The Story of a Certain Bhikkhu

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (405) of this book, with reference to a certain bhikkhu.

Once, a bhikkhu after taking a subject of meditation from the Buddha went to a forest to practise meditation. After he had attained arahatship he came back to the Buddha to offer his deep and profound gratitude to the Buddha. On his way, he passed through a village. Just as he was going through the village, a woman having quarreled with her husband came out of her house and followed the bhikkhu. The husband coming after his wife, seeing her behind the bhikkhu, thought that the bhikkhu was taking his wife away. So he shouted at the bhikkhu and threatened to beat him. His wife entreated him not to beat the bhikkhu, but that made him more furious. As a result, the thera was beaten black and blue by the husband. After beating the bhikkhu to his heart's content, he took away his wife along with him and the bhikkhu continued on his way.

On arrival at the Jetavana monastery, other bhikkhus saw the bruises over the whole body of the bhikkhu and they attended to his bruises. When they asked him if he did not get angry with the man who had beaten him so sorely, he answered in the negative. So the other bhikkhus went to the Buddha and reported that the bhikkhu had falsely claimed to have attained arahatship. To them the Buddha replied, "Bhikkhus! Arahats have laid aside the stick and the sword. They do not get angry even if they are beaten." Thus, the Buddha confirmed that the bhikkhu had, indeed, become an arahat.

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:

Verse 405: Him I call a brahmana, who has laid aside the use of force towards all beings, the perturbed as well as the unperturbed (i.e., arahats), and who does not kill or cause others to kill.