1.14 The Story about Two Monastic Friends
Dvesahayakabhikkhūnaṁ Vatthu

“Even though reciting abundant scriptures,” {1.154} this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to two fellow bhikkhus.

For at Sāvatthī lived two young men of station who were inseparable friends. On a certain occasion they went to the monastery, heard the Teacher teach the Dhamma, renounced the pleasures of the world, gave their hearts to the dispensation of the Buddha, and went forth. When they had kept residence for five years with preceptors and teachers, they approached the Teacher and asked about the duties in his dispensation.

After listening to a detailed description of the duty of meditation and of the duty of study, one of them said: “Venerable Sir, since I went forth in old age, I shall not be able to fulfill the duty of study, but I can fulfill the duty of meditation.”

So he had [28.245] the Teacher instruct him in the duty of meditation as far as Arahatship, and after striving and struggling attained Arahatship, together with the analytic knowledges. But the other said: “I will fulfill the duty of study,” and acquired by degrees the Three Baskets, the word of the Buddha, and wherever he went, taught the Dhamma and intoned it. He went from place to place reciting the Dhamma to five hundred bhikkhus, and was preceptor of eighteen large communities of bhikkhus.

Now a company of bhikkhus, having obtained a meditation subject from the Teacher, went to the place of residence of the older bhikkhu, and by faithful observance of his admonitions attained Arahatship. Thereupon they worshipped the elder and said: “We desire to see the Teacher.” {1.155} The Elder said: “Go, friends, greet in my name the Teacher, and likewise greet the eighty great elders, and greet my fellow elder, saying: ‘Our Teacher greets you.’” So those bhikkhus went to the monastery and greeted the Teacher and the elders, saying: “Venerable Sir, our teacher greets you.” When they greeted their teacher’s fellow elder, he replied: “Who is he?” Said the bhikkhus: “He is your fellow bhikkhu, venerable Sir.”

Said the younger bhikkhu: “But what have you learned from him? Of the Collection of Long Discourses and so on, have you learned a single Collection? Of the Three Baskets, have you learned a single Basket?” And he thought to himself: “This bhikkhu does not know a single verse containing four lines. As soon as he went forth, he took rags from a dust-heap, entered the forest, and gathered a great many pupils about him. When he returns, it is necessary for me to ask him some questions.”

Now somewhat later the older bhikkhu came to see the Teacher, and leaving his bowl and robe with his fellow elder, went and greeted the Teacher and the eighty great elders, afterwards returning to the place of residence of his fellow elder. The younger bhikkhu showed him the customary attentions, provided him with a seat of the same size as his own, and then sat down, thinking to himself: “I will ask him a question.”

At that moment the Teacher thought to himself: “Should this bhikkhu annoy this my son, he is likely to be reborn in Niraya Hell.” So out of compassion for him, pretending to be going the rounds of the monastery, he went to the place where the two bhikkhus were sitting and sat down on the Buddha seat already prepared.

For wherever the bhikkhus sit down, they first prepare the seat of the Buddha, and not until they have so done do they themselves sit down. {1.156} Therefore the Teacher sat down on a seat already prepared for him.

And when [28.246] he had sat down, he asked the bhikkhu who had taken upon himself the duty of study a question about the first absorption. When the younger bhikkhu had answered this question correctly, the Teacher, beginning with the second absorption, asked him questions about the eight attainments and about the form and the formless worlds, all of which he answered correctly.

Then the Teacher asked him a question about Stream-entry, and he was unable to answer it. Thereupon the Teacher asked the bhikkhu who was an Arahat, and the latter immediately gave the correct answer. “Well done, well done, bhikkhu!” said the Teacher, greatly pleased. The Teacher then asked questions about the remaining paths in order.

The bhikkhu who had taken upon himself the duty of study was unable to answer a single question, while the bhikkhu who had attained unto Arahatship answered every question he asked. On each of four occasions the Teacher bestowed applause on him. Hearing this, all the Devas, from the Bhummadevas to the world of Brahma, all Devatās, including Nāgas and Supaṇṇas, shouted their applause.

Hearing this applause, the pupils and fellow-residents of the younger bhikkhu were offended at the Teacher and said: “Why did the Teacher do this? He bestowed applause on each of four occasions on the old bhikkhu who knows nothing at all. But to our own teacher, who knows all the sacred word by heart and is at the head of five hundred bhikkhus, he gave no praise at all.”

The Teacher asked them: “Bhikkhus, what is it you are talking about?” When they told him, he said: “Bhikkhus, your own teacher is in my dispensation like a man who tends cows for hire. But my son is like a master who enjoys the five products of the cow at his own good pleasure.” So saying, he pronounced the following verses: {1.157}

19. Bahum-pi ce sahitaṁ bhāsamāno,
na takkaro hoti naro pamatto,
gopo va gāvo gaṇayaṁ paresaṁ,
na bhāgavā sāmaññassa hoti.

Even though reciting abundant scriptures,
the heedless one, who does not what they say,
like a cowboy counting other’s cattle,
does not partake of the ascetic life.

20. Appam-pi ce sahitaṁ bhāsamāno,
Dhammassa hoti anudhammacārī,
rāgañ-ca dosañ-ca pahāya mohaṁ,
sammappajāno suvimuttacitto,
anupādiyāno idha vā huraṁ vā,
sa bhāgavā sāmaññassa hoti.

Even though reciting only few scriptures,
but living in accordance with Dhamma,
abandoning greed, hate and delusion,
understanding aright, with mind released,
that one, unattached here and hereafter,
surely partakes of the ascetic life.

At the end of the verse many became Stream-enterers and so on, and benefit arose to many people from the teaching.

last updated: August 2024