{"collection":"Majjhima Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_mn81/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_mn81","id":"suttacentral_mn81","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/mn81/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Early Buddhist Texts","Majjhima Nikaya"],"text":"So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was wandering in the land of the Kosalans together with a large Sa\u1e45gha of mendicants. Then the Buddha left the road, and at a certain spot he smiled. Then Venerable \u0100nanda thought, \u201cWhat is the cause, what is the reason why the Buddha smiled? Realized Ones do not smile for no reason.\u201d So \u0100nanda arranged his robe over one shoulder, raised his cupped palms toward the Buddha, and said, \u201cWhat is the cause, what is the reason why the Buddha smiled? Realized Ones do not smile for no reason.\u201d \u201cOnce upon a time, \u0100nanda, there was a market town in this spot named Vebhali\u1e45ga. It was successful and prosperous, populous and full of people. And Kassapa, a blessed one, a perfected one, a fully awakened Buddha, lived supported by Vebhali\u1e45ga. It was here, in fact, that he had his monastery, where he advised the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha while seated.\u201d Then \u0100nanda spread out his outer robe folded in four and said to the Buddha, \u201cWell then, sir, may the Blessed One sit here! Then this piece of land will have been occupied by two perfected ones, fully awakened Buddhas.\u201d The Buddha sat down on the seat spread out. When he was seated he said to Venerable \u0100nanda: \u201cOnce upon a time, \u0100nanda, there was a market town in this spot named Vebhali\u1e45ga. It was successful and prosperous, populous and full of people. And Kassapa, a blessed one, a perfected one, a fully awakened Buddha, lived supported by Vebhali\u1e45ga. It was here, in fact, that he had his monastery, where he advised the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha while seated. The Buddha Kassapa had as chief supporter in Vebhali\u1e45ga a potter named Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra. Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra had a dear friend named Jotip\u0101la, a student. Then Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra addressed Jotip\u0101la, \u2018Come, dear Jotip\u0101la, let\u2019s go to see the Blessed One Kassapa, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. For I deem it holy to see that Blessed One.\u2019 When he said this, Jotip\u0101la said to him, \u2018Enough, dear Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra. What\u2019s the use of seeing that shaveling, that fake ascetic?\u2019 For a second time \u2026 and a third time, Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra addressed Jotip\u0101la, \u2018Come, dear Jotip\u0101la, let\u2019s go to see the Blessed One Kassapa, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. For I deem it holy to see that Blessed One.\u2019 For a third time, Jotip\u0101la said to him, \u2018Enough, dear Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra. What\u2019s the use of seeing that shaveling, that fake ascetic?\u2019 \u2018Well then, dear Jotip\u0101la, let\u2019s take some bathing cleanser and go to the river to bathe.\u2019 \u2018Yes, dear,\u2019 replied Jotip\u0101la. So that\u2019s what they did. Then Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra addressed Jotip\u0101la, \u2018Dear Jotip\u0101la, the Buddha Kassapa\u2019s monastery is not far away. Let\u2019s go to see the Blessed One Kassapa, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. For I deem it holy to see that Blessed One.\u2019 When he said this, Jotip\u0101la said to him, \u2018Enough, dear Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra. What\u2019s the use of seeing that shaveling, that fake ascetic?\u2019 For a second time \u2026 and a third time, Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra addressed Jotip\u0101la, \u2018Dear Jotip\u0101la, the Buddha Kassapa\u2019s monastery is not far away. Let\u2019s go to see the Blessed One Kassapa, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. For I deem it holy to see that Blessed One.\u2019 For a third time, Jotip\u0101la said to him, \u2018Enough, dear Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra. What\u2019s the use of seeing that shaveling, that fake ascetic?\u2019 Then Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra grabbed Jotip\u0101la by the skirt-hem and said, \u2018Dear Jotip\u0101la, the Buddha Kassapa\u2019s monastery is not far away. Let\u2019s go to see the Blessed One Kassapa, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. For I deem it holy to see that Blessed One.\u2019 So Jotip\u0101la undid his skirt-hem and said to Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra, \u2018Enough, dear Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra. What\u2019s the use of seeing that shaveling, that fake ascetic?\u2019 Then Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra grabbed Jotip\u0101la by the hair of his freshly-washed head and said, \u2018Dear Jotip\u0101la, the Buddha Kassapa\u2019s monastery is not far away. Let\u2019s go to see the Blessed One Kassapa, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. For I deem it holy to see that Blessed One.\u2019 Then Jotip\u0101la thought, \u2018Oh lord, how incredible, how amazing, how this potter Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra, though of lowly birth, should presume to grab me by the hair of my freshly-washed head! This must be no ordinary matter.