which is giving a summary of the
origin of the sutta. I give a rough translation of the story below. If anyone can help with this
compound, I would appreciate it. Also does anyone know what kuñcika-tthavikāya (lit: “key-purse”)
means? Apparently this is the purse that the monk carries his bowl in, but why kuñcika? (“key”)? It is in this bag that
the bad monk places the bowl he wishes to steal.
Mettā, Bryan
“I ask the sage of abundant wisdom,” so begins the Cundasutta. What is its origin? In brief,
as far as attajjhāsaya-parajjhāsaya-aṭṭhuppattipucchāvasikabhedato (?) regarding the four origins of this sutta, the origin depends on the (four) questions.
But in detail, at one time the Blessed One, wandering about
on a journey amongst the Mallas, together with a large group of monks arrived
in Pāvā. There the Blessed One was living in the mango grove in Pāvā of Cunda,
the smith’s son. From here as far as, “Now the Blessed one in the forenoon dressed himself and
taking his bowl and robe together with the community of monks went to Cunda’s
house and sat down on the seat prepared”
(as per DN 2, 189) is just according to
what has been said (āgatanayeneva) in
the sutta.
Thus, when the Blessed One had sat down together with the
community of monks, Cunda the smith’s son, while serving the community of monks
with the Buddha at his head, presented beautiful (suvaṇṇa or golden) bowls to the monks. Since the religious rule is
not very well known, some monks accepted the beautiful bowls and others didn’t.
A stone bowl was accepted by the Blessed One, but Buddhas do not accept a
second one. In that place there was a certain monk who accepted a beautiful
bowl for his food worth a thousand
(coins), and, with the intention to steal it, he placed it in his key-purse (kuñcika-t-thavikāya?). Cunda, having
waited on the monks and washed their hands and feet, paying homage to the
Buddha, observing the community of monks, he saw that monk, but having seen
him, it was like not seeing him and he did not say anything to the Blessed One
or the elders out of respect, thinking, “let there not be a manner of speaking
by those who hold wrong views.” He, wanting to know about monks who were yoked
to their vows (restraints), or such who had broken them, approached the Blessed
One at night and asked, “I ask the seer…” [and so the beginning of the sutta]
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