(Part 1)
1. KING SUDDHODANA AND QUEEN MAHA MAYA
Long ago, there was a king called Suddhodana. He married a
beautiful Koliyan princess named Maha Maya. The couple
ruled over the Sakyas, a warrior tribe living next to the Koliya
tribe, in the north of India. The capital of the Sakya country
was Kapilavatthu.
Since King Suddhodana was a very good king and Queen
Maha Maya was equally good, everyone in the kingdom loved
them. But they did not have children and they were longing for
a son for a long time.
One full moon night, in the palace, the queen had a dream.
She felt herself being carried away by four devas (angels) to
Lake Anotatta in the Himalayas. After bathing her in the lake,
the devas clothed her in heavenly cloths, anointed her with
perfumes, and decked her with divine flowers. Soon after a
white elephant, holding a white lotus flower in its trunk
appeared and went round her three times striking her on her
right side. Finally the elephant disappeared. She woke up and
found it was all a dream.
The next day, early in the morning, the queen told the king
about the dream. The king was puzzled and so he sent for
some wise men and asked them the meaning of the dream.
The wise men said, "Your Majesty, you are very lucky, the
devas have chosen our queen as the mother of the Purest-One
and the child will become a very great being." The king and
queen were very happy when they heard this.
They were so pleased that they invited many of the noblemen
in the country to the palace to a feast to tell them the good
news. Even the needy were not forgotten. Food and cloths
were given to the poor people.
.(Part 1)
2. THE BIRTH IN LUMBINI PARK
About ten months after the dream, the queen was expecting
her child and so she went to the king and said, "My dear, I
have to go back to my parents. My baby is about due now."
Since it was the custom in India, for a wife to have her baby in
her father’s house, the king agreed, saying, "Very well, I will
make the necessary arrangements for you to go."
The king then sent soldiers ahead to clear the road and some
were retained to guard the queen as she was carried in a
decorated palanquin. The queen left Kapilavatthu in a long
procession of soldiers and retainers, for the capital of her
father’s kingdom.
On the way to the Koliya country, they passed a garden
called Lumbini Park. This garden was near the kingdom called
Nepal, at the foot of the Himalayan Mountains. The beautiful
park with its sala trees and scented flowers and busy birds
and bees attracted the queen. Since the park was a good
resting-place, the queen ordered the bearers to stop there for
awhile. However, as she rested underneath one of the sala
trees, her baby boy was born. It was an auspicious day. The
birth took place on a full moon (which is now celebrated as
Vesak, the festival of the triple event of Buddha’s birth,
enlightenment and death), in the year 623 B.C.
According to the legends about this birth, the baby began to
walk seven steps forward and at each step, a lotus flower
appeared on the ground. Then, at the seventh stride, he
stopped and with a noble voice shouted:
"Aggohamsmi Lokassa
Jettho Lamasmi Lakassa
Settho Hamasmi Lokassa
Aya mantima jati
Natthi dani punabhavo."
["I am chief of the world,
Eldest am I in the world,
Foremost am I in the world.
This is the last birth.
There is now no more coming to be."]
After the birth of her baby son, Queen Maha Maya
immediately returned to Kapilavatthu. When the king learnt of
this he was very happy and there was rejoicing all over the
country.
.(Part 1)
3. THE NAMING CEREMONY
King Suddhodanna had an old teacher who was known to be
very wise, and was called Asita the Sage. Asita lived in the
jungle. While sitting he heard the devas singing and saw them
dancing. "Why are you so happy?" he asked. "Because the
most excellent of all beings has been born at Lumbini Park to
Queen Maha Maya," replied the devas. When he heard this,
Asita went quickly to see the king and queen and their
newborn son.
The king was very happy to see his wise old teacher again. In
the palace, after the sage was seated, the king brought the
prince before him and said, "Teacher, my son was born only
yesterday. Here he is. Please see if his future will be good."
As the king said this, he lowered the infant prince before the
sage so that he might examine him properly. However, the
baby turned his feet on to the sage’s head. Thus surprised,
Asita took hold of the baby’s feet and examined them very
carefully finding some marks on them. He got up and said,
"This prince will become a very great Teacher in this world."
The sage was very pleased and putting his palms together,
paid due respect to the baby prince. The king seeing this also
did the same. This was the first salutation of the king.
On the fifth day, the king invited five wise men to witness the
naming ceremony and to suggest a good name for the prince.
The wise men examined the birthmarks of the prince and
concluded that, "The prince will be King of kings if he wants to
rule. If he chooses a religious life then he will become the
Wisest – the Buddha."
The youngest of the five wise men, Kondanna then said, "This
prince will be the Buddha and nothing else."
Then the wise men gave him the name Siddhartha meaning
"wish-fulfilled" or "one who has accomplished his goal".
.(Part 1)
4. HIS EDUCATION
On the seventh day after his birth, Prince Siddhartha’s mother
died. The king had another Queen called Prajapati Gotami.
She was the younger sister of Queen Maha Maya, and she
had given birth to a son on the same day that Queen Maha
Maya died. Prajapati Gotami gave her own son to a nurse and
brought up Prince Siddhartha, whom she loved very much, as
her own son. Prince Siddhartha could not remember his own
mother.
When Prince Siddhartha was only a few years old, King
Suddhodana sent him to school. There were many children in
his class, all of them were from noble families. His teacher
was called Sarva Mitra.
He learnt languages, reading, writing, mathematics, history,
geography, science, and many games like boxing, archery,
wrestling and many others. He learnt all these subjects faster
than any other pupil in his class. He was the cleverest in the
class and the best at games. He gained distinction in every
subject and became cleverer than his teachers. He was the
wisest and the only one who asked many questions from his
teachers and elders. He was the strongest, the tallest and the
most handsome boy in the class. He was never lazy, never
misbehaved and never disobedient to the teachers. He loved
everybody and everybody loved him. He was a friend to all.
.(Part 1)
5. PRINCE SIDDHARTHA’S KINDNESS
Prince Siddhartha was very kind to people, animals and other
living things. As a very brave horseman he won many prizes in
the country. Although he did not have to suffer any hardships
and difficulties as he had everything, he always thought of the
poor people and living things who were working hard to make
him happy. He felt sorry for them and wanted to make them
happy too as he always was.
One day he was walking in the woods with his cousin
Devadatta who had his bow and arrows with him. Suddenly
Devadatta saw a swan flying and shot at it. His arrow brought
the swan down. Both the boys ran to get the swan. As
Siddhartha could run faster than Devadatta, he reached the
bird first and found, to his surprise, that the swan was still
alive. So he gently pulled out the arrow from the wing. He then
got a little juice from cool leaves, put it on the wound of the
birds to stop the bleeding and with his soft hand, stroked the
swan which was very frightened. When Devadatta came to
claim the swan, naturally Prince Siddhartha refused to give it
to him. Devadatta was very angry to see his cousin keeping
the swan away from him. "Give me my bird, I shot it down,"
said Devadatta.
"No, I am not going to give it to you. If you had killed it, it
would have been yours. But now since it is only wounded and
alive it belongs to me because I saved its life," said
Siddhartha.
Devadatta still did not agree. Then Siddhartha suggested," Let
us go to the court of the Wiseman and ask him who really
owns the swan."
Devadatta agreed so of them went to the court of Wiseman to
tell them about their quarrel. The Wiseman said, "A life
certainly must belong to him who tries to save it, a life cannot
belong to one who is only trying to destroy it. The wounded
swan by right belongs to Siddhartha."
(Part 1)
6. PRINCE SIDDHARTHA’S WEDDING
Now the five wisemen who had come before Prince Siddhartha
at the naming ceremony, had warned the king,
" When your son sees a sick man, an old man, a dead body
and a monk, he will want to leave the palace and become a
monk himself." Thus the king worried that his son would see
these four sights and leave the palace. Therefore, he gave him
many young servants and did not allow any sick or old people
or monks to go into the palace. He built Siddhartha three
palaces, one for winter, one for summer and one for the rainy
season, as well as enclosed parks and hunting grounds.
Siddhartha hunted and played in a sunny world of gardens and
groves attended by dancing girls and musicians. He lived in a
world of plenty and beauty, he could have whatever he wanted,
yet he was not happy.
One day the king asked some wise people, "What shall I do
to make my son happy? He seems to depressed and sad
always." They answered, "Now your son is sixteen years old.
Shall we get a beautiful girl for him to marry?"
The king agreed and sent for all the beautiful girls in the
country to some to the palace. When all of them came the
king asked the prince to choose one to be his wife.
Among them there was a most charming and kind girl by the
name of Yasodhara. When Prince Siddhartha gave her a
present more valuable than what he had given to the other
maidens, the king saw that the prince had chosen his love.
The king happily accepted Yasodhara and allowed his son to
marry her.
.(Part 1)
7. AN OLD BEGGAR
After what he had done for the prince the king was satisfied
that his son would follow his footsteps and become a king
later. He ordered a high wall to be built round the palace
including the park but the prince was not happy living like a
prisoner. One day he told his father, "I must go out of the
palace gate and see how other people live."
"Very well my son," said the king, "you shall go outside the
palace wall to see how people live in my city. But first I must
prepare things, so that all would be good and proper for my
noble son’s visit."
When the people had decorated the city the king said, "Now
you can go, my dear son, and see the city as you please."
As the young prince was going through the streets, all of a
sudden, from a small old hut beside the road, out came an old
man with long silver grey hair, wearing very old torn, dirty rags.
The skin of his face was all dried up and wrinkled. His sunken
eyes were dim and he was almost blind. There was no teeth in
his mouth. He stood up trembling all over almost bent double
holding a stick and he did this with two skinny hands to save
himself from falling. The old beggar dragged himself along the
street paying no attention to all the gay people around him. He
was speaking very feebly, begging people around him to give
him food as he would die that very day if he nothing to eat.
When the prince saw the old man, he didn’t know what he
was looking at, as it was the first time in his life that he had
seen an old man of this type.
"What is that, Channa?" he asked his driver. "That really
cannot be a man! Why is he all bent? What is he trembling
for? Why is his hair sliver grey, not black like mine? What is
wrong with his eyes? Where are his teeth? Is this how some
people are born? Tell me, O, good Channa, what does this
mean?"
Channa told the prince, that it was an old man and he was not
born like that. "When young he was like us and now due to
his old age he has become like this." He told the prince to
forget this man. But the prince was not satisfied. "Everyone in
the world, if he lives long enough becomes like this man. It
cannot be stopped," said Channa.
The prince ordered him to drive back home at once, as he was
very sad and wanted to think carefully about that terrible thing
called old age.
That night there was a grand royal treat for the prince but he
was not interested or happy at all during the dinner and dance.
He was thinking all the time, "Some day you will all grow old,
everyone of you, even the prettiest."
He could not sleep when the time came. He was in bed
thinking that one-day, everyone would grow old, grey,
wrinkled, toothless and ugly like the old beggar. He wanted to
know if anyone had found a way to stop this horrible thing - old
age.
The king, when he heard this story, was very sad and worried
that his son would leave the palace. So he told his attendants
to put on more dances and dinners. But the prince begged his
father to allow him to see Kapilavatthu on an ordinary day
without the people being told of his visit.
.(Part 1)
8. A SICK MAN
The king very unwillingly allowed the prince to visit the city. He
thought it would not do any good trying to stop him now and
would only make him unhappy. On this occasion the prince
and Channa dressed up as young men from noble families so
the people didn’t know them.
This time the city was quite different. No more joyous crowds
of people hailed the prince, no flags, bunting, flowers and
well-dressed people, but simple people doing their daily work
to earn a living. A blacksmith was sweating and pounding to
make knives. The jewellers and goldsmiths were making
necklaces, bangles, earrings and rings out of diamonds, gold
and silver. The cloths-dyers were dyeing cloths of lovely colour
and hanging them up to dry. The bakers were busily baking
bread, cakes and sweets and selling them to the customers
who ate them still hot. The prince looked at these simple
common people. Everyone was very busy, happy and pleased
in his work.
Then he saw a man on the ground, twisting his body, holding
his stomach with both hands and crying out in pain at the top
of his voice. All over his face and body were purple patches,
his eyes were rolling, and he was gasping for breath.
For the second time in his life something made him very sad.
At once the prince, being a very kind person and not liking to
see people distressed ran forward and rested the man’s head
on his knee and said, " What is wrong with you, what is
wrong?" The sick man could not speak but only cry.
"Channa, tell me why this man is like this?" questioned the
prince, "What is the matter with his breath? Why does he not
talk?"
"O, my prince," said Channa, "do not hold this man like that.
This man is sick. His blood is poisoned. He has plague fever
and it is burning all over his body. That is why he is crying
loudly without being able to speak."
"But are there any other men like this?" asked the prince.
"Yes, and you may be the next if you hold the man as close
as that. Please put him down and do not touch him or the
plague will come out of him and go to you. You will become
the same as he is."
"Are there any other bad things, besides this plague,
Channa?"
"Yes, my prince, there are hundreds of other sicknesses as
painful as this," replied Channa.
"Can no one help it? Will everyone be sick? Can it happen at
any time by surprise?" asked Siddhartha.
"Yes, my dear prince," said Channa, "Everyone in this world.
No one can stop it and it can happen any time. Anyone may
fall ill and suffer."
The prince was even sadder this time as he returned to the
palace dwelling on the man and his sickness.
.(Part 1)
9. A DEAD BODY
On returning to the palace after seeing the sick man,
Siddhartha was very dissatisfied and depressed and was often
seen in deep thought. The king seeing him so changed
became very sad. Once again the prince asked for his
permission to go out of the palace to see more life in the city.
The king agreed as it was no use trying to stop his son.
This time again wearing the cloths of noblemen Siddhartha
and Channa went out from the palace walking in many parts of
Kapilavatthu. Then he saw a few people coming along the
street crying while four men at the back were carrying a plank
on which a very thin man lay flat and still. He was like a stone,
never saying a word. The people then rested the person down
on a pile of wood and set the wood on fire. The man did not
move as the flames were burning the wood from all sides.
"What is this, Channa? Why does that man lie there so still
allowing these people to burn him up?" "He does not know
anything."
"He is dead," replied Channa.
"Dead! Channa does everyone die?"
"Yes, my dear prince, all living things must die some day. No
one can stop death from coming," replied Channa.
The prince was shocked he did not say anything more. He
thought that it was terrible that such a thing called death
should come to everybody, even kings and queens. Was there
no way to stop it? He went home in silence to his own room in
the palace and sat deep in thought the rest of the day. Very
sadly he pondered, "Everyone in the world must some day
die, no one has found out how to stop it. There must be a way
to stop it. I must find it out and help the whole world."
.(Part 1)
10. THE MONK
Once again after many days Siddhartha visited the city for the
fourth time. As he was driving to the park he saw a happy man
wearing an orange coloured robe. He asked Channa, "Who is
this man wearing an orange robe? His hair is shaved off. Why
does he look so happy? How does he live and what does he
do for a living?"
"That is a monk," said Channa, "he lives in a temple, goes
from house to house for his food and goes from place to place
telling people how to be peaceful and good." The prince felt
very happy now. He thought, "I must become one like that,"
as he walked through the park.
He walked until he was tired and he sat down under a tree to
think some more. As he was sitting under the cool shady tree,
news came that his wife had given birth to a fine baby boy.
When he heard the news he said, " An impediment ("rahula")
has been born to me, an obstacle to my leaving has been
born," and thus his son’s name became "Rahula".
As he was returning to the palace he met the Princess called
Kisagotami. She was looking out of the window and saw the
prince coming and she was so taken in by the young
handsome prince that she said loudly, "O! How happy must
be the mother, and father, and the wife of such a handsome
young prince!"
As he passed this women, he heard this and thought to
himself, "In a handsome figure the mother, father and wife find
happiness and Nibbana (escape from suffering, a lasting
liberation which is happiness and genuine peace). How does
one escape obstacles and suffering! I must quit this household
life and retire from the world in quest of nibbana. This lady has
taught me a valuable lesson. I’II send her a teacher’s fee." And
loosening a valuable pearl necklace Siddhartha sent it to
Kisagotami with thanks.
.(Part 1)
11. LEAVING HOME
The king arranged a grand dinner and dance for the prince to
celebrate the birth of Rahula. Invited were the best dancers
and singers and musicians in the country. The king did this
because he saw that the prince was depressed although he
just had a son, and the king thought that the prince was going
to leave the place for good. So for the last time he did his best
to stop this from happening by distracting the prince.
The prince attended the party just to please his father. During
the dinner the most delicious food was served, and the most
enchanting, and beautiful dancing girls in the country
performed before him. But he was so tired from thinking that
he soon fell asleep.
When the singers and the dancers saw this they too stopped
and fell asleep. Some time later that night the prince awoke
and was shocked to see these sleeping people. What a sight!
- All the prettiest, most charming dancing girls and singers in
the country, who, hours ago, were trying to make the prince
so happy, were now all over the floor of the room in the most
ugly, shameful and loathsome positions. Some people were
snoring like pigs, with their mouths wide open, some grinding
and chewing their teeth like hungry devils. This alteration in
their appearance made the prince even more disgusted and
unhappy. "How oppressive and stifling this all is," he thought
and his mind turned towards leaving the palace. So he got up
quietly from the room and got Channa to saddle his horse
Kanthaka.
As Channa was getting his horse ready Siddhartha went
quietly to see his newborn son for the first time. His wife was
sleeping with the baby besides her and her hand resting on
the baby’s head. He said to himself, "If I try to move her hand
so I can take the child for one last cuddle I fear I will wake her
and she will prevent me from going. No! I must go but when I
have found what I am going looking for, I shall come back and
see him and his mother again."
Siddhartha then quietly he left the palace at midnight on his
white horse Kanthaka accompanied by Channa, his faithful
servant, holding on to its tail. He came to the city’s gate and
nobody stopped him as he rode away from all who knew,
respected and loved him. He took a last look at Kapilavatthu -
sleeping so quietly in the moonlight. He was going away to
learn to understand old age, sickness and death.
