The Panther (Male)

‘Venerable Nāgasena, those two qualities of the panther which you say he ought to take, which are they?’
‘Just, O king, as the panther, lying in ambush in wild places, behind a thicket of long grass or brushwood, or among the rocks, catches the deer; so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, resort to solitary places in the woods, at the foot of a tree, on mountain heights, in caves and grottoes, in cemeteries, in forests, under the open sky, on beds of straw, in quiet, noiseless spots, free from strong winds, and hid from the haunts of men. For the strenuous Bhikshu, O king, earnest in effort, who frequents such solitudes, will soon become master of the six forms of transcendent insight. This, O king, is the first of the qualities of the panther he ought to have. For it was said, O king, by the Elders who collected the scriptures:

“As the panther by lying in ambush catches the deer,
So the sons of the Buddha, with insight and earnestness armed,
By resorting to solitudes gain that Fruit which is best.”

‘And again, O king, as the panther, whatever may be the beast he has killed, will never eat it if it has fallen on the left side; just so, O king, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, not partake of any food that has been procured by gifts of bamboos, or palms’ leaves, or flowers, or fruits, or baths, or chunam, or tooth-sticks, or water for washing; or by flattery, or by gaining the laity over by sugared words (literally by pea-soup-talk), suppressing the truth and suggesting the false, or by petting their children, or by taking messages as he walks from house to house, or by doctoring them, or by acting as a go-between, or as a messenger on matters of business or ceremony, or by exchanging with them things he has received as alms, or by giving back again to them as bribes robes or food once given to him, or by giving them hints as to lucky sites, or lucky days, or lucky signs (on their children’s bodies at birth), or by any other of those wrong modes of obtaining a livelihood that have been condemned by the Buddha —no food so procured should he eat, as the panther will not eat any prey that has fallen on its left side. This is the second of the qualities of the panther he ought to have. For it was said, O king, by Sāriputta, the Elder, the Commander of the Faith:

“This food, so sweet, has been procured
Through intimation given by speech.
Were I, then, to partake thereof,
My mode of livelihood would be blamed.
Now though by hunger dire oppressed
My stomach seem to rise, to go,
Ne’er will I break my rule of life,
Not though my life I sacrifice.”’