AN 3.123

Kusinārasutta

Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā kusinārāyaṁ viharati baliharaṇe vanasaṇḍe. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “bhikkhavo”ti. “Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:

At Kusinārā

At one time the Buddha was staying near Kusinārā in the Forest of Offerings. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants!” “Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu aññataraṁ gāmaṁ vā nigamaṁ vā upanissāya viharati. Tamenaṁ gahapati vā gahapatiputto vā upasaṅkamitvā svātanāya bhattena nimanteti. Ākaṅkhamāno, bhikkhave, bhikkhu adhivāseti. So tassā rattiyā accayena pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya yena tassa gahapatissa vā gahapatiputtassa vā nivesanaṁ tenupasaṅkamati; upasaṅkamitvā paññatte āsane nisīdati. Tamenaṁ so gahapati vā gahapatiputto vā paṇītena khādanīyena bhojanīyena sahatthā santappeti sampavāreti.

“Mendicants, take the case of a mendicant living supported by a town or village. A householder or their child approaches and invites them for the next day’s meal. The mendicant accepts if they want. When the night has passed, they robe up in the morning, take their bowl and robe, and approach that householder’s home, where they sit on the seat spread out. The householder or their child serves and satisfies them with their own hands with delicious fresh and cooked foods.

Tassa evaṁ hoti: ‘sādhu vata myāyaṁ gahapati vā gahapatiputto vā paṇītena khādanīyena bhojanīyena sahatthā santappeti sampavāretī’ti. Evampissa hoti: ‘aho vata māyaṁ gahapati vā gahapatiputto vā āyatimpi evarūpena paṇītena khādanīyena bhojanīyena sahatthā santappeyya sampavāreyyā’ti. So taṁ piṇḍapātaṁ gathito mucchito ajjhosanno anādīnavadassāvī anissaraṇapañño paribhuñjati. So tattha kāmavitakkampi vitakketi, byāpādavitakkampi vitakketi, vihiṁsāvitakkampi vitakketi. Evarūpassāhaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno dinnaṁ na mahapphalanti vadāmi. Taṁ kissa hetu? Pamatto hi, bhikkhave, bhikkhu viharati.

The mendicant thinks: ‘It’s so good that this householder serves me with delicious fresh and cooked foods.’ Then they think: ‘I really hope this householder serves me with delicious fresh and cooked foods in the future, too.’ They eat that food tied, infatuated, attached, blind to the drawbacks, and not understanding the escape. They think about it with sensual, malicious, or cruel thoughts. A gift to such a mendicant is not very fruitful, I say. Why is that? Because that mendicant is negligent.

Idha pana, bhikkhave, bhikkhu aññataraṁ gāmaṁ vā nigamaṁ vā upanissāya viharati. Tamenaṁ gahapati vā gahapatiputto vā upasaṅkamitvā svātanāya bhattena nimanteti. Ākaṅkhamāno, bhikkhave, bhikkhu adhivāseti. So tassā rattiyā accayena pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya yena tassa gahapatissa vā gahapatiputtassa vā nivesanaṁ tenupasaṅkamati; upasaṅkamitvā paññatte āsane nisīdati. Tamenaṁ so gahapati vā gahapatiputto vā paṇītena khādanīyena bhojanīyena sahatthā santappeti sampavāreti.

Take another case of a mendicant living supported by a town or village. A householder or their child approaches and invites them for the next day’s meal. The mendicant accepts if they want. When the night has passed, they robe up in the morning, take their bowl and robe, and approach that householder’s home, where they sit on the seat spread out. The householder or their child serves and satisfies them with their own hands with delicious fresh and cooked foods.

Tassa na evaṁ hoti: ‘sādhu vata myāyaṁ gahapati vā gahapatiputto vā paṇītena khādanīyena bhojanīyena sahatthā santappeti sampavāretī’ti. Evampissa na hoti: ‘aho vata māyaṁ gahapati vā gahapatiputto vā āyatimpi evarūpena paṇītena khādanīyena bhojanīyena sahatthā santappeyya sampavāreyyā’ti. So taṁ piṇḍapātaṁ agathito amucchito anajjhosanno ādīnavadassāvī nissaraṇapañño paribhuñjati. So tattha nekkhammavitakkampi vitakketi, abyāpādavitakkampi vitakketi, avihiṁsāvitakkampi vitakketi. Evarūpassāhaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno dinnaṁ mahapphalanti vadāmi. Taṁ kissa hetu? Appamatto hi, bhikkhave, bhikkhu viharatī”ti.

It never occurs to them: ‘It’s so good that the householder or their child serves and satisfies me with their own hands with delicious fresh and cooked foods.’ They don’t think: ‘I really hope this householder serves me with delicious fresh and cooked foods in the future, too.’ They eat that almsfood untied, uninfatuated, unattached, seeing the drawback, and understanding the escape. They think about it with thoughts of renunciation, good will, or harmlessness. A gift to such a mendicant is very fruitful, I say. Why is that? Because that mendicant is diligent.”