This episode is the 27th sutta of the Majjhima Nikaya: the Culahatthipadopam Sutta which translates as “The Shorter Discourse on the Elephant’s Footprint”. In this sutta the Buddha cautions against swift conclusions about a teacher’s spiritual accomplishments, comparing it to the care a tracker would use when tracking elephants. He presents the full training of a monastic.

This translation of the Cūḷahatthipadopama Sutta is by Bhikkhu Sujato and was sourced from Sutta Central.

If you'd like to understand more about this sutta you could listen to a sutta study class led by Ajahn Brahm about this sutta.

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