He rode to the bank of the river Anoma ["illustrious"] and
dismounted from his horse. He removed his jewellery and
princely cloths and gave them to Channa to return to the king.
Then he took his sword and cut his long hair, donned simple
cloths, took a begging bowl and asked Channa to go back
with Kanthaka.
"It is no use living in the palace without you my master," said
Channa very sadly, "I want to follow you." But Siddhartha
wouldn’t let him although Channa asked three times.
At last Channa started to go but the horse refused. The prince
talked to the horse very kindly, "Please, Kanthaka, go with my
friend. Don’t wait for me." But Kanthaka thought, "I shall never
see my master again." Tears rolled down from its eyes as it
kept its eyes fixed on the prince until he was out of sight. As
Siddhartha did so Kanthaka’s heart burst and he died of
sorrow.
.(Part 1)
12. KING BIMBISARA’S OFFER
From the Anoma River, dressed as a beggar, the young prince
wandered from place to place. Eventually he came to
Rajagaha City, where King Bimbisara lived. With his begging
bowl in his hands Siddhartha walked round the streets
begging for food from door to door like any other religious
monk. People began to call him ‘Sage’, others called him
‘Ascetic" or "Ascetic Gotama’, but nobody called him Prince
Siddhartha any more.
He was most handsome, young, healthy, clean and neat. He
spoke very kindly and gently. He did not ask people to give
him anything but people were happy and pleased to put some
food into his bowl.
Some people went and told the king. "Your majesty, there is a
young man. Some people call him ‘Ascetic Gotama’. He is
very clean, neat, kind, polite and not like a beggar at all."
When King Bimbisara heard the name ‘Gotama’ he knew at
once that this prince was the son of King Suddhodana, his
friend. He went up to him and asked him, " Why do you do
this? Have you quarrelled with your father? Why do you go
about like this? Stay here and I shall give you half of my
kingdom."
"Thank you very much Sir, I love my parents, my wife, my
son, you and everybody. I want to find out a way to stop old
age, sickness, worries and death. Therefore I am going thus,"
said Ascetic Gotama and off he went.
.(Part 1)
13. ALARA AND UDDAKA
At this time in India there were many religious teachers. One
of the best and most well known one was Alara Kalama.
Ascetic Gotama went to study under him. He stayed and was
taught many things including meditation. He worked hard and
eventually equalled his teacher in learning. Finally Alara
Kalama could not teach Gotama any more and he said, "You
are the same as I am now. There is no difference between us.
Stay here and take my place and teach my pupils with me."
But Gotama was not interested in staying. Despite what he
had learnt he could see that he was still subject to old age,
sickness, and death and that his quest was not over.
Thus, Gotama left Alara Kalama and went in search of a new
teacher. At last he found another great teacher who was
famous for his cleverness called Uddaka. Again, Gotama
learnt very quickly and soon knew as much as his teacher. He
also found that Uddaka too, could not teach him how to stop
suffering, old age and death and he had never heard of anyone
who could solve these problems. Once again Ascetic Gotama
was disappointed and left Uddaka making up his mind to
struggle by himself until he found the cause of all the suffering
of life.
.(Part 1)
14. TORTURING THE BODY
After leaving Uddaka, Ascetic Gotama met his five friends -
Kondanna, Bhadduya, Wappa, Mahanama and Assaji - who
had also left the palace and a life of luxury to become
ascetics. They went to Uruvela and for six years he struggled
and tortured his body while his five friends supported and
looked after him.
"I will carry austerity to the uttermost," thought Gotama, "and
this way acquire wisdom." He practised fasting which was
thought to be one of the best ways to acquire wisdom. Thus,
he would live on a grain of rice a day, and later, nothing at all.
His body became so thin that his legs became like bamboo
sticks, his backbone was like a rope, his ribs chest were like
an incomplete roof of a house, his eyes sank right inside, like
a stone in a deep well. His skin lost its golden colour and
became black. In fact he looked like a living skeleton - all
bones without any flesh! He suffered terrible pain and hunger
yet continued to meditate.
Another way of torturing his body was to hold his breath for a
long time until he felt violent pains in the ears, head and whole
body. He would then fall senseless to the ground. During the
full moon and new moon he went out into the forest or
cemetery to meditate wearing rags from graveyards and
rubbish heaps. He became frightened at first, especially when
wild animals came, but he never ran away from them. He
stayed behind bravely in these dreadful places meditating all
the time.
For six long years he did these practices and in spite of the
great pain and suffering he did not find wisdom or the answers
to his questions. He finally decided, "These austerities are not
the way to enlightenment." So he went begging through the
village for food to build up his body. When the five friends saw
this they felt disappointed. They took their bowls and robes
and wanted nothing more to do with him.
.(Part 1)
15. SUJATA GAVE HIM MILK-RICE
Now at the time in a nearby village called Senani there lived a
young, very beautiful and rich girl called Sujata who wanted a
husband of equal rank and a son. She had waited for many
years and she was not successful. The people told her that
she must go to certain banyan tree near Neranjara river and
pray to the tree-god to give her a husband and son. She did as
the people told her and later on she got married to a young
man and they had a lovely son. She was extremely happy and
decided to fulfil her vow to the tree-god for giving her all that
she had asked for.
Sujata had a thousand cows and she fed them with sweet
creepers called valmee so that the cow’s milk was sweet. She
milked these thousand cows and fed that milk to five hundred
cows, and then fed their milk to two hundred and fifty cows
and so on until she fed only eight cows. She did this to get
the sweetest and most nourishing milk to a make the
delicious rice milk as an offering to the tree-god. As she was
doing this she was surprised to see her servant running back
from cleaning and preparing the area at the foot of the banyan
tree. Very happy and excited, the servant said, "O! My lady!
Sujata the Banyan god is meditating at the foot of the tree.
How lucky you must be to have the god in person to accept
your food."
Sujata too was happy and excited and danced with joy with
the servant. They then took even more pains to prepare the
milk-rice, pouring it into a golden bowl.
Taking the delicious milk-rice both of them went to the Banyan
tree and Sujata saw what she perceived to be a holy man. He
was handsome and golden looking and sat serenely in
meditation. She did not know that he was in fact Ascetic
Gotama. She bowed with respect and said, "Lord, accept my
donation of milk-rice. May you be successful in obtaining your
wishes as I have been."
Ascetic Gotama ate the sweet thick milk-rice and then bathed
in the river Neranjara. This was the last food and bath he
would have for seven weeks. When he finished he took the
golden bowl and threw it in the river saying, "If I am to succeed
in becoming a Buddha today, let this bowl go upstream, but if
not, let it go downstream." The golden bowl went upstream all
the while keeping in the middle of the river.
.(Part 1)
16. ENLIGHTENMENT - BUDDHAHOOD
In the evening after Sujata’s lovely meal Gotama went to Gaya
and looked for a suitable place to sit down and meditate. He
found a bodhi tree and sat on its east side, the side that was
believed to be stable and free from trembles and quakes. After
sitting cross-legged with his back towards the tree, he made a
resolution that, "Though my skin, my nerves and my bones
shall waste away and my life blood go dry I will not leave this
seat until I have attained the highest wisdom called supreme
enlightenment that leads to everlasting happiness."
So he meditated on his breathing in and breathing out on a full
moon eve. In the first part of the night many evil thoughts,
often described as being like the evil god Mara and his army,
began to come into his mind. Thoughts of desire, craving, fear
and attachment arose in his mind. Yet he did not allow these
thoughts to disturb his concentration and he sat more firm
than ever. He began to feel calm and brave as he let these
thoughts go and in the first part of the night he found the
power of seeing his own past lives.
In the second part of the night he realised the impermanence
of life and how living beings die only to be reborn again. In the
third part of the night he realised the cause of all evil and
suffering and how to be released from it. He understood how to
end sorrow, unhappiness, suffering, old age and death. With
this Enlightenment he found real peace, happiness, freedom
and Buddhahood.
.(Part 1)
17. THE SEVEN WEEKS AFTER THE ENLIGHTENMENT
1.Under the Bodhi Tree
During the first week after Enlightenment, Buddha sat under
the bodhi tree experiencing the happiness of freedom and
peace. He was free from disturbing thoughts, calm and
blissful.
2.Gazing at the Tree
During the second week, in thanks and gratitude to the bodhi
tree that had sheltered him during his struggle for
Buddhahood, the Buddha stood gazing at the tree without
moving his eyes as He meditated on the bodhi tree.
Following this example, it is the custom of Buddhists to pay
respect to not only the original bodhi tree, but also to the
descendants of the bodhi tree that still thrive today.
3.The Golden Bridge
In the third week, Buddha saw through his mind’s eye that the
devas in the heavens were not sure whether he had attained
enlightenment or not. To prove his enlightenment Buddha
created a golden bridge in the air and walked up and down it
for a whole week.
4.Jewelled Chamber
In the fourth week, he created a beautiful jewelled chamber
and sitting inside it meditated on what was later known as the
‘Detailed Teaching’ (Abhidhamma). His mind and body were
so purified that six coloured rays came out of his body - blue,
yellow, red, white, orange and mixture of these five. Today
these six colours make up the Buddhist flag. Each colour
represented one noble quality of Buddha. Yellow for holiness,
white for purity, blue for confidence, red for wisdom, orange for
desirelessness and the mixed colour represented all these
noble qualities.
5.Three Girls
During the fifth week, while meditating under a banyan tree,
three most charming girls called Tanha, Rati and Raga came
to disturb his meditation. They danced in a most seductive
and charming manner and did everything to tempt the Buddha
to watch their dance. Yet he continued to meditate
unperturbed, and soon they tired and left him alone.
6.Mucalinda Tree
Buddha then went and meditated at the foot of a mucalinda
tree. It began to rain heavily and a huge king cobra came out
and coiled his body seven times around Buddha to keep him
warm and placed his hood over Buddha’s head to protect him
from the rain. After seven days the rain stopped and the snake
changed into a young man who paid his respects to Buddha.
Buddha then said:
"Happy are they who are contented. Happiness is for those
who hear and know the truth. Happy are they who have good
will in this world towards all sentient beings. Happy are they
who have no attachments and have passed beyond
sense-desires. The disappearance of the word "I AM " is
indeed the highest happiness."
7.Rajayatana Tree
During the seventh week Buddha meditated under the
Rajayatana tree. On the 50th morning, after seven weeks of
fasting, two merchants came into his presence. They were
called Tapussa and Bhallika. They offered the Buddha rice
cakes and honey to break his fast and Buddha told them
some of what he had found in his Enlightenment.
These two merchants, by taking refuge in the Buddha and his
Dhamma (sometimes translated as "teachings of the
Buddha"), became the first lay followers. There was no
Sangha or order of monks and nuns then. They asked Buddha
for something sacred to keep with them. Buddha wiped his
head with his right hand and pulled out some hair to give to
them. These hair relics called Kesa Datu, where later reputed
to be enshrined by the merchants on their return home, to
what is now known as Burma, in the Shwedagon Pagoda in
Rangoon.
.(Part 1)
18. MEETING THE FIVE FRIENDS
Now Buddha wanted to tell other people how to become wise,
good and do service for others. He thought, "Now Asita, Alara
and Uddaka are dead but my friends Kondanna, Bhaddiya,
Wappa, Mahanama and Assaji are in Benares. I must go
there and talk to them."
Then he set out to Benares till at last he came to a grove
where his five friends were. This grove was called "Deer Park".
They saw him coming towards them and one said to another,
"Look yonder! There is Gotama - the luxury-loving fellow who
gave up fasting and fell back into a life of ease and comfort.
Don’t speak to him or show him any respect. Let nobody go
and offer to take his bowl or his robe. We’ll just leave a mat
there for him to sit on if he wants to and if he doesn’t he can
stand. Who is going to attend on a good-for-nothing ascetic
like him."
However, as the Buddha came nearer and nearer, they began
to notice that he had changed. There was something about
him, something noble and majestic such as they had never
seen before. And in spite of themselves, before they knew
what they were doing, they forgot all they had agreed on. One
hastened forward to meet him, and respectfully took his bowl
and robe, another busily prepared a seat for him, while a third
hurried off and brought him water to wash his feet.
After he had taken a seat Buddha spoke to them and said:
"Listen, ascetics, I have the way to deathlessness. Let me tell
you, let me teach you. And if you listen and learn and practise
as I tell you, very soon you will know for yourselves not in
some future life but here and now in this present lifetime that
what I say is true. You will realise for yourself the state that is
beyond all life and death."
Naturally the five ascetics were very astonished to hear their
old master and teacher talking like this. They had seen him
give up the hard life of fasting and consequently believed that
he had given up all efforts to find the truth. So initially they
simply did not believe him and they told him so.
But Buddha replied, " You are mistaken, Ascetics. I have not
given up all effort. I am not living a life of self-indulgence, idle
comfort and ease. Listen to me. I really have attained supreme
knowledge and insight. And I can teach it to you so you may
attain it for yourselves."
Finally the five were willing to listen to him and he delivered his
first sermon where he advised his followers to avoid the two
extremes of self-indulgence and self-torture. He also spoke
about the four Noble Truths and how to practise the Noble
Path that would lead to freedom from suffering and
enlightenment.
.(Part 1)
19. YASA AND HIS FIFTY-FOUR FRIENDS
While Buddha stayed at the Deer Park in Benares, a rich man
young man called Yasa came to see him. Yasa listened to
the Buddha’s teachings and was so enthralled by them that
he became a Bhikkhu (monk).
Towards evening, an elderly man came to Buddha and told
him that his son had left home that morning saying he was
going to visit Buddha, but he had not returned. Both he and
his wife were worried thinking robbers must have killed him.
Buddha told the father not to worry and that his son had
become a bhikkhu. Then he started to explain his teachings to
Yasa’s father and soon he too became a follower.
Yasa had fifty-four friends who were presented to Buddha to
hear his teachings. They too became monks. In this way in a
short time there were sixty followers.
.(Part 1)
20. THE KASSAPA BROTHERS
As soon as he had sixty disciples Buddha sent them away to
teach people everywhere . He left the Deer Park and turned
southwards towards the Magadha country.
On the banks of a river there lived three brothers whose names
were Uruvela Kassapa, Nadi Kassapa and Gaya Kassapa.
Each lived with 500, 300 and 200 followers respectively.
One evening Buddha visited Uruvela Kassapa’s hut and asked,
"If it is not an inconvenience, may I spend a night in your
kitchen?"
"I don’t mind, Great Gotama but there is a fierce serpent king
in the kitchen. I am afraid it will harm you," said Uruvela
Kassapa.
"O I don’t mind, so if you have no objection I will spent the
night there," answered Buddha.
Buddha went into the kitchen, spread some grass on the floor
for bedding, and sat down. The fierce serpent-king hearing him
came slithering out opening his mouth to bite Buddha.
"I will not harm this serpent-king. I will subdue him by my love
and kindness," thought Buddha. Thus the more angry the
serpent-king became the more kindly and loving was Buddha.
The serpent-king could not do him any harm.
Early next morning Uruvela Kassapa went to Buddha and
found him sitting in deep meditation. The ascetic was
surprised and asked Buddha whether the serpent-king had
harmed him. "Here see for yourself," said Buddha and
uncovered his begging bowl. Out came the fierce serpent-king
and the ascetic started to run away in fright. But Buddha
stopped him, saying that he had a way to tame any fierce
serpent.
"Can I learn?" asked the ascetic. Buddha then preached his
teachings and Uruvela Kassapa, his brothers and all their
followers became devotees of the Buddha Dhamma.
.(Part 1)
21. RETURNING HOME
When King Suddhodana came to know that Buddha was
preaching in Rajagaha he sent nine messengers, one after the
other, inviting him to come to Kapilavatthu. All the
messengers became monks. They listened to Buddha’s
teachings, which they found so appealing that they forgot to
convey the king’s message.
Meanwhile, the king also made arrangements for the Buddha
to stay in a park called Nigrodha. But when the Buddha did
not come, the king sent Kaludayi, a playmate of Buddha’s, to
invite him back to Kapilavatthu.
When the people of Kapilavatthu came to know that the
Buddha had come to their city they flocked to see him. Prince
Siddhartha’s own relatives came as well and said, "He is our
younger brother, our nephew, our grandson."
Then the Buddha realised that some people even then, did not
understand that he was already enlightened but felt they were
his elders. He showed them a miracle called the "Twin
miracle". The king seeing this miracle worshipped him.
The next day Buddha took his begging bowl and went from
door to door begging for food. The king seeing this was very
annoyed. "Why do you disgrace me, my son? Why do you
ruin me like this? Why don’t you take food in the palace? Is it
proper for you to beg for food in this very city where you used
to travel in golden sedan chairs? Why do you put me to
shame my dear son?"
"I am not putting you to shame, O Great King. This is our
custom," replied the Buddha calmly.
"How can this be? Nobody in our family has ever begged like
this? How can you say ‘it is our custom’?"
"O Great King, this is not the custom of the Royal family, but
of the Buddhas. All the former Buddhas have lived by receiving
food this way."
However, when the king begged Buddha to take food in the
palace Buddha kindly did so.
.(Part 1)
22. PRINCESS YASODHARA
When Buddha had taken his meal all who knew him as Prince
Siddhartha except Princess Yasodhara, came to talk to him.
All of them were surprised but happy to see their prince
dressed like a monk.
Yasodhara stayed in her room thinking, "Prince Siddhartha is
now the Enlightened One - the Buddha. He now belongs to the
line of Buddhas. Is it right for me to go to him? He does not
and cannot need me. I think it is better to wait and see."
After awhile Buddha asked " Where is Yasodhara?"
"She is in her room" said his father.
" Come, let us go there," said Buddha and giving his bowl to
the king they went to her room. As he entered he said "Let her
pay me respect as she likes. Say nothing."
