Ud 2.5 — A Lay Follower | Ru-Yi Meditation Center

Reading guide

A visit finally made

The setup here is entirely ordinary and warmly human: a lay follower from the town of Icchānaṅgalaka arrives in Sāvatthī “on some business,” and once that business is done, he takes the opportunity to visit the Buddha. The Buddha’s opening remark isn’t a teaching at all — it’s almost a friendly observation, mild but pointed: “It’s been a long time, lay follower, since you took the opportunity to come here.” The follower doesn’t argue or make excuses; he simply explains himself. He has wanted to come for a long time, but couldn’t, “being prevented by my many duties and responsibilities.”

Business as the obstacle

The heartfelt saying. “One who has nothing is happy indeed, a learned person who has appraised the teaching. See how troubled are those with attachments, a person bound tight to people.”

The saying doesn’t criticize the lay follower for his delay, and it doesn’t ask him to abandon his responsibilities. What it does is name, in general terms, exactly the dynamic that has just played out in miniature: a person “bound tight to people” (janasmiṅ paṭibandharūpo) — obligations, relationships, business — is kept from what actually matters by the very things they’re entangled with, while “one who has nothing” (akiñcana), unencumbered, is free to simply come.

Not a call to abandon everything

It’s worth being careful with “one who has nothing.” In context, it doesn’t describe someone destitute; it names a person who has let go of clinging, paired here with “learned” and “who has appraised the teaching” — someone whose freedom from entanglement comes from understanding, not simply from lacking possessions. The verse isn’t advising the lay follower to give up his business or his ties to others; it’s naming, with some sympathy, the cost that comes with them — the very difficulty that just kept him away for so long.

Key terms

upāsaka — “lay follower,” the discourse’s title figure — a committed lay Buddhist, distinct from an ordained mendicant.

akiñcana — “one who has nothing,” here meaning free of attachment and clinging rather than literally poor.

saṅkhātadhamma — “one who has appraised/fully understood the teaching,” describing the same person praised as “happy” in the verse’s first line.

paṭibandha — “bound,” “tied,” describing the entanglement of “a person bound tight to people” in the verse’s closing image.

kiccakaraṇīya — “duties and responsibilities,” the follower’s own words for what kept him from visiting for so long.

The text

The heartfelt saying in full: a lay follower’s long-delayed visit and the Buddha’s reply. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

§1.1–1.6So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Now at that time a certain lay follower from Icchānaṅgalaka arrived at Sāvatthī on some business. Having concluded his business in Sāvatthī he went to see the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said this to him: “It’s been a long time, lay follower, since you took the opportunity to come here.”

§2.1“For a long time I’ve wanted to come and see the Buddha, but I wasn’t able, being prevented by my many duties and responsibilities.”

§3.1Then, understanding this matter, on that occasion the Buddha expressed this heartfelt sentiment:

§4.1–4.4“One who has nothing is happy indeed, a learned person who has appraised the teaching. See how troubled are those with attachments, a person bound tight to people.”

· · ·

Self-check quiz

Ten questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.

Question 1 of 10

Who visits the Buddha in this discourse?

Correct: B. The discourse's title figure — an ordinary lay follower on business.

Question 2 of 10

What does the Buddha say to him upon his arrival?

Correct: B. A mild, observational greeting, not a rebuke.

Question 3 of 10

Why does the lay follower say he hasn't visited sooner?

Correct: B. He explains himself honestly, without excuse-making.

Question 4 of 10

According to the heartfelt saying, who is "happy indeed"?

Correct: B. The verse's opening line names this figure as genuinely happy.

Question 5 of 10

What does the verse say about "those with attachments"?

Correct: B. "Sakiñcanaṁ passa vihaññamānaṁ" — see how troubled are those with attachments.

Question 6 of 10

What image closes the verse?

Correct: B. "Jano janasmiṁ paṭibandharūpo" closes the saying.

Question 7 of 10

Does "one who has nothing" in this verse mean someone who is literally poor?

Correct: B. The reading guide is explicit about this distinction.

Question 8 of 10

Is the lay follower criticized or told to abandon his duties?

Correct: B. The verse is descriptive and sympathetic, not a directive to abandon worldly life.

Question 9 of 10

Where does this discourse take place?

Correct: B. The lay follower travels to Sāvatthī, where the Buddha is staying.

Question 10 of 10

What everyday obstacle does this heartfelt saying grow directly out of?

Correct: B. The saying responds directly to the follower's own explanation for his long absence.

Answered 0 of 10 · Correct 0

A Lay Follower

Why this heartfelt saying, fifth of the chapter