Dictionary of Pali Proper Names v2.c31.3187

v2.c31.3187

Muni Sutta.—The twelfth sutta of the Sutta Nipāta.¹ It defines the muni as one who lives the homeless life, free of encumbrances, devoid of strife and covetousness, firm, self-restrained, thoughtful, and delighting in meditation. He has overcome all obstacles and knows all things. He is as different from a householder as a peacock from a fast-flying swan. According to the Commentary² the sutta is a composite one made up of stanzas preached on various occasions; thus, the first four verses had reference to a mother and a son who joined the Order, met frequently, and, owing to their affection for each other, fell into sin.³ The fifth was in reference to Upaka’s attainment of anāgāmiphala; the sixth to Khadiravaniya Revata; the seventh was preached to Suddhodana to explain why the Buddha had renounced his luxuries. The ninth was in reference to Ciñcā’s attempt to malign the Buddha; the tenth was preached to the daughter of a Sāvatthi seṭṭhi. Seeing a weaver’s spindle and reflecting on it, she realized the crookedness of beings and was disgusted with the worldly life. The Buddha, reading her thoughts, appeared before her in a ray of light and preached to her. The eleventh was preached to the seven-year-old daughter of a weaver of Āḷavi, who became a sotāpanna and died soon after.⁴ The twelfth was preached to the brahmin Pañcaggadāyaka; and the thirteenth was in reference to a treasurer of Sāvatthi who joined the Order and left it three times; on the fourth time of joining he became an arahant. The fourteenth was in reference to the Buddha’s cousin Nanda, who was being teased by the monks even after he had attained arahantship. The last was in defence of a monk for whom a hunter conceived a friendship, providing him with alms; the monk was a forest-dweller, and men blamed him saying that he told the hunter of the animals’ haunts.