This is as I heard from the Blessed One. Those days, the Blessed One was living in the province of Rājagaha, at the monastery in the Bamboo Forest, the Squirrels’ Sanctuary.
Those days, in Rājagaha there was a leper named Suppabuddha, a poor, miserable wretch of a person. One day, the Blessed One was sitting surrounded by a large assembly, teaching the Dhamma. Suppabuddha the leper saw the large gathering of people from afar and thought to himself, “Without a doubt, someone must be distributing food there. Why don’t I go over to that large group of people, and maybe there I’ll get some food.” So he went over to the large group of people.
Then he saw the Blessed One sitting surrounded by a large assembly, teaching the Dhamma. On seeing this, he realized, “There’s no one distributing food here. That’s the recluse Gotama surrounded by a large assembly, teaching the Dhamma. Why don’t I listen to the Dhamma?” So he sat down to one side right there, thinking, “I, too, will listen to the Dhamma.”
Then the Blessed One, having read the minds of the entire assembly with his own mind, thought, “Now, who here is capable of understanding the Dhamma?” He saw Suppabuddha the leper sitting in the assembly, and on seeing him the thought occurred to the Buddha, “This person here is capable of understanding the Dhamma.”
So, focusing on Suppabuddha the leper, the Buddha gave a step-by-step Dhamma talk. The Buddha gave a Dhamma talk on generosity, on virtue and on heaven. The Buddha explained the disadvantages of sense desires, the corruption of mind due to defilements, and the benefits of letting go of defilements. Then when the Blessed One knew that Suppabuddha the leper’s mind was ready, workable, free from hindrances, delighted and clear, he gave a Dhamma talk specific to the Buddhas, that is: suffering, cause of suffering, end of suffering and the path to end suffering. Just as a clean cloth, free of stains, would properly absorb dye, in the same way, as Suppabuddha the leper was sitting in that very seat, the defilement-free, stainless Dhamma eye arose within him, “Whatever is subject to arising is all subject to passing away.”
Having seen the Dhamma, having reached the Dhamma, having known the Dhamma, having become well-established in the Dhamma, having crossed over doubt, having had no more confusion, having gained fearlessness and having gained independence from others with regard to the Buddha’s Dhamma, he got up from his seat and went to the Blessed One. Having bowed down to the Blessed One, he sat to one side.
As he was sitting there, he said to the Blessed One, “Magnificent, Bhante! Magnificent, Bhante! Just as if someone were to place upright what was overturned, to reveal what was hidden, to show the way to one who was lost, or to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes could see forms, in the same way has the Blessed One, in many ways, taught the Dhamma to me. Bhante, I go to the Blessed One for refuge, to the Dhamma, and to the Community of monks. May the Blessed One remember me as a lay follower who has gone to the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha for refuge, from this day on, for life.”
Then Suppabuddha the leper, having been instructed, urged, roused and encouraged by the Blessed One’s Dhamma talk was delighted and approved of the Blessed One’s words. He got up from his seat, bowed down to the Blessed One and left, circling him to the right. Not long after his departure, he was attacked and killed by a cow with a calf.
Then a large number of monks went to the Blessed One and, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As they were sitting there, they asked the Blessed One, “Bhante, the leper named Suppabuddha, who the Blessed One instructed, urged, roused and encouraged with a Dhamma talk, has died. Where did he take rebirth? What is his future rebirth?”
“Monks, Suppabuddha the leper was wise. He practiced the path according to my instructions and did not trouble me with questions related to the Dhamma. With the destruction of the first three fetters, he became a stream-entrant. He will never be born in bad destinations. He is heading for enlightenment for sure.”
When this was said, one of the monks asked the Blessed One, “Bhante, what was the cause, what was the reason, why Suppabuddha the leper was such a poor, miserable wretch of a person?”
“Once, monks, in this very city of Rājagaha, Suppabuddha the leper was the son of a rich noble. While going to a pleasure park, he saw Tagarasikhi, the Private Buddha, going for alms in the city. When he saw him, the thought occurred to him, ‘Who is this leper covering his body with a robe?’ Insulting and disrespecting Tagarasikhi the Private Buddha, he left. As a result of that action, he boiled in hell for many years, many hundreds of years, many thousands of years, many hundreds of thousands of years. Then, as a remainder of the result of that action he became a poor, miserable wretch of a person in this very city of Rājagaha. But on hearing the Dhamma taught by the Buddha, he acquired confidence, virtue, Dhamma knowledge, generosity and wisdom. Having acquired confidence, virtue, Dhamma knowledge, generosity and wisdom from the hearing of the Dhamma taught by the Buddha, after death, he has been reborn in Tāvatiṁsa heaven. There he outshines the other gods both in beauty and in rank.”
Then, on realizing the benefit of achieving stages of enlightenment, the Blessed One spoke the following inspired verse:
“The one who has good eyesight
avoids treacherous, uneven paths.
In the same way,
the wise person in the prime of his youth,
should avoid doing evil deeds in this world.”
