10.2 The Story about the Group of Six
Chabbaggiyānaṁ Vatthu
Dhp 130
CST4: Chabbaggiyabhikkhuvatthu
Burlingame: The Band of Six
Compare: Vin Pāc 75
The Group of six Bhikkhus fought with and chased off the Group of Seventeen bhikkhus, and took their rooms, which caused the latter to threaten them; the Buddha laid down a rule against threatening, and spoke a verse.
Keywords: Threats, Golden Rule
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“Everyone trembles at the stick,” this Dhamma teaching was also given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to the bhikkhus of the Group of Six.
For once upon a time, the circumstances being the same as those which attended the promulgation of the foregoing precept, the bhikkhus of the Group of Six struck the bhikkhus of the Group of Seventeen, whereupon the latter made threatening gestures.
On this occasion also the Teacher heard the outcry made by the latter and asked: “What is that?” Informed of the cause, he promulgated the precept regarding threatening gestures, saying: “Bhikkhus, henceforth no bhikkhu should do any such thing. Whoever does this is guilty of wrong.”
Having so done, he said: “Bhikkhus, a bhikkhu should consider: ‘As do I, so also do others tremble at the rod; as do I, so also do others cherish life.’ And bearing this thought in mind, he should neither strike another nor kill another.” So saying, he joined the connection and teaching the Dhamma, pronounced the following verse:
130. Sabbe tasanti daṇḍassa, sabbesaṁ jīvitaṁ piyaṁ,
attānaṁ upamaṁ katvā, na haneyya na ghātaye.
Everyone trembles at the stick,
for all of them their life is dear,
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.
