Story of Shrigupta

See also Acharya Shrigupta

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The story of the householder Shrigupta is found in Khenpo Sangye Tendzin’s commentary to Sakya Pandita’s Elegant Sayings (Sakya Lekshé).

In the story, Shrigupta is persuaded by a false teacher to set a trap for the Buddha and offer him some poisonous food. When the Buddha foils his plans, Shrigupta is repentant, and the Buddha makes him repeat the following verse three times:

Attachment, aversion and ignorance,

These are the three worldly poisons,

The victorious buddhas possess no such poison.

The enlightened ones conquer poison through truth.

(This verse is then repeated with the Dharma and the Sangha in place of “the victorious buddhas.”). And:

All that is poisonous,

And any living beings possessing poison—

All this arises from the poison of attachment.

Attachment is the greatest of all poisons.

(This verse is then repeated for aversion and ignorance).