[325] 54. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha, on Mount Gijjhakūṭa. Now on that occasion the Venerable Dhammika was a resident in his native district, in all seven dwellings in the native district. There the Venerable Dhammika abused, reviled, harassed, needled, and vexed the visiting bhikkhus with speech; and those visiting bhikkhus, being abused, reviled, harassed, needled, and vexed with speech by the Venerable Dhammika, departed — they did not settle, but vacated the dwelling. Then it occurred to the lay followers of the native district: "We have attended upon the Saṅgha of bhikkhus with robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicinal requisites for the sick; and yet the visiting bhikkhus depart — they do not settle, but vacate the dwelling. What now is the cause, what is the reason, why the visiting bhikkhus depart, do not settle, but vacate the dwelling?" Then it occurred to the lay followers of the native district: "This Venerable Dhammika abuses, reviles, harasses, needles, and vexes the visiting bhikkhus with speech; and those visiting bhikkhus, being abused, reviled, harassed, needled, and vexed with speech by the Venerable Dhammika, depart — they do not settle, but vacate the dwelling. Suppose we were to banish the Venerable Dhammika." Then the lay followers of the native district approached the Venerable Dhammika, and having approached, they said to the Venerable Dhammika: "Venerable sir, let the Venerable Dhammika depart from this dwelling; enough of your dwelling here."
Then the Venerable Dhammika went from that dwelling to another dwelling. There too the Venerable Dhammika abused, reviled, harassed, needled, and vexed the visiting bhikkhus with speech; and those visiting bhikkhus, being abused, reviled, harassed, needled, and vexed with speech by the Venerable Dhammika, departed — they did not settle, but vacated the dwelling. Then it occurred to the lay followers of the native district: "We have attended upon the Saṅgha of bhikkhus with robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicinal requisites for the sick; and yet the visiting bhikkhus depart — they do not settle, but vacate the dwelling. What now is the cause, what is the reason, why the visiting bhikkhus depart, do not settle, but vacate the dwelling?" Then it occurred to the lay followers of the native district: "This Venerable Dhammika abuses, reviles, harasses, needles, and vexes the visiting bhikkhus with speech; and those visiting bhikkhus, being abused, reviled, harassed, needled, and vexed with speech by the Venerable Dhammika, depart — they do not settle, but vacate the dwelling. Suppose we were to banish the Venerable Dhammika." Then the lay followers of the native district approached the Venerable Dhammika, and having approached, they said to the Venerable Dhammika: "Venerable sir, let the Venerable Dhammika depart from this dwelling too; enough of your dwelling here."
Then the Venerable Dhammika went from that dwelling too to another dwelling. There too the Venerable Dhammika abused, reviled, harassed, needled, and vexed the visiting bhikkhus with speech; and those visiting bhikkhus, being abused, reviled, harassed, needled, and vexed with speech by the Venerable Dhammika, departed — they did not settle, but vacated the dwelling. Then it occurred to the lay followers of the native district: "We have attended upon the Saṅgha of bhikkhus with robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicinal requisites for the sick; and yet the visiting bhikkhus depart — they do not settle, but vacate the dwelling. What now is the cause, what is the reason, why the visiting bhikkhus depart, do not settle, but vacate the dwelling?" Then it occurred to the lay followers of the native district: … "Suppose we were to banish the Venerable Dhammika from all seven dwellings in the whole native district." Then the lay followers of the native district approached the Venerable Dhammika, and having approached, they said to the Venerable Dhammika: "Venerable sir, let the Venerable Dhammika depart from all seven dwellings in the whole native district."
Then it occurred to the Venerable Dhammika: "I have been banished by the lay followers of the native district from all seven dwellings in the whole native district. Where now shall I go?" Then it occurred to the Venerable Dhammika: "Suppose I were to approach the Blessed One." Then the Venerable Dhammika, taking bowl and robe, set out for Rājagaha; travelling in stages he reached Rājagaha and Mount Gijjhakūṭa, approached the Blessed One, and having approached and paid homage to the Blessed One, he sat down to one side. As the Venerable Dhammika sat to one side, the Blessed One said to him: "Well now, brahmin Dhammika, where have you come from?" "I have been banished, venerable sir, by the lay followers of the native district from all seven dwellings in the whole native district." "Enough, brahmin Dhammika! What is this to you? Now that they banish you from place after place, banished from place after place you have come to my very presence.
