SA 236（二三六） 清净乞食住

Thus have I heard:

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

At that time, Venerable Śāriputra put on his robe in the morning, took his alms bowl, and entered Śrāvastī to beg for alms. After begging for alms, he returned to the monastery, put away his robe and bowl, washed his feet, took his sitting mat, and went into the forest to sit in meditation during the day. When Śāriputra awoke from his meditation, he went to where the World-Honored One was, bowed his head at the Buddha's feet, and sat to one side.

At that time, the Buddha asked Śāriputra, "Where have you come from?"

Śāriputra replied, "World-Honored One! I have come from sitting in meditation during the day in the forest."

The Buddha said to Śāriputra, "What kind of meditation state did you enter now?"

Śāriputra said to the Buddha, "World-Honored One! I now entered the emptiness samādhi meditation state in the forest."

The Buddha said to Śāriputra, "Excellent! Excellent! Śāriputra, you now entered the meditation state of the elder and sat in meditation. If bhikṣus wish to enter the meditation state of the elder, they should study like this:

'When entering the city, when going for alms, or when leaving the city, one should contemplate thus: "Do I now see forms with the eyes, and give rise to desire, affection, and attachment?"'

Śāriputra! When a bhikṣu contemplates in this way, if eye consciousness is attached to forms, that bhikṣu should diligently make effort to cut off evil and unwholesome [afflictions]. It is like a person whose head or clothes are on fire. In order to completely extinguish it, one should make supreme effort and diligently put it out. That bhikṣu should also be like this, making supreme effort and diligently practicing with focused attention.

If a bhikṣu observes in this way, whether walking on the road, in the village begging for alms, or leaving the village, if eye consciousness is not attached to forms, that bhikṣu should wish to use this joyful and wholesome root to diligently practice with focused attention day and night. This is called a bhikṣu purifying begging for alms while walking, standing, sitting, or lying down. Therefore, this sūtra is called the practice of pure begging for alms.

Having spoken this sūtra, the World-Honored One, the Venerable Śāriputra, having heard the Buddha's words, rejoiced and upheld them.