Hunger - Dhammapada 203

Hunger

It was while staying at Aggālava Monastery that the Buddha gave this lesson about a hungry man.

Early one morning, as the Buddha surveyed the world from his Perfumed Chamber at Jetavana Monastery, he saw a poor man in Ālavi. The Buddha became aware that that man was ripe for attaining stream-entry. After daybreak, the Buddha set out from Jetavana with five hundred bhikkhus for Aggālava Monastery.

The poor man heard that the Buddha had arrived, and he was eager to listen to the Dhamma.

Unfortunately, however, his ox had strayed that morning. He thought, “I really want to hear the Buddha teach, but my ox might be in danger. Shall I listen to the Teacher or search for my ox? I will first find my ox and afterwards hear the Dhamma.”

Meanwhile, the people of Ālavi offered food to the Buddha, and, when the meal was over, they took his bowl and waited for him to give anumodana.

“I traveled thirty yojanas to come here for the sake of a certain man,” the Buddha said. “I see that he is not here yet. When he comes, I will speak.”

Without saying anything more, he sat and waited. Of course, the people were also quiet because, when the Teacher is silent, neither gods nor men dare to make a sound.

As the daylight faded, the poor man found his ox, took it back, and tied it up. “It is too late to hear the Dhamma,” he thought, “but I will, at least, pay my respects to the Teacher.” Although he was extremely hungry, he decided to go directly to see the Buddha. He hurried to the hall, paid obeisance to the Buddha, and sat down respectfully at one side.

The Teacher turned to the steward and asked, “Is there any almsfood remaining from the monks’ meal?”

“Yes, Venerable sir, there is.”

“Then serve this man some food.”

The steward gave the poor man some of the leftover rice porridge and curries. After he had eaten and rinsed his mouth, his physical suffering was relieved, and his mind became calm. He sat quietly while the Buddha taught a gradual discourse concluding with the Four Noble Truths. At the end of the discourse, that poor man attained stream entry.

The Buddha offered anumodana, stood up, and left with the bhikkhus.

Some of the bhikkhus were angry and grumbled, “We do not understand what the Teacher did today! When that poor man came in, the Buddha asked whether there was any food leftover and told the steward to serve him. That has never happened before.”

The Buddha stopped, turned around, and asked, “Bhikkhus, what are you talking about?”

They told them, and the Buddha answered, “That’s right, bhikkhus. I came to Alavi, making this difficult journey of thirty yojanas, for the sole purpose of teaching that poor man because I had seen that he was ripe for attaining stream-entry.

Early this morning, that man went to the jungle, where he spent the whole day looking for his lost ox. When he finally came to see me, he had not eaten at all. I knew that, if I were to teach the Dhamma while he was suffering from hunger, he would not have been able to understand it. Therefore, I asked that he be fed. There is no pain like the pain of hunger.” Then he recited this verse:

Hunger is the greatest disease;
Conditioned things are the greatest suffering.

For one who understands this as it really is,

Nibbāna is the greatest bliss.

—Dhammapada 203

Thanks KenVisakha Kawasaki