30: The 12th Rains Retreat (Famine) – 1026 

 

(

nicca

), satisfactory (

sukha

), substantial (

atta

) and pleasant (

subha

). Abandon 

unwholesome thoughts! Develop wholesome thoughts!” 

[725]

 

Dear son Sāriputta, the thousand monks who had thus been exhorted by Buddha 
Vessabhū became Arahats, free from the pollutants (

āsava

). The minds of these 

thousand monks, therefore, were entirely cut off from grasping of anything 
through craving and wrong view that: ‘This am I, this is mine!’ They were 
totally emancipated from the pollutants (

āsava

), had come to complete cessation, 

in the sense of not arising again. With regard to the terrible forest, the terror of 
the forest was such that those who were not free from passion generally had 
gooseflesh upon entering it. What has been said is the reason for the short-lived 
Dispensations of the Buddhas Vipassī, Sikhī and Vessabhū.” 

With reference to the statement that the three Buddhas: “Did not bother to 
give discourses to their disciples elaborately.” They did not do so, not 
because they were idle. In fact, there is no such thing as indolence or lack 
of industry on the part of Buddhas. Explanation: When Buddhas teach, 
they do so with the same degree of effort whether they are to teach a 
single person or two persons, or the whole universe full of beings. They do 
not reduce their energy when seeing that the audience is small; nor do they 
increase their effort when seeing that the audience is big. Just as the lion, 
king of animals, goes out in search of food after seven days spent in the 
den, chases and catches his prey with the same speed, whether they are big 
or tiny, because he is resolved that his speed should not be inadequate, 
even so when Buddhas deliver their sermons to their listeners whether they 
form a multitude or only an inconsiderable gathering, they do so with 
equal industry, for they have a noble purpose not to decrease their respect 
for the Dhamma. 

Unlike our Buddha, who taught in detail as though he were to fill the 
ocean, these three Buddhas, in fact, did not elaborate on their teachings. 
The reason was that, in those times, beings had little dust of defilements in 
their wisdom-eyes. Explanation: In the lifetimes of these three Buddhas, 
beings enjoyed longevity, and the amount of dust that covered their 
wisdom-eyes was also slight. Beings in those days were therefore instantly 
converted on listening to just one verse connected with the four truths. It 
was therefore not necessary to preach to them elaborately. Hence the 
teachings of these Buddhas in nine divisions were so meagre. 

In the time of these three Buddhas, since their monastic disciples were 
wholly free from wrongdoings, no authoritative Monastic Rules (

āṇā-