ignorance, conceit, etc., need no sectarian labels; they belong to n o particular religions. To the seeker after Truth it is immaterial from where an idea comes. T h e source and development of an idea is a matter for the academic. In fact, in order to understand Truth, it is not necessary even to know whether the teaching comes from the Buddha, or from anyone else. What is essential is seeing the thing, under- standing it. There is an important story in the Majjhima-nikaya (sutta no. 140) which illustrates this. T h e Buddha once spent a night in a potter's shed. In the same shed there was a young recluse w h o had arrived there earlier. 1 They did not know each other. T h e Buddha observed the recluse, and thought to himself: 'Pleasant are the ways of this young man. It would be good if I should ask about him'. So the
