Tending the Sick-parabole

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Tending the Sick

Now,

at that time a certain monk was suffering from dysentery and lay

where

he had fallen down in his own excrement.  As the Buddha was

walking about he came to the lodging of that monk.  When he saw that

monk lying where he had fallen in his own excrement, he went over to

him and said, " Brother, what ails you? "

" I

have dysentery, Lord, "

" But

is there anyone taking care of you, brother? "

" No,

Lord. "

" Why

is it, brother, that the monks do not take care of you? "

" I

am useless to the monks, Lord, therefore the monks do not care for

me. "

Then

the Buddha said to the venerable Ananda, " Go, Ananda, and fetch

water.  We will wash brother. "

When

Ananda had fetched water, the Buddha poured it out, and the venerable

Ananda washed that brother all over.  Then the Buddha taking him

by

the head and the venerable Ananda taking him by the feet, together they

laid him on a bed.

The

the Buddha, in this connection and on this occasion, gathered the order

of monks together, and questioned them, saying, " Monks, is there

in

such a lodging a brother who is sick? "

" There

is, Lord. "

" And

what ails that brother? "

" Lord,

that brother has dysentery. "

" But,

brethren, is there anyone taking care of him? "

" No,

Lord. "

" Why

not? Why do the monks not take care of him? "

That

brother is useless to the order of monks, Lord.  That is why the

monks do not take care of him. "

" Monks,

you have no mother and no father to take care of you.  If you will

not take care of each other, who else will do so?  Monks, those who

would attend to me, let them attend to the sick. "

Adapted

from the Theravada Vinaya, translated by F.L. Woodward.