[498] Then the Blessed One, having stayed at Rājagaha for as long as he wished, set out on tour toward Āḷavī. Wandering on tour by stages, he arrived at Āḷavī. There the Blessed One dwelt at Āḷavī, at the Aggāḷava Shrine. Then the Venerable Mahākassapa approached the Blessed One; having approached and paid homage to the Blessed One, he sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, the Venerable Mahākassapa reported this matter to the Blessed One.
Then the Blessed One, on this occasion, in this connection, having had the Saṅgha of **bhikkhus** convened, questioned the **bhikkhus** of Āḷavī: "Is it true, as they say, **bhikkhus**, that you are having huts built by your own begging (saññācikāya), having no owner-sponsor, intended for yourselves, without limit as to measure; that these do not reach completion; that you dwell abounding in begging, abounding in hinting: 'Give a man, give a laborer, give an ox, give a cart, give an adze (vāsi), give an axe (pharasu), give a hatchet (kuṭhārī), give a hoe (kuddāla), give a chisel (nikhādana), give creepers, give bamboo, give muñja grass, give reeds (pabbaja), give grass, give clay'; that people, oppressed by the begging, oppressed by the hinting, on seeing **bhikkhus** are alarmed, are frightened, run away, go by another way, turn their faces away, shut their doors; and that on seeing even cows they run away, thinking them to be **bhikkhus**?"
"It is true, Blessed One."
The Awakened One, the Blessed One, rebuked them: "It is unbecoming, foolish men, … it is not to be done. How can you, foolish men, have huts built by your own begging, having no owner-sponsor, intended for yourselves, without limit as to measure, such that these do not reach completion; such that you will dwell abounding in begging, abounding in hinting: 'Give a man, give a laborer, give an ox, give a cart, give an adze, give an axe, give a hatchet, give a hoe, give a chisel, give creepers, give bamboo, give muñja grass, give reeds, give grass, give clay'? This, foolish men, is not for the confidence of those without confidence … [nor for the increase of those with confidence; rather, it conduces to the lack of confidence of those without confidence and to the change of mind of some with confidence]."
Then the Blessed One, having rebuked the **bhikkhus** of Āḷavī in many ways, … having given a talk on the Dhamma befitting and suitable to that, addressed the **bhikkhus**:
[Footnote 1 in the Siam Raṭṭha edition: "This reading does not occur in the Burmese (Yu.) and other (Ma.) books." Footnote at the close: "The passage 'This, foolish men, is not for the confidence of those without confidence … having rebuked … having given a talk on the Dhamma, he addressed the bhikkhus' occurs in all the books."]
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.