Thus have I heard: at one time the Lord was staying near Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove at the squirrels’ feeding place. At that time a monk named Gulissāni, forest-gone, uncouth in his habits, had arrived in the midst of an Order on some business or other. Thereupon the venerable Sāriputta addressed the monks concerning the monk Gulissāni, saying:
“Your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone and who comes back to an Order and is staying with an Order, should be deferential and respectful towards his fellow Brahma-farers. If, your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone, comes back to an Order and is staying with an Order and is not deferential and respectful towards his fellow Brahma-farers, there will be those who speak about him and say: ‘What is the good of this venerable one who is forest-gone and who lives alone in the forest, doing as he pleases, but who is not deferential and respectful towards his fellow Brahma-farers? There will be those who speak about him.’ Therefore a monk who is forest-gone and who has come back to an Order and is staying with an Order should be deferential and respectful towards his fellow Brahma-farers.
Your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone and who comes back to an Order and is staying with an Order, should be skilled about the seats, thinking: ‘I will sit down not encroaching on (the space intended for) monks who are elders, nor will I keep newly ordained monks from a seat.’ If, your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone comes back to an Order and is staying with an Order, and is not skilled about the seats, there will be those who speak about him and say: ‘What is the good of this venerable one who is forest-gone and who lives alone in the forest doing what he pleases, but who does not even know the rule about decent conduct? There will be those who speak about him.’ Therefore a monk who is forest-gone and who has come back to an Order and is staying with an Order should be skilled about the seats.
Your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone and who comes back to an Order and is staying with an Order, should not enter a village too early, nor return during the day. If, your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone comes back to an Order and is staying with an Order, and enters a village too early and returns during the day, there will be those who speak about him and say: ‘What is the good of this venerable one who is forest-gone and who lives alone in the forest doing as he pleases, but who enters a village too early and returns during the day? There will be those who speak about him.’ Therefore a monk who is forest-gone and who comes back to an Order and is staying with an Order should not enter a village too early and should not return during the day.
Your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone and who comes back to an Order and is staying with an Order should not call upon families before a meal, or after a meal. If, your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone comes back to an Order and is staying with an Order, and calls upon families before a meal or after a meal, there will be those who will speak about him and say: ‘Is not this walking at a wrong time, frequently practised by this venerable one who is forest-gone, living alone in the forest, doing as he pleases and does not he also boast about it to one who is in the Order?’ There will be those who speak about him.’ Therefore a monk who is forest-gone and who comes back to an Order and is staying with an Order, should call upon families, neither before a meal, nor after a meal.
Your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone and who comes back to an Order and is staying with an Order, should not be proud or inconsiderate. If, your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone comes back to an Order and is staying with an Order, is proud and inconsiderate, there will be those who speak about him and say: ‘Is not this pride and inconsiderateness, frequently practised by this venerable one, who is forest-gone, living alone in a forest, doing as he pleases and does not he also boast about it to one who is in the Order? There will be those that speak about him. Therefore a monk who is forest-gone and who comes back to an Order and is staying with an Order, should not be proud and inconsiderate.
Your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone comes back to an Order and is staying with an Order, should not be scurrilous, or of loose talk. If, your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone, comes back to an Order and is staying with an Order, is scurrilous and of loose talk, there will be those who speak about him and say: ‘What is the good of this venerable one, who is forest-gone, living alone in a forest, doing as he pleases, but who is scurrilous and of loose talk?’ There will be those who speak about him.’ Therefore a monk who is forest-gone and who comes back to an Order and is staying with an Order, should not be scurrilous or of loose talk.
Your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone, comes back to an Order and is staying with an Order, should be of pleasant speech, a friend of the lovely. If, your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone, comes back to an Order and is staying with an Order, is of wrong speech, a friend of the evil, there will be those who speak about him and say: ‘What is the good of this venerable one, who is forest-gone, living alone in a forest, doing as he pleases, but who is of wrong speech, a friend of the evil?’ There will be those who speak about him.’ Therefore a monk who is forest-gone, comes back to an Order and is staying with an Order, should be of pleasant speech, a friend of the lovely.
Your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone, should be guarded as to the doors of his sense-organs. If, your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone, is not guarded as to the doors of his sense-organs, there will be those who speak about him and say: ‘What is the good of this venerable one, who is forest-gone, living alone in a forest, doing as he pleases, but who is not guarded as to the doors of his sense-organs?’ There will be those who speak about him.’ Therefore a monk who is forest-gone, should be guarded as to the doors of his sense-organs.
