107. Bhikkhus asked: “Why is it, venerable sir, that whether it is the king who pays the homage or the queen you say ‘May the king be happy’?” The elder replied: “Friends, I do not notice whether it is the king or the queen.” At the end of seven days [when it was found that] the elder was not happy living there, he was dismissed by the king. He went back to the Great Cave at Kurandaka. When it was night he went out onto his walk. A deity who dwelt in the ironwood tree stood by with a torch of sticks. Then his meditation subject became quite clear and plain. The elder, [thinking] “How clear my meditation subject is today!” was glad, and immediately after the middle watch he reached Arahantship, making the whole rock resound.
108. So when another clansman seeks his own good:
Let him not be hungry-eyed,
Like a monkey in the groves,
Like a wild deer in the woods,
Like a nervous little child.
Let him go with eyes downcast
Seeing a plough yoke’s length before,
That he fall not in the power
Of the forest-monkey mind.
109. The Elder Mahá Mitta’s mother was sick with a poisoned tumour. She told her daughter, who as a bhikkhunì had also gone forth, “Lady, go to your brother. Tell him my trouble and bring back some medicine.” She went and told him. The elder said: “I do not know how to gather root medicines and such things and concoct a medicine from them. But rather I will tell you a medicine: since I went forth I have not broken [my virtue of restraint of] the sense faculties by looking at the bodily form of the opposite sex with a lustful mind. By this declaration of truth may my mother get well. Go and tell the lay devotee and rub her body.” She went and told her what had happened and then did as she had been instructed. At that very moment the lay devotee’s tumour vanished, shrinking away like a lump of froth. She got up and uttered a cry of joy: “If the Fully Enlightened One were still alive, why should he not stroke with his netadorned hand the head of a bhikkhu like my son?” So:
Let another noble clansman
Gone forth in the Dispensation
Keep, as did the Elder Mitta,
Perfect faculty restraint.
111. As restraint of the faculties is to be undertaken by means of mindfulness, so livelihood purification is to be undertaken by means of energy. For that is accomplished by energy, because the abandoning of wrong livelihood is effected in one who has rightly applied energy. Abandoning, therefore, unbefitting wrong search, this should be undertaken with energy by means of the right kind of search consisting in going on alms round, etc., avoiding what is of impure origin as though it were a poisonous snake, and using only requisites of pure origin.
112. Herein, for one who has not taken up the ascetic practices, any requisites obtained from the Community, from a group of bhikkhus, or from laymen who have confidence in his special qualities of teaching the Dhamma, etc., are called “of pure origin.” But those obtained on alms round, etc., are of extremely pure origin. For one who has taken up the ascetic practices, those obtained on alms round, etc., and—as long as this is in accordance with the rules of the ascetic practices—from people who have confidence in his special qualities of asceticism, are called “of pure origin.” And if he has got putrid urine with mixed gall nuts and “four-sweets”31 for the purpose of curing a certain affliction, and he eats only the broken gall nuts, thinking, “Other companions in the life of purity will eat the ‘four-sweets’,” his undertaking of the ascetic practices is befitting, for he is then called a bhikkhu who is supreme in the Noble Ones’ heritages.
113. As to the robe and the other requisites, no hint, indication, roundabout talk, or intimation about robes and alms food is allowable for a bhikkhu who is purifying his livelihood. But a hint, indication, or roundabout talk about a resting place is allowable for one who has not taken up the ascetic practices.
114. Herein, a “hint” is when one who is getting the preparing of the ground, etc., done for the purpose of [making] a resting place is asked, “What is being done, venerable sir? Who is having it done?” and he replies, “No one”; or any other such giving of hints. An “indication” is saying, “Lay follower, where do you live?”—”In a mansion, venerable sir”—”But, lay follower, a mansion is not allowed for bhikkhus.” Or any other such giving of indication. “Roundabout talk” is saying, “The resting place for the Community of Bhikkhus is crowded”; or any other such
oblique talk.
115. All, however, is allowed in the case of medicine. But when the disease is cured, is it or is it not allowed to use the medicine obtained in this way? Herein, the Vinaya specialists say that the opening has been given by the Blessed One, therefore it is allowable. But the Suttanta specialists say that though there is no offence, nevertheless the livelihood is sullied, therefore it is not allowable.
116. But one who does not use hints, indications, roundabout talk, or intimation, though these are permitted by the Blessed One, and who depends only on the special qualities of fewness of wishes, etc., and makes use only of requisites obtained otherwise than by indication, etc., even when he thus risks his life, is called supreme
in living in effacement, like the venerable Sáriputta.
117. It seems that the venerable one was cultivating seclusion at one time, living in a certain forest with the Elder Mahá Moggallána. One day an affliction of colic arose in him, causing him great pain. In the evening the Elder Mahá Moggallána went to attend upon him. Seeing him lying down, he asked what the reason was. And then he asked, “What used to make you better formerly, friend?” The elder said, “When I was a layman, friend, my mother used to mix ghee, honey, sugar and so on, and give me rice gruel with pure milk. That used to make me better.” Then the other said, “So be it, friend. If either you or I have merit, perhaps tomorrow we shall get some.”
By Bhikkhu Ñānamoli