SN 16.6

Ovādasutta

Rājagahe veḷuvane. Atha kho āyasmā mahākassapo yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho āyasmantaṁ mahākassapaṁ bhagavā etadavoca: “ovada, kassapa, bhikkhū; karohi, kassapa, bhikkhūnaṁ dhammiṁ kathaṁ. Ahaṁ vā, kassapa, bhikkhū ovadeyyaṁ tvaṁ vā; ahaṁ vā bhikkhūnaṁ dhammiṁ kathaṁ kareyyaṁ tvaṁ vā”ti.

Advice

Near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove. Then Venerable Mahākassapa went up to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said to him: “Kassapa, advise the mendicants! Give them a Dhamma talk! Either you or I should advise the mendicants and give them a Dhamma talk.”

“Dubbacā kho, bhante, etarahi bhikkhū, dovacassakaraṇehi dhammehi samannāgatā, akkhamā, appadakkhiṇaggāhino anusāsaniṁ. Idhāhaṁ, bhante, addasaṁ bhaṇḍañca nāma bhikkhuṁ ānandassa saddhivihāriṁ abhijikañca nāma bhikkhuṁ anuruddhassa saddhivihāriṁ aññamaññaṁ sutena accāvadante: ‘ehi, bhikkhu, ko bahutaraṁ bhāsissati, ko sundarataraṁ bhāsissati, ko cirataraṁ bhāsissatī’”ti.

“Sir, the mendicants these days are hard to admonish, having qualities that make them hard to admonish. They’re impatient, and don’t take instruction respectfully. Take the monk named Bhaṇḍa, Ānanda’s protégé. He’s been competing in studies with the monk named Abhiñjika, Anuruddha’s protégé. They say: ‘Come on, monk, who can speak more? Who can speak better? Who can speak longer?’”

Atha kho bhagavā aññataraṁ bhikkhuṁ āmantesi: “ehi tvaṁ, bhikkhu, mama vacanena bhaṇḍañca bhikkhuṁ ānandassa saddhivihāriṁ abhijikañca bhikkhuṁ anuruddhassa saddhivihāriṁ āmantehi: ‘satthā āyasmante āmantetī’”ti. “Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho so bhikkhu bhagavato paṭissutvā yena te bhikkhū tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā te bhikkhū etadavoca: “satthā āyasmante āmantetī”ti.

So the Buddha addressed one of the monks, “Please, monk, in my name tell the monk named Bhaṇḍa, Ānanda’s protégé, and the monk named Abhiñjika, Anuruddha’s protégé that the Teacher summons them.” “Yes, sir,” that monk replied. He went to those monks and said, “Venerables, the Teacher summons you.”

“Evamāvuso”ti kho te bhikkhū tassa bhikkhuno paṭissutvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinne kho te bhikkhū bhagavā etadavoca: “saccaṁ kira tumhe, bhikkhave, aññamaññaṁ sutena accāvadatha: ‘ehi, bhikkhu, ko bahutaraṁ bhāsissati, ko sundarataraṁ bhāsissati, ko cirataraṁ bhāsissatī’”ti? “Evaṁ, bhante”. “Kiṁ nu kho me tumhe, bhikkhave, evaṁ dhammaṁ desitaṁ ājānātha: ‘etha tumhe, bhikkhave, aññamaññaṁ sutena accāvadatha— ehi, bhikkhu, ko bahutaraṁ bhāsissati, ko sundarataraṁ bhāsissati, ko cirataraṁ bhāsissatī’”ti? “No hetaṁ, bhante”. “No ce kira me tumhe, bhikkhave, evaṁ dhammaṁ desitaṁ ājānātha, atha kiñcarahi tumhe, moghapurisā, kiṁ jānantā kiṁ passantā evaṁ svākkhāte dhammavinaye pabbajitā samānā aññamaññaṁ sutena accāvadatha: ‘ehi, bhikkhu, ko bahutaraṁ bhāsissati, ko sundarataraṁ bhāsissati, ko cirataraṁ bhāsissatī’”ti.

“Yes, reverend,” those monks replied. They went to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said to them: “Is it really true, monks, that you’ve been competing in studies, saying: ‘Come on, monk, who can speak more? Who can speak better? Who can speak longer?’” “Yes, sir.” “Have you ever known me to teach the Dhamma like this: ‘Please mendicants, compete in studies to see who can recite more and better and longer’?” “No, sir.” “If you’ve never known me to teach the Dhamma like this, what then do you know and see, you futile men, that after going forth in such a well explained teaching and training you’d compete in studies to see who can speak more and better and longer?”

Atha kho te bhikkhū bhagavato pādesu sirasā nipatitvā bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ: “accayo no, bhante, accagamā, yathābāle yathāmūḷhe yathāakusale, ye mayaṁ evaṁ svākkhāte dhammavinaye pabbajitā samānā aññamaññaṁ sutena accāvadimha: ‘ehi, bhikkhu, ko bahutaraṁ bhāsissati, ko sundarataraṁ bhāsissati, ko cirataraṁ bhāsissatī’ti. Tesaṁ no, bhante, bhagavā accayaṁ accayato paṭiggaṇhātu āyatiṁ saṁvarāyā”ti.

Then those monks bowed with their heads to the Buddha’s feet and said, “We made a mistake, sir. It was foolish, stupid, and unskillful of us in that after going forth in such a well explained teaching and training we competed in studies to see who can speak more and better and longer. Please, sir, accept our mistake for what it is, so we will restrain ourselves in future.”

“Taggha tumhe, bhikkhave, accayo accagamā yathābāle yathāmūḷhe yathāakusale, ye tumhe evaṁ svākkhāte dhammavinaye pabbajitā samānā aññamaññaṁ sutena accāvadittha: ‘ehi, bhikkhu, ko bahutaraṁ bhāsissati, ko sundarataraṁ bhāsissati, ko cirataraṁ bhāsissatī’ti. Yato ca kho tumhe, bhikkhave, accayaṁ accayato disvā yathādhammaṁ paṭikarotha, taṁ vo mayaṁ paṭiggaṇhāma. Vuddhi hesā, bhikkhave, ariyassa vinaye yo accayaṁ accayato disvā yathādhammaṁ paṭikaroti āyatiñca saṁvaraṁ āpajjatī”ti.

“Indeed, monks, you made a mistake. It was foolish, stupid, and unskillful of you to act in that way. But since you have recognized your mistake for what it is, and have dealt with it properly, I accept it. For it is growth in the training of the Noble One to recognize a mistake for what it is, deal with it properly, and commit to restraint in the future.”