THE GREAT CHRONICLE OF BUDDHAS
1594
of seven days, when the King found that the Venerable was not happy living there, he
allowed him to leave. He went back to the great cave at Kurandaka. When night came, he
went out onto his walk.
A deva, who dwelt in the ironwood tree, stood by with a torch. The Venerable's
meditation was so pure and bright that it gladdened him. Immediately after the middle
watch, he attained arahatship, making the whole mountain resound with a thunderous roar.
(This story gives a good example of how Indriyasamvara should be observed.)
The Story of Venerable MahÈ-Mitta
The Venerable MahÈ-Mitta's mother was sick with a breast tumour. She told her daughter,
who also had gone forth as a
bhikkhunÊ
: ‚Go to your brother. Tell him my trouble and
bring back some medicine.‛ She went and told him, but he said: ‚I do not know how to
gather herbs and concoct a medicine from them. But I will rather tell you a kind of
medicine: ‘Since I became a recluse, I have not broken my Indriyasamvara-sÊla by looking
at the bodily form of the opposite sex with lustful thoughts.’ By this declaration of truth,
may my mother get well. Go back and repeat the words of truth I have just uttered and rub
her body.‛ She went back and reported to her mother what her brother had told her and did
as she has been instructed. At that very moment, the mother's tumour vanished like a lump
of froth breaking into pieces. She got up and uttered with joy: ‚If the Fully Enlightened
One were still alive, why should he not stroke with His net-adorned hand
13
the head of a
bhikkhu
like my son!‛
The Venerable MahÈ Mitta's way of restraint of the faculties is somewhat different from
that of the former Venerable Cittagutta. Venerable Cittagutta restrained his faculties with
down-cast eyes so as not to look at any of the objects even by chance, whereas Venerable
MahÈ Mitta did not restrain with down-cast eyes, he looked at things as they presented
themselves. Even when he caught the sight of the opposite sex, he restrained his faculty of
eye to prevent lust from arising.
The Venerable Cittagutta's way of restraint of the faculties is like the closing of the door
of the house completely, not letting any robbers to come in. The Venerable MahÈ Mitta’s
way of restraint is not closing the door, but keeping the robbers from entering the house
even once. Both types of restraint are marvellous and worthy of emulation.
While restraint of the faculties is to be undertaken with mindfulness (
sati
), purification of
livelihood is to be practised with energy (
vÊriya
). This is because one is able to abandon
wrong livelihood only by applying right energy. Therefore, avoiding unbefitting, improper
means, purification of livelihood should be undertaken with the right kind of search like
going on alms round with energy.
No hint, roundabout talk, indication or intimation is allowable to acquire such requisites
as robes and alms food. But, as regards acquiring a dwelling place, only intimation is not
allowable.
‘Hint’: when a
bhikkhu
, who is preparing the ground, etc. as if to build a dwelling
place, is asked: ‚What is being done, Venerable Sir? Who is having it done?‛ and
he replies: ‚No one.‛; such a reply of his is a ‘hint’ (implying that there is no
donor yet for the dwelling place). All other actions which communicate his need
for a residence also constitute a hint.
‘Roundabout talk’: a
bhikkhu
asks a lay devotee: ‚What kind of a house do you live
in?‛ ‚In a mansion. Venerable Sir.‛ ‚But,
dÈyaka
, is a mansion not allowed for
bhikkhus
?‛ This and any such expressions constitute a ‘roundabout talk’.
‘Indication’: ‚The dwelling place is too small for the community of
bhikkhus
‛ or
any other such suggestive talks constitute an ‘Indication’.
All four forms of talk, such as hint, etc., are allowed in the case of medicine. But when
13. It is one of the 32 distinctive marks of a Grest Being (
MahÈpurisa Lakkhana
.) For details, refer to
Digha NikÈya, Vol II & III.