The Pilgrim Kamanita · Chapter
II: The Meeting explained
The Buddha, on his alms round, passes by houses of fowlers, quarrelers, revellers, and butchers, rejecting each as impure, until he arrives at a potter's house where a young pilgrim (Kamanita) is already staying.
What happens
The Buddha, on his alms round, passes by houses of fowlers, quarrelers, revellers, and butchers, rejecting each as impure, until he arrives at a potter's house where a young pilgrim (Kamanita) is already staying. The Buddha joins him, and after a period of silent meditation, he asks the pilgrim why he became homeless, and the pilgrim begins to tell his story.
Themes in this chapter
The Pilgrim's Path
The Buddha and Kamanita both seek shelter after rejecting worldly houses, embodying the pilgrim's journey toward spiritual truth.
Renunciation and Worldliness
The Buddha deliberately avoids houses associated with violence, quarrels, and sensual pleasures, choosing instead the quiet abode of the potter, highlighting the contrast between worldly pursuits and renunciation.
Characters to notice
- The Lord Buddha
The Blessed One, on his alms round, rejects houses of impurity and finally stays at the potter's hall, where he meets the young pilgrim.
- Kamanita
The young pilgrim who has already taken up quarters in the potter's hall; he is a noble youth and a seeker after truth, and begins to tell his story to the Buddha.
Key passages
“As weeping, in the Order of the Holy, shall singing be looked on; as madness, in the Order of the Holy, shall dancing be looked on; as childish, in the Order of the Holy, shall unseemly showing of teeth, shall laughter, be looked on. All-sufficing, for ye who in truth are enraptured, be the smile of the smiling eyes.”
The Buddha reflects that in the holy order, singing is seen as weeping, dancing as madness, and laughter as childish; for those truly enraptured, a gentle smile is sufficient.
This passage underscores the Buddha's teaching on the renunciation of worldly pleasures and the cultivation of inner stillness.
“Solitude is, it is true, the best of all companions. But this good pilgrim has arrived here late, just as I myself, tired from long wandering. And he has gone by the houses where men follow impure and bloody pursuits, past the house of wrangling and of odious strife, the house of clamour and of unworthy pleasure, and has not rested till he entered the house of the potter. In the company of such a man it is possible to spend the night.”
The Buddha muses that while solitude is best, this pilgrim—like himself—has avoided impure houses and chosen the potter's hall, making him a worthy companion for the night.
This shows the Buddha's recognition of Kamanita's spiritual inclination and sets the stage for their dialogue.