Досточтимый Тханиссаро объясняет:
People can react unfavorably when told that their occupation or practice is inherently unskillful and conducive to a bad rebirth. The Buddha’s approach in these cases was simple. He would not condemn a person’s occupation to the person’s face unless that person had shown his/her sincerity in asking for the Buddha’s opinion on the matter by repeating the question up to three times. Even then the Buddha would not simply condemn the occupation—soldiering and acting are the examples given in the discourses—but would also explain why it was inherently unskillful. He followed the same approach when asked about ascetic practices.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/skill-in-questions.pdfВ древней Индии был обычай порой уступать на третий раз, если собеседник настаивает.
Then Bahiya, hurriedly leaving Jeta's Grove and entering Savatthi, saw the Blessed One going for alms in Savatthi — calm, calming, his senses at peace, his mind at peace, tranquil and poised in the ultimate sense, accomplished, trained, guarded, his senses restrained, a Great One (naga). Seeing him, he approached the Blessed One and, on reaching him, threw himself down, with his head at the Blessed One's feet, and said, "Teach me the Dhamma, O Blessed One! Teach me the Dhamma, O One-Well-Gone, that will be for my long-term welfare and bliss."
When this was said, the Blessed One said to him: "This is not the time, Bahiya. We have entered the town for alms."
A second time, Bahiya said to the Blessed One: "But it is hard to know for sure what dangers there may be for the Blessed One's life, or what dangers there may be for mine. Teach me the Dhamma, O Blessed One! Teach me the Dhamma, O One-Well-Gone, that will be for my long-term welfare and bliss."
A second time, the Blessed One said to him: "This is not the time, Bahiya. We have entered the town for alms."
A third time, Bahiya said to the Blessed One: "But it is hard to know for sure what dangers there may be for the Blessed One's life, or what dangers there may be for mine. Teach me the Dhamma, O Blessed One! Teach me the Dhamma, O One-Well-Gone, that will be for my long-term welfare and bliss."
"Then, Bahiya, you should train yourself thus: In reference to the seen, there will be only the seen. In reference to the heard, only the heard. In reference to the sensed, only the sensed. In reference to the cognized, only the cognized. That is how you should train yourself. When for you there will be only the seen in reference to the seen, only the heard in reference to the heard, only the sensed in reference to the sensed, only the cognized in reference to the cognized, then, Bahiya, there is no you in terms of that. When there is no you in terms of that, there is no you there. When there is no you there, you are neither here nor yonder nor between the two. This, just this, is the end of stress."
Бахия сутта -
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/ud/ud.1.10.than.htmlSo the brahmans went to the brahman student Assalayana and said to him, "Master Assalayana, this Gotama the contemplative prescribes purity for the four castes. Come and dispute with him on this statement."
When this was said, the brahman student Assalayana said to the brahmans, "Sirs, Gotama the contemplative is one who speaks Dhamma. And those who speak Dhamma are hard to dispute with. I can't dispute with him on this statement."
A second time... A third time, the brahmans said to the brahman student Assalayana, "Master Assalayana, this Gotama the contemplative prescribes purity for the four castes. Come and dispute with him on this statement, for you have lived the life of a wanderer. Don't be defeated without being defeated in battle."
When this was said, the brahman student Assalayana said to the brahmans, "Apparently, sirs, I don't get leave from you (to avoid the matter by saying), 'Gotama the contemplative is one who speaks Dhamma. And those who speak Dhamma are hard to dispute with. I can't dispute with him on this statement.' But at your bidding I will go."
Ассалаяна сутта -
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.093.than.html