two marks of a great man. Such an examination necessitates the Buddha's cooperation, since two of the marks are not readily distinguishable. These are the reach of his tongue and the nature of his male organ.[n.44] [46] In the early discourses, this inability of brahmins to assess the Buddha's possession of these two marks is a recurrent feature. A contrast to this inability can be found in the introductory narration to the Pārāyana-vagga, Sn 5.1 at Sn 196,4 (Sn 1022), according to which the Buddha was able to know that the brahmin Bāvarī, whom he presumably never met and who was not present on that occasion, was endowed with these two marks (a parallel in T 202 at T IV 433b13 mentions only one of the two marks, the broad and long tongue). This passage implies that the Buddha's ability to recognize such marks is far superior to that of brahmins, who need the Buddha to be present and to cooperate actively for them to be able to ascertain his possession of these two marks.

In a passage in the Divyāvadāna, the Buddha demonstrates the length of his tongue to a brahmin who is under the impression that the Buddha has spoken a falsehood.[n.45] [47] Cowell and Neil 1886: 71,14. In this context the display of the tongue serves to prove that its owner would not speak a lie. In other words, the exceptional nature of the tongue is a token of the truthfulness of its owner. Interpretations advanced by modern scholars of the significance of the long tongue as a mark of a great man suggest that it may also represent ability at preaching.[n.46] [48] Har Dayal 1932/1970: 305 holds that "the long tongue betokens success as a preacher." Kramrisch 1935: 165 note 3 explains that the ability of the tongue to reach the ear symbolizes how the Buddha's words reach the ears of the world. Wimalaratana 1994: 121 comments that the "long and slender tongue could as well be symbolic of the Buddha's tongue's flexibility for clear accurate enunciation." Regarding the tongue as one of the thirty-two marks, it is also noteworthy that according to Powers 2009: 14 "the idea that a long, supple tongue is a desirable feature in men is also found in the classical medical text Caraka's Medical Compendium"; cf. also Coomaraswamy 1938/1977: 169, according to whom a comparable motif can be found in the Ṛgveda.

The significance of the reference to "[what should be] concealed being [like] the hidden [parts] of a horse" emerges from the Ekottarika-āgama version, where Sela in his verses relates this characteristic to chastity and purity.[n.47] [49] EĀ 49.6 at T II 799c13: 貞潔陰馬藏, "chaste and pure, [what should be] concealed is [like] the hidden [parts] of a horse". According to Har Dayal 1932/1970: 305, "the covered male organ typifies lifelong chastity." Barnes 1987: 120 explains that "a common Buddhist interpretation of the sheathed penis of the Buddha … is … that his penis is covered because he has abandoned sexuality completely." The Saṅghabhedavastu compares this mark to a well-bred horse or a well-bred elephant.[n.48] [50] Gnoli 1977: 50,15. Occurrences of this mark in the Madhyama-āgama similarly note its resemblance to a king of horses.[n.49] [51] MĀ 59 at T I 494a5 and MĀ 161 at T I 686b16: 猶良馬王, counterparts to references to this mark in DN 30 at DN III 143,23 and MN 91 at MN II 136,17. Since in the case of horses and elephants the male organ is retractable, these comparisons suggest a similar implication for the Buddha's private parts.[n.50] [52] Verardi 1999/2000: 71 explains that this mark reflects the "sexually indistinct nature" of a superior being, comparable to the retracted penis of a horse or an elephant, whereby "outwardly, its sexual characteristics remain indistinct". Egge 2003: 205 note 18 points out that "the phrase kosohitaṃvatthaguyhaṃ is usually rendered as 'the genitals (lit. "that which is to be hidden by a cloth") are enclosed in a sheath'. However, because kosa can mean foreskin, this mark thus understood is hardly distinctive." On the term cf. also Sferra 2008. That is, perhaps the point of this mark is that he was able to retract his male organ.[n.51] [53] Several scholars have associated this mark with the idea that a woman cannot be a Buddha; cf. e.g. Kajiyama 1982: 65, Hae-ju 1999: 131, Romberg 2002: 164, and Ohnuma 2004a: 304. Yet tradition is not unequivocal on the need for this mark in order to be a Buddha; cf. Anālayo 2009a: 181f note 54 and 2017b. Be that as it may, if an interpretation of this mark along the lines of what the horse and elephant images suggest should be correct, then this lakkhaṇa downplays maleness instead of emphasizing it as characteristic of a Buddha. If this should indeed be the case, then the act of demonstration might not involve the actual organ itself, but only a demonstration of its absence, of the fact that it has been successfully retracted.[n.52] [54] Nevertheless, this act of demonstration has led to one of the dilemmas in the Milindapañha, Mil 167,26, which explicitly refers to the Sela-sutta. The solution to this dilemma is in turn quoted in the commentary on the Sela-sutta, Pj II 452,11. Nāgasena explains that the Buddha only showed an image of his private parts and made this visible only to his visitor. When King Milinda still considers this to be inappropriate behaviour, Nāgasena explains that a Tathāgata is willing to go even to such an extent to lead beings to awakening; cf. Mil 169,3.