"In the past, brahmin Dhammika, seafaring merchants, taking a shore-sighting bird, would set out to sea in a ship. When the ship was out of sight of the shore, they would release the shore-sighting bird. It would go to the eastern quarter, go to the western quarter, go to the northern quarter, go to the southern quarter, go upward, and to the intermediate quarters. If it saw the shore anywhere around, it was gone for good; but if it did not see the shore anywhere around, it returned to that very ship. In the same way, brahmin Dhammika, now that they banish you from place after place, banished from place after place you have come to my very presence.
"In the past, brahmin Dhammika, King Koravya had a royal banyan named Suppatiṭṭha, with five trunks, cool-shaded, delightful. The spread of the royal banyan Suppatiṭṭha, brahmin Dhammika, was twelve yojanas, and the extent of its root-system five yojanas. The fruits of the royal banyan Suppatiṭṭha, brahmin Dhammika, were great — just like cooking-pots of an āḷhaka measure — and its fruits were sweet, just like the faultless honey of the little bee. Of the royal banyan Suppatiṭṭha, brahmin Dhammika, the king together with his harem enjoyed one trunk; the army enjoyed one trunk; the townsfolk and country folk enjoyed one trunk; ascetics and brahmins enjoyed one trunk; the beasts and birds enjoyed one trunk. No one guarded the fruits of the royal banyan Suppatiṭṭha, brahmin Dhammika, and none did harm to one another's fruits. Then, brahmin Dhammika, a certain man, having eaten as much of the fruit of the royal banyan Suppatiṭṭha as he wanted, broke a branch and departed. Then it occurred to the deity dwelling in the royal banyan Suppatiṭṭha: 'It is astonishing indeed, sir; it is amazing indeed, sir, how evil a man can be — in that, having eaten as much of the fruit of the royal banyan Suppatiṭṭha as he wanted, he should break a branch and depart! Suppose the royal banyan Suppatiṭṭha were to give no fruit in the future.' Then, brahmin Dhammika, the royal banyan Suppatiṭṭha gave no fruit in the future. Then, brahmin Dhammika, King Koravya approached Sakka, lord of devas, and having approached, he said to Sakka, lord of devas: 'Please know, dear sir, that the royal banyan Suppatiṭṭha gives no fruit.' Then, brahmin Dhammika, Sakka, lord of devas, performed such a feat of psychic power (iddhābhisaṅkhāra) that a violent storm of wind and rain came, toppled the royal banyan Suppatiṭṭha, and uprooted it. Then, brahmin Dhammika, the deity dwelling in the royal banyan Suppatiṭṭha stood to one side, pained, dejected, tearful-faced, weeping. Then, brahmin Dhammika, Sakka, lord of devas, approached the deity dwelling in the royal banyan Suppatiṭṭha, and having approached, he said to the deity dwelling in the royal banyan Suppatiṭṭha: 'Why now, deity, do you stand to one side, pained, dejected, tearful-faced, weeping?' 'Because, dear sir, a violent storm of wind and rain came, toppled my abode, and uprooted it.' 'But, deity, were you standing in the dhamma of a tree when the violent storm of wind and rain came, toppled your abode, and uprooted it?' 'But how, dear sir, does a tree stand in the dhamma of a tree?' 'Here, deity, those who need the root take the tree's root; those who need bark take its bark; those who need leaves take its leaves; those who need flowers take its flowers; those who need fruit take its fruit; yet on that account the deity should give way neither to displeasure nor to discontent. It is thus, deity, that a tree stands in the dhamma of a tree.' 'It was indeed, dear sir, because I was not standing in the dhamma of a tree that the violent storm of wind and rain came, toppled my abode, and uprooted it.' 'If, deity, you were to stand in the dhamma of a tree, your abode might be as before.' 'I will stand, dear sir, in the dhamma of a tree; let my abode be as before.' Then, brahmin Dhammika, Sakka, lord of devas, performed such a feat of psychic power that a violent storm of wind and rain came and raised up the royal banyan Suppatiṭṭha, and its roots were healed over. In just the same way, brahmin Dhammika — did the lay followers of the native district banish you, standing in the dhamma of an ascetic, from all seven dwellings in the whole native district?" "But how, venerable sir, does an ascetic stand in the dhamma of an ascetic?" "Here, brahmin Dhammika, an ascetic does not revile in return one who reviles him, does not vex in return one who vexes him, does not quarrel in return with one who quarrels with him. It is thus, brahmin Dhammika, that an ascetic stands in the dhamma of an ascetic." "It was precisely, venerable sir, when I was not standing in the dhamma of an ascetic that the lay followers of the native district banished me from all seven dwellings in the whole native district."
