The Heedful Advance
The Story of a Certain Monk
Chapter 2: Heedfulness • Verse 11
The Story of a Certain Monk
Chapter 2: Heedfulness • Verse 11
The monk who delights in heedfulness and looks with fear at heedlessness advances like fire, burning all fetters, small and large.
While residing at the Jetavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse with reference to a certain monk.
This monk obtained a meditation topic leading to arahatship from the Buddha and retired to the forest, but though he strove with all his might, he could not attain arahatship. He decided to return and ask the Buddha for a topic better suited to him.
On the way, he saw a great forest fire raging, and climbing to the top of a bald mountain, he sat and watched it consume the forest. He reflected that just as the fire advanced consuming every obstacle, great and small, so too should he advance, consuming every obstacle by the fire of the knowledge of the noble path.
The Buddha, from his Perfumed Chamber, became aware of the monk's thoughts and affirmed that just as fire consumes all obstacles, the fire of knowledge must consume and destroy all attachments, great and small, that arise within living beings. He then sent forth a luminous image of himself, seated as if face to face with the monk, and spoke a stanza.
At the conclusion of the stanza, the monk, sitting right there, burned away all his attachments and attained Arahatship along with the Supernormal Faculties. He then rose into the air, approached the Buddha, praised and glorified his golden body, paid homage to him, and departed.
The Story of a Certain Monk
Chapter 2: Heedfulness • Verse 11
The monk who delights in heedfulness and looks with fear at heedlessness advances like fire, burning all fetters, small and large.
While residing at the Jetavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse with reference to a certain monk.
This monk obtained a meditation topic leading to arahatship from the Buddha and retired to the forest, but though he strove with all his might, he could not attain arahatship. He decided to return and ask the Buddha for a topic better suited to him.
On the way, he saw a great forest fire raging, and climbing to the top of a bald mountain, he sat and watched it consume the forest. He reflected that just as the fire advanced consuming every obstacle, great and small, so too should he advance, consuming every obstacle by the fire of the knowledge of the noble path.
The Buddha, from his Perfumed Chamber, became aware of the monk's thoughts and affirmed that just as fire consumes all obstacles, the fire of knowledge must consume and destroy all attachments, great and small, that arise within living beings. He then sent forth a luminous image of himself, seated as if face to face with the monk, and spoke a stanza.
At the conclusion of the stanza, the monk, sitting right there, burned away all his attachments and attained Arahatship along with the Supernormal Faculties. He then rose into the air, approached the Buddha, praised and glorified his golden body, paid homage to him, and departed.