Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
When rival ascetics murder the wanderer Sundarī and blame the Buddha’s mendicants to destroy their reputation, the Buddha neither panics nor argues the facts in public — he predicts precisely how long the slander will last, supplies a verse for his mendicants to answer their accusers with, and is proven right.
Rivalry over reputation
The discourse opens by contrasting two groups: the Buddha and his Saṅgha, at this time “honored, respected, revered, venerated, and esteemed,” receiving robes, almsfood, lodging, and medicine freely — and “wanderers who followed other religions,” who received none of this. “Unable to bear the esteem of the mendicant Saṅgha,” these rival wanderers approach the female wanderer Sundarī and ask whether she would do something “for the welfare of your kin.” She answers without hesitation: “I’d even give my life for the welfare of my kin.”
A staged murder
They ask her simply to visit Jeta’s Grove frequently, so that she is seen there by many people. Once this is well established, they kill her themselves and dump her body in the ditch around Jeta’s Grove — then report her missing to King Pasenadi, suggesting she was last seen there. When the king orders the grove searched, they “find” the body themselves, parade it through the streets of Sāvatthī on a bier, and go from square to square accusing the Buddha’s mendicants directly: “See the deed of the ascetics who follow the Sakyan! ... How on earth can a man, having done a man’s business, kill a woman!” The people of the city, believing this, abuse and insult the mendicants with harsh words wherever they see them.
A prediction, and a verse to answer with
When the mendicants report all this, the Buddha’s response is remarkably specific: “That rumor, mendicants, won’t last long. It will only be seven days, then it will vanish.” He gives them a verse to use against their accusers, not as a denial, but as a general statement about the workings of dishonesty itself: “A liar goes to hell, as does one who denies what they did. Both are equal in the hereafter, those men of base deeds.” The mendicants memorize it and use it in the streets. Exactly as predicted, people begin to doubt the accusation — “These ascetics who follow the Sakyan didn’t do it” — and within seven days the rumor disappears.
The closing verse: enduring harsh words
When the mendicants return, amazed at how precisely the Buddha’s prediction came true, he speaks a further verse, this one aimed inward rather than at the accusers: “People out of control stab with words, like they stab a tusker in battle with darts. When they hear a harsh word spoken, a mendicant should endure with no anger in heart.” Having handled the public crisis with a practical, time-bound prediction, the Buddha’s final word turns to the private discipline each mendicant still has to practice while the slander runs its course: enduring it without inner anger, whatever its outcome.
Key terms
The text
§1So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Now at that time the Buddha was honored, respected, revered, venerated, and esteemed. And he received robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick. And the mendicant Saṅgha was also honored, respected, revered, venerated, and esteemed. And they received robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick. But the wanderers who followed other religions were not honored, respected, revered, venerated, and esteemed. And they didn’t receive robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick.
§2Then those wanderers who followed other religions, unable to bear the esteem of the mendicant Sangha, approached the female wanderer Sundarī and said, “Sister, are you able to do something for the welfare of your kin?” “What can I do, masters? How can I help? I’d even give my life for the welfare of my kin.”
§3“Well then, sister, frequently visit Jeta’s Grove.” “Yes, masters,” she replied, and did as they asked.
§4When those wanderers knew that Sundarī had been clearly seen by many people frequently visiting Jeta’s Grove, they killed her and dumped her in the ditch around Jeta’s Grove. Then they went to see King Pasenadi of Kosala and said to him, “Great king, we cannot find the female wanderer Sundarī.” “But where do you suspect she is?” “At Jeta’s Grove, great king.” “Well then, search Jeta’s Grove.”
§5So the wanderers searched Jeta’s Grove. They pulled her body up from the ditch where they had dumped it, and lifted it on a bier. Having entered Sāvatthī, they went from street to street and from square to square, complaining to people:
§6“See the deed of the ascetics who follow the Sakyan! Shameless are these ascetics who follow the Sakyan, immoral and wicked. They are liars and unchaste. Sure, they claim to be of principled and moral conduct, to be chaste, truthful, ethical, and of good character. But they have no asceticism, no spirituality. Asceticism and spirituality are lost to them! Where is their asceticism, where their spirituality? They have abandoned asceticism and spirituality! How on earth can a man, having done a man’s business, kill a woman!”
§7Then at that time when the people of Sāvatthī saw the mendicants they abused and insulted them with rude, harsh words:
§8“Shameless are these ascetics who follow the Sakyan, immoral, wicked, liars, and fake chastes. Sure, they claim to be of principled and moral conduct, to be chaste, truthful, ethical, and of good character. But they have no asceticism, no spirituality. Asceticism and spirituality are lost to them! Where is their asceticism, where their spirituality? They have abandoned asceticism and spirituality! How on earth can a man, having done a man’s business, kill a woman!”
§9Then several mendicants robed up in the morning and, taking their bowls and robes, entered Sāvatthī for alms. Then, after the meal, when they returned from almsround, they went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and told him what was happening.
§11“That rumor, mendicants, won’t last long. It will only be seven days, then it will vanish. So you may respond to those critics with this verse:
§12A liar goes to hell, as does one who denies what they did. Both are equal in the hereafter, those men of base deeds.”
§13The mendicants memorized that verse in the Buddha’s presence, then used it to respond to those critics.
§15People thought, “These ascetics who follow the Sakyan didn’t do it, it was not done by them, they swear it.” That rumor didn’t last long. It was seven days, then it vanished.
§16Then several mendicants went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him,
§17“It’s incredible, sir, it’s amazing! How well said this was by the Buddha: ‘That rumor, mendicants, won’t last long. It will only be seven days, then it will vanish.’ That rumor has vanished, sir.”
§18Then, understanding this matter, on that occasion the Buddha expressed this heartfelt sentiment:
§19“People out of control stab with words, like they stab a tusker in battle with darts. When they hear a harsh word spoken, a mendicant should endure with no anger in heart.”
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