SN 21.3

Ghaṭasutta

Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā ca sāriputto āyasmā ca mahāmoggallāno rājagahe viharanti veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe ekavihāre. Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yenāyasmā mahāmoggallāno tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā mahāmoggallānena saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā sāriputto āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ etadavoca:

A Mound of Salt

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. At that time the venerables Sāriputta and Moggallāna were staying near Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. Then in the late afternoon, Venerable Sāriputta came out of retreat, went to Venerable Moggallāna, and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, Sāriputta sat down to one side, and said to Mahāmoggallāna:

“Vippasannāni kho te, āvuso moggallāna, indriyāni; parisuddho mukhavaṇṇo pariyodāto santena nūnāyasmā mahāmoggallāno ajja vihārena vihāsī”ti. “Oḷārikena khvāhaṁ, āvuso, ajja vihārena vihāsiṁ. Api ca me ahosi dhammī kathā”ti. “Kena saddhiṁ panāyasmato mahāmoggallānassa ahosi dhammī kathā”ti? “Bhagavatā kho me, āvuso, saddhiṁ ahosi dhammī kathā”ti. “Dūre kho, āvuso, bhagavā etarahi sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Kiṁ nu kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno bhagavantaṁ iddhiyā upasaṅkami; udāhu bhagavā āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ iddhiyā upasaṅkamī”ti? “Na khvāhaṁ, āvuso, bhagavantaṁ iddhiyā upasaṅkamiṁ; napi maṁ bhagavā iddhiyā upasaṅkami. Api ca me yāvatā bhagavā ettāvatā dibbacakkhu visujjhi dibbā ca sotadhātu. Bhagavatopi yāvatāhaṁ ettāvatā dibbacakkhu visujjhi dibbā ca sotadhātū”ti. “Yathākathaṁ panāyasmato mahāmoggallānassa bhagavatā saddhiṁ ahosi dhammī kathā”ti?

“Reverend Moggallāna, your faculties are so very clear, and your complexion is pure and bright. Have you spent the day in a peaceful meditation?” “Reverend, I’ve spent the day in a coarse meditation. But I have had some Dhamma talk.” “Who did you have a Dhamma talk with?” “With the Buddha.” “But Reverend, the Buddha is far away. He’s staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Did you go to him with your psychic power, or did he come to you?” “No reverend, I didn’t go to him with my psychic power, nor did he come to me. Rather, the Buddha cleared his clairvoyance and clairaudience toward me, and I cleared my clairvoyance and clairaudience toward him.” “But what manner of Dhamma talk did you have together?”

“Idhāhaṁ, āvuso, bhagavantaṁ etadavocaṁ: ‘āraddhavīriyo āraddhavīriyoti, bhante, vuccati. Kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, āraddhavīriyo hotī’ti? Evaṁ vutte, maṁ, āvuso, bhagavā etadavoca: ‘idha, moggallāna, bhikkhu āraddhavīriyo viharati— kāmaṁ taco ca nhāru ca aṭṭhi ca avasissatu, sarīre upassussatu maṁsalohitaṁ, yaṁ taṁ purisathāmena purisavīriyena purisaparakkamena pattabbaṁ na taṁ apāpuṇitvā vīriyassa saṇṭhānaṁ bhavissatīti. Evaṁ kho, moggallāna, āraddhavīriyo hotī’ti. Evaṁ kho me, āvuso, bhagavatā saddhiṁ ahosi dhammī kathā”ti.

“Well, reverend, I said to the Buddha, ‘Sir, they speak of one who is energetic. How is an energetic person defined?’ When I said this, the Buddha said, ‘Moggallāna, it’s when a mendicant lives with energy roused up: “Gladly, let only skin, sinews, and bones remain! Let the flesh and blood waste away in my body! I will not stop trying until I have achieved what is possible by human strength, energy, and vigor.” That’s how an individual is energetic.’ That’s the Dhamma talk I had together with the Buddha.”

“Seyyathāpi, āvuso, himavato pabbatarājassa parittā pāsāṇasakkharā yāvadeva upanikkhepanamattāya; evameva kho mayaṁ āyasmato mahāmoggallānassa yāvadeva upanikkhepanamattāya. Āyasmā hi mahāmoggallāno mahiddhiko mahānubhāvo ākaṅkhamāno kappaṁ tiṭṭheyyā”ti.

“Reverend, next to Venerable Mahāmoggallāna I’m like a few pieces of gravel next to the Himalayas, the king of mountains. Venerable Mahāmoggallāna is so mighty and powerful he could, if he wished, live on for the proper lifespan.”

“Seyyathāpi, āvuso, mahatiyā loṇaghaṭāya parittā loṇasakkharāya yāvadeva upanikkhepanamattāya; evameva kho mayaṁ āyasmato sāriputtassa yāvadeva upanikkhepanamattāya. Āyasmā hi sāriputto bhagavatā anekapariyāyena thomito vaṇṇito pasattho:

“Reverend, next to Venerable Sāriputta I’m like a few grains of salt next to a mound of salt. Venerable Sāriputta has been commended, complimented, and praised by the Buddha:

‘Sāriputtova paññāya, sīlena upasamena ca; Yopi pāraṅgato bhikkhu, etāvaparamo siyā’”ti.

‘Sāriputta is full of wisdom, ethics, and peace. Even a mendicant who has crossed over might at best equal him.’”

Itiha te ubho mahānāgā aññamaññassa subhāsitaṁ sulapitaṁ samanumodiṁsūti.

And so these two spiritual giants agreed with each other’s fine words.