While the Blessed Buddha was staying in Śrāvastī, in the Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, a debtor was repaying the principle and interest of a debt in timely fashion to a householder living in Śrāvastī.

At a certain point, the householder unexpectedly accosted the debtor, saying, “I demand you repay the principle and interest in their entirety all at once.” After agreeing to a short window for repayment, he released the debtor, who thought, “This householder is hard to please and I cannot repay the principle and interest all at once. I ought to run away. But leaving one’s own land behind is hard, so instead I shall go forth among the ascetic sons of the Śākya, for they have secured from the king the liberty of a prince.”

With that he went to Jetavana, where he approached a monk and said, “Noble one, I want to go forth.”

After allowing the debtor’s going forth and ordaining him, the monk gave him instructions. To these, he applied himself with diligence, energy, and exertion so that he abandoned all disturbing emotions and actualized arhatship, becoming an arhat free of attachment to the three realms, for whom filth was equal to gold, for whom space was equal to the palm of his hand, whose emotions had been cooled as if treated by a balm of sandalwood, and whose knowledge had rent open the shell. He attained knowledge, clairvoyance, and discerning wisdom. He turned his back on worldly gain, desires, and esteem, and was venerated, honored, and saulted by Indra and the gods who attend him.

The householder, meanwhile, was feeling regret: “If he was giving me the principle and interest in a timely fashion, why did I accost him? If I see him now, I will beg his forgiveness.” With that he sat down at the gates to Śrāvastī.

The next morning, the monk put on his under robe, picked up his begging bowl and robes, and was preparing to beg alms in Śrāvastī when the householder saw him and said, “Sir, if you have gone forth, who will repay the principle and interest in a timely fashion? Come back!” As the householder reached out to grab at him, the monk, like a kingly swan taken to wing, flew up into the sky above, blazing and brilliant, as a miraculous show of rain and thunder began.

As ordinary beings are quick to heed a miracle, the householder dropped like a felled tree at the monk’s feet and asked, “Noble one, have you found such a store of qualities?”

“I have attained them.”

The householder provided the monk with all the provisions he would need, and word spread everywhere that the debtor of this householder had gone forth and attained a store of qualities. When Prasenajit, the King of Kosala, heard this debtor had gone forth and attained a store of qualities, he summoned his ministers and said, “Gentlemen, as the ruler of all anointed kṣatriya kings, I declare that henceforth any debtor who should wish to go forth shall not be prevented from doing so.”

In Śrāvastī, a different debtor was repaying the principle and interest of a debt in timely fashion to a householder. At a certain point, the householder unexpectedly accosted the debtor, saying, “I demand you repay the principle and interest in their entirety all at once.” After agreeing to a short window for repayment, he released the debtor, who thought, “As this householder is hard to please and I cannot repay the principle and interest all at once, I ought to run away. But leaving one’s own land behind is hard, so instead I shall go forth among the ascetic sons of the Śākya, for they have secured from the king the liberty of a prince.”

With that he went to Jetavana, where he approached a monk and said, “Noble one, I want to go forth.”

After allowing his going forth and ordaining him, for the next two or three days he trained him in his regular duties, and then said, “Sir, game does not eat other game. The whole of Śrāvastī is your field and fatherland, so seek out alms and live on them.”

Meanwhile, the householder was feeling regret and thought, “If he was repaying the principle and interest in timely fashion, why did I accost him?” If I see him now, I will beg his forgiveness.” With that he sat down at the gates to Śrāvastī.

The next morning, the monk put on his under robe, picked up his begging bowl and robes, and was preparing to beg alms in Śrāvastī when the householder saw him and said, “Sir, if you have gone forth, who will repay the principle and interest in timely fashion? Come back!” As the householder reached out to grab at him, the monk said, “The king has given us a prince’s liberty. If you touch me, I shall cut your hand off at the wrist!”

As such words put to flame the virtuous ways of the ascetic sons of the Śākya, and put to flame the ways of brahmins, the allowing of this debtor’s going forth was denounced, disparaged, and criticized. The monks asked the Blessed One about it, and the Blessed One thought, “All those shortcomings ensue from monks allowing the debtors’s going forth.”

Then the Blessed One decreed, “In light of this, monks should not allow debtors’ going forth. If someone wishing to be allowed to go forth approaches any of you, ask him, ‘You aren’t a debtor, are you?’ If you allow going forth without asking this, a breach occurs.”