old-path-white-clouds-thich-nhat-hanh

Chapter Fifty-Five
Appearance of the Morning Star
One day the Buddha and Ananda visited a small monastery located just outside the city. They arrived when most of the bhikkhus were out
begging. As they strolled around the monastery grounds, they suddenly heard a pitiful groan coming from one of the huts. The Buddha
entered the hut and found an emaciated bhikkhu curled up in one corner. A terrible stench filled the air. The Buddha knelt beside him and
asked, “Brother, are you ill?”
The bhikkhu answered, “Lord, I have dysentery.”
“Isn’t anyone looking after you?”
“Lord, the other brothers have gone out begging. There is no one here but me. When I first fell ill, several of the brothers did try to care
for me, but when I saw I was of no use to anyone, I told them not to bother with me anymore.”
The Buddha told Ananda, “Go fetch some water. We will bathe our brother.”
Ananda brought a bucket of water and helped the Buddha bathe the sick bhikkhu. They changed his robe and lifted him back onto his
bed. The Buddha and Ananda then scrubbed the floor and washed the bhikkhu’s soiled robes. They were hanging the robes out to dry
when the other bhikkhus returned. Venerable Ananda asked them to boil some water and prepare medicine for their brother.
The community invited the Buddha and Ananda to eat with them. After the meal, the Buddha asked them, “From what illness is the
bhikkhu in that hut suffering?”
“Lord Buddha, he has dysentery.”
“Has anyone been caring for him?”
“Lord Buddha, at first we tried to look after him but then he asked us not to.”
“Bhikkhus, when we leave our homes to follow the Way, we leave parents and family behind. If we don’t look after each other when we
are sick, who will? We must care for one another. Whether the ill person is a teacher, a student, or a friend, we must tend to him until he
has regained his health. Bhikkhus, if I were sick, would you tend to my needs?”
“Yes, certainly, Lord Buddha.”
“Then you must tend to the needs of any bhikkhu who falls ill. Caring for any bhikkhu is the same as caring for the Buddha.”
The bhikkhus joined their palms and bowed.
The next summer the Buddha stayed at Eastern Park in Savatthi at the same time that Bhikkhuni Mahapajapati was teaching a large
community of nuns in Savatthi. She was assisted by Bhikkhuni Khema, who once had been one of King Bimbisara’s wives. She had
become a disciple of the Buddha twenty years earlier. At that time her profound natural insight was somewhat marred by her arrogance, but
after receiving instruction from the Buddha, she learned humility. After only four years of practice as a lay disciple, she asked to be
ordained. She was most diligent in her practice and was now an important teacher and leader among the nuns. Lady Visakha regularly
visited her and the other bhikkhunis. One day she invited Sudatta—also known as Anathapindika, the philanthropist who had purchased the
Jeta Grove for the sangha—to accompany her. She introduced him to Sisters Khema, Dhammadinna, Utpalavanna, and Patacara. Lady
Visakha later told him that she knew them before they became nuns.
Another day Sudatta visited the bhikkhunis’ center with a male friend also named Visakha, who was a relative of Bhikkhuni
Dhammadinna, a well-known teacher among the nuns. The two men listened to Bhikkhuni Dhammadinna give a Dharma talk on the five
skandhas and the Noble Eightfold Path. Visakha was astonished by her profound grasp of subtle truths. When he returned to Jetavana, he
told the Buddha everything Bhikkhuni Dhammadinna had said.
The Buddha replied, “If you asked me about the same subjects, I would have said the very same things as Sister Dhammadinna. She has
truly grasped the teaching of emancipation and enlightenment.”
The Buddha turned to Ananda and said, “Ananda, please remember Sister Dhammadinna’s discourse and repeat it to the entire
community of monks. Her discourse is an important one.”
Bhikkhuni Bhadda Kapilani was also renowned for her grasp of the Dharma. Like Sister Dhammadinna, she was often invited to travel
to offer teaching.