"In the past, brahmin Dhammika, there was a teacher named Sunetta, a founder of a sect (titthakara), devoid of lust for sensual pleasures. The teacher Sunetta, brahmin Dhammika, had many hundreds of disciples. The teacher Sunetta taught his disciples the Dhamma for companionship in the Brahmā world. Those, brahmin Dhammika, whose minds did not gain confidence when the teacher Sunetta was teaching the Dhamma for companionship in the Brahmā world — with the breakup of the body, after death, they were reborn in the plane of misery, the bad destination, the lower world, hell. But those, brahmin Dhammika, whose minds gained confidence when the teacher Sunetta was teaching the Dhamma for companionship in the Brahmā world — with the breakup of the body, after death, they were reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world.
"In the past, brahmin Dhammika, there was a teacher named Mūgapakkha … there was a teacher named Aranemi; there was a teacher named Kuddālaka; there was a teacher named Hatthipāla … there was a teacher named Jotipāla, a founder of a sect, devoid of lust for sensual pleasures. The teacher Jotipāla, brahmin Dhammika, had many hundreds of disciples. The teacher Jotipāla taught his disciples the Dhamma for companionship in the Brahmā world. Those, brahmin Dhammika, whose minds did not gain confidence when the teacher Jotipāla was teaching the Dhamma for companionship in the Brahmā world — with the breakup of the body, after death, they were reborn in the plane of misery, the bad destination, the lower world, hell. But those, brahmin Dhammika, whose minds gained confidence when the teacher Jotipāla was teaching the Dhamma for companionship in the Brahmā world — with the breakup of the body, after death, they were reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world.
"What do you think, brahmin Dhammika? If one with a corrupted mind were to abuse and revile these six teachers — founders of sects, devoid of lust for sensual pleasures, each with a retinue of many hundreds, together with their communities of disciples — would he generate much demerit?" "So it is, venerable sir." "If, brahmin Dhammika, one with a corrupted mind were to abuse and revile these six teachers — founders of sects, devoid of lust for sensual pleasures, each with a retinue of many hundreds, together with their communities of disciples — he would generate much demerit; but one who with a corrupted mind abuses and reviles a single person accomplished in view generates more demerit than that. For what reason? I do not speak, brahmin Dhammika, of any such digging-up [of one's own good] with regard to those outside of here as there is with regard to one's fellows in the holy life. Therefore, brahmin Dhammika, you should train thus: 'Our minds shall not be corrupted toward our own fellows in the holy life.' Thus indeed, brahmin Dhammika, should you train.
Sunetta and Mūgapakkha, and Aranemi the brahmin,
Kuddālaka was a teacher, and the young brahmin Hatthipāla,
and Jotipāla the Govinda, who was chaplain to seven [kings]:
consecrated in times past were these six famous teachers.
Free from the raw stench, liberated in compassion,
they had passed beyond the fetter (saṃyojana) of sensuality;
having expunged sensual lust,
they became those who reached the Brahmā world.
Their disciples too, in their many hundreds,
free from the raw stench, liberated in compassion,
passed beyond the fetter of sensuality;
having expunged sensual lust,
they became those who reached the Brahmā world.
The man who, with corrupted intention of mind,
reviles those outside seers, devoid of lust, concentrated —
such a man generates much demerit.
But the man who, with corrupted intention of mind,
reviles a single bhikkhu accomplished in view, a disciple of the Buddha —
this man generates more demerit than that.
One should not attack a person of good nature,
one who has abandoned the standpoint of views.
He is called the seventh person of the noble Saṅgha:
one not yet devoid of lust for sensual pleasures,
whose five faculties are soft —
faith, mindfulness, and energy, serenity and insight.
Assailing such a bhikkhu, one is injured first;
having injured oneself, one afterwards harms the other.
But he who would guard himself, unscathed —
he is a wise man, always.
The Fifth Chapter: on Dhammika.
Its summary:
The Nāga, Migasālā, Debt, Cunda, and just the two on the Directly Visible;
Khema, the Faculties, Ānanda, the Khattiyas, with Heedfulness, and Dhammika.
The First Fifty is finished.
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The Second Fifty
The Great Chapter, the first
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.