This is as I heard from the Blessed One. Those days, the Blessed One was living in the province of Sāvatthī, in Jeta’s Park, at Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. One day, a large number of children on the road between Sāvatthī and Jeta’s Park were catching fish. That day, early in the morning, the Blessed One wore his robe and carrying his bowl and double-layered robe, went into Sāvatthī for alms. He saw the large number of children on the road between Sāvatthī and Jeta’s Park catching fish. Seeing them, he went up to them, and asked “Dear children, do you fear suffering? Do you dislike suffering?”
“Yes, Bhante, we fear suffering. We dislike suffering.”
Then, on realizing the danger of bad kamma, the Blessed One spoke the following inspired verse:
“If you fear suffering
and if you dislike suffering,
don’t do evil deeds in public or in private.
If you are doing or will do evil deeds,
you will never be able to run away
and escape suffering by any means.”
