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. Now at that time Venerable Pilindavaccha addressed the mendicants as “lowlifes”. Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā pilindavaccho bhikkhū vasalavādena samudācarati. Then several mendicants went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him, Atha kho sambahulā bhikkhū yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te bhikkhū bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ: “Sir, Venerable Pilindavaccha addresses the mendicants as ‘lowlifes’.” “āyasmā, bhante, pilindavaccho bhikkhū vasalavādena samudācaratī”ti.

So the Buddha addressed one of the monks, Atha kho bhagavā aññataraṁ bhikkhuṁ āmantesi: “Please, monk, in my name tell the mendicant Pilindavaccha that “ehi tvaṁ, bhikkhu, mama vacanena pilindavacchaṁ bhikkhuṁ āmantehi: the Teacher summons him.” ‘satthā taṁ, āvuso pilindavaccha, āmantetī’”ti. “Yes, sir,” that monk replied. He went to Pilindavaccha and said to him, “Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho so bhikkhu bhagavato paṭissutvā yenāyasmā pilindavaccho tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ pilindavacchaṁ etadavoca: “Reverend Pilindavaccha, the teacher summons you.” “satthā taṁ, āvuso pilindavaccha, āmantetī”ti.

“Yes, reverend,” Pilindavaccha replied. He went to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said to him: “Evamāvuso”ti kho āyasmā pilindavaccho tassa bhikkhuno paṭissutvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho āyasmantaṁ pilindavacchaṁ bhagavā etadavoca: “Is it really true, Vaccha, that you addressed the mendicants as ‘lowlifes’?” “saccaṁ kira tvaṁ, vaccha, bhikkhū vasalavādena samudācarasī”ti? “Yes, sir,” he replied. “Evaṁ, bhante”ti.

Then, having applied his mind to Pilindavaccha’s past lives, the Buddha said to the mendicants, Atha kho bhagavā āyasmato pilindavacchassa pubbenivāsaṁ manasi karitvā bhikkhū āmantesi: “Mendicants, don’t complain about the mendicant Vaccha. “mā kho tumhe, bhikkhave, vacchassa bhikkhuno ujjhāyittha. He doesn’t address the mendicants as ‘lowlifes’ out of hate. Na, bhikkhave, vaccho dosantaro bhikkhū vasalavādena samudācarati. For five hundred lives without interruption he was reborn in a brahmin family. Vacchassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno pañca jātisatāni abbokiṇṇāni brāhmaṇakule paccājātāni. For a long time, he has addressed people as ‘lowlife’. So tassa vasalavādo dīgharattaṁ samudāciṇṇo. That’s why he addresses the mendicants as ‘lowlifes’.” Tenāyaṁ vaccho bhikkhū vasalavādena samudācaratī”ti.

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

“In whom dwells no deceit or conceit, “Yamhi na māyā vasatī na māno, rid of greed, unselfish, with no need for hope, Yo vītalobho amamo nirāso; with anger cast aside, quenched: Paṇunnakodho abhinibbutatto, they are a brahmin, an ascetic, a mendicant.” So brāhmaṇo so samaṇo sa bhikkhū”ti.