1. Now when the Blessed One had stayed as long as he thought fit at Vesâlî he
set out towards Sâvatthi.
p. 192
Now at that time the pupils of the Khabbaggiya Bhikkhus went on in front of the
Bhikkhu-samgha which had the Buddha at its head, and occupied the rooms, and
occupied the sleeping-places, saying, 'This will do for our superiors
(upagghâyas), this for our teachers (âkariyas), this for ourselves.' And the
venerable Sâriputta who had followed after the Bhikkhu-samgha which had the
Buddha at its head, since all the rooms and all the sleeping-places had been
occupied, found no place to sleep in, and took his seat at the foot of a certain
tree.
Now the Blessed One, at early dawn, after he had risen, coughed. The venerable
Sâriputta coughed also.
'Who is this?' (said the Blessed One.)
'It is I, Lord; Sâriputta.'
'How do you come to be sitting here, Sâriputta?'
Then the venerable Sâriputta told the matter to the Blessed One.
2. Then the Blessed One on that occasion and in that connection convened a
meeting of the Bhikkhu-samgha, and asked, 'Is it true, as I have been told, O
Bhikkhus, that the pupils of the Khabbaggiya Bhikkhus have (acted in this way)?'
'It is true, Lord.'
Then the Blessed One rebuked them, saying (as usual, see Kullavagga I, 1, 2, 3),
and he said to the Bhikkhus, 'Who is it, O Bhikkhus, who is worthy of the best
seat, and the best water, and the best food?'
Some of the Bhikkhus said, 'One who belonged to a Kshatriya family before he
entered the Order.' Others of the Bhikkhus said, One who belonged to a Brahman
family before he entered the Order.' Others again said, 'One who belonged to a
p. 193
[paragraph continues] Gahapati 1 family before he entered the Order--one versed
in the Suttas--one versed in the Rules of the Order--an expounder of the Dhamma
2--one who has attained the first, second, third, fourth Ghâna--one who has
entered the first, second, third Path--an Arahat--one who has the threefold
wisdom 3--one who has the six powers 4.'
3. Then the Blessed One addressed the Bhikkhus, and said, 'Long ago, O Bhikkhus,
there was a great banyan tree on the lower slopes of the Himâlaya range; and
near it there dwelt three friends--a partridge, a monkey, and an elephant. And
they dwelt together without mutual reverence, confidence, and courtesy 5. Then,
O Bhikkhus, it occurred to those friends, "Come now, let us find out which of us
is the elder by birth; and let us agree to honour and reverence and esteem and
support him, and by his counsels let us abide." So, Bhikkhus, the partridge and
the monkey asked the elephant,
'"How far back can you, friend, remember?"
'"Friends! when I was little I used to walk over
p. 194
this banyan tree, keeping it between my thighs, and its topmost twig brushed
against my stomach. So far back, friends, can I remember."
'Then, O Bhikkhus, the partridge and the elephant asked the monkey [the same
question],
'"Friends! when I was little, sitting once on the ground, I gnawed at the then
topmost twig of this banyan. So far back can I remember."
'Then, O Bhikkhus, the monkey and the elephant asked the partridge [the same
question],
'"Friends! there was formerly a lofty banyan tree in yonder open space. One day
after eating one of its fruits, I voided the seed here; and from that this
banyan tree grew up. So I must be older than either of you."
'Thereupon, O Bhikkhus, the elephant and the monkey said to the partridge, "You,
friend, are the oldest of us all. Henceforth we will honour and reverence and
esteem and support you, and by your counsels will we abide."
'Thenceforth, O Bhikkhus, the partridge kept the monkey and the elephant in
obedience to the Five Precepts, and observed them also himself. And dwelling
together in mutual reverence, confidence, and courtesy, at the dissolution of
the body after death they were reborn unto a happy state in heaven. And this
(perfect life of theirs) became known as "the good life of the partridge 1."
’Tis those who reverence the old
That are the men who Dhamma know, p. 195
Worthy of praise while in this life
And happy in the life to come.
4. 'So that, O Bhikkhus, since even animals can live together in mutual
reverence, confidence, and courtesy, so much more, O Bhikkhus, should you so let
your light shine forth 1 that you, who have left the world to follow so well
taught a doctrine and discipline, may be seen to dwell in like manner together.'
And when he had delivered a religious discourse (as in I, 1, 3), he said to the
Bhikkhus:
'I enjoin upon you, O Bhikkhus, that paying of reverence, rising up in
reverence, salutation, proper respect, and apportionment of the best seat and
water and food, shall be according to seniority. But property belonging to the
Samgha shall not be exclusively appropriated according to seniority 2. Whosoever
does so, shall be guilty of a dukkata.
5. 'These ten, O Bhikkhus, are not to be saluted--a Bhikkhu afterwards admitted
unto the higher grade of the Order by one previously admitted--a person not
admitted--a senior Bhikkhu when he belongs to a different community, and does
not speak according to the Dhamma--a woman 3--a eunuch 4--a Bhikkhu who has been
placed under probation 5--one who, having been so placed, is
p. 196
liable to be thrown back to the beginning of his probationary term 1--one who is
liable to have a penance (Mânatta) imposed upon him--one who is undergoing a
penance--one who, so undergoing a penance, is fit to be rehabilitated.
'And these three, O Bhikkhus, ought to be saluted--one previously admitted into
the higher grade of the Order by one afterwards admitted--the senior in a
different community when he speaks according to the Dhamma--and, O Bhikkhus,
throughout the worlds of men and gods, of Mâras and of Brahmas, by all creatures
Samanas and Brahmans, gods and men, the Arahat Sammâsambuddha.'
Footnotes
191:2 The incident related in the following chapter is identical with the 37th
Gâtaka (including the Introductory Story there given) already translated by Rh.
D. in the 'Buddhist Birth Stories,' pp. 310-314.
193:1 On this mention of gahapati as the name of a caste or rank, compare the
passage in the Tevigga Sutta I, 47 = Sâmaññaphala Sutta, p. 133 (translated by
Rh. D. in 'Buddhist Suttas from the Pâli,' S.B.E. vol. xi, p. 187), where the
word is opposed to aññatarasmim kule pakkâgâto.
193:2 Dhamma is here possibly already used in the special sense to which the
term Abhidhamma was afterwards applied. So Punna, who in the Aṅguttara Nikâya I,
14, is called the chief of the expounders of the Dhamma (compare Dîpavamsa IV,
4), says of himself in the Apadâna abhidhammanayañño ’ham.
193:3 Teviggo. See Rh. D.'s remarks in 'Buddhist Suttas,' pp. 161, 162.
193:4 This list contains one or two terms which are omitted in the Gâtaka
introduction.
193:5 These terms recur at Mahâvagga I, 25, 6.
194:1 Tittiriyam brahmakariyam. It is quite possible that a covert sarcasm is
here intended to be understood against the Taittirîya Brahmans.
195:1 Tam sobhetha yam (one illegible word--JBH). On this idiom compare
Mahâvagga X, 2, 20.
195:2 Compare chapter and also chapter 12. It would seem from these passages
that the prohibition to reserve exclusively according to seniority the use of
property belonging to the whole Samgha was held to imply that the temporary use
of it was to go according to seniority. Compare X, 18.
195:3 See Cullavagga X, 3.
195:4 Compare Mahâvagga I, 61, 2.
195:5 See Cullavagga II, 1, 2.
196:1 See Cullavagga III, 14.
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