འཕགས་པ་བད་མད་འགྱར་བ་ལང་བསྟན་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 1.23

1.23

Nevertheless, the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha goes for alms in order to act in accord with the world and bring beings to full maturity. It is through considering this great purpose, honorable Subhūti, that the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha goes for alms.

“That being so, honorable Subhūti, do you also go for alms with such skillfulness, such great compassion, and such pure purpose?”

“No, elder sister, I am incapable of that. To give an analogy, elder sister, there are no dogs or cats capable of destroying Mount Meru, the king of mountains. And there are no foxes capable, even over the course of eons, of teaching the lion, the king of beasts, how to obtain its powerful abilities and its resounding roar. Similarly, elder sister, there are no hearers or solitary buddhas capable of demonstrating such conduct, skillfulness, or great compassion as the Thus-Gone One.”

When this account of the Thus-Gone One’s skill in means and his going for alms was given, two thousand eight hundred people from that household, as well as from other households, who had come to listen to the Dharma gave rise to the mind set upon unsurpassed and perfect awakening.

Then Venerable Subhūti said to the lady, “Elder sister, where is your husband now?”

“Honorable Subhūti,” replied the lady, “my husband does not amount to just one. And why is that? I have as many husbands as there are beings to be tamed by skillfully bringing them pleasure.”

“Elder sister, the Thus-Gone One does not grant anyone sensual pleasure.”

“Honorable Subhūti, as befits the circumstances, a monk may own and make use of robes, alms, bedding, seat, healing substances,