The story of the minister young in faith

^Kd.6.25.1 The people heard: “It is said that conjey is allowed by the Lord and honey-lumps.” These prepared eating-conjey^[1] and honey-lumps early in the morning. The monks, (each) satisfied^[2] in the early morning with eating-conjey and a ^BD.4.303 honey-lump, did not eat as much as expected in the refectory. Now at that time a certain chief minister, young in faith came to have invited the Order of monks with the awakened one at its head for the morrow. Then it occurred to that chief minister, young in faith: “Suppose I were to prepare twelve hundred and fifty bowls of meat for the twelve hundred and fifty monks, and should take one bowl of meat up to each monk?”

^Kd.6.25.2 Then that chief minister, young in faith, towards the end of that night, having had sumptuous solid food, soft food, prepared and twelve hundred and fifty bowls of meat, had the time announced to the Lord, saying: “Lord, it is time, the meal is ready.” Then the Lord, having dressed in the morning, taking his bowl and robe, approached the dwelling of that great minister, young in the faith; having approached, he sat down on the appointed seat together with the Order of monks.

^Kd.6.25.3 Then that chief minister, young in faith, attended on the monks in the refectory. The monks spoke thus: “Give a little,^[3] sir, give a little, sir.” (He said)” Do not you, honoured sirs, accept so very little thinking: ‘This chief minister is young in faith.’ Much solid food, soft food, and twelve hundred and fifty bowls of meat have been prepared by me, thinking: ‘I will take one bowl of meat up to each monk’. Accept, honoured sirs, as much as you want.”

“Sir, it is not for this reason that we are accepting so very little, but we were (each) satisfied in the early morning with eating-conjey and a honey-lump; that is why we are accepting so very little.”

^Kd.6.25.4 Then that chief minister, young in faith, looked down upon, criticised, spread it about, saying: “How can these revered sirs make use of someone else’s^[4] eating-conjey? It is not that I am not competent to give as much as they want”^[5] and angry, displeased, longing to insult the monks, he went round filling their bowls and saying: “Eat it or take it away”. Then that chief minister, young in faith, having ^Vin.1.223 with his own hand ^BD.4.304 served and satisfied the Order of monks with the awakened one at its head with sumptuous foods, solid and soft, sat down at a respectful distance when the Lord had eaten and had withdrawn his hand from the bowl. As this chief minister, young in faith, was sitting down at a respectful distance, the Lord, having gladdened, rejoiced, roused, delighted him with talk on dhamma, rising from his seat, departed.

^Kd.6.25.5 But soon after the Lord had departed, that chief minister, young in faith, became remorseful and conscience-stricken and thought: “For me it is unprofitable, for me it is not profitable, for me it is ill-gotten, for me it is not well-gotten, that I, angry, displeased, longing to insult the monks, went round filling their bowls and saying: ‘Eat it or take it away’. Now, is much merit produced for me or demerit?”

Then that chief minister, young in faith, approached the Lord; having approached, having greeted the Lord, he sat down at a respectful distance. As he was sitting down at a respectful distance, that chief minister, young in faith, spoke thus to the Lord:

“Now I, Lord, soon after the Lord had departed, became remorseful and conscience-stricken, thinking: ‘For me it is unprofitable … Now, Lord, is much merit produced for me or demerit?”

^Kd.6.25.6 “From the time when, sir, the Order of monks with the awakened one at its head was invited by you for the morrow much merit was produced for you; from the time when one of your lumps of boiled rice^[6] was accepted by each monk much merit was produced for you. Heaven worlds are assured for you.”

Then that chief minister, young in faith, thinking: “It is said that it was profitable for me, it is said that it was well-gotten by me, it is said that much merit was produced for me, it is said that heaven worlds are assured for me,” joyful, elated, rising up from his seat, having greeted the Lord, departed keeping his right side towards him.

^Kd.6.25.7 Then the Lord, on this occasion, in this connection, having had the Order of monks convened, questioned the monks, saying: “Is it true, as is said, monks, that monks, (although) ^BD.4.305 invited elsewhere,^[7] made use of someone else’s eating-conjey?”

“It is true, Lord.”

The awakened one, the Lord rebuked them, saying:

“How, monks, can these foolish men, invited elsewhere, make use of someone else’s eating-conjey? It is not, monks, for pleasing those who are not (yet) pleased …” And having rebuked them, having given reasoned talk, he addressed the monks, saying: ^Vin.1.224

“Monks, if one is invited elsewhere, someone else’s eating-conjey should not be made use of. Whoever should (so) make use of it should be dealt with according to the rule.”^[8]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

bhojjayāgu, apparently as opposed to the more ordinary, and presumably more liquid, conjey which was drunk. Bhojja therefore here must be meant to stand for stiff, set, firm.

[2]:

dhātā, in the sense of having eaten their fill, rather than in the sense of having been offered, and therefore satisfied, as is the meaning conveyed by pavārita.

[3]:

Cf. Vin.3.66, Vin.4.76, Vin.4.81.

[4]:

Here aññasa, not aññatra, “elsewhere”, as in the cases cited in the previous note.

[5]:

Reading here na cāham na paiṭbalo; see BD.2.317, n.2.

[6]:

sittha, instead of, as before, maṃsapāti. Cf. sitthāni at Vin.2.165 and sa-sittha-ka at Vin.2.214, and sitthāvakāraka at Vin.2.214, Vin.4.196.

[7]:

aññatra here.

[8]:

Vin-a.1095 says “he should be dealt with for the offence of paraṃparabhojana,” an out-of-turn meal, i.e. not taking the invitations in the order in which they were issued; made an offence in Bu-Pc.33. See BD.2.317, n.3.