Mahavagga, Khandaka 5, Chapter 13

1. Now at that time the venerable Mahā Kaccāyana was staying in Avanti on the hill called the Precipice, near Kuraraghara^[2]. And at that time the lay-disciple named Soṇa Kuṭikaṇṇa^[3] was the personal attendant upon the venerable Mahā Kaccāyana.

And the disciple Soṇa Kuṭikaṇṇa went to the place where the venerable Mahā Kaccāyana was, and saluted him, and took his seat beside him. And when he was thus seated, he said to the venerable Mahā Kaccāyana:

'As I understand the doctrine laid down by the venerable Mahā Kaccāyana, it is difficult for the man who dwells at home to live the higher life in all its fulness, in all its purity, in all its bright perfection. I wish therefore to cut off my hair and beard, to clothe myself in the orange-coloured robes, and to go forth from the household life into the houseless state^[4]. May the venerable Mahā Kaccāyana receive me into the Order of those who have renounced the world!'

2. 'Hard is it, Soṇa, your life long to live the higher life using only one bed, and with but one meal a day. Do you, therefore, Soṇa, remain in the state of a householder, and practise only for a time the higher life, the precepts of the Buddhas, using only one bed, and with but one meal a day.'

Then the desire for renunciation^[5] which had arisen in the disciple Soṇa Kuṭikaṇṇa abated in him.

A second time the disciple Soṇa Kuṭikaṇṇa [made the same request, and received the same reply with the same result].

And a third time Soṇa Kuṭikaṇṇa made the same request. Then the venerable Mahā Kaccāyana conferred the pabbajjā (ordination) on the disciple Soṇa Kuṭikaṇṇa.

Now at that time in the Southern country and in Avanti there were but few Bhikkhus. And it was only after the lapse of three years that the venerable Mahā Kaccāyana was able, with difficulty, and with trouble, to get together a meeting of the Order in which ten Bhikkhus were present^[6]. And then he admitted the venerable Soṇa into the higher rank of the Order.

3. Now when the venerable Soṇa had passed the rainy season there sprang up in his mind, when he was meditating alone, this thought:

'I have heard indeed that the Blessed One is such and such a one. But I have not as yet seen him face to face. I should like to go and visit the Blessed One, the Arahat Buddha, if my superior would allow me.'

And in the evening the venerable Soṇa, leaving his solitude, went to the place where the venerable Mahā Kaccāyana was, and saluted him, and took his seat beside him. And when he was thus seated, he said to the venerable Mahā Kaccāyana:

4. 'When I was meditating alone, venerable Sir, the following thought occurred to my mind, "I have heard (&c., as above)." Now I would go and visit the Blessed One, the Arahat Buddha, if you, as my superior, allow it.'

'That is good, that is good, Soṇa! Go then, Soṇa, to visit the Blessed One, the Arahat Buddha. [5.] You shall see, Soṇa, how the Blessed One arouses faith, is worthy of faith, calm in his senses, calm in his mind, gifted with the highest self-control and quietude, an elephant among men, subdued, guarded, with his senses in subjection to himself. Do you therefore, Soma, bow down in my name at the feet of the Blessed One, and say, "Lord! my superior, the venerable Mahā Kaccāyana, bows down in salutation at the feet of the Blessed One!" and add, "In the Southern country and in Avanti there are, Lord, but few Bhikkhus. And it was only after the lapse of three years that with difficulty and with trouble an assembly of the Order was got together, in which ten members were present, and I could be received into the higher rank of the Order. May the Blessed One be pleased, therefore, to allow the higher ordination in the Southern country and in Avanti before a meeting of a lesser number. [6.] In the Southern country and in Avanti, Lord, the soil is black on the surface^[7], rough, and trampled by the feet of cattle^[8]. May the Blessed One be pleased, therefore, to allow the use, in the Southern country and in Avanti, of shoes with thick linings. In the Southern country and in Avanti, Lord, men attach great importance to bathing, and are pure by use of water. May the Blessed One be pleased to allow, in the Southern country and in Avanti, the constant use of the bath^[9]. In the Southern country and in Avanti, Lord, skins, such as sheep-skins, goat-skins, and deer-skins, are used as coverlets. Just as in the Middle country^[10] the eragu, moragu, majjhāru, and jantu grasses^[11] are used for coverlets, so are sheep-skins, goat-skins, and deer-skins in the Southern country and in Avanti. May the Blessed One be pleased to allow the use of such coverlets there. [7.] At present, Lord, people are in the habit of giving a set of robes to Bhikkhus, who have left the district, saying, 'We give this set of robes to (a Bhikkhu) of such and such a name.' When they return, the Bhikkhus tell them, 'A set of robes has been given to you by a person of such and such a name.' But they, fearing to offend, do not accept it, saying, 'Let us not be guilty of a Nissaggiya.' May the Blessed One be pleased to make a detailed statement in the matter of robes."

