{"collection":"Anguttara Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_an6.54/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_an6.54","id":"suttacentral_an6.54","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/an6.54/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Anguttara Nikaya","Early Buddhist Texts"],"text":"At one time the Buddha was staying near R\u0101jagaha, on the Vulture\u2019s Peak Mountain. Now at that time Venerable Dhammika was a resident in all seven monasteries of his native land. There he abused visiting mendicants; he insulted, harmed, attacked, and harassed them. The visiting mendicants who were treated in this way did not stay. They left, abandoning the monastery. Then the local lay followers thought to themselves, \u201cWe have supplied the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha with robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick. But the visiting mendicants don\u2019t stay. They leave, abandoning the monastery. What is the cause, what is the reason for this?\u201d Then the local lay followers thought to themselves, \u201cThis Venerable Dhammika abuses visiting mendicants; he insults, harms, attacks, and harasses them. The visiting mendicants who were treated in this way do not stay. They leave, abandoning the monastery. Why don\u2019t we banish Venerable Dhammika?\u201d Then the local lay followers went up to Venerable Dhammika and said to him, \u201cSir, please leave this monastery. You\u2019ve stayed here long enough.\u201d Then Venerable Dhammika left and went to another monastery. There he abused visiting mendicants; he insulted, harmed, attacked, and harassed them. The visiting mendicants who were treated in this way did not stay. They left, abandoning the monastery. Then the local lay followers thought to themselves: \u2026 They said to Venerable Dhammika, \u201cSir, please leave this monastery. You\u2019ve stayed here long enough.\u201d Then Venerable Dhammika left and went to another monastery. There he abused visiting mendicants; he insulted, harmed, attacked, and harassed them. The visiting mendicants who were treated in this way did not stay. They left, abandoning the monastery. Then the local lay followers thought to themselves, \u201cWhy don\u2019t we banish Venerable Dhammika from all seven monasteries in our native land?\u201d Then the local lay followers went up to Venerable Dhammika and said to him, \u201cSir, please leave all seven monasteries in our native land.\u201d Then Venerable Dhammika thought, \u201cI\u2019ve been banished by the local lay followers from all seven monasteries in my native land. Where am I to go now?\u201d He thought, \u201cWhy don\u2019t I go to see the Buddha?\u201d Then Venerable Dhammika took his bowl and robe and set out for R\u0101jagaha. Eventually he came to R\u0101jagaha and the Vulture\u2019s Peak. He went up to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said to him, \u201cSo, Brahmin Dhammika, where have you come from?\u201d \u201cSir, I\u2019ve been banished by the local lay followers from all seven monasteries in my native land.\u201d \u201cEnough, Brahmin Dhammika, what\u2019s that to you? Now that you\u2019ve been banished from all of those places, you have come to me. Once upon a time, some sea-merchants set sail for the ocean deeps, taking with them a land-spotting bird. When their ship was out of sight of land, they released the bird. It flew right away to the east, the west, the north, the south, upwards, and in-between. If it saw land on any side, it went there and stayed. But if it saw no land on any side it returned to the ship. In the same way, now that you\u2019ve been banished from all of those places, you have come to me. Once upon a time, King Koravya had a royal banyan tree with five trunks called \u2018Well Planted\u2019. It was shady and lovely. Its canopy spread over twelve leagues, while the network of roots spread for five leagues. Its fruits were as large as a rice pot. And they were as sweet as pure wild honey. The king and harem made use of one trunk, the troops another, the people of town and country another, ascetics and brahmins another, and beasts and birds another. No one guarded the fruit, yet no one damaged another\u2019s fruits. Then a certain person ate as much as he liked of the fruit, then broke off a branch and left. Then the deity haunting the royal banyan tree thought, \u2018Oh lord, how incredible, how amazing! How wicked this person is, to eat as much as they like, then break off a branch and leave! Why don\u2019t I make sure that the royal banyan tree gives no fruit in future?\u2019 Then the royal banyan tree gave no more fruit. Then King Koravya went up to Sakka, lord of gods, and said to him, \u2018Please good fellow, you should know that the royal banyan tree called Well Planted gives no fruit.