Then Kesi the horse trainer went up to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha asked him, “Kesi, you’re known as a horse trainer. How do you tame a horse in training?”
“Bhante, I tame a horse in training sometimes gently, sometimes harshly, and sometimes both gently and harshly.”
“Kesi, what do you do with a horse in training that is not tamed in these forms of training?”
“In that case, bhante, I kill it. Why is that? So that I don’t disgrace my tradition. Bhante, the Buddha is the supreme trainer for those who wish to be tamed. How do you tame a person in training?”
“Kesi, I tame a person in training sometimes gently, sometimes harshly, and sometimes both gently and harshly.
“The gentle way is this: (I teach them:) ‘This is good bodily conduct; This is the result of good bodily conduct. This is good verbal conduct; This is the result of good verbal conduct. This is good mental conduct; This is the result of good mental conduct. Such are the gods. Such are humans.’
“The harsh way is this: (I teach them:) ‘This is bad bodily conduct; This is the result of bad bodily conduct. This is bad verbal conduct; This is the result of bad verbal conduct. This is bad mental conduct; This is the result of bad mental conduct. Such are the hell beings. Such are animals. Such are ghosts.’
“The both gentle and harsh way is this: (I teach them) ‘This is good bodily conduct; This is the result of good bodily conduct. This is good verbal conduct; This is the result of good verbal conduct. This is good mental conduct; This is the result of good mental conduct. Such are the gods. Such are humans.’
“(I teach them:) ‘This is bad bodily conduct; This is the result of bad bodily conduct. This is bad verbal conduct; This is the result of bad verbal conduct. This is bad mental conduct; This is the result of bad mental conduct. Such are the hell beings. Such are animals. Such are ghosts.’”
“Bhante, what do you do with a person in training who are not tamed in these forms of training?”
“In that case, Kesi, I kill them.”
“Bhante, it’s not appropriate for the Buddha to kill beings. Yet you say you kill them.”
“It’s true, Kesi, it’s not appropriate for the Buddha to kill beings. But when a person in training is not tamed in any of these forms of training, the Buddha doesn’t think that he should advise or instruct that person. His fellow monks also don’t think that they should advise or instruct that person.
It is killing in the training of the Noble One when, the Buddha doesn’t think that he should advise or instruct that person. It is killing in the training of the Noble One when his fellow monks also don’t think that they should advise or instruct that person.”
“Well, it’s like he’s been definitely killed when the Buddha doesn’t think that he should advise or instruct that person and when his fellow monks also don’t think that they should advise or instruct that person.”
“Excellent, bhante! Excellent! Just as if someone turned up what was upside down, revealed what was hidden, pointed out the path to whoever was lost, or lit a lamp in the dark so people with good eyes could see what’s there, the Blessed One taught me the Dhamma, which is clear in many ways. I go for refuge to the Blessed One, to the Dhamma, and to the Saṅgha. From this day forth, may the Blessed One remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge to the Triple Gem for as long as I live.”
