English
Indeed, that Reverend Gotama, when looking around, looks with his whole body; he does not look upwards, nor look downwards; he does not walk looking around, but looks only a yoke's length ahead; and beyond that, His knowledge and vision are unobstructed. Entering a house, he does not raise his body, he does not lower his body; he does not contract his body, he does not expand his body. He does not turn too far from the seat, nor too close to the seat; he does not sit on the seat by holding it with his hand; he does not throw his body onto the seat. Sitting inside the house, he does not fidget with his hands, he does not fidget with his feet; he does not sit with one thigh over the other; he does not sit with one ankle over the other; he does not sit resting his chin on his hand. Sitting inside the house, he does not tremble, he does not shake, he does not quiver, he does not become agitated. He is untrembling, unshaking, unquivering, unagitated, with goosebumps gone. And that Master Gotama, sitting inside the house, is devoted to solitude. Receiving the bowl-water, he does not raise the bowl, he does not lower the bowl; he does not contract the bowl, he does not expand the bowl. He receives the bowl-water neither too little nor too much. He does not wash the bowl with a gurgling sound, he does not wash the bowl by turning it all around, he does not place the bowl on the ground and wash his hands; when his hands are washed, the bowl is washed; when the bowl is washed, his hands are washed. He discards the bowl-water neither too far nor too close, and not splashing it about. Receiving the rice, he does not raise the bowl, he does not lower the bowl; he does not contract the bowl, he does not expand the bowl. He receives the rice neither too little nor too much. And Master Gotama eats the curry only as much as is needed for the curry, and he does not let the curry overpower the mouthful. Master Gotama turns the mouthful around in his mouth two or three times and then swallows it; no unchewed grain of rice enters his body, nor does any grain of rice remain in his mouth; then he brings another mouthful. And that Master Go... is one who experiences the taste. He eats food, but is not attached to the taste. "That good Gotama eats food with eight qualities— not for sport, not for intoxication, not for adornment, not for beautification, but only for the maintenance and sustenance of this body, for the cessation of harm, for the support of the holy life— 'Thus I will put an end to old feelings and will not give rise to new feelings, and there will be for me sustenance, blamelessness, and a comfortable abiding.' Having eaten, when receiving the water for the bowl, he does not lift the bowl too high, nor lower it too low; he does not bring the bowl too close, nor push it too far away. He receives the water for the bowl neither too little nor too much. He does not wash the bowl with a gurgling sound, nor with a swirling sound, nor does he place the bowl on the ground and wash his hands; when his hands are washed, the bowl is washed, when the bowl is washed, his hands are washed. He discards the water for the bowl neither too far nor too near, and not scattering it about. Having eaten, he does not place the bowl on the ground neither too far nor too near, nor is he unconcerned with the bowl, nor excessively protective of the bowl. Having eaten, he sits silently for a moment, and does not let the time for appreciation pass. Having eaten, he expresses appreciation, he does not disparage that food, nor does he long for other food; rather, with a discourse on the Dhamma, he instructs, rouses, encourages, and gladdens that assembly. Having instructed, roused, encouraged, and gladdened that assembly with a discourse on the Dhamma, he rises from his seat and departs. He walks neither too fast nor too slow, and he does not walk as if eager to escape; nor is the robe on that good Gotama's body too high nor too low, nor clinging to the body nor too far from the body; nor does the wind blow the robe from that good Gotama's body; nor is there dust and dirt on that good Gotama's body." He smears. He goes to the monastery and sits on the prepared seat. Having sat, he washes his feet; and that Master Gotama does not abide devoted to the adornment of his feet. Having washed his feet, he sits cross-legged, holding his body erect, establishing mindfulness in front of him. He does not intend harm to himself, nor harm to others, nor harm to both; that Master Gotama sits contemplating only his own welfare, the welfare of others, the welfare of both, the welfare of the entire world. He goes to the monastery and teaches the Dhamma to the assembly; he does not exalt that assembly, he does not disparage that assembly; rather, with a Dhamma talk, he instructs that assembly, rouses them, encourages them, delights them. Moreover, from the mouth of that Master Gotama issues a voice endowed with eight qualities— it is clear, it