SA 1148（一一四八） 著一衣

Thus have I heard:

At one time the Buddha was staying at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in the Jeta Grove near Śrāvastī.

At that time King Prasenajit came to where the Buddha was, bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, and sat to one side. At that time, there were seven Nirgrantha ascetics, seven Jatila ascetics, and seven Sāṃkhya ascetics, all of them with large and coarse bodies, wandering and standing outside the gate of the Jetavana.

At that time King Prasenajit saw them wandering outside the gate from afar. He immediately rose from his seat, went before them, joined his palms, greeted them, and thrice proclaimed his name, saying: “I am King Prasenajit of Kośala.”

At that time the World-Honored One said to King Prasenajit: "Why do you now pay respect to them, thrice proclaim your name, and ask after their well-being with joined palms?"

The king said to the Buddha: "I thought: 'If there are arhats in the world, they must be these ones.'"

The Buddha said to King Prasenajit: "Stop for now! You do not know whether they are arhats or not, because you do not have the knowledge of others' minds. Just be close to them and observe their precepts and conduct. After a long time, you will know. Do not be hasty in your judgment! Observe carefully, do not be rash! Use wisdom, not ignorance. Go through various hardships and be able to defend yourself. When you have exchanged and examined, the true and false will be distinguished. See, speak, know, and understand. After a long time, you will know. It is not something that can be recognized suddenly. You must contemplate and observe with wisdom!"

The king said to the Buddha: "How wonderful! World-Honored One! You have well spoken of this principle, saying: 'After a long time, observe their precepts and conduct, and so on, until you see, speak, know, and understand.' I have a family member who also went forth, taking on such appearances, wandering to other countries, and then returning. He gave up his robes and resumed the five desires. Therefore, I know that the World-Honored One has well spoken. One should stay with them, observe their precepts and conduct, and so on, until one speaks and knows that they have wisdom."

At that time, the World-Honored One spoke a verse, saying:

One should not know the good and evil of a person by their
appearance. One should not temporarily see someone and share the same mind with
them. There are those who outwardly appear to be discreet in body and
speech, but inwardly their worldly minds are not restrained. They are like brass
or copper coated with real gold. They inwardly harbor vulgar and mixed minds
outwardly displaying the dignified demeanor of sages. They wander through various countries, deceiving
the people of the world.

Having spoken this sūtra, King Prasenajit, having heard the Buddha's words, rejoiced and followed the teachings. He bowed and departed.