Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthi in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park. There the Blessed One addressed the Bhikkhus thus: “Bhikkhus!” “Venerable sir!” those Bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this: “Bhikkhus, dreadful are gain, honour, and praise, bitter, vile, obstructive to achieving the unsurpassed security from bondage. Therefore, Bhikkhus, you should train yourselves thus: ‘We will abandon the arisen gain, honour, and praise, and we will not let the arisen gain, honour, and praise persist obsessing our minds.’ Thus should you train yourselves.”
At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, dreadful are gain, honour, and praise, bitter, vile, obstructive to achieving the unsurpassed security from bondage. Suppose a fisherman would cast a baited hook into a deep lake, and a fish on the lookout for food would swallow it. That fish, having swallowed the fisherman’s hook, would meet with calamity and disaster, and the fisherman could do with it as he wishes.
“‘Fisherman,’ Bhikkhus: this is a designation for Māra the Evil One. ‘Baited hook’: this is a designation for gain, honour, and praise. Any Bhikkhu who relishes and enjoys the arisen gain, honour, and praise is called a Bhikkhu who has swallowed the baited hook, who has met with calamity and disaster, and the Evil One can do with him as he wishes. So dreadful, Bhikkhus, are gain, honour, and praise, so bitter, vile, obstructive to achieving the unsurpassed security from bondage. Therefore, Bhikkhus, you should train yourselves thus: ‘We will abandon the arisen gain, honour, and praise, and we will not let the arisen gain, honour, and praise persist obsessing our minds.’ Thus should you train yourselves.”
At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, dreadful are gain, honour, and praise. Once in the past there was a large family of turtles that had been living for a long time in a certain lake. Then one turtle said to another: ‘Dear turtle, do not go to such and such a region.’ But that turtle went to that region, and a hunter struck him with a corded harpoon. Then that turtle approached the first one. When the first turtle saw him coming in the distance, he said to him: ‘I hope, dear turtle, that you didn’t go to that region.’ – ‘I did go to that region, dear.’ – ‘I hope you haven’t been hit or struck, dear.’ – ‘I haven’t been hit or struck; but there is this cord constantly following behind me.’ – ‘Indeed you’ve been hit, dear turtle, indeed you’ve been struck! Your father and grandfather also met with calamity and disaster on account of such a cord. Go now, dear turtle, you are no longer one of us.’
“‘Hunter,’ Bhikkhus: this is a designation for Māra the Evil One. ‘Corded harpoon’: this is a designation for gain, honour, and praise. ‘Cord’: this is a designation for delight and lust. Any Bhikkhu who relishes and enjoys the arisen gain, honour, and praise is called a Bhikkhu who has been struck with a corded harpoon, who has met with calamity and disaster, and the Evil One can do with him as he wishes. So dreadful, Bhikkhus, are gain, honour, and praise…. Thus should you train yourselves.”
At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, dreadful are gain, honour, and praise…. Suppose a long-haired she-goat would enter a briar patch. She would get caught here and there, be held fast here and there, be bound here and there, and here and there she would meet with calamity and disaster. So too, Bhikkhus, a Bhikkhu here whose mind is overcome and obsessed by gain, honour, and praise dresses in the morning and, taking bowl and robe, enters a village or town for alms. He gets caught here and there, is held fast here and there, is bound here and there, and here and there he meets with calamity and disaster. So dreadful, Bhikkhus, are gain, honour, and praise…. Thus should you train yourselves.”
