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Avoid the sign, the beautiful, associated with lust; Develop your mind on the unpleasant, one-pointed and well-composed. (Saṃ. Ni. 1.212; Thag. 1233-1234); “See formations as alien, as suffering, and not as self; Extinguish the great lust, do not burn again and again.” (Saṃ. Ni. 1.212); The Venerable Vaṅgīsa, having dispelled lust, went on his alms-round. Moreover, a bhikkhu who perfects sense-restraint should be like the Venerable Cittagutta, who resided in Kuraṇḍakamahāleṇa, and like the Venerable Mahāmitta, who resided in Corakamahāvihāra. It is said that in Kuraṇḍakamahāleṇa, the mind-painting of the seven Buddhas’ renunciation was delightful; many bhikkhus, wandering on their alms-round, Seeing the painting, they said, "Venerable sir, the painting is delightful!" The Elder said, "Friends, I have lived in this cave for over sixty years, and I did not even know there was a painting. Only today, thanks to those with eyes, have I come to know it." Indeed, the Elder, though living there for such a long time, had never opened his eyes and looked at the cave. And at the cave entrance there was a great ironwood tree. That too had never been looked up at by the Elder. Year after year, only by seeing the fallen stamens on the ground did he know it had flowered. The king, hearing of the Elder's virtues, wishing to pay homage, sent messengers three times. When the Elder did not come, he had the breasts of women with young children in that village bound and sealed, saying, "Let the children not receive milk until the Elder comes!" The Elder, out of compassion for the children, went to the great village. The king, hearing this, said, "Go, sirs, bring the Elder in! I will undertake the precepts." He had him brought to the inner palace, paid homage, and offered food. Then he said, "Today, Venerable sir, there is no opportunity. Tomorrow I will undertake the precepts." Taking the Elder's bowl, he followed him a short distance, paid homage with the queen, and returned. Whether the king paid homage or the queen, the Elder would say, "May you be happy, great king!" Thus, seven days passed. The monks asked, "Venerable sir, when the king pays homage, and when the queen pays homage, why do you always say, 'May you be happy, great king!'?" The Elder, saying, "Friends, I do not make a distinction between 'king' or 'queen'," after seven days, was dismissed by the king, who said, "The Elder's stay here is difficult." He went to the great Kuraṇḍaka cave and in the night, he ascended the walking path. The deity dwelling in the ironwood tree stood holding a torch. Then his meditation subject became exceedingly pure and manifest. The Elder, delighted, thinking, "Why is my meditation subject so exceedingly clear today?" immediately after the middle watch of the night, attaining Arahantship, he made the entire mountain resound. Therefore, others too, who seek their own good... Thus, a good son – Like a monkey in the forest, Like a deer bewildered in the woods; And like a fool terrified, He should not have restless eyes. He should cast down his eyes, Seeing only a yoke's length. For the mind restless like a forest monkey, He should not fall under its sway. Even to the mother of Elder Mahāmitta, a poisonous boil disease arose. Her daughter had also gone forth among the bhikkhunīs. She said to her – ‘‘Go, venerable one, go to my brother, inform him of my unwell state, and bring medicine.’" She went and informed him. The Elder said – ‘‘I do not know how to gather roots and other medicines to prepare medicine, but I will tell you a medicine – ‘‘Since I went forth, from that time onwards, never have I, with a mind accompanied by greed, broken my sense faculties and looked at an unsuitable form. By this word of truth, may my mother be well. Go, say this, and stroke the laywoman’s body.’" She went, informed her of this matter, and did so. Immediately, the laywoman’s boil melted away like a lump of foam and disappeared. She rose up and said, ‘‘If the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One were alive, why would he not, with his net-patterned hand, stroke the head of a bhikkhu like my son?’" She uttered words of joy. Therefore – Other sons of noble family too, Having gone forth in the Dispensation; Should stand firm like Elder Mitta, In excellent sense-restraint. Just as sense-restraint is by mindfulness, so too, purity of livelihood should be achieved by energy. For it is accomplished by energy, because for one who has rightly aroused energy, the abandonment of wrong livelihood is possible. Therefore, abandoning improper and unsuitable seeking, by energy, through the practice of alms-round and so on, this should be achieved by right seeking, by using only requisites of pure acquisition, avoiding those of impure acquisition as if they were poisonous snakes. Here, for one who has not undertaken the ascetic practices, from the Sangha, from a group, and from laypeople who are pleased by his virtues such