'Even so, Lord,' said the venerable Soṇa in assent to the venerable Mahā Kaccāyana, and, rising from his seat, he departed thence, keeping his right side towards him. And taking up his bed, he went on with his robe on, and his bowl in his hand to Sāvatthi.

8. And wandering from place to place he arrived at the place where the Blessed One was, at Sāvatthi in the Jetavana, Anātha-piṇḍika's park. And when he had come there he saluted the Blessed One, and took his seat beside him.

Then the Blessed One said to the venerable Ānanda: 'Make ready a sleeping-place, Ānanda, for this Bhikkhu who has just arrived.' And the venerable Ānanda thought:

'Inasmuch as the Blessed One commands me to make ready a sleeping-place for the Bhikkhu who has just arrived, the Blessed One evidently desires to dwell in the same Vihāra with that Bhikkhu, he desires to dwell in the same Vihāra with the venerable Soṇa.' And he made ready a sleeping-place for the .venerable Soṇa at the place where the Blessed One was staying.

9. Then the Blessed One, after spending the greater part of the night in the open air, entered the Vihāra. And also the venerable Soṇa, having spent the greater part of the night in the open air, entered the Vihāra. And the Blessed One rose up, early in the morning, towards dawn, and requested the venerable Soṇa, saying,

'May the Dhamma so become clear to you that you may speak^[12].'

.Even so, Lord!' said the venerable Soṇa in assent to the Blessed One; and he intoned all the verses in the Book of the Eights (Aṭṭhaka-vaggikāni^[13]).

And the Blessed One, at the conclusion of the venerable Soṇa's recitation, expressed his pleasure, saying,

'Excellent, most excellent, O Bhikkhu! Well have the Eights been grasped by thee, well thought over, well learnt by heart: and with a fine voice art thou gifted, distinct, pleasant^[14], able to make things understood. How many years is it since thou hast been ordained?'

'One year, my Lord!'

10. 'But why have you postponed it so long?'

'’Tis long, Lord, since I saw into the danger of the passions, but life in a household is crowded with business and with cares.'

And the Blessed One, when he heard that matter, gave utterance at that time to the expression of emotion:

'When he has seen the danger of the world, when he has understood the Truth, when he has become free from Upadhi^[15],

'The pilgrim finds in sin no pleasure, his delight is in the word, the pure.'

11. Then thought the venerable Soṇa: 'The Blessed One is pleased with me. This then is the time which my superior spoke of.' And rising from his seat, and arranging his robe on one shoulder, he bowed down with his head at the feet of the Blessed One, and said:

'Lord! my superior Mahā Kaccāyana bows down in salutation at the feet of the Blessed One. In the Southern country and in Avanti there are (&c., as in §§ 4-7, down to the end of the message).'

Then the Blessed One on that occasion and in that connection, having delivered a religious discourse, addressed the Bhikkhus and said:

'The Southern country and Avanti has but few Bhikkhus. I allow the upasampadā (ordination) in border countries to be held in a meeting of only four Bhikkhus, beside the chairman, who must be a Vinaya-dhara.'

12. 'In this passage the following are the border countries referred to^[16]. To the East is the town Kajaṅgala, and beyond it Mahāsālā. Beyond that is border country; this side of it is the Middle country. To the South-east is the river Salalavatī. Beyond that is border country; this side of it is the Middle country. To the South is the town Setakaṇṇika. Beyond that is border country; this side of it is the Middle country. To the West is the Brāhman district of Thūna. Beyond that is border country; this side of it is the Middle country. To the North is the mountain range called Usīradhaja. Beyond that is border country; this side of it is the Middle country. In such border countries, I allow, O Bhikkhus, the upasampadā (ordination) to be held in a meeting of only four Bhikkhus, beside the chairman, who must be a Vinaya-dhara.

13. 'In the Southern country and in Avanti, O Bhikkhus, the soil is black on the surface and rough, and trampled by the feet of cattle. I allow the use, in all the border countries, O Bhikkhus, of shoes with thick linings.

'In the Southern country and in Avanti, O Bhikkhus, men attach great importance to bathing, and are pure by use of water. I allow the constant use of the bath, O Bhikkhus, in all the border countries.

