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Nigamavāsitissattheravatthu2.9 The Story about the Elder Nigamavāsī TissaThe story title in the original translation aligns with the Pāli title. The romanized duplicate title and editorial headings ‘Story of the Past,’ ‘Steadfast,’ and ‘The Reward’ were removed because they have no separate local Pāli passage.
Appamādaratoti imaṃ dhammadesanaṃ satthā jetavane viharanto nigamavāsitissattheraṃ nāma ārabbha kathesi.“A monastic who delights in heedfulness,” this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to Elder Nigamavāsī Tissa.{1.283} marks page 283 of volume 1 of the Pāli Text Society Pāli text. [28.326] marks page 326 of volume 28 of the Harvard Oriental Series English translation.
Ekasmiñhi sāvatthito avidūre nigamagāme jātasaṃvaḍḍho eko kulaputto satthu sāsane pabbajitvā laddhūpasampado “nigamavāsitissatthero nāma appiccho santuṭṭho pavivitto āraddhavīriyo”ti paññāyi.For a youth of station, born and reared in a certain market town not far from Sāvatthī, went forth in the dispensation of the Teacher. On taking his higher ordination, he became known as Nigamavāsī Tissa (Tissa of the Market Town). He acquired the reputation of being frugal,pavivitto and āraddhavīriyo describe Tissa as secluded and energetic, not ‘pure, resolute.’
So nibaddhaṃ ñātigāmeyeva piṇḍāya vicarati.content, secluded, energetic. He always made his rounds for alms in the village where his relatives resided.
Anāthapiṇḍikādīsu mahādānāni karontesu, pasenadikosale asadisadānaṃ karontepi sāvatthiṃ nāgacchati.Although, in the neighboring city of Sāvatthī, Anāthapiṇḍika and other disciples were bestowing abundant offerings and Pasenadi Kosala was bestowing Gifts beyond Compare, he never went to Sāvatthī.
Bhikkhū “ayaṃ nigamavāsitissatthero uṭṭhāya samuṭṭhāya ñātisaṃsaṭṭho viharati, anāthapiṇḍikādīsu mahādānādīni karontesu,One day the bhikkhus began to talk about him and said to the Teacher: “This bhikkhu Nigamavāsī Tissa, constantly lives in intimate association with his kinsfolk.uṭṭhāya samuṭṭhāya ñātisaṃsaṭṭho viharati accuses Tissa of constantly keeping company with relatives, not of being ‘busy and active.’
pasenadikosale asadisadānaṃ karontepi neva āgacchatī”ti kathaṃ samuṭṭhāpetvā satthu ārocayiṃsu.Although Anāthapiṇḍika and other disciples are bestowing abundant offerings and Pasenadi Kosala is bestowing Gifts beyond Compare, he never comes to Sāvatthī.”{1.284} marks page 284 of volume 1 of the Pāli Text Society Pāli text.
Satthā taṃ pakkosāpetvā, “saccaṃ kira tvaṃ, bhikkhu, evaṃ karosī”ti pucchitvā, “natthi,The Teacher had Nigamavāsī Tissa summoned and asked him: “Bhikkhu, is the report true that you are doing thus and so?” – “Venerable Sir,”
bhante, mayhaṃ ñātisaṃsaggo, ahaṃ ete manusse nissāya ajjhoharaṇīyamattaṃ āhāraṃ labhāmi lūkhe vā paṇīte vā.replied Tissa, “it is not true that I live in intimate association with my relatives. I receive from these folk only so much food as I can eat. But after receiving so much food,
Yāpanamatte laddhe puna kiṃ āhārapariyesanenāti na gacchāmi, ñātīhi pana me saṃsaggo nāma natthi,whether coarse or fine, as is necessary to support me, I do not go to Sāvatthī in search of more food, thinking: ‘Why seek food?’ I do not live in intimate association with my relatives,puna kiṃ āhārapariyesanenāti na gacchāmi means that, having received enough food, Tissa does not go looking for more. This means he does not go to Sāvatthī for further alms, not that he fails to return to the monastery.
