‘Venerable Nāgasena, it was said by the Blessed One: “Now the Tathāgata thinks not, Ānanda, that is he who should lead the brotherhood, or that the Order is dependent upon him.” But on the other hand when describing the virtues and the nature of Metteyya, the Blessed One, he said thus: “He will be the leader of a brotherhood several thousands in number, as I am now the leader of a brotherhood several hundreds in number.” If the first statement be right, then the second is wrong. If the second passage is right, the first must be false. This too is a double-pointed problem now put to you, and you have to solve it.’
‘You quote both passages correctly, O king. But in the dilemma that you put the sense in the one passage is inclusive, in the other it is not. It is not the Tathāgata, O king, who seeks after a following, but the followers who seek after him. It is a mere commonly received opinion, O king, that “This is I,” or “This is mine,” it is not a transcendental truth. Attachment is a frame of mind put away by the Tathāgata, he has put away clinging, he is free from the delusion that “This is mine,” he lives only to be a help to others. Just as the earth, O king, is a support to the beings in the world, and an asylum to them, and they depend upon it, but the broad earth has no longing after them in the idea that “These belong to me"—just so is the Tathāgata a support and an asylum to all beings, but has no longing after them in the idea that “These belong to me.” And just as a mighty rain cloud, O king, pours out its rain, and gives nourishment to grass and trees, to cattle and to men, and maintains the lineage thereof, and all these creatures depend for their livelihood upon its rain, but the cloud has no feelings of longing in the idea that “These are mine"—just so does the Tathāgata give all beings to know what are good qualities and maintains them in goodness, and all beings have their life in him, but the Tathāgata has no feelings of longing in the idea that “These are mine.” And why is it so? Because of his having abandoned all self-regard.’
‘Very good, Nāgasena! the problem has been well solved by variety of examples. The jungle has been made open, the darkness has been turned to light, the arguments of the adversaries have been broken down, insight has been awakened in the sons of the Conqueror.
Here ends the dilemma as to the Buddha and his following.