Your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone, should be moderate in eating. If, your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone, is not moderate in eating, there will be those who speak about him and say: ‘What is the good of this venerable one, who is forest-gone, living alone in a forest, doing as he pleases, but who is not moderate in eating?’ There will be those who speak about him.’ Therefore a monk who is forest-gone should be moderate in eating.
Your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone, should be intent on vigilance. If, your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone, is not intent on vigilance, there will be those who speak about him and say: ‘What is the good of this venerable one, who is forest-gone, living alone in a forest, doing as he pleases, but who is not intent on vigilance?’ There will be those who speak about him.’ Therefore a monk who is forest-gone, should be intent on vigilance.
Your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone, should be put forth energy. If, your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone, is lazy, there will be those who speak about him and say: ‘What is the good of this venerable one, who is forest-gone, living alone in a forest, doing as he pleases, but who is lazy?’ There will be those who speak about him.’ Therefore a monk who is forest-gone, should put forth energy.
Your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone, should arouse mindfulness. If, your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone, is of muddled mindfulness, there will be those who speak about him and say: ‘What is the good of this venerable one, who is forest-gone, living alone in a forest, doing as he pleases, but who is of muddled mindfulness?’ There will be those who speak about him.’ Therefore a monk who is forest-gone, should arouse mindfulness.
Your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone, should have concentration. If, your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone, has not concentration, there will be those who speak about him and say: ‘What is the good of this venerable one, who is forest-gone, living alone in a forest, doing as he pleases, but who has not concentration?’ There will be those who speak about him.’ Therefore a monk who is forest-gone, should have concentration.
Your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone, should have wisdom. If, your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone, is poor in wisdom, there will be those who speak about him and say: ‘What is the good of this venerable one, who is forest-gone, living alone in a forest, doing as he pleases, but who is poor in wisdom?’ There will be those who speak about him.’ Therefore a monk who is forest-gone, should have wisdom.
Your reverences, earnest study in Further-Dhamma, in Further-Discipline, should be made by a monk who is forest-gone. Your reverences, there are those who will question a monk who is forest-gone on Further-Dhamma and Further-Discipline. If, your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone, on being asked a question on Further-Dhamma, on Further-Discipline, does not succeed (in answering it), there will be those who speak about him and say: ‘What is the good of this venerable one, who is forest-gone, living alone in a forest, doing as he pleases, but who, on being asked a question on Further-Dhamma, on Further-Discipline, does not succeed (in answering it)? There will be those who speak about him.’ Therefore earnest study should be made in Further-Dhamma, in Further-Discipline by a monk who is forest-gone.
Your reverences, earnest study should be made by a monk who is forest-gone, concerning those that are the peaceful Deliverances and are incorporeal, having transcended material shapes. There are, your reverences, those who will question a monk who is forest-gone about those that are the peaceful Deliverances and are incorporeal, having transcended material shapes. If, your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone, on being asked a question about those that are the peaceful Deliverances and are incorporeal, having transcended material shapes, does not succeed (in answering it), there will be those who speak about him and say: ‘What is the good of this venerable one, who is forest-gone, living alone in a forest, doing as he pleases, but who, on being asked a question about those that are the peaceful Deliverances and are incorporeal, having transcended material shapes, does not succeed (in answering it)? There will be those who speak about him.’ Therefore earnest study should be made by a monk who is forest-gone, concerning those that are the peaceful Deliverances and are incorporeal, having transcended material shapes.
Your reverences, earnest study in states of further-men should be made by a monk who is forest-gone. There are, your reverences, those who will question a monk who is forest-gone about states of further-men. If, your reverences, a monk who is forest-gone, on being asked a question about states of further-men, does not succeed (in answering it), there will be those who speak about him and say: ‘What is the good of this venerable one, who is forest-gone, living alone in a forest, doing as he pleases, but who does not even know the goal for the sake of which he has gone forth? There will be those who speak about him.’ Therefore earnest study in states of further-men, should be made by a monk who is forest-gone.”
This said, the venerable Moggallāna the Great spoke thus to the venerable Sāriputta: “Reverend Sāriputta, are these things to be taken up and practised only by a monk who is forest-gone, or also by one staying near a village?” “These things, reverend Moggallāna, are certainly to be taken up and practised by a monk who is forest-gone, all the more by one staying near a village.”
Discourse on Gulissāni: The Ninth