22.9 The Story about the Sectarian Disciples

Dhp 318-319

Burlingame: Children Visit the Buddha

Some children of the families of sectarians were forbidden to go to Jetavana, but when thirst overtook them one day they went anyway; the Buddha gave them an appropriate teaching and they converted; later they went to the monastery to ordain and the Buddha taught them with some verses.

Keywords: Sectarians, Listening to Dhamma

“Finding blame in what is blameless,” this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to some disciples of the sectarians. {3.492}

For once upon a time some disciples of the sectarians saw their own children and their children’s playmates playing with the children of those with right view. When their children returned home, they said to them: “Henceforth you are forbidden to salute the Sākiyan ascetics and to enter their monastery.” And they made them take oath to this effect. Now one day, as these children were playing outside of the Jetavana monastery near the battlemented gate, they became thirsty. So they sent the son of a certain lay disciple to the monastery, saying to him: “You go there, get a drink of water, and bring us some.” The boy went into the monastery, worshipped the Teacher, and told him the whole story.

Now the Teacher said to him: “After you have taken your drink, go back and send the other boys here to get theirs.” So the boys all came and had a drink. Then the Teacher summoned them all about him, and choosing a subject suited to their understanding, taught the Dhamma to them, imparting to them faith that cannot be moved, and establishing them in the refuges and in the precepts.

When the boys went back to their own homes, they told their mothers and fathers all about it. {3.493} Thereupon their mothers and fathers were overcome with grief, and wept and lamented, saying: “Our sons have adopted a false faith.” Now some intelligent men of the neighborhood drew near, and to quiet their grief, taught the Dhamma to them. After they had listened to the Dhamma, they said: “We will commit these boys to the care of the ascetic Gotama alone.” And forthwith, attended by a large throng of kinsfolk, they conducted them to the monastery. [30.198]

The Teacher, surveying the disposition of their minds, taught the Dhamma to them by pronouncing the following verses:

318. Avajje vajjamatino, vajje cāvajjadassino,
micchādiṭṭhisamādānā sattā gacchanti duggatiṁ.

Finding blame in what is blameless,
not seeing blame in what is blamed,
undertaking wrong views, beings
will go to a bad destiny.

319. Vajjañ-ca vajjato ñatvā, avajjañ-ca avajjato,
sammādiṭṭhisamādānā sattā gacchanti suggatiṁ.

Knowing blame in the blameable,
and no blame in what is blameless,
undertaking right views, beings
will go to a good destiny.

At the end of the teaching all of them, being established in the three refuges, while constantly listening to the Dhamma, were established in the fruition of Stream-entry.