12.9 The Story about the Lay Disciple Culla Kāla
Cullakāla-Upāsakavatthu
Dhp 165
CST4: Cūḷakālaupāsakavatthu
Burlingame: Courtezans Save a Layman’s Life
Compare: Dhp-a 12.5, Thag-a 121; Thag-a 244
The householder Culla Kāla listened to an all-night Dhamma teaching at Jetavana, but in the morning was beaten by people who mistook him for a thief; some courtesans interceded and they let him go; this was reported to the Buddha who gave the teaching in a verse.
Keywords: Listening to Dhamma, Thieves, Killing, Courtesans, Past Lives
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“By self is a wicked deed done,”
For on a certain day, just as in the story of Mahā Kāla, AJ: see just above, Dhp-a 12.5. tunnel thieves were pursued by the owners of the stolen property. Now early in the morning the lay disciple Culla Kāla, who had spent the night at the monastery listening to the Dhamma, came out of the monastery and set out on the road to Sāvatthī. The thieves threw down the stolen property in front of that lay disciple and continued their flight. When the men pursuing the thieves saw the lay disciple, they cried out: “There is the man who played thief last night, acting as though he had been listening to the Dhamma. Catch him!” So saying, they seized the lay disciple and beat him.
Now some courtesans, on their way to the bathing-place on the river, saw the lay disciple and said to his captors: “Sirs, go your way; this man did nothing of the sort.” So saying, they obtained his release. Thereupon the lay disciple went to the monastery and told the bhikkhus what had happened, saying: “Venerable Sirs, I could have been killed by some men, had not some courtesans saved my life.”
The bhikkhus repeated the story to the Realised One. The Teacher listened to the story and said: “Bhikkhus, the lay disciple Culla Kāla’s life was indeed saved, both through the intercession of courtesans and because he was himself guiltless. For living beings here in the world, by reason of the wicked deeds which they themselves commit, of themselves suffer in Niraya Hell and in the other states of suffering. But they that do good works purify themselves and go to a good destination and to Nibbāna.” So saying, he pronounced the following verse:
165. Attanā va kataṁ pāpaṁ, attanā saṅkilissati,
attanā akataṁ pāpaṁ, attanā va visujjhati,
suddhī asuddhī paccattaṁ, nāñño aññaṁ visodhaye.
By self is a wicked deed done,
by self is one defiled, by self
is a wicked deed left undone,
by oneself is one purified,
purity and impurity
come from oneself, for no one can
purify another person.