As Buddha entered her room, and before he took his seat,
Yasodhara quickly came to him and holding his ankles,
placed her head on his feet and cried and cried until his feet
were wet with her tears. The Buddha kept quiet and nobody
stopped her until she was tired of crying.
King Suddhodana then said, "Lord, when my daughter-in-law
heard that you were wearing yellow robes, she also robed
herself in yellow; when she heard you were taking one meal a
day, she also did the same; when she heard that you had
given up lofty couches, she lay on a low couch; when she
heard that you had given up garland and scents she too gave
them up. So virtuous is my daughter-in-law."
Buddha nodded and said, "Not only in this last birth O king,
but in a previous birth too, Yasodhara was devoted and faithful
to me."
..(Part 1)
23. PRINCE NANDA
On the third day after the Buddha’s return to Kapilatthu he
was invited to attend the wedding of Prince Nanda, his
youngest stepbrother, to Princess Janapada Kalyani. Buddha
attended the wedding and celebrations, blessed them all, left
his begging bowl with Nanda and went away.
Nanda thought, "I will go to the temple and return the bowl."
When he did this Buddha talked to him for awhile then said,
"Nanda would you like to be a monk?"
"Yes Sir," said Nanda and Buddha ordained him.
Afterwards Nanda thinking of his beautiful bride became very
sad and unhappy. "Why are you so sad Nanda?" asked the
monks.
"Brothers, I am disappointed. I do not like this life. I want to
leave it and go home."
Buddha then came to talk to Nanda. First Buddha showed him
a she-monkey whose nose and tail were burnt and fur singed
and bloodied. "Do you see this monkey Nanda?. Then take
good note of her." said Buddha.
Then Buddha showed Nanda 500 celestial nymphs.
"Nanda, do you see these nymphs?"
"Yes", answered Nanda.
"Who is prettier the nymphs or Janapada Kalyani?"
"Sir, as my bride is prettier than the burnt monkey, so are the
nymphs compared to Janapada Kalyani."
"Well Nanda what then?"
"Reverend Sir, how does one obtain the celestial beings?"
"By performing the duties of a monk."
"In that case I shall take the greatest pleasure in living the
monk’s life," said Nanda and began to follow the Buddha’s
teaching very carefully.
...(Part 1)
24. PRINCE RAHULA
On the seventh day after Buddha’s homecoming Princess
Yasodhara dressed up young Rahula. He had been brought up
by his mother and grandfather and was now seven years old.
She pointed to the Buddha and said, "That is your father
Rahula, go and ask him for your inheritance."
Innocent Rahula went to the Buddha and looking up into his
face told him what his mother had asked him to say, adding,
"Father, even your shadow is pleasing to me."
As Buddha left the palace Rahula followed him saying "Give
me my inheritance." Coming to the park Buddha thought, "He
desires his father’s wealth, but this goes with the worldly life
and is full of trouble and suffering. I shall instead give him what
I know and thus give him an excellent inheritance." Buddha
then asked Sariputta, one of his disciples to ordain Rahula.
When King Suddhodana heard that his beloved grandson had
become a monk he was deeply grieved. The king said, "When
you left home it made me sad. When Nanda left home my
heart ached. I concentrated my love on my grandson and
again the one I love has left me. Please do not ordain anyone
without their parent’s permission." To this Buddha agreed and
never ordained anybody after that without their parent’s
permission.
..(Part 1)
25. THE TWO CHIEF DISCIPLES
Near Rajagaha there were two villages called Upatissa and
Kolita. The headmen of these two villages were also known by
these two names. Both families were very close friends.
One day Upatissa’s wife, Sari, gave birth to a son called
Sariputta. On the same day Kolita’s wife, Moggali, also gave
birth to a son called Moggallana. Both sons became best
friends.
When they grew up both of them used to watch dramas. One
day while watching one called Giragga Samapujja (The
Mountain Festival) the young boys decided to leave home in
order to seek greater happiness and understanding of life than
could be had watching plays.
Now at this time there was staying near Rajagaha a famous
religious teacher called Sanjaya. The two friends went to learn
from him but after awhile they found his teachings
unsatisfactory and left. They promised each other they would
both continue searching, studying and meditating in an effort
to find the truth about life, and whoever found it first would let
the other know.
One morning, in the main street of Rajagaha, Sariputta saw
the ascetic Assaji begging for alms. He radiated modesty and
calmness as he went from house to house. As Sariputta
came closer he saw on Assaji’s face a look of perfect peace,
like a smooth undisturbed lake under a calm clear sky. Finally
Sariputta went up to him, and humbly said, "Your face friend
is serene; your eyes so clear and bright. Who is your teacher
and what does he teach Sir?"
"I can soon tell you that, brother," replied Assaji. "There is a
great ascetic of the Sakya race who has left his home and
country behind in order to follow the homeless life. He is my
teacher and it is his teaching that I follow and practise."
"Please tell me more."
"I am only a newcomer to the way of Buddha," replied the
ascetic modestly, "I do not know very much yet. But I will give
you a brief description."
"That is all I want, brother," said Sariputta quickly, "Tell me
the meaning of the teachings. Why make a lot of words about
it?"
"Very well then, " said the ascetic, "Listen! The Buddha
teaches that there is a cause for everything, and also how
things cease to be."
After the Venerable Assaji spoke these lines, Sariputta was
so clever that he understood their meaning. He realised the
truth that everything that ever has come into existence, or will
come into existence, must pass away. He said, "If this is
what Buddha teaches you have found the state that is free
from sorrow and suffering and full of peace and happiness."
After thanking Assaji, Sariputta and took leave of him and
went to find his friend Moggallana to bring him the great news.
Before he spoke a word Moggallana cried, "Why brother how
clear and shining your face is. Can it be that at last you have
found what we have been seeking?"
"It is so brother it is so," was Sariputta’s glad reply and he
explained Buddha’s teachings to him.
Thus, Sariputta and Moggallana joined Buddha and in a short
time became two of his chief disciples. Sariputta became
known for his wisdom and Moggallana for his miraculous
power.
.(Part 1)
26. THE BUDDHA’S DAILY ROUTINE
The Buddha’s daily routine was divided into five parts: 1. the
morning session, 2. the afternoon session, 3. the first watch,
4. the middle watch and 5. the last watch.
The Morning Session (4.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon)
The Buddha would get up at 4.00 a.m. and as soon as he had
had a wash would sit down to meditate for an hour. From 5.00
to 6.00 a.m. he would look around the world with his mental
eye to see if anybody needed help. At 6.00 a.m. he would put
on his robe and either go out and help the needy or beg for
food.
When begging Buddha would go from house to house, eyes
fixed to the ground, receiving in silence any food that was put
into his bowl. Sometimes he would go begging with his
disciples who would walk behind him in a single file. Often
people would invite him to their houses for lunch and he would
preach to them and his followers.
The Afternoon (12.00 noon to 6.00 p.m.)
In the afternoon the monks would usually go to Buddha to ask
questions and be taught and advised. Buddha would then
retire to his room and look around the world with his mental
eye to see if anyone is looking for his help. He would then go
and meet people who were waiting for him. He would preach to
them in such a way that everybody felt that the Buddha was
preaching to each one of them separately, " giving joy to the
wise, promoting the intelligence of the average people and
dispelling the darkness of the dull-witted."
First Watch (6.00 p.m. to 10.00 p.m.)
During this time the followers would come again to Buddha to
either listen or ask questions to clarify their doubts.
The Middle Watch (10.00 p.m. - 2.00 am)
During this period the devas would seize the opportunity to go
to see Buddha and learn the truth of life. Buddha, on
answering their questions, would complete the middle watch
of the night.
The Last Watch ( 2.00 p.m. - 4.00 a.m.)
For the first hour Buddha would walk up and down meditating
and freeing himself from the discomfort of sitting all day. He
then would sleep for an hour.
Thus we can see the Buddha was busy the whole day. In fact
he only slept one hour each day during this 45 years of
teaching. During the early hours of the day he saw the whole
universe, blessed it with his boundless love and brought
happiness to millions.
..(Part 1)
27. POOR SOPAKA
There once was a boy by the name of Sopaka belonging to a
very poor family. When this boy was only seven his father
passed away and his mother married another man who was
very cruel, wicked and unkind. He always beat and scolded
small Sopaka who was very kind, innocent and good.
The stepfather thought, "This boy is a nuisance, a
good-for-nothing but I cannot do anything to him because his
mother loves him so much. What shall I do about him?"
One evening he said, "Dear son, let us go for a walk."
The boy was surprised and thought, "My step-father has never
talked to me so kindly. Perhaps my mother has asked him to
be kind to me." So he happily went with his stepfather.
They walked to a cemetery where there were many rotting
bodies and the step-father tied Sopaka to one of them, leaving
him alone and crying.
As the night became darker and darker Sopaka’s fear
increased. He was alone in the cemetery and so frightened
that his hair stood on end and drops of sweat rolled down his
body. The noises of the jackals, tigers, leopards and other
wild animals made him even more frightened. Then when he
was almost paralysed with fear he saw a shining noble looking
person with a bright light coming towards him saying,
"Sopaka, don’t cry. I am here to help you so don’t fear." And
at that moment Sopaka broke his bonds and stood before
Buddha in the Jetawana Temple. Buddha bathed him, gave
him food to eat, cloths to wear and consoled and comforted
him.
Meanwhile, the wicked stepfather on returning home was
questioned by Sopaka’s mother. "Where is my son?" she
asked. "I don’t know," he replied, "he came home before me."
But the mother could not sleep the whole night for worrying
about her son.
So early next day she went to see Buddha for help. "Why are
you crying sister?" asked Buddha.
"O Lord," replied the lady, "I have only one son and since last
night he has been missing. My husband took Sopaka for a
walk and he never returned home."
"Don’t worry sister. Your son is safe. Here he is," and so
saying Buddha showed her Sopaka who had become a monk.
The mother was overjoyed to see her son again and after
listening to Buddha teaching she too became a follower.
..(Part 1)
28. LADY PATACARA
During Buddha’s lifetime there was a rich man who had a
charming daughter called Patacara. Her parents loved her so
much that they kept her in the seventh storey of their mansion
and did not let her go anywhere.
When she was sixteen her parents made arrangements for her
to marry the son of another wealthy man. But Patacara had
already fallen in love with her pageboy and wanted to be with
him.
So just before the wedding, early in the morning, she dressed
up like a servant and slipped out of the mansion. She met her
pageboy at an arranged place and they ran away to a far away
place.
The two married and after sometime Patacara was ready to
give birth to their child. "Here I have no one to help me. But a
mother and father always have a soft spot in their heart for
their child. Please take me to their house so I may give birth
to our child."
But her husband said, "My darling what are you saying. If your
mother and father were to see me they will torture me to
death. It is out of the question for me to go." She begged him
over and over again and each time he refused to go.
One day when her husband was away she went to her
neighbours and told them, "If my husband asks you where I
have gone tell him that I have gone home to my parents."
When he came home to find Patacara missing, her husband
ran after her and overtaking her begged her to return home.
She began to refuse as her birth pains started and she soon
gave birth to a son. She thought, "There is no point in going to
my parent place now," and returned home with her husband.
After some time she was ready to give birth to her second
child and left for her parents home again when her husband
was at work. Again her husband came after her and begged
her to return with him but she refused.
While this was happening a fearful storm arose. Patacara told
her husband, "Dear, my birth pains have come upon me. I
cannot stand it please find me a place to shelter from this
storm."
Her husband taking his axe went here and there in the heavy
rain looking for branches and leaves to make a shelter. Seeing
a bush growing on an anthill he went to chop it down. As he
did so a poisonous snake slithered out and bit him killing him
immediately.
As Patacara waited for her husband, her pains became more
and more severe and soon she gave birth to another son.
Weak, cold and wet she could not do much except put the
children to her bosom and spend the whole night sheltering as
best she could.
Early the next morning, with the newborn on her hip and
holding the hand of the other child, she went along the path
her husband had taken and eventually saw him lying dead.
"All because of me my husband died on the road," she cried.
After awhile she continued walking along the path until she
came to the river Acirawati that was flooded from the storm.
Since she felt weak from the previous night she could not
carry both children together. Patacara placed the older boy on
the bank and carried the younger one across the river. She
then put the baby on a bed of leaves and returned for the older
child.
Hardly had she come to mid-stream when a hawk came down
from the sky and swooped off with the young child. The
mother seeing the hawk screamed in a loud voice, "Su!, Su!".
"Mother is calling me" thought the older boy and in a hurry to
get to her slipped down the bank and was swept away by the
river.
Now Patacara became very sad and cried and cried saying,
"One of my sons has been carried away by a hawk, the other
swept away by the river, and by the roadside my husband lies
dead."
She went off weeping until she met a man and asked him,
"Sir, where do you live?"
"In Savatthi," he replied.
"In the city of Savatthi in such and such a street lives such
and such a family. Do you know them Sir?"
"Yes my good Lady, but don’t ask me about that family. Ask
me about another family you know."
"Good Sir I know only that family. Please tell me about them,"
said she.
"Since you insist I cannot hide the truth," said the man. "In
the heavy rains last night, the family’s house collapsed killing
all of them."
"Oh no!," cried Patacara.
"Yes, can you see that fire over there?" he asked pointing to
some flames, "That is their funeral fire."
No sooner had Paracara heard this than she fell on the ground
rolling to and fro with grief. Some villagers came and took her
to the Jetawana Temple where Buddha was teaching. The
Buddha asked some ladies to wash her, clothe her and give
her food and then he consoled her in a most sweet and
wonderful voice. When she recovered her senses Patacara
begged Buddha to ordain her. Thus Patacara became a
Bhikkuni (nun).
..(Part 1)
29. ANGULIMALA, THE BANDIT
The King of Kosala had an adviser called Bhaggawa.
Bhaggawa had a wife called Mantani and a son called
Ahinsaka.
When Ahinsaka was born, all the weapons in the country
shone brightly. The king was disturbed by this and the next
morning he called his adviser to find out the reason why the
weapons were shiny . The adviser said, "My wife has given
birth to a son your majesty."
"Then why do the weapons shine in such a manner?" asked
the king.
"Your majesty, my son will be a bandit."
"Will he rob alone or with a gang?" asked the king.
"He will be single-handed your majesty," replied Bhaggawa.
"We should kill him now," said the king.
"No!" exclaimed Bhaggawa, "As he will be alone we shall be
able to catch him easily."
When Ahinsaka was old enough his father sent him to a
school in Takka Sila. Ahinsaka was the strongest, brightest
and the most obedient child of all the children in the whole
school. Other children became envious of him and behind his
back made the teacher hate him. Thus, when he had finished
his education the teacher said, "Now you must pay me my
tuition fee."
"How much should I pay Sir?" asked Ahinsaka.
"I don’t want cash but one thousand right-hand human fingers.
And remember not to bring two right hand human fingers from
the same person."
Although it was a most difficult thing for him to do Ahinsaka
promised to pay his teacher. Taking a sword off he went until
he reached Kosala.
Hiding near a jungle highway, he waited for passers by. He
would rush out and kill them, cutting off a right hand finger and
hanging their corpses on a tree for the vultures and crows. He
made a garland out of the finger bones and soon became
know as "Angulimala" (anguli=fingers, mala=garland).
Angulimala went to another district and began to kill again.
Because he was murdering so many people, the king of
Kosala decided to go with his strong army and capture the
bandit. When Mantani heard this she went to her husband to
try to get him to save their son.
"Darling he is very fierce now," said Bhaggawa, "He may have
changed completely and if I go there he may even kill me."
But the mother was very soft hearted and loved her son more
than she loved herself. She thought, "I must go to the jungle
myself and save him."
Now Angulimala had killed 999 people. He had spent months
and months in the jungle without proper food, sleep or comfort,
so he was impatient to pay off his debt and live a decent life.
He thought, "Today even if my own mother comes I will kill her
and cut off a finger to make one thousand fingers."
Now that day while Buddha looked round the world to see if
anybody that needed help, he saw Angulimala and his mother.
"I must save them," he thought as he set out towards the
jungle.
The villagers seeing Buddha cried out, "Teacher, don’t go that
way it is too dangerous. Return home quickly." Three times
they warned him but Buddha continued, thanking them for
their concern.
Now Angulimala’s mother entered the jungle. Angulimala saw
her coming and thought, "Poor lady. She comes alone. I pity
her but it cannot be helped . I must keep my word and kill
her." All of a sudden, Buddha appeared between them.
Angulimala thought, "It is very good that this ascetic comes
before my mother. Why should I kill her. I will leave her alone
and kill this stranger". And with his sword he ran toward
Buddha. The Buddha walked slowly before him thinking, "Let
this young man see me running." So Angulimala ran and ran
towards Buddha but he could not catch up with him. He
became so weak that he could not run any further. Then he
shouted at Buddha, "Stop! Stand still!"
"I stand still Angulimala! Do you also stand still?" said the
Buddha.
Angulimala could not understand the meaning of the Buddha’s
words so he asked him, "How can you say you stand still
while running faster than me?"
"I stand still Angulimala evermore;
For I am merciful to all living beings
But you are merciless to living beings
Therefore I stand still and you stand not still."
Angulimala was very pleased with what Buddha said and
throwing away his sword knelt before him. Buddha blessed
him and took him to the temple and he became a monk.
The king before leaving to go to the jungle wanted to obtain
Buddha‘s blessings. So he went to the temple with five
hundred horses and soldiers. Buddha asked him "What is it
that troubles you mighty king?"
"There is a most fierce killer called Angulimala and I am going
to catch him."
"But mighty king suppose you see Angulimala head shaven,
wearing yellow robes. What would you do to him?"
"I would worship him," answered the king.
Then Buddha called Angulimala and the frightened soldiers
started to run away. But Buddha stopped them, and preached
the Dhamma to them all.
