Dhammapada 2.3.p4

2.3.p4

Tehi pesitaṃ dhanaṃ gahetvā dārake āgatadūtānaññeva hatthe datvā pahiṇiṃsu. Dārakā ayyakakule vaḍḍhanti. Tesu cūḷapanthako atidaharo, mahāpanthako pana ayyakena saddhiṃ dasabalassa dhammakathaṃ sotuṃ gacchati. Tassa niccaṃ satthu santikaṃ gacchantassa pabbajjāya cittaṃ nami. So ayyakaṃ āha – ‘‘sace maṃ anujāneyyātha, ahaṃ pabbajeyya’’nti. ‘‘Kiṃ vadesi, tāta, sakalassa lokassapi me pabbajjāto tava pabbajjā bhaddikā. Sace sakkosi pabbajāhī’’ti. Taṃ satthu santikaṃ netvā, ‘‘kiṃ, gahapati, dārako te laddho’’ti vutte, ‘‘āma, bhante, ayaṃ me nattā tumhākaṃ santike pabbajitukāmo’’ti āha. Satthā aññataraṃ piṇḍapātacārikaṃ bhikkhuṃ ‘‘imaṃ dārakaṃ pabbājehī’’ti āṇāpesi. Thero tassa tacapañcakakammaṭṭhānaṃ ācikkhitvā pabbājesi. So bahuṃ buddhavacanaṃ uggaṇhitvā paripuṇṇavasso upasampadaṃ labhitvā yonisomanasikārena kammaṭṭhānaṃ karonto arahattaṃ pāpuṇi. So jhānasukhena phalasukhena vītināmento cintesi – ‘‘sakkā nu kho idaṃ sukhaṃ cūḷapanthakassa dātu’’nti! Tato ayyakaseṭṭhissa santikaṃ gantvā evamāha – ‘‘mahāseṭṭhi, sace anujāneyyātha, ahaṃ cūḷapanthakaṃ pabbājeyya’’nti. ‘‘Pabbājetha, bhante’’ti. Seṭṭhi kira sāsane ca suppasanno, ‘‘kataradhītāya vo ete puttā’’ti pucchiyamāno ca ‘‘palātadhītāyā’’ti vattuṃ lajjati, tasmā sukheneva tesaṃ pabbajjaṃ anujāni. Thero cūḷapanthakaṃ pabbājetvā sīlesu patiṭṭhāpesi. So pabbajitvāva dandho ahosi.

Of the two children, Little Wayman was still very young. Big Wayman, however, used to accompany his grandfather to hear the Possessor of the Ten Forces preach the Law. And as the result of his frequent visits to the Teacher, his heart inclined to retirement from the world. Accordingly he said to his grandfather, “If you would give me your permission, I should like to retire from the world.” “What say you, dear grandson? There is no one in the whole world whose retirement from the world would give me so much pleasure as your own. If you are able to do so, by all means retire from the world.”

Accordingly the grandfather took Big Wayman to the Teacher, who said, “Householder, you have won a boy?” “Yes, Reverend Sir, this is a grandson of mine who desires to become a monk under you.” The Teacher bade a certain monk on his round for alms to receive the boy into the Order. The Elder assigned to him as a Subject of Meditation the first five of the Constituent Parts of the Body, and then received him into the Order. The youth learned by heart a considerable portion of the Word of the Buddha, kept residence during the season of the rains, made his full profession, and by diligently applying himself to meditation attained Arahatship.

As Big Wayman passed his time in the enjoyment of the bliss of Mystic Meditation, in the enjoyment of the bliss of the Fruit of the Path, he thought to himself, “Assuredly it is in the power of Little Wayman to experience this same bliss.” Therefore he went to the treasurer his grandfather and said to him, “Great treasurer, if you will give your kind permission, I should like to receive Little Wayman into the Order.” “By all means receive him into the Order, Reverend Sir.” We are told that the treasurer was profoundly attached to the Religion of the Buddha, and that when asked, “Of which daughter of yours are these two children the sons?” he felt ashamed to say, “Of my daughter who ran away,” and that for these two reasons he was only too glad to give them permission to retire from the world.

So the Elder Big Wayman received his brother Little Wayman into the Order and established him in the Moral Precepts. But Little Wayman, once received into the Order, proved a dullard. Indeed in four months he was unable to learn by heart this single Stanza,