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Chapter Sixty-Two
Sariputta’s Roar
When the retreat season ended, Venerable Sariputta bid farewell to the Buddha before traveling to spread the Dharma. The Buddha
wished him a calm and safe journey, and a body and mind free of all cares. He said he hoped Sariputta’s efforts to spread the Dharma
would not meet with too many obstacles. Venerable Sariputta thanked the Lord and then departed.
That noon a bhikkhu came to the Buddha and complained of being mistreated by Sariputta. He said, “I asked Venerable Sariputta
where he was going. He refused to answer me, and in fact, pushed me out of his way so hard that I was knocked to the ground. He made
no apology but continued on his way.”
The Buddha turned to Ananda and said, “I do not think Sariputta will have traveled too far yet. Send one of the novices after him.
Tonight we will hold a community meeting in Jeta Dharma Hall.”
Ananda did as the Buddha asked, and by late afternoon Venerable Sariputta had returned to the monastery with the novice. The Buddha
told him, “Sariputta, tonight the entire community will meet in the Dharma hall. A bhikkhu has accused you of knocking him to the ground
without apologizing.”
That afternoon Venerables Moggallana and Ananda visited all corners of the monastery to announce the evening meeting. They said,
“You are invited to attend a meeting in the Dharma hall tonight. Tonight Brother Sariputta will have a chance to offer his lion’s roar.”
Not one bhikkhu was absent from the hall that evening. Everyone wanted to see how Sariputta would respond to those who had for so
long begrudged his position in the sangha. Venerable Sariputta was one of the Buddha’s most trusted disciples, and because of that he was
the object of much misunderstanding and jealousy. Some of the bhikkhus felt the Buddha placed too much trust in Sariputta. They felt
Sariputta wielded too great an influence. When some bhikkhus were corrected by the Buddha, they mistakenly blamed Sariputta for
pointing out their errors to the Buddha. Some bhikkhus felt almost a hatred for Sariputta. They were unable to forget that some years
before, the Buddha had invited Sariputta to share his seat.
Venerable Ananda recalled one monk named Kokalika, who had lived at Jetavana eight years earlier. Kokalika hated Sariputta and
Moggallana so much that not even the Buddha himself could persuade him otherwise. Kokalika said that Sariputta and Moggallana were
both hypocrites whose actions were motivated by ambition. The Buddha met privately with him and said that these two elders were sincere
and that their actions arose from loving kindness. But Kokalika’s mind was filled with jealousy and hatred, and finally, he left the monastery,
joined the Venerable Devadatta in Rajagaha, and became one of Devadatta’s closest associates.
It was because of these kinds of problems that Ananda had been reluctant to accept the responsibility of becoming the Buddha’s
attendant. Without the conditions he had suggested, such as not sleeping in the same room or sharing the same food with the Buddha,
Ananda knew that many brothers would resent him also. Some brothers felt they did not receive enough of the Buddha’s attention. Ananda
knew that such feelings could lead to anger and hatred, and could even lead some to abandon the Buddha, their teacher.
Ananda also recalled a woman in Kalmasadamya Village in Kosambi named Magandika, who grew to hate the Buddha when she did
not receive special attention from him. She was a beautiful brahmana woman. The Buddha was forty-four years old when she met him. She
was immediately attracted to him and as her feelings grew stronger, she longed to know if the Buddha felt any special regard for her.
Magandika did everything she could think of to receive his special attention, but the Buddha treated her as he did everyone else. In the end,
her affections turned to hatred. When she later became the wife of King Udena of Vamsa, she used her position and influence to spread
rumors and insults about the Buddha. She even pressured the authorities into forbidding the Buddha to give public Dharma talks. When
Samavati, a beloved concubine of King Udena, became a disciple of the Buddha, Magandika found ways to make her suffer. Disturbed by
all of this, Ananda suggested to the Buddha that they leave Kosambi to spread the Dharma in a more hospitable place. The Buddha asked
him, “If we go somewhere else and meet with insult and difficulty there too, what should we do?”
Ananda replied, “Move on to some other place.”
The Buddha disagreed. “That would not be correct, Ananda. We must not become discouraged every time we meet with difficulty.
Solutions should be sought in the very midst of hardship. Ananda, if we practice equanimity, we will not be bothered by insults and slander.
The people who slander us cannot harm us. They only harm themselves. When a man spits at the sky, the sky is not sullied. The spit falls
back in the face of the one who spat.”
Ananda had no worries about Sariputta’s ability to deal with the present situation. Venerable Sariputta was rightfully trusted by the
Buddha. He was a truly virtuous and worthy elder of the sangha. Because of his deep insight, the Buddha depended on his help in guiding
the sangha. He was the author of several sutras, including the Hatthipadopanna Sutta—the Sutra on the Elephant’s Footprints—in which