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Mv VIII 23
PTS: Mv VIII 26 | CS: vin.mv.08.23
Gilānavatthukathā
'Line by Line'
The Discussion of the Case of the Sick Monk
by
Ven. Khematto Bhikkhu
Alternate translations/layout: 'read-friendly' layout

224. gilānavatthukathā (Mv.VIII.26.1)

The Discussion of the Case of the Sick Monk

tena kho pana samayena aññatarassa bhikkhuno kucchivikārābādho hoti.

Now at that time a certain monk was sick with dysentery.

so sake muttakarīse palipanno seti.

He lay fouled in his own urine and excrement.

athakho bhagavā āyasmatā ānandena pacchāsamaṇena senāsanacārikaṁ āhiṇḍanto yena tassa bhikkhuno vihāro tenupasaṅkami.

Then the Blessed One, on an inspection tour of the lodgings with Ven. Ānanda as his attendant monk, went to that monk’s dwelling.

Addasā kho bhagavā taṁ bhikkhuṁ sake muttakarīse palipannaṁ sayamānaṁ disvāna yena so bhikkhu tenupasaṅkami upasaṅkamitvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca kinte bhikkhu ābādhoti.

He saw the monk lying fouled in his own urine and excrement. On seeing him, he went to the monk and, on arrival, said to him, “What is your illness, monk?”

Kucchivikāro me bhagavāti.

“I have dysentery, O Blessed One.”

Atthi pana te bhikkhu upaṭṭhākoti.

“But do you have an attendant?”

Natthi bhagavāti.

“No, O Blessed One.”

Kissa taṁ bhikkhū na upaṭṭhentīti.

“Then why don’t the monks tend to you?”

Ahaṁ kho bhante bhikkhūnaṁ akārako tena maṁ bhikkhū na upaṭṭhentīti.

“I don’t do anything for the monks, lord, so they don’t tend to me.”

(Mv.VIII.26.2) athakho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ āmantesi gacchānanda udakaṁ āhara imaṁ bhikkhuṁ nahāpessāmāti.

Then the Blessed One addressed Ven. Ānanda: “Go fetch some water, Ānanda. We will wash this monk.”

evaṁ bhanteti kho āyasmā ānando bhagavato paṭissuṇitvā udakaṁ āhari.

“As you say, lord,” Ven. Ānanda responded, and he fetched some water.

Bhagavā udakaṁ āsiñci āyasmā ānando paridhovi

The Blessed One poured water on the monk, and Ven. Ānanda washed him off.

bhagavā sīsato aggahesi āyasmā ānando pādato uccāretvā mañcake nipātesuṁ.

Then — with the Blessed One taking the monk by the head and Ven. Ānanda taking him by the feet — they lifted him up and placed him on a bed.

(Mv.VIII.26.3) athakho bhagavā etasmiṁ nidāne etasmiṁ pakaraṇe bhikkhusaṅghaṁ sannipātāpetvā bhikkhū paṭipucchi

Then the Blessed One, with regard to this cause, to this incident, had the monks assembled and asked them:

atthi bhikkhave amukasmiṁ vihāre bhikkhu gilānoti.

“Is there a sick monk in that dwelling over there?”

Atthi bhagavāti.

“Yes, O Blessed One, there is.”

Kintassa bhikkhave bhikkhuno ābādhoti.

“And what is his illness?”

Tassa bhante āyasmato kucchivikārābādhoti.

“He has dysentery, O Blessed One.”

atthi pana bhikkhave tassa bhikkhuno upaṭṭhākoti.

“But does he have an attendant?”

natthi bhagavāti.

“No, O Blessed One.”

kissa taṁ bhikkhū na upaṭṭhentīti.

“Then why don’t the monks tend to him?”

eso bhante bhikkhu bhikkhūnaṁ akārako tena taṁ bhikkhū na upaṭṭhentīti.

“He doesn’t do anything for the monks, lord, so the monks don’t tend to him.”

natthi vo bhikkhave mātā natthi pitā ye vo upaṭṭhaheyyuṁ

“Monks, you have no mother, you have no father who might tend to you.

tumhe ce bhikkhave aññamaññaṁ na upaṭṭhahissatha atha kocarahi upaṭṭhahissati

“If you don’t tend to one another, who then will tend to you?

yo bhikkhave maṁ upaṭṭhaheyya so gilānaṁ upaṭṭhaheyya.

