Aṇguttara-Nikāya
III. Tika Nipāta
XIII. Kusināra Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
or
More-Numbered Suttas
III. The Book of the Threes
XIII. At Kusināra
Sutta 121
Kusināra Suttaṃ
Kusināra
Translated from the Pali by
F.L. Woodward, M.A.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
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Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Kusināra[1] in the Wood of Offerings[2].
There the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
"Yes, lord," replied those monks to the Exalted One.
The Exalted One said:
"Suppose now a monk lives dependent
on some village or district.
Then a housefather
or his son
comes to visit him
and invites him to take his meal for the day.
If he is willing to do so
the monk consents.
Then, when the night has passed
he robes himself in good time,
and taking bowl
and outer robe
sets out for the house
of that housefather
or housefather's son.
On getting there
he sits down on a seat made ready.
[252] Then that housefather
or housefather's son
serves him with choice food
both hard and soft
with his own hands,
till he has eaten his fill.
Now it occurs to him:
'A good thing in sooth for me
to be thus served
by a housefather
or housefather's son!'
Then he thinks:
'I should indeed be glad
to have this housefather
or housefather's son
serve me in like manner
in the future.'
Thus he enjoys that almsgiving
and is attracted[3] by it,
infatuated with it,[4]
attached[5] to it.
He sees not danger therein.
He is blind
to the escape therefrom.[6]
The result is
that his train of thought is sensual,
malevolent
and harmful to others.
Now, monks, I declare
that what is given to such a monk
has no great fruit.
Why so?
Because the monk lives amiss.
§
But take the case
where a monk lives dependent
on some village or district.
Then a housefather
or his son
comes to visit him
and invites him to take his meal for the day.
If he is willing to do so
the monk consents.
Then, when the night has passed
he robes himself in good time,
and taking bowl
and outer robe
sets out for the house
of that housefather
or housefather's son.
On getting there
he sits down on a seat made ready.
Then that housefather
or housefather's son
serves him with choice food
both hard and soft
with his own hands,
till he has eaten his fill.
Now no such thoughts occur to him as these:
'A good thing in sooth for me
to be thus served
by a housefather
or housefather's son!'
Or:
'I should indeed be glad
to have this housefather
or housefather's son
serve me in like manner
in the future.'
He enjoys that almsgiving
without being attracted by it,
infatuated with it
or attached thereto.
He sees the danger therein.
He is not blind to the escape therefrom.
The result is
that his train of thought
is dispassionate,
not malevolent,
but harmless to others.
Now, monks, I declare
that what is given to such a monk as this
has great fruit.
Why so?
Because the monk lives vigilant."
[1] Of the Mallā in what is now Nepal.
[2] Bali-haraṇe, cf. M. iii, § 103; A. v, 79, where alone this locality is mentioned in the Pāli books. Tattha kira bhūta-bali-karaṇ'atthaṃ baliṃ karoti. Comy.
[3] Gathito = taṇhā-gedhena g. Comy.
[4] Mucchito = taṇhā-mucchanāye m. Comy.
[5] Ajjhopanno = taṇhāya gilitvā pariniṭṭhapetvā pavatto. Comy.
[6] Anissaraṇa-pañño. These phrases occur at D. (Tevijja Sutta; cf. Dialog. i, 311, trans. 'he knows not how unreliable they are'), supra, text 74, and are similarly interpreted at UdA. 365.