..(Part 1)
30. WAKKALI - THE MONK WHO ADMIRED THE BEAUTY OF BUDDHA
In Savatthi there was a young man called Wakkali who
admired the Buddha’s beauty. One day he thought, "So long
as I am living at home I cannot see Buddha, but if I become a
monk I would see him daily." So he went to the temple and
was ordained by Buddha.
Now he had the opportunity to always admire Buddha‘s
appearance. He did nothing all day and followed Buddha like a
shadow. Buddha waited for his wisdom to ripen and said not a
word. But instead of reading, learning and meditating Wakkali
admired Buddha. Buddha thought, "Unless this monk gets a
shock he will never come to understand."
So one day Buddha had an invitation from a man to spent
three months in Rajagaha and he left Wakkali behind.
Wakkali was very disappointed and began to think, "Three
months is a long time. What a miserable period I will have to
spend. What is the use of living any longer. I’II throw myself off
Mount Vulture Peak.
Now Buddha staying in Rajagaha, saw with his mind’s eye
Wakkali about to jump off Vulture Peak. "If this monk gets no
comfort or consolation from me he will kill himself," he
thought. Buddha immediately sent forth a radiant image of
himself and Wakkali seeing Buddha before him felt his sorrow
vanish. Wakkali’s mind was filled with joy and he thought,
"The person who has perfect faith in Buddha will be full of joy
and satisfaction and reach the place of peace and happiness."
..(Part 1)
31. SUNITA, THE SCAVENGER
In Savatthi there was a scavenger named Sunita. As a
road-sweeper he received barely enough to support himself.
He slept on the roadside for he did not have a house to go to.
He saw other people enjoying themselves but he could not
mix with them because these people called him an outcaste.
Whenever a higher caste person went on the road Sunita had
to run and hide so his shadow did not fall on them. If he was
not quick enough he would be scolded and beaten. Poor
Sunita lived a miserable life.
One day as he was sweeping a dirty dusty road, Sunita saw
the Buddha with thousands of followers coming towards him.
His heart was filled with joy and fear and finding no place to
hide he stood, joining his palms in respect. The Buddha
stopped and spoke to him in a sweet gentle voice saying, "My
dear friend, would you like to leave this work and follow me?"
Nobody had ever spoken to Sunita like this before. His heart
was filled with joy and his eyes with tears. "O most venerable
Sir, I have always received orders but never a kind word. If you
accept a dirty and miserable scavenger like me I will follow
you."
So the Buddha ordained Sunita and took him along with the
other monks. And from that day forth no one knew what his
caste was and everybody - kings, ministers commanders -
respected him.
..(Part 1)
32. BUDDHA AND THE SICK BHIKKHU
On one occasion, while visiting a monastery, Buddha entered
a chamber where a Bhikkhu lay in great pain from a
loathsome disease. And although there were may other
Bhikkhus at the monastery not one of them was concerned
about their sick brother. The Buddha beholding this woeful
situation began to look after him. He called Ananda and
together they bathed the sick man, changed his dirty bed and
eased his pain.
Then Buddha admonished the monks of the monastery for
their neglect and encouraged them to nurse the sick and care
for the suffering. He concluded by saying, "Whosoever serves
the sick and suffering, serves me."
(Part 2)
1. THE BUDDHA'S PAEAN OF JOY
The Buddha had withstood the worst attacks of Mara. Finally,
the Evil One retreated and the terrible storm he had raised
died away. Now the mind of the Blessed One relaxed into
peace. The great darkness faded away and the full moon and
stars reappeared again.
The Lord passed into a deep meditation, passing beyond the
limits of ordinary human understanding, seeing the world as it
is, and not as it appears to be. Like an eagle soaring
effortlessly toward the sun. His mind moved swiftly onward
and upward.
He saw his past lives and all his former births, with their good
and evil deeds, with their gains and losses. As his mind
soared upwards he saw the round of birth and death of all
mankind. He saw beings born repeatedly and die according to
their Karma.
Those who do good actions have heavenly births. Though
these lives last longer than those on earth, they also ended in
death, as they are also subject to the 'law of
impermanence'. Those who were suffering in the hell realms
would also continue in the round of rebirths. So all beings
(except Buddhas) are caught in the same 'round of existence'
due to ignorance.
As his vision became even clearer, he saw the so-called soul
of man which man claims as his own, broken up into parts
and laid before him like the unwoven threads of a garment. He
saw the cause of the chain of existence - Ignorance. For the
ignorant person, clinging to things that are worthless and
transient, creates in himself or herself more and more
dangerous illusions. But when desire dies, illusions end, and
Ignorance vanishes like the night, as the sun of Enlightenment
shines.
And having understood the world as it is, the Buddha was
perfected in wisdom, never to be born again. Craving and
destructive desire had been completely eradicated - as a fire
goes out for lack of fuel.
Bathed in the brilliant light of all Wisdom and Truth sat the
Buddha, the Perfect One. And all about Him the world lay
calm and bright and a soft breeze lifted the leaves of the Bodhi
Tree.
Filled with compassion. The Lord sat beneath the Tree in deep
contemplation of the Dhamma. He was lost in bliss, the
perfect peace of Nibbana. At the dawn after His Enlightenment
the Buddha uttered this paean of joy:
"Thro' many a birth in Samsara wandered I
Seeking, but not finding, the builder of this house.
Sorrowful is repeated birth.
House builder, thou art seen.
Thou shalt build no house again.
All thy rafters are broken; thy ridgepole is shattered.
The mind attains the unconditioned.
Achieved is the end of craving."
(PART 2)
2. THE BUDDHA'S FIRST SERMON
The Turning of the Wheel of Truth
The Buddha's first sermon was called the
Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta which means the
establishment of wisdom, or the Turning of the Wheel of Truth.
It was preached on the full-moon day of July, called Asalha.
This sermon was preached to the five ascetics who were his
former companions at the Deer Park in Isipatana (now called
Sarnath), near Benares, India. Many devas and Brahmas
(angels and gods) were present to listen to the discourse.
The Buddha started the discourse by advising them to give up
two extremes. These were the enjoyment of sensual
pleasures and the tormenting of the body (self-indulgence and
self-mortification).
He advises against too much sensual pleasures because they
were base, worldly, not noble and unhelpful in spiritual
development. On the other hand, tormenting the body was
painful, not noble and also unhelpful in spiritual development.
He advised them to follow the Middle path called Majjhima
Patipada which is helpful to see things clearly as they are, to
attain knowledge, higher wisdom, peace, enlightenment and
Nibbana.
The Buddha then taught the Four Noble Truths in His first
sermon. They are the Noble Truth of Suffering, its Cause, its
End, and the Way to its end. Everything in this world is full of
Suffering and the cause of suffering is craving. The end of
Suffering is Nibbana. The way to the end of Suffering is the
Noble Eightfold Path.
The Buddha said that he was enlightened only after he
understood these Four Noble Truths. The Eightfold Path has
eight parts or factors: Right Understanding, Right Thought,
Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort,
Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration.
1. Right Understanding means to know and understand the
Four Noble Truths.
2. Right Thought means to think three kinds of thoughts.
(i) Thoughts of renunciation or thoughts which do not have
lustful desires.
(ii) Thoughts of goodwill to other which are opposed to ill will.
(iii) Thoughts of harmlessness as opposed to cruelty.
3. Right Speech deals with refraining from falsehood such as
telling lies or not telling the truth, slandering or saying bad
things about other people; harsh words and frivolous talks
such as gossiping.
4. Right Action deals with refraining from killing, stealing and
sexual misconduct.
5. Right Livelihood deals with the five kinds of trade which
should be avoided in order to lead a noble life. They are trading
in arms (weapons), living beings (breeding animals for
slaughter), intoxicating drinks and poison.
6. Right Effort has four parts using meditation:
(i) To try to stop evil thoughts that have arisen
(ii) To prevent evil thoughts from arising.
(iii) To try to develop good thoughts
(iv) To try to continue good thoughts that have arisen
7. Right mindfulness is also fourfold. It is mindfulness of the
body, mindfulness of feelings/sensations, mindfulness of
thoughts passing through the mind and mindfulness of
Dhamma.
8. Right Concentration is one-pointedness of mind as
developed in meditation.
The eight factors can be grouped into three smaller groups as
follows:
SILA (Morality)
Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood.
SAMADHI (Concentrated mind in meditation)
Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration.
PANNA (Wisdom)
Right Thoughts, Right Understanding.
Sila, Samadhi and Panna are the three stages on the Path to
mental purity whose object is Nibbana. These stages are
described in a beautiful verse:
To cease from evil,
To do what is good.
To cleanse one's mind:
This is the advice of all the Buddhas.
(PART 2)
3. KING BIMBISARA
The Buddha’s First Royal Patron
King Bimbisara had earlier offered half his kingdom to the
ascetic Gotama which he turned down because he wanted to
search for Enlightenment. King Bimbisara had asked him to
return to Rajagaha to enlighten him should the ascetic find
what he was looking for.
When Gotama became the Buddha, The Enlightened One, he
did not forget his promise to come back. He decided to revisit
Rajagaha followed by a large number of his disciples. His
fame as a religious teacher was spreading in the city and it
eventually reached the ears of King Bimbisara.
On hearing that the Buddha had arrived in the city's gateway,
the King went out with a large number of his subjects to
welcome the Buddha and his disciples. He approached the
Buddha and paid his respects, but some of his subjects did
not know to whom they should pay their respects - the
Buddha or Venerable Kassapa. They wondered whether the
Buddha was leading a holy life under Venerable Kassapa or
the reverse as both were highly respected religious teachers.
The Buddha read their thoughts and asked Venerable
Kassapa why he had given up his fire sacrifice. Understanding
the motive behind the question Venerable Kassapa explained
that he preferred the peaceful state of Nibbana to useless
sensual pleasures. After this he fell at the feet of the Buddha
and said "My teacher, Lord, is the Exalted One: I am the
disciple."
The devout people were very glad to hear of the conversion.
The Buddha then preached the Dhamma, and King Bimbisara
attained the first stage of Sainthood. After realising the
doctrine, King Bimbisara addressed the Buddha. " Formerly,
O Reverend Sir, when I was a prince, I had five wishes. They
are now fulfilled. My first wish was to become king. My
second wish was that a Fully Enlightened One should visit my
country. My third wish was that I should associate with such
an Enlightened One. My fourth wish was that He should
preach to me the doctrine. My fifth wish was that I should
understand that doctrine. Now all these five wishes are
fulfilled."
Out of gratitude for this spiritual gift from the Buddha, King
Bimbisara gave a park with a quiet bamboo grove for the use
of the Buddha and his disciples. This park was named the
Bamboo Grove. The Buddha spent three successive rainy
seasons there and three other rainy seasons later.
After listening to the Dhamma, the King became a good and
pious ruler but due to his past bad Kamma, he had to face an
untimely and miserable death caused by his son's
wickedness.
.(PART 2)
4. VISAKHA
The Greatest Female Supporter of the Buddha
Visakha was the devout and generous daughter of a
millionaire. When she was only seven years old, the Buddha
visited her birthplace. Her grandfather, hearing of the Buddha's
visit advised her to go out and welcome the Buddha. Though
she was so young, she was religious and virtuous. As such,
immediately after hearing the Dhamma from the Buddha, she
attained the first stage of Sainthood.
When she was fifteen years old, some Brahmins who saw her
thought she would be an ideal wife for their master
Punnavaddhana, the son of a millionaire named Migara.
Visakha possessed the five kinds of feminine beauty -
beautiful hair, a beautiful figure, beautiful bone structure,
beautiful skin which was smooth and golden in colour, and
youthfulness. Accordingly, they made arrangements for
Visakha to be married to Punnavaddhana.
On her wedding day, her wise father gave her some advice
under ten headings as follows:
1. A wife should not criticise her husband and parents-in-law
in front of other people. Neither should their weaknesses or
household quarrels be reported elsewhere.
2. A wife should not listen to the stories or reports of other
households.
3. Things should be lent to those who do return them.
4. Things should not be lent to those who do not return them.
5. Poor relatives and friends should be helped even if they do
not repay.
6. A wife should sit gracefully. On seeing her parents-law or
her husband, she should respect them by rising from her seat.
7. Before taking her food, a wife should first see that her
parents-in-law and husband are husband are served. She
should also make sure that his servants are well cared for.
8. Before going to sleep, a wife should see that all doors are
closed, furniture is safe, servants have performed their duties,
and that parents-in-law have retired. As a rule a wife should
rise early in the morning and unless she is sick, she should
not sleep during the day.
9. Parents-in-law and husband should be treated very carefully
like fire.
10. Parents-in-law and husband should be given the respect
due to Devas.
From the day Visakha arrived in Savatthi, the city of her
husband, she was kind and generous to everyone in the city
and everyone loved her.
One day, her father-in-law was eating some sweet rice
porridge from a golden bowl when a Bhikkhu entered the
house for alms. Although her father-in-law saw the Bhikkhu,
he continued to eat as if he had not seen the Bhikkhu.
Visakha politely told the Bhikkhu, "Pass on, Venerable Sir,
my father-in-law is eating stale food."
For a long time Visakha's father-in-law had been unhappy at
her because she was a devout follower and supporter of the
Buddha while he was not. He was looking for a chance to
break off the marriage between his son and Visakha, but her
conduct was faultless. Now he had got his chance.
Misunderstanding Visakha's words, he thought she had
brought disgrace to his family.
He ordered Visakha to be expelled from the house, but she
reminded him of her father's request to eight clansmen. Her
father told them, "If there be any fault in my daughter
investigate it."
The millionaire agreed to her request and summoned those
eight clansmen to come and investigate whether Visakha was
guilty of rudeness. When they arrived he told them, "Find her
guilty of this fault and expel her from the house."
Vissakha proved her innocence by explaining, "Sirs, when my
father-in-law ignored the Bhikkhu and continued to eat his
milk-rice-porridge he was not making merit in his present life.
He was only enjoying the merits of his past actions. Was this
not like eating stale food?"
Her father-in-law had to admit that she was not guilty of being
rude.
There were other misunderstandings after this, but Visakha
was able to explain to his satisfaction. After this, her
father-in-law had realised his error and the great wisdom of
Visakha. At her suggestion, he invited the Buddha to their
house to give a sermon. On hearing the sermon he became a
Sotapanna.
With wisdom and patience, she succeeded in converting her
husband's household to a happy Buddhist home.
Visakha was also very generous and helpful to the monks.
She built the Pubbarama monastery at a great cost for the
use of monks. Great was her joy when the Buddha spent six
rainy seasons there.
In one of the discourses that the Buddha delivered to Visakha,
he spoke of the eight qualities in a woman that bring her
welfare and happiness in this world and the next:
"Herein, Visakha, a woman does her work well, she manages
the servants, she respects her husband, and she guards his
wealth. Herein, Visakha, a woman has confidence (Saddha) in
the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, Virtue (Sila), charity
(Caga), and Wisdom (Panna)."
Being a woman who had many talents, she played an
important role in various activities amongst the Buddha and
his followers. At times, she was given the authority by the
Buddha to settle disputes that arose amongst the Bhikkhunis
(nuns). Some Vinaya rules of discipline were also laid down
for the Bhikkhunis when she was called in to settle their
disputes.
She died at the ripe age of one hundred and twenty.
(PART 2)
5. DEVADATTA
The Buddha's Greatest Personal Enemy
Devadatta was the son of King Suppabuddha and Pamita, an
aunt of the Buddha. His sister was Yasodhara. He was thus a
cousin and brother-in-law of the Buddha. Together with
Ananda and other Sakyan princes, he entered the Order of
monks in the early part of the Buddha's ministry. Unable to
attain any stage of Sainthood, he worked hard for the worldly
psychic powers.
In his early days, he was a good monk known for his grace
and psychic powers. Later he became conceited with worldly
gain and fame. As his ill-will and jealousy towards the Buddha
increased, he became the greatest personal enemy of the
Buddha.
One day in a large assembly which included kings and
princes, Devadatta approached the Buddha and requested
Him to make him the leader of the Sangha. Since he was not
capable and worthy enough, the Buddha turned down his
request. He became very angry as a result and vowed to take
revenge on the Buddha.
Although Devadatta was an evil monk, he had many admirers
and followers. One of his chief supporters was King Ajatasattu
with whom he planned to kill King Bimbisara and the Buddha.
Ajatasattu succeeded in killing his father, but Devadatta failed
to kill the Buddha.
His first attempt to kill the Buddha was to hire a man to kill
the Blessed One. That man would be killed by two other men
who would in turn be killed by four other men. Finally the four
men would be killed by eight other men. But when the first
man came close to the Buddha, he became frightened. He put
aside his weapons and took refuge in the Buddha. Eventually
all the men who were hired to kill one another became the
disciples of the Buddha. As a result, the first plot to kill the
Buddha failed.
Then Devadatta himself tried to kill the Buddha. When the
Buddha was walking on the Vultures' Rock, Devadatta climbed
to the peak and hurled a huge rock at the Buddha. On its way
down, the rock struck another rock and a splinter flew and
wounded the Buddha's foot, causing blood to flow. The
Buddha looked up and seeing Devadatta, he remarked with
pity, "Foolish man, you have done many unwholesome deeds
for harming the Buddha."
Devedatta's third attempt to kill the Blessed One was to make
the fierce man-killer elephant, Nalagiri, drunk with liquor.
When Nalagiri saw the Buddha coming at a distance, it raised
its ears, tail and trunk and charged at the Buddha. As the
elephant came close, the Buddha radiated his loving-kindness
(Metta) towards the elephant. So vast and deep was the
Buddha's love that as the elephant reached the Buddha, it
stopped, became quiet and stood before the Master. The
Buddha then stroked Nalagiri on the trunk and spoke softly to
it. Respectfully, the elephant removed the dust at the master's
feet with its trunk, and scattered the dust over its head. Then
it retreated, with its head facing the Buddha, as far as the
stable, and remained fully tamed. Usually elephants are
tamed with whips and weapons, but the Blessed One tamed
the elephant with the power of his loving-kindness.
