At Sāvatthī.

Then a begging brahmin went up to the Buddha, and exchanged greetings with him.

When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to the Buddha, “Mister Gotama, both you and I are beggars. What, then, is the difference between us?”

“You don’t become a beggar 
just by begging from others. 
One who has undertaken domestic duties 
has not yet become a mendicant.

But one living a spiritual life 
who has banished both merit and evil, 
and wanders having appraised the world, 
is said to be a mendicant.”

When he had spoken, the begging brahmin said to the Buddha, “Excellent, Mister Gotama! Excellent! … From this day forth, may Mister Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.”