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The Bodhisatta was born once as an ascetic, and one day a goddess, having seen him smell a lotus in bloom, upbraided him, telling him he was a thief to smell a lotus which did not belong to him. Near by was a man digging up lotus plants for their fibres, but to him the goddess said nothing. When questioned, her answer was that in a man like the Bodhisatta, seeking for purity, a sin even as large as a hair tip showed like a dark, cloud in the sky. The Bodhisatta, greatly impressed, thanked her. The goddess is identified with Uppalavannā. The story was told in reference to a monk who was upbraided by a deity in a forest tract in Kosala for smelling a lotus. In great agitation, he went and consulted the Buddha, who told him the above story. J. iv.307ff. Updated: 15 September 2011 http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/b/bhisapuppha_jat_392.htm |
