At Sāvatthi.

"Bhikkhus, acquisitions, respect, and popularity are harsh, bitter, and severe; they obstruct the attainment of the unsurpassed safety from bondage.

Suppose there was a beetle, a dung-eater, stuffed with dung, full of dung, and in front of her was a large dunghill. Because of this she would look down on the other beetles, thinking: 'I am a dung-eater, stuffed with dung, full of dung, and in front of me there is a large dunghill.'

So too, bhikkhus, there is a certain bhikkhu who, overwhelmed by acquisitions, respect, and popularity, with his mind consumed by them, dresses in the morning, takes his bowl and robes, and enters a village or town for alms. There he would eat as much as he wants, he would be invited for the next day's meal, and his alms-food would be plentiful. Returning to the monastery, he boasts in the midst of the community of bhikkhus: 'I have eaten as much as I wanted, I have been invited for the next day's meal, and my alms-food is plentiful. I am one who gains robes, almsfood, resting place, and medicinal requisites, but these other bhikkhus have little merit and are unimportant, and they do not gain robes, alms-food, resting place, and medicinal requisites.' Overwhelmed by acquisitions, respect, and popularity, with his mind consumed by them, he looks down on other well-behaved bhikkhus. That will lead to the harm and suffering of that misguided person for a long time.

Thus, bhikkhus, acquisitions, respect, and popularity are harsh, bitter, and severe; they obstruct the attainment of the unsurpassed safety from bondage.

Therefore, bhikkhus, you should train yourselves thus: 'We will abandon the arisen acquisitions, respect and popularity, and we will not let the arisen acquisitions, respect, and popularity continue to occupy our minds.' Thus, bhikkhus, you should train yourselves."