Die Geschichte von Thera Pilotikatissa
Während im Jetavana-Kloster verweilend, sprach der Buddha die Verse (143) und (144), diese Buches, im Bezug auf Thera Pilotikatissa, aus.
Einst sah Thera Ananda einen schäbig gekleideten Jüngling um Almosen herumziehen. Er fühlte Mitleid gegenüber dem Jüngling, und machte ihn zu einem Samanera. Der junge Samanera ließ seine alten Kleidungsstücke und seine Bettelschale, auf einer Astgabel eines Baumes zurück. Als er zu einem Bhikkhu wurde, war es als Pilotikatissa bekannt. Als ein Bhikkhu, mußte er sich keine Sorgen um Speise und Bekleidung machen, da er sich in ergiebigen Umständen befand. Doch manchmal erfreute er sich nicht über sein Leben als ein Bhikkhu, und überlegte zum Leben als Laie zurückzukehren. Wenn immer er dieses Gefühl hatte, ging er zurück zu dem Bau, san dem er seine alte Bekleidung und seine Schale zurückgelassen hatte. Dort, am Fuß des Baumes, stellte er sich dies Frage: "Oh Schamloser! mMöchtest du den Platz verlassen, an dem du gut ernährt und gekleidet wirst? Möchtes du noch immer diese schäbigen Kleider anlegen, und wirder mit dieser alten Schale betteln gehen?" So tadelte er sich selbst, und nach dem er sich beruhigt hatte, ging er stets zum Kloster zurück.
Nach zwei oder drei Tagen, dachte er wieder daran, das klösterliche Leben als Bhikkhu zu verlassen, und wieder ging er zu dem Baum, an dem er seine alte Gekleidung...
... and his plate. After asking himself the same old question and having been reminded of the wretchedness of his old life, he returned to the monastery. This was repeated many times. When other bhikkhus asked him why he often went to the tree where he kept his old clothes and his plate, he told them that he went to see his teacher [4]. Thus keeping his mind on his old clothes as the subject of meditation, he came to realize the true nature of the aggregates of the khandhas (i.e., anicca, dukkha, anatta), and eventually he became an arahat. Then, he stopped going to the tree. Other bhikkhus noticing that Pilotikatissa had stopped going to the tree where he kept his old clothes and his plate asked him, "Why don't you go to your teacher any more?" To them, he answered, "When I had the need, I had to go to him; but there is no need for me to go to him now." When the bhikkhus heard his reply, they took him to see the Buddha. When they came to his presence they said, "Venerable Sir! This bhikkhu claims that he has attained arahatship; he must be telling lies." But the Buddha refuted them, and said, "Bhikkhus! Pilotikatissa is not telling lies, he speaks the truth. Though he had relationship with his teacher previously, now he has no relationship whatsoever with his teacher. Thera Pilotikatissa has instructed himself to differentiate right and wrong causes and to discern the true nature of things. He has now become an arahat, and so there is no further connection between him and his teacher."
Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 143 Rare in this world is the kind of person who out of a sense of shame restrains from doing evil and keeps himself awake like a good horse that gives no cause to be whipped.
Verse 144: Like a good horse stirred at a touch of the whip, be diligent and get alarmed by endless round of rebirths (i.e., samsara). By faith, morality, effort, concentration, discernment of the Dhamma, be endowed with knowledge and practice of morality, and with mindfulness, leave this immeasurable dukkha (of samsara) behind.
teacher: here refers to Pilotika's old clothes and his begging plate; they are like a teacher to him because they imbued him with a deep sense of shame and put him on the right track.