10. The Chapter about the Stick, Daṇḍavagga
10.1 The Story about the Group of Six
Chabbaggiyānaṁ Vatthu
Dhp 129
CST4: Chabbaggiyabhikkhuvatthu
Burlingame: The Band of Six
Compare: Vin Cv 6 Āsanappaṭibāhanādi; Vin Pāc 74
The Group of Six bhikkhus fought with and chased off the Group of Seventeen bhikkhus, and took their rooms; the Buddha laid down a rule against violence and spoke a verse.
Keywords: Golden Rule
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“Everyone trembles at the stick,”
For once upon a time, when lodging had been made ready by the bhikkhus of the Group of Seventeen, the bhikkhus of the Group of Six said to the former: “We are older; this belongs to us.” The Group of Seventeen replied: “We will not give it to you; we were the first to make it ready.” Then the Group of Six struck the other bhikkhus. The Group of Seventeen, terrified by the fear of death, screamed at the top of their lungs.
The Teacher, hearing the outcry, asked: “What was that?” When they told him, he promulgated the precept regarding the delivering of blows, saying: “Bhikkhus, henceforth a bhikkhu must not do this; whoever does this is guilty of wrong.” AJ: see Pāc 74.
Having so done, he said: “Bhikkhus, one should say to himself: ‘As do I, so also do others tremble at the rod and fear death.’ Therefore one should not strike another or kill another.” So saying, he joined the connection, and teaching the Dhamma, pronounced the following verse:
129. Sabbe tasanti daṇḍassa, sabbe bhāyanti maccuno,
attānaṁ upamaṁ katvā, na haneyya na ghātaye.
Everyone trembles at the stick,
everyone is in fear of death,
comparing oneself with others,
one should not hurt or have them hurt.
At the end of the teaching many reached the fruition of Stream-entry and so on.