“Whoever would tend to me, should tend to the sick.

(Mv.VIII.26.4) sace upajjhāyo hoti upajjhāyena yāvajīvaṁ upaṭṭhātabbo vuṭṭhānassa āgametabbaṁ.

“If one’s preceptor is present, the preceptor should tend to one as long as life lasts (or) should stay until one’s recovery.

sace ācariyo hoti ācariyena yāvajīvaṁ upaṭṭhātabbo vuṭṭhānassa āgametabbaṁ.

“If one’s teacher is present, the teacher should tend to one as long as life lasts (or) should stay until one’s recovery.

sace saddhivihāriko hoti saddhivihārikena yāvajīvaṁ upaṭṭhātabbo vuṭṭhānassa āgametabbaṁ.

“If one’s student is present, the student should tend to one as long as life lasts (or) should stay until one’s recovery.

sace antevāsiko hoti antevāsikena yāvajīvaṁ upaṭṭhātabbo vuṭṭhānassa āgametabbaṁ.

“If one’s pupil is present, the pupil should tend to one as long as life lasts (or) should stay until one’s recovery.[1]

sace samānupajjhāyako hoti samānupajjhāyakena yāvajīvaṁ upaṭṭhātabbo vuṭṭhānassa āgametabbaṁ.

“If a fellow student of one’s preceptor is present, the fellow student of one’s preceptor should tend to one as long as life lasts (or) should stay until one’s recovery.

Sace samānācariyako hoti samānācariyakena yāvajīvaṁ upaṭṭhātabbo vuṭṭhānassa āgametabbaṁ.

“If a fellow pupil of one’s teacher is present, the fellow pupil of one’s teacher should tend to one as long as life lasts (or) should stay until one’s recovery.

Sace na hoti upajjhāyo vā ācariyo vā saddhivihāriko vā antevāsiko vā samānupajjhāyako vā samānācariyako vā saṅghena upaṭṭhātabbo.

“If no preceptor, teacher, student, pupil, fellow student of one’s preceptor, or fellow pupil of one’s teacher is present, the Saṅgha should tend to one.

No ce upaṭṭhaheyya āpatti dukkaṭassa.

“If he/it (i.e., the monk or the Saṅgha responsible for the care, as the case may be) does not tend to one: an offense of wrong doing. [BMC]

(Mv.VIII.26.5) Pañcahi bhikkhave aṅgehi samannāgato gilāno dūpaṭṭhāko hoti

“Monks, a sick person endowed with five qualities is hard to tend to:

asappāyakārī hoti sappāye

“He does what is not amenable (to his cure);

mattaṁ na jānāti

“he does not know the proper amount (in things amenable to his cure);

bhesajjaṁ na paṭisevitā hoti

“he does not take his medicine;

atthakāmassa gilānupaṭṭhākassa yathābhūtaṁ ābādhaṁ nāvikattā hoti abhikkamantaṁ vā abhikkamatīti paṭikkamantaṁ vā paṭikkamatīti ṭhitaṁ vā ṭhitoti

“he does not tell his symptoms, as they actually are present, to the nurse desiring his welfare, saying that they are getting worse when they are getting worse, improving when they are improving, or remaining the same when they are remaining the same;

uppannānaṁ sārīrikānaṁ vedanānaṁ dukkhānaṁ tibbānaṁ kharānaṁ kaṭukānaṁ asātānaṁ amanāpānaṁ pāṇaharānaṁ anadhivāsakajātiko hoti

“and he is not the type who can endure bodily feelings that are painful, fierce, sharp, wracking, repellent, disagreeable, life-threatening.

imehi kho bhikkhave pañcahaṅgehi samannāgato gilāno dūpaṭṭhāko hoti.

“A sick person endowed with these five qualities is hard to tend to.

