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Thag 6.10 — Sumana the Novice

translated from the Pāli by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

When I was seven & newly gone forth, having conquered with my power the great powerful serpent, I was fetching water for my preceptor from the great lake, Anotatta,[1] when the Teacher saw me & said: "Look, Sariputta, at that one, the young boy coming there, carrying a pot of water, well-centered within, his practices — inspiring; his bearing — admirable. He's Anuruddha's novice, mature in his powers, made thoroughbred by a thoroughbred, good by one who is good, tamed by Anuruddha, trained by one whose task is done. He, having reached the highest peace & realized the unshakable, Sumana the novice wants this: 'Don't let anyone know me.'"

Note

1.
Anotatta: A fabulous lake located in the Himalayas, famed for the purity of its cool waters. Sumana would have had to use his psychic powers to fetch water from there.
Copyright © 2000 Thanissaro Bhikkhu. The text of this page (“Sumana the Novice”, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. From Access to Insight (BCBS Edition), 30 November 2013.