96. To Esukāri (MN96)

Thus I heard:

On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Sāvatthi in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park.

Then Esukāri the divine went to the Blessed One and exchanged greetings with him. When the courteous and amiable talk was finished, he sat down at one side. When he had done so, he said:

“Master Gotama, divines describe four levels of worship: They describe the divines’ level of worship, the warrior-nobles’ level of worship, the burgess’s level of worship, the artisans’ level of worship. Now this divines’ level of worship that divines describe is this: a divine can worship a divine, or so can a warrior-noble, or a burgess or an artisan also worship a divine; this is the divines’ level of worship that divines describe. The warrior-nobles’ level of worship that divines describe is this: a warrior-noble can worship a warrior-noble, or so can a burgess or an artisan worship a warrior-noble; this is the warrior-nobles’ level of worship that divines describe. The burgess’s level of worship that divines describe is this: a burgess can worship a burgess or so can an artisan worship a burgess; this is the burgess’s level of worship that divines describe. The artisans’ level of worship that divines describe is this: only an artisan can worship an artisan; for who else will worship an artisan? This is the artisans’ level of worship that divines describe. Divines describe these four levels of worship, Master Gotama. What does Master Gotama say about that?”

“How then, divine, does all the world agree that divines should describe these four levels of worship?”

“No, Master Gotama.”

“Suppose there were a poor, penniless, destitute man, and they hung a joint of meat on him against his will, saying: ‘Good man, you must eat this meat, and money must be paid for it when you do so’; so too, divine, divines who describe these four levels of worship lack the authority of their monks and divines.

“I do not say that all are to be worshipped, nor do I say that all are not to be worshipped; for I say that he should not be worshipped for the worshipping of whom a man is worse and not better; and I say that he should be worshipped for the worshipping of whom a man is better and not worse.

“If people were to ask a warrior-noble: ‘Which one of these two should you worship, namely, him for the worshipping of whom you are worse and not better, or him for the worshipping of whom you are better and not worse?’ then, rightly answering, a warrior-noble should answer thus: ‘I should not worship him for the worship of whom I am worse and not better; I should worship him for the worship of whom I am better and not worse.’

“If people were to ask a divine…

“If people were to ask a burgess…

“If people were to ask an artisan ‘… I should worship him for the worshipping of whom I am better and not worse.’

“I do not say that a man is better for being of a clan of high rank, nor do I say that he is worse for being of a clan of high rank; I do not say that he is better for being of an upper caste, nor do I say that he is worse for being of an upper caste; I do not say that he is better for possessing great property, nor do I say that he is worse for possessing great property.

“Here one of a clan of high rank may be a killer of living beings, a taker of what is not given, misconducted in sexual desires, a speaker of falsehood, malicious in speech, harsh in speech, a gossip, covetous, with a mind of ill will, and wrong in his views. It is for that, and not for being of a clan of high rank, that he is bad, I say. And here one of a clan of high rank may abstain from killing living beings, from taking what is not given, from misconduct in sexual desires, from speaking falsehood, from malicious speech, from harsh speech, from gossip, and be uncovetous, with no mind of ill will, and right in his views. It is for that, and not for being of a clan of high rank, that he is good, I say.

“Here one of an upper caste may be killer of living beings…

“Here one possessing great property may be a killer of living beings… may abstain from killing living beings… It is for that, and not for possessing great property, that he is good, I say.

“I do not say that all are to be worshipped; nor do I say that all are not to be worshipped. For I say that he should be worshipped for the worshipping of whom a man’s faith and his virtue and his learning and his generosity and his understanding increase.”

When this was said, Esukāri the divine said: “Master Gotama, divines describe four sources of wealth: the divines own source of wealth, the warrior-nobles’ own source of wealth, the burgess’s own source of wealth, and the artisans’ own source of wealth. Now the divines’ own source of wealth that divines describe is alms gathering; but the divine who oversteps his own source of wealth consisting of alms gathering abuses his position as does a caretaker who takes what is not given to him. This is the divines’ own source of wealth that divines describe. The warrior-nobles’ own source of wealth that divines describe is the quiver: but a warrior-noble who oversteps his own source of wealth consisting in the quiver abuses his position as does a caretaker who takes what is not given to him. This is the warrior-nobles’ own source of wealth that divines describe. The burgess’s own source of wealth that divines describe is ploughing and cattle-farming: but a burgess who oversteps his own source of wealth consisting in ploughing and cattle-farming abuses his position as does a caretaker who takes what is not given to him. This is the burgess’s own source of wealth that divines describe. The artisans’ own source of wealth that divines describe is the yoke loaded with mown harvest but an artisan who oversteps his own source of wealth consisting in the yoke loaded with mown harvest abuses his position as does a caretaker who takes what is not given to him. This is the artisans’ own source of wealth that divines describe. Master Gotama, divines describe these four sources of wealth. What does Master Gotama Say about that?”

