At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, dreadful are gain, honour, and praise…. Bhikkhus, even though a woman, when one is alone with her, may not persist obsessing one’s mind, still gain, honour, and praise might persist obsessing one’s mind. So dreadful, Bhikkhus, are gain, honour, and praise…. Thus should you train yourselves.”
22 (2) The Most Beautiful Girl of the Land
At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, dreadful are gain, honour, and praise…. Bhikkhus, even though the most beautiful girl of the land, when one is alone with her, may not persist obsessing one’s mind, still gain, honour, and praise might persist obsessing one’s mind. So dreadful, Bhikkhus, are gain, honour, and praise…. Thus should you train yourselves.”
At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, dreadful are gain, honour, and praise…. A faithful female lay follower, rightly imploring her only son, dear and beloved, might implore him thus: ‘Dear, you should become like Citta the householder and Hatthaka of Āḷavaka’ — for this is the standard and criterion for my male disciples who are lay followers, that is, Citta the householder and Hatthaka of Āḷavaka. ‘But if, dear, you go forth from the household life into homelessness, you should become like Sāriputta and Moggallāna’ — for this is the standard and criterion for my male disciples who are Bhikkhus, that is, Sāriputta and Moggallāna. ‘While, dear, you are a trainee, one who has not yet reached his mind’s ideal, may gain, honour, and praise not come upon you!’ “Bhikkhus, if gain, honour, and praise come upon a Bhikkhu while he is a trainee, one who has not yet reached his mind’s ideal, this is an obstacle for him. So dreadful, Bhikkhus, are gain, honour, and praise…. Thus should you train yourselves.”
At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, dreadful are gain, honour, and praise…. A faithful female lay follower, rightly imploring her only daugh- ter, dear and beloved, might implore her thus: ‘Dear, you should become like Khujjuttarā the lay follower and Veḷukaṇḍakiyā, Nanda’s mother’ — for this is the standard and criterion for my female disciples who are lay followers, that is, Khujjuttarā the lay follower and Veḷukaṇḍakiyā, Nanda’s mother. ‘But if, dear, you go forth from the household life into homelessness, you should become like the Bhikkhunīs Khemā and Uppalavaṇṇā’ — for this is the standard and criterion for my female disciples who are Bhikkhunīs, that is, Khemā and Uppalavaṇṇā. ‘While, dear, you are a trainee, one who has not yet reached her mind’s ideal, may gain, honour, and praise not come upon you!’
“Bhikkhus, if gain, honour, and praise come upon a Bhikkhunī while she is still a trainee, one who has not yet reached her mind’s ideal, this is an obstacle for her. So dreadful, Bhikkhus, are gain, honour, and praise…. Thus should you train yourselves.”
25 (5) Ascetics and Brahmins (1)
At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, those ascetics or brahmins who do not understand as they really are the gratification, the danger, and the escape in the case of gain, honour, and praise: these I do not consider to be ascetics among ascetics or brahmins among brahmins, and these venerable ones do not, by realizing it for themselves with direct knowledge, in this very life enter and dwell in the goal of asceticism or the goal of brahminhood.
“But, Bhikkhus, those ascetics and brahmins who understand as they really are the gratification, the danger, and the escape in the case of gain, honour, and praise: these I consider to be asce- tics among ascetics and brahmins among brahmins, and these venerable ones, by realizing it for themselves with direct knowl- edge, in this very life enter and dwell in the goal of asceticism and the goal of brahminhood.”
26 (6) Ascetics and Brahmins (2)
At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, those ascetics or brahmins who do not understand as they really are the origin and the passing away, the gratification, the danger, and the escape in the case of gain, honour, and praise: these I do not consider to be ascetics among ascetics…. “But, Bhikkhus, those ascetics and brahmins who understand these things: these I consider to be ascetics among ascetics and brahmins among brahmins, and these venerable ones, by realiz- ing it for themselves with direct knowledge, in this very life enter and dwell in the goal of asceticism and the goal of brahminhood.”
27 (7) Ascetics and Brahmins (3)
At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, those ascetics or brahmins who do not understand gain, honour, and praise, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation: these I do not consider to be ascetics among ascetics…. “But, Bhikkhus, those ascetics and brahmins who understand these things: these I consider to be ascetics among ascetics and brahmins among brahmins, and these venerable ones, by realiz- ing it for themselves with direct knowledge, in this very life enter and dwell in the goal of asceticism and the goal of brahminhood.”
At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, dreadful are gain, honour, and praise…. Gain, honour, and praise cut through the outer skin, then through the inner skin, then through the flesh, then through the sinews, then through the bone. Having cut through the bone, they reach right to the marrow. So dreadful, Bhikkhus, are gain, honour, and praise…. Thus should you train yourselves.”
At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, dreadful are gain, honour, and praise…. Gain, honour, and praise cut through the outer skin, then through the inner skin, then through the flesh, then through the sinews, then through the bone. Having cut through the bone, they reach right to the marrow. Suppose, Bhikkhus, a strong man would wrap one’s leg with a taut horsehair rope and pull it tight. It would cut through the outer skin, then through the inner skin, then through the flesh, then through the sinews, then through the bone. Having cut through the bone, it would reach right to the marrow. So too, Bhikkhus, gain, honour, and praise cut through the outer skin … they reach right to the marrow. So dreadful, Bhikkhus, are gain, honour, and praise…. Thus should you train yourselves.”
At Sāvatthi. “Bhikkhus, gain, honour, and praise, I say, are an obstacle even for a Bhikkhu who is an arahant, one with taints destroyed.”
When this was said, the Venerable Ānanda asked the Blessed One: “Why, venerable sir, are gain, honour, and praise an obsta- cle even for a Bhikkhu with taints destroyed?”
“I do not say, Ānanda, that gain, honour, and praise are an obstacle to his unshakable liberation of mind. But I say they are an obstacle to [his attainment of] those pleasant dwellings in this very life which are achieved by one who dwells diligent, ardent, and resolute. So dreadful, Ānanda, are gain, honour, and praise, so bitter, vile, obstructive to achieving the unsurpassed security from bondage. Therefore, Ānanda, 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.”