18.1 Of the Buddha and this World (KV18.1)

Controverted Point: That it is not right to say “The Exalted Buddha lived in the world of mankind”.

Theravādin: But are there not shrines, parks, settlements, villages, towns, kingdoms, countries mentioned by the Buddha? And was he not born at Lumbinī, super-enlightened under the Bodhi tree? Was not the Norm-wheel set rolling by him at Benares? Did he not renounce the will to live at the Chāpāla shrine? Did he not complete existence at Kusinārā?

Moreover, was it not said by the Exalted One:

“Bhikkhus, I was once staying at Ukkaṭṭhā in the Subhaga Wood by the King's-Sāl Tree … I was once staying at Uruvelā by the Goatherds' Banyan before I was super-enlightened … I was once staying at Rājagaha in the Bamboo Wood at the Squirrels' Feeding-ground … I was once staying at Sāvatthī in Jeta's Wood, Anāthapiṇḍaka's Park … I was once staying at Vesālī in the Great Wood at the Gable House Hall”?

Surely then the Exalted Buddha lived among men.

Vetulyaka: But did not the Exalted One say,

“born in the world, enlightened in the world, live, having overcome the world, undefiled by the world”?

Hence it is surely not right to say “The Exalted Buddha lived in the world of mankind”.

The Points of Controversy, an English translation of the Pali Abhidhamma Kathāvatthu. Translated by Shwe Zan Aung and C.A.F. Rhys Davids. First published by Pali Text Society, 1915.

This SuttaCentral edition was prepared by Manfred Wierich and Ven. Vimala and proofread by Josephine Tobin. Some changes were introduced:

Abbreviations, i.e., those of cited works and the participants in the controversies, were expanded.

Cross-references were linked.

Some typographic changes were introduced, among others, i.e.: the phonetic symbol “ŋ” was changed to the Pāli diacritical letter “ṃ”, “ô” to “o”, single quotes to double quotes, and “:—” to “:”.

Letter-spacing with fixed spaces was replaced with bold font.

The corrigenda were merged into the text. Some could not be resolved, though.

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