長阿含經 22.p54

22.p54

Śroṇatāṇḍya then prepared horses and a treasure chariot, and he went to Gargā Pond surrounded by those five hundred priests and the priests, prominent people, and householders of Campā. He stopped not far from the pond and thought to himself, “Suppose I question Gautama, and maybe it’s not to his liking? That ascetic Gautama will rebuke me, ‘You should ask this question and not ask that question.’ The crowd will overhear him and take me for a fool, and my reputation will be damaged. Suppose the ascetic Gautama asks me about a topic, and maybe my answer won’t be to his liking. That ascetic Gautama will rebuke me, ‘You should answer this way and not that way.’ The crowd will overhear him and take me for a fool, and my reputation will be damaged. Suppose I remain silent. When I return, the people will say, ‘This priest knows nothing!’ No matter what I do, visiting the ascetic Gautama will damage my reputation. If the ascetic Gautama asked me about the priest’s teaching, that would be the only topic I could answer well enough to suit him!”