The Blessed Buddha was staying at the Kalandakanivāpa in the Bamboo Park near Rājagṛha when a brahmin living in Rājagṛha took a wife of equal caste and together they played with, took pleasure in, and amused one another. The wife with whom he had played, taken pleasure, and amused himself later gave birth to a son who was nurtured and grew until he was big.

At a certain point, he fell ill, and when every doctor had given up hope, his mother said to him, “Son, the physician Kumārabhṛta is the unsurpassed king of doctors. To him you must go.”

He went before the physician and pleaded, “Physician, please cure me.”

“Sir,” replied the physician, “your condition is hard to cure. Neither I nor anyone else can cure you, and I am physician to the Blessed Buddha and his community of disciples as well as to the king, the queen, and their court.”

He went to his mother, who asked, “Son, did you go to the physician?”

“Mother, I went to the physician, who told me my condition is hard to cure. He said neither he nor anyone else could cure me, and that he is physician to the Blessed Buddha and his community of disciples as well as to the king, the queen, and their court.”

“In that case, son, go forth.”

“Mother, as I am of the highest caste, how could I go forth into the mixed caste order of the ascetic sons of the Śākya?”

“Son, has your brain turned to hay? Or are you just babbling?”

He went to the Bamboo Park, where he approached a monk and said, “Noble one, I want to go forth.”

As soon as the monk allowed his going forth, he sat down, moaning. The monk asked him, “Why do you sit and moan?”

“Preceptor, I am unwell.”

“Sir, why have you fallen ill upon going forth?” he asked.

“Preceptor, I have not fallen ill upon going forth. I was already unwell when I went forth.”

“Why did you not tell me?”

“Preceptor,” he replied, “what would you have said to me?”

The preceptor was seated, unhappy, when his monk appretinces and monk journeymen happened by and asked, “Preceptor, why do you sit here thus, so unhappy?”

“Boys, I have allowed the going forth of an ill son of noble family, so I will have to place him in the infirmary.”

“Preceptor,” they replied, “the Blessed One has said there are two types of saints, those who do not assume burdens they do not bear and those who carry through to the end those burdens they bear. You must carry through to the end this burden you bear.”

As they stood discussing the matter among themselves, the physician passed by and they inquired of him, “Physician Kumārabhṛta! What illness is this? Please have a look.”

“It is a grave illness,” he replied. “Have the king provide all that is required and I shall try to cure him. But he will only recover quickly if you noble ones nurse him.”

The physician then treated the ill person and he was cured.

The newly cured monk said, “Preceptor, I have achieved the aim I had in going forth.”

“Son, have you actualized arhatship?” he asked.

“No, preceptor, I have not.”

“Well then, have you actualized a non-returner’s fruition? A once-returner’s fruition? A stream enterer’s fruition?”

“No, preceptor, I have not. But I was unwell. Then I went forth and now am cured.”

He asked, “Son, where will you go?”

“I will return home, preceptor.”

“Sir,” the preceptor said, “having gone forth in the well-proclaimed Dharma and Vinaya, you have not attained any of the four fruitions of spiritual practice for which it was taught. Do you want to squander the offerings of the faithful and invite misfortune?”

Dismissing his preceptor’s words, the monk departed. Knowing what had been done for him, he gave the physician sprigs, flowers, fruits, and sticks of neem.

“Sir, what would you like from me?” asked the physician.

He replied, “I want nothing in return. I have sought you out in order to give you these offerings.”

“Sir, what did I do for you?” he asked.

“You cured me when I was unwell.”

“I don’t recall that,” replied the physician.

“I will refresh your memory,” he said, and reminded him. At this point the physician said, “Sir, having gone forth in the well-proclaimed Dharma and Vinaya, you have not attained any of the four fruitions of spiritual practice for which it was taught. Do you want to squander the offerings of the faithful and invite misfortune?”

Then physician thought to himself, “This is my responsibility and my responsibility alone, so I must go see the Blessed One.”

The physician Kumārabhṛta went to see the Blessed One and on arriving, bowed his head at the Blessed One’s feet before taking a seat off to one side. As he sat off to one side, the physician requested the Blessed One, “Reverend, the noble monks’ allowing the going forth of ill sons of noble families and their ordination will, at some point, cause even the king’s treasury and stores to dwindle, diminish, and come to an end. It will cause even my body to flag, and the virtuous endeavors of noble beings to wane. O Blessed One! It would be good if you, in your compassion, would give some consideration to prohibiting the noble ones from allowing the going forth of ill sons of noble families and ordaining them.”

By keeping silent, the Blessed One assented to the physician’s request. Understanding the Blessed One’s silence to be assent, the physician bowed his head at the Blessed One’s feet and took his leave.

The Blessed One thought, “All those shortcomings ensue from monks allowing the going forth of ill persons.” Then he decreed, “That being the case, monks should not allow the going forth of ill persons. If someone wishing to go forth approaches any of you, ask him, ‘You are not an ill person, are you?’ If you allow going forth without asking this, a breach occurs.”