EFTA01160176

monk taught 
them that they must keep the 
Precepts even if it 
cost them their lives. In any case, 
if they were to 
be caught, no-one would spare 
their lives beBlessing 
Six: Setting Oneself up Properly in 
Life 97 
cause they had already murdered 
so many people. 
The thieves took the Five Precepts 
and 
didn't try to escape any more. 
They concentrated 
all their attention on keeping the 
Precepts pure. 
EFTA01160936

They would not hurt even a 
mosquito or a leech. 
Even if the soldiers were to catch 
up with them 
and attack them with swords and 
knives, they 
swore not to put up a fight. 
Before long, the soldiers 
discovered the thieves 
and attacked. The thieves kept 
their word and 
put up no resistance 
they were 
so devoted to 
keeping their Precepts pure. All 
five hundred 
thieves were executed, but through 
the power 
EFTA01160937

of keeping the Precepts to the 
degree they would 
sacrifice their lives, their bad deeds 
didn't have 
the chance to catch up with them. 
They were 
born instantly as angels. The evil 
of their past 
did not disappear, however, but 
was waiting for 
the opportunity to give its 
retribution. 
When they were reborn from the 
celestial 
world into the human realm, the 
influence of the 
killing they had done in the past 
EFTA01160938

still affected 
them. All five hundred were born 
as fishermen 
in the same village. However, even 
though their 
livelihood was to kill fish, through 
the power of 
their good deeds in the past, they 
all still had 
faith in Buddhism. Even so, the 
fishermen continued 
to collect demerit as a result of 
their habitual 
killing. 
One day a group of fishermen 
caught a giant, 
golden-coloured fish 
as big as a 
EFTA01160939

boat. No-one 
had ever seen such a fish in their 
lives. They captured 
the fish and took it to offer to King 
Pasenadi of Kosala — who in turn 
took the fish 
to the Buddha. As soon as the fish 
opened its 
mouth, a foul smell spread all 
around the 
Jetavana monastery. The king then 
asked the 
Buddha why such a beautiful fish 
should have 
such a foul smell. 
The Enlightened One then revealed 
that in one 
EFTA01160940

of his past existences, the fish had 
been a learned 
bhikkhu named Kapila during the 
time of 
Kassapa Buddha. Because of his 
deep knowledge 
of the Dhamma, he had gained 
much fame 
and honour. He also became very 
conceited and 
looked down upon the other 
bhikkhus. When the 
other bhikkhus pointed out to him 
what was 
proper or not proper, he invariably 
retorted, 
`How much do you know?' 
EFTA01160941

implying that he 
knew much more than those 
bhikkhus. In the 
course of time, most of the 
bhikkhus avoided him. 
On one occasion,the bhikkhus did 
not join him 
when he was reciting the 
Fundamental Precepts 
for the bhikkhus (i.e., the 
PAEimokkha). Observing 
that the bhikkhus remained silent, 
Kapila 
said, `There is no such thing as 
Sutta, 
Abhidhamma or Vinaya. It makes 
no difference 
EFTA01160942

whether you listen to the 
PAEimokkha or not' 
and left the congregation. He had 
taught the 
Dhamma to others in a way that 
was biased in 
the monk's self interest 
in a 
way that made 
his teaching deviate from the truth. 
His misrepresentation 
of the Dhamma was thus 
perpetuated 
amongst his followers. 
There were many others including 
his teacher 
and arahants who had warned that 
monk of the 
EFTA01160943

danger of his misrepresentation of 
the Dhamma 
— however he would not listen. 
He insulted 
them in return for their advice. As 
a result he 
developed False View and when 
he passed away, 
these False Views dragged him 
down into the 
Unfortunate Realms for a long 
time. Only then 
could he be born as a fish. The 
Precepts of a 
monk gave their fruit as the 
beautiful golden 
appearance of the fish but the 
EFTA01160944

retribution from 
insulting arahants and his teacher 
gave him his 
stinking mouth. Hearing the 
previous karma of 
the fish, the five-hundred 
fishermen considered 
all the evil deeds they had done as 
a result of 
their livelihood since their youth. 
They realized 
that their time in hell would 
certainly be no less 
than the fate of the fish they had 
caught — so 
they decided collectively all to 
become monks 
EFTA01160945

and to devote themselves to 
Dhamma practice. 
From the power of having 
sacrificed their lives 
for their Precepts in a previous 
existence — i.e. 
having set themselves up properly 
in life — before 
long they could all become 
arahants and 
were no longer subject to the 
retribution of the 
evil karma of their past. 
98 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
C.5 Ex. Akkosaka BhAradvAj a 
Vatthu 
EFTA01160946

