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

Chapter Seventy
The Quail and the Falcon
Although he had never been scolded or corrected by the Buddha, Bhikkhu Svasti was aware of his own shortcomings. Perhaps the Buddha
refrained from saying anything critical of him because he could see Svasti’s wholehearted efforts to be master of his six senses, even if his
mastery was far from complete. Whenever Svasti saw another bhikkhu or bhikkhuni being corrected, he took it to heart as if he himself
were the one at fault. This provided him with many opportunities to deepen his practice. He especially took to heart any correction and
guidance the Buddha gave to Rahula. Rahula continued to make great strides in his practice, and that benefited Svasti’s practice as well.
Once while sitting in a forest glade with Rahula, Svasti expressed how fortunate he felt to be a disciple of the Buddha. He said that
because he had tasted true peace, joy, and freedom, he had no more desire for the life of the world. Rahula cautioned him, “While that may
be true, don’t give yourself too much credit too fast. The effort to continually observe and master the senses is the very foundation of the
practice, and not even the most senior disciples can afford to grow lax in their practice.”
Rahula told Svasti about Bhikkhu Vangisa, a monk renowned for his intelligence and gift with language. He was, in fact, a fine poet who
had composed several gathas praising the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha which had earned the Buddha’s compliments. When Vangisa first
joined the sangha, he studied under the guidance of Bhikkhu Nigrodhakappa in Aggalava, just outside Savatthi. After Nigrodhakappa died,
Vangisa went to dwell at Jetavana. One day while out begging with Ananda, Vangisa confided that his mind was troubled, and he asked for
Ananda’s assistance. Ananda learned that Vangisa was disturbed by the lust he felt for the young women who came to the monastery to
bring food offerings. Ananda understood that as an artist, Vangisa was easily touched by beauty. Ananda appealed to that very sense in
helping Vangisa see how he could use the beauty of the path of awakening in order to transcend his desires for the kind of fleeting beauty
that creates only clinging and obstacles. Ananda showed him how to shine his awareness on the objects of his contemplation in order to see
clearly the empty and impermanent nature of all dharmas. Practicing according to Ananda’s instructions, Vangisa learned to master the six
senses. He wrote a poem about this practice which was now well known to other monks. It went as follows:
Even after donning the saffron robe,
I chased after desires
like a buffalo pining after the farmer’s rice.
How ashamed I felt!
A mighty general’s son
gifted with bow and arrow
might fend off the siege
of even a thousand soldiers.
Dwelling in Mindfulness,
I will not be defeated,
even before a throng of beautiful women.
I follow the Lord
who is a descendent of the sun.
Serenely walking on this path
all desire is released.
Becoming master of my senses,
I walk forth calmly.
Though met by countless obstacles
none can shake my peace.
Because Vangisa was a man gifted with intelligence and talent, there were times when his pride got the better of him, and he felt a quiet
disdain for some of the other monks. Luckily, thanks to his practice of mindfulness, he was able to recognize this arrogance within himself.
He composed a gatha on this theme:
Disciples of Gautama,
overcome arrogance!
The path of pride
leads only to suffering.