Still trying to be the leader of the Sangha, Devadatta tried yet
another plan - a deceitful one. With the help of five hundred
misled monks, he planned to split the Sangha community.
He requested the Buddha to make it compulsory for monks to
follow five extra rules:
(i) Dwell all their lives in the forest
(ii) Live only on alms obtained by begging
(iii) Wear robes made from rags collected from the dust heaps
and cemeteries
(iv) Live at the foot of trees
(v) Refrain from eating fish or meat throughout their lives.
Devadatta made this request knowing fully well that the
Buddha would refuse them. Devadatta was happy that the
Buddha did not approve of the five rules, and he used these
issues to gain supporters and followers. Newly ordained
monks who did not know the Dhamma well left the Buddha
and accepted Devadatta as their leader. Eventually after
Venerable Sariputta and Venerable Moggallana had explained
the Dhamma to them, they went back to the Buddha.
After this, evil days fell on Devadatta. He fell very ill at the
failure of his plans, and before his death he sincerely regretted
his actions, and wanted to see the Buddha before he died. But
the fruits of his evil Kamma had begun to ripen and prevented
him from doing so. He died on the way to see the Buddha,
near the gate of Jetavana monastery. But before he died he
took refuge in the Buddha.
Although he has to suffer in a woeful state because of his
crimes, yet as a result of his holy life that he led in the early
part of his career, it is stated that he would become a
Pacceka Buddha named Atthissara in the distant future. As a
Pacceka Buddha he would be able to achieve Enlightenment
by his own efforts.
.(PART 2)
6. KHEMA
The Beautiful Queen Who Became the Chief Disciple of the Buddha.
Just as the Buddha had appointed two chief disciples,
Venerable Sariputta and Venerable Moggallana, for the order
of monks, he appointed two chief female disciples for the order
of nuns. They were Venerable Khema and Venerable
Uppalavanna.
Khema was one of the beautiful queens of King Bimbisara.
The conversion of Khema was one of the rare cases where the
Buddha used his psychic powers to make a change in the
heart of another. The Buddha never used his powers to control
another person's emotions, but merely to create
understanding and make wisdom arise.
Khema was beautiful like a full moon reflected on a still lake at
midnight. Her cheeks were smooth as lotus petals and her
eyes sparkled like gems. As she had heard that the Buddha
did not speak well of physical beauty, she had no wish to see
him.
One cool, breezy morning, Khema decided to visit the
monastery which King Bimbisara had built for the Buddha in
the Bamboo Grove. Squirrels were scampering in the fruit
trees that threw long shadows on the grass. The ponds were
covered with water lilies and a light scent of jasmine was in
the air.
Then Khema was drawn to a deep, clear voice coming from
the preaching hall. It was unlike anything she had heard
before. It sounded more beautiful than the singing of birds at
the break of dawn. The voice was warm, relaxed and full of
love and concern. Its words were words of wisdom.
Like a bee being attracted to a flower, Khema moved to the
hall where the Buddha was preaching. As she did not want the
Buddha to recognise her she pulled her scarf down over her
face and sat at the back of the hall. What she did not know
was that the Buddha knew who she was and what she was
thinking.
With his psychic powers, the Buddha created the image of a
most beautiful young lady about the age of sixteen standing
by his side and fanning him. Khema gasped in wonder at her
beauty and rolled her eyes in admiration for her.
"Oh look at her finely shaped nose, her mouth, her arms and
fingers," thought Khema. "With her perfect complexion, she
looks like a fully bloomed flower in spring. She is far more
beautiful than anyone I have ever seen, and is far, far more
beautiful than I."
Just for the moment Khema thought her eyes were playing
tricks on her. Did she see this young girl growing older? Oh
yes. And the beauty was fading from this lovely creature.
Some wrinkles appeared on her face and the smile on her
lotus-like lips changed into a toothless grin. Her hair turned
grey, then white. The limbs that were slender and strong
became thin and feeble, and she fell on the floor. From a
young lady, this image had changed into an eighty-year-old
woman.
Khema saw this old woman die and rot until her bones turned
to dust. She then realised that just like the lovely image, one
day she too would grow old and die. All vanity of external
beauty fell from her and she instantly understood the
impermanence of the physical body and life.
She attained Arahantship, and entered into the order of nuns
after getting King Bimbisara's consent. She became renowned
for her Insight Knowledge amongst the order of nuns.
.(PART 2)
7. ANATHAPINDIKA
The Millionaire Supporter of the Buddha
The millionaire Anathapindika was born as Sadaria. As a
result of his great generosity, he was given the name
Anathapindika which meant "Feeder of the Helpless"
By buying a park from Prince Jeta at a huge cost,
Anathapindika built the famous Jetavana Monastery for the
Buddha to spend the rainy season. A layer of gold coins
covering the grounds of the park measured the price of the
park. As the Buddha spent the major part of his life in the
quiet surroundings, most of his sermons were delivered there.
Altogether the Buddha spent twenty-four rainy seasons at
Jetavana Monastery.
Several of the Buddha's sermons delivered to Anathapindika
were intended for lay people. Two of them were on generosity
and the Four Kinds of Bliss. In the discourse on generosity,
the Buddha advised that the first stage of the Buddhist life is
to practice generosity such as giving alms to monks and
building monasteries. More important than being generous is
to take refuge in the Triple Gem and to observe the Five
Precepts, the five rules that help us discipline our words and
deeds. More important than observation of the five precepts is
the regular practice of meditation on loving-kindness
(Metta-bhavana), but the most meritorious act is to develop
Insight into the fleeting nature of things.
In the discourse on the four kinds of bliss a layman can enjoy,
the Buddha mentioned the bliss of ownership, the bliss of
wealth, the bliss of being debtless and the bliss of
blamelessness.
The bliss of ownership means the satisfaction in gaining
wealth by honest means and hard work. The bliss of wealth is
the satisfaction of enjoying a person's wealth while fulfilling all
his duties. The bliss of being debtless is the satisfaction that
a layman enjoys whenever he knows that he does not incur a
debt, great or small to anyone. The bliss of blamelessness is
the satisfaction derived by a person whose actions of the
body, speech and thought do not cause harm to others and
free from any blame.
When Anathapindika first met the Buddha at the Sitavana
forest near Rajagaha, his confidence was so strong that an
aura glowed from his body. On hearing the Dhamma for the
first time Anathapindika became a Sotapanna (first stage of
sainthood).
.(PART 2)
8. THE BUDDHA & THE FARMER KASIBHARADVAJA
Once the Buddha was in the village of Ekanala in Magadha.
The rain had fallen and it was planting time. In the early
morning when the leaves were still wet with dew, the Buddha
went to the field where Kasibharadvaja, a Brahmin and farmer,
had five hundred ploughs at work. When the Blessed One
arrived, it was the time for the Brahmin to distribute food to the
workers. The Buddha waited there for his alms food, but when
the Brahmin saw him he sneered and said:
"I plough and sow, and having ploughed and sown. I eat, O
ascetic, you also should plough and sow, and having ploughed
and sown, you should eat."
"O Brahmin, I too plough and sow. And having ploughed and
sown, I eat," replied the Buddha.
The puzzled Brahmin asked, "You claim that you plough and
sow, but I do not see you ploughing?"
The Buddha replied:
"I sow faith as the seeds. My discipline is the rain. My
wisdom is my yoke and plough. My modesty is the
plough-head. The mind is the rope. Mindfulness is the
ploughshare and the goad."
"I am restrained in deeds, words and food. I do my weeding
with truthfulness. The bliss I get is my freedom from suffering.
With perseverance I bear my yoke until I come to Nibbana.
Thus I have done my ploughing. It brings the fruit of
immortality. By ploughing like this, one escapes all suffering."
After this explanation, the Brahmin realised his error, and
said, "May the Venerable Gotama eat the milk-rice! The
Venerable Gotama is a farmer since his crops bear the fruit of
Deathlessness!" So saying, the Brahmin filled a large bowl
with milk-rice and offered it to the Buddha.
The Buddha refused the food saying that He could not accept
food in return for His preaching.
The Brahmin fell at the feet of the Buddha and asked to be
ordained into the Order of monks. And not long after,
Kasibharadvaja became an Arahant.
..(PART 2)
9. MAGANDIYA
The beautiful maiden who harboured a grudge against the Buddha
Magandiya was such a beautiful girl that many wealthy men
wanted to marry her. Her parents always turned down the
suitors whom they thought were not good enough for her. Even
when her parents found a suitable man for her, she refused to
marry anyone less than a king. She was determined to use
her beauty to marry well.
One day as the Buddha was surveying the world, He noticed
that Magandiya's parents were spiritually developed. All it
needed was one statement from Him to open their eyes to
Truth. The Buddha went to the place where the Brahmin was
making his fire sacrifice outside his village.
When Magandiya's father saw the Buddha coming, she was
moved with wonder by His physical beauty, calmness and
noble manner. There could not be a better person to give his
daughter in marriage, the Brahmin thought. "Don't go away O
monk," he said, "wait here until I bring my daughter to see
you. You are an ideal partner for her, and she for you."
The Buddha did not speak and remained silent. Instead He
stamped His footprint on the ground and went away. Very
excitedly the Brahmin carried the news to his wife. "Dress her
up quickly, dear. I have seen a man worthy of our daughter."
When three of them came back to the spot, the Buddha was
nowhere to be seen. They only saw the footprint.
The wife who was familiar with signs read the print, and said,
"I don't think this is the print of one who would marry our
daughter. It belongs to a person who has given up worldly
pleasures."
"You and your signs again. You see crocodiles in a water pot,
and robbers in the middle of the house. Look, there he is
sitting under the tree. Have you seen, my dear, anyone so
marvellous in form! Come along, daughter. This time your
suitor is so perfect that you cannot complain."
"Monk, I'm giving my daughter in marriage to you," said the
Brahmin to the Buddha. The Buddha turned down the offer,
explaining that He had overcome all His worldly pleasures. He
related how He had given up household life with all its
enjoyment, and how He could not be tempted by even the
beautiful daughters of Mara. He said that however beautiful the
body may be, it is still full of impurities.
Hearing this, the Brahmin and his wife understood
immediately that the worldly life is miserable and not
something to be attached to, no matter how nice it may
appear. Both of them attained Anagami, the third stage of
sainthood.
Unfortunately, proud Magandiya, who was not spiritually
developed, could not understand the real meaning of these
words. She thought the Buddha was insulting her beauty.
"How could this monk insult me when so many men have
fallen for my beauty at first sight. Even if he doesn't want to
marry me, he shouldn't declare that my body is full of dirt."
Clenching her fists, she whispered under her breath, "You just
wait, O monk. When I marry a husband who is powerful, I
shall teach you a lesson."
Later, she was married to the King of Udena. When she heard
that the Buddha had entered the city, her hatred of the
Buddha rose again and she bribed and instigated the people
to insult the Buddha so as to drive Him away.
Ananda, who was with the Buddha, did not want to stay on
and endure the insults, but the Buddha advised him to
practice tolerance and patience. The Buddha said, "As an
elephant in the battle-field withstand the arrows shot from a
bow, even so will I endure abuse of irreligious people. "The
Buddha said that the abusive talk would not last long, for such
is the power of the Buddha. They stayed on in Udena, and all
the abuse ended shortly.
..(PART 2)
10. ALAVAKA, THE DEMON
Alavaka, living near the city of Alavi, feasted on human flesh.
So fierce, powerful and crafty was he that he was known as
the 'Demon.'
One day, the King of Alavi went hunting for deer in the jungle
when Alavaka caught him. The king begged to be released,
but in return for his freedom he had to send one person
everyday into the jungle as offering for Alavaka.
Everyday a prisoner would be sent into the forest with a plate
of rice. He was told that to gain freedom he had to go to a
certain tree, leave the plate there and he could go free. At first
many prisoners volunteered to go on that 'simple' mission. But
as the days went by and no one returned to tell the other
prisoners what had happened, the prisoners were forced each
day to go into the forest.
Soon the prison became empty. How was the king to fulfil his
promise of sending a person each day to be eaten by the
Demon? His ministers advised him to drop packets of gold in
the streets. Those found picking the packets would be caught
as thieves and sent to Alavaka. When the word got around,
nobody dared to pick the packets. As a last resort, the king
started catching children for offering. The terrified subjects fled
the city, leaving it deserted. There was only one more boy left
- and he was the king's son. With much reluctance, the king
ordered that the prince should be sent to Alavaka the following
morning.
That day, the Buddha happened to be near the city. When he
surveyed the world with His Divine Eye that morning, He saw
what was going to happen. Out of compassion for the king,
the prince and Alavaka, the Buddha travelled the whole day to
the Demon's cave and in the evening He arrived at the
entrance of the cave.
The Demon was away in the mountains, and the Buddha
asked the gatekeeper if He could spend a night at the cave.
When the gatekeeper had gone to inform his master about the
request, the Buddha went into the cave, sat on the seat of the
Demon and preached the Dhamma to his wives.
When the Demon heard what had happened from his servant,
he hurried home, very angry. With his extraordinary power, he
created a terrifying thunderstorm which shook and lighted up
the forest with thunder, lightening, wind and rain. But the
Buddha was unafraid.
Alavaka then attacked the Buddha by throwing his spear and
club at Him, but before the weapons could touch Him, they fell
at the feet of the Blessed One.
Unable to frighten the Buddha, Alavaka asked: "Is it right that
you, a holy man, should enter and sit amongst his wives when
the owner of the house is away?" At this, the Buddha got up
to leave the cave.
Alavaka thought, "What a fool I am to have wasted my energy
trying to frighten this ascetic." So he asked the Buddha to
enter the cave again. The Demon ordered the Buddha three
times to get out and three times to enter the cave with the
hope that he could kill the Buddha with fatigue. Each time the
Buddha did as He was ordered. But when the Demon asked
the Buddha to leave for the fourth time, the Buddha refused to
do so, and said, "I'm not going to obey you, Alavaka. Do
whatever you can but I'm going to remain here."
Unable to force the Buddha to do what he wanted, Alavaka
changed his tactics and said, "I will ask you some questions.
If you can't answer I'll split your heart, kill you and throw you
over to the other side of the river."
The Buddha told him calmly, "There is no one, Alavaka,
whether man or deva, ascetic, brahma or brahmin who can do
such things to me. But if you want to ask anything, you may
do so."
Alavaka asked some questions, which he learned from his
parents who had, in turn, learned them from their parents. He
had forgotten the answers, but he had preserved the questions
by writing them on gold leaves. The questions were:
"What is the greatest wealth for a man? What brings the
highest bliss when well mastered? What is the sweetest of all
tastes? Which is the best way of life?"
The Buddha answered:
"The greatest wealth for a man is confidence. The true
doctrine when well mastered brings the highest bliss. The
sweetest taste is truth. Wise living is the decent way of life."
Alavaka asked many more questions all of which the Buddha
answered. The final question was:
"Passing from this world to the next, how does one not
grieve?"
The Buddha's reply was:
'He who possesses these four virtues - truthfulness, good
morals, courage and generosity - grieves not after passing
away.'
Understanding the meaning of the Buddha's words, Alavaka
said, "Now I know what is the secret of my future welfare. It is
for my own welfare and good that the Buddha came to Alavi."
Alavaka prostrated before the Buddha and begged to be
accepted as a disciple.
The next morning when the officers of Alavi came with the
king's young son, they were surprised at the sight of the
Buddha preaching to Alavaka who was listening attentively to
the sermon. When the boy was handed to Alavaka, he was
ashamed of himself to receive the boy as an offering. Instead
he stroked the boy on the head, kissed him and handed him
over to the officers. After that the Buddha blessed the child
and Alavaka.
Indeed, the conversion of Alavaka the cannibal showed how
the Buddha, with his great wisdom and compassion, could
tame a savage and change him into a gentle disciple.
(PART 2)
11. SUJATA AND THE DISCOURSE ON THE SEVEN TYPES OF WIVES
Sujata came from a wealthy family and was married to the son
of Anathapindaka. She was arrogant, did not respect others
and did not like to listen to the instructions of her husband and
his parents. Consequently, discord arose in the family
everyday.
One day when the Buddha visited the house of
Anathapindaka, He heard an unusual uproar in the house and
inquired what it was about.
Anathapindaka replied, "Lord, it is Sujata, my daughter in law.
She does not listen to her mother in law, her father in law or to
her husband. She does not even honour nor pay respect to the
Exalted One."
The Buddha called Sujata to His presence and spoke kindly to
her, "Sujata, there are seven types of wives a man may have.
Which of them are you."
"What are the seven types of wives, Venerable Sir?" asked
Sujata.
"Sujata, there are bad and undesirable wives. There is a wife
who is troublesome. She is wicked, bad tempered, pitiless,
and not faithful to her husband.
"There is a wife who is like a thief. She wastes the money
earned by her husband."
"There is a wife who is like a master. She is lazy, and thinks
only about herself. She is cruel and lacking in compassion,
always scolding her husband or gossiping."
"Sujata, there are the good and praiseworthy wives. There is a
wife who is like a mother. She is kind and compassionate and
treats her husband like her son and is careful with his money."
"There is a wife who is like a sister. She respectful towards
her husband, just as a younger sister to her brother, modest,
and is obedient to her husband's wishes."
"There is a wife who is like a friend. She rejoices at the sight
of her husband just like a friend who has not seen her friend
for a long time. She is of noble birth, virtuous and faithful."
"There is a wife who is like a handmaid. She behaves as an
understanding wife when her shortcomings are pointed out.
She remains calm and does not show any anger although her
husband uses some harsh words. She is obedient to her
husband's wishes."
The Blessed one asked, "Sujata, which type of wife are you
like, or you would wish to be like?"
