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The Ugly Monk

Thus have I heard, once, the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī at the Jeta Grove in the Anāthapiṇḍika Park.

At that time the World-honored One was preaching surrounded by a huge crowd , when a monk approached him, his face gaunt , not in the least awe-inspiring. The monk payed homage to the Buddha’s feet, lifted his folded hands towards the other monks and sat to one side. There the monks all had this thought: ‘How is it that this monk looks so wasted, not in the least awe-inspiring?’. The World-honored One, now, knew what they were thinking and said to them: ‘You monks, have you seen the monk who just saluted me?’. The monks answered the Buddha: ‘Yes, World-honored One, we have seen him’. There the Buddha further said: ‘You must not think that he is inferior. Why? This monk has done what is to be done, attained Arahatship, cast off the heavy burden, ended all bonds of becoming [that lead to rebirth] , found true liberation. You should not allow yourselves to think disparagingly of him. Once you have attained my level of insight, you may attempt to judge him. If you judge him presumptuously, you harm yourself’.

Then the World-honored One spoke a verse:

The peacock, though his body may be endowed with beautiful colors / cannot soar as high as the swan.//
Outward appearance may be beautiful / but not as worthy as the merit of ending one’s defilements.//
Now this monk has the workings of his mind / well trained and controlled, like one would a good horse.//
He has cut off desire, destroyed all fetters, gone beyond birth and death / he wears his final body (and) has vanquished Māra’s armies.//

When the Buddha had finished, the monks, having listened to what he had said, were happy and practised accordingly.