At Sāvatthi.
“Bhikkhus, |acquisitions::gain, money, profit, possessions [lābhā]|, |respect::honor, accolade, reverence [sakkāra]|, and |popularity::fame, praise [siloka]| are harsh, bitter, and severe; they obstruct the attainment of the unsurpassed safety from bondage.
Suppose, bhikkhus, a |wooly::long-haired [dīghalomika]| goat would enter |a thicket of thorns::a tangled area of prickly plants, such as briars [kaṇṭakagahana]|. She would get caught here and there, entangled here and there, trapped here and there, and would come to meet misfortune and disaster.
So too, bhikkhus, when a certain bhikkhu, overwhelmed by acquisitions, respect, and popularity, with his mind |consumed::obsessed, controlled [pariyādiṇṇa]| by them, dresses in the morning, takes his alms bowl and outer robe, and enters a village or town for alms, he becomes attached here and there, caught here and there, trapped here and there, and meets with misfortune and disaster.
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::obsessing, controlling [pariyādāya]| our minds.’ Thus, bhikkhus, you should train yourselves.”