7.7 The Story about Kosambivāsī Tissa’s Novice
Kosambivāsitissasāmaṇeravatthu

“His mind is calm, his speech is calm,” this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to a novice of the Elder Tissa. {2.182}

It seems that a certain youth of station, residing at Kosambī, went forth in the dispensation of the Teacher. After taking his higher ordination, he was known as Elder Kosambivāsī Tissa.

After he had kept residence during the season of the rains at Kosambī, his supporter brought a set of three robes and offerings of ghee and jaggery and laid them at his feet. The elder said to him: “What are these, lay disciple?” – “Venerable Sir, have you not kept residence with me during the season of the rains? [29.206] Those who keep residence in our monastery always receive these offerings; pray accept them, venerable Sir.” – “Never mind, lay disciple, I have no need of them.” – “Why is that, venerable Sir?” – “I have no novice to perform the usual offices for me, friend.” – “Venerable Sir, if it be true that you have no novice to minister to your needs, my son will become your novice.” The elder graciously accepted the offer.

The lay disciple brought his own son, but seven years old, to the elder, and committed him into the elder’s hands, saying: “Pray give him the going forth, venerable Sir.” The elder moistened the boy’s hair, taught him the meditation subject on the first five of the constituent parts of the body, {2.183} and gave him the going forth. The instant the razor touched his hair, he attained Arahatship, together with the analytic knowledges.

The elder, having given him the going forth, remained there for a fortnight. Then, deciding to visit the Teacher, he directed the novice to take the requisites, and set out on his journey. On the way he entered a certain monastery. The novice obtained lodging for the elder and looked after it for him. While he was thus engaged, it grew dark and he was therefore unable to provide a lodging for himself.

When the time came for the novice to wait upon the elder, the novice approached the elder and sat down. The elder asked the novice: “Novice, have you not neglected to provide yourself with lodging?” – “Venerable Sir, I have had no opportunity to look after a lodging for myself.” – “Well then, remain with me. It will inconvenience you to lodge outside in the place reserved for visitors.” So saying, the elder taking him with him, entered his own lodging. Now the elder had not yet attained, and as soon as he lay down, fell asleep. Thereupon the novice thought to himself: “Today is the third day during which I have occupied the same lodging with my preceptor. If I lie down to sleep the elder will commit the offense of sleeping in common. AJ: see Vin Pāc 5: Should any bhikkhu lie down together (in the same dwelling) with an unordained person for more than two or three consecutive nights, it is to be confessed. Technically in the Vinaya a novice still counts as a lay person. Therefore I will spend the night sitting up.” So, assuming a cross-legged posture near the bed of his preceptor, he spent the night sitting up.

The elder rose at dawn and said to himself: “I must cause the novice to go out.” So he took a fan which was placed at the side of the bed, struck the mat of the novice with the tip of the palm-leaf, and then, tossing the fan into the air, said: {2.184} “Novice, go out.” The handle of the fan struck the novice in the eye and straightaway put out his eye. “What did you say, venerable Sir?” said the novice. “Rise and go out,” was the reply. The novice, instead of saying: [29.207] “Venerable Sir, my eye has been put out,” covered his eye with one hand and went out. Moreover, when it was time for him to perform his duties as novice, he did not say: “My eye has been put out,” nor did he remain seated, but covering his eye with one hand and taking a hand-broom in the other hand, he swept out the privy and the wash-room, after which, setting out water for washing the face, he swept out the elder’s cell.

When he advanced to present the toothstick to the elder, he presented it to him with only one hand. His preceptor said to him: “This novice is not properly trained. Is it proper for a novice to present a toothstick to teachers and preceptors with one hand?” – “Venerable Sir, I know perfectly well what is the proper form, but one of my hands is not disengaged.” – “What is the matter, novice?” Then the novice told him the whole story, beginning at the beginning. When the elder heard his story, he was deeply moved and said to himself: “Oh, what a grievous thing I have done!” Then he said to the novice: “Pardon me, most excellent youth; I did not know this. Be my refuge.” And extending his clasped hands in an attitude of reverent salutation, he crouched on the ground before the feet of a seven-year-old novice. Then said the novice to him: “It was not for this purpose, venerable Sir, that I spoke. {2.185} I said this for the purpose of sparing your feelings. You are not to blame in this matter and neither am I. The round of existences alone is to blame for this. BG: Cf. Dhp-a 9.10. It was because I wished to spare you remorse that I did not tell you the real facts.”

The novice tried to comfort the elder, but he would not be comforted. Overcome with remorse, he took the novice’s requisites and proceeded to the Teacher. As the Teacher sat, he observed him approaching. The elder went to the Teacher, saluted him, and exchanged friendly greetings with him. The Teacher asked him: “Bhikkhu, is everything well with you? I trust that you have suffered no excessive discomfort.” The elder replied: “All is well with me, venerable Sir. I have suffered no excessive discomfort. But here is a young novice whose good qualities surpass anything I have ever seen.” – “Why, what has he done, bhikkhu?” Thereupon the elder told him the whole story, beginning at the beginning and concluding as follows: “Venerable Sir, when I asked him to pardon me, he said this to me: ‘You are not to blame in this matter and neither am I. The round of existences alone is to blame for this. Be not disturbed.’ [29.208] Thus he tried to comfort me, appearing to cherish neither anger nor hatred towards me. His good qualities surpass anything I have ever seen.”

The Teacher said to the elder: “Bhikkhu, those who have rid themselves of the pollutants cherish neither anger nor hatred towards anyone. On the contrary, their senses are at peace and their thoughts are at peace.” So saying, he joined the connection and teaching the Dhamma, pronounced the following verse:

96. Santaṁ tassa manaṁ hoti, santā vācā ca kamma’ ca,
sammad-aññāvimuttassa, upasantassa tādino.

His mind is calm, his speech is calm,
and his actions are also calm,
liberated by right knowledge,
such a one is truly peaceful.

At the end of the teaching Kosambivāsī Tissa attained Arahatship together with the analytic knowledges, and those who had assembled also had benefit from the Dhamma teaching.

last updated: August 2024