“How then, divine, does all the world agree that divines should describe these four sources of wealth?”

“No, Master Gotama.”

“Suppose there were a poor, penniless, destitute man, and they hung a joint of meat upon him against his will, saying: ‘Good man, you must eat this meat, and money must be paid for it when you do so’: so too, divine, divines who describe these four sources of wealth lack the authority of their monks and divines.

“I describe the Noble Supermundane Dhamma as a man’s own source of wealth. But wherever the reconception of his selfhood takes place, he is reckoned by that according to the old standing heritages of his parents’ clans. If the reconception of his selfhood takes place in a warrior-noble clan, he is reckoned as a warrior-noble. If the reconception of his selfhood takes place in a divine clan, he is reckoned as a divine. If the reconception of his selfhood takes place in a burgess clan, he is reckoned as a burgess. If the reconception of his selfhood takes place in an artisan clan, he is reckoned as an artisan.

“Just as fire is reckoned only by the conditions dependent on which it burns. When fire burns dependent on logs, it is reckoned only as a log fire; when fire burns dependent on faggots, it is reckoned only as a faggot fire; when fire burns dependent on grass, it is reckoned only as a grass fire; when fire burns dependent on cowdung, it is reckoned only as a cowdung fire. So too I describe the Noble Supermundane Dhamma as a man’s own source of wealth: but wherever the reconception of his selfhood takes place, he is reckoned by that according to the old standing heritages of his parents’ clan. If the reconception of his selfhood… reckoned as an artisan.

“If he goes forth into homelessness from the home life in a warrior-noble clan, then on coming to the Dhamma proclaimed by a Tathāgata, he abstains from killing living beings, from taking what is not given, from non-observance of the life divine, from false speech, from malicious speech, from harsh speech, from gossip, he is uncovetous, without a mind of ill-will, and right in his view. He is one who has embarked upon a profitable dhamma of the true way.

“If he goes forth into homelessness from the home life in a divine clan…

“… in a burgess clan…

“… in an artisan clan… He is one who has embarked upon a profitable dhamma of the true way.

“How do you conceive this, divine, is only a divine capable of developing a mind of loving-kindness in a certain place, without hostility and without ill-will and not a warrior-noble or a burgess or an artisan?”

“No, Master Gotama. A warrior-noble, a burgess or an artisan could do so too. For all four castes fare alike in this.”

“So too, if he goes forth… (repeat para. 15 to end)… He is one who has embarked upon a profitable dhamma of the true way.

“How do you conceive this, divine, is only a divine capable of taking abrasive powder and a loofah to the river and washing off dust and dirt, and not a warrior-noble or a burgess or an artisan?”

“No, Master Gotama, a warrior-noble and a burgess and an artisan are capable of that too. For all four castes are capable of that.”

“So too, if he goes forth… (repeat para. 15 to end)… He is one who has embarked upon a profitable dhamma of the true way.

“How do you conceive this, divine? Suppose a head-anointed warrior-noble king here assembled a hundred men of different birth and said to them: ‘Come, sirs, let any here who have appeared in a warrior-noble clan or a divine clan or a royal clan take an upper fire-stick of sala wood or sandalwood or padumaka wood and make a spark and produce fire. And also let any here who have appeared in an outcaste clan or a trapper clan or a wicker-workers’ clan or a cartwrights’ clan or a scavengers’ clan take an upper fire-stick made from a dog’s drinking trough or from a pig’s trough or from a dustbin or from castor-oil wood and make a spark and produce fire.’ How do you conceive this, divine, would the fire produced from the spark made by the first have flame and colour and be clear, and could one do with it what it should be possible to with a fire; and would the fire produced from the spark made likewise by the second have instead no flame and no colour and not be clear, and could one not do with it, too, what it should be possible to do with a fire?”

“No, Master Gotama, the two kinds of fire would both be alike; for all fire has a flame and colour and is clear, and one can do with it what should be possible to do with a fire.”

“So too, if he goes forth… (repeat para. 15 to end)… He is one who has embarked upon a profitable dhamma of the true way.”

When this was said, Esukāri the divine said: “Magnificent, Master Gotama… from today let Master Gotama remember me as a follower who has gone to him for refuge for life.”

This is an excerpt from A Treasury of the Buddha's Words, a collection of suttas from the Majjhima Nikāya translated by Ven. Nyanamoli Thera and edited by Khantipalo Bhikkhu in 1977.

It was printed in Thailand by Mahāmakut Rājavidyālaya Press for free distribution.