When the Buddha learns that the bhikkhus had been discussing about various crafts, he reminds them that for those who have gone forth in faith, only two modes of gathering are proper - either engaging in a Dhamma discussion or maintaining noble silence.
Evaṁ me sutaṁ—ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tena kho pana samayena sambahulānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantānaṁ maṇḍalamāḷe sannisinnānaṁ sannipatitānaṁ ayamantarākathā udapādi: “ko nu kho, āvuso, sippaṁ jānāti? Ko kiṁ sippaṁ sikkhi? Kataraṁ sippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti?
Thus have I heard—At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthi, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s park. Now at that time, a group of bhikkhus, having returned from their alms round after the meal, were seated and assembled together in the round pavilion. Then this discussion arose among them: “Friends, who here knows a craft? Who has learned what skill? Which craft is the best among all branches of knowledge?”
Tatthekacce evamāhaṁsu: “hatthisippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: “assasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: “rathasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: “dhanusippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: “tharusippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: “muddāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: “gaṇanāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: “saṅkhānasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: “lekhāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: “kāveyyasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: “lokāyatasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: “khattavijjāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ayañcarahi tesaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ antarākathā hoti vippakatā.
Then some said: “The craft of elephant-training is the best of all skills.” Some said: “The craft of horsemanship is the best of all skills.” Some Said: “The craft of charioteering is the best of all skills.” Some said: “The craft of archery is the best of all skills.” Some said: “The craft of swordsmanship is the best of all skills.” Some said: “The craft of hand-calculation is the best of all skills.” Some said: “The craft of uninterrupted enumeration is the best of all skills.” Some said: “The craft of arithmetic is the best of all skills.” Some said: “The craft of calligraphy is the best of all skills.” Some said: “The craft of composing poetry is the best of all skills.” Some said: “The craft of natural philosophy is the best of all skills.” Some said: “Skill in polity is the best of all skills.” And this discussion among the bhikkhus was left unfinished.
Atha kho bhagavā sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yena maṇḍalamāḷo tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā paññatte āsane nisīdi. Nisajja kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “kāya nuttha, bhikkhave, etarahi kathāya sannisinnā, kā ca pana vo antarākathā vippakatā”ti?
For the Blessed One, having emerged from |seclusion::solitude, privacy [paṭisallāna]| in the late afternoon, approached the assembly hall, and sat down on the prepared seat. Once he was seated, the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus: “Bhikkhus, for what topic of conversation are you now seated together here? And what was the discussion among you that was left unfinished?”
“Idha, bhante, amhākaṁ pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantānaṁ maṇḍalamāḷe sannisinnānaṁ ayamantarākathā udapādi: ‘ko nu kho, āvuso, sippaṁ jānāti? Ko kiṁ sippaṁ sikkhi? Kataraṁ sippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti?
“Here, venerable sir, after our meal, when we had returned from the alms round and were seated and assembled together in the round pavilion, this discussion arose among us: ‘Friends, who knows a craft? Who has learned what skill? Which craft is the foremost among all branches of knowledge?’
Tatthekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘hatthisippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘assasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘rathasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘dhanusippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘tharusippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘muddāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘gaṇanāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘saṅkhānasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘lekhāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘kāveyyasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘lokāyatasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘khattavijjāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ayaṁ kho no, bhante, antarākathā hoti vippakatā, atha bhagavā anuppatto”ti.
Thereupon, some said, ‘The craft of elephant-training is the best of all skills.’ Some said, ‘The craft of horsemanship is the best of all skills.’ Some said, ‘The craft of charioteering is the best of all skills.’ Some said, ‘The craft of archery is the best of all skills.’ Some said, ‘The craft of swordsmanship is the best of all skills.’ Some said, ‘The craft of hand-calculation is the best of all skills.’ Some said, ‘The craft of uninterrupted enumeration is the best of all skills.’ Some said, ‘The craft of arithmetic is the best of all skills.’ Some said, ‘The craft of calligraphy is the best of all skills.’ Some said, ‘The craft of composing poetry is the best of all skills.’ Some said, ‘The craft of natural philosophy is the best of all skills.’ Some said, ‘Skill in polity is the best of all skills.’ And this was the discussion, venerable sir, that was left unfinished when the Blessed One arrived.”
“Na khvetaṁ, bhikkhave, tumhākaṁ patirūpaṁ kulaputtānaṁ saddhā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajitānaṁ yaṁ tumhe evarūpiṁ kathaṁ katheyyātha. Sannipatitānaṁ vo, bhikkhave, dvayaṁ karaṇīyaṁ—dhammī vā kathā ariyo vā tuṇhībhāvo”ti.
“It is not proper for you, bhikkhus, sons of good families who have gone forth out of |faith::confidence, conviction, trust [saddha]| from the household life into homelessness, to engage in such a discussion. When you are gathered together, bhikkhus, two things are proper—either a |Dhamma::teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhamma]| discussion or noble silence.”
Atha kho bhagavā etamatthaṁ viditvā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:
Then, understanding the significance of this, the Blessed One at that time expressed this inspired utterance:
“Asippajīvī lahu atthakāmo,
Yatindriyo sabbadhi vippamutto;
Anokasārī amamo nirāso,
Hitvā mānaṁ ekacaro sa bhikkhū”ti.
“For one without a craft, light, desiring what is good,
|restrained in senses::mentally controlled [yatindriya]|, released in every way;
Wandering homeless, |free from ‘mine’::not holding on to anything as I, me, or mine [amama]|, |fulfilled::free from hope, desire-less [nirāsa]|,
having cast off |conceit::self-view expressed as comparison—seeing oneself as superior, inferior, or equal; the persistent “I am” conceit (asmimāna) that underlies identification and fuels rebirth [māna]|—that bhikkhu walks alone.”
