1. Now the Blessed One, when he had stayed at Vesâlî as long as he thought fit,
set out on his journey toward Bhaggâ 1. And journeying straight on he arrived in
due course at Bhaggâ. And there at Bhaggâ the Blessed One resided on the
Dragon's Hill, in the hermitage in the Bhesakalâ Wood 2.
Now at that time Bodhi the king's son's mansion, which was called Kokanada, had
just been finished, and had not as yet been used 3 by Samana, or by Brâhman, or
by any human being. And Bodhi the king's son gave command to the young Brahman,
the son of the Sañgika woman 4, saying, 'Come
p. 126
now, my friend Sañgikâ-putta, go thou to the place where the Blessed One is, and
when you have come there, bow down in salutation at his feet on my behalf, and
enquire in my name whether he is free from sickness and suffering, and is in the
enjoyment of ease and comfort and vigorous health, saying, "Bodhi the king's
son, Lord, bows down in salutation at thy feet, and enquires [as I have said] 1,
and asks: 'May my Lord the Blessed One consent to take his to-morrow's meal with
Bodhi the king's son, together with the Samgha of Bhikkhus.''
'Even so, Sir!' said the young Brahman Sañgikâ-putta, in assent to Bodhi the
king's son. And he went up to the place where the Blessed One was, and when he
had come there he exchanged with the Blessed One the greetings and compliments
of friendship and civility. And when he had done so, he took his seat on one
side, and se seated he [delivered to him the message even as me king's son had
commanded]. And the Blessed One gave, by silence, his consent.
2. And when the young Brahman Sañgikâ-putta had perceived that the Blessed One
had consented, he arose from his seat, and went up to the place where Bodhi the
king's son was. And when he had come there, he said to him: 'We have spoken,
Sir, in your behalf to that venerable Gotama, saying (&c., as before), and have
received the consent of the Samana Gotama.'
Then Bodhi the king's son made ready at the end
p. 127
of that night sweet food, both hard and soft; and had the mansion Kokanada
spread over with white cloths even unto the last planks in the flight of steps
(at the entrance) 1; and gave command to the young Brahman Sañgikâ-putta,
saying, 'Come now, my friend Sañgikâ-putta, go thou up to the place where the
Blessed One is; and when you have come there, announce the time, saying, "The
meal, Lord, is ready, and the time has come."'
'Even so, Lord,' said Sañgikâ-putta in assent [and went to the Blessed One and
announced accordingly].
Now the Blessed One, having dressed himself early in the morning, went, duly
bowled and robed, to Bodhi the king's son's mansion. And Bodhi the king's son
stood at that time at the portico over the outer door to welcome the Blessed
One. And he saw the Blessed One coming from afar; and on seeing him he went
forth thence to meet him, and when he had saluted the Blessed One, he returned
again to the mansion Kokanada.
Now the Blessed One stopped at the last plank on the flight of steps at the
entrance. And Bodhi the king's son said to the Blessed One, 'May my Lord the
Blessed One walk over the cloths. May the Happy One walk over the cloths, that
the same may be to me for a long time for a weal and for a joy.'
And when he had thus spoken, the Blessed One remained silent. And a second time
he [preferred the same request in the same words with the same
p. 128
result]. And a third time he [preferred the same request]. Then the Blessed One
looked round at the venerable Ânanda.
And the venerable Ânanda said to Bodhi the king's son, 'Let them gather up, O
prince, these cloths. The Blessed One will not walk on a, strip of cloth (laid
down for ceremonial purposes) 1. The Tathâgata has mercy even on the meanest
thing.'