Whatever may be the final word on the nature of this mark, the Sela-sutta and its Ekottarika-āgama parallel agree that the display of these two marks fulfils its function of inspiring Sela with confidence. From here onwards, however, the two versions disagree considerably. The Ekottarika-āgama discourse continues with the Buddha delivering a teaching on the eightfold path to liberation,[n.53] [55] On the absence of the qualification "noble", usually associated with the four truths and the eightfold path in Pāli texts, cf. above p. 239ff. a teaching that leads to Sela's stream-entry. The Sela-sutta instead reports that Sela decides to extol the Buddha, as he thinks that on being praised the Buddha will reveal his qualities.[n.54] [56] Sn 3.7 at Sn 108,9: ye te bhavanti (Se: ye te bhagavanto) arahanto sammāsambuddhā, te sake vaṇṇe bhaññamāne attānaṃ pātukaronti, "those who are arahants, fully awakened ones, will reveal themselves when their praises are spoken."

The Sela-sutta thereby differs not only from its Ekottarika-āgama parallel, but also from other Pāli discourses, where the display of the thirty-two marks suffices to convince a brahmin that he is in the presence of a Buddha.[n.55] [57] The Buddha's possession of the thirty-two marks is ascertained by the brahmins Ambaṭṭha and Pokkarasati in DN 3 at DN I 106,9 and 109,14, and by the brahmins Uttara and Brahmāyu in MN 91 at MN II 135,15 and MN II 143,19. Only in the last of these four cases is a display of the two marks of the tongue and the private parts accompanied by a verbal claim, and in none of these instances does the Buddha's possession of the thirty-two marks lead on to further investigations of his status. Thus in these Pāli discourses ascertaining the presence of the thirty-two marks suffices to reach a conclusion regarding the Buddha's accomplishment and status. According to the Sela-sutta, however, in spite of having ascertained the thirty-two marks, Sela is still in doubt whether the recluse before him is really a Buddha.[n.56] [58] Sn 3.7 at Sn 108,5: samannāgato kho samaṇo gotamo dvattiṃsamahāpurisalakkhaṇehi (Se: dvattiṃsāya mahāpurisalakkhaṇehi), paripuṇṇehi no aparipuṇṇehi, no ca kho naṃ jānāmi: buddho vā no vā?, "the recluse Gotama is endowed with the thirty-two marks of a great man, they are complete, not incomplete – yet I do not know: is he a Buddha or not?" Given that the person sitting in front of Sela has gone forth and thus has not taken office as a wheel-turning king, and given that Sela had earlier been told by Keṇiya that this person has reached full awakening and is a Buddha, there would be no reason for Sela to still harbour any doubts, once he has ascertained the existence of the thirty-two marks.