\u2019 Then Sakka used his psychic powers to will that a violent storm come. And it felled and uprooted the royal banyan tree. Then the deity haunting the tree stood to one side, miserable and sad, weeping, with a tearful face. Then Sakka went up to that deity, and said, \u2018Why, god, are you standing to one side, miserable and sad, weeping, with a tearful face?\u2019 \u2018Because, my good fellow, a violent storm came and felled and uprooted my home.\u2019 \u2018Well, did you stand by your tree\u2019s duty when the storm came?\u2019 \u2018But my good fellow, how does a tree stand by its duty?\u2019 \u2018It\u2019s when those who need the tree\u2019s roots, bark, leaves, flowers, or fruit take what they need. Yet the deity is not displeased or upset because of this. This is how a tree stands by its duty.\u2019 \u2018I was not standing by a tree\u2019s duty when the storm came and felled and uprooted my home.\u2019 \u2018God, if you were to stand by a tree\u2019s duty, your home may be as it was before.\u2019 \u2018I will stand by a tree\u2019s duty! May my home be as it was before!\u2019 Then Sakka used his psychic power to will that a violent storm come. And it raised up that mighty banyan tree and the bark of the roots was healed. In the same way, Brahmin Dhammika, were you standing by an ascetic\u2019s duty when the local lay followers banished you from all seven of the monasteries in your native land?\u201d \u201cBut sir, how do I stand by an ascetic\u2019s duty?\u201d \u201cWhen someone abuses, annoys, or argues with an ascetic, the ascetic doesn\u2019t abuse, annoy, or argue back at them. That\u2019s how an ascetic stands by an ascetic\u2019s duty.\u201d \u201cI was not standing by an ascetic\u2019s duty when the local lay followers banished me from all seven of the monasteries in my native land.\u201d \u201cOnce upon a time, there was a teacher named Sunetta. He was a religious founder and was free of desire for sensual pleasures. He had many hundreds of disciples. He taught them a Dhamma for rebirth in the company of Divinity. Those lacking confidence in Sunetta were\u2014when their body broke up, after death\u2014reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. Those full of confidence in Sunetta were\u2014when their body broke up, after death\u2014reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm. Once upon a time, there was a teacher named M\u016bgapakkha \u2026 Aranemi \u2026 Kudd\u0101laka \u2026 Hatthip\u0101la \u2026 Jotip\u0101la. He was a religious founder and was free of desire for sensual pleasures. He had many hundreds of disciples. He taught them a Dhamma for rebirth in the company of Divinity. Those lacking confidence in Jotip\u0101la were\u2014when their body broke up, after death\u2014reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. Those full of confidence in Jotip\u0101la were\u2014when their body broke up, after death\u2014reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm. What do you think, Brahmin Dhammika? If someone with malicious intent were to abuse and insult these six teachers with their hundreds of followers, would they not brim with much wickedness?\u201d \u201cYes, sir.\u201d \u201cThey would indeed. But someone who abuses and insults a single individual accomplished in view with malicious intent brims even more with wickedness. Why is that? Brahmin Dhammika, I say that any injury done by those outside of the Buddhist community does not compare with what is done to one\u2019s own spiritual companions. So you should train like this: \u2018We will have no malicious intent for those who we want to have as our spiritual companions.\u2019 That is how you should train. Sunetta and M\u016bgapakkha, and Aranemi the brahmin, Hatthip\u0101la the student, and Kudd\u0101laka were Teachers. And Jotip\u0101la Govinda was priest for seven kings. These six famous teachers, harmless ones of the past, were free of putrefaction, compassionate, gone beyond the fetter of sensuality. Detached from sensual desire, they were reborn in the realm of divinity. Many hundreds of their disciples were also free of putrefaction-stench, compassionate, gone beyond the fetter of sensuality. Detached from sensual desire, they were reborn in the realm of divinity. One who insults with malicious intent these non-Buddhist seers, free of desire, immersed in sam\u0101dhi; such a man brims with much wickedness. But one who insults with malicious intent a single individual accomplished in view, a mendicant disciple of the Buddha; that man brims even more with wickedness. You shouldn\u2019t attack a holy person, who has given up the grounds for views. This individual is called the seventh of the noble Sa\u1e45gha. They\u2019re not free of desire for sensual pleasures, and their faculties are still immature: faith, mindfulness, and energy, serenity and discernment. If you attack such a mendicant, you first hurt yourself. Having hurt yourself, you harm the other. But if you protect yourself, the other is also protected. So you should protect yourself. An astute person is always uninjured.\u201d","title":"About Dhammika","tradition":"Anguttara Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":1556}