Thus I heard:

On one occasion the Blessed One was living in the Sakyan country.

There is a town of the Sakyans called Medaḷumpa.

Now on that occasion King Pasenadi of Kosala had arrived at Nāgaraka for some business or other. Then he told Dīgha Kārāyana: “My friend, have the state carriages got ready. Let us go to the Pleasure Garden to see a pleasing spot.”

“Yes, sire,” he replied. When the state carriages were ready, he informed the king: “Sire, the state carriages are ready for you. Now it is time to do as you think fit.”

Then King Pasenadi mounted a state carriage and driving out from Nāgaraka with the full pomp of royalty, he proceeded towards the Park. He went thus as far as the road was passable for carriages, and then he got down from his carriage and went forward on foot.

As he walked and wandered in the Park for exercise, he saw the roots of trees that inspired trust and confidence in him, that were quiet and undisturbed by voices, with an atmosphere of unfrequentedness, where one could lie hidden from people, favourable for retreat. The sight of them reminded him of the Blessed One thus: “These roots of trees are like those that inspired trust and confidence in me, that were quiet and undisturbed by voices, with an atmosphere of unfrequentedness, where one could lie hidden from people, favourable for retreat, where we used to do honour to the Blessed One, Arahant and Fully Enlightened.”

Then he told Dīgha Kārāyana what he had thought, and he added: “Where is he living now, the Blessed One, Arahant and Fully Enlightened?”

“There is a town of the Sakyans called Medaḷumpa, sire. The Blessed One, Arahant and Fully Enlightened is living there now.”

“How far is it from Nāgaraka to Medaḷumpa?”

“It is not far, sire, three leagues. There is still daylight enough to go there.”

“Then, my friend, get the state carriages ready. Let us go and see the Blessed One, Arahant and Fully Enlightened.”

“Yes, sire,” he replied. When the state carriages were ready, he informed the king: “Sire, the state carriages are ready for you. Now it is time to do as you think fit.”

Then King Pasenadi mounted a state carriage, and he drove out of Nāgaraka and proceeded to the Sakyan town of Medaḷumpa. He arrived there while it was still daylight, and he proceeded to the Park. He went thus as far as the road was passable for carriages, and then he got down from his carriage and went into the park on foot.

Now on that occasion a number of bhikkhus were walking up and down in the open. Then King Pasenadi went to them and asked: “Venerable sirs, where is he living now, the Blessed One, Arahant and Fully Enlightened? We want to see the Blessed One, Arahant and Fully Enlightened.”

“That is his dwelling, great king, with the closed door. Go up to it quietly, go into the porch without hurry, cough and tap on the panel. The Blessed One will open the door to you.”

King Pasenadi handed over his sword and turban to Dīgha Kārāyana then and there. Then Dīgha Kārāyana thought: “So the King is going into secret session now! And I have to wait here alone now!”

King Pasenadi went quietly up to the dwelling with the closed door. He went into the porch without hurry, coughed and tapped on the panel. The Blessed One opened the door.

Then King Pasenadi entered the dwelling. He prostrated himself at the Blessed One’s feet, and then he covered the Blessed One’s feet with kisses, caressing them with his hands and pronouncing his name: “I am King Pasenadi of Kosala, venerable sir; I am King Pasenadi of Kosala, venerable sir.”

“But, great king, what purpose do you see in doing such extreme honour to this body and in showing such friendship?”

“Venerable sir, I infer according to Dhamma about the Blessed One: The Blessed One is fully enlightened. The Dhamma is well proclaimed by the Blessed One. The Sangha of the Blessed one’s disciples has entered upon the good way. Now, venerable sir, I see some monks and divines leading the life divine for ten, twenty, thirty, forty years, and then on another occasion I see them enjoying themselves endowed and invested with the five cords of sensual desire. But here I see bhikkhus leading the life divine in perfect purity as long as life and breath last. Indeed, I do not see any other life divine elsewhere so perfect and pure as this. So, venerable sir, I infer according to Dhamma about the Blessed One: The Blessed One is fully enlightened. The Dhamma is well proclaimed by the Blessed One. The Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples has entered on the good way.

“Again, venerable sir, kings quarrel with kings, warrior-nobles with warrior-nobles, divines with divines, householders with householders, mother with child, child with mother, father with child, child with father, brother with brother, brother with sister, sister with brother, friend with friend. But here I see bhikkhus enjoying concord, living as undisputing as milk with water, and viewing each other with kindly eyes. I do not see any other assembly elsewhere with such concord. This is why I infer according to Dhamma about the Blessed One: The Blessed One is fully enlightened. The Dhamma is well proclaimed by the Blessed One. The Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples has entered on the good way.

“Again, venerable sir, I have walked and wandered from park to park and from garden to garden, and there I have seen some monks and divines lean, wretched, unsightly, jaundiced, with veins standing out on their limbs, hardly such, one would think, as to make people want to look at them again. I have thought: ‘Surely these venerable ones are leading the life divine in discontent, or they have done some evil deed and are concealing it, so lean and wretched are they, so unsightly and jaundiced, with veins standing out on their limbs, not such, one would think, as to make people want to look at them again.’ I went up to them and asked: ‘Why are you venerable ones so lean, wretched, unsightly and jaundiced, with veins standing out on your limbs, not such, one would think, as to make people want to look at you again?’ Their reply was: ‘It is our family sickness, great king.’ But here I see bhikkhus smiling, cheerful and sincerely joyful, plainly delighting, their faculties fresh, uninvolved in activity, unruffled, subsisting on what others give, abiding with mind as aloof as a wild deer’s. I have thought: ‘Surely these venerable ones perceive high successive distinction in the Blessed One’s dispensation, since they abide so smiling and cheerful, so sincerely joyful, so plainly delighting, their faculties so fresh, so uninvolved in activity and unruffled, subsisting on others’ gifts with mind as aloof as a wild deer’s.’ That is why I infer according to Dhamma about the Blessed One: The Blessed One is fully enlightened. The Dhamma is well proclaimed by the Blessed One. The Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples has entered on the good way.

