9.
The Discourse on the Family
361.
On one occasion the Blessed One was wandering on a journey among the Kosalans together with a large Community of monks, and arrived at Nāḷandā.
There the Blessed One stayed at Nāḷandā in Pāvārika's mango grove.
Now at that time Nāḷandā was afflicted by famine, with difficult livelihood, with white bones scattered about, subsisting by means of food tickets. Now at that time Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta was residing at Nāḷandā together with a great assembly of Jains. Then Asibandhakaputta the headman, a disciple of the Jains, approached Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta; having approached, he paid respect to Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta and sat down to one side. To Asibandhakaputta the headman seated to one side, Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta said this - "Come, headman, refute the ascetic Gotama. Thus a good reputation will arise for you - 'Asibandhakaputta the headman has refuted the ascetic Gotama who is of such great supernormal power, of such great majesty.'"
"But how, venerable sir, shall I refute the ascetic Gotama who is of such great supernormal power, of such great majesty?" "Come, headman, go to where the ascetic Gotama is; having approached, say this to the ascetic Gotama - 'Is it not so, venerable sir, that the Blessed One in many ways praises sympathy for families, praises protection, praises compassion?' If, headman, the ascetic Gotama, thus asked, answers thus - 'Yes, headman, the Truth-finder in many ways praises sympathy for families, praises protection, praises compassion,' then you should say to him thus - 'Then why, venerable sir, does the Blessed One wander on a journey together with a large Community of monks during a famine, with difficult livelihood, with white bones scattered about, when people are subsisting by means of food tickets? The Blessed One is practising for the annihilation of families, the Blessed One is practising for the calamity of families, the Blessed One is practising for the destruction of families!' When the ascetic Gotama, headman, is asked this two-horned question, he will be able neither to spit it out nor to swallow it down." "Yes, venerable sir," Asibandhakaputta the headman, having replied to Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta, rose from his seat, paid respect to Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta, circumambulated him keeping him on his right, and approached the Blessed One; having approached, he paid respect to the Blessed One and sat down to one side. Seated to one side, Asibandhakaputta the headman said this to the Blessed One -
"Is it not so, venerable sir, that the Blessed One in many ways praises sympathy for families, praises protection, praises compassion?" "Yes, headman, the Truth-finder in many ways praises sympathy for families, praises protection, praises compassion." "Then why, venerable sir, does the Blessed One wander on a journey together with a large Community of monks during a famine, with difficult livelihood, with white bones scattered about, when people are subsisting by means of food tickets? The Blessed One is practising for the annihilation of families, the Blessed One is practising for the calamity of families, the Blessed One is practising for the destruction of families." "For ninety-one cosmic cycles from now, headman, that I recollect, I do not know of any family that has been destroyed merely by giving cooked almsfood. But whatever families are wealthy, of great riches, of great possessions, with abundant gold and silver, with abundant means and equipment, with abundant wealth and grain, all those have arisen through giving, have arisen through truthfulness, have arisen through self-restraint. There are, headman, eight causes, eight conditions for the destruction of families. Families go to destruction from kings, or families go to destruction from thieves, or families go to destruction from fire, or families go to destruction from water, or what has been stored disappears from its place, or badly managed enterprises fail, or in the family a wastrel arises who scatters, disperses, and destroys those possessions, and impermanence is the eighth. These, headman, are the eight causes, the eight conditions for the destruction of families. When these eight causes, these eight conditions exist, headman, whoever would say thus of me - 'The Blessed One is practising for the annihilation of families, the Blessed One is practising for the calamity of families, the Blessed One is practising for the destruction of families' - without abandoning that speech, headman, without abandoning that thought, without relinquishing that view, he is deposited in hell as if carried there." When this was said, Asibandhakaputta the headman said this to the Blessed One - "Excellent, venerable sir, excellent, venerable sir! Etc. May the Blessed One remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge from this day forth for life." The ninth.