In order to get further confirmation, Sela engages in a series of praises of the Buddha's bodily perfection, suggesting that the Buddha is fit to reign as a king.[n.57] [59] The suggestion that the Buddha should rather be a king can be found in another discourse in the Ekottarika-āgama, EĀ 24.3 at T II 617a18, where this proposal is made by his Sakyan relatives who would like to have a wheel-turning king governing them. As in the Sela-sutta, the Buddha replies that he is already a king of the Dharma, T II 617a24: 法王. The narrative setting in this discourse provides a more natural context for such an exchange than the Sela-sutta. Since the brahmin Sela's earlier inspired reaction to hearing the word "Buddha" depicts him as someone with a keen spiritual interest, an interest confirmed by his readiness to go forth right away as a Buddhist monk, it seems inconsistent for him to suggest that the Buddha would be worthy of becoming king and to belittle the status of one gone forth with the suggestion "what [use] is being a recluse to you?", kin (Be and Ce: kiṃ) te samaṇabhāvena, Sn 3.7 at Sn 108,23 (Sn 551). Sela's ruse works, as in reply the Buddha proclaims that he is a supreme king of the Dharma and tells Sela to have no doubt about being in the presence of a fully awakened one, a supreme physician, and a holy one beyond compare.[n.58] [60] Sn 3.7 at Sn 110,2 (Sn 560f): so 'haṃ brāhmaṇa sambuddho, sallakatto anuttaro, brahmabhūto atitulo (a counterpart to Sela's verses in Th 830 (Ee) reads buddho 'smi instead of sambuddho). In the Sela-sutta this proclamation has the effect that he decides to go forth, an effect that in the Ekottarika-āgama version is achieved by Sela's stream-entry.[n.59] [61] His decision to go forth in Sn 3.7 at Sn 110,10 (Sn 564) is preceded by Sela explicitly expressing his confidence in the claims made by the Buddha to being a holy one beyond compare etc.; cf. Sn 3.7 at Sn 110,8 (Sn 563). This gives the impression that it is precisely these claims that motivate Sela's going forth.

Commenting on the present passage, according to which the Buddha reacts to flattery by praising himself, Horner (1970: 335 note 4) observes that "in the Buddha's Teaching this is what a foolish person does, e.g. Devadatta, not arahants and … not the Tathāgata." She refers to a passage in the Sampasādanīya-sutta, according to which the Tathāgata does not reveal his qualities.[n.60] [63] DN 28 at DN III 115,20. Another relevant passage is found in the Alagaddūpama-sutta and its Madhyama-āgama parallel, according to which the Buddha will not be affected at all by any honour paid to him.[n.61] [64] MN 22 at MN I 140,18 and MĀ 200 at T I 766a17.

According to Perera (1950: 201f), the language of several stanzas in this part of the Sela-sutta is "suggestive of a later phase of Pāli". He concludes that the Sela-sutta "stands in contrast to many a Sutta of the Sutta Nipāta (which usually abound in archaic linguistic forms, old idiom and early phases of the doctrine) [and thus] is decidedly a later addition" to the Sutta-nipāta.[n.62] [65] Arunasiri 2007: 210 suggests that another sign of lateness would be that Sāriputta is referred to as the "general" of the Dharma, senāpati, Sn 3.7 at Sn 109,12 (Sn 556), a qualification frequently used to refer to him in the commentaries, but not related to him in the early discourses (although it needs to be noted that two canonical instances can be found in Ud 2.8 at Ud 17,29 and Th 1083). Hence Pérez-Remón (1980: 70) may be quite right when he concludes that the stanzas with which the Buddha praises himself in this part of the Sela-sutta probably "reflect more the high appreciation of the Buddha professed by his followers than the very way he spoke"; a suggestion supported by the absence of any such selfpraise in the parallel version in the Ekottarika-āgama.

