Once, many young men were admitted into the Sangha by the Buddha in Sàvatthi. After receiving a meditation topic from the Buddha, all the new monks except one went to the forest to practice meditation. They practiced zealously and vigilantly so that in due course all of them attained arahatship. When they returned to the monastery to pay homage to him, the Buddha was very pleased and satisfied with their achievement.
Monk Tissa who stayed behind did not try hard and therefore achieved nothing.
When Tissa found that the relationship between the Buddha and those monks was very cordial and intimate, he felt rather neglected, and regretted that he had wasted all that time. So he resolved to practice meditation throughout the night. As he was walking in meditation on that night, he slipped and broke a thigh bone. Other monks hearing his cry went to help him. On hearing about the above incident the Buddha said, “Monks, one who does not strive when he should be striving but idles away his time will not attain mental absorption (jhàna) and magga insight.”
