The Discourse about Pilindivaccha

Evaṁ me sutaṁ—

ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe.

Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā pilindavaccho bhikkhū vasalavādena samudācarati.

Atha kho sambahulā bhikkhū yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te bhikkhū bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ:

“āyasmā, bhante, pilindavaccho bhikkhū vasalavādena samudācaratī”ti.

Atha kho bhagavā aññataraṁ bhikkhuṁ āmantesi:

“ehi tvaṁ, bhikkhu, mama vacanena pilindavacchaṁ bhikkhuṁ āmantehi:

‘satthā taṁ, āvuso pilindavaccha, āmantetī’”ti.

“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho so bhikkhu bhagavato paṭissutvā yenāyasmā pilindavaccho tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ pilindavacchaṁ etadavoca:

“satthā taṁ, āvuso pilindavaccha, āmantetī”ti.

“Evamāvuso”ti kho āyasmā pilindavaccho tassa bhikkhuno paṭissutvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho āyasmantaṁ pilindavacchaṁ bhagavā etadavoca:

“saccaṁ kira tvaṁ, vaccha, bhikkhū vasalavādena samudācarasī”ti?

“Evaṁ, bhante”ti.

Atha kho bhagavā āyasmato pilindavacchassa pubbenivāsaṁ manasi karitvā bhikkhū āmantesi:

“mā kho tumhe, bhikkhave, vacchassa bhikkhuno ujjhāyittha.

Na, bhikkhave, vaccho dosantaro bhikkhū vasalavādena samudācarati.

Vacchassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno pañca jātisatāni abbokiṇṇāni brāhmaṇakule paccājātāni.

So tassa vasalavādo dīgharattaṁ samudāciṇṇo.

Tenāyaṁ vaccho bhikkhū vasalavādena samudācaratī”ti.

Atha kho bhagavā etamatthaṁ viditvā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:

“Yamhi na māyā vasatī na māno,

Yo vītalobho amamo nirāso;

Paṇunnakodho abhinibbutatto,

So brāhmaṇo so samaṇo sa bhikkhū”ti.

Chaṭṭhaṁ.

SC 1Thus I heard: At one time the Gracious One was dwelling near Rājagaha, in Bamboo Wood, at the Squirrels’ Feeding Place. Then at that time venerable Pilindivaccha accosted monks with words of contempt.

SC 2Then many monks went to the Gracious One, and after going and worshipping the Gracious One, they sat down on one side. While sat on one side those monks said this to the Gracious One: “Venerable Pilindivaccha, reverend Sir, accosts monks with words of contempt.”

SC 3Then the Gracious One addressed a certain monk, saying: “Please go, monk, and with my word address the monk Pilindivaccha, saying: ‘The Teacher, friend Pilindivaccha, calls you.’ ”

SC 4“Yes, reverend Sir,” said that monk, and after replying to the Gracious One, he went to venerable Pilindivaccha, and after going, he said this to venerable Pilindivaccha: “The Teacher, venerable friend, calls you.”

SC 5“Yes, friend,” said venerable Pilindivaccha, and after replying to that monk, he went to the Gracious One, after going and worshipping the Gracious One, he sat down on one side. While sat on one side the Gracious One said this to venerable Pilindivaccha: “Is it true, as it seems, Vaccha, that you accost monks with words of contempt?”

“Yes, reverend Sir.”

SC 6Then the Gracious One, after applying his mind to venerable Pilindivaccha’s previous lives, addressed the monks, saying: “You should not be offended, monks, at the monk Vaccha, it is not with hatred on the inside, monks, that Vaccha accosts the monks with words of contempt. For the monk Vaccha, monks, for five hundred lives has been reborn in a brāhmaṇa family without interruption, for a long time he has been one who has accosted others with words of contempt, because of this Vaccha accosted the monks with words of contempt.”

SC 7Then the Gracious One, having understood the significance of it, on that occasion uttered this exalted utterance:

SC 8“In whom dwells no deceit and no conceit,
He who is free from lust, unselfish, not yearning,
Who has dispelled anger, who is himself completely emancipated,
He is a brāhmaṇa, he is an ascetic, he is a monk.”