The story goes that two residents of Sàvatthi retired from the world, were admitted to full membership in the Sangha, and becoming fast friends, usually went about together. One day they went to the Aciravatã River, and after bathing, stood on the bank basking themselves in the rays of the sun, engaged in pleasant conversation. At that moment two geese came flying through the air. Thereupon one of the young monks, picking up a pebble, said, “I am going to hit one of these young geese in the eye.” “You can’t do it,” said the other.
“You just wait,” said the first; “I will hit the eye on this side of him, and then I will hit the eye on the other side of him.” “You can’t do that, either,” said the second. “Well then, see for yourself,” said the first, and taking a second pebble, threw it after the goose. The goose, hearing the stone whiz through the air, turned his head and looked back. Then the second monk picked up a round stone and threw it in such a way that it hit the eye on the far side and came out of the eye on the near side. The goose gave a cry of pain, and tumbling through the air, fell at the feet of the two monks.
Some monks who stood near saw the occurrence and said to the monk who had killed the goose. “Brother, after retiring from the world in the religion of the Buddha, you have done a most unbecoming thing in taking the life of a living creature.” And taking the two monks with them, they arraigned them before the Buddha. The Buddha asked the monk who had killed the goose, “Is the charge true that you have taken the life of a living creature?” “Yes, Venerable,” replied the monk, “it is true.”
The Buddha asked, “Monk, how comes it that after retiring from the world in such a religion as mine, leading to salvation as it does, you have done such a thing as this? Wise men of old, before the Buddha appeared in the world, though they lived amid the cares of the household life, entertained scruples about matters of the most trifling character. But you, although you retired from the world in the religion of the Buddha, have felt no scruples at all?”
