Thus have I heard:

At one time the Lord was staying near Nādikā in the brick hall. Now at that time the venerable Anuruddha and the venerable Nandiya and the venerable Kimbila were staying in a grove in the Gosiṅga sāl-wood. Then the Lord, emerging from solitary meditation towards evening, approached that grove in the Gosiṅga sāl-wood. The keeper of the grove saw the Lord coming from a distance; and seeing him, he spoke thus to the Lord: “Do not, recluse, enter this grove; there are three young men of family staying here desiring Self; do not cause them discomfort.” The venerable Anuruddha heard the keeper of the grove conferring with the Lord; having heard, he spoke thus to the keeper of the grove: “Do not, good grove-keeper, impede the Lord. It is our teacher, the Lord, who is arriving.”

Then the venerable Anuruddha approached the venerable Nandiya and the venerable Kimbila; having approached, he spoke thus to the venerable Nandiya and the venerable Kimbila: “Go forward, venerable ones, go forward, venerable ones; our teacher, the Lord is arriving.” Then the venerable Anuruddha and the venerable Nandiya and the venerable Kimbila, having gone out to meet the Lord, one received his bowl and robe, one made ready a seat, one set out water for (washing) the feet. Then the Lord sat down on the seat made ready; as he was sitting down the Lord bathed his feet. Then these venerable ones, having greeted the Lord, sat down at a respectful distance.

As the venerable Anuruddha was sitting down at a respectful distance, the Lord spoke thus to him:

“I hope that things are going well with you, Anuruddha, I hope you are keeping going, I hope you are not short of almsfood?”

“Things are going well, Lord, we are keeping going, Lord, and, Lord, we are not short of almsfood.”

“I hope that you, Anuruddha, are living all together on friendly terms and harmonious, as milk and water blend, regarding one another with the eye of affection?”

“Yes, certainly, Lord, we are living all together on friendly terms and harmonious, as milk and water blend, regarding one another with the eye of affection.”

“And how is it that you, Anuruddha, are living all together on friendly terms and harmonious, as milk and water blend, regarding one another with the eye of affection?”

“As to this, Lord, it occurred to me: ‘Indeed it is a gain for me, indeed it is well gotten by me, that I am living with such fellow Brahma-farers.’ On account of this, Lord, for these venerable ones friendliness as to acts of body, whether openly or in private, has risen up in me, friendliness as to acts of speech, whether openly or in private, has risen up in me, friendliness as to acts of thought, whether openly or in private, has risen up in me. Because of this, Lord, it occurred to me: ‘Now, suppose that I, having surrendered my own mind, should live only according to the mind of these venerable ones?’ So I, Lord, having surrendered my own mind, am living only according to the mind of these venerable ones. Lord, we have divers bodies, but assuredly only one mind.”

And the venerable Nandiya too spoke thus to the Lord: “As to this, Lord, it occurred to me: ‘Indeed it is a gain for me, indeed it is well gotten by me, that I am living with such fellow Brahma-farers.’ On account of this, Lord, for these venerable ones friendliness as to acts of body, whether openly or in private, has risen up in me, friendliness as to acts of speech, whether openly or in private, has risen up in me, friendliness as to acts of thought, whether openly or in private, has risen up in me. Because of this, Lord, it occurred to me: ‘Now, suppose that I, having surrendered my own mind, should live only according to the mind of these venerable ones?’ So I, Lord, having surrendered my own mind, am living only according to the mind of these venerable ones. Lord, we have divers bodies, but assuredly only one mind.”

And the venerable Kimbila too spoke thus to the Lord: “As to this, Lord, it occurred to me: ‘Indeed it is a gain for me, indeed it is well gotten by me, that I am living with such fellow Brahma-farers.’ On account of this, Lord, for these venerable ones friendliness as to acts of body, whether openly or in private, has risen up in me, friendliness as to acts of speech, whether openly or in private, has risen up in me, friendliness as to acts of thought, whether openly or in private, has risen up in me. Because of this, Lord, it occurred to me: ‘Now, suppose that I, having surrendered my own mind, should live only according to the mind of these venerable ones?’ So I, Lord, having surrendered my own mind, am living only according to the mind of these venerable ones. Lord, we have divers bodies, but assuredly only one mind.”

“Thus it is that we, Lord, are living all together on friendly terms and harmonious, as milk and water blend, regarding one another with the eye of affection.”

“It is good, Anuruddha, it is good. And I hope that you, Anuruddha, are living diligent, ardent, self-resolute?”

“Yes, certainly, Lord, we are living diligent, ardent, self-resolute.”

“And how is it that you, Anuruddha, are living diligent, ardent, self-resolute?”

“As to this, Lord, whichever of us returns first from (going to) a village for almsfood, he makes ready a seat, he sets out water for drinking and water for washing (the feet), he sets out a refuse-bowl. Whoever returns last from (going to) a village for almsfood, if there are the remains of a meal and if he so desires, he eats them; if he does not desire to do so, he throws them out where there are no crops or drops them into water where there are no living creatures; he puts up the seat, he puts away the water for drinking and the water for washing, he puts away the refuse-bowl, he sweeps the refectory. Whoever sees a vessel for drinking water or a vessel for washing water or a vessel (for water) for rinsing after evacuation, void and empty, he sets out (water). If it is impossible for him (to do this) by a movement of his hand, having invited a companion to help us by signalling (to him) with the hand, we set out (the water); but we do not, Lord, for such a reason, break into speech. And then we, Lord, once in every five nights sit down together for talk on Dhamma. It is thus, Lord, that we are dwelling diligent, ardent, self-resolute.”

“It is good, Anuruddha, it is good. But have you, Anuruddha, thus living diligent, ardent, self-resolute, attained states of further-men, the excellent knowledge and insight befitting the ariyans, an abiding in comfort?”

“How could that not be, Lord? For here we, Lord, for as long as we like, aloof from pleasures of the senses, aloof from unskilled states of mind, entering on the first meditation which is accompanied by initial thought and discursive thought, is born of aloofness, and is rapturous and joyful, abide therein. This, Lord, is for us a state of further-men, an excellent knowledge and insight befitting the ariyans, an abiding in comfort reached while we are dwelling diligent, ardent, self-resolute.”