13.8 The Story about Thirty Bhikkhus
Tiṁsabhikkhuvatthu
Dhp 175
Burlingame: Thirty Monks
Elder Ānanda waited while thirty bhikkhus met with the Buddha, who brought them all the way to Arahatship, after which they flew away; seeing they were no longer there Elder Ānanda asked where they had gone and the Buddha explained they had left in the same way as the geese who they saw flying in the air at that moment.
Keywords: Listening to Dhamma
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“Geese go through the path of the sky,” this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to thirty bhikkhus.
For one day thirty bhikkhus residing in foreign parts came to visit the Teacher. Elder Ānanda saw those bhikkhus just as he was approaching the Teacher to wait upon him. So he thought to himself: “I will wait until the Teacher has exchanged friendly greetings with these bhikkhus, and then I will wait upon the Teacher.”
When the Teacher had exchanged friendly greetings with them, he taught the Dhamma to them in a pleasing manner. After listening to the Dhamma all those bhikkhus attained Arahatship. Thereupon they soared aloft and departed through the air.
When they tarried, Elder Ānanda approached the Teacher and said: “Venerable Sir, thirty bhikkhus came here. Where are they?” – “Gone, Ānanda.” – “By what path did they go, venerable Sir?” – “Through the air, Ānanda.” – “But, venerable Sir, have they already rid themselves of the pollutants?” – “Yes, Ānanda. After hearing me teach the Dhamma, they attained Arahatship.”
Now at that moment some geese came flying through the air. The Teacher said: “Ānanda, he who has fully developed the four bases of psychic power, flies through the air like a goose.” So saying, he pronounced the following verse:
175. Haṁsādiccapathe yanti, ākāse yanti iddhiyā,
nīyanti dhīrā lokamhā, jetvā Māraṁ savāhanaṁ.
Geese go through the path of the sky,
through the heavens by their power,
the wise are led out of the world,
defeating Māra and his host.
At the end of the teaching many reached the fruition of Stream-entry and so on.