Date: 05/10/2025 05/11/2025
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Shilin Long
Dharma Talk
Śāriputra’s Unwavering Resolve Across Lifetimes
One day, after finishing his meditation, the Buddha rose and began walking. Rāhula immediately followed by his side. Seeing that Rāhula looked unwell, the Buddha asked, “Why do you appear so thin and weak?”
Rāhula replied, “World-Honored One, you know that consuming sesame oil and ghee helps build strength and maintain good health. However, we now only eat sesame dregs and wild vegetables every day, which lack sufficient nutrition. As a result, our bodies often feel fatigued, making it difficult to focus on our practice.”
The Buddha then asked, “Who is the elder in charge of overseeing the monastic community?”
Rāhula answered, “It is Venerable Śāriputra.”
After observing the underlying causes and conditions, the Buddha realized that Śāriputra had not fully carried out his duties as a senior monk. He then said, “Śāriputra has consumed food that is not in accordance with monastic discipline.”
When Śāriputra heard this statement through others, he immediately vomited out the food he had eaten that day and made a solemn vow: “From this day forward, I, Śāriputra, will no longer accept laypeople’s meal offerings.”
At that time, King Prasenajit, Elder Sudatta (Anāthapiṇḍika), and others heard this news and immediately went to Śāriputra’s residence. They said to the venerable one, “The Buddha only accepts meal offerings when there are causes and conditions; he never accepts offerings without reason. If you, Venerable Śāriputra, also refuse to accept meal offerings, how can we lay practitioners strengthen our faith in the Dharma?”
Śāriputra replied, “The World-Honored One has said that the food I ate was not in accordance with monastic discipline. Therefore, I have decided not to accept invitations for meals anymore.”
Hearing this, King Prasenajit and his companions went to the Buddha’s residence and reported to him: “World-Honored One, you seldom accept offerings from laypeople. If Venerable Śāriputra also refuses meal offerings, where will we find confidence in the Dharma? We humbly ask the World-Honored One to persuade Śāriputra to change his mind and accept our offerings.”
The Buddha replied, “Śāriputra’s mind has always been firm. It is very difficult to change his resolve.”
Then, the World-Honored One explained to the assembly the past-life causes and conditions of Venerable Śāriputra.
In a past life, there was a king who was bitten by a venomous snake and was on the brink of death. He summoned the most skilled doctors from across the country to treat the poison. The doctors all said, “The only cure is for the same snake to suck out the venom it injected into the king.”
Thus, the doctors used powerful incantations to summon the venomous snake that had bitten the king to the palace.
After capturing the snake, they built a firewood pile and threatened it, saying, “If you suck the poison out of the king, we will spare your life. Otherwise, we will throw you into the fire and burn you alive!”
The venomous snake pondered silently, thinking, “Once I have released my venom, there is no reason for me to take it back. Even if I die, I will not do this.”
Having made up its mind, the snake swiftly burrowed into the fire and perished.
The venomous snake of that time was none other than Venerable Śāriputra in this present life. From past lives to the present, Śāriputra has always been unshakable in his determination, never easily swayed.
