The Lion’s Roar at the Monastery of Lady Udumbarikā 21.1-16

21.1

Atha kho bhagavā nigrodhaṃ paribbājakaṃ tuṇhībhūtaṃ maṅkubhūtaṃ pattakkhandhaṃ adhomukhaṃ pajjhāyantaṃ appaṭibhānaṃ viditvā nigrodhaṃ paribbājakaṃ etadavoca:

Knowing this, the Buddha said to him,

21.2

“saccaṃ kira, nigrodha, bhāsitā te esā vācā”ti?

“Is it really true, Nigrodha—are those your words?”

21.3

“Saccaṃ, bhante, bhāsitā me esā vācā, yathābālena yathāmūḷhena yathāakusalenā”ti.

“It’s true, sir, those are my words. It was foolish, stupid, and unskillful of me.”

21.4

“Taṃ kiṃ maññasi, nigrodha.

“What do you think, Nigrodha?

21.5

Kinti te sutaṃ paribbājakānaṃ vuḍḍhānaṃ mahallakānaṃ ācariyapācariyānaṃ bhāsamānānaṃ:

Have you heard that wanderers of the past who were elderly and senior, the tutors of tutors, said that

21.6

‘ye te ahesuṃ atītamaddhānaṃ arahanto sammāsambuddhā, evaṃ su te bhagavanto saṅgamma samāgamma unnādino uccāsaddamahāsaddā anekavihitaṃ tiracchānakathaṃ anuyuttā viharanti.

when the perfected ones, the fully awakened Buddhas of the past came together, they made an uproar, a colossal racket as they sat and talked about all kinds of low topics,

21.7

Seyyathidaṃ—rājakathaṃ corakathaṃ …pe… itibhavābhavakathaṃ iti vā.

21.8

Seyyathāpi tvaṃ etarahi sācariyako.

like you do in your denomination these days?

21.9

Udāhu, evaṃ su te bhagavanto araññavanapatthāni pantāni senāsanāni paṭisevanti appasaddāni appanigghosāni vijanavātāni manussarāhasseyyakāni paṭisallānasāruppāni, seyyathāpāhaṃ etarahī’”ti.

Or did they say that the Buddhas frequented remote lodgings in the wilderness and the forest that are quiet and still, far from the madding crowd, remote from human settlements, and fit for retreat, like I do these days?”

21.10

“Sutaṃ metaṃ, bhante. Paribbājakānaṃ vuḍḍhānaṃ mahallakānaṃ ācariyapācariyānaṃ bhāsamānānaṃ:

“I have heard that wanderers of the past who were elderly and senior, said that

21.11

‘ye te ahesuṃ atītamaddhānaṃ arahanto sammāsambuddhā, na evaṃ su te bhagavanto saṅgamma samāgamma unnādino uccāsaddamahāsaddā anekavihitaṃ tiracchānakathaṃ anuyuttā viharanti.

when the perfected ones, the fully awakened Buddhas of the past came together, they didn’t make an uproar,

21.12

Seyyathidaṃ—rājakathaṃ corakathaṃ …pe… itibhavābhavakathaṃ iti vā,

21.13

seyyathāpāhaṃ etarahi sācariyako.

like I do in my denomination these days.

21.14

Evaṃ su te bhagavanto araññavanapatthāni pantāni senāsanāni paṭisevanti appasaddāni appanigghosāni vijanavātāni manussarāhasseyyakāni paṭisallānasāruppāni, seyyathāpi bhagavā etarahī’”ti.

They said that the Buddhas of the past frequented remote lodgings in the wilderness, like the Buddha does these days.”

21.15

“Tassa te, nigrodha, viññussa sato mahallakassa na etadahosi:

“Nigrodha, you are a sensible and mature man. Did it not occur to you:

21.16

‘buddho so bhagavā bodhāya dhammaṃ deseti, danto so bhagavā damathāya dhammaṃ deseti, santo so bhagavā samathāya dhammaṃ deseti, tiṇṇo so bhagavā taraṇāya dhammaṃ deseti, parinibbuto so bhagavā parinibbānāya dhammaṃ desetī’”ti?

‘The Blessed One is awakened, tamed, serene, crossed over, and quenched. And he teaches Dhamma for awakening, taming, serenity, crossing over, and extinguishment’?”