Sucimukhī
PersonA female wanderer who questioned Sāriputta in Rājagaha about the manner in which he ate his alms-food, and who, satisfied by his explanation that he avoided such low arts as divination and astrology, went about praising the blamelessness of the Buddha’s monks.
A wanderer (paribbājikā).
She once saw Sāriputta in Rājagaha eating his meal, which he had begged from house to house, leaning against a wall. Sucimukhī asked him why he looked downwards while eating. When Sāriputta disclaimed doing so, she asked him, respectively, why he ate looking upwards, towards the four quarters, between the four quarters. He denied the truth of all her statements, and then explained to her his reason for his denial. He lived neither by such low arts (tiracchānavijjāya) as divination (vatthuvijjā),¹ nor by astrology (nakkhattavijjā), running errands (dūteyyapahiṇagamanānuyogāya), or palmistry (aṅgavijjātiracchānavijjāya).
Sucimukhī understood, and went about Rājagaha praising the blamelessness of the Sakyan monks. S.iii.238 f; SA.ii.253.
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