At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, dreadful are gain, honour, and praise…. Suppose there was a beetle, a dung-eater, stuffed with dung, full of dung, and in front of her was a large dunghill. Because of this she would despise the other beetles, thinking: ‘I am a dung-eater, stuffed with dung, full of dung, and in front of me there is a large dunghill.’ So too, Bhikkhus, a Bhikkhu here whose mind is overcome and obsessed by gain, honour, and praise dresses in the morning and, taking bowl and robe, enters a village or town for alms. There he would eat as much as he wants, he would be invited for the next day’s meal, and his almsfood would be plentiful. When he goes back to the monastery, he boasts before a group of Bhikkhus: ‘I have eaten as much as I want, I have been invited for tomorrow’s meal, and my almsfood is plentiful. I am one who gains robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicinal requisites, but these other Bhikkhus have little merit and influence, and they do not gain robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicinal requisites.’ Thus, because his mind is overcome and obsessed by gain, honour, and praise, he despises the other well-behaved Bhikkhus. That will lead to the harm and suffering of this senseless person for a long time. So dreadful, Bhikkhus, are gain, honour, and praise…. Thus should you train yourselves.”
At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, dreadful are gain, honour, and praise…. Whom should a thunderbolt strike, Bhikkhus? A trainee upon whom come gain, honour, and praise while he has not yet reached his mind’s ideal.
“‘Thunderbolt,’ Bhikkhus: this is a designation for gain, honour, and praise. So dreadful, Bhikkhus, are gain, honour, and praise…. Thus should you train yourselves.”
At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, dreadful are gain, honour, and praise…. Whom should one pierce with a dart smeared in poison, Bhikkhus? A trainee upon whom come gain, honour, and praise while he has not yet reached his mind’s ideal.
“‘Dart,’ Bhikkhus: this is a designation for gain, honour, and praise. So dreadful, Bhikkhus, are gain, honour, and praise…. Thus should you train yourselves.”
At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, dreadful are gain, honour, and praise…. Did you hear an old jackal howling when the night was fading?”
“Yes, venerable sir.”
“That old jackal is afflicted with a disease called mange. He cannot feel at ease whether he goes into a cave, or to the foot of a tree, or into the open air. Wherever he goes, wherever he stands, wherever he sits, wherever he lies down, there he meets with calamity and disaster. So too, Bhikkhus, a Bhikkhu here whose mind is overcome and obsessed with gain, honour, and praise does not feel at ease whether he goes into an empty hut, or to the foot of a tree, or into the open air. Wherever he goes, wherever he stands, wherever he sits, wherever he lies down, there he meets with calamity and disaster. So dreadful, Bhikkhus, are gain, honour, and praise…. Thus should you train yourselves.”
At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, dreadful are gain, honour, and praise…. Bhikkhus, high in the sky winds called gales are blowing. If a bird goes up there, the gale winds fling it about, and as it is flung about by the gale winds, its feet go one way, its wings another way, its head still another way, and its body still another way. So too, Bhikkhus, a Bhikkhu here whose mind is overcome and obsessed by gain, honour, and praise dresses in the morning and, taking bowl and robe, enters a village or town for alms with body, speech, and mind unguarded, without setting up mindfulness, unrestrained in his sense faculties. He sees women there lightly clad or lightly attired and lust invades his mind. With his mind invaded by lust he gives up the training and returns to the lower life. Some take his robe, others his bowl, others his sitting cloth, and still others his needle case, as with the bird flung by the gale winds. So dreadful, Bhikkhus, are gain, honour, and praise…. Thus should you train yourselves.”
At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, dreadful are gain, honour, and praise…. Bhikkhus, I see some person here whose mind is overcome and obsessed by honour, with the breakup of the body, after death, reborn in a state of misery, in a bad destination, in the nether world, in hell. Then I see some person here whose mind is overcome and obsessed by lack of honour … reborn in a state of misery…. Then I see some person here whose mind is overcome and obsessed by both honour and lack of honour, with the breakup of the body, after death, reborn in a state of misery, in a bad destination, in the nether world, in hell. So dreadful, Bhikkhus, are gain, honour, and praise…. Thus should you train yourselves.”
This is what the Blessed One said. Having said this, the Fortunate One, the Teacher, further said this:
“Whether he is showered with honour,
Shown dishonour, or offered both,
His concentration does not vacillate
As he dwells in the measureless state.
When he meditates with perseverance,
An insight-seer of subtle view
Delighting in the destruction of clinging,
They call him truly a superior man.”