as teaching Dhamma, requisites obtained are called 'of pure acquisition'. But by the practice of alms-round and so on, they are extremely pure... from pure acquisition. For one who has undertaken the ascetic practices, the pure acquisition is that which arises from those who are pleased with his ascetic qualities, such as his alms-round practice, in accordance with the rules of the ascetic practices. When medicines like putrid myrobalan or the four sweet things are acquired for the alleviation of a single illness, and he thinks, "Others among my fellow monks will also partake of the four sweet things," and consumes only a piece of myrobalan, his undertaking of the ascetic practice is proper. Indeed, such a monk is called "a monk of the supreme noble lineage." As for the requisites such as robes, for any monk who purifies his livelihood, hints, suggestions, indirect speech, and requests are not permissible concerning robes and alms-food. However, concerning lodgings, for one who has not undertaken the ascetic practices, hints, suggestions, and indirect speech are permissible. Therein, a hint means: when laypeople ask, "What is being done, venerable sir? Who is having it done?" while he is doing ground-clearing work for a lodging, he replies, "No one," or any other such hinting action. A suggestion means: "Lay followers, where do you live?" "In a palace, venerable sir." "But, lay followers, a palace is not suitable for monks," or any other such suggesting action. Indirect speech means: "The community of monks is cramped for lodging," or any other such indirect talk. For medicine, everything is permissible. However, when medicine is acquired in this way, is it permissible to consume it after the illness has subsided, or not? Therein, the Vinaya experts say: "The Buddha has given permission, therefore it is permissible." But the Suttanta experts say: "Although there is no offense, it corrupts one's livelihood, therefore it is not permissible." But he who, even though the Buddha has permitted hints, suggestions, indirect speech, and requests, does not engage in them, relying solely on qualities such as fewness of wishes, and even when the end of his life is imminent, consumes requisites that have arisen without hints and so forth, he is called "one of supreme austerity," just like the Elder Sāriputta. So, k The Venerable Sāriputta, at one time, desiring solitude, dwelt in a certain forest with the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna. One day, he was afflicted by a stomach ailment, which caused him great pain. The Venerable Mahāmoggallāna, in the evening, went to attend upon the Venerable Sāriputta. Seeing the elder lying down, he inquired about his condition and asked, "Friend, what used to relieve you in the past?" The elder replied, "When I was a layman, friend, my mother would prepare for me a milk-rice porridge, mixed with ghee, honey, sugar, and so on, but with unmixed milk. That used to relieve me." The Venerable Mahāmoggallāna said, "Very well, friend. If there is any merit in me or in you, perhaps we shall obtain it tomorrow." A deity dwelling in a tree at the edge of their walking path overheard their conversation. Thinking, "Tomorrow I will provide the elder with porridge," she immediately went to the elder's lay supporter's family, entered the body of the eldest son, and caused him pain. When his relatives gathered to seek a cure, she said, "If you prepare for the elder a porridge of that kind tomorrow, I will release him." They replied, "Even without your saying so, we regularly offer alms to the elders." And on the second day, they prepared such a porridge. The Venerable Mahāmoggallāna arrived early in the morning and said, "Friend, stay here until I have gone for alms and returned." Then he entered the village. The people came out to meet him, took his bowl, filled it with the aforementioned porridge, and gave it to him. The elder made a gesture to leave. They said, "Bhante, please eat. We will give you more." They fed the elder and then gave him another bowlful. The elder went and said, "Here, friend Sāriputta, please partake." The elder Sāriputta, seeing it, thought, "This porridge is very pleasing. How did it come about?" Perceiving the origin of it, he said, "Friend Moggallāna, this alms-food is not fit to be consumed." The Venerable Mahāmoggallāna replied, "Alms-food brought by one like me is not to be rejected." without even thinking, "I will eat," he took the bowl with one hand and overturned it to one side at the mouth of the earth. With the gruel's settling on the ground, the elder's ailment disappeared; from that time on, for forty-five years, it did not arise again. Then he said to Mahāmoggallāna: "Friend, gruel produced by means of a verbal communication, even if it comes out of the intestines and moves about on the ground, is not fit to be consumed by those who wander." And he uttered this inspired utterance: "If I had eaten the honey-gruel produced by the expansion of verbal communication,