The Long Āgama Sūtra 15.12

15.12

「梵志！一時，我在獼猴池側法講堂上，時，有尼乾子，字伽羅樓，在彼處止，人所宗敬，名稱遠聞，多有知識，利養備具。時，善宿比丘著衣持鉢，入毗舍離城乞食，漸漸轉到尼乾子所。爾時，善宿以深遠義問尼乾子，彼不能答，便生瞋恚。善宿自念：『我觸嬈此人，將無長夜有苦惱報耶？』梵志！當知時善宿比丘於乞食後，執持衣鉢，來至我所，頭面禮足，在一面坐，善宿爾時亦不以此緣告我，我語之曰：『愚人！汝寧可自稱為沙門釋子耶？』善宿尋報我言：『世尊！何故稱我為愚？不應自稱為釋子耶？』我告之曰：『愚人！汝曾往至尼乾子所問深遠義，彼不能報，便生瞋恚。汝時自念：我今觸此尼乾，將無長夜有苦惱報耶？汝有是念不？』

“Wanderer, I was once at the Dharma meeting hall that’s beside Monkey Lake. There was a Nirgrantha disciple named Kalāra who had stopped there. He was respected by people, and his fame was far-reaching. He had many friends who provided him with offerings. At the time, the monk Sunakṣatra had put on his robe and took his bowl into Vaiśālī to solicit alms. He made his way on the alms round until he met this Nirgrantha disciple.

“Sunakṣatra then asked the Nirgrantha disciple about a profound subject. He couldn’t answer and became angry. Sunakṣatra thought to himself, ‘I’ve bothered this man. Won’t this lead to a result of suffering that will last a long time?’

“Wanderer, you should know that when the monk Sunakṣatra was finished soliciting alms, he took his robe and bowl and returned to me. He bowed to my feet and sat to one side. Sunakṣatra then told me about what had happened. I said to him, ‘You fool! Wouldn’t you rather call yourself an ascetic Śākyan disciple?’

“Sunakṣatra quickly replied, ‘Bhagavān, why call me a fool? Shouldn’t I call myself a Śākyan disciple?’

“I told him, ‘Fool, you’ve already gone and questioned that Nirgrantha disciple about a profound subject. He couldn’t answer it, so he became angry. Then you thought to yourself, ‘Now, I’ve bothered this Nirgrantha disciple. Won’t this lead to a result of suffering that will last a long time?’ You had that thought, didn’t you?”