'In the Southern country and in Avanti, O Bhikkhus, skins, such as sheep-skins, goat-skins, and deer-skins, are used as coverlets. Just as in the Middle country, Bhikkhus, the eragu, moragu, majjhāru, and jantu grasses are used for coverlets, so in the Southern country and in Avanti are used skins, such as sheep-skins, goat-skins, and deer-skins. I allow, O Bhikkhus, the use of skins, such as sheep-skins, goat-skins, and deer-skins, as coverlets, in all the border countries.

'There also, O Bhikkhus, people are in the habit of giving a set of robes to Bhikkhus who have left the district, saying, "We give this set of robes to (a Bhikkhu) with such and such a name." I allow you, O Bhikkhus, to accept such robes. The set of robes does not become subject to the ten-days' rule, before it reaches the hand (of the person for whom it was intended)^[17].'

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Sections 1-6 of this chapter were published and translated by Alwis in his 'Kaccāyana's Pali Grammar,' pp. 92 and following.

[2]:

Buddhaghosa spells this name Kuduraghara, and says it was there that Kaccāyana had been accustomed to go for alms, and that he dwelt on the precipice itself.

[3]:

Buddhaghosa has a curious explanation of this name, Koṭiagghanakaṃ pana kaṇṇa-pilandhanakaṃ dhāreti, tasmā Kuṭikaṇṇo ’ti vuccati. This is evidently merely drawn from the word itself, which may just as well have meant 'with pointed ears.'

[4]:

This is a common phrase. Compare Tevijja Sutta (Rh. D., 'Buddhist Suttas from the Pāli,' pp. 187, 188).

[5]:

Compare gamikābhisaṃkhāra, Mahāvagga VI, 31, 2.

[6]:

On the necessity of this, see Mahāvagga IX, 4, I.

[7]:

Kaṇhuttarā ’ti kaṇha-mattik-uttarā upari-vaddhitā kaṇha-mattikā (B.). Alwis translates, 'overrun with thorns.'

[8]:

Gokaṇṭaka-hatā ’ti gunnaṃ khurehi akkanta-bhumito samuṭṭhehi go-kaṇṭakehi upahatā. Te kira gokaṇṭake ekapaṭalikā upāhanā rakkhituṃ na sakkonti, evaṃ kharā honti (B.). Alwis takes gokaṇṭaka as a plant (Ruellia Longifolia).

[9]:

Compare the 57th Pācittiya.

[10]:

See below, § 12; and compare Rh. D., 'Buddhist Birth Stories,' p. 61.

[11]:

Imā catasso pi tiṇa-jātiyo. Etehi kata-sāṭake ka taṭṭikāyo ca karonti. Ettha eragū ’ti ekaraka-tiṇaṃ, tam oḷārikaṃ. Moragutiṇaṃ tamba-sisaṃ sukhumaṃ mudukaṃ sukha-samphassaṃ; tena katā taṭṭikā nipajjitvā vuṭṭhitamatte pana uddhumātā hutvā tiṭṭhati. Majjārunā (sic, and so Alwis) kata-sāṭake pi karonti. Jantussa maṇi-sadiso vaṇṇo hoti, Taṭṭikā is a mat; see Jātaka I, 142. Compare Sanskrit Eraka, and Mayūraka.

[12]:

Paṭibhātu taṃ bhikkhu dhammo bhāsituṃ. Compare Buddhaghosa's commentary on the similar idiom used in the Mahā-parinibbāna Sutta II, 31 as given by Rh. D. ('Buddhist Suttas from the Pāli,' p. 36).

[13]:

Aṭṭhaka-vagga is the name of the fourth book in the Sutta Nipāta. See Professor Fausböll's translation, p. viii. It may also be the name of divisions of other books, but probably that portion of the Sutta Nipāta is here referred to.

[14]:

On Aneḷagalāya compare neḷā vācā in § 6 of the Cūla-sīla.

[15]:

Ariyo is the man who has entered the Path, Suci is locative. Nirūpadhi, he in whom there remains no longer the cause of the renewal of existence as a separate individual (the cause referred to being thirst or excitement and craving, Taṇhā, Upādāna).

[16]:

Compare Cunningham, 'Ancient Geography of India,' I, 440; Childers, Khuddaka Pāṭha, p. 20; Alwis, 'Introduction to Pali Grammar,' XXIX; Lassen, Indische Alterthumskunde, I, 119 (2nd ed.); Rhys Davids, 'Buddhist Birth Stories,' p, 61.

[17]:

On this last clause compare the first Nissaggiya, and our note there. The clause here means that the ten days of the rule in the Pātimokkha are not to begin to run, under the circumstances specified, till the set of robes has actually reached the hand of the Bhikkhu for whom they were intended.