The Teacher Who Sought the Crowds

In those days, the royal city of Rajagriha was bathed in the golden sunlight of Magadha. On the dirt road leading into the city, dust swirled over the shoulders of pilgrims, yet amid the bustling crowd, one ascetic walked in a truly remarkable way. He wore a worn, frayed robe and carried an alms bowl, and his face was serene in a most extraordinary manner. Each of his steps was light, as if not touching the ground, radiating a purity of light that made those who saw him stand transfixed.

Among that crowd, a young man of elegant dress was walking slowly. His name was Sariputta, son of the wealthiest clan leader in the region. Though born into luxury, he had always carried within him a restless longing about the mystery of life and death. All his life he had searched for truth, and the intuition of one whose wisdom surpassed others made him stop when he saw that ascetic. He knew at once that this was no ordinary person.

Sariputta quietly followed the ascetic. When the ascetic finished his alms round and sat beneath a tree to take his meal, Sariputta spread out his precious garment and respectfully invited him to sit. After the ascetic had finished eating, Sariputta knelt and bowed at his feet, his voice trembling:

"Venerable sir, where have you come from? Who is your teacher? What dharma do you practice, that you radiate such pure and luminous grace? I have never seen anyone in this world like you."

Was that ascetic Venerable Anna Kondanna? No, it was Venerable Assaji, one of the Buddha's first five disciples, who had attained the fruit of an Arhat. He replied humbly:

"My friend, I am only an ordinary ascetic, nothing special."

But Sariputta pleaded earnestly:

"I have faith that you have attained an extraordinary realization. Please tell me a few words, even just a little, so that I may have a direction."

Moved by such sincerity, Venerable Assaji spoke the immortal verse:

"All phenomena arise from causes and conditions. My teacher, the Great Ascetic Gotama, has taught this."

The moment he heard those first two lines, Sariputta felt as if a current of electricity ran down his spine. His sharp wisdom instantly blazed forth. He understood everything. All those years of searching, all those years of diligent cultivation, and at last the truth had appeared before his eyes. Right then and there, he attained the fruit of Stream-Entry (Sotapanna).

After bowing in gratitude to Venerable Assaji, Sariputta hurried to find his closest friend, Moggallana. The two had been friends since childhood, born into two wealthy clan-leader families, raised side by side, both weary of a life of ordinary indulgence, and both determined to leave home in search of the path. They had once promised each other: "Whoever finds the deathless path must tell the other."

When Sariputta recited the verse, Moggallana too was suddenly awakened and attained the fruit of Stream-Entry on the spot. The two embraced in joy, tears streaming down their cheeks. At last they had found the path they had always longed for.

But before going to the Buddha, the two thought of their old teacher, the ascetic Sanjaya, a famous ascetic in Rajagriha. Still holding some affection for their old master, they wished to invite him to come and study with the enlightened one. They went to see Sanjaya, told him everything, recited the verse, and pleaded:

"Master, today we met a true Arhat. His verse opened our minds. Please come with us to the Bamboo Grove Monastery, where the Great Ascetic Gotama is teaching. Your whole life you have devoted yourself to the path, seeking the gate of the deathless. Now someone has opened that gate. Please come with us."

Sanjaya sat in silence for a long while. His face changed. He could not awaken to the verse, and in his heart there rose only an indescribable resentment. Finally he spoke, his voice cold:

"Let me ask you: in this world, are there more wise people or more foolish people?"

Sariputta answered honestly:

"Master, there are more foolish people."

Sanjaya gave a faint smile, his eyes revealing his ambition plainly:

"There, you see? The wise go to Gotama. The foolish stay with me. I will win the crowds!"

Those words struck the hearts of the two disciples like a hammer. They were stunned, shaken to their core. All those years following their teacher, listening to his teachings, believing he yearned for truth—and it turned out it was all only to seek fame, to seek the crowds. Sariputta rose, looked at his old teacher one last time, and said nothing more. The two turned their backs and walked away, carrying both disappointment and pity.

When the two arrived at the Bamboo Grove Monastery, the Buddha was teaching the Dharma. Seeing them from afar, he paused and said to the assembly:

"Behold, Sariputta and Moggallana have come. What a perfectly blessed pair of friends."

The Buddha taught the Dharma, and many attained realization, but those two had not yet reached a higher fruit. One week later, Sariputta attained the fruit of an Arhat. One week after that, Moggallana also attained the fruit of an Arhat. When both had fully attained enlightenment, the Buddha declared that he was raising the two to be his chief disciples, leaders of the entire Sangha, surpassing even the senior elders such as Venerable Kondanna and the three Kassapa brothers.

Many people wondered: "Why does the Buddha show such favoritism?" The Buddha smiled and explained that he showed no favoritism. Each person has their own conditions (dependent origination). Kondanna had made the vow to attain realization first, and so it was. As for Sariputta and Moggallana, for many lifetimes and many eons they had vowed to serve the Buddha by leading the Sangha. Today, everything unfolded exactly as those vows had spoken.

As for Sanjaya, after his two finest disciples left, all his remaining disciples gradually abandoned him as well. The entire forest of ascetic practice became empty, without a single soul. Sanjaya sat alone in the desolation, his ambition collapsed, and his resentment ran so deep that he vomited blood and died. A tragic end for one who only knew how to chase the crowds and forgot the truth.

The Meaning of the Story

The story of Sariputta, Moggallana, and Sanjaya is a profound lesson in distinguishing right view from wrong view. Sanjaya believed he was right in chasing the crowds, believed that fame was the ultimate goal—but that is precisely "mistaking the wrong for the right." In contrast, Sariputta and Moggallana had the courage to abandon their mistaken views, recognized the truth in the Buddha, and thereby attained enlightenment. The greatest lesson: do not chase the crowds, do not chase fame, but bravely seek the truth. Know what is right as right, and know what is wrong as wrong—that is the path leading to enlightenment.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thich Chan Quang.