10.
The Discourse on Sūcimukhī
341.
On one occasion the Venerable Sāriputta was dwelling at Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrels' Feeding Ground.
Then the Venerable Sāriputta, having dressed in the earlier period of the day, taking his bowl and robe, entered Rājagaha for almsfood.
Having walked for almsfood successively in Rājagaha, he consumes that almsfood leaning against a certain wall.
Then the female wandering ascetic Sūcimukhī approached the Venerable Sāriputta;
having approached, he said this to the Venerable Sāriputta -
"What indeed, ascetic, do you eat with face cast down?" "I do not indeed, sister, eat with face cast down." "Well then, ascetic, do you eat with face turned upward?" "I do not indeed, sister, eat with face turned upward." "Well then, ascetic, do you eat facing the directions?" "I do not indeed, sister, eat facing the directions." "Well then, ascetic, do you eat facing the intermediate directions?" "I do not indeed, sister, eat facing the intermediate directions."
"When asked 'What indeed, ascetic, do you eat with face cast down?' you say 'I do not indeed, sister, eat with face cast down.' When asked 'Well then, ascetic, do you eat with face turned upward?' you say 'I do not indeed, sister, eat with face turned upward.' When asked 'Well then, ascetic, do you eat facing the directions?' you say 'I do not indeed, sister, eat facing the directions.' When asked 'Well then, ascetic, do you eat facing the intermediate directions?' you say 'I do not indeed, sister, eat facing the intermediate directions.'"
"How then, ascetic, do you eat?" "Whatever ascetics and brahmins, sister, who earn their living by wrong livelihood through the worldly knowledge of site-divination, these are called, sister, ascetics and brahmins who 'eat with face cast down.' Whatever ascetics and brahmins, sister, who earn their living by wrong livelihood through the worldly knowledge of astrology, these are called, sister, ascetics and brahmins who 'eat with face turned upward.' Whatever ascetics and brahmins, sister, who earn their living by wrong livelihood through the pursuit of messenger duty and running errands, these are called, sister, ascetics and brahmins who 'eat facing the directions.' Whatever ascetics and brahmins, sister, who earn their living by wrong livelihood through the worldly knowledge of limb-reading, these are called, sister, ascetics and brahmins who 'eat facing the intermediate directions.'"
"I indeed, sister, do not earn my living by wrong livelihood through the worldly knowledge of site-divination, I do not earn my living by wrong livelihood through the worldly knowledge of astrology, I do not earn my living by wrong livelihood through the pursuit of messenger duty and running errands, I do not earn my living by wrong livelihood through the worldly knowledge of limb-reading. I seek almsfood righteously; having sought almsfood righteously, I eat."
Then the female wandering ascetic Sūcimukhī, having gone from road to road, from crossroads to crossroads in Rājagaha, announced thus - "The ascetics, disciples of the Sakyan, take righteous food; the ascetics, disciples of the Sakyan, take blameless food. Give almsfood to the ascetics, disciples of the Sakyan." The tenth.