Verses on Dhamma 5.15.p19

5.15.p19

Gāmavāsino buddhappamukhaṃ bhikkhusaṅghaṃ parivisitvā satthāraṃ vanditvā anumodanaṃ yāciṃsu. Satthā anumodanaṃ karonto evamāha – ‘‘lābhā vata vo upāsakā, ye tumhe attano kulūpakaṃ sāmaṇeraṃ nissāya sāriputtaṃ moggallānaṃ kassapaṃ anuruddhanti asītimahāsāvake dassanāya labhatha, ahampi tumhākaṃ kulūpakameva nissāya āgato, buddhadassanampi vo imaṃ nissāyeva laddhaṃ, lābhā vo, suladdhaṃ vo’’ti. Manussā cintayiṃsu – ‘‘aho amhākaṃ lābhā, buddhānañceva bhikkhusaṅghassa ca ārādhanasamatthaṃ amhākaṃ ayyaṃ dassanāya labhāma, deyyadhammañcassa dātuṃ labhāmā’’ti sāmaṇerassa kuddhā manussā tussiṃsu. Tuṭṭhā manussā bhiyyosomattāya pasīdiṃsu. Anumodanāvasāne bahū sotāpattiphalādīni pāpuṇiṃsu. Satthā uṭṭhāyāsanā pakkāmi. Manussā satthāraṃ anugantvā vanditvā nivattiṃsu. Satthā sāmaṇerena saddhiṃ samadhurena gacchanto, ‘‘sāmaṇera, ayaṃ padeso konāmo, ayaṃ padeso konāmo’’ti pubbe tassa upāsakena dassitapadese pucchanto agamāsi. Sāmaṇeropi, ‘‘bhante, ayaṃ itthannāmo, ayaṃ itthannāmo’’ti ācikkhamānova agamāsi. Satthā tassa vasanaṭṭhānaṃ gantvā pabbatamatthakaṃ abhiruhi. Tattha ṭhitānaṃ pana mahāsamuddo paññāyati. Satthā sāmaṇeraṃ pucchi – ‘‘tissa, pabbatamatthake ṭhito ito cito ca oloketvā kiṃ passasī’’ti? ‘‘Mahāsamuddaṃ, bhante’’ti. ‘‘Mahāsamuddaṃ disvā kiṃ cintesī’’ti? ‘‘Mama dukkhitakāle rodantassa catūhi mahāsamuddehi atirekatarena assunā bhavitabbanti idaṃ, bhante, cintesi’’nti. ‘‘Sādhu sādhu, tissa, evametaṃ. Ekekassa hi sattassa dukkhitakāle paggharitaassūni catūhi mahāsamuddehi atirekatarānevā’’ti. Idañca pana vatvā imaṃ gāthamāha –

The villagers, after waiting upon the congregation of monks presided over by the Buddha, requested the Teacher to return thanks. In returning thanks he spoke as follows, "It is fortunate for you, lay disciples, that on account of the novice who has come to your homes you have been privileged to see Sāriputta, Moggallāna, Kassapa, and the rest of the eighty Chief Disciples. Indeed it was solely on account of this novice that I myself came here. It is fortunate for you that you have thus been privileged, solely on account of this novice, to behold the Buddha. It is your good fortune; yes, your very good fortune!"

The villagers thought to themselves, "Indeed we *were* fortunate to be privileged to behold a novice who is able to win the favor of Buddhas and monks alike, and to give him alms." So those who had been offended at the novice were pleased, while those who were satisfied were satisfied the more. At the conclusion of the words of thanksgiving many obtained the Fruit of Conversion and the Fruits of the Second and Third Paths. Then the Teacher arose from his seat and departed. The villagers accompanied him a little way and then turned back.

As the Teacher walked side by side with the novice, he asked the novice the names of various places previously pointed out to him by the lay disciple, and the novice told him their names. When they reached the place where the novice resided, the Teacher climbed to the top of a mountain. From the top of this mountain the Great Ocean is visible. The Teacher asked the novice, "Tissa, as you stand on the top of the mountain and look this way and that, what do you see?" "The Great Ocean, Reverend Sir." "What thought comes into your mind as you look upon the Great Ocean?” “Reverend Sir, this is the thought that comes into my mind, ‘At times when I have wept over my sufferings, I must have shed tears more abundant than the waters contained in the four oceans.’” “Well said, well said, Tissa! it is even so; in the times that you have suffered, you have indeed shed tears more abundant than the waters contained in the four great oceans.” So saying, the Teacher pronounced the following Stanza,