(Mv.VIII.26.6) Pañcahi bhikkhave aṅgehi samannāgato gilāno sūpaṭṭhāko hoti sappāyakārī hoti sappāye mattaṁ jānāti bhesajjaṁ paṭisevitā hoti atthakāmassa gilānupaṭṭhākassa yathābhūtaṁ ābādhaṁ āvikattā hoti abhikkamantaṁ vā abhikkamatīti paṭikkamantaṁ vā paṭikkamatīti Ṭhitaṁ vā ṭhitoti uppannānaṁ sārīrikānaṁ vedanānaṁ dukkhānaṁ tibbānaṁ kharānaṁ kaṭukānaṁ asātānaṁ amanāpānaṁ pāṇaharānaṁ adhivāsakajātiko hoti imehi kho bhikkhave pañcahaṅgehi samannāgato gilāno sūpaṭṭhāko hoti.

“Monks, a sick person endowed with five qualities is easy to tend to: He does what is amenable (to his cure); he knows the proper amount (in things amenable to his cure); he takes his medicine; he tells his symptoms, as they actually are present, to the nurse desiring his welfare, saying that they are getting worse when they are getting worse, improving when they are improving, or remaining the same when they are remaining the same; and he is the type who can endure bodily feelings that are painful, fierce, sharp, wracking, repellent, disagreeable, life-threatening. A sick person endowed with these five qualities is easy to tend to.

(Mv.VIII.26.7) Pañcahi bhikkhave aṅgehi samannāgato gilānupaṭṭhāko nālaṁ gilānaṁ upaṭṭhātuṁ

“Monks, a nurse endowed with five qualities is not fit to tend to the sick:

na paṭibalo hoti bhesajjaṁ saṁvidhātuṁ

“He is not competent at mixing medicine;

sappāyāsappāyaṁ na jānāti asappāyaṁ upanāmeti sappāyaṁ apanāmeti

“he does not know what is amenable or unamenable (to the patient’s cure), bringing to the patient things that are unamenable and taking away things that are amenable;

āmisantaro gilānaṁ upaṭṭheti no mettacitto

“he tends to the sick person motivated by material gain, not by thoughts of good will;

jegucchī hoti uccāraṁ vā passāvaṁ vā kheḷaṁ vā vantaṁ vā nīhātuṁ

“he gets disgusted at cleaning up excrement, urine, saliva, or vomit;

na paṭibalo hoti gilānaṁ kālena kālaṁ dhammiyā kathāya sandassetuṁ samādapetuṁ samuttejetuṁ sampahaṁsetuṁ

“and he is not competent at instructing, urging, rousing, and encouraging the sick person at the proper occasions with a talk on Dhamma.

imehi kho bhikkhave pañcahaṅgehi samannāgato gilānupaṭṭhāko nālaṁ gilānaṁ upaṭṭhātuṁ.

“A nurse endowed with these five qualities is not fit to tend to the sick.

(Mv.VIII.26.8) Pañcahi bhikkhave aṅgehi samannāgato gilānupaṭṭhāko alaṁ gilānaṁ upaṭṭhātuṁ paṭibalo hoti bhesajjaṁ saṁvidhātuṁ sappāyāsappāyaṁ jānāti asappāyaṁ apanāmeti sappāyaṁ upanāmeti mettacitto gilānaṁ upaṭṭheti no āmisantaro ajegucchī hoti uccāraṁ vā passāvaṁ vā kheḷaṁ vā vantaṁ vā nīhātuṁ paṭibalo hoti gilānaṁ kālena kālaṁ dhammiyā kathāya sandassetuṁ samādapetuṁ samuttejetuṁ sampahaṁsetuṁ imehi kho bhikkhave pañcahaṅgehi samannāgato gilānupaṭṭhāko alaṁ gilānaṁ upaṭṭhātunti.

“Monks, a nurse endowed with five qualities is fit to tend to the sick: He is competent at mixing medicine; he knows what is amenable or unamenable (to the patient’s cure), taking away things that are unamenable and bringing things that are amenable; he tends to the sick person motivated by thoughts of good will, not by material gain; he does not get disgusted at cleaning up excrement, urine, saliva, or vomit; and he is competent at instructing, urging, rousing, and encouraging the sick person at the proper occasions with a talk on Dhamma. A nurse endowed with these five qualities is fit to tend to the sick.”

Notes

1.
‘Saddhivihārika’ refers to a junior monk in relation to his preceptor, whereas ‘antevāsika’ refers to him in relation to his teacher. English doesn’t have specialized vocabulary for this, so here ‘saddhivihārika’ is translated as ‘student’ and ‘antevāsika’ as ‘pupil’.
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