An Almsman

Bhikkhakasutta

An Almsman

Bhikkhakasutta

EN
At Sāvatthī. Then a brahmin almsman went up to the Buddha, and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to the Buddha, “Worthy Gotama, both you and I are almsmen. What, then, is the difference between us?”
PL
Sāvatthinidānaṁ. Atha kho bhikkhako brāhmaṇo yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavatā saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho bhikkhako brāhmaṇo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “ahampi kho, bho gotama, bhikkhako, bhavampi bhikkhako, idha no kiṁ nānākaraṇan”ti?
EN
“You don’t become an almsman just by begging alms from others. One who has undertaken domestic duties has not yet become a mendicant.
PL
“Na tena bhikkhako hoti, yāvatā bhikkhate pare; Vissaṁ dhammaṁ samādāya, bhikkhu hoti na tāvatā.
EN
But one living a spiritual life who has banished both merit and evil, and wanders having appraised the world, is said to be a mendicant.”
PL
Yodha puññañca pāpañca, bāhitvā brahmacariyaṁ; Saṅkhāya loke carati, sa ve bhikkhūti vuccatī”ti.
EN
When he had spoken, the brahmin almsman said to the Buddha, “Excellent, worthy Gotama! Excellent! … From this day forth, may the worthy Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.”
PL
Evaṁ vutte, bhikkhako brāhmaṇo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama, abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama …pe… upāsakaṁ maṁ bhavaṁ gotamo dhāretu ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan”ti.

Pāli root text and English translation by Bhikkhu Sujato from SuttaCentral (https://suttacentral.net), CC0.

Source