3. Then Bodhi the king's son had the cloths gathered up, and spread out a seat
on the top of Kokanada. And the Blessed One ascended up into Kokanada, and sat
down on the seat spread out there with the Samgha of Bhikkhus. And Bodhi the
king's son satisfied the Bhikkhu-samgha with the Buddha at their head with the
sweet food, both hard and soft, waiting upon them with his own hand 2. And when
the Blessed One had cleansed his bowl and his hands, he (Bodhi) took his seat on
one side. And the Blessed One instructed, and roused, and incited, and gladdened
him thus sitting with religious discourse. And when he had been thus instructed,
and roused, and incited, and gladdened
p. 129
with religious discourse, Bodhi the king's son rose from his seat and departed
thence.
Then the Blessed One, on that occasion and in that connection, convened an
assembly of the Bhikkhu-samgha, and after he had delivered a religious
discourse, he addressed the Bhikkhus and said:
'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to walk upon cloth laid down (for ceremonial
purposes). Whosoever does so, shall be guilty of a dukkata.'
4. Now at that time a certain woman who had had a miscarriage, and had invited
the Bhikkhus, and spread cloths in their honour, said to them. 'Step, Sirs, over
the cloth.'
The Bhikkhus, fearing to offend, would not do so.
'Step, Sirs, over the cloth, for good luck's sake.'
The Bhikkhus, fearing to offend, would not do so.
Then that woman murmured, was annoyed, and was indignant, saying, 'How can their
reverences refuse to step over the cloth when they are asked to do so for good
luck's sake?'
The Bhikkhus heard of that woman's murmuring, and being annoyed, and indignant.
And they told this matter to the Blessed One.
'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, when asked to do so for the sake of good luck to
laymen, to step over cloth laid down for ceremonial purposes.'
Now at the time the Bhikkhus were afraid to step on to a mat to be used for
wiping the feet 1.
They told this matter to the Blessed One.
p. 130
'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, to step on to a mat to be used for wiping the feet.'
________________________
Here ends the second Portion 1 for Recitation.
Footnotes
125:1 Bhaggesu. Compare Buddhaghosa's note on a similar plural at
Mahâ-parinibbâna Sutta III, 5, quoted in Rh. D.'s 'Buddhist Suttas from the
Pâli,' p. 24.
125:2 This place is also mentioned in the Sutta-vibhaṅga on the 55th and 56th
Sekhiyas.
125:3 Anagghâvuttho, literally, no doubt, 'dwelt in.' But it is clear that the
meal afterwards taken in it by the Buddha was supposed to be the dedication, so
to say, or the house-warming, after which it was agghâvuttho.
125:4 On this habit of naming people after the family or tribal (not the
personal) name of their mothers, see Rh. D.'s note in his Buddhist Suttas,' p.
1.
126:1 So far this conversation is the stock phrase for a message from a royal
personage to the Buddha. See 'Book of the Great Decease,' I, 2 (Rh. D.'s
'Buddhist Suttas,' p. 2).
127:1 Sopâna-kaliṅgarâ. Compare the Sanskrit Kadaṅkara (also written kadaṅgara).
The correct reading is doubtless l, not l.
128:1 Kela-pattikâ ti kela-santharam, says Buddhaghosa. See pattikâ in Childers,
and compare pañka-patthikam at V, 11, 6. Kela is not merely ordinary cloth; it
is cloth regarded as a means of giving a decorative or festive appearance to a
house by spreading canopies, &c. See Gâtaka I, 178, and Mahâ-parinibbâna Sutta
VI, 26 (p. 64). On such festive occasions the whole house (or the Mandapa
erected in special honour of the guest) is covered with lengths of clean cotton
cloth--the same as are otherwise used for ordinary apparel--white being the
colour signifying peculiar respect. It is such lengths of cloth so used honoris
causâ that are called kela-pattikâ. Compare Rh. D.'s note in 'Buddhist Suttas,'
p. 122.
128:2 See the note above on Mahâvagga I, 8, 4.
129:1 Dhota-pâdaka.
130:1 There is no mention in the text of where the first such Portion
(Bhânavâra) ends. There is also no division into Bhânavâras in the previous
books of the Cullavagga.
0 comments:
Post a Comment