is intelligible, it is sweet, it is audible, it is distinct, it is not scattered, it is deep, it is resonant. And that Master Gotama makes himself understood with his voice according to the assembly, and his voice does not issue forth beyond the assembly. They, having been instructed, roused, encouraged, and delighted by that Master Gotama with a Dhamma talk, rise from their seats and depart, looking back, as if unable to leave. “We saw, sirs, that Master Gotama walking, we saw him standing, we saw him entering a house, we saw him sitting silently in a house, we saw him eating in a house, we saw him sitting silently after eating, we saw him giving thanks after eating, we saw him going to the monastery, we saw him sitting silently in the monastery, we saw him teaching the Dhamma to the assembly in the monastery. Such and such is that Master Gotama, and even more so.” When this was said, the brahmin Brahmāyu rose from his seat, arranged his upper robe over one shoulder, and approached the Blessed One. having raised their joined palms, uttered the solemn utterance three times: "Homage to that Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One. Homage to that Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One. Homage to that Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One." "Perhaps we might, sometime, somehow, meet with that Venerable Gotama? Perhaps there might be some conversation!" 389. Then the Blessed One, journeying through the Videha country by stages, arrived at Mithilā. There the Blessed One dwelt in Mithilā, in the Maghadeva Mango Grove. The brahmin householders of Mithilā heard this: "Indeed, good sirs, the ascetic Gotama, a Sakyan, gone forth from the Sakyan clan, journeying through the Videha country, has arrived in Mithilā with a great community of monks, with five hundred monks, and is dwelling in Mithilā, in the Maghadeva Mango Grove. And concerning that Venerable Gotama, this good report has spread: 'That Blessed One is indeed an Arahant, a Perfectly Self-Enlightened One, endowed with knowledge and conduct, a Fortunate One, knower of the world, an unsurpassed leader of persons to be tamed, a teacher of gods and humans, the Buddha, the Blessed One.' He, having realized and directly known this world with its devas, its Māras, its Brahmās, this generation with its ascetics and brahmins, its gods and humans, proclaims it. He teaches the Dhamma beautiful in the beginning, beautiful in the middle, beautiful in the end, with meaning and with letter, he proclaims the entirely complete and perfectly pure holy life. It is good indeed to see such Arahants." Then the brahmin householders of Mithilā approached the Blessed One; having approached, some saluted the Blessed One and sat down to one side; some exchanged greetings with the Blessed One, and after exchanging courteous and memorable talk, sat down to one side; some, having raised their joined palms towards the Blessed One, sat down to one side; some from the presence of the Blessed One having announced their name and clan, sat down to one side; some, silent, sat down to one side. 390. Then the brahmin Brahmāyu heard: “The recluse Gotama, sirs, a Sakyan son, gone forth from the Sakyan clan, has arrived in Mithilā, and dwells in Mithilā, in Maghadeva’s mango grove.” Then the brahmin Brahmāyu, together with many disciples, approached Maghadeva’s mango grove. Then, not far from the mango grove, it occurred to the brahmin Brahmāyu: “It is not fitting for me to approach the recluse Gotama for an audience without having announced myself beforehand.” Then the brahmin Brahmāyu addressed a certain young man: “Come, young man, approach the recluse Gotama; having approached, in my name, ask the recluse Gotama about his health, his freedom from affliction, his lightness of being, his strength, and his comfortable dwelling, saying: ‘The brahmin Brahmāyu, good Gotama, asks about your health, your freedom from affliction, your lightness of being, your strength, and your comfortable dwelling.’ And say this: ‘The brahmin Brahmāyu, good Gotama, is old, aged, advanced in years, come to the end of his life’s journey, one hundred and twenty years old by birth, master of the three Vedas, with their vocabularies and rituals, their phonology and etymology, and as the fifth, their histories; a master of words, a grammarian, proficient in world-lore and the marks of a great man. As far as, good sir, brahmins and householders reside in Mithilā, Brahmāyu is declared to be their foremost brahmin — that is, in wealth; Brahmāyu is declared to be their foremost brahmin — that is, in mantras; Brahmāyu is declared to be their foremost brahmin — that is, in both life and fame. He wishes to see the good Gotama.’” “Yes, good sir,” that young man, having assented to the brahmin Brahmāyu, approached the Blessed One; having approached, he exchanged greetings with the Blessed One. Having concluded the courteous and memorable talk, he stood to one side.