2.36. The Taste of Salt (T1670B2.36)

The king again asked Nāgasena, “Can a man know the taste of salt with his eyes?”

Nāgasena said, “Great king, you know whether one can know the taste of the salt with his eyes.”

Then the king said, “The eyes do not know the taste of the salt.”

Nāgasena said, “A man knows the taste of salt by his tongue, not by his eyes.”

“Do all people know the taste by their tongue?”

“People all distinguish different tastes by their tongues”

The king asked, “Is the taste of all salt to be known and distinguished only by the tongue?”

“Yes, the taste of all salt is to be known and distinguished by the tongue.”

“There is salt brought by chariots and there is also salt brought by cows, can the chariots and cows know the taste of salt?”

“The chariot and the cow cannot know the taste of the salt.”

“Can the taste of salt be weighed?” asked the king.

“Is it the king’s knowledge to weigh the taste of salt?”

Then the king replied, “The taste of salt cannot be weighed, but the weight of salt can be weighed.”

“Excellent, Nāgasena.”

Nāgasena Bhikṣu Sūtra, translated by Venerable Guang Xing. Buddha’s Light Edition English Sutra Translation Series, 2008. This publication is part of translation program of the Woodenfish Project.

The full text, with detailed notes, textual and historical discussion, and comparison between Pali and Chinese texts, is available for download in two separate files, Translation and Notes.

The following copyright notice is contained in the original text: © 2008 Buddha’s Light Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Used with kind permission of Buddha’s Light Publishing.

This SuttaCentral edition was prepared by Bhikkhu Sujato.

Prepared for SuttaCentral by Bhikkhu Sujato.