7.3 The Story about the Elder Belaṭṭhisīsa
Belaṭṭhasīsattheravatthu
Dhp 92
Burlingame: A Monk Stores Food
Compare: Vin Pāc 38
Elder Belaṭṭhisīsa took to storing up food so as not to be bothered with the almsround; the bhikkhus reported it to the Buddha, who laid down a rule forbidding the storing of food, and gave this teaching.
Keywords: Offerings, Discipline
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“For those who have no stores,” this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to venerable Belaṭṭhisīsa.
It seems that this venerable elder, finding it annoying to seek alms regularly, made a rounds for alms through one street in a village, and after eating his breakfast, made another round through a second street, taking boiled rice without sauce or curry, carrying it to the monastery and storing it away. After spending a few days in the bliss of absorption, he had need of the food and therefore ate it.
When the bhikkhus found out what he had done, they were offended and reported the matter to the Fortunate One. On this occasion the Teacher promulgated the rule forbidding bhikkhus to store away food for future use. But since the elder committed the fault before the rule had been promulgated, and because he was satisfied with but little, the Teacher declared him to be free from guilt. And joining the connection and teaching the Dhamma, he pronounced the following verse:
92. Yesaṁ sannicayo natthi, ye pariññātabhojanā,
suññato animitto ca vimokkho yesa’ gocaro,
ākāse va sakuntānaṁ, gati tesaṁ durannayā.
For those who have no stores,
who know their food aright,
for those whose resort is
the liberation that
is empty or signless,
like the birds in the sky,
their track is hard to find.
At the end of the teaching many reached the fruition of Stream-entry and so on.