bhante”ti vutte satthā pakatiyāpi tassa ajjhāsayaṃ vijānanto – “sādhu sādhu, bhikkhū”ti tassa sādhukāraṃ datvā, “anacchariyaṃ kho panetaṃ bhikkhu,venerable Sir.” The Teacher, knowing the disposition of the bhikkhu, applauded him, saying: “Well done, well done, bhikkhu!” and then addressed him as follows: “It is not at all strange,
yaṃ tvaṃ mādisaṃ ācariyaṃ labhitvā appiccho ahosi. Ayañhi appicchatā nāma mama tanti, mama paveṇī”ti vatvā bhikkhūhi yācito atītaṃ āhari –bhikkhu, that after obtaining such a Teacher as I, you should be frugal. For frugality is my tradition and my heritage.” And in response to a request of the bhikkhus he related the followingmādisaṃ ācariyaṃ labhitvā appicchatā says Tissa's frugality after gaining a teacher like the Buddha is unsurprising; the original translation reversed this and said he obtained the Buddha as teacher because he was content. mama tanti, mama paveṇī means frugality is the Teacher's tradition and heritage, not his ‘disposition and habit.’ [28.327] marks page 327 of volume 28 of the Harvard Oriental Series English translation.
Atīte himavante gaṅgātīre ekasmiṃ udumbaravane anekasahassā suvā vasiṃsu.Once upon a time several thousand parrots lived in a certain grove of fig trees in the Himālaya country on the bank of the Ganges.
Tatreko suvarājā attano nivāsarukkhassa phalesu khīṇesu yaṃ yadeva avasiṭṭhaṃ hoti aṅkuro vā pattaṃ vā taco vā, taṃ taṃ khāditvā gaṅgāyaṃ pānīyaṃ pivitvā paramappiccho santuṭṭho hutvā aññattha na gacchati.One of them, the king-parrot, when the fruits of the tree in which he lived had withered away, ate whatever he found remaining, whether shoot or leaf or bark, drank water from the Ganges, and being very happy and contented, remained where he was.
Tassa appicchasantuṭṭhabhāvaguṇena sakkassa bhavanaṃ kampi. Sakko āvajjamāno taṃ disvā tassa vīmaṃsanatthaṃ attano ānubhāvena taṃ rukkhaṃ sukkhāpesi.In fact he was so very happy and contented that the abode of Sakka began to quake. Sakka considered the cause, and seeing the parrot, determined to put him to the test. Accordingly he employed his supernatural power and withered up the tree.sakkassa bhavanaṃ kampi says the parrot's contentment shakes Sakka's abode, not specifically his throne.
Rukkho obhaggo khāṇumatto chiddāvachiddova hutvā vāte paharante ākoṭito viya saddaṃ nicchārento aṭṭhāsi. Tassa chiddehi cuṇṇāni nikkhamanti.Straightaway the tree became a mere stump, full of holes and cracks. When the wind beat upon it, there came forth from the tree a hollow sound, and out of the holes and cracks came forth dust.
Suvarājā tāni khāditvā gaṅgāyaṃ pānīyaṃ pivitvā aññattha agantvā vātātapaṃ agaṇetvā udumbarakhāṇumatthake nisīdati.The parrot ate the dust, drank water from the Ganges, and going nowhere else, remained perched on the top of the fig tree, reckoning nothing of wind and sun.{1.285} marks page 285 of volume 1 of the Pāli Text Society Pāli text.
Sakko tassa paramappicchabhāvaṃ ñatvā,When Sakka observed how very happy and contented the parrot was, he said to himself: “I will go to him,
“mittadhammaguṇaṃ kathāpetvā varamassa datvā udumbaraṃ amataphalaṃ katvā āgamissāmī”ti eko haṃsarājā hutvā sujaṃ asurakaññaṃ purato katvā udumbaravanaṃ gantvā avidūre ekassa rukkhassa sākhāya nisīditvā tena saddhiṃ kathento imaṃ gāthamāha –let him talk of the virtue of friendship, grant him his heart’s desire, and cause the fig tree to bear ambrosial fruit.” Accordingly Sakka assumed the form of a royal goose, and preceded by Sujā, the Asura maiden, went to the grove of fig trees, alighted on the branch of a certain tree not far off, and entered into conversation with the parrot by pronouncing the following verse:Sujā is the Asura maiden accompanying Sakka. The original translation called her ‘Sujātā.’
“Santi rukkhā haripattā, dumānekaphalā bahū; Kasmā nu sukkhe koḷāpe, suvassa nirato mano”ti. (jā. 1.9.30);“There are many green trees, Trees which have many fruits, Why in this dry, hollow tree Does your mind find delight?”koḷāpe means hollow, not old. The editorial heading ‘Story of the Past’ was removed because it has no separate local Pāli passage.
