ལས་བརྒྱ་ཐམ་པ་པ 14.16

14.16

and compassionate. He cared deeply for beings and was committed to their welfare. He thought, ‘So long as I stay in this hermitage, I’m of no help to others, so I will gain support in the city of Pāṁśula and live there! By living there I shall certainly be able to help many.’ Having stayed in the hermitage for as long as he cared to, he set out with his retinue of five hundred. He walked to the city of Pāṁśula carrying clothes of deerskin and tree bark, a walking stick, a small water pitcher, and his ritual ladles. He fashioned a hut of branches deep in the forest, and there he stayed.

“The many inhabitants of the city of Pāṁśula saw the elegance of his body, the elegance of his mind, and the elegance of those who attended him, and were filled with the greatest admiration. Due to their great admiration, they held him in high esteem, revered him, honored him, venerated him, and provided for all his needs. The sage likewise went to them from time to time to teach the Dharma, and when they heard the Dharma from him, some of them went forth in the presence of the sage and generated the four meditative states and the five superknowledges. Some continued to live at home and perfectly adopted the path of the ten virtuous actions. The sage would come to their homes so they could be in his company and see him from time to time, so they no longer went to meet with the ascetics.

“One day the ascetics thought, ‘Before, the many inhabitants of the city of Pāṁśula held us in high esteem, revered, honored, and venerated us. Our profit was unrivaled and our acclaim without compare. But since the sage’s arrival, all that profit and acclaim has been cut off. We must make it so that the sage and his retinue no longer live here. When he’s