AdviceOvādasutta

Near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove.Rājagahe veḷuvane. Then Venerable Mahākassapa went up to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said to him:Atha kho āyasmā mahākassapo yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho āyasmantaṁ mahākassapaṁ bhagavā etadavoca:

“Kassapa, advise the mendicants!“ovada, kassapa, bhikkhū; Give them a Dhamma talk!karohi, kassapa, bhikkhūnaṁ dhammiṁ kathaṁ. Either you or I should advise the mendicantsAhaṁ vā, kassapa, bhikkhū ovadeyyaṁ tvaṁ vā; and give them a Dhamma talk.”ahaṁ vā bhikkhūnaṁ dhammiṁ kathaṁ kareyyaṁ tvaṁ vā”ti.

“Sir, the mendicants these days are hard to admonish, having qualities that make them hard to admonish. They’re impatient, and don’t take instruction respectfully.“Dubbacā kho, bhante, etarahi bhikkhū, dovacassakaraṇehi dhammehi samannāgatā, akkhamā, appadakkhiṇaggāhino anusāsaniṁ.

Take the monk named Bhaṇḍa, Ānanda’s protégé. He’s been competing in studies with the monk named Abhiñjika, Anuruddha’s protégé. They say:Idhāhaṁ, bhante, addasaṁ bhaṇḍañca nāma bhikkhuṁ ānandassa saddhivihāriṁ abhijikañca nāma bhikkhuṁ anuruddhassa saddhivihāriṁ aññamaññaṁ sutena accāvadante: ‘Come on, monk, who can speak more? Who can speak better? Who can speak longer?’”‘ehi, bhikkhu, ko bahutaraṁ bhāsissati, ko sundarataraṁ bhāsissati, ko cirataraṁ bhāsissatī’”ti.

So the Buddha addressed one of the monks,Atha kho bhagavā aññataraṁ bhikkhuṁ āmantesi: “Please, monk, in my name tell the monk named Bhaṇḍa, Ānanda’s protégé, and the monk named Abhiñjika, Anuruddha’s protégé that“ehi tvaṁ, bhikkhu, mama vacanena bhaṇḍañca bhikkhuṁ ānandassa saddhivihāriṁ abhijikañca bhikkhuṁ anuruddhassa saddhivihāriṁ āmantehi: the Teacher summons them.”‘satthā āyasmante āmantetī’”ti.

“Yes, sir,” that monk replied. He went to those monks and said,“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho so bhikkhu bhagavato paṭissutvā yena te bhikkhū tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā te bhikkhū etadavoca: “Venerables, the Teacher summons you.”“satthā āyasmante āmantetī”ti.

“Yes, reverend,” those monks replied. They went to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said to them:“Evamāvuso”ti kho te bhikkhū tassa bhikkhuno paṭissutvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinne kho te bhikkhū bhagavā etadavoca:

“Is it really true, monks, that you’ve been competing in studies, saying:“saccaṁ kira tumhe, bhikkhave, aññamaññaṁ sutena accāvadatha: ‘Come on, monk, who can speak more? Who can speak better? Who can speak longer?’”‘ehi, bhikkhu, ko bahutaraṁ bhāsissati, ko sundarataraṁ bhāsissati, ko cirataraṁ bhāsissatī’”ti?

“Yes, sir.”“Evaṁ, bhante”.

“Have you ever known me to teach the Dhamma like this:“Kiṁ nu kho me tumhe, bhikkhave, evaṁ dhammaṁ desitaṁ ājānātha: ‘Please mendicants, compete in studies to‘etha tumhe, bhikkhave, aññamaññaṁ sutena accāvadatha— see who can recite more and better and longer’?”ehi, bhikkhu, ko bahutaraṁ bhāsissati, ko sundarataraṁ bhāsissati, ko cirataraṁ bhāsissatī’”ti?

“No, sir.”“No hetaṁ, bhante”.

“If you’ve never known me to teach the Dhamma like this, what then do you know and see, you futile men, that after going forth in such a well explained teaching and training you’d compete in studies to“No ce kira me tumhe, bhikkhave, evaṁ dhammaṁ desitaṁ ājānātha, atha kiñcarahi tumhe, moghapurisā, kiṁ jānantā kiṁ passantā evaṁ svākkhāte dhammavinaye pabbajitā samānā aññamaññaṁ sutena accāvadatha: see who can speak more and better and longer?”‘ehi, bhikkhu, ko bahutaraṁ bhāsissati, ko sundarataraṁ bhāsissati, ko cirataraṁ bhāsissatī’”ti.

Then those monks bowed with their heads to the Buddha’s feet and said,Atha kho te bhikkhū bhagavato pādesu sirasā nipatitvā bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ: “We made a mistake, sir. It was foolish, stupid, and unskillful of us in that after going forth in such a well explained teaching and training we competed in studies to“accayo no, bhante, accagamā, yathābāle yathāmūḷhe yathāakusale, ye mayaṁ evaṁ svākkhāte dhammavinaye pabbajitā samānā aññamaññaṁ sutena accāvadimha: see who can speak more and better and longer.‘ehi, bhikkhu, ko bahutaraṁ bhāsissati, ko sundarataraṁ bhāsissati, ko cirataraṁ bhāsissatī’ti. Please, sir, accept our mistake for what it is, so we will restrain ourselves in future.”Tesaṁ no, bhante, bhagavā accayaṁ accayato paṭiggaṇhātu āyatiṁ saṁvarāyā”ti.

“Indeed, monks, you made a mistake. It was foolish, stupid, and unskillful of you to act in that way.“Taggha tumhe, bhikkhave, accayo accagamā yathābāle yathāmūḷhe yathāakusale, ye tumhe evaṁ svākkhāte dhammavinaye pabbajitā samānā aññamaññaṁ sutena accāvadittha: But since you have recognized your mistake for what it is, and have dealt with it properly, I accept it.Yato ca kho tumhe, bhikkhave, accayaṁ accayato disvā yathādhammaṁ paṭikarotha, taṁ vo mayaṁ paṭiggaṇhāma. For it is growth in the training of the Noble One to recognize a mistake for what it is, deal with it properly, and commit to restraint in the future.”Vuddhi hesā, bhikkhave, ariyassa vinaye yo accayaṁ accayato disvā yathādhammaṁ paṭikaroti āyatiñca saṁvaraṁ āpajjatī”ti.