Dhammapada Verse 110
Samkiccasamanera Vatthu
Vo ca vassasatam jive
dussilo asamahito
ekaham jivitam seyyo
silavantassa jhayino.
Verse 110: Better than a hundred years in the life of an immoral person who
has no control over his senses, is a day in the life of a virtuous person who
cultivates Tranquillity and Insight Development Practice.
The Story of Samanera Samkicca
While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (110) of
this book, with reference to Samanera Samkicca.
On one occasion, thirty bhikkhus each took a subject of meditation from the
Buddha and left for a large village, one hundred and twenty yojanas away from
Savatthi. At that time, five hundred robbers were staying in a thick jungle, and
they wanted to make an offering of human flesh and blood to the guardian spirits
of the forest. So they came to the village monastery and demanded that one of
the bhikkhus be given up to them for sacrifice to the guardian spirits. From the
eldest to the youngest, each one of the bhikkhus volunteered to go. With the
bhikkhus, there was also a young samanera by the name of Samkicca, who was sent
along with them by Thera Sariputta. This samanera was only seven years old, but
had already attained arahatship. Samkicca said that Thera Sariputta, his
teacher, knowing this danger in advance, had purposely sent him to accompany the
bhikkhus, and that he should be the one to go with the robbers. So saying, he
went along with the robbers. The bhikkhus felt very bad for having let the young
samanera go. The robbers made preparations for the sacrifice; when everything
was ready, their leader came to the samanera, who was then seated, with his mind
fixed on jhana concentration. The leader of the robbers lifted his sword
and struck hard at the young samanera, but the blade of the sword curled up
without cutting the flesh. He straightened up the blade and struck again; this
time, it bent upwards right up to the hilt without harming the samanera. Seeing
this strange happening, the leader of the robbers dropped his sword, knelt at
the feet of the samanera and asked his pardon. All the five hundred robbers were
amazed and terror-stricken; they repented and asked permission from Samkicca to
become bhikkhus. He complied with their request.
The young samanera accompanied by five hundred new bhikkhus returned to the
village monastery and the thirty bhikkhus felt very much relieved and happy on
seeing him. Then Samkicca and the five hundred bhikkhus continued on their way
to pay respect to Thera Sariputta, his teacher, at the Jetavana monastery. After
seeing Thera Sariputta they went to pay homage to the Buddha. When told what had
happened, the Buddha said, "Bhikkhus, if you rob or steal and commit all
sorts of evil deeds, your life would be useless, even if you were to live a
hundred years. Living a virtuous life even for a single day is much better than
a hundred years of a life of depravity.
Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
| Verse 110: Better than a hundred years in the life of
an immoral person who has no control over his senses, is a day in the
life of a virtuous person who cultivates Tranquillity and Insight
Development Practice.
|
At the end of the discourse, the five hundred bhikkhus attained arahatship.