On a certain date, there was a simpletons’ festival celebrated in ancient Indian city Shravasti, and on the occasion of this foolish holiday, folk used to smear their bodies with ashes and cow-dung and for a period of seven days go about uttering all manner of coarse talk.
At this time people showed no respect for kinsfolk or friends or monks when they met them, but stood in the doorways and insulted them with coarse talk. Those who could not endure the coarse talk would pay the holiday-makers a half or
a quarter or a penny, according to their means and the holidaymakers would take the money and depart from their houses.
Now at this time, there were in Shravasti five million Noble Disciples, and they sent word to the teacher, “ let the Buddha refrain for a period of seven days from entering the city with the congregation of monks; let him instead remain at the monastery.” And, for a period of seven days, the noble disciples caused food to be prepared for the congregation of monks at the monastery and sent it to them but did not themselves leave their houses.
On the eighth day, however, when the festival was at an end, they invited the congregation of monks to be their guests, escorted them into the city, and gave abundant offerings. And having seated themselves respectfully on one side, they said to the Buddha, “Venerable, we have spent the past seven days unpleasantly. Our ears were about to burst from hearing the coarse talk of foolish folk. No one showed any respect for anybody else, and for this reason we did not permit you to enter the city. We ourselves did not go out of the house.”
The Buddha listened to what they said, and then replied, “In this manner unintelligent men conduct themselves. But they who are intelligent preserve heedfulness as their greatest treasure, and by so doing at last attain the attainment of the great Nibbàna.”
Buddha Said: Those who are foolish and indiscriminating indulge in heedlessness. But the wise cherish mindfulness as a great treasure. The foolish people live a life of sensual pleasure. They indulge in pursuits that are not at all conducive to spiritual advancement. To obtain worldly acquisitions, people need wealth. In the same way, to obtain high spiritual acquisitions we need some wealth, and that wealth is mindfulness.
