Respect the Respect-Worthy

I HEAR TELL:

Once upon a time, Bhante Udayin, Kamandaya town, Brahmin Todeyya's mango grove, came a revisit'n.

Then one time a young man,
a student of a Nobel Lady of the Verahaccani clan,
came visiting Bhante Udayin,
and there, after exchanging common courtesies,
he sat down to one side and listened
as Bhante Udayin taught, grounded, raised up,
and made that young man happy
with dhamma talk worthy of respect.

Then, after being taught, grounded, raised up,
and made happy by that worthy DhammaTalk of Bhante Udayin,
that young man returned to his residence with the Nobel Lady of the Verahaccani clan and said:
"If it please your Ladyship,
I would inform her that the beggar Udayin
is presently teaching Dhamma that is helpful in the beginning,
helpful in the middle
and helpful at the end.
He lays out the way to live the best of lives,
the way to perfect and refine the best of lives,
and he does so both in the spirit and the letter.

"Well then, young man,
please invite this Beggar Udayin for tomorrow's meal."

"Very good, My Lady.
And at that command
the young man returned to Bhante Udayin and said:
"May Bhante Udayin accept a token of gratitude as our teacher;
may he accept tomorrow's meal
from the Nobel Lady of the Verahaccani clan."

And Bhante Udayin accepted silently.

Then Bhante Udayin,
rising up in the early pre-dawn,
attending to bowl and robes,
set out and eventually arrived
at the residence of the Nobel Lady of the Verahaccani clan,
where he sat down on a "seat-made-ready".

Then the Nobel Lady served Bhante Udayin
with excellent food,
both solid and liquid,
with her own hand,
until he had had his fill.
And when she perceived that he had finished his meal
by the fact that he had withdrawn his hand from the bowl
and had given it a rinse with water supplied (hand-out bowl clean'tup),
she sat down on a high seat
without removing her sandals,
and with her head covered with a veil,
and said:
"Teach me Dhamma, Beggar."

But at that, Beggar Udayin, said:
"There will be a time for that, sister."
and got up from his seat
and left without saying a further word.

Well, this circumstance repeated itself a second time
— from the visit of the young man
to the departure of Beggar Udayin —
and was well into it's third repetition
when the Nobel Lady spoke up:

"Young Man,
although you have been singing the praises of Bhante Udayin,
whenever I have said:
"Teach me, Dhamma, Beggar,"
he just says:
"There will be a time for that, sister,"
and gets up and departs
without saying a further word."

"But My Lady,
were you not wearing your sandals?
Did you not sit on a high seat?
Did you not cover your head with a veil?
And did you not say: 'Teach me Dhamma, Beggar.'?
The Dhamma is greatly honored by these Aristocrats, my lady.
They have great respect for the Dhamma."

"Very well, young man.
Will you please invite the Beggar Udayin,
in my name,
to tomorrow's meal?"

"Very good, My Lady"
replied the young man
who then set out and did just that.
And things transpired as before except that,
at the end of the meal,
the Nobel Lady of the Verhaccani clan
removed her sandals,
took a low seat,
removed the veil from her head,
and asked:
"If it please, Bhante,
under what circumstances are the Arahants
able to point to the existence of good and evil?
Under what circumstances are the Arahants
not able to point to the existence of good and evil?"

"Where there is the Eye, sister,
Arahants are able to point to
the existence of good and evil.
Where there is no eye,
Arahants cannot point to
the existence of good and evil.

Where there is the Ear, sister,
Arahants are able to point to
the existence of good and evil.
Where there is no Ear,
Arahants cannot point to
the existence of good and evil.

Where there is the Nose, sister,
Arahants are able to point to
the existence of good and evil.
Where there is no Nose,
Arahants cannot point to
the existence of good and evil.

Where there is the Tongue, sister,
Arahants are able to point to
the existence of good and evil.
Where there is no Tongue,
Arahants cannot point to
the existence of good and evil.

Where there is Body, sister,
Arahants are able to point to
the existence of good and evil.
Where there is no Body,
Arahants cannot point to
the existence of good and evil.

Where there is Mind, sister,
Arahants are able to point to
the existence of good and evil.
Where there is no Mind,
Arahants cannot point to
the existence of good and evil."

At that, the Nobel Lady of the Verhaccani clan said:
"Most Excellent, sir!
Most Excellent Indeed!
In the same way as one who sets upright
that which had been upside down,
or points out what had been hidden,
or shows the way
to one who is lost,
or brings a light into the darkness
so that anyone with eyes in their head that can see
can see the objects there —
in so many ways has the Arahant Udayin set out The Dhamma.
I, myself, Teacher Udayin,
go to the Lucky Man for refuge;
I, myself, Teacher Udayin,
go to the Dhamma for refuge;
I, myself, Teacher Udayin,
go to the Order for refuge!
Let the Arahant Udayin
look on me as a lay disciple who,
from this day forth as long as this life shall last,
has gone for refuge to the Buddha, The Dhamma, and the Sangha."