Sabbaṃ suvajātakaṃ navakanipāte āgatanayeneva vitthāretabbaṃ. Aṭṭhuppattiyeva hi tattha ca idha ca nānā, sesaṃ tādisameva.The local commentary quotes only the first parrot verse, then instructs that the full Suva Jātaka be expanded according to its form in the Ninth Nipāta; only the occasion differs. The original translation's verses 2–10 were omitted from this local-source alignment because they are absent from the commentary. They correspond to Cūḷasuva Jātaka (Ja 430), verses ja430:2.1–ja430:10.4, in bilara-data/root/pli/ms/sutta/kn/ja/ja430_root-pli-ms.json, which can support a separate expanded Jātaka alignment. No corresponding Sujato translation of Ja 430 is present in the local Bilara translation directory. The commentary says only the occasion differs between this story and the full Suva Jātaka; the rest should follow the Ninth Nipāta version.
Satthā imaṃ dhammadesanaṃ āharitvā, “tadā sakko ānando ahosi, suvarājā ahamevā”ti vatvā, “evaṃ, bhikkhave, appicchatā nāmesā mama tanti, mama paveṇī,When the Teacher had given this Dhamma teaching, he said: “At that time Sakka was Ānanda, and the parrot-king was I myself. Thus, bhikkhus, frugality is my tradition and my heritage.
anacchariyā mama puttassa nigamavāsitissassa mādisaṃ ācariyaṃ labhitvā appicchatā, bhikkhunā nāma nigamavāsitissena viya appiccheneva bhavitabbaṃ.It is, therefore, not at all strange that my son Nigamavāsī Tissa, having obtained such a teacher as I, is frugal. A bhikkhu should be frugal, like Nigamavāsī Tissa.The Teacher's statement that a bhikkhu should be frugal like Tissa (bhikkhunā nāma nigamavāsitissena viya appiccheneva bhavitabbaṃ) had been omitted from the original translation.
Evarūpo hi bhikkhu abhabbo samathavipassanādhammehi vā maggaphalehi vā parihānāya, aññadatthu nibbānasseva santike hotī”ti vatvā imaṃ gāthamāha –Such a bhikkhu is not liable to fall away from the practices of calm and insight or from the paths and the fruitions; rather he is nigh even unto Nibbāna.” So saying, he pronounced the following verse:samathavipassanādhammehi vā maggaphalehi vā parihānāya says a bhikkhu of this kind cannot fall away from calm and insight or from the paths and fruitions; the original translation had said he was safe because he had already attained them. [28.328] marks page 328 of volume 28 of the Harvard Oriental Series English translation.
“Appamādarato bhikkhu, pamāde bhayadassi vā; Abhabbo parihānāya, nibbānasseva santike”ti.A monastic who delights in heedfulness, seeing danger in heedlessness, does not fall away: he is well-nigh to Nibbāna.The repeated Pāli transcription of verse 32 was removed because it has no separate local Pāli passage.
Tattha abhabbo parihānāyāti so evarūpo bhikkhu samathavipassanādhammehi vā maggaphalehi vā parihānāya abhabbo, nāpi pattehi parihāyati, na appattāni na pāpuṇāti.The full explanation of verse 32 has no translation in the original edition and remains Pāli-only under this paragraph.
Nibbānasseva santiketi kilesaparinibbānassapi anupādāparinibbānassāpi santikeyevāti.
Gāthāpariyosāne nigamavāsitissatthero saha paṭisambhidāhi arahattaṃ pāpuṇi. Aññepi bahū sotāpannādayo ahesuṃ. Mahājanassa sātthikā dhammadesanā jātāti.At the conclusion of the verse the Elder Nigamavāsī Tissa attained Arahatship, together with the analytic knowledges, and many others became Stream-enterers and so on, and benefit arose to many people from the Dhamma teaching.
Nigamavāsitissattheravatthu navamaṃ.The Pāli closing story title Nigamavāsitissattheravatthu navamaṃ is Pāli-only and has no corresponding translated line.
Appamādavaggavaṇṇanā niṭṭhitā. Dutiyo vaggo.The Pāli end-of-chapter notice Appamādavaggavaṇṇanā niṭṭhitā. Dutiyo vaggo. is Pāli-only and has no corresponding translated line.