10.4 The Story about the Elder Kuṇḍadhāna
Kuṇḍadhānattheravatthu

“Don’t say anything harsh,” [29.296] {3.52} this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to Elder Kuṇḍadhāna.

It seems that from the day Kuṇḍadhāna went forth a certain female form accompanied the elder wherever he went. The elder himself never saw her, but everybody else saw her. Indeed, whenever the elder made an almsround in a village, the inhabitants would first give the elder a portion of alms, saying: “Venerable Sir, this is for you,” and then they would give the woman a second portion of alms, saying: “And this is for our female friend.”

4a Story of the Past: The Devatā Who Took the Form of a Woman

It seems that in the dispensation of the Buddha Kassapa there were two companion-bhikkhus who were as intimately associated with each other as though they had issued from the womb of the same mother. And in the dispensation of this long-lived Buddha, Burlingame translated this as: And in the dispensation of the Buddha Dīghāyu, inserting an unknown Buddha into the framework. as year by year and month by month the bhikkhus met together for the purpose of keeping the Observance Day, those same two bhikkhus would come forth from their lodging and say to each other: “Let us go to the Observance Hall together.”

Now a certain Devatā reborn in the Realm of the Thirty-Three, seeing those two bhikkhus, thought: “These two bhikkhus are too much together; is there perhaps some way by which I can separate them?” No sooner had she thought this in her folly than one of the two bhikkhus said to his companion: “Friend, wait a moment; I must attend to the needs of nature.” So soon as she heard this, that Devatā {3.53} assumed the form of a woman and entered the thicket with the elder. When he came out, she followed close behind him, arranging with one hand her tuft of hair and with the other her undergarment.

The elder himself did not notice her, but when the bhikkhu who stood outside waiting for him turned and looked, he saw the woman come out, arranging her hair and her undergarment. As soon as the woman observed that the bhikkhu had seen her, she disappeared. When the elder came up to the bhikkhu who was waiting for him, the latter [29.297] said to him: “Friend, you have broken your vow of chastity.” – “I have done no such thing, friend.” – “Why, I just saw a young woman come out after you, doing this and that. Yet you say: ‘I have done no such thing.’”

The elder acted as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt. He said: “Friend, do not ruin me. I have done no such thing.” Said the bhikkhu: “What I saw, I saw with my own eyes. Do you expect me to believe you?” And forthwith he broke off the tip of his staff and departed.

Moreover, when he sat down in the Observance Hall, he said: “I will not keep Observance Day in his company.” The elder said to the bhikkhus: “Friends, there is not a fleck even the size of an atom on my chastity.” But the bhikkhu repeated: “What I saw, I saw with my own eyes.”

When the Devatā saw that the bhikkhu was unwilling to keep Observance Day with the elder, she thought to herself: “I have done a grievous wrong.” And straightaway she said to the bhikkhu: “Venerable Sir, my noble elder has not really violated his vow of chastity. I did this merely to try him. Pray keep Observance Day with him as usual.” When the bhikkhu saw the Devatā poised in the air, and heard her speak those words, he believed her, and kept Observance Day with the elder. {3.54} He was not, however, so kindly disposed to the elder as before. Such was the former deed of the Devatā.

Now at the end of their allotted term of life, the elders were reborn according to their good pleasure. The Devatā was reborn in the Avīci Hell, and after suffering torment there for a period of an interval between two Buddhas, was reborn in Sāvatthī in the dispensation of the present Buddha as a man.

When he had grown up he went forth and subsequently took his higher ordination. From the day he went forth, that same female form appeared and followed him. Therefore they gave him the name Kuṇḍadhāna. AJ: the name actually appears to be a variation of the Brahminical name: Koṇḍañña.

When the bhikkhus observed that he was followed about by a woman, they said to Anāthapiṇḍika: “Rich man, drive this unchaste bhikkhu out of your monastery, for by reason of him reproach will fall upon all of the other bhikkhus.” – “But, venerable Sirs, is the Teacher not at the monastery?” – “He is, lay disciple.” – “Well then, the Teacher alone will know.” The bhikkhus went and said the same thing to Visākhā, and she gave them the same answer.

The bhikkhus, getting no satisfaction from the two lay disciples, reported the matter to the king, saying: “Great king, Kuṇḍadhāna goes about accompanied by a woman, and has thus cast reproach [29.298] upon all the rest of the bhikkhus. Drive him out of your kingdom.” – “But where is he, venerable Sirs?” – “In the monastery, great king.” – “In which lodging does he reside?” – “In such and such.” – “Very well, go your way. I will have him caught.” So in the evening the king went to the monastery, caused the elder’s lodging to be surrounded by his men, and himself stood facing the entrance to the elder’s cell.

