Verses on Dhamma 5.15.p12

5.15.p12

Evaṃ sāmaṇero ekakambalassa nissandena sattavassikova kambalasahassaṃ labhi. Tassa jetavane viharantassa abhikkhaṇaṃ ñātidāyakā santikaṃ āgantvā kathāsallāpaṃ karonti. So cintesi – ‘‘mayā idha vasantena ñātidāyakesu āgantvā kathentesu akathetumpi na sakkā, etehi saddhiṃ kathāpapañcena attano patiṭṭhaṃ kātuṃ na sakkā, yaṃnūnāhaṃ satthu santike kammaṭṭhānaṃ uggaṇhitvā araññaṃ paviseyya’’nti. So satthāraṃ upasaṅkamitvā vanditvā yāva arahattā kammaṭṭhānaṃ kathāpetvā upajjhāyaṃ vanditvā pattacīvaramādāya vihārā nikkhamitvā ‘‘sace āsannaṭṭhāne vasissāmi, ñātakā maṃ pakkosissantī’’ti vīsati yojanasataṃ maggaṃ agamāsi. Athekena gāmadvārena gacchanto ekaṃ mahallakapurisaṃ disvā pucchi – ‘‘kiṃ nu kho, mahāupāsaka, imasmiṃ padese vasantānaṃ āraññakavihāro atthī’’ti? ‘‘Atthi, bhante’’ti. ‘‘Tena hi me maggaṃ ācikkhāhī’’ti. Mahallakaupāsakassa pana taṃ disvāva puttasineho udapādi. Athassa tattheva ṭhito anācikkhitvā ‘‘ehi, bhante, ācikkhissāmi te’’ti gahetvā agamāsi. Sāmaṇero tena saddhiṃ gacchanto antarāmagge nānāpupphaphalapaṭimaṇḍite rukkhapabbatapadese disvā ‘‘ayaṃ, upāsaka, kiṃ padeso nāma, ayaṃ upāsaka kiṃ padeso nāmā’’ti pucchi. Sopissa tesaṃ nāmāni ācikkhanto āraññakavihāraṃ patvā ‘‘idaṃ, bhante, phāsukaṭṭhānaṃ, idheva vasāhī’’ti vatvā, ‘‘bhante, ko nāmo tva’’nti nāmaṃ pucchitvā ‘‘ahaṃ vanavāsītisso nāma upāsakā’’ti vutte, ‘‘sve amhākaṃ gāme bhikkhāya carituṃ vaṭṭatī’’ti vatvā nivattitvā antogāmameva gato. ‘‘Vanavāsītisso nāma vihāraṃ āgato, tassa yāgubhattādīni paṭiyādethā’’ti manussānaṃ ārocesi.

While the novice was in residence at Jetavana, his boy-relatives came to see him frequently and talked and conversed with him. He thought to himself, “So long as I reside here, my boy-relatives will come to see me and will talk with me, and it will not be possible for me, whether they talk or not, to work out my own salvation; suppose I were to obtain a Formula of Meditation from the Teacher and go into the forest?” Accordingly he approached the Teacher, paid obeisance to him, and obtained a Formula of Meditation leading to Arahatship. Then, paying obeisance to his preceptor, he took bowl and robe and departed from the monastery. “If I take up my residence in the neighborhood,” thought he, “my kinsmen will send for me.” Therefore he went a distance of twenty leagues.

As he proceeded on his way he saw an old man at the gate of a certain village. The novice asked the old man, “Lay disciple, is there a forest hermitage in this neighborhood wherein monks may reside?” “Yes, Reverend Sir, there is.” “Well then, show me how to get there.” As soon as the old lay disciple saw the boy he took a liking to him. So instead of merely pointing out the way he remained standing where he was and said to him, “Come, Reverend Sir, I will show you the way.” So saying, the old man took him with him and started off. As the novice went with him he noticed along the way five or six places abounding in various kinds of flowers and fruits.

The novice asked him the names of these places, and the lay disciple told him the name of each one.

On reaching the forest hermitage the lay disciple said to him, “Here, Reverend Sir, is a pleasant place; take up your residence here.” Continuing, he asked the novice his name and then said to him, “Reverend Sir, be sure to come to our village for alms to-morrow.” Then turning back, he returned to his own village and proclaimed to the inhabitants, “Elder Tissa the Forest-dweller, Vanavāsika Tissa, has taken up his residence in the monastery; prepare broth, rice, and so forth for him.” So the novice, who at first bore the name Tissa, and after that the three names Piṇḍapātadāyaka Tissa, Kambaladāyaka Tissa, and Vanavāsī Tissa, received within seven years four names in all.