Thus have I heard:
At one time, Budha was traveling through the kingdom of Magadha and gradually arrived at the city of Vaishaali. At that time, he was staying in the Amrapaali-vana in the northern part of Vaishaali, together with a great assembly of five hundred bhikshus.
At that time, Amrapaali, the courtesan, heard that the Budha had come to the grove and was staying there with five hundred bhikshus. Then that woman (Amrapaali) had her feather-adorned carriage prepared, and departed from the city of Vaishaali, and arrived at the crossroads. She then went to where Budha was, alighted from her chariot, and approached Budha.
At that time, Budha saw her approaching from afar and said to the bhikshus, “All of you, remain focused and do not give rise to improper thoughts.”
When the woman arrived at Budha’s presence, she bowed her head at his feet, paid her respects, and sat to one side. Budha then expounded the most profound Dharma to her.
After expounding the profound Dharma, the woman said to Budha, “O Bhagavaan, please accept my invitation, along with the Sangha of bhikshus.”
Budha silently accepted her invitation. Seeing that Budha had accepted her invitation, the woman rose from her seat, bowed at his feet, and returned the way she had come.
At that time, the men, women, and children of Vaishaali heard that Budha was staying in the Amrapaali-vana with a great assembly of five hundred Bhikshus.
At that time, five hundred million young men from the city, riding in various chariots adorned with feathers and jewels—some in white chariots drawn by white horses, with white canopies, banners, and attendants; some in red chariots drawn by red horses, with red canopies, banners, and attendants; some in blue chariots drawn by blue horses, with blue canopies, banners, and attendants; and some in yellow chariots drawn by yellow horses, with yellow canopies, banners, and attendants—all adorned with majestic splendour, like kings, left the city of Vaishaali and headed towards the Budha. Before they arrived, they encountered the woman on the road, urging her oxen and chariot to hurry back to the city.
The young men asked the woman, “You are a woman and should be modest. Why are you urging your oxen and chariot to hurry back to the city?”
The woman replied, “Noble sirs, you should know that I have invited Budha and the Sangha of bhikshus for tomorrow. That is why I am hurrying back to the city.”
The young men said, “We also wish to offer food to Budha and the Sangha of bhikshus. We will give you a thousand taels (pala) of pure gold. Let us take your place tomorrow and make the offering.”
The woman replied, “Enough, enough, noble sirs! I will not agree to this.”
The young men said, “We will give you two thousand, three thousand, four thousand, five thousand, up to a hundred thousand taels of gold. Will you agree to let us make the offering to the Budha and the Sangha of bhikshus tomorrow?”
The woman replied, “I will not agree. The reason is that the Budha always says, ‘There are two hopes that people cannot give up. What are the two? The hope for gain and the hope for life.’ Who can guarantee that I will live until tomorrow? I have already invited the Tathaagata, and now I must prepare the offerings.”
At that time, the young men waved their hands and said, “All of us together are not as good as this woman.” Having said this, they each went their separate ways.
The young men then went to the Budha, bowed their heads at his feet, and stood to one side. Budha, seeing the young men, said to the bhikshus, “Bhikshus, observe the majestic appearance and attire of these young men. They are no different from Shakra, the lord of the devas, when he goes out to enjoy himself.”
Budha then said to the young men, “There are two things in the world that are most difficult to obtain. What are the two? A person who is grateful and remembers even small kindnesses, let alone great ones. These, young men, are the two things that are most difficult to obtain. Young men, you should know that being grateful and remembering even small kindnesses, let alone great ones, is most important.”
Budha then spoke this verse:
“One who knows gratitude and remembers kindness,
Always mindful of teaching others,
Is revered by the wise,
And his fame spreads among devas and humans.
Thus, young men, you should learn this.”
Budha then expounded the profound Dharma to the young men in detail. After hearing it, they rose from their seats, bowed at Budha’s feet, and withdrew.
That night, the woman prepared various delicious foods and arranged the seating. At dawn, she said, “The time has come. Now is the time. I beseech Budha to come to my humble abode.”
Budha then put on his robe, took his bowl, and, surrounded by the bhikshus, went to the city of Vaishaali and arrived at the woman’s house. The woman, seeing that Budha was seated, personally served food to Budha and the Sangha of bhikshus. After serving the food and offering clean water, she took a small golden inlaid seat and sat before Budha.
The woman said to Budha, “I offer this Amrapaali-vana to the Tathaagata and the Sangha of bhikshus, so that past, present, and future members of the Sangha may dwell here. I beseech Budha to accept this grove.”
Budha, for the sake of the woman, accepted the grove. He then spoke this blessing:
“The fruits of the grove bring coolness,
Bridges allow people to cross,
Restrooms near the road provide comfort,
And people find rest.
Day and night, they gain peace,
And the merit is immeasurable.
Those who achieve the Shila and Dharma
Will surely be reborn in heaven after death.”
After speaking this blessing, the Budha rose and left.