DhA.iv.161ff 
In the time of the Buddha there 
was a Brahmin 
couple. The husband called 
BhAradavAja was 
very strict in his Brahmin 
observances. He had 
never shown any interest in 
Buddhism. By contrast, 
his wife was a person with no 
further 
doubt in Buddhism because she 
had heard one 
of the teaching of the Buddha and 
had become 
enlightened as a stream-enterer as 
the result. 
EFTA01160947

One day the husband wanted to 
hold a feast 
for all the most high standing 
Brahmins — worshipped 
as ' arahants' in their religion. Thus 
the 
husband and wife started their 
elaborate preparations 
for the feast, but when it came 
close to 
the `big day', because it was the 
habit of the wife 
always to exclaim Tuddho!' 
whenever something 
surprised her, her husband 
appealed to her 
on the day of the feast not to 
EFTA01160948

mention anything 
about Buddhism or to say anything 
in praise of 
the Triple Gem. The wife said, 
"My mind is unified 
with the Dhamma, therefore 
whatever I say 
will also be Dhamma 
there is 
nothing you can 
do to stop my mind from being 
that way!" 
"And what about if I take a sword 
and cut you 
into small pieces — will that help 
you to educate 
your mind?" 
"Even if you were to make 
EFTA01160949

mincemeat of me," 
said the wife, "I could not help 
myself from having 
the Dhamma as my refuge!" 
The husband didn't know what 
more to say 
— so they got on with the work of 
providing 
the feast. Everything went well 
until the wife 
slipped over on a pile of spilled 
rice. She exclaimed, 
"Namo tassabhagavato arahato 
sammA sambuddh-assa!" 
Everyone present heard the wife's 
exclamation. 
The assembled Brahmins were 
EFTA01160950

angered by 
what they heard. When they had 
received the 
invitation, they understood that the 
wife had respect 
for them. Now they had found out 
that she 
respected not them but the Buddha. 
They were 
specially angry because they were 
opposed to 
everything the Buddha did. Those 
who had finished 
their meal immediately stood up 
and 
shouted insults at the couple. 
Those who had 
EFTA01160951

not finished eating overturned 
every plate of 
food on the table. They stamped 
their feet and 
walked out on the couple. 
The husband was so angry he 
didn't know 
what to say. He couldn't do 
anything to punish 
his wife — so he thought to take 
out his anger 
on his wife's teacher — the 
Buddha himself. He 
buckled on his sword and turned in 
the direction 
of Jetavana monastery with the 
intention to 
EFTA01160952

put an end to the Buddha and his 
teachings. The 
husband walked straight up to the 
Buddha without 
paying respect and in his anger 
shouted the 
rhetorical question at the Buddha, 
"Do you 
know what a man has to kill in 
order to get a 
good night's sleep...?" 
The Brahmin thought that putting 
an end to 
the Buddha was the only way he 
could save face 
and sleep soundly that night. 
Without waiting 
EFTA01160953

for an answer, the Brahmin 
continued, "... and 
what a man has to kill to cure his 
sorrow? . .". 
And still without waiting for an 
answer, the 
Brahmin asked the Buddha, ". . . 
and so what 
form of killing would you 
support?" 
The Buddha knew what was on the 
mind of 
the Brahmin and coolly answered 
the first question 
with the words, "A man must kill 
his anger 
in order to get a good night's sleep. 
EFTA01160954

If you don't 
kill your anger, you will do things 
that you regret 
later, being put in prison or 
punished — but 
if you kill your anger, you don't 
need to undergo 
the sorrowful consequences of 
your angry 
deeds. The Noble Ones praise the 
killing of anger 
— whose root is poison and whose 
crown is 
sweet." 
When the Buddha said that the root 
of anger 
is poisonous, he meant that anger 
EFTA01160955