심층 주해

This Dhamma verse was taught by the Buddha at Jetavana and concerns four young novice monks. According to the story, a Brahmin family resolved to offer a meal to four specially selected monks. The wife prepared the food and instructed her husband to invite four senior Brahmins. However, by misfortune, the invited ones were actually four novices only seven years old. Despite their young age, all four had attained the state of arahant. Upon seeing the young novices, the wife became furious and scolded her husband: ‘You went to the monastery and brought back mere children, no older than our great-grandchildren. Instead of seating them where planned, you placed them elsewhere. Go invite four others.’ The husband then invited Sāriputta. Arriving, he saw the four novices and asked if they had already eaten. Learning that they had not, he withdrew without partaking. The wife sent him again, and this time he invited Moggallāna. Like Sāriputta, upon discovering the novices had not eaten, he also refrained from eating. The wife demanded that her husband invite an elderly monk. Meanwhile, the four novices remained seated, hungry, waiting for the invitation. Seeing this, Indra (Sakka) appeared as an old, frail monk. The husband immediately invited him, assuming this would satisfy his wife. The elderly monk arrived, respectfully greeted the four novices, and paid no heed to the wife’s instructions. He seated himself near them on a low seat. The couple, thinking him senile, attempted to drive him away several times, but he remained steadfast. Alarmed, they finally invited all five monks to partake of the meal. After the meal, each novice soared out through a window and returned to the monastery. The monks gathered and inquired about the meal. The novices recounted the entire sequence. The attending monks asked if they felt anger towards those who had treated them poorly; all four replied, ‘No.’ Disbelieving, the monks reported to the Buddha. The Buddha declared: ‘Monks, one who has eradicated defilements does not resist those who oppose them.’ This verse emphasizes patience, gentleness, and forbearance. ‘To foster friendship amidst enemies.’ Friendship here signifies compassionate, equal, and harmonious relations. Buddhism regards no being as an enemy; even those with malicious intent are considered friends. Buddhism transcends racial, sectarian, or superficial biases, recognizing the shared essence of all beings. Appearances may differ due to karma, yet fundamentally all are one. Thus, practitioners should perceive the ‘formless’ rather than cling to the ‘form.’ Attachment to transient phenomena leads to conflict and violence. With this vision, Buddhism encourages standing above political or violent divisions, respecting human dignity, freedom, and striving to cultivate compassion, forgiveness, and mutual support. Only then can humanity experience genuine peace and happiness, reflecting the Buddha’s message sent over twenty-five centuries ago. Without recognizing brotherhood and shared humanity, mankind remains mired in suffering, driven by desire and conflict. The Buddha teaches that only by relinquishing all prejudice, power struggles, and cultivating generosity, forgiveness, and mutual care, can humans live in harmony and happiness.