So I have heard. Evaṁ me sutaṁ—At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. At that time in Rājagaha there was a leper called Suppabuddha. Tena kho pana samayena rājagahe suppabuddho nāma kuṭṭhī ahosi—He was a poor person, destitute, and pitiful. manussadaliddo, manussakapaṇo, manussavarāko. Now, at that time the Buddha was teaching Dhamma, surrounded by a large assembly. Tena kho pana samayena bhagavā mahatiyā parisāya parivuto dhammaṁ desento nisinno hoti.

Suppabuddha saw the crowd seated off in the distance Addasā kho suppabuddho kuṭṭhī taṁ mahājanakāyaṁ dūratova sannipatitaṁ. and thought, Disvānassa etadahosi: “Surely some fresh and cooked foods will be distributed there. “nissaṁsayaṁ kho ettha kiñci khādanīyaṁ vā bhojanīyaṁ vā bhājīyati. Why don’t I approach the crowd? Yannūnāhaṁ yena so mahājanakāyo tenupasaṅkameyyaṁ. Hopefully I’ll get something to eat.” Appeva nāmettha kiñci khādanīyaṁ vā bhojanīyaṁ vā labheyyan”ti.

So he approached the crowd Atha kho suppabuddho kuṭṭhī yena so mahājanakāyo tenupasaṅkami. where he saw the Buddha teaching Dhamma, surrounded by a large assembly. Addasā kho suppabuddho kuṭṭhī bhagavantaṁ mahatiyā parisāya parivutaṁ dhammaṁ desentaṁ nisinnaṁ. When he saw this he thought, Disvānassa etadahosi: “There’s no food being distributed here. “na kho ettha kiñci khādanīyaṁ vā bhojanīyaṁ vā bhājīyati. The ascetic Gotama is teaching Dhamma in an assembly. Samaṇo ayaṁ gotamo parisati dhammaṁ deseti. Why don’t I also listen to the teaching?” Yannūnāhampi dhammaṁ suṇeyyan”ti. Right there he sat down to one side, thinking, Tattheva ekamantaṁ nisīdi: “I also will listen to the teaching.” “ahampi dhammaṁ sossāmī”ti.

Then the Buddha focused on encompassing the minds of everyone in the assembly, thinking, Atha kho bhagavā sabbāvantaṁ parisaṁ cetasā ceto paricca manasākāsi “Who here is capable of understanding the teaching?” “ko nu kho idha bhabbo dhammaṁ viññātun”ti? He saw Suppabuddha sitting in the assembly, Addasā kho bhagavā suppabuddhaṁ kuṭṭhiṁ tassaṁ parisāyaṁ nisinnaṁ. and thought, Disvānassa etadahosi: “He is capable of understanding the teaching.” “ayaṁ kho idha bhabbo dhammaṁ viññātun”ti. He gave a step by step talk especially for Suppabuddha Suppabuddhaṁ kuṭṭhiṁ ārabbha anupubbiṁ kathaṁ kathesi, seyyathidaṁ—on giving, ethical conduct, and heaven. He explained the drawbacks of sensual pleasures, so sordid and corrupt, and the benefit of renunciation. dānakathaṁ sīlakathaṁ saggakathaṁ; kāmānaṁ ādīnavaṁ okāraṁ saṅkilesaṁ; nekkhamme ānisaṁsaṁ pakāsesi. When the Buddha knew that Suppabuddha’s mind was ready, supple, without hindrances, elated, and confident, he revealed the teaching unique to the Buddhas: Yadā bhagavā aññāsi suppabuddhaṁ kuṭṭhiṁ kallacittaṁ muducittaṁ vinīvaraṇacittaṁ udaggacittaṁ pasannacittaṁ, atha yā buddhānaṁ sāmukkaṁsikā dhammadesanā taṁ pakāsesi—suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path. dukkhaṁ, samudayaṁ, nirodhaṁ, maggaṁ. Just as a clean cloth rid of stains would properly absorb dye, Seyyathāpi nāma suddhaṁ vatthaṁ apagatakāḷakaṁ sammadeva rajanaṁ paṭiggaṇheyya; in that very seat the stainless, immaculate vision of the Dhamma arose in Suppabuddha: evamevaṁ suppabuddhassa kuṭṭhissa tasmiṁyeva āsane virajaṁ vītamalaṁ dhammacakkhuṁ udapādi: “Everything that has a beginning has an end.” “yaṁ kiñci samudayadhammaṁ sabbaṁ taṁ nirodhadhamman”ti.

Then Suppabuddha saw, attained, understood, and fathomed the Dhamma. He went beyond doubt, got rid of indecision, and became self-assured and independent of others regarding the Teacher’s instructions. He rose from his seat and went to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said: Atha kho suppabuddho kuṭṭhī diṭṭhadhammo pattadhammo viditadhammo pariyogāḷhadhammo tiṇṇavicikiccho vigatakathaṅkatho vesārajjappatto aparappaccayo satthu sāsane uṭṭhāyāsanā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho suppabuddho kuṭṭhī bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

“Excellent, sir! Excellent! “Abhikkantaṁ, bhante, abhikkantaṁ, bhante. As if he were righting the overturned, or revealing the hidden, or pointing out the path to the lost, or lighting a lamp in the dark so people with clear eyes can see what’s there, the Buddha has made the teaching clear in many ways. Seyyathāpi, bhante, nikkujjitaṁ vā ukkujjeyya, paṭicchannaṁ vā vivareyya, mūḷhassa vā maggaṁ ācikkheyya, andhakāre vā telapajjotaṁ dhāreyya: ‘cakkhumanto rūpāni dakkhantī’ti; evamevaṁ bhagavatā anekapariyāyena dhammo pakāsito. I go for refuge to the Buddha, to the teaching, and to the mendicant Saṅgha. Esāhaṁ, bhante, bhagavantaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi dhammañca bhikkhusaṅghañca. From this day forth, may the Buddha remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.” Upāsakaṁ maṁ bhagavā dhāretu ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan”ti.

