Thread by @Tomb_Raider__

§ 7. Brahmins and the Buddha☸💙🧘‍♀️📿

(i)
Once when the Blessed One was travelling about in the Kosala country with a large company of the monks, he went down to a Brahmin village named Thuna.

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The Brahmin householders of Thuna heard the news,

“The Samana Gautama☸, they say, has arrived in the field of our village.”

Now the Brahmin householders were non-believers, holding wrong views and avaricious by nature.

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They said,

“If the Samana Gautama☸ should enter this village and stay two or three days, he would convert all these people. Then the Brahmin religion would have no support. We must, therefore, prevent his entry in our village.

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To reach the village a river had to be crossed and the Brahmins, in order to prevent the Blessed One☸ from entering the village, took the boats away from the landing places, and made the bridges and causeways unusable.

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They filled all the wells except one with weeds and the like and concealed the watering-places, rest-houses and sheds.

The Blessed One☸ learned of their misdeeds and having compassion on them, crossed the river with his company of monks, went on, and

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and in due course of time reached the Brahmin village of Thuna.

He left the road and sat down at the foot of a tree.

At that moment many women were passing by near the Blessed One☸ carrying water.

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And in that village an agreement had been made,

“If the Samana Gautama☸ comes there, there is to be no welcome or the like made for him and when he comes to a house, neither to him nor to his disciples is any food or water to be given.”

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Then a certain Brahmin’s slave girl, going along with a jar of water, saw the Blessed One☸ and the monks, realized that they were weary & thirsty, and being of devout heart, wanted to give them water,

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“Even and though the people of this village have resolved that nothing at all is to be given to the Samana Gautama☸ and not even a show of respect is to be made,” she said to herself, “ yet if after I have found these supreme fields of merit

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and worthy recipients of meritorious giving, I do not lay the foundation for my salvation by a mere giving of water, when hereafter shall I be released from woe?”

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“So be it, my masters! Let every one who lives in the village beat or bind me, still I will give a gift of water to a field of merit such as this.”

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When she had made this resolve, though the other women carrying water tried to stop her, without regard for her life, she lifted down the water jar from her head, placed it on one side, approached the Blessed One☸, and gave him water;he washed his hands & feet & drank the water.

Her master, the Brahmin, heard of her giving water to the Blessed One☸.

“She has broken the rule of the village and I am blamed,” he said, and burning with rage and grinding his teeth he hurled her to the ground and beat her with hands and feet. Because of that she died.

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