1At one time Venerable Sāriputta was staying near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. Then he robed up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, entered Rājagaha for alms. After wandering indiscriminately for alms-food in Rājagaha, he ate his alms-food by a wall.

Then the wanderer Sucimukhī went up to Venerable Sāriputta and said to him:

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2“Ascetic, do you eat facing downwards?”

“No, sister.”

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“Well then, do you eat facing upwards?”

“No, sister.”

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“Well then, do you eat facing the cardinal directions?”

“No, sister.”

“Well then, do you eat facing the intermediate directions?”

“No, sister.”

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3“When asked if you eat facing all these directions, you answer ‘no, sister’.

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4How exactly do you eat, ascetic?”

“Sister, those ascetics and brahmins who earn a living by geomancy — an unworthy branch of knowledge, a wrong livelihood — are said to eat facing downwards.

Those ascetics and brahmins who earn a living by astrology — an unworthy branch of knowledge, a wrong livelihood — are said to eat facing upwards.

Those ascetics and brahmins who earn a living by running errands and messages — a wrong livelihood — are said to eat facing the cardinal directions.

Those ascetics and brahmins who earn a living by palmistry — an unworthy branch of knowledge, a wrong livelihood — are said to eat facing the intermediate directions.

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5I don’t earn a living by any of these means. I seek alms in a principled manner, and I eat it in a principled manner.”

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6Then Sucimukhī the wanderer went around Rājagaha from street to street, from square to square, and announced: “The Sakyan ascetics eat food in a principled manner! The Sakyan ascetics eat food blamelessly! Give almsfood to the Sakyan ascetics!”

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1Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā sāriputto rājagahe vihārati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya rājagahe piṇḍāya pāvisi. Rājagahe sapadānaṁ piṇḍāya caritvā taṁ piṇḍapātaṁ aññataraṁ kuṭṭamūlaṁ nissāya paribhuñjati.

Atha kho sucimukhī paribbājikā yenāyasmā sāriputto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ etadavoca: 

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2"Kiṁ nu kho, samaṇa, adhomukho bhuñjasī"ti?

"Na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, adhomukho bhuñjāmī"ti.

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"Tena hi, samaṇa, ubbhamukho bhuñjasī"ti?

"Na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, ubbhamukho bhuñjāmī"ti.

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"Tena hi, samaṇa, disāmukho bhuñjasī"ti?

"Na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, disāmukho bhuñjāmī"ti.

"Tena hi, samaṇa, vidisāmukho bhuñjasī"ti?

"Na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, vidisāmukho bhuñjāmī"ti.

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3"‘Kiṁ nu, samaṇa, adhomukho bhuñjasī’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘Na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, adhomukho bhuñjāmī’ti vadesi. ‘Tena hi, samaṇa, ubbhamukho bhuñjasī’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘Na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, ubbhamukho bhuñjāmī’ti vadesi. ‘Tena hi, samaṇa, disāmukho bhuñjasī’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘Na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, disāmukho bhuñjāmī’ti vadesi. ‘Tena hi, samaṇa, vidisāmukho bhuñjasī’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘Na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, vidisāmukho bhuñjāmī’ti vadesi.

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4Kathañcarahi, samaṇa, bhuñjasī"ti?

"Ye hi keci, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā vatthuvijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappenti, ime vuccanti, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā ‘adhomukhā bhuñjantī’ti.

Ye hi keci, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā nakkhattavijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappenti, ime vuccanti, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā ‘ubbhamukhā bhuñjantī’ti.

Ye hi keci, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā dūteyyapahiṇagamanānuyogāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappenti, ime vuccanti, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā ‘disāmukhā bhuñjantī’ti.

Ye hi keci, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā aṅgavijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappenti, ime vuccanti, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā ‘vidisāmukhā bhuñjantī’ti.

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5So khvāhaṁ, bhagini, na vatthuvijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappemi, na nakkhattavijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappemi, na dūteyyapahiṇagamanānuyogāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappemi, na aṅgavijjāaṅgavijjātiracchānavijjāyatiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappemi. Dhammena bhikkhaṁ pariyesāmi; dhammena bhikkhaṁ pariyesitvā bhuñjāmī"ti.

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6Atha kho sucimukhī paribbājikā rājagahe rathiyāya rathiyaṁ, siṅghāṭakena siṅghāṭakaṁ upasaṅkamitvā evamārocesi: "dhammikaṁ samaṇā sakyaputtiyā āhāraṁ āhārenti; anavajjaṁ samaṇā sakyaputtiyā āhāraṁ āhārenti. Detha samaṇānaṁ sakyaputtiyānaṁ piṇḍan"ti.

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Dasamaṁ.
Sāriputtavaggo paṭhamo.

7Vivekajaṁ avitakkaṁ,
pīti upekkhā catutthakaṁ;
Ākāsañceva viññāṇaṁ,
ākiñcaṁ nevasaññinā;
Nirodho navamo vutto,
dasamaṁ sūcimukhī cāti.

Sāriputtasaṁyuttaṁ samattaṁ.