Why we shouldn’t be proud of learnt-things and contemptuous of others?

                                       Bygone ages, there was a Buddha called Kassapa. He had very learnt disciple in the Tipitaka (three baskets) Kapila. Because of his knowledge, Kapila achieved much gain and fame among the learnt society and people. Due to those reputations and wealth, he also became very conceited and contempt of other Bhikkhus. 

           When other Bhikkhus would point out wrong and right, good and bad, as a monk, what should do and what shouldn’t do. He would ask back “How much you have learnt and know” implying that I’ve learnt and know much and more than you all. In course of times, all the good monks walked away from him. Only the bad monks remained with him. 

                                              One Sabbath day, while Bhikkhus were reciting the Fundamental Precepts for the Bhikkhus (Patimokkha), Kapila said “there are nothing like Sutta, Vinaya and Abhidhamma. Therefore, it makes nothing whether, you recite Patimokkha or not” etc., and left the congregation of the Bhikkhus. Thus, Kapila was a hindrance to the development and growth of the Teaching (Sasana).  

                  Because of these evil deeds, Kapil was born in different hell and suffered many ages between the times of the Kassapa Buddha and Gautama Buddha. Later on, he was born in the Aciravati River. As a fish. Huge Fish. With very beautiful golden body. But its mouth was very offensive. Horrified. Bad smell.

             One day, it was caught on some fisherman’s net. Due to the beautiful body and good look, they took the fish to the king’s palace. The king took the fish to the Buddha. When the fish opened its mouth very horrified and offensive bad-smell spread all around. 

          The kind asked to the Buddha reasons behind the bad-smell of beautiful fish. The Buddha explained to the king and other audiences the reasons “O king! During the time of Kassapa Buddha there was a very learned Bhikkhu who taught the Dhamma to others. Because of that good deed, when he was reborn in another existence, even as a fish, he was endowed with a golden body. But that Bhikkhu was very greedy, proud and very contemptuous of others; he also disregarded the Disciplines and abused other Bhikkhus. For these evil deeds, he was reborn in Niraya, and now, he has become a beautiful fish with a mouth that stinks." 

Then the Buddha turned to the fish and asked “where will be your next existences?”

“To the Niraya” he replied “that is fill with great despair”

As the predictions were, he was got born in the Niaraya hell, to undergo another term of continuous torment.

Revealing these secrets for unmindful man’s craving grows like a creeper. He runs birth to birth like a monkey jumps branch to branch.