The Tale of the Monk and the Acrobat's Daughter : หน้า 36/114

Again one day the monks began the following discussion in the Hall of Truth: "Friends, how did it happen that a monk, endowed as was this monk with the faculties requisite for the attainment of arahantship, traveled about with acrobats for the sake of an acrobat's daughter? And how did it happen that he was endowed with the faculties requisite for the attainment of arahantship ?" STORY OF THE PAST: A JOKE IN EARNEST The Teacher drew near and asked them, "Monks what is the subject you are discussing as you sit here all gathered together ?" When they told him, he said, "Monks, both of these things happened through one and the same circumstance." And to make the matter clear, he related the following story. The story goes that in times long past, while the golden shrine for the relics of the Buddha Kassapa was being built, the children of certain respectable families living in Benares loaded carts with an abundant supply of food and set out for the shrine to do the work of laborers. As they proceeded, they saw along the way a certain elder entering the city for alms. Now a certain young woman looked at the elder and said to her husband, "Husband, our noble elder is entering the city for alms, and there is an abundant supply of food both hard and soft in our cart. Fetch his bowl, and let us give him food." Her husband fetched the elder's bowl, and when they had filled it with food both hard and soft, they placed it in the hands of the elder, and both husband and wife made the following earnest wish, "Reverend sir, may we be partakers of the Truth you have seen."