“Again, venerable sir, as a head-anointed warrior-noble king I am able to have executed those who should be executed, to fine those who should be fined, to exile those who should be exiled. Yet when I am sitting in council they interrupt me though I say: ‘Gentlemen, do not interrupt me when I am sitting in council; wait till the end of my speech,’ still they interrupt me. But here I see bhikkhus while the Blessed One was expounding the Dhamma to an assembly of several hundreds and then there is not even the sound of a disciple of the Blessed One hawking or clearing his throat. Once the Blessed One was expounding the Dhamma to an assembly of several hundreds, a disciple of the Blessed One cleared his throat. Thereupon one of his companions in the life divine nudged him with his knee saying: ‘Quiet, venerable sir, make no noise; the Teacher is expounding the Dhamma.’ I thought: ‘It is wonderful, it is marvellous! An assembly, it seems, can be so well disciplined without either punishment or weapon!’ Indeed, I do not see any other assembly elsewhere so well disciplined. That is why I infer according to Dhamma about the Blessed One: The Blessed One is fully enlightened. The Dhamma is well proclaimed by the Blessed One. The Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples has entered on the good way.

“Again, venerable sir, I have seen here certain warrior-noble scholars that were clever and knew others’ theories as a hair-splitting marksman knows archery: they must surely, one would think, go about demolishing views with the understanding that they have. They hear: ‘The monk Gotama will visit such and such a village or town.’ They construct a formulated question thus: ‘If he is asked like this, he will answer like this, and so we shall prove his theory wrong; and if he is asked like this, he will answer like this, and so we shall prove his theory wrong’. They hear: ‘The monk Gotama has come to visit such and such a village or town.’ They go to the monk Gotama. The monk Gotama instructs, urges, rouses and encourages them with talk on the Dhamma. When they have been instructed, urged, roused and encouraged by the monk Gotama with talk on the Dhamma, they do not even ask him the question, so how should they prove his theory wrong? In actual fact these become his disciples. That is why I infer according to Dhamma about the Blessed One: The Blessed One is fully enlightened. The Dhamma is well proclaimed by the Blessed One. The Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples has entered on the good way.

“Again, venerable sir, I have seen here certain divine caste scholars…

“Again, venerable sir, I have seen here certain householder scholars…

“Again, venerable sir, I have seen here certain monk scholars… they do not even ask him the question so how should they prove his theory wrong? In actual fact they ask the Blessed One to allow them to go forth from the home life into homelessness, and he gives them the Going-forth. Not long after they have gone forth thus, dwelling alone in retreat, diligent, ardent and self-controlled, by realization themselves with direct knowledge they here and now enter upon and abide in that supreme goal of the life divine for the sake of which clansmen rightly go forth from the home life into homelessness. They say thus: ‘We were very nearly lost, we were very nearly undone, for formerly we claimed that we were monks though we were not; we claimed that we were divines though we were not; now we are Monks, now we are Divines, now we are Arahants.’ That is why I infer according to Dhamma about the Blessed One: The Blessed One is fully enlightened. The Dhamma is well proclaimed by the Blessed One. The Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples has entered on the good way.

“Again, venerable sir, there are Isidatta and Purāna, my two inspectors, who accept food and keep from me, whose provider of livelihood and bestower of fame I am. In spite of that they are less respectful to me than they are to the Blessed One. Once when I had gone out leading an army and was testing these inspectors, Isidatta and Purāna, I happened to put up in very cramped quarters. Then these two inspectors, Isidatta and Purāna, spent much of the night in talk on the Dhamma, after which they lay down with their heads towards where they had heard the Blessed One was and their feet towards me. I thought: ‘It is wonderful, it is marvellous! There are these two inspectors, Isidatta and Purāna, who accept food and keep from me, whose provider of livelihood and bestower of fame I am; in spite of that they are less respectful to me than they are to the Blessed One. Surely these good people perceive high successive distinction in the Blessed One’s dispensation.’ That is why I infer according to Dhamma about the Blessed One: The Blessed One is fully enlightened. The Dhamma is well proclaimed by the Blessed One. The Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples has entered on the good way.

“Again, venerable sir, the Blessed One is a warrior-noble and I am a warrior-noble; the Blessed One is a Kosalan and I am a Kosalan; the Blessed One is eighty and I am eighty. Since that is so, I therefore think it proper to do extreme honour to the Blessed One and to show such friendship.

“And now, venerable sir, we depart; we are busy and have much to do.”

“It is time now, great king, to do as you think fit.”

Then King Pasenadi of Kosala rose from his seat, and after paying homage to the Blessed One, keeping him on his right, he departed.

Then soon after he had gone, the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus thus: “Bhikkhus, this King Pasenadi has uttered monuments to the Dhamma before rising from his seat and departing. Learn the monuments to the Dhamma; remember the monuments to the Dhamma. The monuments to the Dhamma are conducive to welfare, and they belong to the principles of the life divine.”

That is what the Blessed One said. The bhikkhus were satisfied, and they delighted in his words.