Dhammapada Verse 382
Sumanasamanera Vatthu
Yo have daharo bhikkhu
yunjati buddhasasane
so' mam lokam pabhaseti
abbha muttova candima.
Verse 382: A bhikkhu who, though young,
devotes himself to the Teaching of the Buddha lights up the world, as does the
moon freed from a cloud.
The Story of Samanera Sumana
While residing at the Pubbarama
monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (382) of this book, with reference to
Samanera Sumana.
Samanera Sumana was a pupil of
Thera Anuruddha. Although he was only seven years old he was an arahat, endowed
with supernormal powers. Once, when his teacher Anuruddha was ill at a monastery
in a forest of the Himalayas, he fetched water from the Anotatta lake which was
five hundred yojanas away from the monastery. The journey was made not by land
but by air through his supernormal power. Later, Thera Anuruddha took Samanera
Sumana to the Buddha, who was then sojourning at Pubbarama, the monastery
donated by Visakha.
There, other young bhikkhus and
samaneras teased him by patting his head, or pulling his ears, nose and arms,
and jokingly asked him if he was not feeling bored. The Buddha saw them and
thought that he would make those young bhikkhus see the rare qualities of young
Samanera Sumana. So it was made known by the Buddha that he wanted some samanera
to get a jar of water from the Anotatta lake. The Venerable Ananda searched
among the bhikkhus and samaneras of the Pubbarama monastery, but there was none
who was able to undertake the job. Finally, the Venerable Ananda asked Samanera
Sumana who readily agreed to fetch water from the Anotatta lake. He took a big
golden jar front the monastery and soon brought the water from the Anotatta lake
for the Buddha. As before, he went to the Anotatta lake and came back by air
through his supernormal power.
At the congregation of the
bhikkhus in the evening, the bhikkhus told the Buddha about the wonderful trip
made by Samanera Sumana. To them the Buddha said, "Bhikkhus, one who
practises the Dhamma vigilantly and zealously is capable of attaining
supernormal powers, even though he is young."
Then the Buddha spoke in verse as
follows:
| Verse 382: A bhikkhu
who, though young, devotes himself to the Teaching of the Buddha
lights up the world, as does the moon freed from a cloud. |
End of Chapter Twenty-five: The Bhikkhus