{"collection":"Majjhima Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_mn67/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_mn67","id":"suttacentral_mn67","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/mn67/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Early Buddhist Texts","Majjhima Nikaya"],"text":"So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near C\u0101tum\u0101 in a myrobalan grove. Now at that time five hundred mendicants headed by S\u0101riputta and Moggall\u0101na arrived at C\u0101tum\u0101 to see the Buddha. And the visiting mendicants, while exchanging pleasantries with the resident mendicants, preparing their lodgings, and putting away their bowls and robes, made a colossal racket. Then the Buddha said to Venerable \u0100nanda, \u201c\u0100nanda, who\u2019s making that colossal racket? You\u2019d think it was fishermen hauling in a catch!\u201d And \u0100nanda told him what had happened. \u201cWell then, \u0100nanda, in my name tell those mendicants that the Teacher summons them.\u201d \u201cYes, sir,\u201d \u0100nanda replied. He went to those mendicants and said, \u201cVenerables, the Teacher summons you.\u201d \u201cYes, reverend,\u201d replied those mendicants. Then they rose from their seats and went to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said to them: \u201cMendicants, what\u2019s with that colossal racket? You\u2019d think it was fishermen hauling in a catch!\u201d And they told him what had happened. \u201cGo away, mendicants, I dismiss you. You are not to stay in my presence.\u201d \u201cYes, sir,\u201d replied those mendicants. They got up from their seats, bowed and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on their right. They set their lodgings in order and left, taking their bowls and robes. Now at that time the Sakyans of C\u0101tum\u0101 were sitting together at the town hall on some business. Seeing those mendicants coming off in the distance, they went up to them and said, \u201cHello venerables, where are you going?\u201d \u201cReverends, the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha has been dismissed by the Buddha.\u201d \u201cWell then, venerables, sit here for an hour. Hopefully we\u2019ll be able to restore the Buddha\u2019s confidence.\u201d \u201cYes, respectable sirs,\u201d replied the mendicants. Then the Sakyans of C\u0101tum\u0101 went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him: \u201cMay the Buddha be happy with the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha! May the Buddha welcome the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha! May the Buddha support the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha now as he did in the past! There are mendicants here who are junior, recently gone forth, newly come to this teaching and training. If they don\u2019t get to see the Buddha they may change and fall apart. If young seedlings don\u2019t get water they may change and fall apart. In the same way, there are mendicants here who are junior, recently gone forth, newly come to this teaching and training. If they don\u2019t get to see the Buddha they may change and fall apart. If a young calf doesn\u2019t see its mother it may change and fall apart. In the same way, there are mendicants here who are junior, recently gone forth, newly come to this teaching and training. If they don\u2019t get to see the Buddha they may change and fall apart. May the Buddha be happy with the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha! May the Buddha welcome the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha! May the Buddha support the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha now as he did in the past!\u201d Then the divinity Sahampati knew the Buddha\u2019s train of thought. As easily as a strong person would extend or contract their arm, he vanished from the realm of divinity and reappeared in front of the Buddha. He arranged his robe over one shoulder, raised his cupped palms toward the Buddha, and said: \u201cMay the Buddha be happy with the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha! May the Buddha welcome the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha! May the Buddha support the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha now as he did in the past! There are mendicants here who are junior, recently gone forth, newly come to this teaching and training. If they don\u2019t get to see the Buddha they may change and fall apart. If young seedlings don\u2019t get water they may change and fall apart. \u2026 If a young calf doesn\u2019t see its mother it may change and fall apart. In the same way, there are mendicants here who are junior, recently gone forth, newly come to this teaching and training. If they don\u2019t get to see the Buddha they may change and fall apart. May the Buddha be happy with the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha! May the Buddha welcome the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha! May the Buddha support the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha now as he did in the past!\u201d The Sakyans of C\u0101tum\u0101 and the divinity Sahampati were able to restore the Buddha\u2019s confidence with the similes of the seedlings and the calf. Then Venerable Mah\u0101moggall\u0101na addressed the mendicants, \u201cGet up, reverends, and pick up your bowls and robes. The Buddha\u2019s confidence has been restored by the Sakyans of C\u0101tum\u0101 and the divinity Sahampati with the similes of the seedlings and the calf.\u201d \u201cYes, reverend,\u201d replied those mendicants. Then they rose from their seats and, taking their bowls and robes, went to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said to Venerable S\u0101riputta, \u201cS\u0101riputta, what did you think when the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha was dismissed by me?\u201d \u201cSir, I thought this: \u2018The Buddha has dismissed the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha. Now he will remain passive, dwelling in blissful meditation in this life, and so will we.\u2019\u201d \u201cHold on, S\u0101riputta, hold on! Don\u2019t you ever think such a thing again!