{"collection":"Majjhima Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_mn3/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_mn3","id":"suttacentral_mn3","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/mn3/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Early Buddhist Texts","Majjhima Nikaya"],"text":"So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near S\u0101vatth\u012b in Jeta\u2019s Grove, An\u0101thapi\u1e47\u1e0dika\u2019s monastery. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, \u201cMendicants!\u201d \u201cVenerable sir,\u201d they replied. The Buddha said this: \u201cMendicants, be my heirs in the teaching, not in things of the flesh. Out of sympathy for you, I think, \u2018How can my disciples become heirs in the teaching, not in things of the flesh?\u2019 If you become heirs in things of the flesh, not in the teaching, that will make you liable to the accusation: \u2018The Teacher\u2019s disciples live as heirs in things of the flesh, not in the teaching.\u2019 And it will make me liable to the accusation: \u2018The Teacher\u2019s disciples live as heirs in things of the flesh, not in the teaching.\u2019 If you become heirs in the teaching, not in things of the flesh, that will make you not liable to the accusation: \u2018The Teacher\u2019s disciples live as heirs in the teaching, not in things of the flesh.\u2019 And it will make me not liable to the accusation: \u2018The Teacher\u2019s disciples live as heirs in the teaching, not in things of the flesh.\u2019 So, mendicants, be my heirs in the teaching, not in things of the flesh. Out of sympathy for you, I think, \u2018How can my disciples become heirs in the teaching, not in things of the flesh?\u2019 Suppose that I had eaten and refused more food, being replete, and having had as much as I needed. And there was some extra almsfood that was going to be thrown away. Then two mendicants were to come who were weak with hunger. I\u2019d say to them, \u2018Mendicants, I have eaten and refused more food, being replete, and having had as much as I need. And there is this extra almsfood that\u2019s going to be thrown away. Eat it if you like. Otherwise I\u2019ll throw it out where there is little that grows, or drop it into water that has no living creatures.\u2019 Then one of those mendicants thought, \u2018The Buddha has eaten and refused more food. And he has some extra almsfood that\u2019s going to be thrown away. If we don\u2019t eat it he\u2019ll throw it away. But the Buddha has also said: \u201cBe my heirs in the teaching, not in things of the flesh.\u201d And almsfood is one of the things of the flesh. Instead of eating this almsfood, why don\u2019t I spend this day and night weak with hunger?\u2019 And that\u2019s what they did. Then the second of those mendicants thought, \u2018The Buddha has eaten and refused more food. And he has some extra almsfood that\u2019s going to be thrown away. If we don\u2019t eat it he\u2019ll throw it away. Why don\u2019t I eat this almsfood, then spend the day and night having dispelled my hunger and weakness?\u2019 And that\u2019s what they did. Even though that mendicant, after eating the almsfood, spent the day and night having dispelled hunger and weakness, it is the former mendicant who is more worthy of respect and praise. Why is that? Because for a long time that will conduce to that mendicant being of few wishes, content, self-effacing, unburdensome, and energetic. So, mendicants, be my heirs in the teaching, not in things of the flesh. Out of sympathy for you, I think, \u2018How can my disciples become heirs in the teaching, not in things of the flesh?\u2019\u201d That is what the Buddha said. When he had spoken, the Holy One rose from his seat and entered his dwelling. Then, not long after the Buddha left, Venerable S\u0101riputta said to the mendicants, \u201cReverends, mendicants!\u201d \u201cReverend,\u201d they replied. S\u0101riputta said this: \u201cReverends, how do the disciples of a Teacher who lives in seclusion not train in seclusion? And how do they train in seclusion?\u201d \u201cReverend, we would travel a long way to learn the meaning of this statement in the presence of Venerable S\u0101riputta. May Venerable S\u0101riputta himself please clarify the meaning of this. The mendicants will listen and remember it.\u201d \u201cWell then, reverends, listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.\u201d \u201cYes, reverend,\u201d they replied. S\u0101riputta said this: \u201cReverends, how do the disciples of a Teacher who lives in seclusion not train in seclusion? The disciples of a Teacher who lives in seclusion do not train in seclusion. They don\u2019t give up what the Teacher tells them to give up. They\u2019re indulgent and slack, leaders in backsliding, neglecting seclusion. In this case, the senior mendicants should be criticized on three grounds. \u2018The disciples of a Teacher who lives in seclusion do not train in seclusion.\u2019 This is the first ground. \u2018They don\u2019t give up what the Teacher tells them to give up.\u2019 This is the second ground. \u2018They\u2019re indulgent and slack, leaders in backsliding, neglecting seclusion.\u2019 This is the third ground. The senior mendicants should be criticized on these three grounds. In this case, the middle mendicants and the junior mendicants should be criticized on the same three grounds. This is how the disciples of a Teacher who lives in seclusion do not train in seclusion. And how do the disciples of a Teacher who lives in seclusion train in seclusion? The disciples of a Teacher who lives in seclusion train in seclusion. They give up what the Teacher tells them to give up. They\u2019re not indulgent and slack, leaders in backsliding, neglecting seclusion. In this case, the senior mendicants should be praised on three grounds. \u2018The disciples of a Teacher who lives in seclusion train in seclusion.\u2019 This is the first ground. \u2018They give up what the Teacher tells them to give up.\u2019 This is the second ground. \u2018They\u2019re not indulgent and slack, leaders in backsliding, neglecting seclusion.\u2019 This is the third ground. The senior mendicants should be praised on these three grounds. In this case, the middle mendicants and the junior mendicants should be praised on the same three grounds. This is how the disciples of a Teacher who lives in seclusion train in seclusion. The bad thing here is greed and hate. There is a middle way of practice for giving up greed and hate. It gives vision and knowledge, and leads to peace, direct knowledge, awakening, and extinguishment. And what is that middle way of practice? It is simply this noble eightfold path, that is: right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion. This is that middle way of practice, which gives vision and knowledge, and leads to peace, direct knowledge, awakening, and extinguishment. The bad thing here is anger and acrimony. \u2026 disdain and contempt \u2026 jealousy and stinginess \u2026 deceit and deviousness \u2026 obstinacy and aggression \u2026 conceit and arrogance \u2026 vanity and negligence. There is a middle way of practice for giving up vanity and negligence. It gives vision and knowledge, and leads to peace, direct knowledge, awakening, and extinguishment. And what is that middle way of practice? It is simply this noble eightfold path, that is: right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion. This is that middle way of practice, which gives vision and knowledge, and leads to peace, direct knowledge, awakening, and extinguishment.\u201d That is what Venerable S\u0101riputta said. Satisfied, the mendicants approved what S\u0101riputta said.","title":"Heirs in the Teaching","tradition":"Majjhima Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":1209}