Story related to Dhammapada Verse 158: Thera Upananda
Sakyaputta
While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha
uttered Verse 158 with reference to Upananda, a thera of the Sakyan Clan.
Upananda was a very eloquent preacher. He used to
preach to others not to be greedy and to have only a few wants and would talk
eloquently on the merits of contentment and frugality (appicchata) and austere
practices (dhutangas). However, he did not practice what he taught and took all
the robes and other requisites that were given up by others.
On one occasion, Upananda went to a village monastery
just before the vassa. Some young bhikkhus, being impressed by his eloquence,
asked him to spend the vassa in their monastery. He asked them how many robes
each bhikkhu usually received as donation for the vassa in their monastery and
they told him that they usually received one robe each. So he did not stop
there, but he left his slippers in that monastery.
At the next monastery, he learned that the bhikkhus
usually received two robes each for the vassa; there he left his staff. At the
next monastery, the bhikkhus received three robes each as donation for the
vassa; there he left his water bottle. Finally, at the monastery where each
bhikkhu received four robes, he decided to spend the vassa.
At the end of the vassa, he claimed his share of robes
from the other monasteries where he had left his personal effects. Then he
collected all his things in a cart and came back to his old monastery. On his
way, he met two young bhikkhus who were having a dispute over the share of two
robes and a valuable velvet blanket which they had between them.
Since they could not come to an amicable settlement,
they asked Upananda to help settle. Upananda gave one robe each to them and
took the valuable velvet blanket for having acted as an arbitrator.
The two young bhikkhus were not satisfied with the
decision but they could do nothing about it. With a feeling of dissatisfaction
and dejection, they went to the Buddha and reported the matter. To then the
Buddha said, "One who teaches others should first teach himself and act as
he has taught."
In other words, one should practice according to what
one preach.
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