\u2019 He said to Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra, \u2018You\u2019d even milk it to this extent, dear Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra?\u2019 \u2018I even milk it to this extent, dear Jotip\u0101la. For that is how holy I deem it to see that Blessed One.\u2019 \u2018Well then, dear Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra, release me, we shall go.\u2019 Then Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra the potter and Jotip\u0101la the student went to the Buddha Kassapa. Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra bowed and sat down to one side, but Jotip\u0101la exchanged greetings with the Buddha and sat down to one side. Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra said to the Buddha Kassapa, \u2018Sir, this is the student Jotip\u0101la, my dear friend. Please teach him the Dhamma.\u2019 Then the Buddha Kassapa educated, encouraged, fired up, and inspired Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra and Jotip\u0101la with a Dhamma talk. Then they got up from their seat, bowed and respectfully circled the Buddha Kassapa, keeping him on their right, before leaving. Then Jotip\u0101la said to Ghat\u012bk\u0101ra, \u2018Dear Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra, you have heard this teaching, so why don\u2019t you go forth from the lay life to homelessness?\u2019 \u2018Don\u2019t you know, dear Jotip\u0101la, that I  provide for my blind old parents?\u2019 \u2018Well then, dear Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra, I shall go forth from the lay life to homelessness.\u2019 Then Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra and Jotip\u0101la went to the Buddha Kassapa, bowed and sat down to one side. Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra said to the Buddha Kassapa, \u2018Sir, this is the student Jotip\u0101la, my dear friend. Please give him the going forth.\u2019 And Jotip\u0101la the student received the going forth, the ordination in the Buddha\u2019s presence. Not long after Jotip\u0101la\u2019s ordination, a fortnight later, the Buddha Kassapa\u2014having stayed in Vebhali\u1e45ga as long as he pleased\u2014set out for Varanasi. Traveling stage by stage, he arrived at Varanasi, where he stayed near Varanasi, in the deer park at Isipatana. King Kik\u012b of K\u0101si heard that he had arrived. He had the finest carriages harnessed. He then mounted a fine carriage and, along with other fine carriages, set out in full royal pomp from Varanasi to see the Buddha Kassapa. He went by carriage as far as the terrain allowed, then descended and approached the Buddha Kassapa on foot. He bowed and sat down to one side. The Buddha educated, encouraged, fired up, and inspired him with a Dhamma talk. Then King Kik\u012b said to the Buddha, \u2018Sir, would the Buddha together with the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha please accept tomorrow\u2019s meal from me?\u2019 The Buddha Kassapa consented with silence. Then, knowing that the Buddha had consented, King Kik\u012b rose from his seat, bowed, and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on his right, before leaving. And when the night had passed, King Kik\u012b had delicious fresh and cooked foods prepared in his own home\u2014soft saffron rice with the dark grains picked out, served with many soups and sauces. Then he had the Buddha informed of the time, saying, \u2018Sir, it\u2019s time. The meal is ready.\u2019 Then Kassapa Buddha robed up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, went to the home of King Kik\u012b, where he sat down on the seat spread out together with the Sa\u1e45gha of mendicants. Then King Kik\u012b served and satisfied the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha headed by the Buddha with his own hands with delicious fresh and cooked foods. When the Buddha Kassapa had eaten and washed his hand and bowl, King Kik\u012b took a low seat and sat to one side. There he said to the Buddha Kassapa, \u2018Sir, would the Buddha please accept my invitation to reside in Varanasi for the rainy season? The Sa\u1e45gha will be looked after in the same style.\u2019 \u2018Enough, Great King. I have already accepted an invitation for the rains residence.\u2019 For a second time \u2026 and a third time King Kik\u012b said to the Buddha Kassapa, \u2018Sir, would the Buddha please accept my invitation to reside in Varanasi for the rainy season? The Sa\u1e45gha will be looked after in the same style.\u2019 \u2018Enough, Great King. I have already accepted an invitation for the rains residence.\u2019 Then King Kik\u012b, thinking, \u2018The Buddha does not accept my invitation to reside for the rains in Varanasi,\u2019 became sad and upset. Then King Kik\u012b said to the Buddha Kassapa, \u2018Sir, do you have another supporter better than me?\u2019 \u2018Great king, there is a market town named Vebhali\u1e45ga, where there is a potter named Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra. He is my chief supporter. Now, Great King, when you thought, \u201cThe Buddha does not accept my invitation to reside for the rains in Varanasi,\u201d you became sad and upset. But Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra doesn\u2019t get upset, nor will he. Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra has gone for refuge to the Buddha, the teaching, and the Sa\u1e45gha. He doesn\u2019t kill living creatures, steal, commit sexual misconduct, lie, or consume intoxicants of beer, wine, and liquor. He has experiential confidence in the Buddha, the teaching, and the Sa\u1e45gha, and possesses the ethics loved by the noble ones. He is free of doubt regarding suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the practice that leads to its cessation. He eats in one part of the day; he\u2019s chaste, ethical, and of good character. He has set aside gems and gold, and quit using gold and currency. He has put down the shovel and doesn\u2019t dig the earth with his own hands. He takes what has crumbled off by a riverbank or been dug up by mice, and brings it back in a carrier. When he has made a pot, he says, \u201cAnyone may leave bagged sesame, mung beans, or chickpeas here and take what they wish.\u201d He provided for his blind old parents. And since he has ended the five lower fetters, Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra will be reborn spontaneously and will become extinguished there, not liable to return from that world. This one time, Great King, I was staying near the market town of Vebhali\u1e45ga. Then I robed up in the morning and, taking my bowl and robe, went to the home of Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra\u2019s parents, where I said to them, \u201cExcuse me, where has Bhaggava gone?\u201d \u201cYour supporter has gone out, sir. But take rice from the pot and sauce from the pan and eat.\u201d So that\u2019s what I did. And after eating I rose from my seat and left. Then Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra went up to his parents and said, \u201cWho took rice from the pot and sauce from the pan, ate it, and left?\u201d \u201cIt was the Buddha Kassapa, my dear.\u201d Then Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra thought, \u201cI\u2019m so fortunate, so very fortunate, in that the Buddha Kassapa trusts me so much!\u201d Then joy and happiness did not leave him for a fortnight, or his parents for a week. Another time, Great King, I was staying near that same market town of Vebhali\u1e45ga. Then I robed up in the morning and, taking my bowl and robe, went to the home of Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra\u2019s parents, where I said to them, \u201cExcuse me, where has Bhaggava gone?\u201d \u201cYour supporter has gone out, sir. But take porridge from the pot and sauce from the pan and eat.\u201d So that\u2019s what I did. And after eating I rose from my seat and left. Then Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra went up to his parents and said, \u201cWho took porridge from the pot and sauce from the pan, ate it, and left?\u201d \u201cIt was the Buddha Kassapa, my dear.\u201d Then Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra thought, \u201cI\u2019m so fortunate, so very fortunate, to be trusted so much by the Buddha Kassapa!\u201d Then joy and happiness did not leave him for a fortnight, or his parents for a week. Another time, Great King, I was staying near that same market town of Vebhali\u1e45ga. Now at that time my hut leaked. So I addressed the mendicants, \u201cMendicants, go to Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra\u2019s home and find some grass.\u201d When I said this, those mendicants said to me, \u201cSir, there\u2019s no grass there, but his workshop has a grass roof.\u201d \u201cThen go to the workshop and strip the grass.\u201d So that\u2019s what they did. Then Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra\u2019s parents said to those mendicants, \u201cWho\u2019s stripping the grass from the workshop?\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s the mendicants, sister. The Buddha\u2019s hut is leaking.\u201d \u201cTake it, sirs! Take it, dearest ones!\u201d Then Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra went up to his parents and said, \u201cWho stripped the grass from the workshop?\u201d \u201cIt was the mendicants, dear. It seems the Buddha\u2019s hut is leaking.\u201d Then Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra thought, \u201cI\u2019m so fortunate, so very fortunate, to be trusted so much by the Buddha Kassapa!\u201d Then joy and happiness did not leave him for a fortnight, or his parents for a week. Then the workshop remained with the atmosphere for a roof for the whole three months, but the heavens did not rain on it. And that, Great King, is what Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra the potter is like.\u2019 \u2018Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra the potter is fortunate, very fortunate, to be so trusted by the Buddha Kassapa.\u2019 Then King Kik\u012b sent around five hundred loads of rice, soft saffron rice, and suitable sauce to Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra. Then one of the king\u2019s men approached Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra and said, \u2018Sir, these five hundred loads of rice, soft saffron rice, and suitable sauce have been sent to you by King Kik\u012b of K\u0101si. Please accept them.\u2019 \u2018The king has many duties, and much to do. I have enough. Let this be for the king himself.\u2019 \u0100nanda, you might think: \u2018Surely the student Jotip\u0101la must have been someone else at that time?\u2019 But you should not see it like this. I myself was the student Jotip\u0101la at that time.\u201d That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, Venerable \u0100nanda approved what the Buddha said.","title":"With Gha\u1e6d\u012bk\u0101ra","tradition":"Majjhima Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":2265}