After Suppabuddha had been educated, encouraged, fired up, and inspired with a Dhamma talk by the Buddha, he got up from his seat, bowed, and respectfully circled the Buddha before leaving. Atha kho suppabuddho kuṭṭhī bhagavatā dhammiyā kathāya sandassito samādapito samuttejito sampahaṁsito bhagavatā bhāsitaṁ abhinanditvā anumoditvā uṭṭhāyāsanā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā pakkāmi. But soon after Suppabuddha had left, a cow with a baby calf charged at him and took his life. Atha kho acirapakkantaṁ suppabuddhaṁ kuṭṭhiṁ gāvī taruṇavacchā adhipatitvā jīvitā voropesi.

Then several mendicants went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said, Atha kho sambahulā bhikkhū yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te bhikkhū bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ: “The leper named Suppabuddha, after being educated, encouraged, fired up, and inspired with a Dhamma talk by the Buddha, has passed away. “yo so, bhante, suppabuddho nāma kuṭṭhī bhagavatā dhammiyā kathāya sandassito samādapito samuttejito sampahaṁsito, so kālaṅkato. Where has he been reborn in his next life?” Tassa kā gati, ko abhisamparāyo”ti?

“Mendicants, Suppabuddha was astute. He practiced in line with the teaching, and did not trouble me about the teachings. “Paṇḍito, bhikkhave, suppabuddho kuṭṭhī; paccapādi dhammassānudhammaṁ; na ca maṁ dhammādhikaraṇaṁ vihesesi. With the ending of three fetters, Suppabuddha is a stream-enterer, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, bound for awakening.” Suppabuddho, bhikkhave, kuṭṭhī tiṇṇaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā sotāpanno avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyaṇo”ti.

When he said this, one of the mendicants said to the Buddha, Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “What is the cause, sir, what is the reason why Suppabuddha became a leper, “ko nu kho, bhante, hetu, ko paccayo yena suppabuddho kuṭṭhī ahosi—a poor person, destitute, and pitiful?” manussadaliddo, manussakapaṇo, manussavarāko”ti?

“Once upon a time, mendicants, Suppabuddha used to be a financier’s son right here in Rājagaha. “Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, suppabuddho kuṭṭhī imasmiṁyeva rājagahe seṭṭhiputto ahosi. On his way to visit a park, he saw Tagarasikhī, an Independent Buddha, entering the city for alms. So uyyānabhūmiṁ niyyanto addasa tagarasikhiṁ paccekabuddhaṁ nagaraṁ piṇḍāya pavisantaṁ. When he saw this he thought, Disvānassa etadahosi: “Who is this leper wandering about with his leper’s robe?” ‘kvāyaṁ kuṭṭhī kuṭṭhicīvarena vicaratī’ti? Before leaving, he spat on the ground and turned his left side to Tagarasikhī. Niṭṭhubhitvā apasabyato karitvā pakkāmi. As a result of that deed he burned in hell for many years, for many hundreds, many thousands, many hundreds of thousands of years. So tassa kammassa vipākena bahūni vassasatāni bahūni vassasahassāni bahūni vassasatasahassāni niraye paccittha. And as a residual result of that same deed, he became a leper right here in Rājagaha, a poor person, destitute and pitiful. Tasseva kammassa vipākāvasesena imasmiṁyeva rājagahe kuṭṭhī ahosi manussadaliddo, manussakapaṇo, manussavarāko. But owing to faith in the teaching and training proclaimed by the Realized One, he undertook ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. So tathāgatappaveditaṁ dhammavinayaṁ āgamma saddhaṁ samādiyi sīlaṁ samādiyi sutaṁ samādiyi cāgaṁ samādiyi paññaṁ samādiyi. After undertaking these things, when his body broke up, after death, he was reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm, in the company of the gods of the thirty-three. So tathāgatappaveditaṁ dhammavinayaṁ āgamma saddhaṁ samādiyitvā sīlaṁ samādiyitvā sutaṁ samādiyitvā cāgaṁ samādiyitvā paññaṁ samādiyitvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapanno devānaṁ tāvatiṁsānaṁ sahabyataṁ. There he outshines the other gods in beauty and glory.” So tattha aññe deve atirocati vaṇṇena ceva yasasā cā”ti.

Then, understanding this matter, on that occasion the Buddha expressed this heartfelt sentiment: Atha kho bhagavā etamatthaṁ viditvā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:

“As a clear-eyed man would avoid rough paths, “Cakkhumā visamānīva, so long as strength is found; vijjamāne parakkame; an astute person in the living world, Paṇḍito jīvalokasmiṁ, would shun bad deeds.” pāpāni parivajjaye”ti.

Tatiyaṁ.