{"collection":"Anguttara Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_an5.194/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_an5.194","id":"suttacentral_an5.194","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/an5.194/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Anguttara Nikaya","Early Buddhist Texts"],"text":"At one time the Buddha was staying near Ves\u0101l\u012b, at the Great Wood, in the hall with the peaked roof. Now at that time the brahmin K\u0101ra\u1e47ap\u0101l\u012b was working for the Licchavis. He saw the brahmin Pi\u1e45giy\u0101n\u012b coming off in the distance and said to him, \u201cSo, Pi\u1e45giy\u0101n\u012b, where are you coming from in the middle of the day?\u201d \u201cI\u2019m coming, worthy sir, from the presence of the ascetic Gotama.\u201d \u201cWhat do you think of the ascetic Gotama\u2019s lucidity of wisdom? Do you think he\u2019s astute?\u201d Worthy sir, who am I to judge the ascetic Gotama\u2019s lucidity of wisdom? You\u2019d really have to be on the same level to judge his lucidity of wisdom.\u201d Worthy Pi\u1e45giy\u0101n\u012b praises the ascetic Gotama with high praise indeed.\u201d \u201cWho am I to praise the ascetic Gotama? He is praised by the praised as the first among gods and humans.\u201d \u201cBut for what reason are you so devoted to the ascetic Gotama?\u201d \u201cSuppose a person was completely satisfied by the best tasting food. They wouldn\u2019t be attracted to anything that tasted inferior. In the same way, when you hear the worthy Gotama\u2019s teaching\u2014 whatever it may be, whether statements, mixed prose & verse, discussions, or amazing stories\u2014 then you\u2019re not attracted to the doctrines of the various ascetics and brahmins. Suppose a person who was weak with hunger was to obtain a honey-cake. Wherever they taste it, they would enjoy a sweet, delectable flavor. In the same way, when you hear the worthy Gotama\u2019s teaching\u2014 whatever it may be, whether statements, mixed prose & verse, discussions, or amazing stories\u2014 then you get a sense of uplift, a confidence of the heart. Suppose a person were to obtain a piece of sandalwood, whether yellow or red. Wherever they smelled it\u2014 whether at the root, the middle, or the top\u2014 they\u2019d enjoy a delectable fragrance. In the same way, when you hear the worthy Gotama\u2019s teaching\u2014 whatever it may be, whether statements, mixed prose & verse, discussions, or amazing stories\u2014 then you become filled with joy and happiness. Suppose there was a person who was sick, suffering, gravely ill. A good doctor would cure them on the spot. In the same way, when you hear the worthy Gotama\u2019s teaching\u2014 whatever it may be, whether statements, mixed prose & verse, discussions, or amazing stories\u2014 then you make an end of sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. Suppose there was a lotus pond with clear, sweet, cool water, clean, with smooth banks, delightful. Then along comes a person struggling in the oppressive heat, weary, thirsty, and parched. They\u2019d plunge into the lotus pond to bathe and drink. And all their stress, weariness, and heat exhaustion would die down. In the same way, when you hear the worthy Gotama\u2019s teaching\u2014 whatever it may be, whether statements, mixed prose & verse, discussions, or amazing stories\u2014 then all your stress, weariness, and exhaustion die down.\u201d When this was said, the brahmin K\u0101ra\u1e47ap\u0101l\u012b rose from his seat, arranged his robe over one shoulder, knelt on his right knee, raised his cupped palms toward the Buddha, and expressed this heartfelt sentiment three times: \u201cHomage to him, the blessed one, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha! Homage to him, the blessed one, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha! Homage to him, the blessed one, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha! Excellent, worthy Pi\u1e45giy\u0101n\u012b! Excellent! As if he were righting the overturned, or revealing the hidden, or pointing out the path to the lost, or lighting a lamp in the dark so people with clear eyes can see what\u2019s there, the worthy Pi\u1e45giy\u0101n\u012b has made the teaching clear in many ways. I go for refuge to the worthy Gotama, to the teaching, and to the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha. From this day forth, may the worthy Pi\u1e45giy\u0101n\u012b remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.\u201d","title":"With K\u0101ra\u1e47ap\u0101l\u012b","tradition":"Anguttara Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":645}