MN 40 Cula-Assapura Sutta: The Shorter Discourse at Assapura
Thus have i heard.
On one occasion the Blessed One was living in the Angan country at a town of the Angans named Assapura. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus thus: "Bhikkhus. Recluses/ bhikkhus, that is how people perceive you. And when you are asked, 'What are you?' you claim that you are recluses. Since that is what you are designated and what you claim to be, you should train thus: 'We will practice the way proper to the recluse so that our designations may be true and our claims genuine, and so that the services of those whose robes, alms food, resting place, and medicinal requisites we use shall bring them great fruit and benefit, and so that our going forth shall not be in vain but fruitful and fertile.' "
"How does a bhikkhu not practice the way proper to the recluse? For so long as a bhikkhu who is covetous has not abandoned covetousness, who has a mind of ill will has not abandoned ill will, who is angry has not abandoned anger, who is revengeful has not abandoned revenge, who is contemptuous has not abandoned contempt, who is domineering has not abandoned his domineering attitude, who is envious has not abandoned envy, who is avaricious has not abandoned avarice, who is fraudulent has not abandoned fraud, who is deceitful has not abandoned deceit, who has evil wishes has not abandoned evil wishes, who has wrong view has not abandoned wrong view, for so long he does not practice the way proper to the recluse, I say, because of his failure to abandon these stains for the recluse, these faults for the recluse, these dregs for the recluse, which are grounds for rebirth in a state of deprivation and whose results are to be experienced in an unhappy destination. "
"Suppose the weapon called a mataja, well whetted on both edges' were enclosed and encased in a patchwork sheath. I say that such a bhikkhu's going forth is comparable to that. I do not say that the recluse's status comes about in a patchwork-cloak wearer through the mere wearing of the patchwork cloak, nor in a naked ascetic through mere nakedness, nor in a dweller in dust and dirt through mere dust and dirt, nor in a washer in water through mere washing in water, nor in a tree root dweller through mere dwelling at the root of a tree, nor in an open-air dweller through mere dwelling in the open air, nor in a practitioner of continuous standing through mere continuous standing, nor in a taker of food at stated intervals through mere taking of food at stated intervals, nor in a reciter of incantations through mere recitation of incantations; nor do I say that the recluse's status comes about in a matted-hair ascetic through mere wearing of the hair matted. "
"Bhikkhus, if through the mere wearing of the patchwork cloak a patchwork-cloak wearer who was covetous abandoned covetousness, who had a mind of ill will abandoned ill will... who had wrong view abandoned wrong view, then his friends and companions would make him a patchwork-cloak wearer as soon as he was born and have him undertake the patchwork-cloak wearing thus: 'Come, my dear, be a patchwork-cloak wearer so that, as a patchwork-cloak wearer, when you are covetous you will abandon covetousness, when you have a mind of ill will you will abandon ill will... when you have wrong view you will abandon wrong view.' But I see here a patchwork-cloak wearer who is covetous, who has a mind of ill will...who has wrong view; and that is why I do not say that the recluse's status comes about in a patchwork-cloak wearer through the mere wearing of the patchwork cloak. Similarly for the other examples mentioned above.
"How, bhikkhus, does a bhikkhu practice the way proper to the recluse? When any bhikkhu who was covetous has abandoned covetousness, who had a mind of ill will has abandoned ill will, who was angry has abandoned anger, who was revengeful has abandoned revenge, who was contemptuous has abandoned contempt, who was domineering has abandoned his domineering attitude, who was envious has abandoned envy, who was avaricious has abandoned avarice, who was fraudulent has abandoned fraud, who was deceitful has abandoned deceit, who had evil wishes has abandoned evil wishes, who had wrong view has abandoned wrong view, then he practices the way proper to the recluse, I say, because of his abandoning these stains for the recluse, these faults for the recluse, these dregs for the recluse, which are grounds for rebirth in a state of deprivation and whose results are to be experienced in an unhappy destination."
"He sees himself purified of all these evil unwholesome states, he sees himself liberated from them. When he sees this, gladness is born in him. When he is glad, rapture is born in him; in one who is rapturous, the body becomes tranquil; one whose body is tranquil feels pleasure; in one who feels pleasure, the mind becomes concentrated. He abides pervading one quarter with a mind imbued with loving-kindness, likewise the second, likewise the third, likewise the fourth; so everywhere, and to all as to himself, he abides pervading the all-encompassing world with a mind imbued with loving-kindness, abundant, exalted, immeasurable, without hostility and without ill will. "
"He abides pervading one quarter with a mind imbued with compassion...with a mind imbued with appreciative joy...with a mind imbued with equanimity...abundant, exalted, immeasurable, without hostility and without ill will. Suppose there were a pond with clear, cool water, transparent, with smooth banks, delightful. If a man, scorched and exhausted by hot weather, weary, parched, and thirsty, come upon the pond he would quench his thirst and his hot-weather fever. So too, bhikkhus, if anyone from a clan of nobles goes forth from the home life into homelessness, and after encountering the Dhamma and Discipline proclaimed by the Tathagata, develops loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity, and thereby gains internal peace, then because of that internal peace he practices the way proper to the recluse, I say. And if anyone from a clan of brahmins goes forth...If anyone from a clan of merchants goes forth...If anyone from a clan of workers goes forth from the home life into homelessness, and after encountering the Dhamma and Discipline proclaimed by the Tathagata, develops loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity, and thereby gains internal peace, then because of that internal peace he practices the way proper to the recluse, I say."
"Bhikkhus, if anyone from a clan of nobles goes forth from the home life into homelessness, and by realizing for himself with direct knowledge here and now enters upon and abides in the deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom that are taint-less with the destruction of the taints, then he is already a recluse because of the destruction of the taints. And if anyone from a clan of brahmins goes forth...If anyone from a clan of merchants goes forth...If anyone from a clan of workers goes forth from the home life into homelessness, and by realizing for himself with direct knowledge here and now enters upon and abides in the deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom that are taint-less with the destruction of the taints, then he is already a recluse because of the destruction of the taints."
That is what the Blessed One said. The bhikkhus were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words.
The Buddha explains "the way proper to the recluse" to be not the mere outward practice of austerities but the inward purification from defilements.
How does a bhikkhu practice the way proper to the recluse?
As a bhikkhu who is covetous has abandoned covetousness,
who has a mind of ill will has abandoned ill will,
who is angry has abandoned anger,
who is revengeful has abandoned revenge,
who is contemptuous has abandoned contempt,
who is domineering has abandoned his domineering attitude,
who is envious has abandoned envy,
who is avaricious has abandoned avarice,
who is fraudulent has abandoned fraud,
who is deceitful has abandoned deceit,
who has evil wishes has abandoned evil wishes,
who has wrong view has abandoned wrong view
References: 1. www.accesstoinsight.org 2. https://suttacentral.net/ 3. The middle length discourses of the Buddha (Bhikkhu Bodhi)