25.3 The Story about Kokālika
Kokālikavatthu

“That monastic who controls his mouth,” this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to Kokālika. The story occurs in the Discourse beginning with the words: “Now the bhikkhu Kokālika drew near to where the Fortunate One was,” and its meaning is to be understood as explained in the commentary thereon. AJ: I include the story as retold in the introduction to Ja 481. {4.91} [30.248]

During one rainy season the two chief disciples, desiring to leave the multitude and to dwell apart, took leave of the Teacher, and went into the kingdom where Kokālika was. They repaired to the residence of Kokālika, and said this to him: “Friend Kokālika, since for us it is delightful to dwell with you, and for you to dwell with us, we would abide here three months.” – “How,” said the other, “will it be delightful for you to dwell with me?” They answered: “If you tell not a soul that the two chief disciples are dwelling here, we shall be happy, and that will be our delight in dwelling with you.” – “And how is it delightful for me to dwell with you?” – “We will teach the Dhamma to you for three months in your home, and we will discourse to you, and that will be your delight in dwelling with us.” – “Dwell here, bhikkhus,” he said, “so long as you will,” and he allotted a pleasant residence to them. There they dwelt in the fruition of the attainments, and no man knew of their dwelling in that place.

When they had thus passed the rains they said to him: “Monk, now we have dwelt with you, and we will go to visit the Teacher,” and asked his leave to go. He agreed, and went with them on the rounds for alms in a village over against the place where they were. After their meal the elders departed from the village. Kokālika leaving them, turned back and said to the people: “Lay brethren, you are like brute animals. Here the two chief disciples have been dwelling for three months in the monastery opposite, and you knew nothing of it: now they are gone.” – “Why did you not tell us, sir?” the people asked.

Then they took ghee and oil and medicines, raiment and clothes, and approached the elders, saluting them and saying: “Pardon us, sirs we knew not you were the chief disciples, we have learned it but today by the words of the venerable bhikkhu Kokālika. Pray have compassion on us, and receive these medicines and clothes.” Kokālika went after the elders with them, for he thought: “The elders are frugal, and content with little; they will not accept these things, and then they will be given to me.” But the elders, because the gift was offered at the instigation of a bhikkhu, neither accepted the things themselves nor had them given to Kokālika. The lay folk then said: “Sirs, if you will not accept these, come here once again to bless us.” The elders promised, and proceeded to the Teacher’s presence.

Now Kokālika was angry, because the elders neither accepted those things themselves, nor had them given to him. The elders, however, having remained a short while with the Teacher, each chose five hundred monks as their following, and with these thousand monks went on pilgrimage seeking alms, as far as Kokālika’s country. The lay folk came out to meet them, and led them to the same monastery, and showed them great honour day by day.

Great was the store given to them of clothes and of medicines. Those monks who went out with the elders dividing the garments gave of them to all the monks which had come, but to Kokālika gave none, neither did the elders give him any. Getting no clothes Kokālika began to abuse and revile the elders, saying: “Sāriputta and Moggallāna are full of wicked desires; they would not accept before what was offered them, but these things they do accept. There is no satisfying them, they have no regard for others.” But the elders, perceiving that the man was harbouring evil on their account, set out with their followers to depart; nor would they return, not though the people begged them to stay yet a few days longer.

Then a young bhikkhu said: “Where shall the elders stay, laymen? Your own particular elder does not wish them to stay here.” Then the people went to Kokālika, and said: “Sir, we are told you do not wish the elders to stay here. Go to! Either appease them and bring them back, or away with you and live elsewhere!” In fear of the people this man went and made his request to the elders. “Go back, bhikkhu,” answered the elders, “we will not return.” So he, being unable to prevail upon them, returned to the monastery. Then the lay folk asked him whether the elders had returned. “I could not persuade them to return,” said he. “Why not, monk?” they asked. And then they began to think it must be no good bhikkhus would dwell there because the man did wrong, and they must get rid of him. “Sir,” they said, “do not stay here; we have nothing here for you.”

Thus dishonoured by them, he took bowl and robe and went to Jetavana. After saluting the Teacher, he said: “Venerable Sir, Sāriputta and Moggallāna are full of wicked desires, they are in the power of wicked desires!” The Teacher replied, “Say not so, Kokālika; let your heart, Kokālika, have confidence in Sāriputta and Moggallāna; learn that they are good bhikkhus.” Kokālika said: “You believe in your two chief disciples, sir; I have seen it with my own eyes; they have wicked desires, they have secrets within them, they are wicked men.” So he said thrice, then rose from his seat, and departed. Even as he went on his way there arose over all his body boils of the size of a mustard seed, which grew and grew to the size of a ripe seed of the wood apple tree, burst, and blood ran all over him. Groaning he fell by the gate of Jetavana, maddened with pain.