Hearing these words of the Blessed One, Sujata was
ashamed of her past conduct and said, "From today onwards,
let the Exalted One think of me as the one in the last example
for I'll be a good and understanding wife." She changed her
behaviour and became her husband's helper, and together
they worked towards Enlightenment.
.(PART 2)
12. ANANDA
The Buddha had no regular attendant during the first twenty
years of His ministry. Several monks used to attend on the
Buddha, accompany Him on alms rounds and carry His extra
robes and bowl. The monks who served Him were
Nagasamala, Nagita, Upavana, Sunakhatta, Cunda, Sagata,
Radha and Meghiya.
These monks did not always obey His instructions. For
example, one day when the Buddha and Venerable
Nagasamala came up to a junction, the Venerable
Nagasamala decided to go one way although the Buddha
suggested that they should go the other way. The monk went
along the road of his choice where he was robbed and beaten
by highway robbers. He came back to the Buddha to be
reminded of his disobedience and be consoled.
On another day, as the Buddha was on His way to the village
of Jantu, Venerable Meghiya who accompanied Him wanted to
stop by a mango grove and practise asceticism. Thrice the
Buddha advised him against this, but he went his way.
Eventually he returned to the Buddha and confessed that he
had failed in his practice because almost all the time he was
in the grove, three kinds of evil thoughts disturbed his mind:
thoughts of sensual desires, ill-will and thoughts of cruelty.
When the Buddha came to the Jetavana Monastery in
Savatthi, He said, "Now I am old, Bhikkhus. When I say, 'Let
us go this way,' some go the other way; some drop my bowl
and robe on the ground. Choose out one disciple to attend
always on me." The Buddha was fifty five years of age at that
time.
The Venerable Sariputta and Moggallana both volunteered
their services, but the Buddha did not accept as they had
other valuable services to perform to the world. The offers of
other disciples were also turned down. As Venerable Ananda
was silent, waiting to be nominated by the Buddha Himself,
other monks advised him to offer his services.
The Buddha said, "It is not necessary for Ananda to be
induced by others. He will serve me on his own accord."
Venerable Ananda agreed to serve the Buddha regularly
subject to eight conditions:
1. He should not be given the robes received by the Buddha.
2. He should not be given the food received by the Buddha.
3. He should not sleep in the Fragrant Chamber of the
Buddha.
4. He should not be asked to go with the Buddha to accept
alms on invitation.
5. The Buddha should consent to invitations received by him.
6. The Buddha should give him permission to introduce visitors
that come from afar to see the Buddha.
7. He should be allowed to consult the Buddha whenever he
had any doubts to clarify.
8. The Buddha should repeat to him the discourses preached
in his absence.
After the Buddha consented to these eight conditions,
Venerable Ananda became the regular attendant of the
Buddha for twenty-five years.
Venerable Ananda was the son of King Suddhodana's younger
brother, and therefore a cousin of the Buddha. He entered the
Order of monks during the second year of the Buddha's
ministry. Not long after, he attained the first stage of
Sainthood (Sotapatti) on hearing the sermon given by
Venerable Punna Mantaniputta.
From the time he became the Buddha's personal attendant,
he served the Buddha with devotion and care up to the
Master's last moments. Day and night, he served the Master.
At night he would go round the place where the Buddha was
resting to prevent His sleep from being disturbed.
At the time of the awarding of ranks on the disciples, the
Buddha recognised the Venerable Ananda as first among
monks who are learned, mindful, well behaved and
determined. He was greatly responsible for the establishment
of the Order of nuns (Bhikkhunis) and the planting of the
Ananda Bodhi tree which still survives today near the Jetavana
Monastery.
Although Venerable Ananda had the rare privilege to listen to
every sermon of the Buddha, he did not attain his Arahantship
until after the Buddha had passed away.
Venerable Ananda lived to one hundred and twenty years of
age before he passed away.
.(PART 2)
13. KING AJATASATTU
A Young King Who Was Misled by a Wicked Friend
King Bimbisara had a son, Prince Ajatasattu, who was a good
friend of Devadatta. By frequent contact with him, Ajatasattu
was influenced to kill his father.
One silent and dark night, he crept into the king's room with a
knife tied to his thigh, but the guards caught him. The kind
king thought to himself. "Ah, I have remained king for too long.
It is time that I step down and make Ajatasattu the king so
that he can rule in peace, and I can retire into a religious life."
So instead of punishing Ajatasattu for his evil intentions, King
Bimbisara made him the King.
After Ajatasattu was made the new king, he surprised
everyone, including his father. Swift like a viper caught by its
tail, he sprang round and threw his father into the dark and
cold dungeon.
"Let him have no visitors other than my mother," ordered
Ajatasattu, "and give him no food so that he will starve to
death."
But the King Bimbisara did not die. His loyal wife secretly
brought him food hidden in her clothes. When Ajatasattu found
out and stopped this, she carried food in her hair knot. Again
Ajatasattu found out. Finally, the queen had to bathe her body
and cover it with a mixture of honey, butter, ghee and sugar.
By licking this food off her body, he survived. At last
Ajatasattu found this out and he forbade his mother from
visiting his father. Now the king had no food to sustain him
and would surely die.
But Ajatasattu lost his patience and demanded, "call the
barber." When the barber came, he ordered, "I command you
to go to Bimbisara's cell, cut open the soles of his feet with
your razor, tear the skin away and put salt and oil on the raw
flesh. Then I command you to force him to walk on burning
charcoal until he dies."
When King Bimbisara saw the barber approaching, tears of
joy watered his cheeks as he thought, "At last my son has
realised his folly. Now he sends a barber to trim my beard and
cut my hair before releasing me from prison." Instead, with the
help of two soldiers, the barber carried on the orders and the
good king died in great pain.
On that very day, Ajatasattu received news that his wife had
given birth to a son. Great was his joy at being a father and
thought came to his mind. He hurried to his mother and
asked, "Tell me mother, did my father love me as much as I
love my son?"
His mother turned around, stared at him in silence with her
sorrowful eyes and then murmured in disbelief, "What did you
say, Ajatasattu? You asked if your father loved you?"
"Ajatasattu, when you were in my womb, I wanted to drink
blood from your father's hand. When he found this out, happily
he cut his wrist for me to drink his blood for you. When the
fortune-tellers predicted that you would be your father's
enemy, I tried to have a miscarriage but he prevented me.
Again I tried to kill you when you were born; he stopped me
even though he knew that one-day you would kill him. Is that
not love?"
"Do you see that scar on your thumb? That was a boil you
had when you were small. You were crying from so much pain
that nobody could put you to sleep. When your father heard
this, he stopped from his royal duty and came running to see
you. Gently he took you in his lap and sucked the boil until it
burst open in his mouth. O my son, your father swallowed it
out of love for you - that pus and blood. In what way did he not
love you, Ajatasattu? Tell me, Ajatasattu, would you do for
your son what your father had done for your? And you want
him dead."
When he heard this, Ajatasattu was choked with tears. He
ordered his guards, "Run, run and release my father before he
dies." But none of them moved. "Go, I command you. Release
my father before he dies," Ajatasattu shouted.
The his adviser stepped forward and said slowly, "Great king,
your father has just died this morning." Ajatasattu fell on his
knees and cried until his body jerked violently, uttering,
"Forgive me, father. Please forgive me."
Ajatasattu realised what was the love of a father only when he
became a father himself. As for King Bimbisara, he was
reborn as a deva in the Catummaharajika Heaven.
.(PART 2)
14. KING PASENADI OF KOSALA (1)
A Royal Supporter of the Buddha
King Pasenadi Kosala was the king of Kosala, which was
north of Magadha ruled by King Bimbisara. The capital of the
kingdom of Kosala was Savatthi. One of his sisters was the
chief queen of King Bimbisara, and hence he was the
brother-in-law of King Bimbisara.
King Pasenadi Kosala became a follower of the Buddha very
early in the Buddha's ministry, and had remained a loyal
supporter ever since. His chief queen was Mallika, a wise and
religious queen who was well versed in the Dhamma and
acted as his religious guide on several occasions.
The first time the King met the Buddha, he asked, "How is it
that Master Gotama claimed that He has gained Full
Enlightenment? Master Gotama is both young in years and
young as a monk."
The Buddha replied, "Great king, there are four things that
should not be looked down upon and despised because they
are young. They are a noble warrior, a serpent, a fire and a
Bhikkhu (holy man). An enraged young warrior may ruthlessly
cause harm to others. The bite of even a small snake may kill.
A little fire may become a huge fire that destroys building and
forests. Even a young monk may be a saint."
Hearing this King Pasenadi Kosala understood that the
Buddha was indeed a wise teacher and decided to become
his follower.
King Pasenadi liked going to the Buddha for advice. Even
during his official duties, he found time to speak to the
Buddha. When talking to the Buddha one day, he received
news that his wife, Queen Mallika, had given birth to a
daughter. The king was not pleased with the news because he
wanted a son.
The Buddha, unlike any other religious teacher, spoke well of
women. He said, "Some women are better than men, O king.
There are women who are wise, good, who regard their
mothers-in-law as goddesses, and who are pure in word,
thought and deed. They may one day give birth to brave sons
who would rule a country."
Once, the king came to hear that the Buddha had said, "Dear
ones whom we love bring sorrow and lamentation, pain, grief
and despair." The king asked Queen Mallika whether she
agreed with the Buddha. She said that if the Buddha had said
so, it must be true. But the king was not satisfied. "How can a
loved one bring sorrow?" wondered the king.
Queen Mallika approached a Brahmin to ask the Buddha to
explain this. After hearing many stories to explain this, the
Brahmin related them to the queen. She then asked the king,
"Sire, what is your opinion, is Princess Vajira, your daughter,
dear to you?"
"Yes, Mallika, she is very dear to me," said the King.
"If some misfortune were to happen to Princess Vajira, would
that bring sorrow and lamentation, pain, grief and despair?"
"Yes," said the King.
"Sire, it was with reference to this that the Blessed One said
that dear ones whom we love, bring sorrow and lamentation,
pain, grief and despair."
"Mallika," said the King, "it is wonderful, it is marvellous, how
far the Blessed One sees with understanding."
When King Kosala lost to his nephew and had to retreat to his
capital at Savatthi, the Buddha commented to his disciples
that neither the victor nor the defeated would experience
peace:
"Victory breeds hatred.
The defeated lives in pain.
Happily the peaceful live,
Giving up victory and defeat."
In a later battle, the two kings fought and King Kosala not only
won, but he also captured King Ajatasattu alive with all his
elephants, chariots, horses and soldiers. King Kosala thought
that he would release his nephew, but not his horses,
elephants and others. He wanted the satisfaction of keeping
these material possessions as the prizes of victory.
On hearing about this, the Buddha told his disciples that it
would have been wiser for King Kosala not to have kept
anything for himself. The truth of this statement still applies to
this modern war-weary world:
'A man may plunder, as he will. When others plunder in return,
he who is plundered will plunder in return. The Wheel of Deeds
turns round and makes the ones who are plundered
plunderers.'
King Pasenadi Kosala passed away in his eightieth year when
his son Vidudabha revolted against him.
.(PART 2)
15. KING PASENADI OF KOSALA (2)
One evening, when King Kosala was talking to the Buddha,
there passed by on the road a band of ascetics with knotted
hair, hairy bodies and long nails. They walked past slowly,
with heads bent low. At once the king got up and knelt down
to worship them, uttering his own name three times.
The king came back to the Buddha and said, "Sir, there were
saints among those ascetics. Just see how calmly they
walked with heads bent down." With His divine eyes the
Buddha saw that those men were not saints but spies who
were sent out to gather information.
"Your majesty," said the Buddha, "by mere appearances
alone it is not possible for one who leads a life of comfort to
know the real nature of another. If we want to understand a
person's real nature, his good and bad qualities, we must
associate with him for some time. We must be wise and have
sharpness of mind."
"We can know a person's purity by conversing with him,
observe his courage in the face of misfortune and understand
his wisdom during discussions. The bad people, O king,
sometimes pretend to be good and it is difficult for you to
judge their state of morality."
King Pasenadi Kosala fought many wars with his nephew King
Ajatasattu. He was defeated once and at another time he was
victorious.
..(PART 2)
16. SUNDARI WHO ATTEMPTED TO DISCREDIT THE BUDDHA
In the 20th year of the Buddha's ministry, two important events
took place. The first event was the conversion of the bandit
Angulimala. The other event happened at Savatthi where some
jealous ascetics tried to discredit him.
The Buddha and His disciples were famous and respected
religious teachers at Savatthi. Large numbers of the citizens
there came regularly to listen to their sermons and to offer
them alms.
However, not all the people of Savatthi were followers of the
Buddha. There were many ascetics who believed that their
teachings were superior. They were very jealous to see more
and more people going to the Buddha and His disciples to
offer them alms and gifts of robes and medicine. Soon,
overcome by jealousy, they decided to do something about it.
In Savatthi there was a female wandering ascetic by the name
of Sundari. She was young in age and bad in character. The
ascetics planned to attack the character and reputation of the
Buddha and the monks through this female ascetic.
"Sister, you must try to help us do something about the
Buddha," they told her. "He is attracting the supporters away
from us."
"What can I do for you?" Sundari asked.
"You can help us by visiting the Jeta's Grove regularly, and
find out as much as you can about the Buddha. With this
information we may try to win the people back to support us."
So Sundari visited the Jeta's Grove regularly to spy on the
Buddha. She did not know the real purpose - an evil one - why
the ascetics had asked her to go there. When the ascetics
knew that many people had seen Sundari going regularly to
the Jeta's Grove, they killed her and buried her in a hole dug in
a ditch nearby. They then went to King Pasenadi Kosala and
reported that after Sundari had gone to listen to the Buddha
preaching, she was missing.
"Where do you suspect she is?" asked the King.
" She may still be in the Jeta's Grove, great king," they
replied. "We are worried because she has never been known
to remain very long after the Buddha has finished giving his
sermon."
The King said, "Then you must go immediately to search for
her there."
The ascetics pretended to search for Sundari in the Jeta's
Grove. After searching for some time, they went to the spot
where they had buried her and dug up her body. Placing the
corpse on a stretcher, they carried it back to Savatthi. All the
way they shouted angrily at the top of their voices, "See,
Lords, see the work of these monks who call themselves holy
people. They are shameless and wicked liars. See what they
have done. They have committed sexual misconduct with poor
Sundari and then they have killed her to hide their crimes."
The Buddha's disciples became frightened by these
accusations and did not know what to do, but the Buddha
calmly told them to control their fears. There was nothing to
be frightened about, since they were innocent of the crime.
The Buddha advised them, "the people will accuse you and
scold you, but you will do nothing except to recite: Those who
lie and those who deny what they have done are equal in their
evil deeds and suffer. Just be patient. The people will see how
calm you are and they will get tired of scolding you. Within
seven days, the shouting and accusations will subside."
The people soon started to ask each other why the Buddha
and his disciples were so calm. Then they remembered that
the Buddha and His disciples were virtuous and they had
never been known to commit any evil crime. Someone else
had murdered Sundari. It was impossible that such
compassionate religious teachers could have done it. In the
end, the shouting stopped and the Buddha used this incident
to give some advice to His disciples on how to endure abuse
with patience: "When harsh words are spoken to a bhikkhu,
let him endure with an unruffled mind."
After some time, the king discovered that those ascetics
committed the crime. When they were brought before the
king, they confessed their crimes in public and they were
punished accordingly. After the incident the Buddha and His
disciples became more honoured and respected in Savatthi.
..(PART 2)
17. SIGALA WHO WORSHIPPED EVERY DIRECTION
The Discourse on a Layperson's Duties
One morning, the Buddha left the Bamboo Grove to go into
Rajagaha. On His alms round, He saw a young man called
Sigala, dripping wet as though he had just taken a bath. This
man was bowing down in each of the four directions - East,
South, West and North, to the sky above and to the ground
beneath his feet. The Buddha stopped and asked the young
man what he was doing.
"This was my father's last wish just before he died. My father
advised me to do this to keep away evil from the four
directions, from above and below."
"It is the right thing to do, to keep your father's advice which
he gave you as his last wish, but you must not take your
father's words literally," said the Buddha. "Your father did not
intend that you should actually bow down in this way." Then
the Buddha explained the real meaning of worshipping the
directions:
"To worship the East really means to respect and honour your
parents.
To worship the south means to respect and be obedient to
your teachers.
To worship the West means to be faithful and devoted to your
wife.
To worship the North means to be pleasant and charitable to
your friends, relatives and neighbours.
To worship the sky means to look after the material needs of
the religious persons such as the monks and ascetics.
To worship the earth means to be fair to your servants, giving
them work according to their abilities, paying them fair wages,
and providing them with medical care when they are sick.
It is by doing these that one can keep away from evil."
The Buddha also advised Sigala another fourteen evils to
avoid. There are four evils of conduct which should be avoided:
Killing, stealing, sexual misconduct and telling lies.
Then there are four evil motives which make people perform
evil actions: partiality or being biased and prejudiced, enmity,
foolishness and fear.
Finally, avoid the six ways of wasting one's wealth: drinking
intoxicating drinks, roaming about the streets until late at
night, spending too much time at fairs and thinking too much
about entertainment, gambling, associating with evil friends,
and being lazy.
Young Sigala listened with respect to this advice and he
suddenly remembered that when his father was alive, he had
often told him what a good teacher the Buddha was. Although
he tried to get Sigala to go and listen to the Buddha, Sigala
had always given excuses that it was too troublesome, he had
no time, he was tired, or he had no money to spend on the
monks.
He confessed this to the Buddha and asked Him to accept
him as His follower. He promised that from now on, he would
keep his father's dying wish, but in the correct way as was
taught to him by the Buddha.