The elder, hearing a loud noise, came out and stood facing the monastery. {3.55} The king immediately saw that apparition of a woman standing behind him. When the elder observed that the king had come to his cell, he went up into the monastery again and sat down, but the king did not make obeisance to the elder. The king saw the woman no more. Although he looked inside the door and under the bed, still he did not see her. Finally he said to the elder: “Venerable Sir, I saw a certain woman in this place; where is she?” – “I see none, great king.” Then said the king: “I just saw her behind your back.” But the elder replied as before: “I see no woman, great king.”

“Venerable Sir, just step out here for a moment.” The elder came out and stood below, facing the monastery. Again that woman stood behind the elder. The king seeing her, ascended once more to the upper floor. The elder observing that the king had gone, sat down. The king again looked everywhere, but for all that failed to see the woman. And again he asked the elder: “Venerable Sir, where is that woman?” – “I do not see her.” – “Tell me the truth, venerable Sir. I just saw a woman standing behind your back.” – “Yes, great king; that is what everybody says. Everybody says: ‘A woman follows you wherever you go,’ but I never see her.” {3.56}

The king, suspecting it was an apparition, said once more to the elder: “Venerable Sir, just step down for a moment.” When the elder came down and stood facing the monastery, the king once more saw that woman standing behind him. But when the king ascended to the upper floor, he saw her no more. The king again questioned the elder, but when the latter said: “I see no woman,” the king concluded that it must be an apparition. Accordingly he said to the elder: “Venerable Sir, with such an impurity following about after you, no one will even give food to you. Therefore visit my house regularly, and I alone will furnish you with the four requisites.” And having given him this invitation, he departed.

The bhikkhus were offended and said: “Behold the wicked deed of [29.299] that wicked king! When we asked him to drive that bhikkhu out of the monastery, he came and invited him to receive the four requisites from him, and then went away again.” And they said to that elder: “Oh, you corrupt bhikkhu, now you have become the king’s bastard!” Thereupon that bhikkhu, who formerly had not dared to say a thing to the other bhikkhus, said also to them: “You are corrupt, you are bastards, you consort with women.”

The bhikkhus went and reported the matter to the Teacher, saying: “Venerable Sir, when we spoke to Kuṇḍadhāna, he said to us: ‘You are corrupt, you are bastards, you consort with women.’ With such words as these did he abuse us.” The Teacher sent for him and asked him: “Bhikkhu, is it true, as has been reported to me, that you said thus and so?” – “Yes, venerable Sir, it is all true.” – “Why did you do so?” – “Because they said things to me.” – “Bhikkhus, why did you say things to him?” – “Because we saw a woman following after him.”

The Teacher said: “They say they spoke to you because they saw a woman accompanying you wherever you went. But why did you say what you said? {3.57} They said what they said solely because of what they saw, but why did you say what you said, when you had not seen it? It is surely because of your wrong views in a previous state of existence that this has happened to you; now why do you take a wrong attitude again?”

The bhikkhus asked the Teacher: “But, venerable Sir, what was it that he did in a previous state of existence?” Then the Teacher related to them the elder’s wicked deed in a previous state of existence, concluding as follows: “Bhikkhu, it is because of this wicked deed that you have fallen into this sad plight. Surely it is unbecoming in you again to take so wrong an attitude. Do not again hold converse with the bhikkhus. Make no sound, even as a brass plate shattered at the rim makes no sound, for by so doing you will attain Nibbāna.” So saying, he joined the connection, and teaching the Dhamma, pronounced the following verses:

133. Māvoca pharusaṁ kañci, vuttā paṭivadeyyu’ taṁ,
dukkhā hi sārambhakathā, paṭidaṇḍā phuseyyu’ taṁ.

Don’t say anything harsh,
spoken to, they might answer back to you,
arrogant talk brings misery,
and they might strike you with a stick.

134. Sace neresi attānaṁ kaṁso upahato yathā,
esa pattosi Nibbānaṁ, sārambho te na vijjati.

If you make no sound like a gong
that is broken, you are like
one who has attained Nibbāna,
contention is not to be found.

At the end of the teaching many reached the fruition of Stream-entry and so on, and Kuṇḍadhāna, listening to the advice given by the Teacher reached Arahatship, and not long after, having flown into the sky, he claimed the first of the food tickets. AJ: he was later appointed as foremost amongst those who received food tickets by the Buddha, see AN-a 1.14.3.3.