A Cat Biḷārasutta

At Sāvatthī. Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati.

Now at that time a certain mendicant socialized with families too often. Tena kho pana samayena aññataro bhikkhu ativelaṁ kulesu cārittaṁ āpajjati.

The mendicants said to him, Tamenaṁ bhikkhū evamāhaṁsu: “Venerable, don’t socialize with families too often.” “māyasmā ativelaṁ kulesu cārittaṁ āpajjī”ti.

But that mendicant, when spoken to by the mendicants, did not stop. So bhikkhu bhikkhūhi vuccamāno na viramati.

And then several mendicants went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and told him what had happened. The Buddha said: Atha kho sambahulā bhikkhū yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te bhikkhū bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ: “idha, bhante, aññataro bhikkhu ativelaṁ kulesu cārittaṁ āpajjati. Tamenaṁ bhikkhū evamāhaṁsu: ‘māyasmā ativelaṁ kulesu cārittaṁ āpajjī’ti. So bhikkhu bhikkhūhi vuccamāno na viramatī”ti.

“Once upon a time, mendicants, a cat was standing by an alley or a drain or a dustbin hunting a little mouse, thinking, “Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, biḷāro sandhisamalasaṅkaṭīre ṭhito ahosi mudumūsiṁ maggayamāno: ‘When that little mouse comes out to feed, I’ll catch it right there and eat it!’ ‘yadāyaṁ mudumūsi gocarāya pakkamissati, tattheva naṁ gahetvā khādissāmī’ti. And then that little mouse came out to feed. Atha kho so, bhikkhave, mudumūsi gocarāya pakkāmi. The cat caught it and hastily swallowed it without chewing. Tamenaṁ biḷāro gahetvā sahasā saṅkhāditvā ajjhohari. But that little mouse ate its intestines and mesentery, Tassa so mudumūsi antampi khādi, antaguṇampi khādi. resulting in death and deadly pain. So tatonidānaṁ maraṇampi nigacchi maraṇamattampi dukkhaṁ.

In the same way, take a certain monk who robes up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, enters the village or town for alms without guarding body, speech, and mind, without establishing mindfulness, and without restraining the sense faculties. Evameva kho, bhikkhave, idhekacco bhikkhu pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya gāmaṁ vā nigamaṁ vā piṇḍāya pavisati arakkhiteneva kāyena arakkhitāya vācāya arakkhitena cittena, anupaṭṭhitāya satiyā, asaṁvutehi indriyehi. There he sees a lady scantily clad, with revealing clothes. So tattha passati mātugāmaṁ dunnivatthaṁ vā duppārutaṁ vā. Lust infects his mind, Tassa mātugāmaṁ disvā dunnivatthaṁ vā duppārutaṁ vā rāgo cittaṁ anuddhaṁseti. resulting in death or deadly pain. So rāgānuddhaṁsena cittena maraṇaṁ vā nigacchati maraṇamattaṁ vā dukkhaṁ.

For it is death in the training of the Noble One to disavow the training and return to a lesser life. Maraṇañhetaṁ, bhikkhave, ariyassa vinaye yo sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati. And it is deadly pain to commit one of the corrupt offenses Maraṇamattañhetaṁ, bhikkhave, dukkhaṁ yadidaṁ aññataraṁ saṅkiliṭṭhaṁ āpattiṁ āpajjati. for which rehabilitation is possible. Yathārūpāya āpattiyā vuṭṭhānaṁ paññāyati.

So you should train like this: Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, evaṁ sikkhitabbaṁ: ‘We will enter the village or town for alms guarding body, speech, and mind, establishing mindfulness, and restraining the sense faculties.’ ‘rakkhiteneva kāyena rakkhitāya vācāya rakkhitena cittena, upaṭṭhitāya satiyā, saṁvutehi indriyehi gāmaṁ vā nigamaṁ vā piṇḍāya pavisissāmā’ti. That’s how you should train.” Evañhi vo, bhikkhave, sikkhitabban”ti.