The Bhikkhus Rebuked
And it happened that the Blessed One walked up and down in the
open air unshod.
When the elders saw that the Blessed One walked unshod, they put
away their shoes and did likewise. But the novices did not heed
the example of their elders and kept their feet covered.
Some of the brethren noticed the irreverent behavior of the
novices and told the Blessed One; and the Blessed One rebuked the
novices and said: "If the brethren, even now, while I am yet
living, show so little respect and courtesy to one another, what
will they do when I have passed away?"
And the Blessed One was filled with anxiety for the welfare of
the truth; and he continued:
"Even the laymen, O bhikkhus, who move in the world, pursuing
some handicraft that they may procure them a living, will be
respectful, affectionate, and hospitable to their teachers. Do
ye, therefore, O bhikkhus, so let your light shine forth, that
ye, having left the world and devoted your entire life to
religion and to religious discipline, may observe the rules of
decency, be respectful, affectionate, and hospitable to your
teachers and superiors, or those who rank as your teachers and
superiors. Your demeanor, O bhikkhus, does not conduce to the
conversion of the unconverted and to the increase of the number
of the faithful. It serves, O bhikkhus, to repel the unconverted
and to estrange them. I exhort you to be more considerate in the
future, more thoughtful and more respectful"
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The Re-establishment Of Concord
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