A Brahmin youth from the king's retinue was standing nearby. King Pasenadi instructed him to memorize the Buddha's words and recite them whenever the king was about to eat.
As soon as King Pasenadi learned to pay bare attention to his eating -- to savor it and remain aware of chewing and tasting and swallowing it -- he was able to delight in a single cup of rice.
"The Buddha has twice shown me compassion -- for my benefit now and for my benefit in the future."
The Buddha explains to the king that there are four things in the world that must not be taken lightly on account of their youth:
Thus have I heard. Once when the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery,
King Pasenadi of Kosala arrived and exchanged pleasant greetings with him.
When their greetings and polite conversation were over, the king sat respectfully to one side and said to the Buddha: “Does the worthy Gotama claim to have awakened to supreme enlightenment?”
“If anyone should rightly say of someone that he has awakened to supreme enlightenment, it is of me that one should say it. For, great king, I have awakened to supremely perfect enlightenment.”
The king replied, “There are those wandering ascetics and [temple-bound] Brahmin priests who lead a monastic order and spiritual community (sangha) and tutor that community. They are well-known, famous founders of religions (dharmas), deemed enlightened (holy) by many, such as:
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| Little serpent (naga) can become mighty dragon |
“I also asked them whether they claimed to have awakened to supreme and perfect enlightenment, but they made no such claim. So why do you, given that you are so young and only [relatively] recently gone forth [into the left home life of a wandering
sannyasin]?”
“Great king, these four should not be looked down upon nor disparaged because they are young:
“These four should not be looked down upon nor disparaged because they are young.”
That is what the Buddha said. Then the Enlightened One, the Teacher, went on to say [in verse]:
“A person should not despise
a noble of impeccable lineage,
high-born and famous,
just because such a one is young.
For it is possible that that lord of humans,
as a royal heir, will gain the throne.
And in anger will execute a royal punishment
and have one violently beaten.
Hence, avoid such a noble
for the sake of life.
Whether in village or wilderness,
wherever a snake is seen,
one should not look down on it
nor despise it for its youth.
With its rainbow of colors,
a
snake of fiery breath slithers along.
It lashes out and bites a fool,
male and female alike.
Hence avoid it
for the sake of life.
A fire devours a huge amount,
a conflagration with a blackened trail.
One should not look down on it
just because it is young.
For once it gets fuel
it will become a huge inferno.
It will lash out and burn a fool,
male and female alike.
Hence avoid it
for the sake of life.
When a forest is burned by fire,
a conflagration with a blackened trail,
shoots will spring up there again,
with the passing of days and nights.
But if a wanderer endowed with virtue
burns you with holy power,
you will have neither sons nor
cattle,
nor will your heirs inherit wealth.
Childless and heirless you become,
That is why a wise person,
seeing what is beneficial,
will always treat these four properly:
a snake, a fire,
a famous noble,
and a holy person endowed with ethics.”
When this was said, King Pasenadi of Kosala exclaimed:
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| I've got my eye on you, Little Fire |
“Excellent, sir, excellent! As if one were righting what was overturned, or revealing the hidden, or pointing out the path to one who was lost, or lighting a lamp in the dark so people with eyes could see what is there. Just so the Buddha has made the Teaching clear in many ways. I go for guidance to the Buddha, to the Teaching (
Dhamma), and to the [noble]
Saṅgha. From this day forward, may the Buddha remember me as a lay follower who has gone for guidance as long as life lasts.”
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Professor emeritus, UC Berkeley Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures; adjunct professor, University of the West, Los Angeles.
