Verses on Dhamma 20.7.p2

20.7.p2

So kira sattannampi buddhānaṃ sāsane tepiṭako pañcannaṃ bhikkhusatānaṃ dhammaṃ vācesi. Satthā cintesi – ‘‘imassa bhikkhuno ‘attano dukkhanissaraṇaṃ karissāmī’ti cittampi natthi saṃvejessāmi na’’nti. Tato paṭṭhāya taṃ theraṃ attano upaṭṭhānaṃ āgatakāle ‘‘ehi, tucchapoṭṭhila, vanda, tucchapoṭṭhila, nisīda, tucchapoṭṭhila, yāhi, tucchapoṭṭhilā’’ti vadati. Uṭṭhāya gatakālepi ‘‘tucchapoṭṭhilo gato’’ti vadati. So cintesi – ‘‘ahaṃ sāṭṭhakathāni tīṇi piṭakāni dhāremi, pañcannaṃ bhikkhusatānaṃ aṭṭhārasa mahāgaṇe dhammaṃ vācemi, atha pana maṃ satthā abhikkhaṇaṃ, ‘tucchapoṭṭhilā’ti vadeti, addhā maṃ satthā jhānādīnaṃ abhāvena evaṃ vadetī’’ti. So uppannasaṃvego ‘‘dāni araññaṃ pavisitvā samaṇadhammaṃ karissāmī’’ti sayameva pattacīvaraṃ saṃvidahitvā paccūsakāle sabbapacchā dhammaṃ uggaṇhitvā nikkhamantena bhikkhunā saddhiṃ nikkhami. Pariveṇe nisīditvā sajjhāyantā naṃ ‘‘ācariyo’’ti na sallakkhesuṃ. So vīsayojanasatamaggaṃ gantvā ekasmiṃ araññāvāse tiṃsa bhikkhū vasanti, te upasaṅkamitvā saṅghattheraṃ vanditvā, ‘‘bhante, avassayo me hothā’’ti āha. Āvuso, tvaṃ dhammakathiko, amhehi nāma taṃ nissāya kiñci jānitabbaṃ bhaveyya, kasmā evaṃ vadesīti? Mā, bhante, evaṃ karotha, avassayo me hothāti. Te pana sabbe khīṇāsavāva. Atha naṃ mahāthero ‘‘imassa uggahaṃ nissāya māno atthiyevā’’ti anutherassa santikaṃ pahiṇi. Sopi naṃ tathevāha. Iminā nīhārena sabbepi taṃ pesentā divāṭṭhāne nisīditvā sūcikammaṃ karontassa sabbanavakassa sattavassikasāmaṇerassa santikaṃ pahiṇiṃsu. Evamassa mānaṃ nīhariṃsu.

Poṭhila, it seems, bore the title Versed in the Tipiṭaka through the dispensations of all Seven Buddhas, and recited the Law to a company of five hundred monks. One day the Teacher thought to himself, "It has not even occurred to this monk to win for himself Escape from Suffering; I will stir him up." From that time forward, whenever that monk came to wait upon him, he would say to him, "Come, Tucchapoṭhila; salute, Tucchapoṭhila; sit, Tucchapoṭhila; go, Tucchapoṭhila;" and when Poṭhila had risen from his seat and gone, he would say, "Tucchapoṭhila has gone."

Poṭhila thought to himself, "I am versed in the Three Piṭakas and in the Commentaries thereon; moreover I recite the Law to

five hundred monks, eighteen great companies. Yet the Teacher addresses me always as Poṭhila the Empty-head, Tucchapoṭhila. It is doubtless because I have not developed the Trances that the Teacher thus addresses me.” Much stirred up, he said to himself, “I will straightway enter the forest and engage in meditation.” Accordingly that very evening he put bowl and robe in order, and when it was dawn, set out, accompanying the monk who was the last of all to master the Law. The monks who sat in their cells repeating the Law did not notice that it was their teacher.

Poṭhila went a distance of a hundred and twenty leagues, finally arriving at a forest hermitage where thirty monks resided. Approaching the monks, he saluted the Elder of the community and said to him, “Reverend Sir, be my refuge.” “Brother, you are a preacher of the Law; it is we who have something to learn from you. Why do you speak thus?” “Reverend Sir, do not act thus; be my refuge.” As a matter of fact, all of those monks were Arahats. The senior Elder thought to himself, “This monk, by reason of great learning, is affected with pride,” and therefore sent him to a junior Elder. Poṭhila said the same thing to the junior Elder. In like manner each of the monks sent him to his junior; finally they sent him to the youngest of all, a seven-year-old novice, who was sitting in his day-quarters doing needlework. Thus did they humble his pride.