...(PART 2)
18. AMBAPALI
The Immoral Woman Who Later Became an Arahant
Persons of all castes, high and low, women as well as men
sought the teachings of the Buddha - and He gladly received
them. To Him, there was no caste in blood and tears. When
the Buddha and His disciples stopped at Vesali, a lady named
Ambapali offered Him the use of her Garden of Mangoes
outside the city so that He might rest in the cool shade of her
trees.
Ambapali was as lovely as the golden sun rising from the
ocean, but was immoral in character. She did not intend to
see him, but her servant said to her, "Lady, all the nobles and
people went on foot to the Garden of Mangoes yesterday.
When I asked them why they had gone there, they said that it
was because of the man who is resting there. There was none
like him. And he was the son of a king and had given up his
kingdom that he might find the Truth."
Always ready for some new sight, she leapt to her feet, and
got into one of her coaches and rode toward the garden,
casting proud glances about her. When she arrived at the
gate, she descended from the coach and walked through the
palm trees and mango trees. It was very quiet, and even the
leaves did not stir. Beneath the deep shade of trees, the
Buddha was seated with folded hands and feet and behind His
head an aura glowed like the midnight moon.
Ambapali stood there amazed, forgetting her beauty, forgetting
herself, forgetting all but only the Blessed One. And her heart
melted and flowed away in a river of tears. Very slowly, she
approached the Buddha and fell before His feet and laid her
face on the earth.
The Buddha asked her to rise and be seated, and spoke the
Dhamma to her. She listened to these great words with ears
that drank them as the dry earth longs for the rain. After she
had received the Dhamma, she bowed at His feet and invited
the Buddha and His disciples to a meal the following day. The
Buddha accepted her invitation.
Now the nobles of Vesali had also come out to meet the
Blessed One. On the way they met Ambapali who told them
that the Buddha had accepted her invitation for a meal the
following day.
They said to her, "Sell us the honour of His company for great
weights of gold."
And she, glowing with joy, said, "Sirs, even if your were to give
me Vesali and all its territories yet I would not give up the
honourable meal."
In anger, the nobles went to the Buddha and requested the
honour of offering the meal, but the Buddha informed them that
He had accepted Ambapali's invitation.
The following day, Ambapali set sweet milk rice and cake
before the Buddha and His followers, and she herself attended
upon them in great humility. After the Buddha had eaten
Ambapali sat on one side, with folded palms and said, "Holy
one, I present this garden to the Order. Accept it, if it be your
will."
The Buddha accepted the gift, seeing the purity of heart that
made it. He then gladdened her with the Dhamma. This was
the turning point of Ambapali's life: she understood the
Dhamma and became a virtuous woman. Some time later she
entered the Order of Nuns and with the heart of Wisdom
strengthened in her, she became an Arahant. Just as the
lotus does not grow on dry land but springs from black and
watery mud, Ambapali, despite her immoral past, managed to
achieve the height of spiritual development.
After this incident, the Buddha and His disciples moved to a
little village nearby called Beluva. As the rainy season was
about to begin, the Buddha decided to spend the last rainy
season at this village.
....(PART 2)
19. JIVAKA
The Buddha's Doctor
Jivaka was the celebrated doctor during the Buddha's time in
India. Immediately after his birth, Jivaka was placed in a
wooden box and thrown away by his mother, a courtesan, on
a rubbish heap beside the road.
That morning, Prince Abhaya, a son of King Bimbisara
happened to pass that way as he was going to the palace.
When the prince discovered that the baby was alive, he was
moved by compassion and ordered it to be brought up as his
adopted son.
When he grew up, Jivaka studied medicine for seven years
under a famous teacher. Soon his unusual skill as a physician
and a surgeon became known. He was called upon to treat
kings and princes, including King Bimbisara himself. But of all
the distinguished people Jivaka attended to, his greatest
pleasure was to attend to the Buddha which he did three
times a day. When a splinter from a rock thrown by Devadatta
wounded the Buddha’s foot, it was Jivaka who healed Him.
Realising the advantages of having a monastery close to his
house, Jivaka built one in his mango garden. He invited the
Buddha and His disciples to the monastery, offered alms and
donated the monastery to the Buddha and the monks. After
the blessing ceremony of this monastery, he attained the first
stage of Sainthood (Sotapanna).
Later, when King Ajatasattu asked him where he could go for
religious discussions, Jivaka brought him to see the Buddha.
Although the king had killed his father under the evil advice of
Devadatta, King Ajatasattu became a distinguished lay
follower of the Buddha and took a leading role in the First
Buddhist Council.
..(PART 2)
20. THE QUARREL AT KOSAMBI
Better to Live Alone If We Cannot Find Good Friends
In the 9th year of his ministry, the Buddha was residing at
Kosambi. While He was there, a quarrel arose between two
parties of Bhikkhus. One party consisted of experts in the
Disciplinary code or the Vinaya rules; the other group
consisted of experts in the Dhamma or the Teachings.
The Buddha tried various ways to settle the quarrel peacefully,
but finally when His efforts had failed, He left them without a
word, taking with Him only His bowl and robes, and retired to
the Paileyyaka Forest.
During His stay in the forest, an elephant ministered to the
needs of the Buddha. The elephant cleared a portion of the
forest in the midst of which stood a stone cave. Daily the
elephant brought fruits as offerings to the Buddha. One day a
monkey, who had watched the elephant making his offerings,
brought a honeycomb as an offering too.
Meanwhile, the people of Kosambi found out that the Buddha
had gone alone to the Paileyyaka Forest because of the
quarreling amongst the monks. They stopped offering alms to
the monks. News of this reached Ananda at Savatthi. At the
end of the rainy season Ananda decided to visit the Buddha
and told him that the people everywhere were eager to hear
the Dhamma from Him, especially the people at Savatthi. In
this way the Buddha was persuaded to return to Savatthi and
some time after this, the quarrelling monks came to seek the
Buddha's forgiveness. It was because of the quarrel at
Kosambi that the Buddha gave a sermon in which he said:
"One should associate with the wise, not the foolish. It would
be better to live alone if we cannot find good friends. There is
no companionship with the foolish."
.(PART 2)
21. UPALI *
The Buddha's Attitude Towards Other Religious Teachers
Upali, a millionaire, was one of the best pupils of another
religious teacher, Nigantha Nathaputta, whose teaching
differed from that of the Buddha. Being very good at debating,
Upali was requested by his religious teacher to approach the
Buddha and defeat Him on certain points on the Law of Cause
and Effect (Kamma). After a long discussion, the Buddha was
able to convince Upali that his religious teacher's views were
wrong.
Upali was so impressed with the Buddha's teaching that he
immediately asked to become His follower. He was surprised
when the Buddha advised him, "Upali, you are a famous
person. Be sure that you are not changing your religion just
because you are pleased with me or that you are under the
influence of your emotions. Thoroughly investigate my
teaching with an open mind before you decide to become my
follower."
At the Buddha's spirit of free inquiry, Upali was even more
pleased and he said, "Lord, it is wonderful that you have
asked me to think over carefully. If it were other teachers, they
would have accepted me without hesitation, taken me round
the streets in a procession and proclaimed that such and
such a millionaire had renounced his former religion and
embraced theirs. Yes, indeed, Lord please accept me as your
follower."
The Buddha agreed to accept Upali as His lay follower but
further advised him, "Although you have now become my
follower, Upali, you should practise tolerance and
compassion. Continue to give alms to your former religious
teachers as they still depend very much on your support. You
cannot just ignore them and withdraw the support you used to
give them."
The Buddha's advice of tolerance, free inquiry and not
accepting his teachings for emotional reasons has given a
clean record in the spread of Buddhism. There has never been
any Buddhist religious fanatic who forced people to accept the
religion by torture or the fear of punishment. Buddhism was
able to spread through peaceful means mainly because of its
beauty and goodwill.
* This is not the Venerable Upali, a barber before he became a
monk, who answered questions on the Vinaya rules at the
First Buddhist Council.
..(PART 2)
22. SONA
The Monk Who Tried Too Hard
A son of a rich businessman, Sona liked to listen to lute
music and to play the instrument. As he was brought up in the
lap of luxury, his skin was very delicate and soft. It was said
that hair grew out of the skin of his soles. Once he was
brought before King Bimbisara who wanted to see the unusual
feet he had heard so much about.
Sona lived near the Vulture's Peak Rock in Rajagaha where
the Buddha stayed during some rainy seasons. One day,
Sona went to the Vulture's Peak Rock to listen to the
Buddha's sermons about the happiness experienced from
non-attachment of worldly desires. As he wanted to
experience this happiness, Sona asked to be ordained as a
monk.
After becoming a monk, he was taught to be constantly
mindful, even when walking. Sona was very enthusiastic.
Everyday he walked to and fro in the monastery until one day
his feet developed blisters and bled.
Even after trying so hard, yet he did not experience
happiness, only pain and disappointment. Thoughts of craving
for worldly things still came to his mind. "It is no use," Sona
said to himself, "I have tried so very hard, but have still not
achieved what I wished for. It is better for me to return to lay
life and enjoy the happiness I used to experience by
performing charity."
When the Buddha heard about this he went to see Sona.
"Sona," He said, "I have heard that you are not getting good
results from your practice of mindfulness and want to return to
the lay life. Suppose I explain why you did not get good
results, would you stay on as a monk and try again?"
"Yes, I would, Lord." replied Sona.
"Sona, you were a musician and you used to play the lute.
Tell me, Sona, did you produce good music when the lute
string was well tuned, neither too tight nor too loose?"
"I was able to produce good music, Lord." replied Sona.
"What happened when the strings were too tightly wound up?"
"I could not produce any music, Lord," said Sona.
"What happened when the strings were too slack?"
"I could not produce any music at all, Lord." replied Sona.
"Sona, do you now see why you did not experience the
happiness of renouncing worldly craving? You have been
strained too hard in your meditation. Do it in a relaxed way,
but without being slack. Try it again and you will experience
the good result."
Sona understood and stayed on in the monastery as a monk
and soon he attained sainthood.
...(PART 2)
23. MAHA PAJAPATI GOTAMI
The Establishment of the Order of Bhikkhunis (Nuns)
In the 5th year of His ministry, the Buddha was staying at
Vesali when he heard that his father, King Suddhodana, was
ill. He decided to visit him again at Kapilavatthu to preach to
him the Dhamma. After hearing the Dhamma, the King
immediately attained Arahantship and passed away peacefully
seven days later. It was in this year that the Order of Nuns
was founded at the request of Maha Pajapati Gotami, the aunt
and foster mother of the Buddha.
Three times she approached the Buddha and asked Him to
ordain her into the Sangha, but each time the Buddha refused,
without giving any reason. After the Buddha had stayed at
Kapilavatthu as long as He liked, He journeyed back to Vesali.
Pajapati Gotami was quite a determined lady, and was not so
easily discouraged. She got her hair cut and put on yellow
garments and surrounded by a large number of Sakyan ladies,
she walked the distance of about 150 miles from Kapilavatthu
to Vesali. When she arrived at Vesali, her feet were swollen
and her body was covered with dust. She stood outside the
Hall where the Buddha was staying, with tears on her face,
still hoping that the Buddha would ordain her as a nun.
Ananda was surprised to see her in this condition. "Gotami,
why are you standing here like this?" he asked.
"Venerable Ananda, it is because the Blessed One does not
give permission for women to become nuns," she replied.
'Wait here, Gotami, I'll ask the Blessed One about this,"
Ananda told her. When Ananda asked the Buddha to admit
Maha Pajapati Gotami as a nun, the Buddha refused. Ananda
asked three times and three times the Buddha refused.
So Ananda put the request in a different way. Respectfully he
questioned the Buddha, "Lord, are women capable of realising
the various stages of Sainthood as nuns?"
"They are, Ananda," said the Buddha.
"If that is so, Lord, then it would be good if women could be
ordained as nuns," said Ananda, encouraged by the Buddha's
reply.
"If, Ananda, Maha Pajapati Gotami would accept the Eight
Conditions* it would be regarded that she has been ordained
already as a nun."
When Ananda mentioned the conditions to Maha Pajapati
Gotami, she gladly agreed to abide by those conditions and
automatically became a nun. Before long, she attained
Arahantship. The other Sakyan ladies who were ordained
together with her also attained Arahantship.
The establishment of an Order of Nuns with rules and
regulations was something, which the Buddha did for the first
time in the world. No other religious leader had given such a
high religious position for women in his religion.
* These rules are related to certain Vinaya Disciplines.
....(PART 2)
24. THE BUDDHA AND THE CASTE SYSTEM
At the time of the Buddha, the caste system was firmly
established in India. According to the caste system, a
person's position in society was determined from the time he
was born. There were four castes or classes of people in
society:
The Brahmins or priests, who claimed to be the highest caste
and the purest of peoples; the warriors ; the merchants and
traders; the untouchables considered the lowest class of
workers and servants who did all the menial jobs, and were
treated as slaves.
The Buddha condemned the caste system, which he
considered unjust. He pointed out that there existed wicked
and cruel people as well as virtuous and kind people in every
caste. Any person who had committed a crime would be
punished accordingly by his kamma no matter what caste he
belonged to. A person may be considered to have come from
a high or low caste according to his good and bad deeds.
Therefore, according to the Buddha it is the good and bad
actions of a person and not his birth that should determine a
person's caste.
The Buddha introduced the idea of placing a higher value on
morality and the equality of man instead of into which family or
caste a person is born. It was also the first attempt to abolish
discrimination and slavery in the history of mankind.
The Buddha said:
"By birth one is not an outcaste,
By birth one is not a brahmin;
By deeds alone one is an outcaste,
By deeds alone one is a brahmin."
.(PART 2)
25. THE MIRROR OF THE DHAMMA
From the Rajagaha the Buddha, accompanied by Venerable
Ananda and a large number of His disciples started the
journey to the north. They would stop a while at every city and
village, and the Buddha would preach the Dhamma.
They stopped at a place called the Brick Hall in a little village
called Nadika. It happened that some monks and lay devotees
had passed away at this village, and Venerable Ananda
wanted to know the future states of those who had passed
away.
The Buddha revealed that as they had been practicing what
He had taught, all of them had attained one of the stages of
Sainthood. He continued, "Now, it is natural for human beings
to die; but if you ask this question each time a person dies, it
wearies me. So, I will give you a sermon called 'The Mirror of
Truth or The Mirror of the Dhamma." With this, a noble
disciple can predict for himself, 'There is no more hell for me,
no more sorrowful, evil and low states. I am a Sotapanna and I
am not subject to fall back to the lower states. I shall be
assured of final Enlightenment."
"What, O Ananda, is the Mirror or Truth? Herein a noble
disciple has absolute confidence in the Buddha, Dhamma and
Sangha. Because of his confidence, he spends much time to
reflect or think about the great qualities of the Triple Gem.
These reflections will help him develop the great qualities
within himself and the power to concentrate the mind. These
results will help him attain the first stage of Sainthood
(Sotapanna).
"Possessing this Mirror of Truth, a noble disciple shall be able
to predict for himself that he shall not fall back to lower states
like hell, the animal world, the ghost world and other sorrowful
and unhappy states."
After delivering this sermon at Nadika, the Buddha and His
disciples then proceeded to Vesali.
..(PART 2)
26. THE BUDDHA'S ATTITUDE TO MIRACLES
When the Buddha was once living at Nalanda in the Pavarika
Grove, a man by the name of Kevaddha went up to the
Buddha, paid homage to Him and said, "Lord, Nalanda is a
successful city. The people living in Nalanda are prosperous,
and they have confidence in the Blessed One. Lord, it would
be good if the Blessed One appointed a Bhikkhu to work a
marvel of supernormal power, so that the people of Nalanda
might become much more confident in the Blessed One."
The Buddha replied, "Kevaddha, I do not teach the Law to
Bhikkhus in that way." The Buddha gave the same reply when
the question was put to Him the second and third time. After
the third question, the Buddha replied that there were three
kinds of supernormal levels:
1. The marvel of supernormal power to appear as many
persons, to pass through walls, to fly through the air, walk on
water. All these are physical actions the ordinary people
cannot perform.
2. The supernormal power to read other people's minds.
3. The supernormal power to be able to guide people
according to their mental development, for their own good,
using suitable methods to fit these people.
The first two supernormal powers if displayed for their own
sake in order to impress people, are no different from the
performance of magicians. A Bhikkhu who practices such
worldly miracles is a source of shame, humiliation and
disgust. Such actions may impress and win converts and
followers, but they do not bring Enlightenment to help them
put an end to suffering.
The third kind of supernormal power though which may be
called a 'miracle' helps people to get rid of suffering. This is
the only supernormal power that is fit to be practiced.
The only miracles that should be performed are these: when
you see a man full of passion, craving and greed and you
teach him to free himself from passion, craving and greed;
when you see a man is a slave to hatred and anger, you use
your powers to help him control his hatred and anger; when
you come across a man who is ignorant and who cannot see
the true nature of the world (everything in this world is
impermanent, sorrowful and egoless) and you use your
powers to help him overcome his ignorance. These are worthy
'miracles' you can perform.
This advice to Kevaddha was also extended to the Vinaya
rules that forbid monks from performing miracles to impress
people and gain converts, without helping them to be
enlightened. This was clear in the case of Pindola.
Arahant Pindola Bharadwaja was famous for miraculous
psychic powers. A rich man wanting this monk to prove his
psychic powers placed a beautiful bowl at the top of a high
place and challenged any holy man to get the bowl down. If he
could do it, he could keep the bowl.
Pindola Bharadwaja flew up and took the bowl down easily.
This was also done to prove to the rich man that there are
saints in the world, a fact that the rich man did not believe.
When the Buddha came to know about this incident, He
called Pindola Bharadwaja to bring his bowl. He broke the
bowl into pieces in front of a large gathering of Bhikkhus,
saying, "I am displeased about the demonstration of your
psychic powers. You must never show off your powers just to
impress simple ignorant people."
