The Perfection of Patience - Analysis of the Elements II

“King Pukkusati reigned over his kingdom in the city of Takkasila

and King Bimbisara reigned over his kingdom in the city of Rajagaha,

and they were of the same age.

Between them there was a deep bond of affection,

although they had never seen each other.

Their friendship was established by means of the merchants

who travelled between their two countries for the purpose of trade. 

King Bimbisara received from King Pukkusati as a gift eight precious garments,

of which he offered four to the Exalted one

and kept four for his own use in his palace.

To him the following thought occurred:

‘When I shall send a present in return

it should be better than the one King Pukkusati has sent to me before.

My friend sent me a priceless present,

and what should I send to him?

In the city of Rajagaha not any object more precious than that is to be found.’

King Bimbisara had excellent qualities and also,

since the time he had become a sotapanna,

nothing else but the Triple Gem could arouse joy.

He uttered his wish to select the ‘Gems’ he would offer

as a present to King Pukkusati.

Usually there are two kinds of jewels.

The jewel without consciousness is gold, silver, etc.

The jewel with consciousness is bound up with the faculties.

The jewels without consciousness are used for decoration of those with consciousness.

Of these two kinds of jewels,

the jewel with consciousness is accounted the foremost.

The Jewel with consciousness is twofold as the animal jewel and the human
jewel.

The animal Jewel which includes the Elephant-Jewel and the Horse-Jewel

is used for the conveyance of humans.

Therefore, the human Jewel is accounted the foremost.

The human jewel is twofold as the woman jewel and the man jewel.

The woman jewel performs service for the Wheel-Turning Monarch.

Therefore, the man jewel is accounted the foremost of these two jewels.

The man jewel is twofold as the house-living jewel and the homeless jewel.

A Wheel-turning Monarch is the foremost among the house-living jewels,

but since he pays homage with the fivefold prostration

even to a novice (samanera) who has gone forth on that day,

the homeless jewel is accounted the foremost.

The homeless jewel is twofold as the “learner” and the “non-learner”.

Of the two homeless jewels the value of the jewels of even hundred thousand
learners

does not equal the value of the jewel of one non-learner,

and therefore, the non-learner is accounted the foremost.”
The learner, sekkha, is the ariyan of the stage of the sotapanna, streamwinner, up to the stage of the anagamí, non-returner. The non-learner, asekkha, does not need anymore to train himself and follow the practice leading to the eradication of defilements, because he has eradicated all defilements completely. The non- learner is the arahat.