34d: The 20th Rains Retreat (Sudinna) – 1161 

 

roamed about near the Buddha each day, deciding: “At this hour the Fortunate 
One must get this thing, this should be done to him.” At night he encircled 
around the fragrant chamber nine times, holding a big torch to be able to answer 
the Buddha promptly on being asked by him, and to remove sloth and 
drowsiness. This is just a brief account of Ven. Ānanda’s service rendered to the 
Buddha. His other services will be mentioned in chapter 43. 

[817]

 

Ven. Sudinna and the First Rules 

[This section has been moved here from Chapter 31, as it is more suitable 
to learn about the laying down of the Monastic Rules (

Pātimokkha

) rules at 

this place, when they started to be laid down.] 

[731]

 

Eight years previously, in the village of Kalanda, near the city of Vesālī, there 
was the merchant Kalanda’s son, who was named Sudinna. Accompanied by 
many friends, Sudinna the merchant’s son went to Vesālī on some business. 

The village was named Kalanda because it abounded in black squirrels 
(

Kalandaka

). The Kalanda merchant owned 400 million. He was therefore 

a man of riches recognized by the king. His son, Sudinna, went to Vesālī to 
transact business, to collect debts, and to make appointments among other 
things. 

Some scholars said that he was in Vesālī to have fun in the festival of the 
constellation Kattikā. The Buddha indeed came to Vesālī in the bright 
fortnight of the month of November (

Kattikā

). The festivity of Kattikā in 

Vesālī attracted large crowds of people. For the sake of this festive 
gathering, Sudinna the merchant’s son also went there at this time. 

On seeing the people who went out from Vesālī after breakfast, wearing clean 
clothes and carrying flowers, perfumes and unguents, to see the Buddha and to 
listen to his discourse, Sudinna asked them where they were going and was 
informed of their purpose; then thinking: “I too should go along with them,” he 
joined the crowd that flocked to hear the Buddha, who, in the midst of the 
audience composed of four classes of devotees, was delivering a discourse in a 
voice resembling that of a Brahma. Inspired by the Buddha’s pleasing manner 
and stirred by his past wholesome deeds (

kamma

), he thought to himself: “How 

well it would be if I too could listen to the discourse!” But since the audience 
was so large, he was unable to get near the Buddha and had to take a suitable 
seat at the edge of the assembly, paying attention to the Buddha’s talk from 
there.