Buddhist Dhammapadha The miserly rich man (Kosiya)

Chapter IV - PUPPHA VAGGA - Flowers

Concentrate on your body

SAINTLY MONKS CAUSE NO INCONVENIENCE TO ANY

Yatha'pi bhamaro puppham vanna gandham ahethayam
Paleti rasam'adaya evam game muni care.

As a bee without harming the flower, its colour or scent, flies away, collecting only the honey, even so should the sage wander in the village (without affecting the faith and generosity or wealth of the villagers).

IV:05 Buddhist Dhammapadha The miserly rich man (Kosiya)

In the village of Sakkara, near Rajagaha lived a miserly rich man by the name of Kosiya. One day, the rich man and his wife made some pancakes but to avoid having to share them with others, they cooked the pancakes secretly in the uppermost storey of their house.

Early in the morning on that day, the Buddha through his vision saw the rich man and his wife and knew that both of them would soon attain the first stage of Sainthood. So he sent his Chief Disciple, Venerable Moggallana to the house of Kosiya, with instructions to bring the couple to the Jetavana monastery in time for the midday meal. Moggallana, by supernormal power, reached Kosiya's house in an instant and stood at the window. The rich man saw him and asked him to leave, but Moggallana just ignored his request. In the end, Kosiya told his wife, 'Make a very small pancake and give it to him.' So she took just a small amount of dough and put it in the pan, but the dough filled up the whole pan. Kosiya thought his wife must have put in too much, so he himself took just a pinch of dough and put it into the pan; and again his pancake swelled as before. It so happened that however little dough they put in, they were unable to make small pancakes. At last Kosiya asked his wife to offer one from the basket to the bhikkhu. When she tried to take out one from the basket it would not come off because all the pancakes were stuck together and could not be separated. By this time, Kosiya had lost all appetite for pancakes and offered the whole basket to the monk. Moggallana then delivered a discourse on charity to both of them. He also told the couple that the Buddha was waiting with other bhikkhus at the Jetavana monastery in Savatthi. Moggallana took the couple together with their basket of pancakes to the presence of the Buddha. There, they offered the pancakes to the Buddha and to the other bhikkhus. At the end of the meal, the Buddha delivered a discourse on charity and both Kosiya and his wife realised the Dhamma.