7.6 The Story about the Elder Sāriputta

Dhp 95

Burlingame: A Fancied Slight

Compare: AN 9.11

Elder Sāriputta is slandered by one of the bhikkhus, and the Buddha called him to account for himself; instead of defending himself he enumerated his virtues, which caused the great earth to quake; the bhikkhu who slandered him then asked pardon and Elder Sāriputta asked pardon in return; the Buddha then spoke a verse.

Keywords: Chief Disciples, Grudges, Slander, Lion’s Roar, Similes

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“One untroubled just like the earth,” this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to Elder Sāriputta. {2.178}

For once upon a time, at the conclusion of the rains, Elder Sāriputta, desiring to go forth on an almsround, took leave of the Teacher, worshipped him, and departed with his own retinue. Many other bhikkhus took leave of the elder. In dismissing the bhikkhus the elder mentioned the personal and family name of all of the bhikkhus who were known by personal and family names.

A certain bhikkhu who was not known by a personal and family name said: “Oh, that the elder would greet me by a personal and family name in dismissing me.” But in the great throng of bhikkhus the elder did not [29.204] notice him. Thereupon the bhikkhu said to himself: “He does not greet me as he does the other bhikkhus,” and straightaway conceived a grudge against the elder.

Besides that, the hem of the elder’s garment brushed against the bhikkhu, and this also served to intensify the grudge the bhikkhu felt towards the elder. So soon as he knew that the elder had passed beyond the entrance to the monastery, he approached the Teacher and said to him: “Venerable Sir, venerable Sāriputta, doubtless thinking to himself: ‘I am your Chief Disciple,’ struck me a blow that almost broke my earhole. Having so done, without so much as begging my pardon, he set out on his almsround.”

The Teacher caused the elder to be summoned. Thereupon Elder Mahā Moggallāna and Elder Ānanda thought to themselves: “The Teacher does not know that our oldest brother did not really strike this bhikkhu; the elder will of course roar a lion’s roar.” {2.179} Accordingly they decided to convoke an assembly. With key in hand, they opened the doors of the cells, saying: “Approach, venerable Sirs! Approach, venerable Sirs! So soon as venerable Sāriputta is face to face with the Fortunate One, he will roar a lion’s roar.” AJ: this is a quotation from AN 9.11. So saying, they convoked a full assembly of the bhikkhus.

Elder Sāriputta came with the rest, worshipped the Teacher, and sat down respectfully on one side. When the Teacher questioned him about the incident, the elder, instead of saying: “I did not strike that bhikkhu,” recited his own virtues. He said: “Venerable Sir, in case any bhikkhu has not meditated on the body, he should here find a fellow celibate and forsaking him not, set out on walking tour.”

Then he said: “Venerable Sir, it is as when they cast on the earth what is clean and then cast on the earth what is unclean.” AJ: also from AN 9.11. He compared his own tranquillity of mind to that of the earth, to that of the severed horns of a bull, to that of a Caṇḍāla youth, to water, fire, wind, removal of impurity; he compared the oppression he suffered through his own body to the oppression of snakes and corpses; he compared the maintenance of his own body to that of lumps of fat. As the elder described his own virtues in terms of these nine similes, the great earth shook, nine times in succession, to its ocean boundary. As he employed the similes of the removal of impurity, the Caṇḍāla youth, and the lumps of fat, those bhikkhus who had not yet attained were unable to restrain their tears; while those who had attained Arahatship were filled with spiritual urgency. [29.205]

As the elder recited his own virtues, {2.180} remorse pervaded the whole body of the bhikkhu who had unjustly slandered him. And straightaway he fell at the feet of the Fortunate One, admitted that he was guilty of slander, and confessed his fault.

The Teacher addressing the elder, said: “Sāriputta, pardon this deluded man, lest his head split into seven pieces.” Thereupon the elder crouched before the bhikkhu, and extending his clasped hands in an attitude of reverence, said to him: “Venerable Sir, I freely pardon this venerable bhikkhu. Let this venerable bhikkhu also pardon me if I have in any way offended against him.” Thereupon the bhikkhus said: “Behold, friends, the surpassing goodness of the elder! He cherishes neither anger nor hatred against this lying, slanderous bhikkhu. Instead, he crouches before him, extends his hands in an attitude of reverence, and asks his pardon.”

When the Teacher heard the talk of the bhikkhus, he said: “Bhikkhus, what are you talking about?” When they told him, he said: “Bhikkhus, it is impossible for Sāriputta and his like to cherish anger or hatred. Sāriputta’s mind is like the great earth, like a threshold, like a pool of still water.” So saying, {2.181} he joined the connection, and teaching the Dhamma, pronounced the following verse:

95. Paṭhavisamo no virujjhati,
indakhīlūpamŏ tādi subbato,
rahado va apetakaddamo –
saṁsārā na bhavanti tādino.

One untroubled just like the earth,
steadfast just like a city-post,
like a lake mud-free: such a one
continues not in births and deaths.

At the end of the teaching 9,000 bhikkhus reached Arahatship together with the analytic knowledges.