Thus have I heard—At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthi, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s park. Now at that time, a group of bhikkhus, having returned from their alms round after the meal, were seated and assembled together in the round pavilion. Then this discussion arose among them: “Friends, who here knows a craft? Who has learned what skill? Which craft is the best among all branches of knowledge?”
Then some said: “The craft of elephant-training is the best of all skills.” Some said: “The craft of horsemanship is the best of all skills.” Some Said: “The craft of charioteering is the best of all skills.” Some said: “The craft of archery is the best of all skills.” Some said: “The craft of swordsmanship is the best of all skills.” Some said: “The craft of hand-calculation is the best of all skills.” Some said: “The craft of uninterrupted enumeration is the best of all skills.” Some said: “The craft of arithmetic is the best of all skills.” Some said: “The craft of calligraphy is the best of all skills.” Some said: “The craft of composing poetry is the best of all skills.” Some said: “The craft of natural philosophy is the best of all skills.” Some said: “Skill in polity is the best of all skills.” And this discussion among the bhikkhus was left unfinished.
For the Blessed One, having emerged from |seclusion::solitude, privacy [paṭisallāna]| in the late afternoon, approached the assembly hall, and sat down on the prepared seat. Once he was seated, the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus: “Bhikkhus, for what topic of conversation are you now seated together here? And what was the discussion among you that was left unfinished?”
“Here, venerable sir, after our meal, when we had returned from the alms round and were seated and assembled together in the round pavilion, this discussion arose among us: ‘Friends, who knows a craft? Who has learned what skill? Which craft is the foremost among all branches of knowledge?’
Thereupon, some said, ‘The craft of elephant-training is the best of all skills.’ Some said, ‘The craft of horsemanship is the best of all skills.’ Some said, ‘The craft of charioteering is the best of all skills.’ Some said, ‘The craft of archery is the best of all skills.’ Some said, ‘The craft of swordsmanship is the best of all skills.’ Some said, ‘The craft of hand-calculation is the best of all skills.’ Some said, ‘The craft of uninterrupted enumeration is the best of all skills.’ Some said, ‘The craft of arithmetic is the best of all skills.’ Some said, ‘The craft of calligraphy is the best of all skills.’ Some said, ‘The craft of composing poetry is the best of all skills.’ Some said, ‘The craft of natural philosophy is the best of all skills.’ Some said, ‘Skill in polity is the best of all skills.’ And this was the discussion, venerable sir, that was left unfinished when the Blessed One arrived.”
“It is not proper for you, bhikkhus, sons of good families who have gone forth out of |faith::confidence, conviction, trust [saddha]| from the household life into homelessness, to engage in such a discussion. When you are gathered together, bhikkhus, two things are proper—either a |Dhamma::teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhamma]| discussion or noble silence.”
Then, understanding the significance of this, the Blessed One at that time expressed this inspired utterance:
“For one without a craft, light, desiring what is good,
|restrained in senses::mentally controlled [yatindriya]|, released in every way;
Wandering homeless, |free from ‘mine’::not holding on to anything as I, me, or mine [amama]|, |fulfilled::free from hope, desire-less [nirāsa]|,
having cast off |conceit::self-view expressed as comparison—seeing oneself as superior, inferior, or equal; the persistent “I am” conceit (asmimāna) that underlies identification and fuels rebirth [māna]|—that bhikkhu walks alone.”
Evaṁ me sutaṁ—ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tena kho pana samayena sambahulānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantānaṁ maṇḍalamāḷe sannisinnānaṁ sannipatitānaṁ ayamantarākathā udapādi: “ko nu kho, āvuso, sippaṁ jānāti? Ko kiṁ sippaṁ sikkhi? Kataraṁ sippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti?
Tatthekacce evamāhaṁsu: “hatthisippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: “assasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: “rathasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: “dhanusippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: “tharusippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: “muddāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: “gaṇanāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: “saṅkhānasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: “lekhāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: “kāveyyasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: “lokāyatasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: “khattavijjāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan”ti. Ayañcarahi tesaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ antarākathā hoti vippakatā.
Atha kho bhagavā sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yena maṇḍalamāḷo tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā paññatte āsane nisīdi. Nisajja kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “kāya nuttha, bhikkhave, etarahi kathāya sannisinnā, kā ca pana vo antarākathā vippakatā”ti?
“Idha, bhante, amhākaṁ pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantānaṁ maṇḍalamāḷe sannisinnānaṁ ayamantarākathā udapādi: ‘ko nu kho, āvuso, sippaṁ jānāti? Ko kiṁ sippaṁ sikkhi? Kataraṁ sippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti?
Tatthekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘hatthisippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘assasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘rathasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘dhanusippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘tharusippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘muddāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘gaṇanāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘saṅkhānasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘lekhāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘kāveyyasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘lokāyatasippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘khattavijjāsippaṁ sippānaṁ aggan’ti. Ayaṁ kho no, bhante, antarākathā hoti vippakatā, atha bhagavā anuppatto”ti.
“Na khvetaṁ, bhikkhave, tumhākaṁ patirūpaṁ kulaputtānaṁ saddhā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajitānaṁ yaṁ tumhe evarūpiṁ kathaṁ katheyyātha. Sannipatitānaṁ vo, bhikkhave, dvayaṁ karaṇīyaṁ—dhammī vā kathā ariyo vā tuṇhībhāvo”ti.
Atha kho bhagavā etamatthaṁ viditvā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:
“Asippajīvī lahu atthakāmo,
Yatindriyo sabbadhi vippamutto;
Anokasārī amamo nirāso,
Hitvā mānaṁ ekacaro sa bhikkhū”ti.