I. 1. “If Thine Eye Offend Thee, Pluck It Out” (Cakkhupālattheravatthu)
Ashin Saraṇa:
An elder brother became a monk despite being discouraged by his younger brother. Disregarding his eye disease and the doctor's concerns, he followed the ascetic practice of not lying down. After three months, he became an Arahant, but because of his evil act of blinding a woman in one of his past lives, he also became blind. Despite accepting his nephew's offer to accompany him home, he declined it after discovering that his nephew, a novice, had sex with a woman and violated the monastic purity. Sakka, the king of gods, escorted the venerable Cakkhupāla home, where other monks wrongly doubted his Arahant status when they saw dead insects on his path for walking meditation.
I. 1. “If Thine Eye Offend Thee, Pluck It Out” (Cakkhupālattheravatthu)
Sandi’s summary
Mahā Pāla, the householder of a wealthy land, one day listened to The Law. Seeing its truth, he renounced his wealth to his brother and became a dedicated monk but soon went blind due to his misdeeds in a past life. While traveling to Sāvatthi, his guide commits sin and Mahā Pāla refuses to travel with him any longer, he is then left alone. By the power of the Elder monk’s virtue, a god was alerted of his predicament, Sakka, the king of gods, approached Mahā Pāla and offered his assistance to which the monk gratefully took. Sakka quickly shortened the distance, and brought the monk to Sāvatthi in such a quick time, that the Elder quickly deduced that his new guide was in fact divinity.
I. 1. “If Thine Eye Offend Thee, Pluck It Out” (Cakkhupālattheravatthu)
Leng Hom's summary
Pāla becomes a monk even after his younger brother disagreed to it and became an Elder. He becomes blind because of his past and didn't lay down when applying the ointment, so he asks for someone to guide him through the forest to go back home. His nephew came and started guiding him through the forest, until he did a sin with a woman he heard so Pāla denies him to guide him any further. He is guided the rest of the way to a hut by Sakka, and had killed bugs without knowing he did because he was blind.
I. 1. “If Thine Eye Offend Thee, Pluck It Out” (Cakkhupālattheravatthu)
Yarzar’s summary
There were two children of a Brahmin and when they reached manhood the elder brother became a monk and reached Arahatship. He brought 60 monks to a border village for meditation practice and during that time he went blind. When it was time to leave the Elder requested the other monks to help him later. However, the one sent broke the law of chastity, and instead Sakka escorted him. At the end of the story other monks doubted Maha Pala’s Arahatship when he killed many bugs during a walking meditation, and the Buddha explained to the monks “they that are freed from the Depravities have no thought of killing”
