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and entered their respective dwellings. This foolish maid thought, 'There are no monks in the park, the park is empty.'" Again, she ordered the maid: "Go, my dear. Go to the park and announce the time: 'It is time, venerable sirs, the meal is ready.'" 350. Then the Blessed One addressed the monks: "Prepare, monks, your bowls and robes; it is time for the meal." "Yes, venerable sir," those monks replied to the Blessed One. Then the Blessed One, having dressed in the morning, and taking his bowl and robe— just as a strong man might extend a flexed arm or flex an extended arm— even so, he vanished from Jetavana and appeared in Visakha Migara's mother's dwelling. The Blessed One sat down on the seat prepared, together with the community of monks. Then Visakha Migara's mother— "Oh, how wonderful! Oh, how amazing! The great power and majesty of the Tathagata! For even when the floods were knee-deep, even when the floods were waist-deep, not even one monk's feet or robes were wet!"— delighted and overjoyed, with her own hands, satisfied and served the community of monks headed by the Buddha with excellent hard and soft food. When the Blessed One had eaten and withdrawn his hand from the bowl, she sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, Visakha Migara's mother said to the Blessed One: "Eight boons, venerable sir, I ask of the Blessed One." "Tathagatas, Visakha, are past asking for boons." "But, venerable sir, those that are allowable and blameless." "Speak, Visakha," he said. "I wish, venerable sir, to provide the Sangha for as long as I live, with rain- to give rain-cloths, to give food for incoming monks, to give food for outgoing monks, to give food for sick monks, to give food for those attending the sick, to give medicine for the sick, to give constant gruel, to give rain-cloths to the community of nuns.” “But Visākhā, seeing what benefit do you ask eight boons from the Tathāgata?” “Here, venerable sir, I ordered a maidservant: ‘Go, dear. Having gone to the monastery, announce the time: “It is time, venerable sirs, the meal is ready.”’ Then, venerable sir, that maidservant, having gone to the monastery, saw monks with their robes laid aside, letting their bodies be rained upon. Having seen them, (she thought) ‘There are no monks in the monastery, ascetics are letting their bodies be rained upon.’ She approached me; having approached me, she said this to me: ‘There are no monks in the monastery, lady, ascetics are letting their bodies be rained upon.’ Impure, venerable sir, is nakedness, disgusting, repulsive. Seeing this benefit, venerable sir, I wish to give rain-cloths to the Sangha as long as I live. “Again, venerable sir, an incoming monk is not skilled in the streets, not skilled in the alms-round. He wanders for alms, weary. Having eaten my food for incoming monks, he will be skilled in the streets, skilled in the alms-round, he will wander for alms, not weary. Seeing this benefit, venerable sir, I wish to give food for incoming monks to the Sangha as long as I live. “Again, venerable sir, an outgoing monk, seeking his own food, will be left behind by the caravan, or will arrive late where he intends to go to stay, he will travel the road weary. Having eaten my food for outgoing monks, he will not be left behind by the caravan, he will arrive on time where he intends to go to stay, he will travel the road not weary. Seeing this benefit, venerable sir, I wish to give food for outgoing monks to the Sangha as long as I live. “Again, venerable sir, for a sick monk not obtaining suitable foods, his illness will increase, he will make time (die).” or death will come. When I have eaten that sick-food, my illness will not grow worse, death will not come. Seeing this advantage, venerable sir, I wish to give sick-food to the Sangha for life. "Furthermore, venerable sir, a monk attending the sick, seeking his own food, will bring food to the sick one late, he will cut off the meal. Having eaten my attendant-food, he will bring food to the sick one on time, he will not cut off the meal. Seeing this advantage, venerable sir, I wish to give attendant-food to the Sangha for life. "Furthermore, venerable sir, a sick monk, not finding suitable medicines, his illness will grow worse, or death will come. When my sick-medicine has been consumed, his illness will not grow worse, death will not come. Seeing this advantage, venerable sir, I wish to give sick-medicine to the Sangha for life. "Furthermore, venerable sir, the Blessed One, seeing ten benefits in Andhakavinda, allowed gruel. Seeing those benefits, venerable sir, I wish to give constant gruel to the Sangha for life. "Here, venerable sir, nuns on the Aciravatī river bathe naked with courtesans at the same ford. Those courtesans, venerable sir, mocked the nuns – 'What indeed, ladies, is the point of your practicing the holy life while young? Shouldn't you enjoy sensual pleasures? When you are old, then practice the holy life. Thus both your aims will be achieved.' Those nuns, venerable sir, being mocked by the courtesans, were embarrassed. Impure, venerable sir, is the nakedness of women, disgusting, repulsive. Seeing this advantage, venerable sir, I wish to give bathing-cloths to the community of nuns for life. to give a robe.” 351. “But Visakha, seeing what benefit do you ask the Tathagata for eight boons?” “Here, venerable sir, monks who have spent the rainy season in various directions will come to Savatthi to see the Blessed One. They will approach the Blessed One and ask, ‘Venerable sir, a monk named so-and-so has passed away; what is his destination, what is his future state?’ The Blessed One will declare it to be the fruit of stream-entry, or the fruit of once-returning, or the fruit of non-returning, or arahantship. I will approach them and ask, ‘Has that venerable one ever visited Savatthi?’ If they tell me, ‘That monk has visited Savatthi,’ I will conclude, ‘Without a doubt, that venerable one has partaken of my rain-bathing robe, or my meal for arriving monks, or my meal for departing monks, or my meal for sick monks, or my meal for those attending the sick, or my medicine for the sick, or my regular gruel.’ As I recall that, joy will arise in me; being joyful, rapture will arise; with a rapturous mind, my body will become tranquil; with a tranquil body, I will experience happiness; with a happy mind, my mind will become concentrated. That will be for me the development of faculties, the development of powers, the development of factors of enlightenment. Seeing this benefit, venerable sir, I ask the Tathagata for eight boons.” “Excellent, excellent, Visakha; it is excellent, Visakha, that seeing this benefit you ask the Tathagata for eight boons. I grant you, Visakha, the eight boons.” Then the Blessed One gladdened Visakha, Migaramata, with these verses: “She who gives food and drink, delighted, A disciple of the Sugata, endowed with virtue, Gives a gift, overcoming stinginess, Leading to heaven, dispelling sorrow, bringing happiness. “She obtains divine life, Having approached the path, dustless and stainless; She, desiring merit, happy and free from illness, Rejoices long in the heavenly body.” 352. Then The Blessed One, having gladdened Visakha, Migaramata, with these verses, rose from his seat and departed. Then the Blessed One, on this occasion, in this connection, having given a Dhamma talk, addressed the bhikkhus: "I allow, bhikkhus, rainy-season robes, food for visitors, food for those departing, food for the sick, food for those attending the sick, medicine for the sick, regular gruel, and bathing cloths for the Bhikkhuni Sangha." The story of Visakha is finished. The recitation section on Visakha is finished. 220. Authorization of sitting cloths, etc. 353. Now at that time, bhikkhus, having eaten delicious food, unmindful, without clear comprehension, would fall asleep. For them, unmindful, without clear comprehension, falling asleep, impure fluid would be released in a dream; the lodging would be stained with impurity. Then the Blessed One, while going on a tour of the lodgings with Venerable Ananda as his attendant, saw a lodging stained with impurity. Having seen it, he addressed Venerable Ananda: "What is this, Ananda, this stained lodging?" "Just now, Bhante, bhikkhus, having eaten delicious food, unmindful, without clear comprehension, fall asleep. For them, unmindful, without clear comprehension, falling asleep, impure fluid is released in a dream; therefore, Blessed One, this lodging is stained with impurity." "So it is, Ananda, so it is, Ananda. Indeed, Ananda, for those who are unmindful, without clear comprehension, falling asleep, impure fluid is released in a dream. Those bhikkhus, Ananda, who are mindful, with clear comprehension, falling asleep, for them, impurity is not released. Even those, Ananda, ordinary people who are dispassionate towards sensual pleasures, for them too, impurity is not released. It is impossible, Ananda, there is no occasion, for an Arahant to release impurity." Then the Blessed One, on this occasion, in this connection, having given a Dhamma talk, addressed the bhikkhus: "Here, bhikkhus, while I was going on a tour of the lodgings with Ananda as my attendant, I saw a lodging stained with impurity..." it was smeared. Seeing it, I addressed Ānanda: 'What is this, Ānanda, this sleeping-place smeared?' 'Just now, Venerable Sir, monks, having eaten delicious food, unmindful, not comprehending, fall asleep. For them, unmindful, not comprehending, falling asleep, impure matter is released in dreams. Therefore, Blessed One, this sleeping-place is smeared with impurity.' 'So it is, Ānanda, so it is, Ānanda. Indeed, Ānanda, impure matter is released in dreams for those unmindful, not comprehending, who fall asleep. But those monks, Ānanda, who fall asleep with mindfulness established, with full comprehension, for them, impure matter is not released. Even those ordinary people, Ānanda,