22.8 The Story about the Nigaṇṭhas
Nigaṇṭhānaṁ Vatthu
Dhp 316-317
Burlingame: Degrees of Nakedness
Some bhikkhus saw the Nigaṇṭhas and spoke of them as having some modesty as they wear a small covering at the front, the Nigaṇṭhas however declared they do so not out of modesty, but to protect the lives of dust-beings; when reported to the Buddha he spoke a verse about them.
Keywords: Sectarians, Naked Ascetics, Shame
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“Ashamed of what is not shameful,” this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to the Nigaṇṭhas (Jainas).
For one day the bhikkhus, seeing the Nigaṇṭhas, began the following discussion: “Friends, these Nigaṇṭhas are to be preferred to the Acelakas, who go entirely naked, for these ascetics at least wear a covering in front. These ascetics evidently possess some sense of modesty.” Overhearing the discussion, the Nigaṇṭhas said: “It is not for this reason at all that we wear a covering.
The Teacher said: “Bhikkhus, they that feel shame when they ought not to feel shame, and they that do not feel shame when they ought to feel shame, go to a bad future state.” So saying, he taught the Dhamma by pronouncing the following verses:
316. Alajjitāye lajjanti, lajjitāye na lajjare,
micchādiṭṭhisamādānā sattā gacchanti duggatiṁ.
Ashamed of what is not shameful,
not ashamed of what is shameful,
undertaking wrong views, beings
will go to a bad destiny.
317. Abhaye bhayadassino, bhaye cābhayadassino,
micchādiṭṭhisamādānā sattā gacchanti duggatiṁ.
Seeing fear in what’s not fearful,
not seeing fear in what’s fearful,
undertaking wrong views, beings
will go to a bad destiny.
At the end of the teaching many Nigaṇṭhas, with spiritual anxiety in mind, went forth, AJ: presumably this means in the Buddhist Saṅgha. and those who had assembled also had benefit from the Dhamma teaching.