A great cry arose, and reached even to the Brahma Realm: “Kokālika has reviled the two chief disciples!” Then his spiritual teacher, the Brahma Tudu by name, learning the fact, came with the intent of appeasing the elders, and said while poised in the air: “Kokālika, a cruel thing this you have done; make your peace with the chief disciples.” – “Who are you, brother?” the man asked. “Tudu Brahma, is my name,” said he. “Have you not been declared by the Fortunate One,” said the man, “a Non-returner? That word means that such come not back to this earth. You will become a Yakkha upon a dunghill!” Thus he upbraided the Mahā Brahma. And as he could not persuade the man to do as he advised, he replied to him: “May you be tormented according to your own word.” Then he returned to his abode of bliss. And Kokālika after dying was born again in the Lotus Hell. That he had been born there the great and mighty Brahma Sahampati told to the Tathāgata, and the Teacher told it to the monks.

Now after Kokālika had been reborn in the Lotus Niraya Hell, the bhikkhus in the Dhamma Hall began a discussion of the occurrence, saying: “Alas, the bhikkhu Kokālika went to perdition because he failed to hold his tongue! For even as he reviled the two Chief Disciples, the earth opened and swallowed him up.”

At that moment the Teacher approached and asked: “Bhikkhus, what subject are you discussing now as you sit here all gathered together?” When they told him, he said: “Bhikkhus, this is not the first time Kokālika has gone to perdition because of failure to hold his tongue; the same thing happened to him in a former state of existence also.” The bhikkhus immediately desired to hear all about the matter. In compliance with their requests, to make the matter clear, the Teacher related the following

3a. Story of the Past: The Birth Story about the Talkative Turtle AJ: Ja 215.

Once upon a time a tortoise dwelt in a certain lake in the Himālaya country. One day two young geese, wandering about in search of food, struck up an acquaintance with him, and in a short time all became firm friends. One day the geese said to the tortoise: “Friend tortoise, we live in the Himālaya country on Mount Cittakūṭa in a golden cave, and it is a most delightful place to live in. Wouldn’t you like to go there with us?” – “Masters,” replied the tortoise, “how am I to get there?” Said the geese: “If you can keep your mouth shut, we will carry you.” The tortoise replied: “I will keep my mouth shut, friends. Take me with you, and let’s be off.” – “Very well,” said the geese. {4.92} So the geese made the tortoise grip with his teeth the middle of a stick, and then, taking the two ends of the stick in their bills, flew up into the air.

Some village boys, seeing a tortoise carried along in this fashion by geese, immediately cried out: “See those two geese carrying a tortoise on a stick!” Thought the tortoise: “You beggarly vagabonds, what business is it of yours if my friends are carrying me with them?” And he opened his mouth, intending to say what was on his mind. Now the geese were flying very swiftly, and by this time they had reached a point directly over the royal palace in Bārāṇasī city. So when the tortoise let go of the stick, he fell to the ground right in the middle of the palace court, and the moment he struck the ground, split into two pieces.

The tortoise by letting out an
utterance surely killed himself,
while having a good grip on a
stick, by speaking he killed himself. [30.249]

Having seen this, chief of vigorous men,
speak a word that is wholesome and concise.
You see, by talking much too much,
the tortoise came to disaster.

Having related this Birth Story about One Who Talks Too Much, AJ: Bahubhāṇijātaka, otherwise known as the Kacchapajātaka. found in the Second Book, the Teacher said: “Bhikkhus, a bhikkhu should control his tongue, should live tranquilly, should not allow himself to become puffed up, and his mind should be passionless.” So saying, he pronounced the following verse: {4.93}

363. Yo mukhasaṁyato bhikkhu, mantabhāṇī anuddhato,
atthaṁ Dhammañ-ca dīpeti, madhuraṁ tassa bhāsitaṁ.

That bhikkhu who controls his mouth,
who speaks well, and who is modest,
who explains the meaning of the
Dhamma, his speech is surely sweet.

At the end of the teaching many reached the fruition of Stream-entry and so on.