\u201d Then the Buddha addressed Venerable Mah\u0101moggall\u0101na, \u201cMoggall\u0101na, what did you think when the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha was dismissed by me?\u201d \u201cSir, I thought this: \u2018The Buddha has dismissed the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha. Now he will remain passive, dwelling in blissful meditation in this life. Meanwhile, Venerable S\u0101riputta and I shall lead the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha.\u2019\u201d \u201cGood, good, Moggall\u0101na! For either I should lead the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha, or else S\u0101riputta and Moggall\u0101na.\u201d Then the Buddha said to the mendicants: \u201cMendicants, when you go into the water you should anticipate four dangers. What four? The dangers of waves, gharials, whirlpools, and sharks. These are the four dangers that you should anticipate when you go into the water. In the same way, an individual gone forth from the lay life to homelessness in this teaching and training should anticipate four dangers. What four? The dangers of waves, gharials, whirlpools, and sharks. And what, mendicants, is the danger of waves? It\u2019s when a gentleman has gone forth out of faith from the lay life to homelessness, thinking: \u2018I\u2019m swamped by rebirth, old age, and death; by sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. I\u2019m swamped by suffering, mired in suffering. Hopefully I can make an end to this entire mass of suffering.\u2019 When they\u2019ve gone forth, their spiritual companions advise and instruct them: \u2018You should go out like this, and come back like that. You should look to the front like this, and to the side like that. You should contract your limbs like this, and extend them like that. This is how you should bear your outer robe, bowl, and robes.\u2019 They think: \u2018Formerly, as laypeople, we advised and instructed others. And now these mendicants\u2014who you\u2019d think were our children or grandchildren\u2014imagine they can advise and instruct us!\u2019 They resign the training and return to a lesser life. This is called a mendicant who resigns the training and returns to a lesser life for fear of the danger of waves. \u2018Danger of waves\u2019 is a term for anger and distress. And what, mendicants, is the danger of gharials? It\u2019s when a gentleman has gone forth out of faith from the lay life to homelessness, thinking: \u2018I\u2019m swamped by rebirth, old age, and death; by sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. I\u2019m swamped by suffering, mired in suffering. Hopefully I can make an end to this entire mass of suffering.\u2019 When they\u2019ve gone forth, their spiritual companions advise and instruct them: \u2018You may eat, consume, taste, and drink these things, but not those. You may eat what\u2019s allowable, but not what\u2019s unallowable. You may eat at the right time, but not at the wrong time.\u2019 They think: \u2018Formerly, as laypeople, we used to eat, consume, taste, and drink what we wanted, not what we didn\u2019t want. We ate and drank both allowable and unallowable things, at the right time and the wrong time. And these faithful householders give us delicious fresh and cooked foods at the wrong time of day. But these guys imagine they can gag our mouths!\u2019 They resign the training and return to a lesser life. This is called one who resigns the training and returns to a lesser life because they\u2019re afraid of the danger of gharials. \u2018Danger of gharials\u2019 is a term for gluttony. And what, mendicants, is the danger of whirlpools? It\u2019s when a gentleman has gone forth out of faith from the lay life to homelessness, thinking: \u2018I\u2019m swamped by rebirth, old age, and death; by sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. I\u2019m swamped by suffering, mired in suffering. Hopefully I can make an end to this entire mass of suffering.\u2019 When they\u2019ve gone forth, they robe up in the morning and, taking their bowl and robe, enter a village or town for alms without guarding body, speech, and mind, without establishing mindfulness, and without restraining the sense faculties. There they see a householder or their child amusing themselves, supplied and provided with the five kinds of sensual stimulation. They think: \u2018Formerly, as laypeople, we amused ourselves, supplied and provided with the five kinds of sensual stimulation. And it\u2019s true that my family is wealthy. I can both enjoy my wealth and make merit.\u2019 They resign the training and return to a lesser life. This is called one who resigns the training and returns to a lesser life for fear of the danger of whirlpools. \u2018Danger of whirlpools\u2019 is a term for the five kinds of sensual stimulation. And what, mendicants, is the danger of sharks? It\u2019s when a gentleman has gone forth out of faith from the lay life to homelessness, thinking: \u2018I\u2019m swamped by rebirth, old age, and death; by sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. I\u2019m swamped by suffering, mired in suffering. Hopefully I can make an end to this entire mass of suffering.\u2019 When they\u2019ve gone forth, they robe up in the morning and, taking their bowl and robe, enter a village or town for alms without guarding body, speech, and mind, without establishing mindfulness, and without restraining the sense faculties. There they see a lady scantily clad, with revealing clothes. Lust infects their mind, so they resign the training and return to a lesser life. This is called one who resigns the training and returns to a lesser life for fear of the danger of sharks. \u2018Danger of sharks\u2019 is a term for ladies. These are the four dangers that an individual who gone forth from the lay life to homelessness in this teaching and training should anticipate.\u201d That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, the mendicants approved what the Buddha said.","title":"At C\u0101tum\u0101","tradition":"Majjhima Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":1780}