If this passage in the Sela-sutta should indeed be a later development, it could be understood as expressive of a general tendency towards a gradual apotheosis of the Buddha, recognizable already in the early discourses.[n.63] [67] Cf. in more detail Anālayo 2010b: 130. In the present instance, this tendency would form the background of the long eulogy of the Buddha's superior qualities. Such an importance given to the Buddha's qualities as the central means for converting an eminent brahmin like Sela would be natural,[n.64] [68] A to some degree comparable tendency to enhance the qualities of the Buddha when faced with challenges to his accomplishment can be seen in the Bāhitika-sutta and its parallel; cf. Anālayo 2007c. given the disdain that apparently existed among some brahmins for the Buddha as a member of the recluse community.[n.65] [69] An example of such disdain can be found in the Ambaṭṭha-sutta, DN 3 at DN I 90,15, which reports a brahmin referring to the Buddha as one of those "baldpated petty recluses, menials, the swarthy offspring from Brahmā's foot", muṇḍakā samaṇakā ibbhā kiṇhā (Be, Ce, and Se: kaṇhā) bandhupādāpaccā; (Se: bandhupādapaccā). Comparable denigrating remarks, with some differences in formulation, can be found in the parallel DĀ 20 at T I 82b24, fragment 411r6f of the Ambāṣṭha-sūtra, Melzer 2006: 146, and the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, T 1448 at T XXIV 33b19 and T 1451 at T XXIV 378c17; for the Tibetan counterparts cf. Melzer 2006: 147. On the relationship between brahmins and recluses that forms the background of such disdain cf. in more detail Anālayo 2009e: 154f and on Buddhist texts that poke fun at brahmins Gombrich 2009: 180–190.

The tale of Keṇiya's visit to the Buddha, which occupies the first part of the Sela-sutta and its Ekottarika-āgama parallel, is found also in several Vinayas. These differ in the detail in which they describe this visit, as some Vinayas only record that Keṇiya made an offering of beverages to the monastic community,[n.66] [70] This is the case in the Mahāsāṅghika Vinaya, T 1425 at T XXII 464a28, and the Sarvāstivāda Vinaya, T 1435 at T XXIII 193a23, translated in Jaworski 1930: 112. whereas others report him inviting the Buddha and the community of monks for a meal.[n.67] [71] The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya, T 1428 at T XXII 873b6, translated in Jaworski 1930: 113, the Mahīśāsaka Vinaya, T 1421 at T XXII 151c3, translated in Jaworski 1930: 84, the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, Dutt 1984a: 263,10, and the Theravāda Vinaya, Vin I 246,2.

The Dharmaguptaka and Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinayas also mention Sela. Both report that Sela had noticed Keṇiya's meal preparations and thereupon decided to visit the Buddha. The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya continues by reporting that Sela received a talk on the Dharma from the Buddha and was highly delighted, although this Vinaya does not give further information on the contents of this talk.[n.68] [72] T 1428 at T XXII 873c6: "Then the Blessed One with various means taught him the Dharma to edify him, so that he became delighted. On hearing the Dharma, Sela was exceedingly delighted." The Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya just reports that Sela went with his disciples to the Buddha and asked to be ordained, without recording any conversation between him and the Buddha.[n.69] [73] Dutt 1984a: 264,5. Thus none of the Vinaya versions provides details about the talk given by the Buddha to Sela.

Such variations might be due to different degrees of abbreviation of the tale in order to fit it to the context of a Vinaya narration, whose purpose is to provide background to a particular rule.[n.70] [74] The Keṇiyajaṭilavatthu in the Theravāda Vinaya, Vin I 245,8 to Vin I 246,38, does not refer to Sela at all, even though its report of Keṇiya inviting the Buddha and of the ensuing offering of a meal corresponds to the respective sections of the Sela-sutta. Perera 1950: 199 comments that it could be argued that the reason for this would be that Sela's conversion was not relevant to the rule discussed in this section of the Vinaya, although ibid. p. 200 then points out that this assumption is weakened by the fact that Keṇiya is not mentioned at all in Sela's verses in the Theragāthā, unlike the historically probably later Apadāna verses, Ap 389.26 at Ap 318,14, where Sela does refer to Keṇiya. Perera concludes that the Theragāthā verses and the Vinaya account may have been two originally independent narratives that were combined in the Sela-sutta. Nevertheless, it also seems quite possible that the encounter between Sela and the Buddha grew from what at first could have been a relatively brief reference. If that should be the case, then the way the Sela-sutta and its Ekottarika-āgama parallel depict Sela's conversion would be the final result of two somewhat independent developments that started off from an original that had considerably less to say on this theme.

Whatever may be the final word on the precise stages of evolution of these two discourses, the Ekottarika-āgama version does put the Sela-sutta into perspective. Comparative study of the two versions suggests that the ideas that flattery will cause the Buddha to praise himself, and that such praise in turn then becomes the central means of converting an eminent brahmin, probably reflect later developments.