...(PART 2)
27. THE BUDDHA'S ILLNESS AND ANNOUNCEMENT
The Buddha had not been staying very long at Beluva during
the rainy season when He became sick. The severe sickness
attacked Him with violent and deadly pains. But mindful and
self possessed He bore them without complaint. And this
thought came into His mind: "it would not be right for me to
pass away without addressing the disciples, without taking
leave of the Order. Let me now by a strong effort of the will
suppress this sickness." He suppressed the sickness and it
abated.
And when He began to recover, He went out of the monastery,
and sat down behind it on a seat spread out for Him. The
Venerable Ananda went where the Buddha was, and sat
respectfully beside Him, and said, "I have seen how the
Blessed One suffered, and at that sight my body became
weak as a creeper. Yet I had some little comfort in thinking
that the Blessed one would not pass away until He had left
some instructions for the Order."
"What then, Ananda? Does the Order expect that from me?"
said the Buddha. "Now, a perfect One does not think that it is
He who shall lead the Order or that it is dependent upon him. I
too, Ananda, am now grown old and full of years. My journey
is drawing to its close. Therefore, Ananda, each of you should
make himself his island, himself and no other his refuge. Each
of you should make the Law his island, the Law and no other
his refuge. And whoever after I am dead shall be an island
onto themselves, who make the Law their island, the Law as
their refuge, they will be the foremost among my bhikkhus."
Though old and feeble, the Buddha continued to use every
opportunity to speak the Dhamma to His disciples. He also
went on alms rounds when there were no private invitations
from the villagers at Beluva.
One morning the Buddha robed himself early in the morning
and taking His bowl went into Vesali for alms. When he
returned from his alms round, He spoke to the Venerable
Ananda: "Take a mat, Ananda, let us go to the Capala Shrine
to pass the day."
They sat down on a mat and the Buddha spoke about the
pleasant surroundings in all the shrines in Vesali, and then
addressed Venerable Ananda thus:
"When anyone has practiced and developed the Four Means
of Accomplishment, he could, if he wished, live for a longer
period. I have completely mastered the Four Means of
Accomplishment, and if I so wish, I could live longer."
Even though the Buddha was giving such a clear suggestion,
Venerable Ananda could not understand its meaning to ask
the Buddha to live longer for the good, benefit, and happiness
of the many, out of compassion for the world. At that time
Venerable Ananda could not understand because his mind
was confused.
The Buddha addressed him; "You may leave me, Ananda, for
a while." So Ananda went and sat under a nearby tree.
The Buddha had appeared on earth to teach the seekers of
Truth how to see things are they truly are and to show the
path for deliverance from all the ills of life. The Buddha
reflected about the long years of teaching He had performed to
fulfil His purpose. He felt that He had given all the necessary
instructions to His followers, both monks and the lay
followers. Not only were they following His teaching, they were
also able to teach the teachings to others. He therefore
decided not to live up to His full life span and announced to
Venerable Ananda that He would pass away in three month's
time.
Only then Venerable Ananda remembered what the Buddha
had said earlier and begged Him to live for a longer period for
the good and happiness for all.
"Enough, Ananda, do not beg me. The time for making such a
request is now past. Let us now go to the Hall with the
Pointed Roof in the Great Wood, Ananda," said the Buddha.
When they arrived at the Great Hall, He said, "Ananda, go and
summon all the monks living in Vesali. Ask them to meet at
the service hall." When the monks had all come, He spoke to
them, "Whatever truths I have taught you, study them and put
them into practice, so that the Holy life may last long for the
good and benefit of the many.
"All component things must grow old and pass away. Work
out your salvation with diligence. At the end of three months
from this time, the Blessed One will pass away. My age is
now full ripe; my life draws to its close. I leave you, I depart,
relying on myself alone. Be diligent, mindful and virtuous.
Keep watch over your own hearts. Who lives out diligently this
Law and Discipline will leave the round of rebirths and make
an end of suffering."
All the Buddha's disciples were grieved to hear the sad
announcement of His death in such a short time to come. All
of them came forward to pay their last respects except one
monk named Dhammarama. They did not know why he did
not come and suspected him of not being loyal and dutiful to
the Buddha.
This matter was reported to the Buddha who summoned
Dhammarama to His presence to explain his absence to all
the other monks. He then replied that since the Buddha would
be passing away in three month's time, he thought that the
best way of honouring the Teacher was by attaining
Arahantship before His death.
"Excellent, excellent! He who loves me should follow the
example of Dhammarama. He honours me most who
practises my teaching best," said the Buddha in praise of this
monk.
The Buddha decided to continue His last journey the next
morning. His next destination was the little village of Pava.
....(PART 2)
28. THE LAST DAYS OF THE BUDDHA
Many incidents in the life of the Buddha occurring after His
55th year were recorded without an exact indication of the
year in which they happened. However, the incidents occurring
in His eightieth year were placed in that year because they
were recorded in the Maha Parinibbana Sutta.
When the Buddha reached His eightieth year, He felt that His
days in this world were coming to an end. Although He had
suffered the sicknesses and effects of old age like any other
man, He was different from an ordinary man. With His mental
powers developed through advanced mental training, He was
able to overcome certain painful feelings of the body. His mind
was always sparkling like a radiant diamond, even though His
body was beginning to weaken.
In this last year of His life, he decided to spend His last days
in the peaceful and simple surroundings of Kusinaga, a small
village in northern India. He preferred to leave behind Him the
large and prosperous cities such as Rajagaha and Savatthi
and their crowds, their merchants and kings.
The starting point of His journey was Rajagaha, the capital of
Magadha. He journeyed on foot, accompanied by Venerable
Ananda and many disciples, going through many cities and
villages. By this time, Venerable Rahula and Yasodhara had
already passed away, and so had the Buddha's two chief
disciples, Venerable Moggallana and Venerable Sariputta.
During the travels, the Buddha's thoughts turned to the welfare
of the Order of monks. Many of His sermons were concerned
with advising on how the monks should behave to ensure that
the Order would carry on after His death. He reminded His
disciples to practice all the truths that He had taught them.
One sermon reminded the disciples to practise the seven
factors of Enlightenment. Another sermon was on the four
ways to check whether a teaching was the teaching of the
Buddha or not, by comparing them with the Vinaya (the
disciplinary rules for the Order) and the Suttas (sermons of the
Buddha).
There was one sermon, which the Buddha gave again and
again during the many stops in His last journey. It was a
sermon on the fruits following the three divisions of the Noble
Eightfold Path: morality, concentration and wisdom, which
would help His disciples to put an end to all sufferings.
...(PART 2)
29. THE BUDDHA'S LAST MEAL
On their arrival at Pava, the son of the village goldsmith,
whose name was Cunda, invited the Buddha and His
disciples, to a meal called Sukaramaddava or boar's delight.
Some scholars believe it was a special delicious dish of
mushrooms with that name, while others believe it to be a dish
of wild boar's flesh.
The Buddha advised Cunda to serve Him only with the
Sukaramaddava that he had prepared. The other food that
Cunda had prepared could be served to the other monks. Then
the Buddha told him, "Cunda, if any Sukaramaddava is left
over, bury it in a hole. I do not see anyone in the world other
than the Blessed One who could digest the food if he ate it."
"Even so, Lord" Cunda replied, and buried the left over in the
ground. He went to the Buddha, and after paying homage to
him, he sat down at one side. Then the Buddha taught him the
Dhamma. The Buddha also praised Cunda for the meal that
had refreshed and strengthened Him after His journey. But
soon after this, the Buddha suffered from an attack of
dysentery, which he had earlier and sharp pains came upon
Him. By an effort of will He was able to bear the pain. Though
extremely weak the Buddha decided to continue on
immediately to Kusinaga, a little more than six miles away.
After a painful struggle, He reached a grove of Sala trees just
outside the town.
The Buddha took his last bath in the Kakuttha river. After
resting a while, He said, "Now it may happen that some
people may make Cunda regret having given me the meal that
made me sick. Ananda if this should happen, you should tell
Cunda that you have heard directly from the Buddha that it
was a gain for him. Tell him that two offerings to the Buddha
are of equal gain: the offering of food just before His supreme
Enlightenment and the offering of food just before He passes
away. This is the final birth of the Buddha."
Then He said, "Ananda, please make a couch ready for me
with its head to the North between two big Sala trees. I am
tired and I want to lie down."
Now, on that occasion, those two Sala trees were covered
with blossoms through the influence of the Devas, though it
was not the season. They scattered and sprinkled the Buddha
with the falling blossoms, as though out of respect for Him.
Then the Buddha said to Venerable Ananda, "Ananda, the two
big Sala trees are scattering flowers on me as though they are
paying their respects to me. But this is not how I should be
respected and honoured. Rather, it is the monks or nuns, or
the men or woman lay followers, who lives according to my
teaching that respects and honour me."
There are four places for faithful followers to see which would
be their inspiration. These are four holy places made sacred
by their association with the Buddha. They are:
1. The Buddha's birth place (Lumbini);
2. The place where the Buddha attained Enlightenment (Bodh
Gaya);
3. The place where the Buddha gave His first sermon and set
in motion the Wheel of the Dhamma or Truth (Sarnath);
4 The place where the Buddha attained Parinibbana or final
liberation (Kusinaga).
A little while later it was noticed that Venerable Ananda was
nowhere to be seen. He had gone into the hut, stood leaning
against the door bar and was weeping. He thought: "Alas! I
remain still but a learner, one who has yet to work out his own
perfection. And the Master is about to pass away from me -
He who is so kind!"
And, the Buddha sending for Ananda, said to him, "Enough
now, Ananda! Do not sorrow and cry. Have I not already
repeatedly told you that there is separation and parting from
all that is dear and beloved? How is it possible that anything
that has been born, had had a beginning should not again die?
Such a thing is not possible.
"Ananda, you have served me with your acts of
loving-kindness, helpfully, gladly, sincerely, and so too in your
words and your thoughts. You have gained merit, Ananda.
Keep on trying and you will soon be free of all your human
weaknesses. In a very short time you too will become an
Arahant.
"Now you can go, Ananda. But go into Kusinaga and tell all
the people that tonight, in the last watch of the night, the
Buddha will pass away into Nibbana. Come and see the
Buddha before He passes away."
So Venerable Ananda, taking with him another monk, did as
the Buddha bid him and went to Kusinaga to tell the people.
When they heard the news, they were much grieved. And all
the people of Kusinaga, men, women and children came to
the two big Sala trees to bid a last farewell to the Buddha.
Family by family, they bowed low down before Him and so
bade Him farewell.
..(PART 2)
30. SUBHADDA
The Last Disciple of the Buddha
Now it happened that a certain wandering ascetic called
Subhadda was staying near Kusinaga at that time and when
he heard that the Buddha was about to pass away, he
resolved to go and see Him about a certain matter before He
passed away. He was sure that the Buddha could answer his
question and clear up his doubts.
So Subhadda went to the Sala tree grove, and asked
Venerable Ananda whether he could see the Buddha. But
Venerable Ananda said, 'Enough, friend Subhadda, the
Buddha is very weary. Do not trouble Him."
For the second and third time, Subhadda made this request
and for the second and third time, Venerable Ananda replied in
the same manner.
However, the Buddha caught a word or two of the conversation
between Venerable Ananda and Subhadda, and He called
Venerable Ananda to Him and said, "Come, Ananda. Do not
keep Subhadda from seeing me. Let him come and see me.
Whatever Subhadda may ask of me, he will ask from a desire
for knowledge and not to annoy me. And whatever I may say
in answer to his questions, that he will quickly understand."
Permission granted, Subhadda approached the Buddha, and
after greeting Him, said, "O Gotama, there are many famous
religious teachers who teach other teachings which are
different from yours. Have they all, as they claim, discovered
the Truth? Or have some of them discovered the Truth and
others have not?"
"Enough, O Subhadda," said the Buddha, "you should not
worry about their teachings. Listen to me and pay close
attention to what I say, and I will make known to you the
Truth."
"In whatever doctrine or Teaching in which the Noble Eightfold
Path is not found, there also are not to be found those who
have become Sotapanna, Sakadagami, Anagami or Arahant.
But in those teachings where the Noble Eightfold Path is
found, there also is found the Sotapanna, the Sakadagami,
the Anagami and the Arahant. And in this Teaching of mine, O
Subhadda, is to be found the Noble Eightfold Path, and in it
alone the Sotapanna, the Sakadagami, the Anagami, and the
Arahant are found. In no other schools of religious teachers
are such Aryan (saints) to be found. And if only my disciples
live rightly and follow my precepts or training rules, the world
will never be without genuine Arahants."
Then Subhadda asked to be admitted to the Order of monks,
and the Buddha granted his request. In this way Subhadda
became the very last convert and disciple of the Buddha, just
as Kondanna in the deer park at Benares was the first convert
and disciple forty-five years earlier.
And by earnest and diligent effort in following the Teaching,
Subhadda very shortly became an Arahant.
..(PART 2)
31. THE BUDDHA'S FINAL WORDS OF ADVICE
After the conversion of Subhadda, the Buddha spoke again to
Venerable Ananda: "It may be, Ananda, that some of you will
say, without the Buddha, the Sublime Teacher, there is no
Teacher for us. No, Ananda, you should not think in this way.
Whatever Doctrine and Discipline taught and made known by
me will be your Teacher when I am gone."
Then the Buddha, addressing the other monks said, "If any
amongst you has any doubts as to the Buddha, the Teaching
or the Order of monks, ask me now so that afterwards, you
may have cause to regret that you did not ask me while I am
still with you."
But at these words, none of the monks said anything. None
had any questions, and all of them were silent. For the second
and third time the Buddha addressed the monks in this way.
And for the second and third time, all the monks were silent.
The Buddha said, "Perhaps it may be out of respect for the
Teacher, that you do not question me. Let a friend, O
disciples, tell it to another friend." Still the disciples remained
silent.
Then Venerable Ananda spoke to the Buddha, "It is wonderful.
It is marvellous, Lord! I do believe that in all this great
company of monks there is not a single one who has doubts
or questions about the Buddha, the Teaching or the Order of
monks, or the Path and the method of training and conduct."
"With you, Ananda," said the Buddha, "this may be a matter
of faith and belief. But, Ananda, I know that not one single
monk gathered here has any doubt or question about these
things. Of all the 500 monks here, Ananda, he who is the
most backward is a Sotapanna, not subject to fall back to a
lower state of existence, but is certain and destined for
Enlightenment."
Then the Buddha addressed all the monks once more, and
these were the very last words He spoke:
"Behold, O monks, this is my last advice to you. All
component things in the world are changeable. They are not
lasting. Work hard to gain your own salvation."
Then the Buddha lapsed into the Jhana stages or meditative
absorption. Going from level to level, one after the other, ever
deeper and deeper. Then He came out of the meditative
absorption for the last time. Then He passed into Jhana a little
way; and from this Jhana He passed into Nibbana leaving
nothing whatever behind that can cause rebirth again in this or
any other world.
The passing away of the Buddha occurred in 543 B.C. on a
full-moon day in the month of May, known in the Indian
calendar as Vesak.
..(PART 2)
32. THE FIRST BUDDHIST COUNCIL
The Meeting to Preserve the Buddha's Teachings
The Buddha's death was a great loss. All of His followers, with
the exception of Anagamis and Arahants, were plunged in
deep grief. But an immoral monk who had entered the Order in
his old age, was the only one who rejoiced at the Buddha's
death.
"Do not be sad, brothers," he said. "Cry not. We are now free
of the Great Ascetic. He constantly worried us, saying 'This is
suitable, this is not suitable.' Now we are free do do what we
like."
These unexpected words spoken by a monk hardly a week
after the death of the Teacher caused the Venerable Maha
Kassapa, the third chief disciple of the Buddha, to call a
meeting of the leading Arahants in order to protect and
preserve the Teachings. The other elder monks were
consulted and they all welcomed the suggestion.
King Ajatasattu was informed of the intention of the Order of
the monks and he made all necessary arrangements for the
monks to meet at the entrance of the Sattapanni Cave in
Rajagaha.
Five hundred seats were arranged and prepared in the large
hall, but only 499 famous Arahants were chosen for the
meeting. The empty seat was reserved for the Venerable
Ananda, who was still a Sotapanna.
Soon there was only one more day before the meeting was to
begin. The Venerable Ananda thought, " The meeting is
tomorrow. It is not right for me to go to the meeting as a mere
learner and not an Arahant. I must try very hard to purify my
mind in the little time left for me.
He spent much of the night in the "Contemplation of the
body", one of the meditation exercises taught by the Buddha
for the purification of mind. When it was almost dawn, he
thought, " I shall lie down" but he kept mindful of the body.
Before his head touched the pillow and after he has raised his
feet off the ground, all the remaining defilements disappeared
from his mind. He had attained Arahantship. And so he went
to the council meeting as an Arahant.
The meeting started three months after the passing away of
the Buddha. That meetings is now referred to as the First
Buddhist Council.
The Venerable Maha Kassapa was the president at the First
Council. Venerable Upali was chosen to answer questions
about the Vinaya, the monks' and nuns' disciplinary rules. The
Venerable Ananda who had the honour of hearing all the
sermons of the Buddha and who had an unusually good
memory was chosen to recite all the sermons and answer
questions about the Dhamma and the Teachings.
The First Buddhist Council collected together and arranged
the Pali Tipitaka or the Buddhist Scriptures which have been
handed down from one generation of monks to another. In the
early days of the spread of Buddhism, there was no written
record of the Teaching. All the monks had to memorise the
Teaching and then teach the next generation of monk in the
same way by the oral tradition.
About 83 B.C., during the reign of the pious Sinhala King,
Vatta Gamani Abhaya, a Council of Arahants was held in Sri
Lanka and the Tipitaka was, for the first time in the history of
Buddhism, put down in writing on ola leaves. This historical
event happened in a village called Aluvihara.